Almeracian Empire

The Almeracian Empire is a technologically advanced civilization that spans many settled worlds. Though not as large as the Kree or Skrull territories, the Almeracians are sufficiently advanced to have relatively unquestioned dominion over their region of space. Their home planet is called Almerac.

Overview

The Almeracian Empire is one of the great stellar empires spanning countless worlds. At its heart sits the planet Almerac where the Imperial family resides. The origins of the empire are shrouded in the mists of the past. Almaara and Raacal were a pair of powerful female warriors who arose in the early days of Almerac, they lead their people on their first conquests of the other planets in their home system and donated the first genetic legacy to the Imperial Blood House of Almerac.

The warriors born in the creches from this genetic legacy were as powerful as their forebearers and the Almeracians continued to expand outward. Conquered societies were allowed a high degree of regional autonomy under their own Blood Houses that would produce warriors from the creches for the greater glory of Almerac, but all Blood Houses still had to pay a tithe donating from among their strongest lineages and best genetic samples to the Imperial Blood House, so that as the empire grew so did the might of each generation of the Imperial House.

• Almeracian Matriarchy

  Almeracian society is a Matriarchy.
  
  There are two major reasons for this. First, the most important reason was purely practical and related to the potential number of combinations of genetic legacies. In order to create the strongest possible new generations of warriors the largest possible number of genetic combinations to match desired characteristics was extremely advantageous. There were simply greater options for creating women. Unlike men who required both a male and female genetic legacy to create, women could also be created by combining the genetic legacies of two women.
  Beyond that, women were often found to be better tacticians in the field, and less prone to rash decision making and mistakes induced by hot headed responses to enemy provocations. Among the diplomatic attaches of the Academic Caste in particular they were found to invariably trigger far fewer needless conflicts.

• Warrior Caste Traditions

  Almeracian society is first and foremost an expansionist warrior empire. Following the examples of their forebears it is through conquest that the Blood House of Almerac and the empire as a whole grows stronger.
  
  But the warrior spirit of Almeracian society does not end there. While legal codices do exist governing the behavior of most of the castes, there is only one true law for the Warrior Caste: Trial by Combat. There are seven different types of trials fought for varying reasons and with varying levels of severity and consequences. They are Trial of Injustice, Trial of Rank, Trial of the Name, Trial of Ownership, Trial of Veto, Trial of Assimilation, and Trial of Decimation. In the case of Genetic Legacies the challenged may, at their prerogative, request the duel be to the death in order to discourage frivolous and repeat challenges.

• Caste Society

  
  
  Like many historical empires Almeracian society is highly stratified both in terms of geographical regions and individual castes.
  
  On the geographic level you have the society of planet Almerac itself, the seat of the Empire and the domain of the Almeracian race. Almerac knows only abundance, its people are the highest echelons on the empire's nobility and the tithes from countless worlds both sustain their lifestyles and enhance their genetic bloodlines. To visit the worlds of the core Almeracian system is to set foot upon a Matriarchal Warrior Paradise.
  
  Beyond the Imperial Core System are the systems of the Great Blood Houses. While outside of the Imperial Blood House, these are the Noble Houses of the Almeracian Empire. Theirs are the warriors that form the upper tier of Almerac's armies. If the Imperial Blood House are the rulers and generals, these houses are the commanders and officers that control the individual legions.
  
  Beyond the systems of the Great Blood Houses are the systems of the Frontier Blood Houses. These are the systems governed by the newest and most recently conquered Blood Houses that have yet to make a name for themselves in further conquests pushing the borders of the Almeracian Empire. The Frontier Blood Houses make up the bulk of the Almeracian Empire's rank and file soldiers. Their losses are the heaviest but their glory potentially the greatest as they continually push the boundaries of the Empire further in the hopes of becoming Great Blood Houses someday.
  
  At the individual level Almeracian society is divided up into four castes. Above all the others stands the Warrior Caste, the conquering matriarchs of Almerac. Below the Warrior Caste are the viziers and scientists of the Academic Caste. Though not as prestigious as the Warrior Caste, the Academic Caste holds great influence as advisers and administrators of the other castes. They are the diplomats and the scholars, as well as the genetic researchers who preserve the genetic legacies. They are also the engineers and the artisans who craft the Empire's advanced technologies, art, and other goods. Where the Warrior Caste selects genetic legacies for overall superiority, the Academic Caste selects genetic legacies primarily for Intellect and Artistic Talents.
  
  Beneath the Academic Caste is the Farming Caste. The Farming Caste produces the Empire's food and thus serves a vital role in the continuation of society and in particular maintaining the supply lines for the endless march of the Almeracian war machine. Farming Caste genetic legcies are chosen for their endurance as they must toil long and hard to ensure that all are fed. But in return they are accorded a great deal of respect relative to their position within the hierarchy.
  
  The lowest of all the Castes is the Merchant Caste. They are looked down upon due to the fact they produce or contribute nothing of their own but rather solely trade in the labors of others. However despite their low social position they are often able to exert outsized influence due to the wealth that they accumulate. Still they have no choice but to bend their knees to the Warrior Caste who can still strip them of everything they have in an instant. The Merchant Caste has little say in the genetic legacies that they receive but what influence they do manage with their wealth is used to procure legacies of great merchants past with strong bargaining acumen.

• Warrior Caste Trials

  Trial of Injustice: The most basic of Almeracian Trials, when a member of the Warrior caste feels wronged in some way they may demand this trial to extract personal satisfaction. The challenger and challenged must agree on the terms of the fate of the loser before the trial may commence. The challenged may refuse, though to do so is considered tantamount to an admission of guilt and carries severe social consequences all its own such as loss of standing. Multiple such actions can result in ostracization, caste demotion, or even banishment.
  
  Trial of Rank: The Trial of Rank is how Almeracian Warriors to determine their place within the Almeracian military society. This is how the officers, generals, and leaders of the Almeracian military are determined. The rules of the challenge are set. It may not be refused except during an active conflict. It is fought to submission, never death. To force one's opponent to submit while having enough control and restraint to avoid killing them is considered the hallmark of a true Almeracian warrior.
  Trial of the Name: Similar to the Trial of Position but far more prized. Only the most power Almeracian warriors may compete for one of the prized names of those who sit atop the Blood Houses, the most prized of them all being Maxima of the Blood House of Almerac. In most other respects it is similar to a Trial of Rank.
  Trial of Ownership: The Trial of Ownership is fought to determine just that who owns something, be it a piece of equipment, a dwelling, or even pristine DNA samples of a genetic legacy. Because it can determine the ownership of genetic legacies this is one of the most revered Trials of the Warrior Caste. Violations of this Trials rules are unthinkable. In most other respects it is similar to a Trial of Rank.
  
  Trial of Veto: The Trial of Veto is either fought between soldiers of a Blood House or a Great/Frontier Blood House and the Imperial Blood House. It is fought between soldiers when there is a disagreement over orders that have been given. However this is never allowed in the thick of battle. This trial resembles a Trial of Rank in all respects. When fought between a Blood House and the Imperial Blood House this trial serves as a veto against the dictates or laws of the Imperial Blood House, should the challenger prove successful. In this case a champion is chosen to represent each side in a Trial similar in fashion to the Trial of Veto between soldiers. To discourage trivial challenges, should the challenger fail, particularly if they fail multiple times or the reason is deemed unworthy, the challenged may well beat them particularly severely, but still without killing them. A long recovery time can give ample time to reconsider ones actions. But when a Trial is lost against the Imperial Blood House, it is known to demand entire genetic legacies of prestigious warriors in compensation.
  
  Trial of Assimilation: Sometimes through infighting or just unfortunate circumstances a Blood House becomes severely weakened. In the Almeracian Empire weakness is considered disgraceful and a severely weakened Blood House will soon face a Trial of Assimilation from one of its betters. This is a Trial between Blood Houses. It is more like an actual war in practice. The challenging House will come to the home planet of the challenged, a legion of the greatest champions of each house will be pitted against each other and the first side to incapacitate the other is declared the victor. Should the challenged lose they are absorbed into the challenging Blood House. Should the challenger lose they must pay restitution to the challenged house usually in the form of valuable genetic legacies to aid in their recovery.
  
  Trial of Decimation: Sometimes a Blood House does something so heinous that it merits wiping them from the universe in their entirety. For these times there is the Trial of Decimation. The most serious of all Trials, the challenged are informed of the challenge against their House and which House or Houses will be opposing them, a world is chosen, usually the home world of the challenged. This Trial is invariably to the death. If the challenged manage to slay all of their challengers they are exonerated, otherwise they perish and their genetic legacies are purged.

• History

  The origins of the Almeracian Empire begin over 10,000 years ago. At that time the planet now called Almerac had a different name and was part of the older Krenon Empire. The Krenons are ancient and exceptionally technologically advanced, so much so that cybernetic enhancement has become a standard practice among their citizens.
  
  Just over 10,000 years ago the Krenons were threatened by a militaristic expansionist empire encroaching on their borders. Soon war broke out. The Krenons while technologically superior were overwhelmed by the shear numbers of the larger empire. They needed a plentiful source of new soldiers and their full conversion warrior cyborgs while powerful, took too long to produce. They instead turned to a still underdeveloped art among their scientists, genetic engineering.
  
  Experimenting on captured enemy soldiers, the Krenons were able to clone legions of shock troops to fight and die for their cyborg commanders. Combined with their sophisticated military technologies the Krenons were able to start driving back their enemies. However the genetically engineered clone soldiers eventually became disenchanted with being disposable battle dolls./br The uprising began on a world at the front lines of the war that the Krenons had only recently taken back. It was lead by a pair of genetically engineered soldiers gifted with rare mutations that made them even stronger than the regular clones, Almaara and Raacal. Together they lead the rebellion to victory, securing the planet from both the Krenons and their enemies.
  
  After taking over the planet's genetic engineering facilities they began creating a new generation of super soldiers based on the combined genetic legacy of Almaara and Raacal forming the first Blood House. The planet was renamed Almerac in honoring of the leaders of the revolution and would become the seat of a mighty empire ever seeking to improve themselves through more and more advanced genetic engineering. In the beginning their expansion was more altruistic, spreading freedom to all of their kind on the Krenon frontier. Slowly, however it shifted to spreading their warrior ideology, peace through superior strength, and bringing down the empire whose people had supplied the DNA they were created from. From there, they did not stop as becomes the way of expansionist empires, creating more Blood Houses and ever expanding the borders of their empire while incorporating the best characteristics of each new people conquered by the empire into each successive generation of soldiers.
  
  The Krenon Empire, while reduced in size, was still able to hold on to a sizable portion of its territory. While warring with Almerac on occasion they were no match for the Almeracians' superior numbers, while the Krenon's advanced military technology made them a greater threat than they would normally be relative to their size. What developed through the millenia has been a cycle of occasional sparks of violence, and technological trade as they seek an upper hand against Almerac however they can. Many of the Almeracians may no longer remember their origins in the Krenon Empire, but the Krenons still desire to reclaim what was once theirs and by extension everything else Almerac has conquered.