Tanyth Aramont

Faction
Area of Operations: Tessera; beyond the Closeness
Allies: House Skyguard; House Talarin; Shangon Empire
Rivals: no data
Enemies: Planter Collective; Reaver Combine
Ethos: no data
See also: Fractal Rituals; Ministry of Security & Intelligence; Prime Material Plane

Overview

Tanyth Aramont (or T'Aramont) is the Greater Elven Galactic Hegemony. The name loosely translates as "under the care/fatherhood of the House of the Sun." The T'Aramont Emperor rules over more than a dozen quasi-independent lesser empires and kingdoms across many worlds in the Milky Way Galaxy on the Prime Material Plane. T'Aramont is one of the only organizations in the Milky Way that's large enough to unilaterally resist assimilation by the Planter Collective or Reaver Combine. It has forcefully done so several times.

Government

The imperial capital is Tanyth City on the House Aramont home world.

Empress Avrala Pyrix Aramont the 2nd has ruled since 1986. This makes her young and inexperienced in the eyes of many in her court. The Aramont dynasty stretches back millennia, although other Elven Houses have also held the Solar Throne. "The Solar Throne" has become synonymous with the Hegemony itself, the imperial government, and its senior power brokers.

Each Hegemony world typically has a Regent as the local authority. The position that becomes the Regent is typically a remnant from before joining the Hegemony, such as a local king or prime minister. The regents report to regional governors, who report to the Solar Throne.

Every emperor takes a different approach to rulership. Avrala runs her government with a cabinet model, giving different ministers responsibility for different portfolios of domestic and foreign affairs.

The Elven Houses jockey for power and influence through the ministries. They also compete to claim worlds through force of arms, cultural appeal, and improvements to quality of life. A House that brings a bountiful or strategic world into the Hegemony can expect to be rewarded with more prestige and authority in the government.

The Ministry of Security & Intelligence (MSI) is the most influential agency in the government. Nominally, it serves the emperor. However, its internal culture places the security and prosperity of the Hegemony above all.

Military

The Grand Imperial Navy is the pride of the Hegemony and the terror of its enemies. The Navy has extraordinary training, discipline, technology, size, and number of paranormal personnel, relative to most other navies in the Milky Way. The Navy represents the primary arm of the Hegemony's might. However, imperial expansion and control also depend on other groups sanctioned by the Solar Throne.

The Home Guard represents the “national guard” of the Hegemony. Battalions are created on individual worlds and used in local and system defense. The bulk of the Hegemony's Special Forces are not within the Navy, but managed within the Home Guard. They are deployed where the extensive firepower of the great fleets would be overkill for internal matters.

The Free Traders are a group of privateers who receive sanction from the Solar Throne. The Free Traders' bioships and captains range independently from the Navy, serving as an exploration and trading corps that wanders the planes and the worlds of the Prime. Their commission requires them to bring home navigational charts and logs of the peoples, places, and experiences they find. In turn, the Navy and MSI uses this intelligence to expand imperial monitoring, influence, and control.

Finally, there are the Fangs: a quasi-secret order of mystics, monks, and diviners that watch the Swift and the flows of magic for more existential threats. These independent operatives were responsible for uncovering the dangers of adintec. This includes the ties among bloodstones, their unsavory creation, and the damage to the Weave. The Fangs were also crucial to stopping the first and second Reaver invasions of Hegemony space.

The T'Aramont Merchant Spelljammer Corps is a civilian corps that protects civilian shipping vessels, their personnel, and their cargo. In times of war, the Corps helps provide logistical support the Navy.

Expansion

The Hegemony does not often worry about local authorities when assuming control of a new world. They simply declare it to be part of the Hegemony, then rapidly (within a few generations) assume control simply due to the cultural shifts their technology and support brings. Rarely, worlds will rebel as their culture is subsumed. Such rebellions are put down with minimal -- but very instructive -- loss of life. Such rebellions eventually die out on their own as culture shifts. At least that's the explanation promoted by MSI.

The Hegemony "wins" culturally by bringing entertainment, advanced technology, and security with them wherever they go. They let new worlds come to understand the benefits of membership -- willing or not.

Stalemates with the Inhuman Powers

The Hegemony is categorically opposed to the Insectoids. They have fought both the Reavers and the Assemblers to a standstill through massive magical and technological might. They have a cold war détente with the Planters.

Hegemony Focus: The Closeness

Almost all T'Aramont territory is outside the Closeness, so there is little interest or traffic between the Hegemony and the worlds inside the Breakwater.

However, the Hegemony has recently engaged in the first stages of cultural sublimation of the Shangon Empire on Tessera. The Solar Throne is hoping Tessera will eventually become a beachhead for further expansion. Connections between Tessera and the Hegemony are made possible by a group of Free Traders who created a hidden portal past the Breakwater with the assistance of House Talarin.

The Shangon Empire was founded through an alliance between Elves and Dvar. The leading Dvaren clans have staunchly resisted true inclusion in T'Aramont. So the Solar Throne's presence is an embassy that offers counsel, rather than a true local regent. It's also the nexus for the Hegemony culture and technology flowing into Tessera.

As the Solar Throne sees it, they have begun a process of uplifting that will -- in a half-dozen generations -- bring another promising world into the fold.

Citizenship

Elves are full citizens of the Hegemon, granted full rights by birthright and by family lineage. Given the long lifespan of the Elves, this birthright often extends onto worlds not within Hegemony space. Elves of all worlds are welcome within the Hegemony and are immediate citizens, with all the rights and responsibilities therein.

Outside of Elves, however, full Hegemony citizens are rare. To become a citizen, one must be sponsored by an Elven House and be examined by the Solar Throne. Exemplars of any species can become a full citizen, but citizenship is reserved for those of great talent, especially those who have contributed greatly to the growth of the Hegemony, or its technology, philosophy, or art. Non-citizens are still members of the Hegemony, as "residents," if born on a Hegemony world or to at least one resident parent. Citizenship is similarly inherited: a single citizen-parent confers citizenship on all of their offspring.

Ustenroe

There are two special cases to the rules of citizenship. The first are the Tabaxi of the Hegemony garden world Ustenroe. They're also known as "the People." Due to the noble actions of their First Paladin, Song of Sky, the entire planet and the People of it were granted citizenship in perpetuity for their extreme service to the Solar Throne. Ustenroe was not the original home world of the People. However, refugees, adoptees, and former slaves from all over the Hegemony and beyond have converged on the planet. This has led to a surprisingly robust and expansive culture of Clans and adoptees who take their service and obligations to the Hegemony -- or the Empress herself -- very seriously. The People largely remain on Ustenroe, but those who venture off are welcomed into the Hegemony's military and public life, and many have been known to serve well and with distinction.

Elf-Kin

The other primary exception on citizenship is Elf-kin: the children of Elves and other species. Socially, they're considered less beautiful children of the Elven families but still worthy of distinction. They receive a sort of half-citizenship. While they cannot vote, they are often elevated above residents or Hegemony vassals. They are often offered positions of authority, and may find themselves adopted into Elven Houses as they prove to be valuable in their service.

Rights

All citizens and residents of the Hegemony have certain fundamental rights, including security of person and rights to property, due process, assembly, and similar liberties and protections.

Residents can be conscripted into government service. This includes military service, although the Hegemony recognizes that conscripted forces typically under-perform, so conscripts are rarely serve in direct action.

In criminal and civil legal proceedings, a citizen is legally considered more trustworthy than a resident, but it's not impossible for a resident's motion to prevail over a citizen's.

Only citizens can vote. Only citizens can hold office or serve in other positions of authority in the government. Citizens can petition the state for restitution and aid. They are exempt from mandatory government service, although many serve voluntarily and often have long and proud family traditions of service.

Laws

The Hegemony has a complex legal system that operates on a system of courts and Mediators that determine the disposition of criminal and civil cases -- with little distinction being made between them. The Mediators are empowered by the Solar Throne to hear grievances and hand out sentencing appropriate to the evidence presented. There are no trials by jury, but the Mediator’s verdict can be appealed. These appeals go to a triumvirate of three Mediators who hear the appeal and determine whether the verdict should be upheld or abrogated, or adjusted; an appeal can often worsen the verdict for the aggrieved party. A triumvirate may include a noble of sufficient rank in place of one mediator. By tradition, for an important case in their domain, a noble sits on the triumvirate.

In a criminal case, the local government Seeker prosecutes the accused, who may have legal counsel. In a civil case, both aggrieved parties may have legal counsel. The penalties for civil matters may include more than fines or material forfeiture if the Mediator deems it appropriate. For example, the losing party may need to host a public party at which they formally apologize, as part of a Hegemony ethos of restorative justice.

Slavery is absolutely outlawed throughout the Hegemony. However, it persists on fringe worlds, out of the sight of the Home Guard and the government. The Solar Throne makes every stamp it out slavery when it's found. The People (i.e., T'Aramont Tabaxi) are especially driven to find and break slavers wherever they are found. Slaving is a capital offense - one of the few in the Hegemon.

Technology

The Hegemony has very advanced technologically, with mechanical engineering and biotech that exceeds contemporary Earth tech. Firearms are common, as well as simple plasma and energy weapons (typically using magitec). Medical science is an evolving mix of conventional methods with divine and arcane magic.

Magitec is the Hegemony’s primary wonder: a fusion of magic and mundane tech. It leverages the arcane power sources with advanced sensors, motors, and other mechanisms. Power armor, energy weapons, advanced scanners, implanted biochips: such magitec diversity runs through every Hegemony world, with varying degrees of public comfort and acceptance. The crudest forms resemble advanced steam tech, while the most advanced Hegemony worlds showcase sleek devices akin to anything Earth science fiction has dreamed up.

Magitec has its limitations, however. It usually draws on the intrinsic magic of its user, and thus requires a constant source of divine or arcane power to operate. This has created a robust trade in magical power cells that store spell energy.

In addition, the Hegemony projects its might through advanced bioships equipped with magitec-enabled spelljamming Helms. Graceful men-of-war glide through the spaces between crystal spheres and to other planes, bringing with them magitec-equipped soldiers and the full might of the Elven armada.

Adintec

Bloodstones were introduced to the Hegemony very early in their invention, but the Solar Throne categorically rejected them on both moral and ecological grounds. Bloodstones will power Hegemony magitec quite well, but they are categorically outlawed, with the Navy waiting to stamp out anyone who is found producing or possessing adintec one. However, the secrets of bloodstone creation are now widespread. Bloodstone creation has become the subject of popular entertainment that equates them with mad science and callous and immoral scientific endeavors. As a result, the Hegemony is largely free of adintec, but pockets of use still exist in secret