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Codex Denied Neshtab [Canon]

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NorikSigma

"He's literally me"
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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
GENERAL INFORMATION
  • Planet Name: Neshtab
  • Demonym: Neshtabine
  • Region: Inner Rim
  • System Name: Neshtab system
  • System Features:
    • Be'gurel
      • The star of the Neshtab system, Be'gurel is an average Main Sequence star of little distinction.
    • New Calla
      • New Calla (an unusual name given that no records exist of any old Calla) is a barren telluric planet orbiting too close to Be'gurel. Some miming exists on and under the surface for rare materials and metals, and there is a sizable Iron Network droid community that lives under its surface, drawing power from the close proximity of the sun. Most of these droids are those that wish to have as little to deal with organics as possible, as the harsh radiation and habitability of New Calla deters organics from staying long, if at all.
    • NESHTAB
      • The Wanderer (Moon)
        • The Wanderer holds much cultural importance to the cultures of Neshtab. As one of the most commonly visible astronomical objects, the Wanderer's erratic path across the sky has played host to numerous tales that straddle the line between history and legends. It is known that the Wanderer's unusual orbital cycles are due to its origin as an artificial moon created long before the Republic, but little else is known. What is known are its installations: numerous close-orbit defence stations dot the moon, acting as a sort of shield to defend Neshtab from any invading forces. As it is largely tidally locked, extreme heavy cannons, railguns, and other weapons have been installed on the far side across the millennia, while only relatively 'smaller' point defence weapons are allowed on the near side by custom and convention. Ownership of these installations is a mixed situation; some wholly by Neshtab factions, some jointly, and some by the few solely Wanderer societies. A large starport/starbase acts as a link between the void, the Wanderer, and Neshtab for spacefarers and traders from outside the system, and its systems, layout, practices, etc. are the most familiar of any settlement in the Neshtab system to any traveler from the wider Galaxy.
    • Boroshteb
      • A near twin to Neshtab, Boroshteb is likewise a snow-covered terrestrial planet. However, it is even harsher. Lower radiation shielding, stronger winds, colder temperatures, and thinner air make Boroshteb almost uninhabitable even for Galactic standard habitability tech. Its mysterious provenance and landmark features have allowed it to play host to all sorts of facile and lurid theories, even among the unusual societies of Neshtab. Some of them even hold some basis in reality, such as pirate dead drop caches, abandoned subterranean labs, truly ancient shrines hidden under the ice caps, and a rarely-visited underwater city 'floating' deep in the oceans of Boroshteb, suspended on the upper reaches of the high-pressure ice layers and powered by geothermal 'strands' of energy emanating from the unusually active core of the planet. This city is a protectorate of the Collective in name, though rarely do the two groups interact.
    • Corongal
      • A gas giant far from the star, Corongal is largely unremarkable. It is only visited as a means of primitive emergency fuel scooping among its upper atmosphere and trash discharge. Gas mining at a limited scale exists on and off every decade or so when Corongal's atmosphere undergoes certain planetary cycles. During such times, itinerant miners and technicians will return to the skeleton-crew mining stations in force to reactivate the systems in anticipation of a modest gas mining yield. An old trade station also exists in orbit.
  • Location: Grid-Square K-8. On official map
  • Major Imports:
    • Foodstuffs
    • Capital goods (machinery used for high-tech production)
    • Technology
  • Major Exports:
    • Ore
    • Droid parts
    • Mercenaries
    • Other small-scale industry: Antique tech, artisanal weapons, local delicacies, handicrafts
    • Information through the Iron Network (unknown to Galaxy at large)
  • Unexploited Resources:
    • Gas
    • Deep-planet rare ores, not yet discovered
    • High-tech Ruins
  • Hyperlanes: N/A
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
  • Gravity: Standard
  • Climate: Frigid
  • Primary Terrain: Ice Plains, Tundra, Oceans, Caverns
  • Atmosphere: Type I
LOCATION INFORMATION
  • Capital City: None de jure; de facto The Old Link
  • Planetary Features: Wild. Several mountain ranges criss-cross the large snow plains that dominate the planet. Key tundra areas provide some vegetation that allows for areas of wildlife to exist on the frigid surface. Some oceans and rivers exist that connect different regions, though many are frozen for long periods of time. Of note are the massive cave networks that exist in the mountains and under the surface; it is here that the majority of the inhabitants live.
  • Major Locations: [ What are the major locations on your world? Include an explanation on each. ]
    • The Old Link
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      The Old Link, also known as The Starport, The Port, is one of the oldest non-natural structures on Neshtab; it is unknown how old the Starport is, but the complex has been continuously inhabited on and off again for at least a millennia, undergoing continual refitting, restructuring, additions, alterations etc. Besides commercial districts and landing areas, there are large areas filled solely with climate-controlled farms; it is here that much of domestic food production is created.
      The Link is the main point of contact between the Neshtabine communities and off-worlders, and as such is a cosmopolitan, bustling hub of commerce and culture. It is neutral ground between all factions that recognise the Collective's authority, with the Pariah Legion the only group permitted to police the place and settle disputes between people there.
      • The Factory. Known by the wider planetary community as only a fable or tall tale, The Factory is an ancient automated droid production facility buried deep in the heart of the Link, its physical location a tightly guarded secret. While it has largely only been used to create replacement chasses for droids undergoing re-upload, or to replace losses, the Factory retains full capability to start mass-production of combat-optimised Stormtrooper Droids and various other 'warforms', its output only constrained by the raw material and process maintenance limits, which are non-trivial on Neshtab. Anti-Network groups frequently bandy the Factory about to stir up fear among the organics of Neshtab, but given that most communities are more wary of their neighbors than the neutral Network, this rarely works.
      • The Great Conservatory
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        One of largest and oldest high-tech greenhouses complexes on the outskirts of the Old Link, the Conservatory not only functions as one of the major food production centres of the planet, it also frequently hosts meetings of the Collective's Council members and currently functions as the de facto home of the Pariahs, who have taken to maintaining the facilities and even expanding its output. An ancient statue of forgotten provenance forms the entrance to the inner facility, known only as The Watcher, and is the figure of legends of those communities that live near the Old Link.
    • Mount Issus and Fort Netus
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      Mount Issus is one of the tallest mountains on Neshtab, rising high into the atmosphere. It is here that the Doreau build their largest and most impressive Base Camp, Fort Netus, which houses representatives of the biggest Commands and the Command Staff. It is here that regular parades and cultural events are held between visiting Commands, and is also where Rocket Elite training is held; the unique atmospheric conditions and carefully mapped geography allows trainees to practice the most dangerous maneuvers and get a handle of utilising a rocket pack in open air.
    • Kosa Belt
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      The Kosa Belt is a large stretch of equatorial tundra. Here an ecology of large fauna and much green flora exists in a wide stretch of tundra, producing unique wildlife rarely seen elsewhere on Neshtab. Rivers criss-cross the Belt in the direction of the Great Ocean, and it is here in what passes for lush wilds that the Stormsingers plant many of their villages, where they can be closer to nature. In the river networks they build blue-water ports, where they are able to push out into the half-frozen oceans and rivers around the planet and form a trade network connecting the factions together.
    • The Royal Hive
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      The Royal Hive is the de facto cultural and economic centre of the Nests of Neshtab. It is one of the largest of the Nests that the Neshtabine inhabit, rumoured to have been carved by the ancient native species millennia ago. No single clan claims ownership over this Hive, so it has become neutral ground, a trade and diplomatic centre where clans can trade and settle disputes with easy access to third party witnesses. The Hive also has unusually stable natural formations that allow access to the surface, and its proximity to many population centres of other factions make it a good trading outpost. The Royal Hive is also home to a particularly bountiful fungi farm in its deeper levels, and as such is famed for planet-famous ingredients and dishes such as Royal Ooze and Hive Pastries. Compared to other Nests, the Royal Hive has a higher technological standard.

POPULATION
  • Native Species: Unknown
  • Immigrated Species: Human (w/ significant Novanian minority), Kel'Dor, Droids, Chiss, sizable minorities of Yinchorri, Duros, Graug, and others
  • Population: Moderate, ~800 million
  • Demographics: Split among the many factions are a vast array of species, though the listed above are the largest in number. Humans only make up a plurality of the population and the true size of the Droid (and other synthetics) population in the Iron Network. While communities of Neshtab are not particularly warm to outsiders, each is very eager to grow its resource and manpower base by accepting refugees and immigrants so long as they assimilate into the community (and in turn, subtly change the host identity over time).
  • Primary Languages: Basic, Binary, Keldorian, Cheunh, Huttese, Durese.
  • Culture: Central to understanding Neshtab's culture is its five major 'factions', each divergent and unique in its own ways.
    • The Nests of Neshtab is the collective name of the oldest of the societies of Neshtabines that live on the planet. Neshtabines are the earliest known inhabitants of the planet, a human offshoot living underground in cavernous tunnel systems marked by large nodes, also called nests, that function as the main population centres and sites of commerce. Each Nest is associated with a particular clan, more a political than hereditary identity, and it is the duty of the clan to both defend and maintain the livability of its Nest. The Nests are prone to inter-clan spats and warfare that range from the occasional written demands every other year to constant warfare, both of which could last anywhere from a year to generations. The Nests vary wildly depending on their location and environment, with most maintaining contact with the outside world and trading deep earth ores, minerals, and rare flora and fauna for technology and food from off-world.

    • The Doreau are the cultural descendants of the Republic Rocket-Jumpers. A sizable force of these Rocketeers, refugees, and their dependents were left as a garrison during and after the Storm to ensure the Nests and the Hollow never troubled the Republic again. While many Republic refugees were resettled under the watchful eye of the Rocketeers, eventually the Republican communities intermarried with some of the Neshtabine, forming a new culture, eventually taking the common cultural name of Doreau, from the forgotten provenance of the Republic Military destination of these communities, the Dependents of the R-EAU. Unlike other resettled refugee communities on the worlds of the Hollow, the Doreau became more Neshtabine than the reverse. The Doreau do not live underground of the snow plains, instead building their homes inside the mountains that rise above the snowy plains of the world. They are organised into Commands, roughly analogous to the Nests of the Neshtabine, and loosely governed by a Command Staff, more accurately called a representative senate of sorts. They do retain many of the Old Republic traditions and language, forming a distinct political and social identity. Multiple waves of refugees throughout the millennia have strengthened their numbers and created a 'cultural fossil record' in their culture, overlaying idiosyncratic and anachronistic Republic practices over each other.

    • Originally a breakaway sisterhood of the Machinesmiths stranded on Neshtab, the matriarchal Stormsingers abandoned the certainty of iron to worship the turmoil of nature. They have become even more attuned to the blizzards of Neshtab, even more than the Neshtabines. They are naturalistic shamans, relying on Godsbreath (their name for the Force) to partially control and temper their environment. They navigate the few unfrozen waterways of the planet, forming an informal trade network between the many communities on Neshtab. Despite their changes, the Stormsingers retain the knowledge of arms manufacture, passing on their knowledge through Rites of Forging throughout the generations. As a result, many antiquarians from the Galaxy occasionally visit to commission some of these truly ancient designs. The Stormsingers also maintained contact with numerous Force-attuned groups through the Galaxy, including the Jedi Order in the pre-Imperial years, taking in refugee groups and exiled Force-Users over the millennia, but contact was always sporadic and has been totally severed since the Great Plague.

    • The Iron Network is a semi-formal social and political network of the numerous droids on Neshtab. Their origins are hard to pin down, but most historians agree that the Network is the remains of a Droids Rights movement that found refuge on the inhospitable planet in ~3000 BBY. Since then, waves of droids over the years have formed Clades and lived alongside the other communities, eventually being reformed into their present form by the First Oracle, a legendary figure that is variously ascribed as an incarnation of Saint-88, a rogue Stormtrooper Droid, or a lowly power droid. The First Oracle is variously ascribed as assisting the Empire in building the Stormtrooper Droid factory or setting up a fortified encampment in it after its destruction. Either way, the First Oracle sacrificed its functions by serving as a processing node of information for the scattered droid clades in a growing consensus-cyberdemocracy, allowing Clades to set up transmission and processing hubs using the First Oracle's infrastructure as pure computronium to process vast amounts of data for the Network to discuss and come to optimal decisions.
      An unnamed disaster destroyed the First Oracle, forcing new Oracles to take its place until AXION in ~200ABY, a Droid of unknown provenance that has been able to both defend its secret processing location for centuries, expand into a distributed processing network as well as deal with the exponentially increasing data load of more and more droids immigrating to Neshtab as well as truly independent droid facilities creating new droids.
      AXION has also lived up to its Oracle title by remaining conscious, weighing in on Network debates with its vast accumulated wisdom as well as seemingly gaining access to galactic holofeeds to expand its calculations. In the present day, the Network is de facto a political community of the Droid communities on Neshtab, though each Droid and their Clade communities are vastly different. Droid 'physiology' gives them a valued place on the planet, conducting environmental surveys, mining, and manufacturing in even the most inhospitable locations. The existence of the Network prevents Droids from being 'shackled' like Droids elsewhere.

    • Between these four plus the Pariahs, they form the Neshtab Collective, a loose confederation that cooperates on major matters (such as diplomacy with the outside Galaxy and persecuting the war with the Hallowed) but otherwise leaves its communities to their own doing. The Collective is officially headed by the Council, leaders or representatives of the leaders of each faction which discuss and vote on vital matters. A recent addition to this has been the Pariah Legion, a group of Sith-Imperial refugees that settled on the world after helping the Collective defeat the Hallowed and reform the Collective

    • Though the smallest by far, the Pariahs have had an outsized impact on recent Neshtabine history. Led by Warlord Ironhide Ironhide the Legion was once the Pariah Horde, an amalgamation of Graug Bands, Sith-Imperial legionaries, and civilians fleeing the Third Imperial Civil War. Through shared struggle, the Horde formed a unique identity of bleak honour and pragmatic ruthlessness, controlled savagery that has led to their enemies underestimating them time and again. While most of the Pariahs consist of civilians that have now settled in and around the Old Link, with some volunteering to 're-colonise' abandoned cave networks, a large proportion are Graug warriors and ex-Sith-Imperial troopers. These are organised in a hybrid command structure taking from Graug social hierarchies and Sith Legionary command structures, all ultimately answering to their Warlord. Their military might has allowed the Pariahs to become a key political force in the Collective, taking charge of resolving disputes between factions and its Warlord to be de jure leader of the Council, though in truth he does not rule so much as mediate.

    • Apart from these five, there are three major cultural strains that are currently diminished in number and driven to the wilds after the recent war; as a whole, they are now considered outcast polities, though offshoot communities of these three continue to maintain relations with the Collective, albeit without a Council voice.

    • The Brotherhood of Six is a stratocratic society, descendants of survivors of the Whirl Point Six warriors of the Waymancy. They operate in strictly hierarchical warbands under local commanders, usually selling their services to other communities as protection or armed muscle. A large 'garrison' community was maintained at the Starport and Mountain in the old days, a gathering point for nearby warbands during annual promotion ceremonies, commemorative anniversaries, and recreational congregations. The Brotherhood also frequently sold their services outside Neshtab, though most refrained from advertising their origins. Over time, these Sixers abroad would absorb other mercenaries, exiled armies, warrior cultures, etc. forming a wide variety of warbands that would recongregate on Neshtab every few years.
      The Sixers are thus more 'worldly' than other communities and are ambitious: many share a mindset with the Mandalorian Crusaders of old. Why should not the warrior cultures of Neshtab allow it to grow rich and powerful off the conquest of others? Many attempts have been made by rival warbands to unify the Brotherhood, and occasionally Neshtab, by force, enforcing a common hierarchical order. In preparation for The Great Campaign.

    • The Star Widows are a community strongly tied to starfaring traditions. While originally descended from the Wives of Tingrippa, a continual cultural malleability and innumerable migratory waves of pirates, naval deserters, etc. over the millennia have created a widely distributed and varied society with a common shared ethos. Almost all of the Widows, civilian or otherwise, live in the void in great fleets of aging ships. Among the communities on Neshtab, they have the largest presence outside the system and have a wide starfaring diaspora that has, over the millennia, led to varying levels of contact with the galactic trader and smuggler networks. Its only real governing bodies are the ship captains who run day-to-day operations and convene in fleets to appoint admirals. Admirals, while holding sway over their fleets are subject to re-appointment should they lose the support of sufficient influential captains or if their fleet splits. When battle stations are declared by a fleet, the Admirals gain supreme unquestioned authority, though even their actions during such emergencies are subjected to scrutiny afterward.
      In recent times, the dominant strain of thought among captains, and thus the Admirals appointed, felt that they and Neshtab as a whole had failed to exploit the chaos of the galaxy, and wished to, using their space supremacy and control over trade, take over de facto representation of Neshtab on an interstellar level and ally with one of the superstates.

    • Of all the communities on Neshtab, the Machinesmiths are the closest to their ancient predecessors, and the one that has the strongest opinion on matters outside Neshtab. They resent the defeat of their predecessors at the hands of the Galactic Republic in 7011 BBY, and have continually raided Republic trading ships over the years, and stealing technology so they may experiment on it further. A relentless drive to improve "beyond the flesh" has continued to grip the Machinesmiths, though their relations with the Droid communities have been tumultuous and unstable; sometimes seeing them as ascended life forms, other times seeing them as lifeless mockeries of True Ironminds. They specialise heavily in cybernetics and 'parallel' technology (i.e. fields of engineering that, while not necessarily better than galactic standard, branched off from mainline developments down another path).
      Even before the Second Dark Age, the Machinesmithes were always the least collaborative of the communities, refusing to renounce their rights to violence, raiding and forcibly absorbing other communities for supplies and technology. They have continuously maintained a hostile relationship with the Doreau, seeing them as their ancient Republic enemies. On a larger scale, the Machinesmith Magi aim to force the other factions under their dominion and 'guidance', before harnessing the combined untapped potential of the system into a war machine to force nearby systems to pay tribute for its research and quest for ascendancy.
GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY
  • Government: Alliance
  • Affiliation: Neshtab Collective
  • Wealth: Low. Neshtab does not offer much in the way of material wealth, though there are large untapped deposits deep in the planet. Neglect by galactic governments has resulted in little infrastructural development, though several important facilities exist, forming the core of the planet's off-world trade and wealth flow.
  • Stability: Medium. Ever since the Third Plague Schism half a century ago, Neshtab's governing council had lost much coherence and power, locked in an on-and-off war with the Hallowed. Ever since the Pariah Legion put an end to the Hallowed War and the subsequent Reforging of the Collective, the government has regained some measure of stability and legitimacy, though internal tensions and regional conflicts means it remains precarious.
  • Freedom & Oppression: The denizens of Neshtab live varied lives in their divergent communities, and are largely collectivist in nature; adherence to their community's tried and tested ways are paramount, and all are expected to contribute. Local authorities rarely 'bring the boot down' as it is difficult to afford such an expense, not to mention possible destabilising itself. As a result, where possible, people are free to contribute to their communities as they see fit, and commerce between the once feuding factions have resumed. The Pariah Legion remains the only 'standing police' but only as a means to keep the peace between the factions.
MILITARY & TECHNOLOGY
  • Military: The Collective is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a military powerhouse. It is, however, very difficult to invade and occupy, due to the deceptively large population brought up in a cauldron of harsh living and constant low-level warfare. While the standing army of the Collective is relatively small, almost every inhabitant is able to meaningfully contribute to defence, and as such would be difficult to occupy without their consent. Each faction has its own preferences in warfare, reflecting their cultures and environments. In orbit, stations on the Wanderer gives Neshtab a strong orbital defence system.
  • Technology: Neshtab's technological standard can vary quite a lot; among the communities that live near the Link and the Iron Network, it is as close to Galactic Standard as an out-of-the-way world can be. Elsewhere, technology is good enough to maintain survival in the harsh climates of Neshtab. Of particular note is Neshtab's parallel weapons development; the legacy of the Waymancy still casts a shadow on Neshtab, and many indigenous blaster designs use pulse-wave technology that, while abandoned by the Galaxy millennia ago, has been continuously developed and refined on Neshtab. As such, researchers and collectors frequently commission pieces from the armoures of Neshtab, and much of its armed citizenry have access to pulse-wave weapons on par with modern blasters. Neshtabine ships also use tweaked power generator design principles, allowing most ships maintained by the Neshtabines to compensate for the lack of easy access to modern parts from the Galactic economy.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Whether by choice or fate, Neshtab has been largely passed over by the wider events of the Galaxy. Apart from the cataclysmic Waymancy Storm that washed over the region more than eight millennia ago, Neshtab has largely been left to its own devices, even during the galaxy-spanning Empire, one of thousands of backwater no-name worlds. As such, the communities that grew up and developed on it took very unusual turns.

Of relevance to the present era is the Neshtab Collective. Formed unknown millennia ago, long after the Waymancy Storm, the most recent incarnation of the Collective during the Second Dark Age was an allied confederation of the different communities of the planet: the Nests of Neshtab, the Doreau, the Stormsingers and the Iron Network. Prior to the most recent schism, the Brotherhood of Six, Star Widows and Machinesmiths were also part of the Collective. However, these three eventually came into serious conflict with the others.

The latter three's goals aligned during the Second Dark Age, and around the year 800 ABY they began to make coordinated moves to exert control over the planet as a whole and allied together in the Council to push for more centralised control. A concerted and forceful reaction by the other four groups led to open conflict. Eventually, the three factions split from the Council, forming the Hallowed, based on old traditions and legends of the Waymancy Hollow. Aiming to centralise and militarise their societies, the split was also mirrored within all factions, beginning a confused time of feuding and civil wars. The Neshtab system, already a backwater of the galactic community, was further isolated as trade routes collapsed.

The communities under the Hallowed underwent a transformation over the years, becoming more militaristic and hierarchical, a streamlined military society devoted to conquest and war. Seeing the danger posed by the Hallowed and the fear that the wider Galactic community would return to crush the system as it did millennia ago if the Hallowed were allowed to antagonise the outside galaxy, the Council, though falling into squabbling and unable to form majority votes on much of anything, was able to agree on containing the threat of the Hallowed. Over the following century, the Hallowed were steadily ground down despite their technological edge, reduced in size and threat. As the threat diminished, however, so did the incentives holding the Collective together. By the time the Galaxy emerged from its Second Dark Age, the Council was, at best, a diplomatic platform, with none of the factions able or willing to maintain the unity of the Collective as a political fact.

It was in this internecine strife that the Pariah Legion entered the scene in ~870 ABY. Formed from a dissolute mix of Sith-Imperial refugees welcomed by neither the crumbling Sith Empire nor the New Imperial Order, the Pariah Horde were de facto formed when a Graug warband under Warchief Ironhide Ironhide agreed to assist a renegade Sith Armada Admiral in escorting a large collection of civilian refugees away from Sith space towards the western reaches. Gathering displaced civilians and military units on the run from the Imperials and Sith for one reason or another, the Pariahs suffered losses fighting through hostile local governments, enraged Imperials, and ravenous Sith, forcing the Pariahs to sell their military services to local government for safe passage and supplies. Eventually, many of the refugees and military personnel stayed behind, but the Graug remained united, as did a sizable minority of civilians and Sith Troopers. The name of the Pariah Legion eventually stuck, and it was this group that showed up in the skies of Neshtab one day at the behest of one of the factions on Neshtab.

The leader of the most pre-eminent of the Nests, the Seneschal, at the time also held the title of Lord Protector of the Collective, a largely ceremonial title that usually meant being the de facto leader of the Collective. With the Collective and its Council largely defunct, however, the Lord Protector wished to re-assert the Nests' dominance over the other factions. Of particular concern was the Hallowed, which had steadily regained strength in the absence of a unified Council. The Doreau and Iron Network had also grown considerably at the expense of the others. Wishing to maintain the Nests' de facto hegemony, the Lord Protector contacted the passing Pariah Legion to assist in 'making an example' of 'renegade groups'. The first target was the Machinesmiths, which had mounted a successful assault on the Starport, temporarily throwing the Iron Network into chaos.

The Pariah Legion landed and immediately fought the Machinesmiths, establishing contact with AXION who assisted the Legion in routing the Machinesmiths and their archeo-tech weapons. After their victory, AXION unexpectedly pledged aid and loyalty to Ironhide Ironhide and the Pariahs. Unknown to the others, Warchief Ironhide Ironhide had privately communed with AXION and struck some sort of bargain to receive this support, knowing that Neshtab provided an ideal opportunity for the Pariahs to settle, and for Ironhide Ironhide to be seen as delivering on his promises of a new home for his flock.

Upon hearing of this, the Stormsingers' Guidance Circle, at the time controlled by a pro-Machinesmith minority faction, chose to intervene against the Legion, rallying their Bazevey and attacking the rapidly spreading Pariah outposts. The offworlders surprised them, however, quickly adapting to the unusual Force powers of the Stormsingers and fighting them to a standstill. As suddenly as they entered the conflict, the Stormsingers surrendered, with the ruling Circle executed and replaced by a new Circle. It appeared that the plan of the pro-Machinesmith faction had failed and in fact cost them what little support they had left among the Circle. Much like AXION , the new Circle chose to openly support Ironhide in particular as opposed to a generalised anti-Hallowed position.

In reaction to this sudden shift in power, the Command Staff of the Doreau voted to form an alliance with the Legion in conjunction with the Network and Stormsingers. The reformation of almost half of the old Collective under a new banner shocked the Hallowed remnants as well as the Lord Protector, who realised that the interference of the Legion had created a new power bloc that could undermine the Nests' hegemony. In short order, the Hallowed's leaders reforged their alliance and aimed to bring overwhelming force on the burgeoning Pariah-centred alliance. On the slopes of Mount Issus the Pariah Legion and its allies won a costly victory against the Hallowed, destroying the better part of the enemy and destroying the entire leadership of the Machinesmiths at great cost to the Doreau.

The Lord Protector finally chose to act to wrest control of the alliance from the Pariahs: in his mind, the decisive victory should have belonged to the Nests and to him. Ironhide had proved himself an able commander of soldiers and leader of people, and with the Hallowed defeated, the Collective should be officially re-formed under its rightful leader. He schemed with dissatisfied Doreau Commands that had felt slighted and mistreated during the campaign against the Hallowed, planning to turn the alliance against the Pariah Legion and assassinate its leader. Many Nest Chiefs, however, disagreed with the plan and leaked its details to the Pariahs. So it was that when a grand meeting between the Pariah Legion and the Nest leadership to work out details of a political integration turned violent the Pariahs were ready, managing to fend off several ambushes and sabotage attempts. Most Nest Chiefs and Doreau Command Staff disavowed their traitorous brethren and took the leading role in purging them from their ranks. With that, the Lord Protector was executed by his own kin and the Nests finally swore allegiance to the Pariah Legion.

In the bloody aftermath of the war, the political order was restructured: the Council was brought back into force with a joint declaration of the leaders of the Pariahs, Nests, Doreau, Iron Network and Stormsingers. Defectors form the Hallowed were allowed to send non-voting representatives to the Council, while the Collective as a whole vowed to exterminate the last of the Hallowed. The title of Lord Protector was split from the new Seneschal of the Nests, and bestowed on Ironhide. As the leader of the smallest and newest community on Neshtab and yet its most militarily competent, he was well-poised to act as mediator and defender of the new Collective without unbalancing the internal politics of Neshtab.

PRESENT DAY

It has been several years since, and the Collective has expanded its jurisdiction over the whole of Neshtab. With peace has come re-established trade with the Galaxy. In the wake of recent events (Maw invasion of the Core, destruction of Csilla, etc.) knock-on immigration from refugee groups have resumed. The Collective's governance has also found a precarious balance between the four main factions and the newcomer Pariahs.

Despite the region around Neshtab becoming increasingly important to galactic politics due to being a small unclaimed region between two superpowers, neither the GA nor Empire has committed to extending direct control over it yet. Reasons include other ongoing priorities (first with the Imperial Civil War and later the Maw), the higher returns of focussing on annexing the ex CIS systems and the Tion Cluster, as well as the outsized difficulty of occupying Neshtab and surrounding systems: any attempt to conquer the place would be immediately met with a united front by the factions in Neshtab, all armed to the teeth and fiercely independent.

Diplomatic efforts would also have borne little fruit; before the recent re-formation if the Collective, any deal struck with any of the factions for control would have still necessitated a prolonged war and expensive occupation against the other factions. Finally, there is the most important reason of all; the region itself holds little material value and most trade routes bypass it. With so little gain for relatively outsized cost, it is little wonder that Neshtab and the surrounding systems have not been absorbed by either power. What value it does have for local governors of the two superpowers is Neshtab's neutrality, allowing trade and information to flow between both states unburdened by the Cold War.There are also rumours among the well-informed that the Iron Network has pulled strings to ensure that both powers benefit from Neshtab being a neutral hub of information brokerage.

However, the reformation of the Council and scattering of its enemies has changed the calculus; either side could theoretically try to convince the now sole government of the region that it should join them, which is a much easier pathway to control compared to previous years which would have necessitated costly military occupation against most of the factions. Time will tell if the unusual mix of Neshtabine communities can survive into the uncertain Age that lies ahead
 
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NorikSigma NorikSigma

This is a really cool expansion of the stub article on Wookiepedia that really give the planet its own culture and identity. There are just a few issues I wanted to raise with you before we move on to approval.​

Major Imports

What are capital goods in this context? Are you referring to factory machinery or something else?​

Major Exports

Just to clarify, the speciality goods, are these meant to be handcrafted goods and technology or something else?​

Major Exports:
  • Ore
  • Droid parts
  • Mercenaries
  • Specialty goods (tech, weapons, delicacies, crafts)
  • Information through the Iron Network

The codex rules specifically specify that:​
  • Spoiler and Tabs BB-Code are prohibited. (Exception: Images can be in spoilers.)
Please remove the spoiler around "Information through the Iron Network. While I would guess you mean this to be a hidden resource, you can specify that in the text rather than hide it.​

Untapped Resources

You mention Ore as a Major Export, but also as an untapped resource, which is it?​

AXIOM

You refer to the droid-turned-AI Axiom several times throughout the course of this submission, however the links only lead to the character account. Do you have a character sheet, Wookieepedia article or a factory submission for this droid that you can refer to?​

Please tag me back when you have made any necessary changes.
 

NorikSigma

"He's literally me"
Fixed up the import/export stuff and removed the hidden spoiler! Specialty goods I specified as small scale light industry. For ores, specified between normal ores being exploited and unexploited deep planet very valuable ores that have not been discovered yet

Axiom is meant to be a player character along with maybe tech submission, haven't gotten around to it yet, unfortunately. I'll try to get at least a character sheet up asap.
 
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