Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Locked Topic
World Building
Topic Started: Oct 8 2011, 09:18 PM (371 Views)
James Baillie
Member Avatar
Administrator
Righty, I think the next step is to look at my "Galactic Empire", one that will take up the centre of my star cluster.

I am NOT making this the "Empire of Mankind". Ridiculously overused trope, and frankly humans aren't naturally good at forming stable political entities on the scale and timescale necessary. In fact, it would be better to have the ruling race being one that is better evolved for dominance.

THE VERWYNN (and the Gruth)
The Gruth were some of the first space travellers. They are hexipeds, walking on four stubby back legs and two longer front arms. The back legs just end in clubbed, wide lumpen feet; the front appendages an individual and complex mass of tough but flexible tentacle-like structures, usually two at the end then two more pairs, though some have as many as five more pairs. They are intelligent and hardworking, but easily led and easily frightened.

The first Gruth cosmonauts explored their own solar system and nearby planets, eventually getting spaceships that travel, then began developing a system to allow them to travel further. The system they devised - creating a large space station with a central "wormhole gate" in which a ship can be placed and then bounced to a receiving station (with smaller wormholeports allowing communication) - has not been deviated from much since. Control of these "way stations" is key to control of any solar system, and so the are often key points of contention. The most dangerous phase of course is construction; attempting to form a wormhole into the middle of an unprepared system and firing the parts and engineers through to allow them to construct a receiving station. Generally the success chance for this is lower than ten percent; an incredibly experienced crew might be more in the twenty percent region, but losses are common and such explorations are only usually sanctioned if it is thought there are resources or trade possibilities that warrant it.

The fate of the Gruth was, despite their intelligence, not to be their own. The first solar system they managed to get a wormhole into was one not unlike their own; the planet they reached had a similar gas composition and despite a few illnesses the explorers managed to find the locals. Or rather, the locals found them. Three "locals" fairly soon had the whole four Gruth crews bowing down at their feet, the way station fell six months after that, and four years later with very little difficulty the Gruth homelands had been taken too. The Verwynn had arrived.

The Verwynn would look fairly insectoid to humans due to their armoured back and multifaceted eyes, though their skeleton is largely internal. They are large creatures, reaching a length of up to eight feet from head to abdomen. They have three pairs of wings along their back which provide most of their support, two tough back legs with long large feet and four front limbs each ending with two opposing triangular pads of muscle (think end of an elephant's trunk). Their primary weapon is their bite, though; side-biting jaws akin to those of an ant in giant format are strong enough to crush many smaller animals (as it turned out, a Gruth's brain-carapace included). They are also extremely intelligent and used to getting their own way.

The Verwynn split up into "Orders" to rule their new subjects, who under direction proved to be excellent allies. While a few thousand Gruth escaped with enough materials for new way stations (and thereby, about forty years later, entered the Sruba system where a station was taken by the Lexihad), most co-operated simply because they saw very little reason not to compared with the threat of a huge shouty bity thing being angry with them. Gruth armies mine and patrol different solar systems, with an order of Verwynn controlling, guiding, and aiding in planning their expansion. The Verwynn are not exceptionally harsh masters, though they demand total obedience and form no emotional bonds with their subjects.

As the Verwynn Empire has expanded, new races have been included as mercenaries or subjects. There is little central control, with each order dealing with its own areas as it sees fit; however, the Verwynn Imperators, backed by a powerful Senate of the order commanders, ensure the few orders they do bother giving are obeyed. In return for this level of obedience, the Imperial Army, separate from the Order forces, can lend a crushingly powerful helping hand to any serious combat that occurs.

This has been a little longer than expected - so next time, you'll meet the humans of our star cluster, and also the mystery (rather awesome) race which is to my mind the best I've designed...
Edited by James Baillie, Nov 18 2011, 06:36 PM.
Offline Profile Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
ZetaBoards gives you all the tools to create a successful discussion community.
Learn More · Register Now
« Previous Topic · Issue #17: November 2011 · Next Topic »
Locked Topic

Theme created by tiptopolive. Find more great themes and skins at the ZB Theme Zone.