The Salah Star system is the current home of the Navarok Kuevoriveiko, a Communal Crowned Republic. Founded from a enclave of a feudal ethnostate, the majority citizens are to date mostly made up of esoteric, dualistic beings known as the Ilundua. They are a part of the Serenity Concord as of May 2387 after a general referendum.
Government Structure
The Ilundua currently live under a new political system they devised called Komirjaik, an evolution of their former system of Elective Monarcho-Syndicalism. Komirjaik is a hybridization of council democracy, representative democracy, syndicalism and elective monarchy. The democratically elected Prime Minister (OroKitziaki) co-rules with the Grand Duchess(Dari Tzujaikn) who is elected from and by the aristocracy. Both the Prime Minister and the Grand Duchess share the authority of Governorship over the whole nation. They both represent their nation in the council of Governors.
- Commoners organize themselves around citizen councils (Koriveljiko) to directly exert their political will. Local councils at the village level are the base units of organization, they then elect representatives for higher councils that represent a larger amount of citizens (Iariki Koriveljiko) up until the highest council, the Grand council (Dari Koriveljiko) that represents the whole republic. The citizen councils are used to elect judicial candidates and executive authorities from city mayors all the way up to the Prime Minister (OroKitziaki). Lastly the council system is responsible for passing laws, ratifying treaties and declawing war.
- There are Two levels of courts (Haritzutzi) , The lesser courts (Iariki Haritzutzi) that deal with local and provincial laws and the greater courts (Dari Haritzutzi) that deal with national laws. Judges are nominated from and by the aristocracy but are only appointed by citizen councils. A judge (Tzunjaki) is elected for a term of 36 years. There are no term limits for Judges.
- The Prime Minister and the council of stewards (Harijaki Beljiko) consist of the national level executive officials. The Prime Minister is elected by the citizens through citizen councils. The council of stewards on the other hand are nominated by the Prime minister but are only appointed by the Grand Council, the House of Lords and the Syndicate Tribune (Mekuli Beljiko). The stewards are in charge of advising the prime minister and of overseeing the executive ministries they are charged with. Elected executives including the Prime Minister serve fourteen year terms. Currently there are no term limits for elected executive officials.
- Eitan Roza is the elected Prime Minister
- The Syndicate Tribune was borne of the old worker’s councils and guilds from the old Ilundua feudal system. After the Komirjaik Reforms it has become a political and economic entity that manages the centralized aspects of the economy. As such it is a representative council formed out of all the various worker cooperatives, guilds and unions within the nation. Chief among its duties are regulating the price of commodities exchanged with other nations, negotioation of trade agreements and the allocation of resources within the nation.
- Forja Mailu is the current speaker of the Tribune
- The House of Lords (Harijaikn) is the vestigial council of the old Ilundua feudal aristocracy. The council is composed of the heads of the various Noble Houses. While no longer enjoying sovereignty over the people the council's new function is to serve as a method of centralizing military organization in a manner closer to the standards of the Serenity Concord. Despite this reforms have been slow and the lords still follow a mostly feudal military organizational structure. Lastly the House of Lords elects the Grand Duchess who’s terms last the traditional 200 years.
- Klarek Jauzureko is the current Grand Duchess
Economy
The Navarok has a centrally planned economy managed mostly by the Syndicate Tribune and to a lesser extent local and regional citizen councils . Every person is entitled to whatever necessities they require for a fulfilling life, however every citizen is therefore required to pay taxes through civil service to the state. This can range from military service to laboring in government projects to simple tasks like upkeep of communal spaces. Tasks are assigned on preference and competency with training available for free. Necessities include food, water, shelter, musical instruments and lessons, access to free training, artisan tools and access to free academic and religious education to any degree. Economic calculations are done at the local level with an encrypted and anonymized peer to peer network called Komtxakla Metzekat (CyberEconomy). The network was formerly used for several thousand years under the extreme resource challenge of only residing in space.
- Those living within the Navarok Republic can decided how their necessities will be met through the local worker cooperatives and are provided housing through the local citizen councils. Apart from the resources allotted to citizens directly from the Tribune there is also a barter/gift economy that mostly deals with more niche interests. Officially the use monetary units is only permissible for the purposes of making economic calculations, the name of their monetary unit is the Eikorri. Beyond that there is a prohibition of the use of money, markets and on targeted advertisement. Instead the entire state through the Tribune negotiates with foreign merchants both large and small. Typically the negotiations are only for items that the Navarok Republic cannot manufacture or grow within its borders. The export of items for individual profit is tightly regulated as such there have been petitions to liberalize the economy, mostly from foreign trade organization and the Ferengi. Such attempts have so far not yielded any reforms. When trading with outside nations the Tribune pays in energy credits. The Navarok Republic also has mines on the Salah system's two gas giants for deuterium and set up a dark matter harvest station in close orbit of the star Salah. To date deuterium and dark matter are the only official exports that the small nation produces for trade with the wider galaxy.
- In recent years the development of a small but hard to stamp out smuggling ring within the Navarok Republic was observed, focused on physical art of all kinds. Given the long living nature of the Ilu and their near zero reliance on replicator technology it makes all Ilundua created art near one of a kind. The value of Ilu art has only gone up in recent years due to the rarity of such pieces and even more so recently with speculators entering into the market.
Population
Ilundua are dualistic in nature, having true substance dualism in the form of a corporeal body and incorporeal soul that play off of and distinctly affect each other. Their incorporeal spirit is able to affect changes to the material world outside of any direct action of their bodies. This process is known to them as mysticism though it can be seen as a form of psionics or magic depending on the interpretation of the viewer.
- The Current population of Navarok currently consists of around 250,000 Ilundua split between the Salaheitzapa Station and the colony of Harikureitidonjako on Salah Prime.
- Biologically the Ilundua are silicone infused carbon based lifeforms with a quadruple helix DNA structure and six base pairs. This allows their DNA to have at least triple the genetic information of a carbon based life from earth. On top of that they have close to no junk DNA present in their genome. This allows them to have an extremely diverse morphology as a consequence. It is not uncommon for two members of this species to look so completely different that they appear as if from completely different evolutionary lineages. On top of this is their dualistic aspect that allows for greater morphological expression beyond what is physically possible for a completely corporeal being. They also do not have sexual dimorphism and consequently primary and secondary sexual characteristics are inhereted completely at random. Their gametes are isogamic and capable of accepting and interchanging genes of multiple partners. This also allows for all the sexual partners to become impregnated in times of low population. Additionally the adaptive nature of their gametes and genetics allows for a great range of hybridization with other species though the reproductive viability of hybrids is not guaranteed. Lastly the stability of their DNA allows them to be extremely longed lived with the average lifespan stretching into millennia.
- As creatures of true substance dualism their mind shapes their body as much as their body shapes their mind. As such morphological changes are extremely commonplace, this extends to changes in primary and secondary sex characteristics. The changes take place over the course of at least a years if not more and do not generally hinder their quality of life. Their dualistic nature also allows for them to reproduce through the mystical creation of a new soul strong enough to form its own body. This can be done by a sole individual or a large group but the end result is a being that is not genetically similar to the parents but most definitely psychologically similar. They are not extensions of their parents as despite the initial extreme similarity they quickly diverge and form their own personality.
Culture
The Ilundua are a heavily communal and traditionalist culture with an emphasis on solidarity, family ties and creative expression. Because of their unique biology and varied morphology the Ilu do not have very many biases against how other people look or express themselves.
- Ilundua culture is heavily centered around the community and so the concept of communal unity is very highly regarded. They are highly social to the point where isolation from their community has detrimental effects on their physical health. communal living is therefore a physical necessity for them. This extends to all aspects of their life, both leisure and labor are shared with others and used to foster and reinforce their bonds.
- The emphasis on the household is a relic of their feudal system. The commoner familial houses would be judged by the aristocracy based on their economic output and their strength of their bonds. The rewards would be access to political, social and economic opportunities. While this system has been done away for the most part an imprint on the culture remains. Ilundua make it a point of pride in how strong their bonds are to their households.
- Creative expression through any kind of medium is highly encouraged. Indirectly this leads an encouragement away from outcome and to enjoyment. The highly refined and expertly crafted works of art and some commodities made by Ilundua are a byproduct of their dedication to their craft and not the end goal.
- By extension the acceptance of expression applies to gender expression, gender identities and sexual orientations. The Ilundua do not have a concept of sexual orientation but instead sexual prefrence. Similarly they do not have gender identities tied to sexual characteristics which can lead to miscommunications. Their genders are more based on social status, role in a relationship and in some cases priesthood.
- Interestingly despite a high amount of spiritualism within the culture there is no inherent negative bias towards AI or other types of machine sapience in their religious books. Their mistrust and discrimination of AI stems from the cultural baggage from the past.
- The way Ilundua separate time within their own concept of a day is different. They smallest of the normative time measures is the Jouvet, it is exactly the same measurement as the second. A group of 100 jouvet is a Iukya, 100 Iukya is an Irdio and finally ten Irdio is a single Koutz roughly analogous to a day. A single Koutz is equivalent to 27.78 human hours or 1.16 days. Their year is based on different orbit so for them an orbit is 504 Koutz. In terms of calender organization the Ilundua have no concept of a week, but they do have everything else. They have 14 Ketze, roughly a month, consisting of 36 days. The 14 Ketze comprise one Avvo, or roughly 1.38 years. Lastly the Ilundua also use a cycle known as the Ziki. It consists of 120 Avvo where every ten Avvo, otherwise known as a Tsika is dedicated to a single creator spirit. Starting with Suge the weaver of life and ending with Hiltzen the bringer of death.
Religion
The main religion of Navarok is Toikaip ette Ari Tzul, the winding steps of the Spirits, or the Toikaip for short. It is a animistic religion with a leaning towards polytheism. The emphasis is placed on the worship of creator spirits to guide and protect the believer.
- Within the religion there are thirteen greater spirits roughly analogous to creator deities that are known as the Juaken. Below them are the 36 houses of lesser spirits known as the Kimzal. The Kimzal are seen as the agents of the creator spirits. Below the Kimzal are the 120 legions of the Behatxua, guardian spirits there to protect the Ilundua from evil and to aid them in battle. The final level of the benevolent spirits are the Ilundua themselves who believe they were the creation of the greater spirits. It is also noteworthy that all spirits can cause death and destruction but for the spirits they consider benevolent it is implied that any harm done is with the intent of allowing for a better outcome.
- The Thirteen Greater Spirits are
- Ajukia, stellar spirit of daytime, patron of the noble houses and giver of the arcane arts. She is also referred to as the Sovereign.
- Ikarga, moon spirit of nighttime, patron of warriors and giver of the knowledge to travel space. Also referred to as the Champion.
- Tsekura, shadow spirit of time, he who writes omens in the stars and patterns, giver of the knowledge to make machines. For this he is called the Watcher.
- Suge, mother spider spirit of the Ilundua, she for whom the planets were made, giver of medicine, patron of parents and protector of children. Always called the Matriarch.
- Hikliku, owl spirit of death, firstborn of Suge, icy talon of the spirits.
- Mikro, earth spirit of the forge, firstborn of Ikarga, first to forge the mytxik alloys, patron of artificers.
- Tzuken, heron spirit of harvest, firstborn of Tsekura, giver of agriculture, patron of farmers, ranchers and hunters.
- Kutzekan, snake spirit of wisdom, giver of language, patron of thaumaturges and scholars
- Atakien, star spirit of trods, first cartographer of the spirit realm. Patron of pilots and navigators
- Harukim, water spirit of change, champion of the Ilundua. Patron of misfits.
- Tzolok - fire spirit of art, patron of performers, craftspeople and artists
- Arikuro - rabbit spirit of mercy, patron of protectors and the just.
- Kipatot - Not a true spirit but the void incarnate, represented by a black hole.
- Anathema to the benevolent spirits are the malevolent spirits. They care only for themselves and revel in stagnation. Their numbers and names are not recorded as it is believed this robs them of power. This also means that the categories for them are derogatory names given to the malevolent spirits. They are generally put into three categories, Imatzit the destroyers, Hatzanik the deceivers and Brukrim the corrupters.
Ilundua do not believe their own mortal body or incorporeal soul can survive without the other. Consequently the do not believe they pass on into the spirit realm. Instead their soul sinks into the Well of Souls where it is taken apart and purified before eventually being made into a new soul and put into a new body. The reuse of the soul is not akin to reincarnation as the new soul has no memory of its old existence. There are some exceptions but generally only the greater spirits are thought to be capable bringing someone back from the dead or of bringing them back in a newborn body.
Military
The Navarok military is a feudal structure where different lords are tasked with maintaining a certain regiment of men at arms and knights. Interspersed within this structure is the civil defense force and the various crusader orders. At the moment their military force projection is small.
- The old feudal lords negotiated to retain the rights of maintaining their military duties to the state. As such every noble house is given the resources to train, maintain and equip a military force of knights and men at arms. The amount of resources allotted is tied to the vassalage system so the lowest order being a manor lord who typically is only allotted resources for at most a few dozen knights, a few hundred men at arms and a single vessel. The highest order is a Duchess who is allocated the resources to maintain thousands of troops and dozens of vessels. Upward mobility in the military is not impossible but the noble houses constantly compete for ranking. This puts pressure on the noble houses to find talented commoners and either adopt them or marry them into the household. Both the ground and naval forces are controlled by the old feudal lords yet many of the more prestigious houses employ generals and admirals of common birth to manage their forces in their stead. The Grand Duchess is the commander in chief of the entire military.
- A recent addition to the Navarok Navy is the creation of the 1st Special Operations Wing: Talons of Hikliku. It marks the first time that the Ilu have used fighters and bombers in space combat. With the creation of the Wing it includes dozens of strike groups, small craft stations and a small carrier group.
- The civil defense force is tasked with maintaining peace within Navarok society. They are a mix between civil protection, defense and civil servants. Typically they are broadly divided into two wings. The first wing focuses on civil protection and includes security detail for government officials and government facilities and crisis intervention teams for detaining violent individuals. The second wing is the local defense force with a planetary guard centered on Salah Prime and a system guard centered around the Salaheitzapa Station and the surrounding defense stations.
- The last military entity is comprised of the Crusading Orders (Arutxodua Kuevorok). These orders are primarily founded by the priesthood to serve a religious function. Unlike human crusades, Ilundua crusades are not a holy war against another religion but rather holy labors given by the spirits. Some may have minimal military necessity while others may have to do with a defense of the Ilundua people from threats. Anyone can join any holy order but once inducted they cannot join another unless they relinquish membership and remain outside of any order for four years.
- Some crusader orders include, The Order of the Weaving Spider, The Order of the Crimson Crescent and the Order of the Veiled Gate.
Technology
Navarok technology could most easily be described as Magitech. They use and rely on magical contraptions in much the same ways as any other space faring civilization relies on mundane technology. The basis of their technology however relies on mystic materials, thaumaturgy and esoteric substances.
- The base of Navarok technology is dependent on dark matter to generate power. They are able to capture and use this otherwise difficult to interact with substance through their use of Kuinetxe arrays that use a local gravity well for collection and Atxankor Reactors to actually use it as a power source. The conversion of dark matter to usable energy also gives off large amounts of energy of all types. More conventional energy is funneled into systems that require it like cloak generators, life support and weapon systems while the magical energy is used to power the ships engines, their non sentient automata and FTL drives.
- Most life support systems are comparable to other space faring civilizations. Their weapons however are more primitive with electromagnetic mass launchers and plasma based directed energy weapons being the norm. Manufacturing, construction and agriculture is also much more primitive, relying on the labor of people and automatons. The only technology they possess capable of outperforming other civilizations is their Elidurako cloaking device. It uses a combination of strange matter and vacuum field distortions to project a bubble of warped space-time around the device. The size of the bubble mostly has to do with the energy load inputted and the bubble causes a form of gravitational lensing that renders the inside nearly undetectable and immune to most forms of weaponry. The disadvantages are however, a lack of visibility within the bubble, substantial energy consumption and that the interior of the bubble can be detected by measuring gravitational distortion.
- The Ilu also have more ethereally based technology. One of them being their automata. From simple autonomous tools to entire spaceships the Ilu use automata for many purposes. They are in essence formed by magical circuits interacting with mechanical contraptions. As per strict religious guidelines no automata is allowed to be sapient through intent or accident. A majorly mystical technology is their Toroidal Quicksilver engine that is used as sunlight propulsion. It takes the raw magical energy from the breaking down of dark matter and transforms it into propulsion in any direction desired. The last major magitech is the Bidaia Configuration. It is an FTL drive that uses an array of pylons to force a spaceship into the Harizul, empyrean or spirit lands. Much like hyperspace travel, using the Harizul to travel decreases the travel time between star systems. Whether intentional or not the use of the Bidaia Configuration is not safe for any non Ilundua species.