Court of Makkar

The Court of Makkar
Empire Info
Capital		Tylos
Leader		Grand Sovereign Sigmund Baraste VI
Government Type		Elective Monachy
Dominant Species		Tavari
Population		15.5 Billion
Anthem		"The Court Remains"
Color Scheme		Ivory

Summary

The Court of Makkar, colloquially known as The Court or simply Makkarian Empire, is a Stellar Empire subservient as a client state to the Galactic Coalition. It is an elective hereditary aristocracy headed by a single monarch known as the Grand Sovereign. Each world is generally governed by a single noble house who decides on local affairs, but collectively acts with other houses in an assembly known as The Court, allowing the Grand Sovereign final say on all activities of the Empire. Upon the death of the Sovereign the Court will elect a new leader from his heirs, and very rarely from a different noble house. Though this has not occurred in well over 300 years as ways of extending the life of the Sovereign have allowed them to live well beyond what is normally possible.

Demographics

The Makkarian Empire is not an overly diverse space as other empires are, composed largely of Tavari with a small assortment of Humans and Rokhandans, as well as a number of smaller outworld races whose planets were conquered during the initial stages of Makkar’s expansion into the stars. Makkar especially hosts nearly an entire population of the avian species, but on smaller worlds it can be more varied between environmental factors, proximity to Coalition space, and any native species that might inhabit the planet.

Politics

Legally the labyrinthine inner workings of the Court of Makkar are truly incapable of being accurately described to anyone not born into its marble-clad courts. After existing for a millennia the legal system is a puzzle box of bylaws, regulations, and decrees that are only occasionally consistent between star systems. To the regular person interaction with it is often more of a local affair, dealing with the planet’s ruling house or simple local law rather than scaling into the interstellar court system. However as issues become larger what laws apply begins to become a riddle of its own. Often it is less about what the law says and more about how much power the person in question wields. And while this may occur in other empires to a degree, no other takes such pride in its complexity as the Tavari nobles.

An issue always on the table among the houses of the Court is its position as a client state to the Coalition, for as long as that state remains in place their ability to both expand and deal with outside worlds remains limited. Though the possibility of that change is quite unlikely, as not only does the current Grand Sovereign approve of the relationship, but the more powerful houses benefit the most from that protection. Those houses with less lucrative homeworlds have been left to grumble and protest the arrangement, desiring for expansion and new worlds to reap the resources of.

This has been the driving force of smaller houses sending out its younger members to make names for themselves in other empires, either through military service or economic gain in business ventures. On the outbreak of the Secession War this would result in Tavari nobles being on both fronts and every place between with the various mercenary companies established by lesser houses. Officially the Makkarian Empire sided with the Coalition, but since the end of the war it has been no great secret that the Court has maintained ties to its Federation brethren and even met with them on several occasions. Though often these meetings are under the guise, genuine or not, of simple familial ties with no political intent.

Religion

While Makkar is no center of religion like Visra or Earth, its people do still engage in ritual and the continued belief in a mythology which traces its way to the roots of the Court. As legend holds, in the days before the empire there were many gods who claimed dominion over the planet, cruel and heinous beings who tormented the Tavari, used them as tools. They turned what the Tavari considered a paradise world into a cage. Further, it is held by the Court that these gods were slain by the first Sovereign and his followers. His name lost to time but the title endured on, his descendants supposedly being those who still sit on the throne to this day. Many still revere the memory of these gods in a way that may seem twisted to other races, praying for the Sovereign and that those cruel beings should rest forever. They are collectively referred to as “The Dead Gods' ' by most, any true name either lost or intentionally buried by the ancestors. It is not a large part of Makkarian culture but does serve some ceremonial purpose.

Military

Defending the Court stands the Makkarian Guard, an elite force of noble-backed professional soldiers and specialists who ensure both the safety of the court and its people. Each noble house will generally use the resources of its planet to form a guard under control of the house, often used as a defensive force. Though in times of war and on request of the Grand Sovereign these forces can be called to duty elsewhere. The house of the Sovereign himself maintains an even greater force with contributions from each minor house as well as forces direct from the capital of Makkar. This is more directly used as a reactionary force for any difficulties the Court might encounter. It also serves a secondary purpose as a force that the Coalition can call on to aid in its fights.

During times of war the Court will also on occasion enact conscription, though it is a rare occurrence, and form a levy force from the civilians of randomly chosen planets. Makkar is perhaps unique for the fact that these nobles are quite often placing themselves on the front lines of conflicts rather than remain in court. It is still considered a great honor, and even a duty for the ruling class to defend its people. Noble officers are generally more well protected and afforded more comfort than the standard soldier, and it is not an uncommon sight for a parade of servants, squires, and personal guards to be following a noble as he readies for war.

Valkan Plate

An important piece of both military and ceremonial equipment for the Makkarian Guard, Valkan Plate is an ivory- colored kind of ceramic often made into plates of armor and adorned with heraldry in a vibrant red. Its properties are especially useful in the modern age of combat, resistant to both laser-based weapons and traditional kinetic rounds. Uniquely the armor is capable of limited self-repair, almost magically linking broken sections back together after heat is applied.

Economy

“It is through the Blood and the Bone of our dead gods that the Court survives. To call us vultures, while not scientifically accurate, is an apt comparison” -Lord Annek Soncai

With its structure and government the Court of Makkar would not be able to exist were it not for several important resources that it is capable of selling in droves to fund its nobles' lavish lifestyles while keeping the denizens from revolting. The first of these is the previously mentioned Valkan Plate, an ivory ceramic substance that is used in both high impact armor as well as advanced technological equipment. The second is a mineral known as Godsblood, a vibrant red gem found all across the Last Breath Nebula which has proven incredibly valuable to the internal workings of large-scale power generation and lasers. As a focusing crystal there are few substances better to assist powerful lasers, and so the Empire profits greatly from its mining operations in the Ashar and Anavio systems.

The third means of funding the empire comes from outside influences. With the large sizes of certain noble families it is a common task of lower members to make a name for themselves in business ventures. While some go through more conventional means, chartering work in systems outside of Makkarian Space and forming corporations to send funds back to their houses in hopes of strengthening claims to power, others go through more martial means. Noble heirs will form mercenary companies and utilize some of the house’s funds to train them with the best figures money can hire. These forces will then roam known space offering their arms at a steep cost which often warrants the price. Most commonly these units are seen subduing dissidents and serving to enforce laws at the end of a rifle, many establishing a reputation as the hand of tyranny. Others may attempt to keep their appearance clean, but The Court cares not how the funds are acquired.

Makkarian Space

Map of Makkarian Space

While it is significantly smaller than other regions the Makkarian Empire contains a surprising number of well developed worlds, the Court unintentionally focusing on these worlds for centuries before being able to expand its influence outward. Each has a strong military, infrastructure, and ruling class who maintains control over the planet with an unbending power aided by the interstellar influence of the Court. This is the end result of decades of instability and resistance from local populations being sometimes ruthlessly put down, but in other cases the application of bread and circuses.

One of the most striking features of Makkarian Space is the Last Breath Nebula, which covers a large portion of the empire and contains a number of its more naturally beautiful worlds. It has the slight effect of blocking less powerful sensors from a distance but largely is enjoyed as a natural wonder for the worlds inside it. Mythology of the space holds that this is the last breath of the dead gods of Makkar, an attempt to hide these gems from the impudent Tavari.

Makkar

The ancestral home of the Tavari and its capital. The house of Baraste has ruled it for nearly a thousand years, a fact likely to remain true for another thousand with the state of entrenchment the nobles have attained both militarily and culturally. The current Grand Sovereign is Sigmund the Sixth and he has ruled for just over three hundred years at this point. His legacy is considered to be in a precarious place as more nobles speak out against their position as subservient to the Coalition, an arrangement he himself brought the empire into. Many speculate that he is approaching the end of his life, and questions have started to arise for who will replace him.

Karashu

The forested world of Karashu was one of the first successes of the Makkarian Empire, fertile, hospitable, and most importantly with strong enough cultural ties to the empire that its stability has never proven much of a concern. It does not boast any important resources or value as a military target, but is instead one of the cultural hearts of the empire. Since its colonization by House Soncai a stable population of poets and artists has always congregated here. Over the centuries as the cities here grew the arts would grow with it, encouraged by the house to flourish artistically.

Kal Dromor

As one of the first worlds colonized by Makkar one would expect Kal Dromor to be a well established and developed planet of considerable value. However despite the age of this colony the world rarely hosts more than a few hundred million residents throughout the year, with a large portion of those being there for either military training or as punishment. The frigid world is host to hostile primitive lifeforms, dangerous storms, and a little in terms of fertile farmland. House Lohkinen rules the world with a stubborn kind of pride that only a hardy and cruel world like Kal Dromor would create.

Hunting on the planet is a rite of passage for those inclined to combat, mercenaries and military alike, preparation and skill an absolute requirement to take down the larger predators that stalk the frosted valleys of the world. As such those born here are of a sturdy make, and can be turned into some of the best soldiers the empire can offer.

Anavio

The world of Anavio is a dreary oceanic world stuck in the deepest parts of the Last Breath Nebula. Here it makes a small fortune mining the valuable Godsblood gemstones from the surrounding rings. House Salazar, whose motto “Do Not Whisper In The Dark" belies its more deceitful nature, has ruled this planet since its discovery in 2740. Its place within the Last Breath Nebula made the discovery of this planet difficult until improvements on surveying technology could be made. The noble house adopted the more phonetically human name upon gaining prominence in the Coalition, wishing to tie themselves more directly with the Human-dominated culture of the empire.

Life on the planet and beneath House Salazar is a miserable existence. Most of the population is entirely dedicated to mining the rings of Anavio and living on the bleak world where rains and floods prohibit most farming, forcing those who are not sent to orbit to fish the seas for the bountiful life found there. Beyond this there are the rumors of secret police and torture by the hand of the Guard. The noble family ensures stability through the rule of fear.

Ashar

The arid world of Ashar is considered a gem among planets in Makkarian Space. While it is not a forest paradise like Karashu, its valleys and deserts carry a breadth of life unseen on most worlds like it. Fauna and Flora thrive in the rivers and oases that dot the landscape. None so dangerous as to cause trouble for the cities here. The godsblood that is mined here has the benefit of only appearing in deep valleys and beneath the earth, allowing the natural beauty of the world to remain.

Cities spawn around these valleys and are carved into the very sides of the ravines there, spreading out and rising above as spires among the dunes. House Voss has used the wealth of this resource to establish itself as the Custodians of Ashar, taking great strides to both maintain and expand the.plethora of life that lives here. It has thus become somewhat of a tourist destination for the galaxy, what parts of it are not dedicated to mining being geared towards lavishing visitors from all across interstellar space with warm relaxing nights and wondrous delights.