Maniplaris Empire

## General Overview

Based on the planet of *Cohort II* in the Tau Quadrant, the *Maniplaris Empire* was an autocratic state conquering a large region of the unexplored Tau Quadrant of the Black Eye Galaxy.

Physically, the Maniplaris have a striking similarity to the human qualities of the Aventis Empire suggesting a possible common ancestry. In June 2420, the U.S.S. Claidheamh Mòr discovered that the Maniplaris are descendants of the lost *House Ennex*, who were banished from Aventis Prime over 1000 years ago using the ability of Calibur to create *Subspace Wormholes* due to the *Orb Fragment* within the sword.

Due to current revelations in the lost history of the Aventis Empire, both the Maniplaris and the Aventis are originally from *Earth* in the Milky Way Galaxy.

The Maniplaris Empire operates as an autocratic post-democratic state with both a monarch, serving as the head of state and a *senate*, a council of career politicians who have all served in the Maniplaris military and now attempt to curry favour with the *Ethnarch*, the absolute authority and ruler of all aspects of the Empire.

The earliest reported contact with the Maniplaris came over 200 years ago during the reign of Aventis Emperor, *Altrius II*. Aventis (Aventis II) was sacked by the Maniplaris Empire after a brief first contact skirmish between the two powers, although all records of this brief failure of Aventis security was removed from their official historical records.

In recent times, historians from the United Commonwealth of Planets who were researching Aventis history had pondered why the Aventis had become so concerned with the rising Rothian Corporation that they had engaged in an arms race between the two powers, citing that there must have been a third factor.

Due to their location, almost 40,000 Light Years away from Aventis space, once the Maniplaris had executed a tactically perfect sacking of the Aventis homeworld, it was deemed impractical for the Aventis to launch a counterattack so they quietly buried this part of their history.

It was believed that the Maniplaris Empire used the concealed *Iconian Gateway* in the Leahval System to plan and launch their assault on Aventis territory.

## Society and Government

Maniplaris society is based around conscription into the Empire's imperial services, with the whole society devoted to the ethos of war and territorial expansion, annexing new territory and selling the people they annex into slavery.

Originally a republic, the Maniplaris became a military dictatorship when *First Citizen Prima* siezed power after the Senate had attempted to reduce his standing power within the military through fear of a coup. In a historical irony, the attempt to remove Prima from office was what actually triggered the military coup and placed Prima at the head of the Maniplaris Republic.

Prima, did not want to turn the Maniplaris into an Empire and pledged many reforms which would see voting rights in the Maniplaris Senate giving to all citizens within the Republic, including freed slaves whose masters had seen fit to release them for various different reasons and supported them in seeking recognition within the Republic.

Prima was murdered by his fellow senators, in a manner not dissimilar to the legendary *Terran Roman Military Commander, Juilius Ceasar,* plunging the Republic into a brutal civil war which saw a minor general, called *Rexais* to sieze power and consolidate the Maniplaris Republic into an Empire.

The next few decades were a dark and violent time for the Maniplaris Empire which saw many challengers to the throne using their vast quantities of slaves to fight for them and secure control of the Empire.

These days, the senate is little more then the sounding board of Empire, carrying little real power while the *Ethnarch* makes all the vital decisions in civil and military policy.

## Technology

Maniplaris technology is easily compariable to modern levels of Aventis Empire technology however their battle tactics are extremely impressive, deploying a vast number of ships in a *Phalanx, Maniple* and *Cohort* configuration. Rather then using larger, powerful vessels in one place, the Maniplaris employ vast numbers of two person vessels employed in large collections, able to pull off complex battle mechanics and swarm over enemy vessels like traditional classical warfare had often done.

Each smaller *Triarii-Class* vessel was equipped for planetary entry and contained enough supplies to sustain two Maniplaris soldiers for several months. Each vessel was also more generalised and could fill a variety of different functions, with adaptable "wings" that could adjust the ships size, profile and even speed if several *Triarii-Class* vessels were needed for scouting or to charge behind enemy fleet lines.

*Triarii-Class* vessels are also able to clump together and attach to each other, sharing shield power and forming a *Tustudo Formation* designed to repel enemy weapons fire.