Contents
General Information
Race Name: Idaran
Important Note: This race was created by Narai for the new player universe which will open soon. This will be a playable race. While the information below is final, Narai will add more detailed information regarding history, culture, etc... as time goes on. If there is an area you wish to see more information on, @mail Narai in game and he will add more detail.
Physical Characteristics/Description
A humanoid race, similar in overall shape of a Terran Human however with noticeable differences. They average in height around six and a half feet tall. They have scaled skin, in a variety of colors and densities. The most common scale colors are red, yellow and green. Uncommon colors are blue and white. Very few posses black, silver or gold scales - thought to be a mutation in the genes of the person. The only hair on their body is on their heads, typically blonde or reddish hair. Their eyes are a single solid color, usually red. There are some that have blue or green eyes. While the scales can be thick, they cannot withstand a hit from a weapon or blade. The scales evolved over time to withstand the harsh environments of their home world. The average lifespan is in the range of 180 years.
Planets
Idar Prime
Once a lush world covered in vast farmland, oceans and wilderness - Idar Prime suffered some sort of cataclysmic event several thousand years ago which changed the face of the world. Over the course of several decades, the forests died, rivers and lakes dried up and death moved across the land. The central continent, which was home to the majority of the Idaran race, become a barren desert wasteland. The continent to the north became a massive wall of ice and froze plain. Settlements, known as Borrows, were built along the coast of the desert continent. Several smaller and medium sized communities flourished in the deep desert. To the north, several cities were built within the ice. In the south, mountain ranges protected a very small pocket of forest - while a number of cities and borrows are located within the mountains, no one has touched the small wilderness that survived.
Capital: Dal Sempora (Sempora Burrow)
The largest city on the planet, located on the central desolate continent next to the ocean. Dal Sempora has expanded for many miles, and is protected by a large stone wall to prevent the impact from sand storms from the deep desert. The spaceport is nestled near the ocean, along with the port of Sempora, which is used to bring in resources from other cities on other continents. The city, as such, has a strong fishing industry. The centre city has many large buildings overlooking the city, with various business setup. In the, what was once dead centre of the city, is a large stone structure with a dome on it - the government building that houses the Quorum of Governors, the leading body for the Eidaran Hegemony. The city is home to primarily middle and upper class citizens. A small section of the city, near the outskirts with the desert along the wall, known as Dal Xelen, is home to a lower class of citizens and is heavily patrolled. On the other side of the wall, poorer classes have setup homes, making Dal Xelen extend beyond the wall.
Idar Minor
The only mood to Idar Prime. For thousands of years it was thought to be uninhabitable until the Idarans were able to send a probe there. It was discovered that it contained fertile land for cultivation, and mountain ranges full of various metals and ores. After space travel became a reality, the Idarans setup a primary colony called Dal Toro. The colony became a hub for economic activity, including the buying and selling of millions of tons of metals and food annually, and also is home to the Toro Merchantile Exchange - a merchant organization that has become very powerful, and has threatened the stability of the Quorum. They control the majority of trading in the region. The Toro Merchantile Authority, the parent organization of the Exchange (where trading occurs), has developed a small merchant militia to defend its assets. With the discovery of faster than light technology, they plans to expan off of Idar Minor.
Government Structure
The governing body, known as the Quorum of Governors, is made up of the head (Governor) of each Clan on the planet. Each Governor has one vote on matters brought to the Council and can push their own agenda should they choose. The head of the Quorum is the Chancellor. The Chancellor is selected by the Council (through Majority Vote), and may or may not be a Governor. If a Governor is selected to rule as Chancellor, they must pass the leadership of their Clan to another (either temporarily or permanently). The Chancellor term is ten years long, and there are no set number of terms one can serve. In the past, religious leaders and business leaders had served as Chancellor, selected from candidates outside of the Quorum itself.
The Chancellor is responsible for trade, foreign affairs and control of the military. The Chancellor receives one vote on the Council and in the event of a tie, can cast a second vote. The Chancellor is responsible for setting policy and directing the Council in a certain direction. This, however, is subject to shifty governorship coalitions.
No new Clanss can be formed without majority approval of the Quorum.
Clans are typically regional alliances of families, businesses and groups. The larger ones consist of millions of citizens and control significant portions of territory, however all work together for the greater good. At one point, there were dozens of small Clanss that fought one another over territory and resource.
History
Idarans, by galactic standars, are a younger race that developed quickly out of the need for survival. Several thousand years ago, their planet underwent some sort of change or was the victim a catastrophic event that changed their world. Once a vibrant, lush planet filled with forests, farmland and tropic areas, the atmosphere thinned and the lakes and rivers in the central regions dried up, and over the course of a hundred years the main continent become a barren desert wasteland. The northern continent became a frozen land of ice. The southern continent, although small, was primarily regions of mountain ranged, and was much like the northern continent. Some pockets of vegetation could be found in the region, however.
After the change in their world occurred, the Idarans formed Clans, dozens of them, consisting of various families and citizens. For years, they would fight one another over water, food, metals. The harsh environment brought out the worst in them. Additionally, the Idaran's developed thin scale-like skin of various colours over the course of thousand years. This protected them from the harsh deserts.
As the years went on, territory was drawn up, the remaining Clans came to a sort of uneasy peace for the next several hundred years. During this time, science flourished and new technologies were brought to the forefront. The planet itself was rich in metals, and large cities begun to form. Their capital, Dal Sempora, built along the coast of the central continent, would act as a neutral ground for the remaining Clans. Over time, a central government would take shape here, controlling the Clans in an almost state-like fashion
The real change came when an object of unknown origin crashed into the planet. It turned out to be a ship. While none of the crew survived, the Idaran took the ship and attempted to reverse engineer the ship. Over the course of the next hundred years, new technology would slowly emerge. Beam weapons, advanced communications, faster ground based travel, and so forth. It took some time for them to crack the secret of space travel.
At first, the Idarans could only perform low orbit flights. As time progressed, they went out further and further. Eventually, they settled a colony on Idar Minor, a fair sized habitable moon that would act as their primary source for food as well as new materials to build with.
This entire time, however, it was known that there were other beings in the galaxy, an the Quorum of Governors (the leading governmental body) had ordered the construction of space armada using the new technologies they had discovered. Over the next several decades, the Idarans rallied to build a defensive fleet, not yet capable of leaving their home system.
Recently, the Idarans have been experimenting with faster than light technology - abit of a mix between the ship they reverse engineered and their own scientific discovery. The Quorum of Governors has pronounced the new age of Idarans to be an age of expansion into the galaxy.
Industry and Exports
Idar Prime's primary industry includes the production and export of metals, ores and minerals. Hundreds of mines are setup throughout the deep deserts of Yidar.
In recent years, Idaran's have produced a high number of talents and exception scientific minds though the well funded Sempora University of Science and Technology. It was this institution that cracked the secrets of FTL travel.
Additionally, the Quorum has recently funded and formed a secret intelligence agency, which has been producing a large number of spies, saboteurs and intelligence officers. Some have been sought after by other governments off world since they have become a space faring race. The Idarans have an extensive intelligence network in place. The organization is known as the Ministry of Intelligence and Information.
Military
Approximately one hundred years ago, the various Clans dissolved their individual military forces and combined them into a single military. As of recently, the military consisted of:
Idaran Imperial Guard
The oldest of the various branches of the military. The Imperial Guard was the main defenders of the Idaran Hegemony. Consisting of hundreds of thousands of troops and officers, the military was well trained and would become marines aboard the ships in the Naval Authority. There had been rumours that the Guard had various secret divisions that would execute politics dissidents and enemies of the state.
No more then fifty years old, the Imperial Navy was formed out of the technology developed to travel in space. Consisting of dozens of ships of various sizes, the Imperial Navy is young and eager to prove itself. Many of its experienced officers come from the Guard, and the Hegemony has, on occasion, hired outsiders to help command ships in order to bring 'fresh blood' and experience into the fledging force. They, of late, have been used primarily to combat raider activity and to keep the Toro Mercantile Authority in line.