Zahati Ishkariate
Leader(s): Ishkar Mahatu XIV
Territory: Two planets in the system - Qart-hadasht and Ilugesh, a newly established colony still under development, as well as a small colony on Kemamu, one of Qart-hadasht's two moons.
Race: Pheledioms
Race Trait: Stubborn pride (bonus in army morale, but they are unwilling to compromise or admit the worth of the work of others, giving slight penalties in diplomacy and research)
Description of Race: The Pheledioms are a race of omnivorous bipedal sentients belonging to a group of mammals yet undiscovered and unnamed by humanity. Their height ranges from five to eight and a half feet, but are most often around the same size as humans, and they have an average life expectancy of around 100 years. They are of equal intelligence to humans, but are typically more aggressive and very stubborn, and they refuse to use any sort of technology they have not developed themselves unless it would give them an enormous advantage.
They have a crown of thick crests of bone grown out of their skull, with thick hair growing underneath it. This hair is traditionally braided, but many Pheledioms are bald either through personal choice or natural hair loss.
Civilization Traits:Warmonger
Scientist
Theocratic
Population: 18,4 billion
Society: The Zahati society is one dominated by religion, with the priests and monks of the Temple acting as the elite class of society, as well as the ones who, through the use of Uraqshi, a type of mixture of a policeman and an inquisitor, make sure the populace are following the true faith and doing so correctly. The Temple worships a deity named Qashpu, though uttering his name is not allowed, as his name is seen as too holy to be uttered by mortals. The Phelediom therefore instead refer to their god as Ilu, which literally means "God" in Kadsh, which is the by far most common language in the Ishkariate.
Along with religion, the military is a large part of Zahati culture. All healthy males go through a five-year mandatory military service, and enlisting as a professional soldier is highly encouraged. The military is unofficially split into two parts - the Itsen, who are the young men serving their mandatory service in the military, and the Shinnish, who are the professional soldiers of the army. The separating factor is that the Shinnish are seen as holy warriors of the Temple while the Itsen are viewed more as one would view a regular soldier. It is generally considered common sense that an Itsen would obey a Shinnish, even if they were of the same rank, and Itsen officers aren't held in as high regard as Shinnish officers of equal rank.
State, religion and military are all closely connected to each other. Everyone who does not follow their religion are seen as infidels, and equal to animals. Should the Zahati encounter another space-faring civilization, and would this civilization not follow their religion, the Zahati would most likely embark on a holy war to convert and/or conquer this new civilization, as they see it as their duty to spread their faith throughout the universe, and war is seen as a glorious thing where one can prove his worth as a warrior in front of Qashpu. They are however neither impulsive nor stupid - they will not attack another galactic civilization as soon as they encounter them. They may interact with them, study them, and perhaps even trade with them, but their ultimate goal will be the subjugation and conversion of said civilization, or destruction if the alien race in question cannot be removed as a threat in any other way.
Zahati society is largely male-dominated, but women are at the same time seen as pure and holy creatures, and are as such held in high regard. They are, however, not seen fit to be leaders, and are not allowed to join the army. Other than that, there is little restriction to women in the society, and they have a greater chance to be admitted into the Temple than males have.
Government: All matters of state and religion are controlled by the Ishkar, serving the roles of both emperor and pope, and is elected from the highest priests of the temple upon the death or abdication of the last Ishkar.
Economy: Open market capitalism
Military: The Zahatian army is made up of young men on mandatory military service with basic training called Itsen, and a standing well-trained force of professional soldiers called Shinnish. Zahatian soldiers are motivated by patriotism and religious fervor, and all soldiers are well drilled and well equipped. In space, Zahati employ large numbers of larger ships with strong, bulky armour and as many guns as can be fitted onto the hull.
Defence: Defence is provided by the navy as well as large numbers of ground-to-orbit cannons on planet surfaces.
Technology: Zahatian technology is about as advanced as one would expect of a space-faring nation, with advanced robotics, and nanotechnology currently under research. Phelediom are by nature curious, and as a result they are always looking for new technologies to further advance their species, with the greatest focus set on military research.
Space Travel: Within System only, Standard Propulsion
Back Story: The Zahati Ishkariate began on Qart-Hadasht as a federation of nations united by a common religion. It was then known as the Zahati Republic, with a new leader elected every six years. Over the course of two centuries, the republic grew steadily as more nations either joined in willingly or were conquered and converted. During this time, the republic also turned more and more away from democracy, with the Temple gaining more and more official power, until it became the elective monarchy it is today.
While the Zahati nation grew and gained influence, so did another nation in a similar fashion. The name of this nation is today unknown, and simply referred to by the Zahati as "Inasarratum", which roughly translates to "The Falsehood". The Zahati and the Inasarratum were known to have varied greatly in political and religious views, with the Zahati being strictly religious, theocratic and capitalistic, and the Ianasarratum enforcing a type of atheistic communism. The two nations inevitably clashed in a war that lasted forty years. The two sides were on a stalemate for decades, before the Zahati, according to their own history, managed to defeat the Inasarratum only because they were aided by their god.
Inasarratum was conquered, sacked, burned and forcefully converted. Their entire history was burned to ash and their name was struck from every document known in an attempt to make everyone forget they ever existed. Ironically, this made Inasarratum known as the nation that the Zahati tried to make everyone forget.
After this long and bloody conflict, the Zahati had gained enough influence and power to force or convince the remaining nations on the planet to join them either as satellite states or absorbed territory and convert to their religion. And so, with dominance over their homeworld established, the Zahati looked towards the stars, to spread the word of their god to all who may be dwelling out there, and to expand their new empire to unimaginable glory.
Alliances: None
Trading Agreement: The Zahati doesn't normally trade with infidels, but they will if they deem the profit well worth it.
Infantry Description:The majority of Zahatian infantry is made up of Itsar conscripts, but also have a large standing army of Shinnish as well as several bands of elite troops. All soldiers are well-drilled and well-equipped, with conscripts equipped with suits of carbon nanotubes with a heads-up display in their helmet visors, with built-in night and heat vision, and measurements of their own vital stats so that any medic would know exactly what was wrong with their patient. Professional soldiers wear heavier armours of the same variant, with plates of titanium added to protect vital areas. All soldiers are equipped with powerful coilguns firing armour-piercing rounds as standard ammunition.
Mechanized Divisions Description: The Zahati make a great use of heavy armour, with banded wagons and APC's for troop transportation, and heavy bi- or quadrupedal or banded tanks equipped with cannons, machine guns and artillery to deal heavy damage to enemy ranks. They also have an assortment of light, fast moving vehicles such as light tanks and jeep-like vehicles when needing to move and hit fast.
Airforce Description: The Ishkariate have a wide range of airborne vehicle models, including helicopters, turbo-fan gunships and VTOL jet fighters. None of these are capable of flying outside of the atmosphere, however, and so their usefulness in galactic war is currently being questioned.
Naval Description: The Ishkariate employs a reasonably strong navy of mainly cruisers, destroyers and carriers to power their war machine, with smaller ships mainly used to patrol their territory. They also have a small number of heavy cruisers to provide heavy concentrated firepower, and they have three dreadnoughts currently under construction.