Kingdom of Kerolon
For this nation's counterpart in the 'A Tyranny Known As Truth' alternate universe, see Kingdom of Kaywell.
Kingdom of Kerolon Nairahak gn Kerolon (Golagat) | |
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 Flag
 Coat of Arms
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Motto:
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Anthem: Uingffhian Glory | |
 Diagram of Kerolon's territorial claims on Uingffh | |
 The Ingffhaestian System, the home system of Kerolon | |
| Capital | Korroway, Uingffh, Ingffhaestian System |
| Largest city | Lukeschmidtia, Aeonium Arboreum, Altaria System |
| Official languages | Golagat |
| Religion | Secular (de jure) |
| Demonym(s) | Kerolonian |
| Government |
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• Ring | Mesmo Kerilim Kerolon (1905-) |
• King | Novus Marune Kerolon |
• Queen | Urion Sima Kerolon |
• Prime Minister | Perle von Nurnberg |
• Master of the Court | Ramya Karma |
| Legislature | Kerolonposium |
| Establishment | November 14, 999 |
| Population | |
• 2033 estimate | 648.12 billion |
| GDP (nominal) | 2033 estimate |
• Total | 87.379538 quadrillion imperial sters ($87.379538 quadrillion USD) |
• Per capita | 134,820 imperial sters |
| Currency | Imperial sters |
| Today part of | Federative Planets of Polyingffhaestia |
The Kingdom of Kerolon, sometimes colloquially referred to as the Empire of Kerolon or simply Kerolon, was an interstellar superpower that, at its greatest territorial extent, officially controlled a total of 37 star systems across the Orion-Cygnus Arm of the Milky Way alongside countless other incorporated stellar territories. Its capital was the city of Korroway on the moon Uingffh in the Ingffhaestian System, and its dominant species were Uingffh's three native sentient species: the tabulons, lordions, and mortei.
As the longest-lasting nation known to Uingffhian records, Kerolon had a long and significantly complex history. The Kingdom formed on the moon Uingffh on November 14, 999 when a trio of tabulons named Otho, Gauss, and Nero Kerolon united the region's various small warring kingdoms under their reign in the Unification War. Seating themselves as the newly-formed Kerolonian Kingdom's royal family, Otho, Gauss, and Nero steadily developed their nation's economy and society. Within two centuries, Kerolon had grown into a prosperous kingdom with a thriving economy and a rich culture. By the rise of the 13th Century, the Kingdom of Kerolon had begun to develop imperialist ideologies and began a program of expansionism across Uingffh, which proved highly successful; by the 1500s, Kerolon had gained control of all parts of Uingffh. Shortly after, however, indigenous rights movements, internal disputes, and other factors caused parts of this "Kerolonian Empire" to begin collapsing; most notably, its northeastern territories seceded into the Unified States of Osuwa over excessive taxation while its western territories seceded into the Great Imperial Hegemony of Morbidia over discrimination against Lordions. Kerolon, however, remained a major power in Uingffhian geopolitics and retained all of its other territories along with the title of largest Uingffhian country.
Though conflicts erupted early on, Kerolon relatively quickly came to exercise peaceful relations with Morbidia and Osuwa, with the three becoming Uingffh's three dominant powers; within Kerolon, reformist politicians transformed Kerolon into a highly progressive, egalitarian, and advanced parliamentary nation over the course of a few centuries. Eventually, beginning in around 1700, Kerolon as well as its two Uingffhian neighbors, motivated by the discovery of ancient ruins supporting the existence of an ancient alien race responsible for seeding all known life, developed spacefaring capabilities and evolved into interstellar nations, discovering and colonizing nearby star systems; Kerolon in particular desired to colonize space to increase its economic prosperity while also discovering and learning more about the universe. In the process, they discovered numerous other alien races seeded by the same ancient alien race; though conflicts occurred on occasion, Kerolon tended to welcome these civilizations into its society and ensured their equal treatment under Kerolonian law. Though Kerolon was lauded for these egalitarian efforts, some non-Ingffhaestians still criticized the Kingdom for being too expansionist and militaristic, with a few particularly critical individuals viewing Kerolon as nothing more than a space empire using social justice as a thin veil to hide its colonialist tendencies.
Beginning in the early 21st Century, tensions between the Morbidian Hegemony and the USO began to rise as their cold war began transforming into an actual interstellar war, with the two nations competing to amass as much interstellar influence and military power as possible. During this time period, Kerolon tended to act as a mediator between the two powers and attempted to foster peace, to mixed results. At the same, opposition to Kerolonian colonial expansion began growing, most notably in the form of armed rebellions led by Urlum Eudae Kerolon. Eventually, after the Kerolon-controlled Esernium System was destroyed by the war, radical forces likened to fascism took hold of Kerolon, which entered the war on its own side attempting to invade both Osuwa and Morbidia; this unrecognized government also attempted to carry out a genocide against all non-Uingffhian civilizations at this time. Both efforts were ultimately foiled by the same anti-imperialist rebels along with both Kerolon’s citizenry and the exiled government, which all disagreed with the new radical speciesist policies.
After the end of Kerolon’s xenophobic regime and its corporate supporters, Kerolon began to reform under the rule of various temporary governments. However, animosity against Uingffh continued to grow amidst the chaotic, war-torn state of the stars, culminating in a destructive attack by the Grand Earth Reclamation Authority, a radical human-led military dictatorship backed by non-Uingffhian rebels. This was soon followed by Urlum Eudae Kerolon, a member of the royal family previously assumed deceased, returning, repelling the GERA’s forces, and ascending herself to the throne as the 9th Queen of Kerolon. Initially popular amongst the people of the stars, Queen Urlum soon proved to be a ruthless and tyrannical ruler who orchestrated countless war crimes and crimes against sentient life in the name of morality, ultimately leading to her execution in 2045.
Following the end of Urlum’s reign, Nisc Elizer Kerolon ascended to the throne as the 10th Queen. Nisc and the Kerolonposium ultimately agreed to have Kerolon absorbed into the nascent Federative Planets of Polyingffhaestia, marking the end of Kerolon’s existence as an independent nation. This also marked the de jure end of Kerolon’s interstellar expansionism, as all civilizations previously conquered by Kerolon were also granted independence, and then status as Polyingffhian member states with equal power and leverage to Ingffhaestia. However, Kerolon remained a major province of the Polyingffhian Federation with a distinct cultural identity and a reasonable degree of autonomy, albeit with laws in place to minimize the systemic species discrimination that plagued the original Kingdom of Kerolon. Additionally, Kerolonian loyalists made numerous attempts to re-establish the Kingdom of Kerolon as an independent sovereign state, most notably the Holy Empire of Neo Kerolon in 2056. However, none of these attempts lasted more than a few years before being toppled by either the Polyingffhian Star Navy or dissatisfied citizens within these reformed Kerolons themselves. TBA
History
Important note: Terms for government-related organizations such as "Council of Nations", "House of Affluence", or "Social Democrats" are translated from Golagat, the native language of the tabulon civilization, to English.
Formation, War of Unity, and Development (pre-999-1200)
Prior to Kerolon's formation, the region of Ulstonia it would come to inhabit (also called Kerolon) was home to several smaller kingdoms and warlord states locked in conflict. During the decade of the 980s, a trio of nobles - Otho rei Oronius, Gauss rei Keyman, and Nero rei Hadrian - began campaigning for a unification of the Kerolon region into a single kingdom, having lost many of their family members to wars between the micro-kingdoms. Over the next few years, the trio amassed numerous like-minded supporters who had also suffered under the kingdoms' many wars and armed conflicts; many of these supporters were soldiers and militiamen growing tired of fighting needless, protracted wars in the name of petty kingdoms.
By the end of the decade, support for Kerolonian unification - particularly from military-involved individuals - had grown substantially, with the trio of nobles enjoying the support of a body of soldiers rivaling the size of a large army. In 999, Otho, Gauss, and Nero finally put their plan into action and mounted an invasion of the Kerolonian micro-kingdoms using their many soldier supporters, beginning the War of Unity. Though the kingdoms had the advantage of combined territory, their refusal to work together led to their swift ends, which sometimes occurred at the hands of their own soldiers. In addition, many smaller villages welcomed the unity trio's occupation, themselves dissatisfied with the divided state of the region.
By November 14 of that year, the three nobles had ousted the rulers of all of the Kerolonian mini-kingdoms and united them under a new nation: the Kingdom of Kerolon. Otho, Gauss, and Nero established themselves as the monarchs of Kerolon, becoming Otho Oronius Kerolon, Gauss Keyman Kerolon, and Nero Hadrian Kerolon. Because none of the three shared a sex (Otho was female, Gauss was male, and Nero was somale), the trio was able to marry each other and become the first members of the Kerolonian Royal Family; though the marriage merely constituted a political marriage and did not involve actual romantic or sexual feelings between the three individuals, the three monarchs succeeded in effectively ruling and managing the fledgling kingdom.
To celebrate the successful formation of Kerolon, the three monarchs chose to establish a new Uingffhian timekeeping era to commemorate the unification of the region: Ascension Ring Kerolonnia, or a.r.k. for short. The Earth year 999 would be designated 0 a.r.k., with succeeding Uingffhian years being denoted by greater numbers followed by "a.r.k." at the end. As Kerolon's influence spread later in its history, the a.r.k. system would become the standardized timekeeping system for all of Uingffh. In addition, the throne of the Kerolonian monarchy would come to be referred to as the Aeonium Throne.
Residents living under the newly-established Kerolon regime welcomed this changing, lauding the political stability and newfound peace it brought. The Royal Family's success in incurring economic growth only increased public support of them. Over the next few centuries, the Kerolonian economy continued to grow as a united Kerolonian culture began to emerge; Kerolonians adopted sophisticated lifestyles that focused on the arts (painting, creative writing, music, etc.), academics, and sciences. These opulent lifestyles, however, were largely restricted to aristocratic families such as those inheriting the nobiliary particle of "rei"; servants and the poor continued to languish under the same unsatisfactory living conditions they suffered under prior to Kerolon's formation.
Keliosity, a religion that had dominated the Kerolonian micro-kingdoms prior to the War of Unity, persisted in the newly-formed Kingdom of Kerolon as its dominant religion. Keliosity's basic principles entailed the worship of Coppelius, Uingffh's parent planet, as the home of the god Kelios, also known as The All. The united Kingdom of Kerolon's version of Keliosity underwent some minor changes over the succeeding centuries to better align with Kerolon's artistic, intellectual culture; this version of Keliosity became known as Kerolonian Keliosity.
First Age of Imperium (1200-1580)
By the beginning of the 13th Century, Kerolon had grown into one of the most prosperous and influential nations on Uingffh under the rules of first monarchs Otho, Gauss, and Nero and the newly-appointed second reigning monarch, Queen Sirona Grannus Kerolon. The Kingdom, already a prominent hotspot for the arts and scientific advancements, was now becoming one of the first nations on Uingffh to industrialize; capitalism was also beginning to arise as Kerolon's dominant economic system, contributing to Kerolon's economic growth.
This economic and cultural prosperity, however, also gave rise to imperialist sentiment amongst Kerolonian natives, who desired to spread the Kingdom of Kerolon's prosperity outside of the Kerolon region (termed the "aetherland") to other parts of the moon. Some particularly nationalistic Kerolonians believed in the inherent genetic superiority of Kerolonians as a race and advocated for the subjugation and "civilization" of other peoples they viewed as primitive and savages. Ever-growing businesses and corporations, which flourished under Kerolon's nascent capitalism, viewed imperialism as an opportunity to gain access to new resources and larger markets. Devout Keliosites also supported Kerolonian imperialism, seeking to convert foreigners to Keliosity. Some Kerolonians supported imperialism simply out of a curiosity about the rest of Uingffh.
Thus, the 13th Century marked the beginning of a period of Kerolonian history known as the First Age of Imperium, which was marked by conquests of foreign lands. Kerolon began by colonizing various islands off the shore of Kerolon, such as Kirbani Island, during the first half of the 13th Century. Afterwards, Kerolon carried out the conquest of the rest of the Ulstonian supercontinent, beginning with the Osuwa region to the northeast and completing its world-conquering endeavor by the start of the 15th century. The Kerolonian Empire spent the last century of its first imperial era conquering the various island continents surrounding Ulstonia, such as Uveerius and Uopia. By 1556, Kerolon had secured control of the entirety of Uingffh.
The Kerolonian military saw noticeable development during the First Age of Imperium. In addition to funding boosts and technological improvements, the military also saw significant reorganization; most notably, the rise of esteemed conquerators - particularly skilled military commanders and explorers who spearheaded the discovery and colonization of new Uingffhian lands. Additionally, Queen Sirona and the two other monarchs who reigned during the First Age - Mesmo Martius Kerolon and Rictell Sorges Kerolon - assembled four chivalric orders - the Orders of Kerbos, Novus, Uris, and Sorellius - out of the most elite conquerators.
Infamously, Kerolon’s various conquests also severely harmed the native inhabitants of other Uingffhian regions, such as lordions, mortei, and even other tabulon peoples. As part of the colonization process. Kerolonian settlers expelled countless natives out of their rightful lands and claimed their homes as their own. In extreme cases, conquerators committed outright genocides and massacres against native peoples, which proved the case for most island civilizations Kerolon encountered.
Kerolon also affected natives and their lands in more indirect ways. Even in more tolerant colonies, natives suffered from high mortality rates due to Kerolonian settlers inadvertently importing Kerolonian diseases into both people and important food sources. Additionally, Kerolonian colonization often hurt the environment by introducing invasive Kerolonian species as well as through the use of unsustainable agricultural and manufacturing methods by Kerolonian industries.
Age of Reform (1556-1700)
The total conquest of Uingffh marked a technological and cultural peak for the Kingdom of Kerolon. The nation had made significant progress in industrialization and was well on its way towards modernizing. Meanwhile, morale for Kerolonian tabulons was at an all-time high, with the Kingdom's planetary dominance inspiring powerful nationalism and patriotism.
However, the global Kerolon Empire would quickly prove unstable and fragile. Throughout succeeding years, the nation's politicians and leaders faced - and failed to succeed in - the task of managing all of its newly-acquired colonies and their many dissatisfied, oppressed natives. Various Kerolonian territories would secede from the empire in opposition to various Kerolonian policies, simultaneously encouraging citizens within Kerolon to question Kerolonian social and political norms and push for reform within their own nation. This era would come to be known as the Age of Reform, which also marked the end of the First Age of Imperium (as Kerolon could not conquer any more territory using the technology it possessed at the time).
Osuwan Revolution and the Formation of the Unified States of Osuwa (1561-1584)
The first of Kerolon’s colonies to rebel were the colonies of Osuwa, a region of Ulstonia northeast of the Kerolonian aetherland. Prior to Osuwa’s secession, Kerolon had begun increasing taxes on a variety of goods and services consumed by Osuwans in order to fund its later conquests, to little benefit for the Osuwans themselves. When the Osuwans protested Kerolon’s exorbitant tax rates, the Empire simply enforced its taxation policies through police and military force, damaging numerous Osuwan lives and properties. Kerolon even resorted to ousting local elected leaders and seating staunch Kerolon loyalists in their place, ensuring the Osuwans’ loyalty to the Kerolonian Empire.
Eventually, Kerolon’s authoritarian policies drove Osuwans to a breaking point, leading to the beginning of the Osuwan Revolution in 1561. The revolution initially aimed to convince Kerolon to more fairly and liberally manage the Osuwa colony. But after a failed attempt at reorganizing Osuwa into a pro-Kerolon dominion in 1572, the revolutionaries’ goal shifted to forming an entirely new nation out of the Osuwan colonies. The overconfidence of the Kerolonian forces at Osuwa allowed the Osuwan rebels to fight back and eventually succeed, forming the Unified States of Osuwa on July 4, 1576. The Osuwan Revolutionary War followed, with the fledgling Osuwa and Kerolon warring until 1584, when large-scale revolts in other areas of Uingffh forced Kerolon to strike a peace treaty with the Unified States.
Korroway Riots of 1580 and the Formation of the Kerolonposium
The outbreak of the Osuwan Revolution and the adoption of democracy as Osuwa's governmental system inspired the Kerolonian populace to think more critically of the Kerolonian governmental system. Noticing and desiring the Osuwans' high political freedom, Kerolonian citizens began calling for the establishment of a more democratic system of government for the Kerolonian homeland. This led to the outbreak of numerous pro-democracy protests throughout the latter half of the 1570s.
These protests proved difficult to suppress due to their sheer size, eventually culminating in the Korroway Riots of October 16, 1580, when an estimated 12,000 democratic protesters attacked the Kerolonian palace in Korroway with the intent of removing the monarchy from power and establishing a democracy in its place. Though the protesters were ultimately driven away, they and the Kerolonian government soon attempted compromise solutions facilitated by government officials sympathetic towards the cause of democracy. Eventually, on December 25, 1580, King Rictell conceded to establish a democratically elected parliament - the Kerolonposium - and shift his role into that of a constitutional monarch.
The Kerolonposium initially adopted bicameral system consisting of a lower house (the House of the Lower) tasked with creating legislation and an upper house (the House of the Affluent) tasked with checking legislation. The House of the Affluent notably consisted of nobles loyal to the crown, allowing nobles and royals to control the passage of laws to a degree. However, the monarchy and nobility's role in parliament would gradually subside throughout succeeding centuries as Kerolon continued to democratize and reform.
Regalius' Rebellion and the Formation of the Great Imperial Hegemony of Morbidia (1578-1585)
The final major revolt during the Age of Reform was Regalius' Rebellion, which led to the formation of the Great Morbidian Hegemony out of Kerolon's Morbidian colony. The Osuwan Revolution's progression inspired many lordions, whom Kerolonian colonists had largely enslaved following the Morbidia region's annexation into Kerolon, to rise up and fight for their own rights. This began as intermittent slave and servant revolts across the Morbidia colony which slaveowners quickly put down; in response to the rebellions, the Kerolonians harshened their treatment of their lordion servants in order to prevent more revolts. However, this ultimately served to not only further strengthen lordion opposition, but also encourage the lordions to revolt in more creative ways.
The lordion revolts eventually culminated in the rise of Regalius Rilna Mortimer, one of the most radical lordions at the time, to public prominence in 1578. Taking advantage of the weakened state of Kerolonian law enforcement at the time thanks to instability wrought by the Osuwan Revolution, Regalius spread strong anti-Kerolonian, Morbidian separatist sentiment across the Morbidian region.
Initially, he attempted to change Kerolon from within by joining the Kerolonposium as part of his own Anti-Imperialist Natives’ Alliance (AINA) party; however, after Kerolon expelled the party in 1584, Regalius resorted to armed rebellion against Kerolon, seceding the Morbidia region into the Great Imperial Hegemony of Morbidia on April 27, 1584. The subsequent Morbidian Revolutionary War proved short-lived - lasting only until 1585 - but devastating, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and resulting in the destruction of many properties.
The revolutionary war ultimately ended with Kerolon recognizing Morbidia’s independence as well as the Uveerius and Uopia island continents also seceding into Morbidia. The latter secession solidified Morbidia as a force of justice for not only lordions, but also any and all cultures oppressed by Kerolonian imperialism. Contrary to Osuwa, however, Morbidia would debelop an autocratic system of government as well as a total command model of economics.
Geptunia Revolution and the Wexxian Age of Freedom (1632-1650)
Another major turning point in Kerolon’s political shift was the Geptunia Revolution, which began with the ascension of Geptunia Sylandro Kerolon to the Aeonium Throne in early 1632. However, Geptunia proved to be a tyrannical and selfish ruler who pursued an overly luxurious lifestyle at the expense of the rest of Kerolon’s populace. This led to Geptunia’s swift ousting from the throne in 1633, which ended with Geptunia’s execution.
With Geptunia dead, her sister, the far more progressive Wexxia Sylandro Kerolon, became queen. Contrary to Geptunia’s reign of despotism and terror, Wexxia drastically increased the liberties of Kerolon’s people and ushered in a new era marked by social progressivism and enhanced political freedom. Queen Wexxia and her parliament legalized same-sex relationships, promoted gender equality, dismantled the racist and speciesist societal systems of imperial-era Kerolon, and drastically diverted political power from nobles (whose role Wexxia reduced to a ceremonial one) to the general populace, among other things. The populace dubbed this time period the Wexxian Age of Freedom due to the numerous social and cultural advances during Queen Wexxia’s rule.
Modernization (1650-1776)
Near the beginning of 1650, the Kerolonposium and Queen Wexxia passed an act that changed Kerolon's motto to "Education is Freedom" in order to reflect the nation's new, more progressive post-imperial society; specifically, the motto references the increased funding of the public education that occurred during the Age of Freedom, which was done in order to inform future generations on Queen Geptunia and imperial Kerolon's past mistakes and ensure they would not repeat them. This marked the beginning of Kerolon's modernization.
During this era, Kerolon and other Uingffhian nations had begun to modernize, with more advanced technologies such as electricity, wireless communication, etc. becoming more available to the average citizen. High-tech skyscrapers and cities came to accompany Kerolon's traditional buildings, palaces, and historical sites. Meanwhile, the Age of Freedom-era trend of progressivism and social equality continued; Among the reforms achieved were further protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, policies promoting racial and species equality in Kerolonian society, and improved accessibility for both disabled people and neurodivergent people. Most notably, egalitarian measures taken during the Wexxian Age of Freedom inspired the Kerolonian populace to push for more economic equality, gradually leading to Kerolon's transformation into a mixed economy, social democratic welfare state similar in nature to the Scandinavian countries on Earth; universal healthcare, public education, public transportation, and other reforms guaranteeing essential utilities paid by progressive tax rates.
Additionally, after the death of Queen Wexxia to a climate change-enhanced tropical cyclone that hit Korroway in 1699, Kerolon began to focus on minimizing its effects on the environment and relying on more eco-friendly infrastructure. Fossil fuel plants found themselves replaced by massive wind farms, geothermal power plants, experimental nuclear oower plants, and other renewable energy sources. Kerolon also aimed to decrease the environmental impact of its cities by further increasing funding for public transportation, catering to pedestrians and bicyclists, incorporating more native flora into its landscapes and architecture, and more.
Despite Kerolon's growing social progressivism, the Kingdom held on to its cultural roots and practiced its traditions in non-discriminatory ways. For instance, the four chivalric orders of Kerolon maintained their existence, but were demoted to more ceremonial roles and were often sent on charitable missions to areas negatively impacted by Kerolonian colonialism. Keliosity also remained prominent amongst the Kingdom’s citizens, though the Kerolonposium passed laws preventing the use of the religion to justify bigotry.
Early spacefaring
It was during the modern era that Kerolon began developing early spacefaring capabilities, officially beginning with the establishment of a dedicated space agency - the Kerolon Astronomical Division (KAD) - in 1720. Throughout the succeeding decades, Kerolon began building space stations around Coppelius, exploring nearby celestial bodies, and sending probes to farther reaches in the Ingffhaestian System.
It was during the early spacefaring era that Kerolon (and by extension, the Uingffhians as a whole) discovered the Ophisian civilization of Ibiridius and the Sheepilly civilization of Hevectavia. However, Kerolon and the other Uingffhian nations would not readily interact with the Ophisians and Sheepillies until the beginning of their interstellar era, when Uingffh acquired better spacefaring technology allowing them to more easily travel to and from both civilizations’ homeworlds.
Discovery of the Great Pit and the Izlondian Ruins (1776)
On November 25, 1776, Kerolonian scientists discovered the existence of extremely old, yet well-preserved ruins of a civilization whose architecture did not match that of any known civilizations. Further analysis and research of the ruins revealed their true source: an ancient intelligent civilization that had died out approximately 3 billion years ago. This civilization, named Izlondia according to its dominant species, the Drori, had once controlled all of Uingffh and possibly all of Ingffhaestia and various outlying star systems before dying out in a catastrophic accident involving wormhole technology; it was this calamity, dubbed the First Apocalix, that had rendered their vast cities trapped underground.
More importantly, significant evidence pointed to the Drori species forming the ancestors of the tabulon race. In addition to bearing a remarkably similar appearance to modern tabulons (with their only major physical difference being their lack of wing-tentacles), the Izlondians also shared a significant amount of DNA - 98.5% - with the tabulons as demonstrated by another study carried out later in 2044. Evolutionary scientists postulated that the First Apocalix spared a small handful of Drori who would later come to evolve into the tabulon race.
Most significantly, however, the Izlondians provided an explanation for the shared biology between the life-forms of the Ingffhaestian System (and later, life-forms of other nearby star systems). Xenobiologists at the KAD and similar organizations have long noted unusual biological similarities between life on Uingffh and life on other planets and moons in Ingffhaestia: the presence of cells and DNA, division into plants and animals, similar body structures in animals, etc. These similarities were long dismissed as either coincidences or a natural tendency of evolution, but analysis of records left behind by the Izlondians revealed that they had, in fact, seeded life on other planets and moons, accounting for the similarities; specifically, they sent out large moon-sized space stations to place samples of non-sentient Izlondian life forms on potentially habitable worlds. Once more, these records pointed to the Izlondians sending these "Izlondian arks" to not only other celestial bodies within Ingffhaestia, but also other solar systems outside of Ingffhaestia, raising the possibility of extraingffhaestian lifeforms on worlds around other stars.
The discovery of the Izlondians was the turning point in the evolution of the Uingffhian nations, Kerolon included, into advanced spacefaring powers. Knowledge of the Izlondians and their role in the origins of life incited a strong desire in many Uingffhians to explore the stars beyond Ingffhaestia and discover the various other alien civilizations waiting to meet them. Additionally, technological artifacts left behind in the Izlondian ruins provided Kerolon and the other nations with the necessary tools to develop their own spacefaring technology. After 1776, the Uingffhian superpowers entered their interstellar eras; Kerolon in particular entered the Interstellar Age of Imperium, the best-documented era of its history.
Beginning of the Interstellar Age of Imperium (1776-1800)
During the first few years of the Interstellar Age of Imperium, Kerolon and the other two Uingffhian nations began developing the tools necessary for the transition to spacefaring status. Uingffh began designing and producing a variety of long-term, larger-scale space colonies and space stations. The Uingffhian nations also began partaking in moon, dwarf planet, and asteroid mining to fulfill the material needs for these spaceborne structures.
Most notably, Kerolon formed the Star Navy on December 6, 1780, and promptly began constructing a wide variety of starships intended for combat, anticipating numerous wars and conflicts during its conquest of the stars. In line with its emphasis on education, the Kingdom also began research into battle strategies and tactics in an outer space setting, training esteemed strategists and admirals with these battle plans. These commanders would become the Kingdom's Grand Admirals, a new rank in the Star Navy whose members would become widely feared for their ruthlessly efficient strategies in starship combat. Kerolon also reinstated its four chivalric orders as military guilds for its Grand Admirals as well as established a secret fifth order - the Order of Apollyon - as a research institute dedicated to in-depth investigation and containment of Izlondian artifacts.
It should also be stressed that reverse engineering of Izlondian technology played an extremely significant role in the Uingffhians' rather fast progression into competent spacefaring powers. Leftover samples, blueprints, and data on Izlondian starships and their technology massively aided the Kerolonian Star Navy and other Uingffhian space militaries in quickly developing functional starships. Records on old Izlondian battles also helped inform Kerolon's tactical and strategic plans.
Colonization of the Ingffhaestian Star System and the Creation of the Thegasia Drives
By the 1790s, Kerolon and its two neighbors had phased away from spacefaring preparation and had begun to more fully colonize the rest of their home star system, Ingffhaestia. Construction of settlements both in space and on other planetary surfaces dramatically increased as space grew into a major part of Kerolonian citizens' lifestyles. Additionally, Kerolon and the other Uingffhian nations began establishing relations with the Ibiridians and Sheepillies, in the process developing ear pod devices that allowed for the instantaneous translation of alien languages using brain waves.
Initially, partitioning of Ingffhaestia between the three nations was rather disorganized, which would have destructive consequences when the Battle of Ibiridius in 1793 between Osuwan and Morbidian ships led to numerous debris impacts on Ibiridius, killing 1.7 million Ophisians. Kerolonian diplomats averted war and resolved the dispute through the subsequent Treaty of Ingffhaestian Settlement, which designated the Ingffhaestian System as shared neutral territory while guaranteeing Ibiridius and Hevectavia more autonomy. Afterwards, the three Uingffhian nations began prioritizing particular planetary systems in order to avert further conflict; Kerolon in particular prioritized the Ingffhaestian planetary system itself, with Osuwa and Morbidia focusing on Ingffhaestia's companion stars.
Additionally, Kerolon and the other Uingffhian nations discovered numerous Izlondian artifacts scattered across the Ingffhaestian System. One was the artificial star Kire, which would later be used to terraform the ice moon Digrazia. But the most significant artifact discovered was the Thegasia Wormhole Gate, a derelict wormhole generator that once connected Izlondian stellar colonies. Though the wormhole gate itself was offline at the time due to sustained damage from asteroid impacts and other natural factors, its inner technology remained intact enough for the Uingffhians to reverse-engineer into their own wormhole devices: the Thegasia Drives. These drives would concentrate surrounding interstellar matter into a wormhole, within which the drive can then generate an exit wormhole at any point in our universe within a specific range. At their time of creation, the drives had a range of four light-years, but the Kingdom would develop models with larger ranges in the future. The Kingdom promptly installed Thegasia drives onto most of its existing starships, completing this task by December 1799. This achievement of faster-than-light travel enabled Kerolon to begin conquering other star systems throughout succeeding centuries.
Wormholes generated by the Thegasia Drive notably contracted over time from Hawking radiation before exploding, with smaller wormholes dying faster than larger ones. This rendered wormhole travel impractical for individuals, but proved acceptable for the much larger starship. Many Kerolonian military scientists proposed using this explosion as a weapon - a proposal that would later become a reality with the creation of the Star Crushers during the 1816-1838 war with the Xylnaridium Empire.
Height of the Interstellar Age of Imperium
Kerolonian Colonization of the Proma System (1800-1803)
By the beginning of the 19th Century, Kerolonian starships had successfully completed Thegasia Drive-assisted warps to the Proma System, the closest star system to Ingffhaestia, marking the first successful interstellar warps in Ingffhaestian history. In the system, Kerolon discovered a substantial system of eight planets, which the Kingdom proceeded to colonize succeeding years - the first instance of Uingffhian colonization outside of the Ingffhaestian System. The Kingdom began erecting both domed settlements on uninhabitable worlds and more typical open-air communities on Proma's various worlds; though the two habitable worlds around Proma were ultimately less hospitable and Uingffh-like than Ingffhaestia's habitable worlds, millions of Kerolonians nonetheless flocked into the system and began settling on the various other colonies and space stations under construction in Proma. Due to the lack of native life in the system, Kerolonian colonists held less qualms towards constructing more massive and sprawling cities on Proma's worlds.
Notably, numerous private aerospace companies also attempted to facilitate Proman colonization, with some competing to become the primary colonizers of Proma. However, this attracted criticism from numerous citizens, scientists, and scholars, who viewed profit-motivated ventures into space as potentially unethical and not truly beneficial to the progress of both science and the common people. In response, the Kerolonposium passed regulations ensuring ethical practices from the corporations and also increased funding towards the KAD and other federal astronomical agencies. These events ultimately set a precedent for Kerolonian interstellar colonizations to largely be led by governmental agencies as opposed to private individuals and corporations, a method that grew more popular with Osuwa's government.
The colonization of a star system radically different from Ingffhaestia like Proma forced the Kerolonians to devise clever ways to prepare the system for settlement, with one of the most notable new inventions being advanced plant genetic engineering. Due to the much dimmer and redder light of Proma alongside other harsher conditions, imported Uingffhian plants struggled to photosynthesize Proma's light and survive on Proma's habitable worlds. However, the Kingdom's biologists and geneticists circumvented this dilemma by altering the genes of Uingffhian plants to better fit the environment of the Proma system; most notably, they changed the color of the plants' photosynthesizing pigments from blue ("cyanophyll") to red ("erythrophyll"). Thanks to these modifications, Uingffhian plants began to experience greater survival and reproduction rates on Proma's habitable worlds, allowing them to begin releasing oxygen into the atmosphere necessary for Uingffhians to breathe.
Kerolonian Annexation of the Sartretarium Empire (Tanitarium System) (1803-1816)
With the successful colonization of the Proma System, the Kingdom of Kerolon began planning the exploration and colonizations of more star systems within the close vicinity of Ingffhaestia, beginning with the star system of Tanitarium (known to humans as 107 Piscium), located a little less than 8 light-years from Ingffhaestia. The presence of a giant planet with a massive set of rings in the system made Tanitarium particularly attractive to resource miners.
However, certain religious members of the Sartretarian Lizards, a reptilian sentient species native to the system's second planet Sartretarium, objected to Kerolon's mining proposals due to the ringed giant planet (known to the natives as Tios) holding religious significance in their culture. The Kerolonians refused to drop their mining operations, causing theses Tiosists to instigate violent riots across the Tanitarium System, in turn causing Kerolon to take military action against the dissenting Sartretarian Lizards.
A multi-year, devastating war between Kerolonian forces and radical, anti-Kerolon Tiosists followed, with the entire Tanitarium System becoming embroiled in conflict. At one point, Sartretarian Tiosists weaponized the Izlondian energy production artifact Tayah as a strategic laser weapon, which Kerolon countered using mirror satellites known as Ulaenopsis-class reflective satellites. The war ultimately concluded with a last-ditch attempt by the last remaining radical Tiosists to ram the Motherland, a massive bishop ring space station orbiting Sartretarium, onto Uingffh; the Order of Sorellius successfully halted this plan, but not without a few stray chunks of the Motherland impacting Sartretarium's surface.
Aftermath
Kerolon claimed its victory on December 27, 1815; by then, the war had claimed the lives of an estimated 740 million Sartretarians and an estimated 6 million Kerolonians.
The Kerolonian Star Navy maintained a close presence in the system for another few months to suppress any remaining rebel activity; once the Tanitarium System’s political scene stabilized, the system was reorganized into the more autonomous Imperial Dominion of Sartretarium; Kerolon maintained official control over the system, but the Sartretarian Lizards were largely allowed to govern themselves, even being able to pass their own laws to a limited degree. This set a precedent for the integration of other alien civilizations into the Kingdom of Kerolon: any alien civilizations annexed by Kerolon were to eventually see conversion into self-governing autonomous imperial dominions in an attempt to preserve the aliens’ cultural and political independence (a prospect that, in practice, beheld mixed results). A parliamentary body consisting of elected officials from the annexed alien civilization would primarily govern the dominion, with a Kerolonian individual - the archduke of the dominion - loosely overseeing the system’s activities.
As for the Tios mining disputes, the Ingffhaestians ultimately won the rights to mine materials from the rings of Tios. However, as a compromise, the Sartretarian Lizards forbade the Ingffhaestians from referring to the planet as Tios in order to separate their religious view of the planet from the Kerolonians’ more pragmatic view of it. Kerolon ultimately chose to refer to Tanitarium’s third planet as Yorgos to commemorate the Kingdom’s reigning king, also partially due to the banding patterns on the planet itself resembling the bands on King Yorgos’ own fur.
In addition to conquering the Tanitarium System, Kerolon also facilitated the colonization of the Esernium System, a quadruple star system consisting of four red dwarfs, at the same time. However, because Esernium lacked any native lifeforms, its colonization proved relatively uneventful compared to Tanitarium's. Nonetheless, Esernium's exceptionally high amount of planets combined with the stars' relatively calm atmospheres compared to other red dwarfs made the system particularly attractive to Kerolonian colonists. Esernium would quickly grow into Kerolon's most prosperous and populous stellar colony, developing a powerful economy and a rich, diverse culture.
Additionally, the Unified States of Osuwa colonized the Tilaga System, the home system of the Tristanian and Feran sentient species, as Kerolon conquered Sartretarium. Though Kerolon never officially intervened in Tilaga's colonization, its reputation for technological advancement, high quality of living, and commitment to egalitarianism attracted numerous Tristanians, leading to a large wave of Tristanian immigrants. Kerolonians received these immigrants well overall due to the Tristanians' generally kind attitude towards the Uingffhians, though some cases of both interpersonal and systemic discrimination against the species did present themselves. Nonetheless, Tristanians came to deeply integrate themselves into Kerolonian society and later adopt higher-ranking roles within the Kingdom's society.
Lastly, Sartretarium's official annexation coincided with the birth and rapid popularization of the Interstellarists, a fledgling political party in the Kerolonian political scene. Interstellarists, as their name implies, advocated for the furthering of Kerolon's interstellar colonialism, with particular support for the annexation of star systems already inhabited by indigenous sentient life; on most other issues, the Interstellarists aligned their beliefs with the Social Democrats, Kerolon's largest party at the time. Though justifications for such endeavors varied between individual members, most of them viewed interstellar expansionism as beneficial for Kerolonian society, and likewise viewed Kerolonian societal values as beneficial for other civilizations. The Interstellarists received a divisive reception, with a sizeable portion of Kerolon's population - including most non-tabulon individuals - criticizing the party for upholding racist/speciesist societal structures; nonetheless, the party maintained an influential role in policymaking and drafting throughout the rest of the Interstellar Age of Imperium.
Kerolonian Annexation of the Xylnaridium Nonarchy (Oirator System) (1816-1838)
Following the successful annexation of the Tanitarium and Esernium Systems, Kerolonian conquerators began making excursions into the Oirator System (known to humans as Kappa Ceti), roughly 8 light-years away from Ingffhaestia. Compared to Tanitarium, Oirator boasted a larger planetary system of eight planets, including three potentially habitable planets and three potentially habitable moons.
Exploration of the Oirator System, however, led to contact with the aggressive and powerful Xylnaridium Nonarchy, a radical theocratic regime which at the time had been engaging in an armed interplanetary conflict with the Quans and Zyrics - the native civilizations of the worlds Quantessia and Zyrical respectively - for several years. Though the Quans and Zyrics boasted advanced technology, they had so far only managed to keep the Xylnaridium war at a standstill.
Upon learning of the Kingdom of Kerolon's intrusion into the Oirator System, the Xylnaridian government, the dictatorial Diamondite Authority based on the imperial homeworld Nyxoricate, almost immediately declared war on the Kingdom for not subscribing to the Xylnaridian faith of Tibiruism. This quickly escalated into Xylnaridium declaring war on all three Uingffhian nations, though Xylnaridium concentrated its efforts on Kerolon due to Osuwa and Morbidia not having an active presence in the Oirator System.
The initial phase of the ensuing Oirator-Ingffhaestia War saw Kerolon ally with Quantessia and Zyrical's civilizations in combatting the Xylnaridium Empire from 1816 to 1820. This initially proved successful in pushing back against Xylnaridium's efforts, with Kerolon diverting hundreds of starships from other star systems (in particular, deploying the Orders of Kerbos and Novus) to battle against Xylnaridian starships. The Kingdom also invested other resources into helping Zyrical and Quantessia recover from previous Xylnaridian attacks and constructing new weaponry to use against Xylnaridium. Some criticism towards the Kerolonian government arose from the denizens of other star systems over Kerolon's apparent prioritization of the Oirator war over the development of other colonies, but many supported the war effort after Kerolon began broadcasting atrocities committed by Xylnaridium.
However, beginning in 1820, the Xylnaridium Nonarchy mounted a massive offensive and pushed back the Kerolon-Quantessia-Zyrical allied front. This began when Xylnaridium began employing newly-manufactured Xymphorite Cannons, superweapons that concentrated nuclear charges into narrow beams that struck targets from orbit, leading to mass destruction. The Nonarchy proceeded to use these cannons against the allied front, dealing them immense space fleet losses. They even fired them upon the surfaces of Zyrical and Quantessia, leading to thousands of deaths. Additionally, some Xylnarid forces stole Uingffhian ships equipped with Thegasia Drives and used them to launch attacks on Uingffh-controlled systems. Among the systems targeted were Esernium, Sartretarium, Tilaga, and even Ingffhaestia itself, with their combined Uingffhian death toll reaching 765,000.
Rozé Cuarzite Rebellion and development of the Star Crushers
Nonetheless, internal unrest within the Xylnaridium Nonarchy’s racial caste system slowly began hampering the Xylnarids’ war efforts, culminating in the Rozé Cuarzite Rebellion in 1829. Beginning that year, the lower castes of the Nonarchy under the leadership of the revolutionary Rozé Cuarzite began to rebel against the leading Diamondite Authority. The Uingffh-Quantessia-Zyrical united front backed these rebels, allowing their side to recapture its advantage in the war.
Unfortunately, in 1834, the Rozé Cuarzite Rebellion ended with the exposure of Rozé Cuarzite as deposed Xylnarid Diamondite Pink Diamondite, whom the Nonarchy summarily executed. However, the failed rebellion importantly brought Kerolon time to secretively construct its own weapons of mass destruction - the Star Crushers, which employed similar mechanisms to the Xymphorite Cannons, but used their much more powerful shots at stars to dramatically increase stellar activity - in the event of a second Xylnarid offensive. Kerolon ultimately deployed the star crushers and fired upon Oirator itself, generating massive stellar flares and stellar storms that dealt lethal damage to the Xylnarid homeworld of Nyxoricate and crippled the Nonarchy’s forces. This led to the Nonarchy’s surrender in 1838; by then, only Yellow and Blue Diamondite had survived out of Xylnaridium’s nine Diamondite leaders. The star crusher’s firing had led to the deaths of roughly 10.6 billion Xylmethystas - over half of the Nonarchy’s population at the time.
Aftermath
Following Xylnaridium’s surrender on January 21, 1838, Kerolon absorbed the Oirator System as the Imperial Dominion of Oirator. The Xylnaridium Empire’s dictatorial systems, most notably the Xylnarid caste system, were dismantled, with its subjects being liberated and allowed the chance to integrate into Kerolonian society.
Despite ending the Xylnaridium Empire’s long reign of terror, Kerolon attracted high amounts of criticism and resentment from all three native civilizations of Oirator, largely due to the destructive effects of the star crusher on Nyxoricate. For one, Xylmethystas of all castes protested against the Kingdom for rendering their homeworld irradiated by stellar flares for what see,ed to be several decades; discrimination against Xylmethystas by Uingffhians bred by anti-Xylnaridium wartime propaganda only worsened their opinions of the Xylnaridium Empire. This criticism continued even after Kerolon began making efforts to restore Nyxoricate’s habitability.
The interests of the Quans and Zyrics conflicted with those of Kerolon as well. Both civilizations condemned Kerolon’s use of the star crusher not only because of its destructive effects, but also because of its decision to fire the superweapon without their knowledge. Nonetheless, Kerolonian imperial officials insisted that the firing was necessary to end the war. In addition, however, the Quans and Zyrics also criticized Kerolon for its attempts to suppress their native cultures and for turning a blind eye towards Kerolonian citizens discriminating against Oirator’s species - a complaint echoed by the many other species under Uingffhian control.
Lastly, Kerolon faced opposition from citizens within the Kingdom itself. Kerolonian citizens protested against the colonization of Oirator not only because of the star crusher’s destructive effects, but also because of the strain of the Oirator war fund on other Kerolonian resources. Critics contended that the Oirator war left numerous other services such as healthcare, education, and the development of other Kerolonian colonies underfunded. Though the Kerolonposium passed some small reforms aimed at addressing these issues, the protests otherwise did little to change Kerolon’s trajectory towards continued imperial expansion; as a result, however, said protests ultimately continued for much of Kerolon’s interstellar history, forcing the Star Navy to maintain a high presence in the Oirator System.
Kerolonian Colonizations of the Yahya Keshmiri and Graxton Systems (1838-1852)
Due to the magnitude of the Xylnaridium War, Kerolon did not attempt the colonization of any other star systems during its annexation of Oirator. Similarly, due to the harsh aftereffects of the war, King Yorgos ultimately chose not to pursue the conquest of any other alien civilizations during the first few decades after Kerolon's victory over Xylnaridium; instead, he and the Kerolonposium encouraged the peaceful colonization of star systems without any native life.
The first of these systems was the Yahya Keshmiri System (known to humans as LTT 1445) 9.75 light-years away from Ingffhaestia. Yahya Keshmiri was chosen due to its similarities to the very successful and rapidly-growing Esernium System colony: like Esernium, Yahya Keshmiri was a multiple star system of red dwarfs (three red dwarfs compared to Esernium's four) which each bore numerous planets. However, the Yahya Keshmiri colony ultimately proved less successful than Esernium's colonization due to the lower amount of habitable worlds and higher amount of stellar flares.
The other uninhabited system annexed during the interlude between Oirator and Exirium's annexations was the Graxton System (Gliese 876) 20.36 light-years from Ingffhaestia. Two habitable moons were discovered orbiting around the two gas giants located in the system's habitable zone, which soon saw an influx of settlers from not only Uingffh, but also Tristania and Ferre. Graxton eventually grew into a moderately populated colony.
Aside from colonizing Yahya Keshmiri and Graxton, Kerolon also focused on the development of its existing colonies. In addition to funding infrastructural development and improvements in interstellar Uingffhian settlements, the Kingdom also quelled unrest sparked by anti-Kerolonian Sartretarians and Xylnarids. In particular, the nation dealt with terrorist threats from the remaining radical Tiosists and Tibiruists in Tanitarium and Oirator.
Kerolonian Annexation of the Exirium System (1852-1865)
After roughly 14 years of focused on the development of non-lifebearing star systems, Kerolon made its first excursion into a star system with native alien life since conquering the Oirator System: the Exirium System (Teegarden's Star), a red dwarf system located roughly 11 light-years from Ingffhaestia.
Despite Exirium itself being an ultracool flare star, the Kerolonians discovered a sentient species, the avian-like Zetanthens, native to the third planet Zyzor. Their survival was attributed to a stellar shield discovered shortly after that was attributed to Izlondia. Like Sartretarium and Xylnaridium, the Zetanthens had achieved space travel and had colonized most of their home system. However, when Kerolon first encountered them, their civilization was embroiled in a heated and rather destructive war between the democratic Zetanthe Republic, based on Zyzor itself, and the authoritarian Principality of Zagred, based in the Zetanthens' space colonies.
As part of its commitment to democracy, the Kingdom of Kerolon first began supporting the Zetanthe Republic after the end of the initial diplomatic meetings. Kerolon's overwhelming might quickly devastated most of the Zagred forces, but Zagred's advanced Zendam mechanical suits, whose high agility allowed them to outmaneuver even the defenses of a star crusher, forced Kerolon to develop its own mechs known as Kaelums.
However, upon discovering the Kingdom's firing of the star crusher in the Oirator System, the Zetanthe Republic terminated its alliance with Kerolon in 1857 due to its staunch intolerance of weapons of mass destruction, a policy born from the Zagred Principality's own atrocity of having a space colony impact the Zyzorian surface. But recognizing Kerolon's overwhelming power advantage, Zetanthe agreed to form a temporary united front with Zagred in order to expel Kerolonian forces out of the system. Together, the two nations formed a competent defense perimeter around Zyzor and the most important Zagred colonies while developing even more advanced Zendams outclassing Kerolon's kaelums.
Zagred and Zetanthe's alliance forced Kerolon to adopt a new strategy: ultra long-range interplanetary ballistic missiles. The Exirium System's compact nature meant that the Zetanthens' ships were unequipped to travel extremely vast distances; Kerolon used this weakness to their advantage by positioning its ships beyond the outer edges of the Exirium System and firing IPBMs and other long-range weaponry at the Zetanthens' defenses. These strikes had small but still definite effects, and with the Zetanthen starships unable to engage the Kerolonians in direct combat due to the high distances, the Kingdom was allowed to steadily erode the Exirian defenses through sustained long-range firings of IPBMs and kinetic projectiles. By 1865, the Kerolonians had destroyed enough of the Zetanthens' defenses to bring its starships back into the system to threaten to siege Zyzor; both Zagred and Zetanthe surrendered shortly after, ending the war with a Kerolonian victory.
Kerolonian Annexation of the Holy Thritanian Empire (Iris System) (1865-1877)
Following the successful invasion of the Exirium System, the Kingdom of Kerolon began making intrusions into the Iris System (known to humans as 40 Eridani), 12 light years away from Ingffhaestia. In addition to boasting impressively large planetary systems comparable to Ingffhaestia's, the Iris System also housed two native sentient species: the Floranias of the planet Heafea and the Lemurian Slimes of the planet Lemuria.
The existence of the Floranias complicated Kerolon's desire to conquer the system; in addition to controlling the entire Iris System as an advanced stellar power, the Floranias had also organized themselves under the Holy Thritanian Empire, an imperial parliamentary monarchy very similar to Kerolon politically and socially. Additionally, Thritania suffered from internal rebellions led by exiled princess Lemrina vi Thritania in support of the independence of both Lemurian Slimes and other Florania ethnic groups conquered by Thritania.
Upon contacting the much larger and more advanced Kerolon, both the Thritanian Empire and Lemrina's rebels made appeals to the Kingdom for support. Thritanian supporters appealed to the similarities between the two nations while Lemrina's rebels elucidated Thritania's various breaches of natural rights. Kerolon itself deliberated for an extended period of time, during which representatives from both factions regularly met with the Kingdom's Grand Admirals for diplomatic reasons. Trade also occurred between Ingffhaestia and Iris, sometimes illegally.
In the end, Kerolon proposed a compromise solution in 1870: the Holy Thritanian Empire would maintain control over all of the Iris System, but the companion systems as well as Lemuria would be converted into highly autonomous dominions similar to Kerolon's own stellar dominions. However, this plan proved unpopular amongst both Thritanians and resistance groups, who ignored Kerolon's proposal and resumed interplanetary warfare. This forced the Kerolonian Star Navy to take action by sending fleets into the Iris System and occupying it by force in order to prevent further violence. With peace seemingly unattainable without Kerolonian intervention, Thritania and the rest of the Iris System were ultimately annexed into Kerolon as the Imperial Dominion of Iris in 1877. Some scholars theorize that the political destabilization of Iris was deliberately exacerbated by Kerolonian inside agents to justify a conquest of the system, but evidence for this claim is dubious.
Iris' annexation notably favored Lemrina's rebels at first glance. The conversion of the system into a Kerolonian dominion saw Iris, Lemuria, Kelda, and Virvn reorganized into relatively autonomous districts that, in fact, held more equal power than they did under the Holy Thritanian Empire's height. However, this would quickly change with the introduction and slow rise of Uingffhicane culture to dominance in the non-Thritanian-dominated parts of the Iris System. In contrast, the Thritanian Empire itself - now a vassal state of the Kerolonian Kingdom - maintained some degree of cultural identity due to Kerolonians' respect for it as a similarly powerful empire. But even then, Uingffhian cultural imperialism would continue to present a problem for Thritanians as well in succeeding decades and centuries.
Iris Riots
Jasperion War (1880-1920)
WIP
Government
Kerolon was a constitutional parliamentary monarchy. Though a monarchy exists, the royal family held little to no political power; political power was instead concentrated in the democratically-elected Kerolonian parliament. The Prime Minister led the Kerolonian parliament, which was unicameral in nature. Most of Kerolon was ruled unitarily, with the Kerolonposium acting as the highest-ranking and supreme authority in governmental matters. Though political power was delegated to smaller-scale authorities within star systems and planets, the Kerolonposium had the authority to override such governments' decisions.
However, exceptions existed in the form of the stellar dominions formed from many of the stellar civilizations Kerolon conquered. Members of said native civilizations had the opportunity to exercise more protected independent authority over their star systems of origin compared to the local governments of non-lifebearing stellar colonies. Nonetheless, the actual amount of autonomy the Kerolonposium would grant conquered civilizations depended on the stability and values of the native governments; for instance, Kerolon withheld autonomy from the Oirator System for an extended period of time due to the aggressive nature of the Xylnaridium Nonarchy and its remnant forces.
Kerolonposium
The Kerolonposium acted as the legislature of the Kingdom of Kerolon and employed a parliamentary system of democracy.
Kerolonian Imperial Family
Dominion System
Infrastructure
Transportation
Healthcare
Economy
Military
Kerolon was known to have one of the strongest, if not the strongest military of the three Uingffhian nations. However, the strength of the Kerolonian military lied largely in its intelligent use of tactics and strategy (compared to the militaries of Osuwa and Morbidia, which have been known to rely more on brute force and weapons of mass destruction). Nonetheless, the Kerolonian military did possess powerful technology, though its most powerful weapons were manufactured largely out of necessity, such as during wars with more powerful and aggressive nations like the Xylnaridium Empire.
On average, the Kerolonian military accounted for roughly 8% of all federal federal spending, or around a third of its discretionary spending, during its spacefaring era. Though this is much lower than the defense spending of Osuwa and Morbidia, the Kerolonian military still received criticism for using up money viewed as better used for healthcare, education, transportation, and other public services.
Notably, a significant portion of the military budget of Kerolon went into training and educational programs for soldiers, which bred excellent tacticians and strategists such as the Grand Admirals of the Star Navy. These intelligent commanders were viewed as Kerolon's principal weapon, leading conquests and scoring victories against various rival civilizations and nations through cunning battle plans as opposed to overly relying on advanced technology. This allowed Kerolon's military to become one of the most feared and powerful militaries in interstellar history despite its relatively low tech.
Army
The Kerolon Imperial Guard (KIG) functioned as Kerolon’s army as well as the forces guarding the nation’s royals, nobles, parliamentarians, and other esteemed individuals.
Glass Angels
The Glass Angels were the official guards of the royal family and other important Kerolonian individuals. Initially beginning as a group of knights and skilled swordsmen, the Glass Angels evolved into a secret service-like organization as Kerolonian society progressed and advanced. By the time the Kaelum space fighters were created and Kerolon grew into a spacefaring interstellar nation, the Glass Angels had further evolved into elite fighter pilots while also retaining their earlier roles as close combatants charged with the protection of Kerolon’s royals as well as the prime minister and other important members of the Kerolonposium.
In total, the Glass Angels as an organization contained twelve seats, referred to as the First through Twelfth Angels. The First Angel was generally the most competent and powerful in combat, but the seats’ numbers otherwise had no bearing on their members’ actual strength. Glass Angels were picked at the discretion of the prime minister and the reigning monarch; not all seats had to be filled at any given time, meaning that some seats remained vacant for extended periods. Upon becoming a Glass Angel, the chosen individual automatically had the option to accept the title of rei and adopt the rei nobiliary particle. Glass Angels were traditionally addressed as “Your Illustriousness.”
In order from First Angel to Twelfth Angel, the last Glass Angels before Kerolon’s dissolution were Hanaweather rei Galaxon, Krydatio rei Rizoku, Euthan Tagyeo, Centric Claude, Lukrezius rei Impollyn, Tessidris rei Mardukia, Nienna rei Cercani, Octantia, Alpymia rei Alcidora, Zyston Zeruelis, Yerden Yangtze, and Donnie di Ortygia. Norland rei Luneberg was another notable Glass Angel who also held the title of Grand Admiral in the Order of Sorellius, but left the Kerolonian military altogether shortly before the Kingdom's dissolution.
Klieses
Klieses were the primary mechanized land forces of Kerolon. Originally developed by the Unified States of Osuwa near the Uingffhian modern era, Klieses were mobile vehicles of variable size that contained a variety of mounted weapons, including a central cannon. Klieses were originally manned, but AI-piloted variants began being developed later in Kerolon and Osuwa’s histories; however, Kerolon opted to minimize its reliance on AIs, including for Kliese combat, due to ethical concerns.
For travel, Klieses can either utilize tracks and wheels (essentially making them Uingffhian tanks) or several pairs of mechanized legs (giving them an insectoid or morteoid body plan). The tank-like variants were typically deployed on flatter, higher-gravity environments while the legged variants were usually reserved for rugged terrain or celestial bodies with lower gravity.
By the time Kerolon fell, the Imperial Guard had developed ten classes of Kliese.
- rei Fillipio: A small, yet agile and dangerous 3m long Kliese. It uses its agility to quickly destroy targets in close quarters combat. Its legged variant has 4 legs.
- Cambisium: A small 5m long scout Kliese. Though it has armaments of its own, Cambisiums mainly focus on surveying areas for potential threats and advantages. Like most Klieses, the Cambisium’s legged variant has 6 legs.
- Cazra: Very small, palm-sized Klieses that serve a variety of purposes including recon and disruption. They are always unmanned due to their small size, but can be remote controlled.
- Graam: The “standard” Kliese. With a length of 12m, Graams attack enemy forces with their wide array of weapons and can prove particularly challenging in higher numbers.
- Fin: A more imposing 24m long Kliese that has a similar strength and endurance to a tank. Though its design may look crude, with its insectoid variants having 8 legs instead of the usual 2, its heavy armaments and fierce armor make them especially dangerous.
- Nobilia: One of the most powerful conventional Kliese units at 37m long. These heavy tank types not only have even stronger armor and more powerful weaponry than the Finns, but also come equipped with more advanced AI assistants that allow it to act more “intelligent” on the battlefield.
- Sobrates: A 12m long long-range Kliese armed with a rifle-like cannon that can destroy targets over huge distances.
- Swig: A massive 300m long land-based Kliese equipped with a powerful plasma or kinetic railgun. These are essentially mobile forces capable of causing destruction on the scale of city blocks. Due to their long size, Swigs have countless legs that make them look like centipedes.
- Duna: An air-based Kliese designed to attack targets from air as well as command other Klieses. These are 120m long, but can extend their wings and reach wingspans of 1200m.
- rei Lowelin-Walzh: An even more powerful and sleeker Swig at 522m long. The rei Lowelin-Walzh also comes equipped with not only a more powerful and precise railgun, but also fins that allow it to move competently in an aquatic environment.
Kaelums
The Kerolon Star Navy (KSN) functioned as the Kingdom's space force and was responsible for carrying out operations and combat in space. This included battling against rival forces, guarding already-acquired star systems, and exploring/colonizing newly-discovered ones. Due to the Kingdom's spacefaring nature, the Star Navy was the largest military division in the wider Kerolonian Armed Forces, with 2.15 billion members at its peak.
Originally a subdivision of Kerolon's conventional navy, the Star Navy eventually absorbed the conventional navy as technological advancement and interstellar expansion increasingly rendered oceanic combat obsolete. The Star Navy managed roughly 565,000 starships at its peak.
Starship classes
At its peak, Kerolon boasted a total of 47 starship classes, which are listed below. (TBA)
Corvettes
Destroyers
Frigates
Light Cruisers
Cruisers
Battle Cruisers
Carriers
World Breakers
Landing Cathedrals
Star Crushers
Grand Admirals and Orders
The Grand Admirals were the Star Navy's highest-ranking individuals, acting as the Kingdom's most powerful and intelligent starship commanders. The Grand Admirals often formed the forefront of interstellar colonization efforts and led massive starship fleet battles against opposing forces and civilizations. They also acted as competent temporary rulers, often overseeing recently conquered colonies during their first few years in order to quell any remaining dissent. As a whole, Kerolonian Grand Admirals were touted as the Kingdom's true greatest superweapons due to their exemplary use of clever tactics and strategies, which often proved sufficient to outwit even the most technologically powerful fleets and weapons. Grand Admirals were rather rare; prior to the 12 Great Calamities, only 37 Grand Admirals existed amongst the Star Navy's billions of officers.
The Grand Admirals were divided amongst four orders which each carried their own fleets, ships, troops, etc. They were the Orders of Uris, Novus, Kerbos, and Sorellius; all four of them originally formed as chivalric orders of knights during the First Age of Imperium. Upon becoming Grand Admirals, individuals automatically earn the title of rei (but may decline to accept the rei nobiliary particle into their names) and are given the choice to join one of the four orders. A secretive fifth order, the Apollyonic Foundation, also existed for those heavily invested in Izlondian technological artifacts, though its members rejected traditional Star Navy titles like "Grand Admiral" due to their order's focus on research and containment rather than space combat.
Each order was managed by a special Grand Admiral known as a Grandmaster Admiral, who also led the training of new Grand Admirals (which tended to number 8-12 per order). Despite their leadership role, Grandmaster Admirals were not considered inherently superior to typical Grand Admirals, as their teaching roles included a responsibility to mold pupils into commanders superior to themselves. Because of this trait as well, Grandmaster Admirals were almost always much older than the rest of the members of the orders. An exception to this rule was the secret Order of Apollyon, which is led by a government-appointed individual called the Arbitrator instead.
Grand Admirals were addressed by the honorific “Your Eminence.”
Order of Sorellius
The Order of Sorellius was Kerolon's largest, oldest, and most powerful order, boasting 5,150 starships and 12.55 million members at its peak. It also had the highest amount of Grand Admirals during the 21st Century, with 12: Surrealia rei Sorellius, Polemos rei Goyette, Zephen rei Ostrov, Monarch rei Ryder, Sarvin rei Amarius, Slyton rei Marshall Christensen, Saru Lagrange, Syterion rei Doggett, Silisko rei Perone, Thriteria rei Nilsson, C. Octoria Hepta Hexia, and Norland rei Luneberg. First Prince Jool Ponsolo Kerolon also frequently interacted with the Sorellius Order militarily. Surrealia rei Sorellius acted as the Order's last Grandmaster Admiral.
The Order of Sorellius' signature color is black, which references the smoke and soot that covered the island of Kirbani shortly after its conquest by Scentile rei Sorellius, the conquerator who helped found the Sorellius Order in 1235. Its seal is stylized as a tropical cyclone as a nod to the order's strength.
Order of Kerbos
The Order of Kerbos was the Kerolonian Star Navy's second-largest order. At its peak, it held 5,000 starships and 12.35 million members. The Order of Kerbos was originally known for its acts of charity and compassion towards more marginalized groups, with its founder - Polaris vir Kerbos - being non-Kerolonian in descent herself. However, during the interstellar era, the Order grew to be widely feared as one of the most ferocious and ruthless orders, with its Grand Admirals engaging in aggressive conquest campaigns. But during the 21st Century, the order's last Grandmaster Admiral - Kelaris rei Kerbos - began shifting the order's focus back towards philanthropy and justice. The order's last seven grand admirals - Ferno, Byr, Aurus, Laevo, Jove, Lyrne, and Glacen rei Kerbos - all originated as tabulon children from disadvantaged backgrounds adopted by Kelaris as an act of charity - a practice that Polaris vir Kerbos also engaged in.
The Order of Kerbos' signature color is orange, which references the sands of the deserts of Osuwa. At the time of the Kerbos Order's formation in 1385, conquerator Polaris vir Kerbos - the founding member of the order - had conquered the Osuwa region. Its seal is stylized as seven interlocking rings in reference to the seven adopted children of Polaris.
Order of Novus
The Order of Novus was the third-largest of the four Kerolonian orders, holding 4,900 starships and 12.1 million members at highest. The Novus Order was widely regarded as the "standard," exemplary order of the Kerolonian military due to not having significant outstanding attributes (compared to Sorellius' elitism, Kerbos' ferocity and later charity, and Uris' inclusion of non-tabulons). However, the order later became more notable in the 21st century for containing Urlum Eudae Kerolon as one of its Grand Admirals, though she chose to neither adopt the surname of Novus nor accept the title of rei due to having a higher title - third princess of Kerolon. During this time, tension had also begun growing between the Novus Order's other Grand Admirals due to their differing motivations and backgrounds. Its last grandmaster was Cyran Infernas Novus; Charlizia rei Muyco, Mirn Nova Kirbani, Vael Nova Kirbani, Christophsis Mock, Arein Rimuru Tellaeon, Gorum Geltz, and Neprus Nerugol were the order's last seven Grand Admirals.
Green forms the signature color of the Novus Order due to its significance in Keliosity, representing the repentance of sin; during the First Age of Imperium, Siliskus vir Novus and his legion of knights were responsible for the conversion of thousands of Kelargans, Jebellians, and Barians into devout followers of Keliosity, warranting the establishment of their order in 1401. The Novus Order's seal is stylized as a compass in reference to the role of Keliosity in guiding the Kingdom's progression and evolution.
Order of Uris
The Order of Uris was the smallest of the four orders of the Ingffhaestian military, but still a formidable force. At its peak, the Uris Order held 4,850 starships and had 1.195 million members. The Order of Uris is most notable for its species diversity, accepting far more non-tabulon individuals than any other order; during Kerolon's spacefaring era, all Grand Admirals who served in the order were non-tabulons, and a significant portion of them were non-Uingffhian as well. The relatively low amount of military resources granted to Uris is sometimes cited as evidence for systemic speciesism in Kerolonian society; nonetheless, the Uris Order often compensated for this disadvantage by growing its Grand Admirals into particularly exceptional strategists. Its last Grandmaster Admiral was Shan Uris, a morteus; the last Grand Admirals in the Uris Order were Xanthe Rose (another morteus), the lordions Corantia lu Kerannia and Non Auler, the tristanian twin siblings Evanor and Rachellis Griffith, the Sartretarian lizard Hathagon rei Tyrannor, the nili Astraea rei Araceli, and the dezarmul Othossia rei Opalina.
The Order of Uris adopted blue as its signature color upon formation for two main reasons. For one, blue represented the Oblivingffhian Ocean's waters, where the founding conquerators of the Uris Order (Shin Uriel Uris, Tychean rei Sheploup, and Liberius rei Elektra) conquered Uveerius and Uopia. Secondly, blue was the color of many of the mortei who complied with the colonization of the two island continents. Fittingly, Grandmaster Uris, Sheploup, and Elektra would all show lenience towards not only mortei, but also loyal lordion nobles for their efforts in the Uveerius and Uopia wars - the precedent for the Uris Order's culture of diversity that would persist throughout the rest of the order's lifespan.
Order of Apollyon
Culture and Society
The Kingdom of Kerolon's culture contained a blend of both modern progressivism (similar in nature to that of a Nordic country on Earth) and older aristocratic traditions unique to Kerolon. For one, Kerolon is generally very tolerant towards minority groups within the Uingffhian species. Kerolon was noted for its vast amount of social reforms during and after its Age of Reform era, pioneering advances in gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, disability accommodations, etc. Kerolonian culture also upholds workers' rights and well-being, with the nation emphasizing the importance of humane treatment by employers, adequate breaks, and generally balancing one's professional and personal lives; however, the nation did practice socialist-like ideologies to the extent of the Morbidian Hegemony.
Even during Kerolon's most progressive eras, however, the nation's aristocracy and royalty maintained a strong presence in the Kingdom's culture. Even after class reforms greatly reduced the political power of Kerolon's nobles and royals, much the Kerolonian populace continued to pay the customary respects to the Kingdom's historic upper class. Likewise, however, the nobles and royals often carried out acts of philanthropy and other good or notable deeds in order to earn the respect they once commanded by birthright; for instance, many of Mesmo Kerilim Kerolon's children made their existence known by pursuing high-end careers in the military, science, or the arts. The Kerolonian imperial family was also the subject of frequent petty gossip amongst Kerolonian citizens, with exaggerated stories regarding the royals' personal lives (particularly their experiences with romance or careers) often appearing on Kerolonian news media.
Additionally, Kerolonian society was rather militaristic and patriotic, albeit in a different manner than in Morbidia and Osuwa. Though Kerolon's military was celebrated and upheld by the public, the nation's culture put a special emphasis on the commanders and strategists behind the battlefield, most notably the Grand Admirals of the four orders and the Glass Angels guarding the nation's most important individuals. This veneration of strategists likely stemmed from the nation's veneration of aristocrats, as many Kerolonian military elites were descended from Kerolonian noble families. Like Kerolon's royals, the Kerolonian Grand Admirals and Glass Angels were treated like celebrities in the Kingdom's culture; the public viewed them in high regard, but also often gossiped about them and showed a vested interest in their personal lives.
Kerolonian society also featured a heavy emphasis on education, science, and the arts; teachers, engineers, and artists were some of Kerolon's most respect professions outside of the government, military, and aristocracy. Kerolon was notably home to many of the stars' most prestigious universities, which outputted hefty amounts of research studies and projects by their many scholars. Science, technological, and engineering professions were also highly popular amongst Kerolonian citizens and students, much like in Osuwa; however, due to the nation's emphasis on greater class equity, a higher percentage of people preferred working for the Kerolonian government and smaller companies as opposed to larger corporations.
Imperialist and colonialist ideologies were also intermittently present, yet central facets of Kerolonian society. Regardless of the era, a substantial portion of the Kerolonian populace - largely concentrated in the upper classes - displayed a high degree of patriotism for the Kingdom of Kerolon. More importantly, many believed that Kerolon had an innate responsibility or right to expand and annex more land or star systems into its territory; additionally, they believed that any other civilizations or groups of people the Kingdom encountered would do best to accept Kerolonian occupation, learn from Kerolon's culture and positive aspects, and integrate themselves in Kerolonian society - often at the expense of their native culture. Though the support of Kerolonian imperialism and nationalism fluctuated with time, such ideologies nonetheless remained clearly present in Kerolon's culture and society, complicating Kerolon's relationship with other cultures and peoples.
Art
Music
Literature
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Architecture
Holidays
Food
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Education
Nobility
Nobiliary particles
Militarism
Imperialism
Cultural clashes in stellar dominions
Religion
Though Kerolon had no state-sponsored religion during most of its spacefaring era, Keliosity was by far the dominant religion in the Kingdom, with roughly 65% of its population practicing some form of the religion during the nation's interstellar era. Kerolon's population had the highest population of Keliostic worshippers of the three Uingffhian nations; however, Kerolon's Keliostics tended to practice their religion more moderately and progressively (in contrast to Osuwa, where Keliosity is less prevalent, but evangelical conservative Keliostics make up a very vocal minority). Nonetheless, Keliostics held major influence in Kerolonian politics and society, with the spread of the religion being one of the main justifications behind both of the country's expansionist eras.
Of the roughly 421 billion Keliostic worshippers in Kerolon, the vast majority of them (86%) practiced Kerolonian Keliosity, which itself was founded by the Kingdom. 10% practiced Keliocentrism while the remaining 4% practiced Traditional Keliosity. Keliostic worshippers were primarily concentrated in Ingffhaestia and in the stellar colonies dominated by Uingffhian species, but members of many other alien races adopted the religion as well, most notably the Tristanians and Ferans.
Of the remaining 35% of Kerolon's populace, 14% identified as some form of non-religious (atheist or agnostic) while 21% practiced either Tauism or one of the many native religions practiced by the many alien civilizations conquered by Kerolon. Such individuals were concentrated in said alien civilizations' home systems and in stellar colonies with more diverse demographics, such as Esernium prior to its destruction.
Technology
At its peak, the Kingdom of Kerolon was one of the most technologically advanced societies of its era, with most researchers classifying it (and by extension, the Uingffhians as a whole) as on the higher end of a Kardashev Type I civilization.
In terms of destructive forces, Kerolon carried technology powerful enough to significantly alter stellar activity, potentially leading to the sterilization of entire star systems, though the Kingdom very rarely employed such weaponry. Smaller-scale weapons of mass destruction capable of decastating planets, continents, and smaller regions were also within Kerolon’s technological breadth.
Kerolon also boasted a variety of technological creations. Massive structures like orbital elevators, space colonies (e.g. O’Neill cylinders and Stanford toruses), and rudimentary partial dyson rings were all commonplace in the Kingdom’s star systems. Kerolon also boasted microscopic-level technology such as microscopic medical robots and genetic engineering technology.
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