Ghargonia
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| Flag of Ghargonia | |
| Motto: "Fear is our friend; outsiders are our enemies." | |
| Map of Ghargonia | |
| Region | The Ghargant Imperium |
|---|---|
| Capital | Ghargonia Prime |
| Official Language(s) | Ghargonian |
| Leader | Ghargon Gorbgan IV |
| Population | < 2 billion |
| Currency | Gonars |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Contents
Region: The Ghargant Imperium
The Ghargant Imperium was once a vast and sprawling empire, which was destroyed by their own biological weapons some 2,000 years ago. It has since been resurrected and is a fraction of its former size.
Key Events in Ghargonian History
The Ghargant Imperium was a vast, interstellar empire stretching for almost 11,000 light years in diameter at its peak.
Ghargonia Prime underwent a similar process of development to Earth, albeit hundreds of millions of years earlier.
Creatures very similar to Earth’s dinosaurs were the dominant species, with mammals being small and rare. The similarities between Earth and Ghargonia Prime end here, however, as the Ghargonisaurs (collective name for the predecessors of Ghargonians) were never made extinct.
Indeed, the opposite occurred. Evolution continued. Carnivores gained more and more intelligence, and at some point began killing their prey from a distance with ranged weapons; primitive bows, spears and slings. Various fossils demonstrate them becoming more and more upright, their tails shrinking over time, and their ‘hands’ becoming more complex, developing a third finger and a thumb. For unknown reasons, the herbivores have evolved very little, and they are now domesticated animals used by the Ghargonians for food and things like leather.
Within a matter of just a few million years, three sub-species of Ghargonians reached the humanoid form we now have; Ghargonians, Gerash, and Grishnaki.
The Ghargonians themselves were the most balanced, with intelligence and strength, and they formed tribes and clans very early on. They thought they had destroyed the Grishanki, they enslaved the Gerash, and they took to the stars.
By 2,081,811 GE the Imperium had more than 9,000 light years of territory. 45 civilisations were slowly being worked to death as slaves (mostly primitives who never even reached a stage of industrial development), and a staggering 217 civilisations had simply been exterminated. The only enemy of substance, the Dakaar Empire, was thought to have a mere 700 light years of territory, and less-than-equal technology (at the time).
A small group of society decided that after 2,000,000 years, the Ghargon was a stagnant leader. An intricate plan, the details of which are not even known to us, was put into motion. The crew of the GMS Venerator, the flagship of the Imperium, mutinied, and threatened bombardment of the Ghargon’s chambers if he refused to step down peacefully. However, the revolutionaries had been betrayed by an insider, and a small fleet of ships drove them away from Ghargonia Prime. 5,000 battered and demoralised revolutionaries made it out of Ghargonian space. They had been informed that the Imperium would hunt them down and make an example of them, no matter where they went.
The leader of the group decided the best course of action would be to take refuge on a distant planet, a place they would be safe for ages to come. The other side of the galaxy seemed the best course of action, almost 50,000 light years from Imperium territory. The group swore one day to return and take control of the Imperium once and for all.
After decades of searching for an appropriate planet, Earth was located. The Venerator landed, in need of extensive repairs, on what is now known as 0micronis Island -- currently a colony of the New Ghargant Imperium. Exploration of the local resources began, as metals were needed to begin building up a settlement. The industrial synthesisers on the Venerator proved useful, however, they had limits to what they could produce.
The fate of the Imperium was always something highly debated by the rebels on Earth. Having built their own civilisation, consisting of hundreds of millions of people crammed onto that island, many Ghargonians became complacent, thinking that they would never bother to attempt an attack on the Imperium. So once in a while, every few centuries, false sensor readings were reported by the government. Imperium ships scouting the solar system, looking for them. This reminded the people why they were here, and kept them focussed.
When the time came, the rebel Ghargonians constructed a fleet in an orbiting shipyard. A fleet of Venerator-lookalikes built from various materials found throughout the solar system, including limited deposits of terralium found in the system's asteroid field. Once they were prepared, and fully crewed, the ships engaged their photonic drives in the direction of the Imperium.
When our Emperor, Gorbgan IV, landed on Ghargonia Prime (see: Retaking the Imperium), having encountered no resistance or transmissions anywhere in Imperium territory, he found a destroyed world. It had been dead for almost the entire 2,000 years they had been living on Earth. Only one person from the billions of Ghargonians that had once inhabited the Imperium survived. The last Ghargon of the Old Imperium.
The elderly man told Gorbgan of an Imperium in chaos. Factions forming, civil war breaking out, Ghargonian against Ghargonian, until a lethal new threat showed itself. Having grown complacent in its dominance, the Imperium was totally surprised to find an alien race which could not only match them, but completely overpower them.
The Kree.
Ultimately, Kree ships reached Ghargonia Prime. No alien race had ever managed to reach this planet. It was the heart of the most powerful empire the galaxy, if not the universe, had ever known. And they sat in orbit, laying waste to its colossal, surface-covering city. Any ships attempting to retaliate were disintegrated without a second thought, any ships attempting to flee were chased until dead. Their assault was relentless and unstoppable. And totally successful.
And then, when they were satisfied that every single Ghargonian in the galaxy had been killed, the Kree left. Behind them were empty, scarred planets. Fields of thousands of Imperium battleships drifted in space, results of the Kree's boarding tactics. Fires that burned for a thousand years raged. A once mighty empire was reduced to nothing in a matter of weeks.
Or, so the Kree thought. Handfuls of Ghargonians survived the attacks. Small settlements formed on two or three planets, but they usually failed for one reason or another. But somehow, they survived for 2,000 years. Just before the last survivor of the Ghargant Imperium died, more Ghargonians revealed themselves.
2,000 years later, the great Ghargon, Gorbgan IV, killed the aging Ghargon of the Old Imperium and secured his rightful place as Ghargon of the New Ghargant Imperium. Already, they are powerful again, with many star systems now falling under their jurisdiction and a formidable fleet based upon designs of ships which once made the entire galaxy shake with fear.
Events since the rebirth of the Imperium have proved interesting. In their search for old Imperium outposts to reclaim and rebuild, the New Imperium has stumbled upon the Kree once again (see: A New Enemy Awakens). The story related to them by the last Ghargon was not entirely accurate; it seemed that instead of leaving, the Kree simply went into hibernation. On planets which used to belong to the Imperium, millions of Kree awoke from their long slumber. Their ships, stored underground, once more flew through Imperium territory, and again they proved to be almost invincible.
In 2,083,011 G.E., a brief period of diplomatic negotiations occured, with Chronosia, Siesatia and Xenonier respectively. Ghargonia signed several non-aggression pacts and was on the verge of drawing upon a trade agreement, before the Ghargonian delegates (with the Ghargon himself among them) abruptly left for fear of being 'tainted with the weakness of outsiders'. The Imperium subsequently went into a period of total isolation, and recalled all Kree patrols. All contact was severed, and communication into the Imperium was blocked by a network of satellites.
Ghargonian Races
- Ghargonians - The dominant reptilian species of the Imperium, Ghargonians are strong, violent and intelligent carnivores, with a strong dislike for the cold.
- Gerash - Even more violent and strong than the Ghargonians, Gerash are invariably stupid and are easily subjugated. Gerash make up approximately 70% of the Ghargonian army.
- Grishnaki - Grishnaki are a highly intelligent and largely peaceful reptilian race. They originated on Ghargonia, but were driven away at an early point in time by the Ghargonians themselves.
- Kree - Lifeforms originally engineered by ancient Ghargonians as the 'ultimate weapon', but have since acquired additional genetic engineering and technology from an unknown extra-Galactic source. The Kree are extremely formiddable opponents, but they are almost entirely focussed on destroying the New Imperium.
Ghargonian Society
- Males and females have equal rights. Females can serve in the military if they wish. However, it is very rare for a female to join the military, as they feel superior to the males and don't see any reason to 'help them'.
- Neither male nor female Ghargonians wear many clothes. Sentient mammals throughout the galaxy feel the need to do so, but the trend never caught on with Ghargonians. They have little to hide, and their scaled skin is so resilient that protection is unnecessary. Typical clothing for either sex (reptiles don't have mammary glands, remember) is little more than a leather belt with a short cloth wraparound hanging down. Shoes are equally rare, but sometimes skin is insufficient protection. Ghargonians leaving the heated confines of Ghargonia Prime, however, wear as many clothes as possible. Cold is not a thing Ghargonians enjoy.
- Mating rituals typically include a challenge, similar to the one used between males to prove superiority. Either sex can initiate a challenge -- if they win, their 'opponent' is impressed by their strength and will agree to mate with them. If they lose, their opponent refuses the mating request. It is this simple. Mates do not always get along, and undergo a period of familiarisation that humans would call 'dating', but typically 80% of mates remain together.
- To a Ghargonian, food is not as important as it is to some species. A typical meal will be little more than a raw leg of wildercat and a mug of water or ale.
- Ghargonians enjoy bars. 'Reekhouses', their equivalent of a public house, serve various potent ales in a very old fashioned, rustic way. Bar brawls are frequent as males attempt to prove their dominance, and they are perfectly legal. There are an estimated 240,000 reekhouses across the Imperium, mostly on Ghargonia Prime.
- Unnatural deaths are not uncommon amongst Ghargonians, although they are not advised. Ghargonians live by a single code; strength is essential. Frequently males fight if they believe another to be weak, or if they believe they could do a better job. Although most don't kill when they are successful, preferring to humiliate their opponent into improving himself, sometimes it is necessary to preserve honour.
- The position of Ghargon is a demonstration of the above. He or she must be the strongest Ghargonian alive if he or she is to fulfil their duty. If another Ghargonian feels the Ghargon is not the strongest, they may challenge him. Anybody can challenge the Ghargon, though as Ghargonians are not typically power mad, they will not do so unless they believe it is the right thing to do. If they defeat the Ghargon in hand-to-hand combat, they must kill him for disgracing his people, and then they legally take his place as the strongest Ghargonian alive. If the challenger loses, the Ghargon must kill him for betraying his people. The current Ghargon, Gorbgan IV, has been challenged over 70 times.
- Music does not exist. Friendly fighting, either for practice or for show, is very common and a popular form of entertainment. Few people die from this, and those who do typically die accidentally. It is not the same as a challenge.
Government of Ghargonia
The leader of Ghargonia is referred to as the 'Ghargon'. The position of Ghargon is not an elected one, nor is it a hereditary one. In order to become Ghargon, one must officially challenge the current Ghargon. If you are successful in your challenge, you may kill the Ghargon and assume his place. This all stems from the Ghargonian belief in 'survival of the fittest' -- only the strongest of them may lead.
The current Ghargon is Ghargon Gorbgan IV.
Affiliations
The Ghargant Imperium has signed non-aggression pacts with Chronosia, Siesatia and Xenonier, but has no formal allies or enemies.
