Great Horned Dragon Empire

The Great Horned Dragon Empire (GHD for short) is a superpower from the Whirlpool Galaxy. Inhabited by the Great Horned Dragons, the empire is divided into 8 Sectors, which are then divided into clusters. By the time the Instruments of the Harbingers were driven from their own galaxy, the empire had expanded across much of the center of the galaxy, and held over 1000 star systems.
They became a member of the Old Galactic Senate after a small group of GHD passed through a one-way Stone Ring to reach the Milky Way galaxy.
==Government==
The government of the massive empire is a Republic Federation. Due to the massive number of systems, and even more so the distance between clusters of colonies, a central government is incredibly hard to maintain. Individual systems posses their own government and laws. The official governmental system is set up by King Kahhn in his written Kahhn Articles.
This form of government is even kept in the eight age by the Galactic Imperial Alliance; the only difference is that religion plays a much larger role and unbelievers are never in positions of high authority. Those in seats of power still answer to the one God, and never refuse to listen to those who are held to be prophets or saints. 
Flags
The first flag that the empire uses is the GHD Imperial Federation flag (right). This flag was flown up until the end of the 5th age when the Harbingers were destroyed and the Galactic Federation was formed. During the reign of Tyranis, a new flag was flown but to date, no files describing the flag exist. 
The Flag of the Galactic Federation (left) was flown by the Galactic Federation up until their assimilation into the Alliance in the eight age. During the eight age, several other flags were flown by the many micro-nations that formed from the ruins of the Federation, and only those that remained in constant communication with the Galactic Federation flew this flag. 
The Alliance flag was flown by the Galactic Imperial Alliance since their formation. Some still fly the Galactic Federation Flag, but for the most part, the Galactic Imperial Alliance is the dominant power.
== Social Classes ==
As far as the GHD Imperial Federation goes, the social classes are as follows:
*War Heroes
*Military Officials
*Other Officials
*Weapon Engineers (Design weapons and war vehicles and ships)
*Religious and Scientific Leaders
*Historically Wealthy
*Merchants
*Production Workers
*Historically Disgraced (Ancestry known for some kind of disgrace)
*Disgraced Outcasts
This social structure gradually changes as the ages grow closer and closer to the final extermination of the Harbingers. When the Galactic Federation is formed, all different races apart of the Federation have their own social classes, but over time, as the Galactic Civil War becomes reality, war heroes become the most respected. In the eighth age, when the Galactic Imperial Alliance forms, a significant trend in social structure is seen, and it goes as follows:
*Prophets
*Saints, Martyrs, and others who are made legendary for fighting for God
*Paladins, and Knights fighting on behalf of the church; separated from soldiers because Paladins and Knights are individually sanctified for combat, and are otherwise freelancers
*Soldiers who give their lives for the well being of the empire and the church
*Priests, and preachers who spread the word of God
*All followers of God, foreign or not
*Unbelievers, though those who still support the Alliance are more highly respected
*Blasphemers, Heretics, and those who actively speak against God
===Great Horned Dragon Imperial Federation, the Galactic Federation, and the Galactic Imperial Alliance Military Ranks===
At the top is the Supreme Commander and Grand Admiral of the Armed Forces (Grand Admiral for short). The Grand Admiral's icon is customized. Beyond what is listed, there is also a single royal army and royal armada, with ranks up to Admiral 1st Class and General, that serve the descendants of the royal family, and by extension, important political figureheads. They're icons are the same, but all gold colored. Badge images can be found here.
====Grand Admiral's Personnel====
Minor Admiral- Decides where all forces will be placed about the empire (in co-ordinance with other minor admirals), automatically in charge wherever present, with the exception of the Grand Admiral, and an Arch-General. Icon: Gold Dragon Wings Surrounding Silver Shield, 6 Gold Stars Circling Top Half, 1 Gold Star Inscribed in Shield, 6 Gold Claws at Bottom
*Elite Lieutenant- Second in Command on the Grand Admiral's warship. Icon: Gold Dragon Wings, Silver Outlined, 6 Gold Claws, Silver Outlined
*Elite Captain- In charge of different parts of the Grand Admiral's Warship. Icon: Gold Dragon Wings, Silver Outlined
*Elite Sergeant- Head of a group of Marines/Elite Personnel/Elite Privateers on the Grand Admiral's warship. Icon: Silver Dragon Wings, Gold Outlined
*Marine- Marines serve in either spec. ops as ordered by Arch-General, Minor Admiral, or Grand Admiral. They are also the specialized soldiers on the Grand Admiral's warship. Icon: 6 Gold Claws, Silver Outlined
*Elite Personnel- Engineers, Physicians, and other specialists that serve on the Grand Admiral's warship. Icon: 4 Silver Claws, Gold Outlined
*Elite Privateers- Primary soldiers on board the Grand Admiral's warship. Icon: 2 Silver Claws, Gold Outlined
====The Armada====
*6-Star Admiral- Head of an entire sector's armada in defensive terms, and in offensive terms will control all offensive forces attacking a particular sector, if the battlefront is that widespread; they are responsible for giving assault admirals areas of the battlefront that each is capable of fighting. There are normally between 1 and 5 Grand Master Engineer's in every sector that advise the sector's admiral about engineering issues.
*5-Star Admiral- In charge of 2-3 clusters' armadas in defensive terms, and in offensive terms commands up to 10 armadas.
*4-Star Admiral- Head of a whole cluster's armada in defensive terms, or 3 armadas in offensive terms.
*3-Star Admiral- Can be made to control up to 5 systems' armadas as directed by a superior in defensive terms, and in entirely offensive terms will head off about 3-7 brigades, or and armada.
*2-Star Admiral- Head of a system's armada in terms of defense, and in entirely offensive situations will head off 3-5 battalions, or a brigade.
*Admiral 1st Class- Head of a single planet's armada in terms of defense, and in entirely offensive situations will command between 8 and 10 divisions, or a battalion. A planet will usually have between 1 and 5 executive chiefs of engineers; it is their responsibility to keep the planet's admiral up to date on the status of each divisions combat readiness. Unlike master engineer's, they have the executive authority to pull specific divisions out of combat for repairs or to send them away in retreat if a majority of their ships are deemed unsuitable for combat.
*Admiral 2nd Class- In charge of 4-5 fleets or a division, between 8-10 divisions per planetary armada. Each division usually has a master engineer who is responsible for informing the admiral of which ships are combat ready, which ships need repair, and while they have no executive power, they advise the admiral when a retreat or surrender should be considered.
*Fleet Commander- Head of 3 ships or a fleet, the ship that the fleet commander is on will not have a captain in charge. In cases where fighters go into combat on their own (that is, without any larger ships), then they will be led by a brigadier assault commando.
*Captain- Head of a single ship and all engineers, regulars, and other crew-members on-board. Pilots often have a squadron master in a ship that is in charge of all pilots on-board, if none are present, the captain is in charge.
*Lieutenant 1st Class- Head of a unit in assaults and general ship defense, multiple units depending on ship sizes. The average ship will have 1 or 2 lieutenants in charge of all engineers/non-combatant crew-members. Pilots are excluded in this rank.
*Lieutenant- Head of a squadron of troops in assaults and general ship defense, 3 squadrons per unit. The average ship will have a lieutenant ranked engineer or crew-member per weapon/major utility (such as engines)/ship deck. The lieutenant equivalent of a pilot is a assault commando; assault commandos head 3 squadrons (usually 2 fighter squadrons and 1 bomber, sometimes different).
*Sergeant- Head of 4 Regulars in assaults and general ship defense, 2 Sergeants per squadron. Engineers, and regular crew-members do not answer to a sergeant, they go straight to the lieutenant rank. The sergeant equivalent of a pilot is a squadron leader; squadron leaders command between 3 and 9 fighters/bombers depending on the type of fighter/bomber.
*Regular/Pilot/Engineer- Basic armada soldier, crew-member, pilot, or engineer. (Crew-members includes: gunners, weapons officers, medical personnel, ship and dock workers, science officers, religious officers, and supplies staff.)
====Planetary Forces====
*Arch General- ArchGenerals are in charge of an entire sector's planetary forces.
*6-Star General- In charge of a cluster's planetary forces.
*5-Star General- In charge of a systems's planetary forces.
====Planetary Naval Forces====
Planetary naval forces follow the same ranking system as the galactic armada up to a fleet commander.
====Planetary Ground Forces====
*4-Star General- In charge of an entire planet's non-armada forces.
*3-Star General- Commands 1/8-1/3 of a planets armies.
*2-Star General- Commands armies on an entire continent.
*General- Leader of a full sized army, 3-4 sub-armies.
*Major- Leader of an sub-army, up to 12 battalions.
*Colonel- Head of multiple battalions, usually 3.
*High Commander- Leader of a battalion.
*Commander- Head of a division, 3 Divisions per battalion.
*Captain- Head of the unit, up to 10 units per division.
*Lieutenant 1st Class- In charge of a company, usually 5-6 company per unit.
*Lieutenant- Head of a squadron, 3 squadrons per company.
*Sergeant- Head of 3-6 soldiers, or a squadron.
*Private 1st Class- Basic soldier, outranks privates. Rank usually earned as a sign of small authority but is not put in charge of any set amount of units. Engineers, Medics, and other non-combat personnel also outrank privates.
*Private- Basic soldier
== Religion ==
There are 2 main religions in the pre-eighth age empire. Kanoviasm and Bosesi
=== Kanoviasm ===
Kanoviasm is much like Buddhism, it is a religion that emphasizes spiritual peace. They believe in the god Runsgard, who is an 8 winged legless dragon that is said to stand guard at the center of the celestial pool, and give those worthy of spirit access to the White plains, which is a metaphor to a state of inner peace.
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=== Bosesi ===
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Bosesi is a form of animism. Followers believe in elemental spirits that control the forces of nature. They believe that the universe began when Rahmura, the spirit of life, and Chromota, the spirit of Chaos clashed spilling from them the 6 dimensions of existance. They also believe that as Rahmura's spirit emminates throughout time, Chromota will eventually take over, and destroy all sentient thought, blinking the universe out of existence. They believe in reincarnation in a form unlike anything we know of today. They believe that at the moment you die, an instantaneous thought will blink you into another whole existence in another part of the 6 dimensional plane. It's part of the belief that the closer your soul is to Rahmura, the more memory you will retain from your previous lives. Another principle of this faith is strong morals. It is believed that a demon spirit known as Seitvili attempts to lead people into the path of corruption, and eventually imprisons their souls in a dimension from which they cannot ever escape.
===The One God===
In the eight age, a new religion had arisen. With no central name, it's followers were simply known as the followers of the one God. The belief is that one God alone is responsible for creation and all workings of the universe. The belief values unity, compassion, worship, and discipline. Forgiveness is a high value in some sects of the practice. The Galactic Imperial Alliance is, for the most part, a theocracy under this religion.
==Arts, Music, and Entertainment==
===Architecture===
Architecture changes with almost every age. In the first age, wooden structures were still widely used, and vastly expensive and entirely for artistic purposes. Near the end of the first age, and into the second age, there was a transition into finely crafted marble and granite structures that didn't use mortar; these stones were crafted with recently developed laser technology, and were made to fit together perfectly. In this way, stone structures created in the second age outlasted every other planetary structure in history; some structures even outlasted the Galactic Civil War on planets that were less affected by combat.
In the coming ages, expansion was going faster than before in each successive age with the exception of Tyranis's rule, and during the Galactic Civil War. Stone structures like before took a very long time to construct and were therefore very costly. In the times of the empire's rapid expansion, permanent stone structures were all but abandoned for pre-constructed metal structures. These were simplified buildings that were pre-made and collapsed in factories for transportation; after arriving it would take less than 24 (Earth) hours to build back up. The advantages were that colonies could be built and ready for civilian population to immigrate within about a week's time. The disadvantages were that they were generally undefended in war-prone areas of the galaxy, and weapons and warships took much longer to build up than these space age cookie-cutter houses.
As technology advanced more, core matter was discovered, which provided for impossibly huge amounts of energy. This energy boom allowed for quick production of weapons, shields, and terraforming materials. A huge boom in colonization occurred, and structures were quickly being built out of whatever resources a particular planet had.
The best example of sudden shifts in architectural artistry is on the planet Salva, in the Spaca system. In its first colonization, Salva was generally composed of the quickly produced makeshift buildings. Within a few years, it became a hardcore military colony, and tough, durable military strongholds were built. The amount of troops stored there was far greater than the anticipated population, and so for some time, a majority of the military population lived in large tents and wooden structures. After the first complete destruction of the planet at the hands of the Instruments of the Harbingers, Grand Admiral Salva's flagship, The Behemoth, crashed into the last standing city. When the planet underwent reconstruction, the remnants of the massive warship were built into, and the entire city became a tomb and museum for the warship. After the last complete destruction of the cities, the last bits of that memorial city were completely destroyed. New cities were planted around, and unlike the past, where the Harbgringer battlefront was literally a system or two away, Salva was now far more secure. It became a center-point for further expansion into former Instruments of the Harbinger systems. The structures being built were owned by war heroes and extremely wealthy high ranking officers. Marble and granite buildings made a comeback here, and soon, these types of structures became a luxury around the galaxy.
In mid space, a new type of structure was just beginning to come into play. Beginning with the supermassive Arckasan drive yards. No structure like this had ever been seen before; it was a huge ring constructed around Arckas by the military as a mass production facility. Still only one of the few places with an assembly line for dreadnoughts and even mega-dreadnoughts, the drive yards have always been the number one manufacturing point of all military weapons and vehicles. If that alone wasn't impressive enough, Arckas is the largest planet in the galaxy; in fact, Arckas is a unique phenomena in that it is actually larger than many stars, including it's own. The planet is monstrous, and with it's super-size comes a super-sized amount of resources.
After the end of the Instruments of the Harbingers, many planets began constructing these similar rings that became the most fascinating place to live. Not only that, but they were built around wildlife sanctuaries to house wildlife planet workers, and many nature-loving civilians.
==Philosophy==
As great conquestors, here are some basic principles that the GHD Empire subscribes to.
1-"Total peace has never been achieved through diplomatic solutions, and mutual agreements. The only times complete peace has occurred have been when one dominant nation conquers the reachable universe."
2-"The cake is a lie. One can have their cake, but that doesn't mean that they can eat their cake too. Some say that if we hadn't spent so much time coming up with useless metaphors, we might be twice as advanced as we are now."
3-"It is abominable to exterminate an entire culture through use of military force. That's why we keep detailed records of everything we know about the Instruments of the Harbingers."
4-"A true conquerer sees an opposing army as the challenge he may never see again. Especially if he fails at completing that challenge."
5-"Every life is sacred, but it is a part of nature for every life to end, and for a new one to begin where the old one left off. In Nature nothing is wasted."
6-"A victory celebration is similar to a proper funeral. We do not mourn or spread sorrow for fallen empires, and we do not feel pity for them. In fact we celebrate their existence, and the role they played in our history."
7-"A true leader must know right from wrong, but a true leader must also be able to make the hard decisions when faced with only two wrongs, fully aware that he may be hated by many. Is it wrong to destroy the last remnants of an enemy, or is it wrong to let them recover and attack again, killing more of your people."
8-"One can stay at home and try and make sense of the events unfolding around them while destruction grows ever more eminent, looking for the right and peaceful solution, or one can pick up the sword of fate and ensure the survival of himself and those he around him whom he cares about."
9-"Fanaticism is the enemy of reason, one should not fight blindly because they are told to, they should know why they must fight, and know when they are outmatched, and to run. One must see, and not lose sight of, the greater purpose for which they fight."
10-"The Instruments of the Harbingers are nothing. They wiped out many once powerful races to get where they are today, and someday, they will join the fallen powers, so that another empire could rise. And when that empire's time has come, they too will be destroyed."
==Famous Planets==
*Nierdro, Lithoe System, Prima Cluster, Sector Prime: Homeworld of the Great Horned Dragons, Capitol until mid seventh age.
*Abyson, Magrus System, Magrus Gateway Cluster, Sector Prime: Planet acts as a wormhole colony known as the Magrus Gateway; the wormhole travels to Sector Core, in the Jestico Cluster.
*Arckas, Kelebus System, Jestico Cluster, Sector Core: Legendary planet historically. Largest planet in the galaxy, larger than most stars. Key manufacturing base until mid-eight age when turned into a wildlife sanctuary, orbital shipyards still used for construction though all resources are imported.
*Jestico, Tipporon System, Jestico Cluster, Sector Core: Most crucial military base for as long as it has been colonized. High resource value.
*Salva, Spaca System, Jestico Cluster, Sector Core: Most legendary planet in military history; completely devestated and reconstructed several times, location of Grand Admiral Salva's great last stand.
*Athus, Burulus System, Jestico Cluster, Sector Core: Important resource base and military base throughout history.
*Gavindrion and Valice, Retth System, Retth Cluster, Sector Beta-1: Highest resource value in the galaxy, along with the rest of the Retth Cluster.
*Galdoras, Amedieran System, Lost Cluster, Lost Sector: Planet most separated from the rest of the empire in a sector where not much life exists.
A complete list of systems and planets can be found at List of Great Horned Dragon Systems and Planets
==Military==
Lists and details of Great Horned Dragon Imperial Federation, Galactic Federation, and Galactic Imperial Alliance warships, weapons, and vehicles can be found at GHD Warships, Weapons, and Vehicles
==History==
A detailed history of the Galactic Federation, and the Galactic Imperial Alliance can be found at GHD History.
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