"They are the right hand of Justice...
They are the Knights of the Coast!"
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"They are the right hand of Justice... They are the Knights of the Coast!" |
Brief Sociological Notes on the D'Kai, Excerpts. Prepared by P'Reseiho of the Clan Em'Rahn. D'Kai culture is similar in many superficial respects to that of feudal Japan, just prior to the American encroachment (gunboat diplomacy). 12 noble houses exist with their own spheres of power, but the Celestial Emperor is the most high of all noblity. Though many religious beliefs have become more regarded as superstition the stars still are considered with reverence and sacredness. The most common belief goes back to ancient times in that great deeds witnessed by the stars will burn for all eternity. Though as a culture we once undertook space exploration as almost a sacred mission, the Times of Fire And Shadows which plunged the D'Kai into several generations of war within put an end to that. When peace again was established and the 2nd Empire was rebuilt from the ashes, a much more introspective culture emerged under the new order. Exploration all but halted and isolationism began to set in. Only the need to find new worlds to inhabit and harvest kept the Exploration Scouts active. Also the fear of the enemies that dwelled in the darkness beyond... The recent war with the Ophidian Republic stems from the Republic's more aggressive colonial approach. The Republic sees itself as a liberator but is quick enough to reap the harvest of slaves from 'Governed' worlds (superficially similar to the policies of your America and Britain during the period of Colonialism, carving up Africa and shipping off those poor primitives (not like they're really human / reptilian after all). The division between the 12 houses has left each more concerned with its own fortune than that of helping another. Meanwhile the most celestial emperor has problems of his own... The D'Kai have Hyperspace Technology and knowledge of Wormhole Networks (much was lost during the Time of Fire and Shadows, but the Second Empire is rebuilding it nicely). The push for exploration is not what is used to be, but we are no longer in the strict isolationist phase that followed the Collapse. There are 12 primary noble families, who primarly spend their free time jockeying for royal position and favor with the Celestial Emperor (currently the D'Mon dynasty). They occupy several star systems but no longer actively colonize. We have a decimal system but 12 holds a sacred significance that dates back to First Empire. A small military / scouting force has been maintained by the Second Empire to remain aware of outside threats. The first encounter with the Ophidians was - shall we say - unpleasent. Chan G'met sent out a message requesting that the stranger vessel move on, the negotiation went from 'open hand of aid' to 'closed fist of oppression' and the Ophidian gun boats went in blazing. When Chan G'Met agreed to meet with the Ambassador, the situation went from bad to worse. You get the idea, the group has been there. I've left out many of the nastier bits. Other houses reactions ranged from boredom ('it is but a handful of ships, hardly anything to be concerned with, it will take G'met down a few notches'), jealousy ('G'Met will now possess a power greater than our own'), and fear... My own Clan (the Em'Rahn) kept a close eye on the proceedings, for we had territory close to the incursion, but were not powerful enough to demand a say in the matter. As far as battleships are concerned, the D'Kai are heavily outclassed. Speed and manuevarablity are our primary advantages at the moment. The Ophidian Fleet is taking its time (not that they have much choice actually) in joining in the battle. They seem to be very dissmissive about the threat posed by 'pathetic bunch of soft mammals' against the 'natural strength of the Ophidion Republic.' So far the conflict is about 3 - 5 Terran years old. My own homeworld, and that of the Ehm'Rahn has paid the strongest price of the war thus far. When the flotilla of the Ophidian Fleet came, we put up a fight and as a result were blasted back into the stone age using despised Mor'Linden weapons. Only the youngest daughter of the ruling family managed to escape this devastation, having been away in a different system. Around her formed the core of a resistance movement who struck back against the invaders wherever we could. Eventually the Ophidians decided to deal with this thorn and began a systematic search for her. When our planet of refuge was found, it was treated with similar severity. The Chandra's escape vessel was crippled before it could make it to the worm hole / gate. The rest of her small entourage (including myself) were thrown into cells and she was to be used as a political pawn and married off to an honorless G'Met who has actually been co-operating with the invasion. (For his betrayal he has been awarded the title of Warden by the Ophidian and the rest of his family executed as 'Threats to the Public Good'.) When you rescued us. we were on a relocation ship. Many of the prisoners had already been dropped off to serve as slaves on other worlds and there were less than 100 of us left, including the Chandra. Honor is the most high virtue of the D'Kai. However Death without cause or rememberence is without honor. The worst punishment is for a D'Kai to have his name and deeds stricken from history. This is one important difference between our culture and yours. Your species seems only too ready to accept losses in pursuit of a goal. The very concept of "collateral damage" and "acceptable losses" is anathema to our people. Likewise, while the D'Kai value Honor, suicide in futility is hardly a rational option. Retreat to recoup strength is a valid option (how much greater the suffering and struggle than that of the easy and senseless death that purchased naught. The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice. The language is not D'Kai or Ophidian or Terran. It speaks in the language of hope. It speaks in the language of trust. It speaks in the language of strength, and the language of compassion. It is the language of the heart, and the language of the soul. Yet always, it is the same voice. It is the voice of our ancestors speaking through us, and the voice of our inheritors waiting to be born. It is the small still voice that says: We Are One. No matter the blood, no matter the skin, no matter the world, no matter the star, We Are One. No matter the pain, no matter the darkness, no matter the loss, no matter the fear, We Are One. Here, gathered together in common cause, we agree to recognize this singular truth, and this singular rule: that we must be kind to one another, because each voice enriches us and enobles us, and each voice lost diminishes us. We are the voice of the universe. There has been great debate between two philosophies within our society. One faction holds to the Vow of Ahimsa; 'Never to harm any living thing, even at the cost of ones own life. Never to dishonor another. Never to harm. Never to kill.' Purists of this philosophy take it one step further; 'Not even in one's thoughts.' This philosophy was on the rise and my faction; that of the Anla'Shok; which permits force to be used at the minimum degree necessary was on the wane. We were regarded as a throwback to more primitive times and ridiculed as shaida by many of our people. They thought that the days when armed might was needed to take on the galaxy were a thing of the barbaric past. Then we met the Ophidians. In these days, fewer and fewer D'Kai swear to the Vow. Although I was never an adherent of this philosophy and it is my faction that now is on the rise, I yet regard this as a tragedy. See also my brief dictionary of the D'Kai tongue. |
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D'Mon The Highest of the Great Families, House of the Emperor. |
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B'Ryll This Clan has urged a modest military response to the Ophidian threat, hoping to dissuade them from their dreams of conquest. |
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C'Trayn Another of the Great Families that has turned to trade, the C'Trayn propose to be appointed mediators between the D'Kai and the Ophidian Republic. |
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Dar'Paal A Great Family that has turned towards a scholarly bent, the Dar'Paal preach tolerance and patience in their response towards the Ophidian threat, hoping that diplomacy will one day win out. |
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Em'Rahn Smallest of the Great Families, the Em'Rahn has nearly been exterminated by the Ophidian incursion and the destruction of their homeworld, Al'Dron. The sole remaining peer, the Chandra, leads a ragtag resistance force against the invaders. |
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J'Kadd The Clan has advocated a total and immediate military response to the threat posed by the "upstart" Ophidian Empire. |
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G'Met An ambitious Great Family, Clan G'Met has been betrayed from within as one of their own conspired to eliminate his rivals with the assistance of the Ophidians, in exchange for power. Also sought to strengthen his position by claiming the hand of the Chandra, of the Clan Em'Rahn. |
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P'Raal The P'Raal agitate towards "more study" of the Ophidian problem, and oppose rash responses to an involved issue. Some claim they simply fear to antagonize the powerful G'Met, whose territory neighbours theirs. |
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R'Beyr The R'Beyr are a small House of an isolationist bent, and have no house policy towards the Ophidian question. They have sent some few units to assist in the defence of the threatened systems, but only where personal debts of t'oh are involved. |
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S'Feyr An important trading house, the S'Feyr are on the opposite side of the Empire from the Ophidian incursion and have resisted any attempts to bring together a systemic military response to the threat. |
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T'Pahn The T'Pahn, a relatively small and uninfluential Clan, nonetheless urges all out war against the Ophidian Republic. Their relatively close ties with the Em'Rahn (being related by blood to them within the last 100 generations) plays a role in this. |
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Tur'Qis Another of the smaller Great Clans, the Tur'Qis, are concerned about the technologies that the powerful G'Met might be gaining from their alliance with the Ophidians. They have contributed some forces to the struggle, mainly to assist in evacuating civilians caught in the path of the incursion. |