History of the Poliesu

Poliesu Lore Pages
Species Lore Pages		Poliesu
Planet and System Pages		Ayun-Ji
Governments and Organizations Pages		United Republic of Ayun-Ji · The Grand Tide

Formation of the Five Kingdoms

Formation of life on Ayun-Ji took place under its waves; as an ocean world, it developed a vast and complicated eco-system comprised of all forms of what might be considered common seaborne life. A certain species had evolved from pre-historic lifeforms referred to as the Polienos, the earliest known species of predators that were similar to Earth sharks. Over time this species would develop into bi-pedal mammalian creatures with an aptitude for agility and the ability to breathe and see underwater. This species would eventually be referred to as the Poliesu.

What is known about early Poliesian history is that millennia prior to the advent of space flight, they utilized their natural affinity for water-based travel to follow a nomadic lifestyle for centuries before they began settling in different areas across Ayun-Ji, both above and under the seas. Groups of nomads spanned across the globe, with these loose civilizations eventually coming together to form collections of tribes to eventually settle down on numerous islands dotted across Ayun-Ji.

It did not take long - within four generations spanning across three hundred years - for territorial rivalries to emerge. The first wars erupted in the 8th Century CC between the collective nations of the Shiksen and Nymara tribes over territory and resources. Smaller, less prominent nations were formed during this period as the Bojun, Kelkirik, and the Umbra nations. In what is considered to be the “feudal” period of Ayun-Ji, which lasted between the 10th and 18th Centuries CC, these collective islander nations were formed into veritable kingdoms by their own rights, each owning vast swathes of territory.

As is understood, the Warring Pentagon period that constitutes the Poliesian feudal era brought about significant advances in technologies. Where it differs from the European feudal era on Earth, Poliesu civilization had by this point acquired and developed on the knowledge of weaponry capable of being lethal both above and under water. In comparison to Earth’s history, Ayun-Ji had been centuries more advanced, technologically, by around the same point due to the necessity of high-pressure warfare. This period had also solidified the cultural expectations of warfare - in which the Poliesu would value trials by combat; to this day, it is considered a rite of passage for a Poliesu warrior to prove themselves through conflict. Each of the five kingdoms would field their own massive armies during the Warring Pentagon era. Centuries more would pass with even further adaption of more devastating and significant technologies.

With the advent of technology around the 23rd Century to enable space exploration, it became more of a competitive race between the five kingdoms to explore deep space. Eventually the innovations that came from this effort allowed for transport to other star systems around Ayun-Ji - and brought the Poliesu into contact with extraterrestrial lifeforms in the form of exploration and science vessels belonging to the Holy See of Visra.

By the mid-27th Century the Poliesu had found success in colonizing multiple worlds in systems surrounding Ayun-Ji. A collective drive for greater unity was pushed, with some resistance from certain kingdoms - but despite this resistance, the king of the Shiksen declared the formation of the Grand Tide, which was composed of only three of the five Kingdoms - the Nymara and the Bojun refused to join at first. The Grand Tide was a confederation of the kingdoms, with its leadership composed of the ruling monarchs of each nation and assimilated the colonies previously only settled by the three founding members. As is their natural way of life, those worlds settled by the Nymara and the Bojun were contested by the Tide, culminating in a devastating conflict that ended in the subjugation of the two resistant houses and their assimilation into the Tide. At the turn of the 28th Century, it seemed that the Poliesu were finally united under one banner, and maintained their colonial holdings for the decades that followed. The Grand Tide’s capitol on Ayun-Ji became Atol-Jul.

The Secession War

By the time the Galactic Coalition and the Federatsiya Feniksa initiated open conflict, the Grand Tide declared neutrality and offered no official support for either side of the war - but certain outlying parties within the Grand Tide committed unofficial support in the form of supplies and manpower, with the official understanding being that these were mercenary forces being offered to the highest bidder - which happened to be the Federation, despite protests from the Galactic Coalition and the Rokhandan Directorate observing that these were “official support in all but declaration.” Poliesian soldiers gained a staggering reputation during the first year of the war; despite their handicaps of requiring hydration at frequent intervals, they proved more than capable of fighting in terrestrial and space-borne environments - even going so far as tipping the balance of power in certain Federation campaigns in their favor.

Despite this show of bias from the Grand Tide, no official support was declared and, in fact, the leaders of the Tide declared their neutrality and wanted no part in the war between the Galactic Coalition and the Federation, even going so far as to deny military access to their systems from the Federation. However, as the year went on, border tensions with the Holy See of Visra became a cause for concern. It seemed that the Tide was poised to initiate conflict with the Lumii. It was not until the Rokhandan Directorate attempted to push their way into Visra space to take control of their FTL lanes that a call to action was made.

It’s at this time that the Holy See and the Tide declare their official support for the Federation, as the Rokhandans sided with the Galactic Coalition. The Grand Tide mobilized their forces and opened a second front against the Rokhandan Directorate in their border system of Mengima. Forces deployed to assist the Federation were officially recognized as being under the command authority of the Grand Tide. Poliesian martial prowess and null-gravity adaptability became widely feared by opposition parties as the Grand Tide stabilized both fronts, and admirably held their own alongside the Lumii against the invading Rokhandan fleets for a not-insignificant amount of time.

The second year of fighting saw the Grand Tide split mostly between border fights against the Rokhandan Directorate and with the rest of their forces deployed in support of the Federation’s campaign to cut into the White Belt. An effort to liberate FTL control stations taken early in the war with a combined fleet of Poliesian and Visra vessels successfully pushed back Rokhandan forces to reestablish control. The Grand Tide was also involved in a coordinated push into the White Belt, which was stymied by the entry of the Vesreen Holdings into the conflict.

Closer to the home front, Rokhandan naval and intelligence forces made a push deep into Tide space, during which three subsequent incidents on Poliesian colony worlds resulted in the loss of billions of lives. The Praxis Incident remains a major sticking point of contention between the Poliesu and the Rokhandan Directorate following the conclusion of the war, and is the sole reason as to why relations between the two factions are severely strained.

Grand Tide involvement lasted until the end of the 4th Year of conflict, following the explosion of the GTV Wau-Shui on the capitol of Ayun-Ji, Atol-Jul, which resulted in the deaths of millions and the complete demoralization of the Poliesu. The Poliesian leadership that was not wiped out in the chaos met with the Galactic Coalition to secure peace and Ayun-Ji, as the remaining settled world of the Poliesu, became a protectorate.

Poliesu mercenary groups continued to fight for the Federation despite official surrender until the armistice. These groups were officially disavowed by the Grand Tide as agreed upon during peace talks with the Galactic Coalition.

Following the events of the Shattering - a sector-wide collapse of FTL communications for a prolonged period of time - efforts to communicate towards peace began. The Federation, reeling from their responsibility of misfiring their superweapon culminating in this event, agreed to gather what remained of the Grand Tide and the Holy See of Visra which comprised the Jingashi Concordant. This new political entity would participate in the negotiation talks representing their respective sides with the Interstellar Treaty Organization.

The Consequences of Conflict

A tenuous peace brokered between the Galactic Coalition and the remnants of the Poliesian government allowed for an effort to rebuild the sacred capitol of Atol-Jul as the center for Poliesian civilization once again. This effort, however, came at the cost of surrendering their sovereign status to become a protectorate of the Galactic Coalition. The following riots and protests were immediately put down by deployed Vatborne legions, solidifying a clear lack of trust and faith towards the GC.

Following the conclusion of the peace talks which led to the Armistice, the Shiksen - as the most powerful kingdom left remaining - dissolved the Grand Tide. The resulting fallout left the Shiksen, Kelkirik, and the Umbra on one side vying towards true unification of the Poliesians. The Nymara and the Bojun, with the former being the natural rivals of the Shiksen, refused to participate in unification. They and the Bojun left Ayun-Ji entirely and formed the resurgent Grand Tide, and established their goal of ridding the galaxy of Rokhandans and Rokhandan sympathizers.

The larger kingdoms that remained on Ayun-Ji created a new government in the form of the United Republic of Ayun-Ji, which was supervised and guided by the Galactic Coalition to be formed in the same style as the GC’s own government. It did not take long for a united effort to come about to rebuild their armed forces, but it would be done accordingly to the stipulations placed on them by the Coalition. Owing to their past warlike tendencies, a limitation on the amount of troops and naval vessels was seen as a mark of shame on the new government. Many remained sympathetic to the Grand Tide even though the new “political” entity was declared an openly hostile terrorist organization seeking to cause chaos in a post-war recollection.

With the initial demobilization of the Grand Tide’s armed forces, many Poliesian soldiers were left with little to do. It was not uncommon to find many taking up mercenary and security-related work across the newly-established White Belt colonial areas.