User:Supahbadmarine/Sandbox

Ibrian Nirvana
The Ibrian Nirvana is a Xenos empire of roughly 58 systems located within the Ibrian Belt. The Nirvana is an entity of contradictions and dualities. The Dem'ri, the founding, and sole organic species of the Nirvana are a race of advanced, mildly psychic and utterly pacifistic humanoids. An extremely peaceful race, the Dem'ri originally lived an undistrubed existance on the three systems under their control within the belt. However when their peace was broken by outside forces the Dem'ri found they could not make war to defend themselves, having long since rid themselves of violent compulsions. In order to defend themselves the Dem'ri created the Sepharim, robots gifted with artificial intelligence that would fight the Dem'ri's foes in their stead. Since then the Sepharim have defended their creators and have pushed them out of their isolationism, driving them to expand the Nirvana.

History
The beginnings of the Nirvana began in the Ibrian Belt, on the three colonized planets of the Dem'ri that are known as the Trinity. There the Dem'ri lived an ideal existence. They had long since completely done away with war and violence, and had cured a great many of the societal ills that afflicted other races. The Dem'ri lived in harmony wit h their worlds, and with each other. They had achieved what many species only dreamed of, utopia. Yet this gift had come at a cost. Since all of the Dem'ri needs were met the society had ceased to progress, having become static. In addition to this the Dem'ri had been without conflict for so long that they had become incapable of waging war. This would nearly prove to be a fatal flaw.

Half way through M40 the Dem'ri experienced their very first alien contact. Up until this point the Dem'ri had been dimly aware that there were other forms of intelligent life in the galaxy, yet had not been visited by, nor sought to contact them. It was to their most ill fortune that their first interaction with another species would be with foul servants of Chaos. A fleet of Chaos worshipping pirates tranlated out of the Warp, and fell upon th helpless Dem'ri, who did not know how to defend themselves.

At first the Dem'ri attmepted to negotiate with their aggressors. However they soon realized that these invaders could not be bargained with. The Chaos force would not stop until the Trinity had been plundered, and the Dem'ri were either dead or enslaved. Faced with this prospect the Dem'ri contemplated something they had pushed out of their minds for eons. War.

Dem'ri legends had told of a time when they were a much more crude, and aggressive species. A Time when they had warred amongst themselves, and slaughtered their own kin. While the Dem'ri had long since abandonned these old ways they still retained records, and manucripts that detailed the ways of warfare, and even blue prints to ancient weapons of their people. The Dem'ri had kept them purely for academic purposes, but now they were most likely the Dem'ri's best chance at survival.

A Dem'ri elder named Krobus formed a group of Dem'ri that would attmept to reteach themselves warfare and turn the alien invaders from the Trinity through use of force. This faction, known as the Ka'jann manufactured basic weaponry and trained themselves in the ancient martial traditions of their people. They then tested themselves against the forces of Chaos.

The result was disastrous. It was only logical that the battle hardened pirates would be superior combatants to the inexperienced, and gentle natured Dem'ri. Many of the Ka'jann, trained though they were, could not bring themselves to employ the deadly skills they had prepared. Even more dangerous was what occured to the Ka'jann that could. The Dem'ri had not experienced the emotions of fear, anger or hatred for untold generations. These emotions are often instrumental to gfighting a war, and yet the psyche of the Dem'ri could not handle the reintroduction of these violent emotions. Many of the Ka'jann went insane, and ended up being corrupted by Chaos. They then became as much a threat to their fellow Dem'ri as they were to the invaders.

Hearts of Steel
It became apparent that even if the Dem'ri wanted to fight they wouldn't be able to wage war without losing their sanity. They had simply been docile for too long. Furthermore despite a few successes the Ka'jann had been mostly ineffective in battle. Against a foe that couldn't be reasoned with, and being incapable of defending themselves it seemed that the Dem'ri  would be wiped from existence. It was then that some of the wiser Dem'ri thought of a solution. If they couldn't defend themselves they would simply require another force to fight in their stead. The Dem'ri knew no other species and had no allies, but they had highly advanced technology. Thus it was decided that a machine army would be created to defend the dem'ri from their enemies.

The first attmept at this was a series of combat robots called the Cheburim. Designed and programed for combat the Cheburim bought the Dem'ri a reprieve. However the Cheburim could only follow their combat protocols, and could not learn and adapt to the ever shifting situations of war. The pirates swiftly began to beat the Cheburim time and again. The ability to fight clearly was not enough. The Dem'ri needed warriors that could adapt and think for themselves.

Artificial Inteliigence had long been forbidden among the Dem'ri, but in this case the Dem'ri had no choice. To abstain meant extinction. Thus the Dem'ri designed machines with true Artificial Intelliegence called the Neliphim. The Neliphim were created to act as commanders for the Cheburim, guiding them towards victory. While the Nephilim initially had difficulty as they acclimated to warfare, they soon began to turn the tide of the war. if things continued the way that they were the pirates would be defeated. However a chill came upon the hearts of the wiser of the Dem'ri. With intelligence of their own there was no way that the Neliphim could be controlled unlike the Cheburim. With a lack of empathy, and having been born into slaughter the Neliphim had a dangerous chance of becoming just as much of a threat as the Pirates if not more so. The Dem'ri couldn't bring themselves to turn on their creations, as they were intelligent entities, but they discontinued the manufacture of the Neliphim. This posed a problem, as attrition would likely destroy the remaining Neliphim before they could secure victory.

It was then that one of the most brilliant of the Dem'ri, Omis came up with a new solution. Omis created a new Artificial intelliengce that he dubbed Sepharim. Like the Neliphim the Sepharim could learn and adapt, but they could also do so much more. The Sepharim had emotions, and they could understand morals, ethics and values like honor. The Dem'ri taught their new creations how to do battle and unleashed them upon the invaders. The Sepharim turned out to be everything that the Dem'ri had hoped. They had emotions such as anger, and thus could fight unlike the Dem'ri. They could think for themselves, and thus were not bound by protocols and subroutines as the Cheburim were. Finally they could feel, and understand morals, and thus were not bound by cold, pitiless logic like the Neliphim. Like the neliphim there was no guarantee that they could be controlled, but because they thought like organics there was a chance for coexistence.

The Dem'ri phased out production of the Cheburim and Neliphim in favor of the Sepharim. The Sepharim in turn fought fiercely to protect their creators, and finally defeated the Chaos forces that had asssulted the Trinity. With the threat gone the Dem'ri looked upon their creations. Machines though they were the Sepharim were as alive as any organic creature in their eyes. They embraced the Sepharim into their culture as brothers. From that point on the two would live together, with the aSepharim acting as the guardians of the Dem'ri and their worlds.

A Time of Turbulence
Following the event the Dem'ri and Sepharim remained in peace for many years, however many among the Sepharim felt that it would be foolish to simply wait for another threat to present itself. They urged their creators to send scouts out into the unknown so that they could better understand what was in the universe around them. The Dem'ri were reluctant, but eventually relented, sending several ships out to explore the galaxy at large.

A number of the ships did not return, and those that did brought tales of a galaxy wrought with conflict. THis disturbed the Dem'ri and Sepharim greatly. The Dem'ri were of the mind that it would be best to stay within their territories, allowing isolation to protect them. The Sepharim however were of a very different opinion. The scout reports told of enemies to powerful for the Sepharim to fight off at what was their current strength. The Sepharim knew that if such a foe came upon them it would mean the doom of all.

The Senturium begna to urge expansion into the galaxy at large. They argued that in order to defend against such foes a larger military force would be needed. This would require more resources, and a larger territory so that hostile forces would not be able to attack the heart of Nirvana, as the new union had been called. Once more the Dem'ri were reluctant. Increasing their territory and military could provoke an attack rather than deter it. However the Sepharim were adamant, and so the Nirvana began to slowly expand. The Sepharim would continue to urge expansion and military build up while the Dem'ri preached caution.

Eventually time would prove the Sepharim right. Over the ensuing centuries the Ibrian Nirvana has had to defend itself from all sorts of foes. From the savage hordes of the Orks, to the massive empire of the Imperium, and many others. The Sepharim have managed to preserve the Nirvana in the face of such threats, and have slowly grown into a foe worthy of fear. Yet always the Nirvana is under threat. Whether the peace that the Dem'ri once had will ever return is unknown, and increasingly unlikely.

The Tranquil Host
The military of the Ibrian Nirvana is called the Tranquil Host. As a result of the inherently non-violent nature of the Dem'ri the Tranquil host is made up entirely of the Sepharim. For the Sepharim military service is cumpulsory. Every Sepharim created will serve at some point, and rejoin the Tranquil Host as required. However it should be noted that this service is not mandated by the Dem'ri themselves. Far from it. The Dem'ri respect the Sepharim's right to choose how they live, and often try to steer their synthetic creations towards peaceful pursuits. It is the Sepharim themselves that have made military service mandatory.

Biraka Clanhold
The Biraka Clanhold is a growing Xenos Empire that has begun to threaten the borders of the Imperium. The insectoid Xenos known as the Biraka have always been warlike and expansionistic ever since the Imperium first came in contact with them. As a result the Imperium has a long running history of conflict with the species in it's corner of the galaxy. The Clanhold has weathered numerous attmepts at Xenocide by the Imperium's hands. Conversely the Imperium has always managed to keep the Biraka mostly contained through force of arms. In recent years the weakening of the Imperium has allowed the Biraka Clanhold to rapidly expand. It is currently a moderately powerful empire with 93 systems under its control. Given the Kothbasu's belligerent disposition it is very likely that they will continue to expand into further territory, and will inevitably come into conflict with the Imperium and other factions of the milky way galaxy.

History
Nobody knows exactly when the Clanhold came into being, and detailed accounts of the Biraka's history prior to attaining space age technology are virtually nonexistent and mostly allegorical. Stories told by the Biraka emntion warring with other "clans" on their homeworld before they took to the stars. Given the Biraka's use of the term this may mean that the Biraka homeworld of Bastis was home to multiple intelligent species, or that the Biraka may have been one sub-species of many that were of common decent. Regardless of the case what is known is that the Biraka warred these other clans out of existence. This near mythical period in the Biraka's history was knwon as the Great Clan War.

When exactly the Biraka attained space flight and began forming an interstellar Empire is not well known. What is known by humanity is that the Biraka have been competing and warring with the Imperium since at least M32, and perhaps earlier. The Imperium naturally far outstripped the Biraka in resources and territory, however the tenacious aliens have always managed to stop the Imperium just short of Xenocide, and recover. At times the Clanhold has managed to turn the tables on the Imperium, retaking worlds lost in previous wars, and even conquering human colonies in return. This is inevitably temporary as the Imperium has always managed to drive the Biraka back. That is until the 41st Millenium. With the Imperium weakened the Clanhold has begun to expand almost unchecked.

Galactic Position
The Clanhold is located within the Ultima Segmentum. The Clanhold currently maintains a respectable territory of 93 sparsely distributed systems. It is border by an area of unmapped, and mostly unexplored space to the galactic East. Many Imperial offcials point the the Clanhold as the reason why the Imperium has been unable to expand into this region of space, and exploit it's resources. Aside from this the Clanhold is bordered on nearly all sides by Imperial Space, with the closest Imperial territory directly to the galactic West of it. The Imperium maintains a border of uncolonized worlds around the periphery of the Clanhold to act as a buffer. Skirmishes within the Clanhold Shield Space are near constant as patrols ofthe Imperial Navy and Clanhold Armada patrol these stars.

The Clanhold is located to the north of the Tau Empire by a moderate distance, and is close enough that the Biraka and Tau have encountered and fought with one another. The Clanhold has only come across the Tau very recently, and the Tau have become a subject of interest for the insectoid peoples of the Clan. The Tau for their part are of mixed feelings of the Biraka. The Biraka's reckless expansion and aggression has caused many among the Tau to view the Biraka as little better than the Orks, and yet the Biraka wear the trappings of civilization, and have at times responded to diplomacy, albeit with great difficulty. Whether the Biraka can be reconciled with the Great Good is a matter of some debate among the Tau, with many believing that the Biraka are too savage to be accepted into the Empire and others pointing out that the Clanhold could be a strong ally if they could be convinced to join the Tau.

Also within a moderate distance of the Clanhold is the Ibrian Belt. This area of space is mostly undominated by any particular faction except the Ibrian Nirvana. The Nirvana has become one of the Clanhold's greatest rivals after the Imperium, and war between the two empires has been common, and ever more frequent.

Government
The Clanhold operates a a sort of republic. Each planet or colony of the Clanhold is lead bu an individual known as a High One. The High One is inevitably a Biraka that was born on the planet that had the most Dakri amongst his fellows. In the case of newly colonized, or reconquered worlds the High One is usually the one that was responsible for colonizing the world. Due to the Biraka's drive to achieve, and differences is the personality or ideology of the various High Ones the governance of the various worlds may be very different from one another. Most commonly a High One will be the head of a council that advises their high one on the proper course.

Above all the worlds is a organization that is referred to as the Moot. The Moot is made up of Biraka known as Clan Eldars. A Clan Elder will have achieved great things throughout their lives, and will have one much prestige. There is one Clan Elder for each habitated world in the Clanhold. Thus the size of the Moot has varied wildly throughout the Clanhold's history as it has lost and gained territory. While High Ones are mostly given leave to run their worlds as they see fit, the decisions of the Moot are final and must be honored by any and all members of the Clanhold.

At the head of the Moot is the Clan Father, the overall leader of the Clanhold. The Father is almost always a former Elder who was promoted to the position either when the previous Clan Father dies, or he proves himself to have more Dakri than the encumbent. In essence the Moot acts as the advisory body for the Clan Father, who ultimately has the last say. However few Clan Fathers make the mistake of completely disregarding the Moot, as each Clan Eldar has proven their worth time and again, contributing to the Clanhold greatly. Thus it is rare to find an incompetent Clan Elder. Furthermore if a Clan Father chooses to act without the approval of the Moot, then should he fail the shame will be entirely his to shoulder. Often the loss of Dakri results in the Clan Father being forcedto step down from the position. Thus Clan Father's do not move against the Moot's will lightly. Due to the respnsinilities associated with the post of Clan Father those chosen usually have served within the Kinsworn, or may still be a part of the Clanhold's honored military arm.

The Clanhold is a strict meritocracy. One advances in position through the accumulation of Dakri, which is gain through personal achievement and notable contributions to the Clan. One can not advance without the acknowledgement of their fellow Biraka, and even those from wealthy families and prestigeous lineages have no power amongst their peers that they did not earn. Thus to hold great rank within the Clanhold is proof of great achievement.

Culture
The Biraka as a whole have a culture that is highly geared towards honoring their kin, and the accumulation of prestige. The foundation of all this is a concept known as Dakri. Dakri roughly translates into Low Gothic and honor, or glory. One gains Dakri by contributing to the Clan, or by achievements that one's peers acknowledge. Often the two are pretty much the same. There is no formal measuring system for how much Dakri one possesses. Rather one's position is generally viewed as an indicator, since promotions, awards and in the greatest examples fame come with the acquisition of Dakri.

To disrespect one who possesses greater standing than yourself is considered an intolerable offense in Biraka society. If a Biraka believes himself to be the better of one whop is considered above them they are allowed to formally challenge their superior. The challenge can range to nearly any kind of contest depending on the ones participating. By custom the one who is challenged usually gets to choose the nature of the contest. If the challenger wins they are given a promotion, elevating them above their defeated foe. If they fail they are demoted.

Lineage is considered very important by the Biraka. Most Biraka can trace their geneology back 13 generations at the drop of a hat, and nearly every Biraka will have memorized at least one prestigious ancestor. In addition to this mating is not performed out of love in the Clanhold, but for reproduction. It is deeply frowned upon for Biraka of significantly different social stanbding to mate, as it is believed that the blood ofthe lesser partner could dilute the greatness of the more respected partner's bloodline. However it is important to understand that having a prestigious heritage does not entail any priveleges in Biraka society, rather it creates expectations. While having high ranking, or wealthy parents dos grant certain advantages, like access to better resources, all Biraka are born of equal Dakri, and thus equal standing. A high bred Biraka would be just as scorned for disrespecting one of superior Dakri, even if his lineage is more glorious. Likewise if a Child does not eve approach the elvel of prestige theri parents, or at least one recent ancestor has attained, then they are considered to be a waste of resources, and a source of shame.

Those that perform actions that are deemed dishonorable or harm the Clan lose Dakri as a result. Often in the case of one with standing the loss may be minimal, or simply result in a reduction of rank and standing. However in cases where a Biraka is of low standing already, or the act is considered particularly deplorable the Biraka may be labelled Nar'dakri. Nar'dakri roughly tranlates as into low Gothic as "without honor", and it functions in much the same way the the Imperial brand Excommunicate Traitoris does. Nar'dakri are either executed or exiled from the Clanhold, and should another Biraka come across them they are to act to their detriment. Nar'dakri form the ranks of the Clanhold's criminal elements, and splnter factions.

It should be noted that the respect afforded to individuals that are seen to possess a great amount of Dakri is great, and goes beyond all barriers, including race. Biraka are quite likely to extend great respect towards an individual of another species or "Clan" as they would say, if they view them as having taken part in some impressive achievement. This is most evident with the Imperium, which the Clanhold refers to as the Old Enemy, which is as much a term of endearment as spite to the Biraka. Enemy commanders often find the Biraka are more open to negotiation after particularly brutal fighting.

The Clanhold's religion is based on Ancestor worship. The Biraka believe in a pantheon of ancestors, each of which accumulated so much Dakri in their lives that their souls achieved Apotheosis upon death. This means that Dakri is as much a spritual concept as it is a cultural one. The belief is that Dakri makes one's soul "heavier" and more potent. Those that have much are afforded a place of honor beside the Divine Ancestors, which stand in judgement of every soul. Nar'dakri are believer to have lost their souls, and upon their death it is believed that they simply wink out of existence. There is no concept of Hell in the Biraka religion.

Kinsworn
The military arm of the Biraka Clanhold is called the Kinsworn. Fighting to defend and expand the Clanhold is considered to a sure way to accumulate Chirku, and thus the Kinsworn is never starved for manpower. However while the Clanhold has a larger percentage of it's population in serving in the military than some other forces, it should be noted that this is not the result of drafting, but rather the Biraka's own society.

For a very long time the Imperium believed that the Clanhold mandated military service by it's citezens. Certainly this would have explained the unusually large numbers the Kinsworn had despite the size of the Clanhold's territory. However the exact opposite is true. Service in the Kinsworn is considered a privelege, not a right. A Biraka is only extended the right to join the Kinsworn after they have achieved a certain level of service in the eys of their peers or superiors. Since military service is one of the quickest ways towards gaing honor and glory most Biraka immediately exercise this right. Unless currently engaged in battle Kinsworn are expected to contibute to society in civilian matters as well. While a Biraka of high standing may enter service into the Kinsworn, they are not granted increased rank despite their status. While these individuals may be given a deal of respect by their peers, climbing the ranks of the Kinsworn can only be done through service in battle. Thus no matter what ranks or titles a Biraka possess outside of the military, once they enter it for the first time they start on the bottom of the hierarchy.

Gol
Gols are a species of energy based entities that have manifested in the physical universe through the use of special artificial bodies made of a rare mineral known as Petravitite. Gols live in awe of the world of matter, which had long been denied to them. In addition they especially treasure organic life. However after seeing the current state of the galaxy, and the terrible wars that the organic species are waging amongst themselves the Gols have become convinced that if left alone organic life will wipe itself out, or be destroyed by non-organic entities such as intelligent machines or other energy based creatures like Daemons. Thus Gols have come to believe that it is their sacred to duty to protect and preserve organic life from both its enemies and itself. They can only do this is they force organics to submit to their stewardship, and so the Gols are launching ever more invasions of conquest in order to bring all organic life under their umbrella of protection. The Gols live in their territory which is known as Gol Space, an empire of 38 systems on the frontiers of the Ultima Segmentum.

Commander Warsong
Shas'O Bork'an Grannia, better knwon to the Imperium as Commander Warsong is a brilliant though highly unorthodox Tau Commander. Warsong is among the individuals counted lucky enough to have recieved instruction in the finer point of warfare from the legendary Commander Puretide. While Warsong's exploits and achievements have never been the equal of those accomplished by some of Puretide's other famous students, Farsight and Shadowsun first and foremost, Warsong was none the less recognized as being one of the most skilled officers in the Tau military, and as one of Puretide's more gifted students was put in stasis by the Tau Empire. Warsong has always been considered a bit of an eccentric by her peers for her artistic view of warfare. Warsong was recently awakened during the Tau Empire's Third Sphere Expansion, and was put in charge of Tau forces trying to pacify the Jo'dan Rift by Commander Shadowsun.

The Befouled
The Befouled are a class of Daemon, or Warp Entity that came into existence as a result of the violent clashes of the Chaos Gods. Created by the unintentional intermingling of Chaotic energies, the Vefouled are an unwanted and spurned byproduct of the Great Game. The Chaos Gods and their Daemons look upon the Befouled with contempt, and their Daemons slay them at every opportunity, for to the Chaos Gods the Befouled are vermin that dirty their realms, and should never have existed in the first place. Thus the Befouled live a miserable existence trying to escape their persecution by flkeeing to the mortal realm.

Creation
Unlike regular Daemons there is no will behind the genesis of a Befouled. In a realm as unpredictable as the Warp the birth of a Befouled is even more random. Befouled are born when enrgies of the Warp with Different natures unexpectedly intermingle. Often a current of emotion of idea briefly brushes against another, or one of the realms of the Chaos Gods. Portions of the enrgy of the respective forces collide or scrape against one another. Most often these energies push each other away in the end. However in rare case they mix in random ways. When this happens the tainted energies separate from the whole and often become a Befouled.

Befouled come about most often as a result of the Great Game. The constant struggle for power between the Chaos Gods causes their realms to heave, and encroach upon one another. Thus it is that where the battle lines of the Chaos Gods meet many befouled may come into being. The Chaos Gods thus hate the Befouled, for their existence is the reult of their energies being polluted by an outside influence.