Lo-Shudai

The emblem of the Grand Tide.

Overview

With its seat of power deep in Poliseu space, the Grand Tide is a galactic empire that spans several star systems. Its ancient capital can be found on the Poliseu homeworld of Ayun-Ji; the Grand Tide is collectively overseen by a group of five influential, important kingdoms. These kingdoms had a long history of infighting, intrigue and open warfare during the Poliseu's formative years but the empire has come to know an extended period of relative peace. This shift from wartime to peacetime has allowed the Grand Tide to focus on other priorities, such as research and trade. Due to their recognition as great warriors, however, soldiers of the Grand Tide can easily find employment in the third party market, either as bodyguards or security, and it is not uncommon to see Poliseu outside of their native space.

General

Capital: The Palace of Serene Waters, Ayun-Ji

Leader: Emperor Yang Jun-shi

Demonym: Tider

Official Language(s): Polisean

Population: 38.4 billion

In the early, formative years of their history, the Poliseu resided in the deep oceans of Ayun-Ji; as an amphibious, aquatic species, this was only natural. It was difficult for them to adapt to living on the sun-drenched beaches of their planet for long periods of time, and so most of their large cities remain submerged to this day. An aggressive ocean ecosystem meant that the Poliseu needed to be fit and fierce to survive against some of the other frightening creatures that called the ocean their home. Early Poliseu clans were extremely territorial and prone to war with other tribes. Their society was initially a random collection of small warrior-families, but over time the strongest of these groups would battle and enslave their weaker brethren, eventually assimilating them. Fearsome warlords vied for territory and resources using their men to fight a proxy war. It was during this Warring Era that the five burgeoning kingdoms began to cement their grip over their respective territories.

Through bloodshed and intimidation these five kingdoms came to control a vast swathe of the waters of Ayun-Ji. This unending conflict had the side-effect of sort of kick-starting Poliseu research and technology. Each kingdom wanted to have a leg up over the others, and for centuries they shifted continuously between war and peace. When the Poliseu finally achieved the feat of space flight and the discovery of W-1, the warring kingdoms scrambled to carve out their own cut of space, founding colonies and building space stations always with the penultimate goal of one-upping the others. Once the Poliseu came into contact with other alien species, however, the uncertainty of alien diplomacy and the pressing need for unity in the face of a galaxy much larger than they thought eventually forced the five kingdoms to come together and accept a more permanent form of peace, though this long history of conflict is still present in their current government.

The Emperor of the Poliseu is chosen through honorable combat between aspiring royals. High ranking members of the five kingdoms all compete, taking part in a fight to the death to determine who is the most experienced soldier amongst them. These tournaments take place in a sacred area of the Palace of the Serene Waters specially consecrated and designed for this purpose. They are only allowed to use the traditional trident spear, and dishonorable tactics will disqualify an entrant and result in fatal consequences. Once a single contestant is left, they will then face the current reigning emperor in battle. If they win, they ascend to the throne and are expected to rule impartially and use their great military prowess to the betterment of the Poliseu species. If they lose, then the current Emperor has proven he has no equal and the Tides have decreed he keep his position.

Demographics

A vast majority of the Grand Tide's citizens are Poliseu, though they are also host to a good portion of aquatic Vatborne. Some races also reside on the islands that dot Ayun-Ji's surface, but these populations of aliens are more of a footnote in the population than a significant portion. The Grand Tide, and by extension the Poliseu are wary of outsiders. Once you prove your worth and strength to them, however, most are willing to accept you as warmly as can be expected. Many vatborne bred for war have taken to retiring on the sunny shores of Ayun-Ji's idyllic isles, as it is easy for them to demonstrate a show of force to earn the favor of their Poliseu neighbors.

Equally, while the Poliseu are wary of dealings with aliens they are not immune to the allure of outside influence. Ayun-Ji has an abundance of valuable metals like gold and silver in its crust and some corporations do have small mining outposts underwater to take advantage of these natural resources... after paying significant tithes to the Grand Tide, of course.

Military

As an individual entity, the Grand Tide itself has no standing military. However, each of the five kingdoms maintains a home garrison to protect their territory and a navy to insure their extrasolar interests. During peacetime these independent militaries do not cooperate and remain under the authority of their king; however, in the event that the Grand Tide go to war with another galactic power, then theoretically each king must relinquish command of his navy to the Emperor for the defense of the homeland. Not all kingdoms have the same number of ships or the same military technology but their fleets, when merged, are outnumbered only by those of larger superpowers like the Coalition or the Federation.

As a warrior species, the honorable career path would be one of military service. Young Poliseu are encouraged to become warriors for their kingdom, so they can bring honor to their family and defend their home from threats. Not all Poliseu end up as soldiers, however. Still a great many maintain normal lives as kelp farmers, engineers, researchers, educators, and more. Even these jobs are considered important to the longevity of the Grand Tide, but none are afforded the same respect as a warrior.

Politics

The Grand Tide is a government entity comprised of five kingdoms that each control a portion of territory on Ayun-Ji and extraplanetary colonies. These five kingdoms have a long history of backstabbing, intrigue, and war, but are unified right now to present a coordinated front against the rest of the galaxy. While some believe that they will eventually return to this period of civil war, for the immediate future this remains unlikely. The five kingdoms swear fealty to an Emperor who can bring them all in line, fairly selected from a list of candidates put forth by all five kingdoms; the candidate wins the title of Emperor through ritual, honorable combat, proving his fitness to lead the Poliseu into the unknown.

Each kingdom is headed by a king, and this position is inherited. They are military dictatorships and Poliseu society places great value on one's strength and martial prowess. This means the lowest class of citizen one can achieve is to be a simple peasant. Farmers, ranchers, aritsans, builders, et al comprise this part of the social strata, and are not particularly special. If one decides to pledge themselves to join their king's military, they are typically afforded more rights than peasants, including larger land grants and the right to have a larger family. Nobles and military officers are a the highest part of the social caste, with only the king himself afforded more respect. Military officers have typically spent decades serving their king and are given their positions out of loyalty, whereas nobles are family or close relatives of the king, including his wife and child. Only male Poliseu inherit the title of king.

Synthetics are not allowed to work on or settle on any Poliseu world; they are summarily banned from Poliseu space and looked down upon by the species in general. Synthetics, robots, and AI are viewed as an unnatural simulacrum of life. For most other galactic races, the Poliseu do not feel particularly strongly about any other entity; they mostly keep to themselves unless necessary, and are cordial at the very least in their diplomacy with other empires. Other than allowing a few megacorporations to pay tithes and mine underwater on Ayun-Ji, they have limited trade with external entities and tightly controlled immigration.