Empire of Gaennaan

The **Empire of Gaennaan** (Gannspek: *Samhaar Gaennaan* /ˌsɑm.ˈhɑːɽ ˌgeɪn.nɑːn/; lit. Empire of the Land of the Gaennaah) is an monarchical federation of *kiith'id* allied under the Kiith Gaennaah banner. The Empire spans 37,3 ly at its widest, between the Mataat and Keben Systems, and follows the Altkorr's coreward curvature. The Empire rules over thirteen systems and several hundred billion subjects. The Empire lies spin-coreward in the Eppsel-Onne and Tettaat Octants, borders the rimward Holy Khaetolic Empire; spinward Alfssandic Kingdoms, Essite Sjahaarate, and Free Jeethaja Guilds; and the trailward Empire of Thuul and Free Worlds Triumvirate.

The Empire of Gaennaan is ruled by the *shajuukan* (/ʃɑ.juː.kɑn/; emperor, lit. "Child Of The Hollowed Marriage"/"They Born Of The Korajuuk And The Aatjuuka") of Kiith Barasan, who have sat upon the Marble Throne for the last seven century. Under the Barasani leadership, hundreds of thousands of kiith (/kiːθ/) have developed an economically, politically, and militarily strong nation after a devastating civil war.

While remembered by those beyond the Gaennid boarders for their propensity toward unimaginable violence in the face of dishonor against their person or their kiith, ruthless Gaennid merchants, merciless mercenary troupes, and their fierce loyalty to friends, their tribe, and the kiith to whom they pay fealty are beginning to overshadow the terrible crimes committed in the name of loyalty and freedom.

## Etymology

The **Empire of Gaennaan** is named after the kiith that founded the empire and united the *kiith'id* under its banner, the Kiith Gaennaah. The direct translation of 'Gaennaan' is "Land of the Gaennaah," which was also applied to the once-fertile valley that became the most dense population center in the entire Empire: Erredan, the Imperial Capital.

## History

The Empire of Gaennaan has a long and unfortunate history, serving more as a warning than a simple retelling of past circumstance. The events considered independent of Sharaadi influence span some 3.732 years, from the Great Collapse in 6.257 AKn to the present.

Of those thirty-eight centuries, nearly 850 years were spent in conflicts ranging from international or inter-system wars to unabashed civil bloodshed. The worst conflict known in Gaennid history, however, is the War of Sorrows (*Kiisam Shaajur* /kiː.sɑm ɑʔʃɑː.ʒʊɽ/; or "War of the Abandoned/Forsaken"), known also as the Sha-Jhur War and Gaennid Civil War by international and Chronate historians.

The War of Sorrows raged for 94 years and swept across the whole of the Empire's capital star, the Tannaat αβ system, and was waged over every colonized surface, inside stellar arcologies, near and within inhabited space. It came to an end only once nuclear weapons designed to poison the ground and annihilate everything around them were used on the lands of the Kel-Ad megacity and the Bissim Sa region of Atos II. The cities of Gosaan, Idot, and Il-Uruuka and their surrounding regions were reduced to nuclear glass and metals-polluted waste lands because Kel-Ad was destroyed before them. It was known as the Culling (*Kwatifaal* /kwɑ.ti.fɑːl/; lit. Culling/Killing), and together with the War of Sorrows, the tragedy was memorialized as the Lament (*Naawash* /nɑː.wɑʃ/).

Even with the Lament the worst conflict Gaennid history since the fall of the Busaanid Empire and the present, Lament is only one dark period of many. The installment of the Barasani Dynasty in 8.170.04.21 at the end of the Culling ushered in a rise in covert power struggles over the Marble Throne, bringing Kiith Barasan and the Naamid Kiith'id to fight in the shade through politics, espionage, and assassination for the majority of "peacetime" quiet.

## Astrography

The Empire's thirteen systems stretch across the Eppsel-Onne and Tettaat Octants facing spin-and-coreward to the perspective of the Altkorr, a shape akin to a twisting column of stairs. Gaennaan is 37,3 ly at its widest, a trail from above the XY-plane at the Mataat System to the Keben Systems, below. It follows the Altkorr's coreward curvature.

Gaennaan shares an interrupted border with the Holy Empyrean Empire, and nautical borders with the Essite Sjahaarate, Kingdom of Kalwaar, Othmaadi Kingdom, Free Worlds Triumvirate, and Tolean Potentate.

Thirteen systems are considered "fully-inhabited," each planetary system in them being home to several trillion in total per star system. Two worlds are lush with green, though only one from human efforts in terraforming. Farahiid is one of the very few planets in the Sphere that experienced carbon-based abiogenesis though its sibling, Kel-Ad, numbers itself among the other few successfully terraformed world with human-supportive biomes that are in runaway self-sustainability.

* Tannaat αβ, *Imperial capital system*
* Tarafah
* Sarayiir
* Eshuun
* Sh'anna
* Beyyer
* Ujjaal
* Ishmet
* Sur
* Keben
* Mataat
* Kurraat
* Syaul-Haqq

## Government & Politics

Within a government that seems more a confederation of kiith'id than an actual empire, the inner workings of the Empire of Gaennaan rely on two facts.

First
The sitting shajuukan holds power over the wider Empire and the major political body—such as the Naamid Kiith'id—in regards to broad and sweeping matters of state, and is obeyed via Imperial Edicts handed down unto them
Second
Those *kiith'id* under the vassalage of another (represented by the Naamid Kiith'id) are subject to the direct rule of the *kiithim-fa* (/ˈkɪːθ.ɪm fɑ/) as dictated by those Imperial Edicts, and may be carried out according to how the *kiith-sja* (/ˈkɪːθ sʒɑ/) interprets them.
Little in has changed in the upper workings of government since the middle of the Gaennid Expansion, when the Naamid was the sole secondary political body and much, much larger, dating back to the Unification in 6.290 AKn. However, times are changing.

After the Culling and the remaining Amaati Secessionists were confined to the Bissim Sa region on Kel-Ad, a third political group emerged from the ruins of the long war. The Sam-Raaf (/sɑm•ɽɑːf/; The Gallantry), a minor caste of politically strong kiith'id, rose in the ethnic populations of the outer-lying Gaennid spheres to act as a check against the whole of the Naamid. Though made of noble kiith'id, the Sam-Raaf provided an opening to create new, special-interest groups.

Several new factions have rooted themselves in the Gaennid political landscape in recent decades, ones that have shown that they are capable of influencing powers greater than themselves.

The union of the Toiling Kiith (*Mehaat Kiith'id* /ˌmɛ.hɑːti ˈkɪːθʔid/) and Merchant Kiith (*Marshaan Kiith'id* /ˌmɑɽ.ʃɑːn ˈkɪːθʔid/), known as the Ensaaf (/ˌɛn.sɑːˈf/; lit. "Trade"), has on more than one occasion exerted power against bad policy for their *kiithim* and won, just as the unified Caliphs of Masaarism have for their congregations. The Giiraad Diet, who represents those *kiith'id* who "were infinitely wronged by the Culling" (*Vaar* Aaras Qhaavej, 7.049; *Inclusion of the Giiraadi*), has also started gaining recognition for its political triumphs.

These groups have been called a sign of change, much to the displeasure of the Naamid and those minor kiith'id in position to enter the highest rung of political power short of the Marble Throne.

### Political Divisions

Imperial space is divided, primarily, by Naamid control. Each kiith is responsible for maintaining internal administrative districts that oversee planets and stellar arcologies and the major metropolitan areas therein. These major population centers act as regional administrative centers for outlying smaller cities, towns, and villages and space stations under that kiith’s polices. For example, Farahiid is the Imperial Throneworld which bears the Imperial capital, Erredan. Though Farahiid is the throneworld, Erredan is the regional administrative center only for its outlying smaller, satellite townships such as Laraam, Siiro, Qetesh, and Isasha to name a few. Because of Erredan's size, too, the administrative structure of the megacity (classified as a hive city, specifically) is heavily dedicated to portions of itself and wills much of its potential peripheral control to other large cities under the control of allied *kiith'id*.

The *kiith-sja* (or *sja*; "kiith chieftain") who have vassalized their kiith to another larger, more powerful kiith usually choose members of these local government positions through elections. The reigning *sja*, or they whom have been sorn fielty to, appoints regional officials to act as members of their cabinet. Governance is reserved to inter-kiith candidates, and depending on the kiith, each vassal *kiith-sja* has one vote to put toward candidates who are approved by the ruling *sja*. Minor *kiithim* of any kiith residing within the ruling kiith’s territory may vote in these elections; only chieftans have the right to vote, or in some more relaxed cases, only the *kiithim-fa* and *kiithim-ira*.

Citizenship is grated at birth throughout all the Sphere if you are born of an Imperial citizen but not beyond the 1st Degree of Relevance. meaning, should a child be born of a half-Gaennai person and a non-Gaennai person, only the former of which bears Gaennid Citizenship, that child will not obtain citizenship at birth. However, the child does have the opportunity to become the member of their grandparent's kiith to obtain citizenship.

### The Gathered Kiith'id

*See also: Post-Sjittite Kiith Caste System § Empire of Gaennaan*
Of the original 55 Kiithim Naamid, only 26 remain. Their control over the workings of the Empire differ based on their involvement in the Culling.

Those shown to have the most control over the Gaennid Empire are Kiith **Barasan** (the Imperial Kiith), **Juhuud**, **Jhaam**, **Raaq**, **Taamqet**, **Saade**, **Saahur**, **Laasyk**, **Catur**, **Lennet**, **Kenaan**, **Beruuyah**, **Tja**, **Lisas**, and **Dahmuut** representing the original Imperial Loyalists faction during the War of Sorrows.

Kiith **Sydenna**, **Tahssan**, and **Nesat-Qhr** provide an interesting, middling political weight that is growing in the face of their roles in the War of Sorrows as original Amaati Secessionists who changed loyalties in response to the Culling of Kel-Ad.

Kiith **Amaat**, **Syd’diim**, **Naybon**, **Totaam**, **Gauud**, **Teres**, **Thessaqet**, and **Saravut** wield the least power for remaining oppositionist to the Loyalists unto the end of the Gaennid Genocide. Though they have as little power, time has begun healing wounds and soothing memories. Recently, the sitting shajuukan (Khatiija Barasan-*sja*), has awarded Kiith Amaat more sway because of their role in bringing an end to the 10.429 Autumn Coup.

Both Kiith **Kalwaar** and **Othmaad** are considered rogue kiith'id, and neither they nor their *kiithim* hold power in the larger government. Luckily, their star systems exist on the fringes of Imperial space, making military action to bring them to heel unlikely. Being on either "end" of the Empire, too, reduces the likelyhood of corrective military actions as resources would be split between what are positionally polar opposite targets. For the Kingdom of Othmaad, too, the Free Worlds Triumvirate adds another layer of protection against any would-be pacification missions. Regardless of their relative safety against potential annexation, Kalwaari and Othmaadi *kiithim* are not awarded the civil rights that Gaennid *kiith'id* often take for granted.

### Imperial Law & Kiithhold Policing

The **Imperial throne**, also known as the **Marble Throne**, enjoys a duality of political powers, sitting at the Empire's head as its only executive power while also playing a major part in legislative proceedings.

#### Legislation in the Empire

Power over Imperial legislation rests in a back-and-forth dance wherein *kiith'id* will petition the shajuukan via representative *kiithim* to enact Kiith'in Bills (drafted petitions for new laws) for the benefit of the Empire as a whole. In response, the shajuukan will review the Bill after its presentation. Should the Bill be acceptable, requiring no amendments, the shajuukan will return to the *kiith'id* and allow a vote to pass the Bill into Imperial Law.

Should the Bill require amendments to cover any ambiguities, perceived or otherwise, the *shajuukan* will introduce those amendments via their own presentation administered to the rest of the legislative body. Afterward, there will be a vote held as to whether or not the Bill will be passed into Law.

The *shajuukan* retains the power to veto what they consider is a poorly devised Bill. Should a Bill require an entire redrafting, the shajuukan will veto the Bill with a list of requirements concerning wording, implementation, and overall purpose. The parties responsible for the Bill must rewrite the Bill until the concerns are answered before representing the Bill to the whole of the legislative body.

#### Imperial Mandates & Edicts

The *shajuukan* may also present their own legislation, known as Imperial Mandates, to legislative *kiith'id* to be reviewed and voted upon. The wording of Imperial Mandates are specifically articulated to ensure that these already broad Imperial Bills have no room for confusion, whatever form that may come. Should the Mandate be acceptable after a vote in favor to pass, the Mandate will be come law, known an Imperial Edict.

Though it is understood that a Shajuukan's Mandate is strong, it is not absolute.

#### Voting Legislation Into Law

Both methods are subject to a vote of at least greater-than or equal-to 70% **For** and lesser-than or equal-to 30% **Against** to pass a Bill or Imperial Mandate into law.

Predictably, there are Bills and Mandates that are undesirable to certain factions within the Empire, in which case only a vote greater-than or equal-to 31% Against is required to "Rebuke the Motion" and halt proceedings. This Rebuke allows the dissenting kiith'id an opportunity to present their reasoning to the *shajuukan* as to why the Bill or Mandate is considered bad policy.

If the *shajuukan* acknowledges the dissenters' concerns, a debate will be required to persuade the shajuukan to make changes before enacting the Bill or Mandate in question into Law.

#### Appealing an Imperial Mandate

Should the dissenters oppose an Imperial Mandate and their concerns are not recognized, the vote will force the final verdict to the High Court of Appeals, who will review the Mandate accompanied with a rebutting Missive, upon which notes concerns and suggestions for rewording the most troubling parts.

Should the High Court of Appeals find that the Mandate's wording specifically puts one or more *kiith'id* at a distinct disadvantage, the Supreme Tribunal acting as the ruling body in the High Court of Appeals will move to oversee talks between the *shajuukan* and the noble kiith'id. Deliberations continue in this fashion until all concerns (old, and often times new) are addressed and the Supreme Tribunal is satisfied with the terms of the newly co-written Mandate.

If there is insufficient evidence to support a Missive's claim or claims, and (most importantly) no alternative is presented to replace the Mandate, the High Court of Appeals will reject the Missive and the Imperial Mandate will become law as an Edict.

#### Kiithhold Statutes

Under these Imperial Edicts and Laws passed by Gathered *Kiith'id*, known as Kiithhold Statutes.

Broad Imperial Edicts provide a framework upon which local laws are built using more precise language. Kiith Laws provide more rigid understanding of Imperial Justice and must be adhered to as interpreted by Lawmakers.

Most *kiith'id* have Kiithim Police (*Kiithim Polis* /ˈkɪːθ.im ˈpo.lis/) to ensure that these Kiithhold Statutes are enforced. A kiithhold’s police only has jurisdiction within their kiith’s border.

Individual kiith have no real police, and if there is considerable distance between a community and their closest kiith-controlled city, a *sja* will have the freedom to exact whatever rules and laws they wish.

For caliphates, these statues are unavoidable despite their quasi-autonomous existence, and caliphs are subject to the kiithholds to which they reside under. However, if a caliph's community finds themselves as isolated as are rural kiith, the same unofficial approach to rules and regulations are often taken to ensure their community's safety.

### Taxation

Taxation in Gaennaan depends entirely on a clan or kiith’s quarterly revenue.

Each kiith imposes a local taxation on kiith'id and kiith'id that live within their borders, gathered by the Treasury of the Kiith (*Khasaana Kiith* /ˌkhɑˈsɑnɑ ˈkɪːθʔid/), to fund necessary local projects and services provided by local institutions such as infrastructure, public safety (policing, firefighting, professional medical responders), transportation, education (fundamental, intermediate, trade, and higher education), health care and benefits for the disabled, adoption, community management, policy research, public waste repurposing, corrections, and the kiith tithe to the Imperial Repository (*Samhaar Mukhsaan* /ˌsɑm.ˈhɑːɽ ˌmʊkhˈsɑːn/). For those kiith'id that are residents of another *kiith'id*’ planet, the treasury takes a percentage of the taxes to pay their liege lord’s tariff.

Those tariffs pay for the system’s overall public expenses: local defense through the Interior Kiithim Guard (*Miinhan Kiithim Adaarun* /miːn.hɑn ˈkɪːθ.im ˈɑ.dɑːɽ.ʊn/), planetary environmental projects and protection, interplanetary and interstellar transportation, the emergency reserve, and the kiith’s defense contracts through the Naamid Kiithim Militaries. The acquired tariffs most often do not cover all of the expenses required to make the star system safe for their landholders, so taxes are imposed on multi-trillion saanid corporations that possess who have assets located within their star system's borders.

In truth, most of the revenue placed into the care of the Treasury of the Kiiith is generated through taxes gathered from large mega-corporations, companies, and businesses—traditionally, larger industries (those that spurred the Empire's recovery after the Lament) such as shipbuilding, mining, refining, smelting, materials fabrication, and the arms industry—who have the capitol of a large kiith without the added responsibility of ensuring a certain quality of living for citizens under them. As they are free from said responsibility and fall within the Top-Earnings Bracket of the Imperial Tax Code, these mega-corporations pool a percentage of their quarterly earnings (5.0%, usually) into their kiith’s treasury, utilized in the governance of wider-reaching public services.

Those *kiith'id* who make below a certain quarterly earning—family stores and companies that serve a community rather than the globe—have their taxes adjusted to only pay for local services as described above.

### Rights

One of the worst violations in human history occurred on 8.168.10.39. In direct violation of the Fiika Amaat-*sja*—lady of Kiith Amaat—ordered her armies to launch four powerful nuclear weapons, internationally classified as Low-Orbit Enhanced Thermonuclear Atmospheric Contamination (LOETAC; "low-tack") missiles, onto the sprawling tether anchorage-city of Kel-Ad.

The LOETAC's purpose is to destroy civilian centers and military instillations while also contaminating the atmosphere with heavy, toxic metals packed around its 60Mt warhead. While Fiika Amaat-*sja* won the battle, her actions lead directly to her movement's demise. Not two years later, the Imperial Loyalists had done onto the Amaati Rebels three-fold, wiping out nearly all life across three cities (Gosaan, Idot, and Il-Uruuka).

While those two years (known to the Gaennid as the ”Culling”) ended their 94 years of civil war, word of the atrocities in the Gaennid Spheres spread across the galaxy quickly and was called the Gaennid Genocide.

In recent years, the Gaennid have done what they can to make amends for what their ancestors have done. The sitting Imperial government has done much in the way of bringing equality to everyone throughout both the Empire: access to better education, medicine, work, and more. Old kiith rivalries and conflicts are beginning to arise, unfortunately, influenced through fear of growing tensions among the major interstellar powers and the behavior of the Altkorr. Still, the government remains hopeful that, should any foreign aggression face the Empire, the *kiith'id* will reunite to face them.

Despite their attempts to make such amends, the Gaennid Empire have gone the way of their predecessors and subjected a portion of their population to restricted zones. Those *kiith'id* who participated in or supported the rebellion that lead to the Culling are forced to remain on their homeworlds, known as Turabi Regulates (/tʊ.ɽɑ.di/; of the soil, dirt) and are exploited both economically and financially as punishment for their ancestor’s crimes. That exploitation has seen widespread poverty and starvation in some of the poorest areas. The treatment of the Turabis is an international black mark against the better image the Imperial Barasani government is striving to achieve.

### Military

The Combined Arms of the Kiith'id (*Sayuuk hathyaar Kiith'id* /sɑˈiuːk ˌhɑθˈiɑːɽ ˈkɪːθʔid/; S.h.K) is the unified armed forces of the Empire of Gaennaan under the leadership of Imperial Barasan military commanders and composed of all *kiith'id* from the shajuukan's Imperial forces and the Naamid militaries.

The shajuukan is the commander-in-chief of the national and kiithhold armed and therefore appoints its leaders aside from the Admiral’s Council. There are only two branches of the Combined Arms: the Unified Navies of the Kiith'id (*Baarat muuhad Kiith'id* /bɑː.ɽɑt ˌmuːˈhɑd ˈkɪːθʔid/; B.m.K) and the Unified Armies of the Kiith'id (*Jaash muuhad Kiith'id* /ʒɑːʃ ˌmuːˈhɑd ˈkɪːθʔid/; J.m.K), of which the Imperial Navy and Army make up the core of each branch, respectively. The kiithhold militaries are administered by their kiith'id during peace time and by the Combined Arms of the kiith'id during wartime.

Military service is voluntary. Gaennaan’s military can mobilize quickly via the Imperial Navy’s extensive interstellar transportation network as well as wide selection of transorbital vehicles for rapid deployment. Currently, there are no extranational Gaennid military presence, though there are plans in place to govern such units if the need arises.

The Combined Kiithhold Arms Edict of 7.019 ratified under *Shajuukan* Ermaat Barasan-*sja* standardized each kiith'id’ military under one expectation to “[...]maintain a state of readiness that will grant each [Gathered] Kiith the independence and capability to fend off those who wish to do us harm, no matter badge nor banner.”

### Foreign Relations

*Main article: Foreign Relations of the Gaennid Empire*
The official purpose of the Empire of Gaennaan, as decreed by *Shajuukan* Ermaat Barasan-*sja* in 8.181, is to maintain peace between the clans, protect the Empire's collective interests domestic and abroad, and allow the Gaennid people to thrive throughout territories old and new. Until now, shajuukans who have succeeded Ermaat of the Golden Star have sought to reach out into unexplored, unclaimed space along the outer-edge of human space to reach this goal. With hundreds of lightyears still seemingly untouched along their Galactic-Coreward national borders, there is no official position on invading other nations for territory or resources.

## Economics

Though there is no central governing body that oversees the mistreatment of planets, especially due to the detonation of nuclear weapons in all their forms, there was a significant international impact that the Gaennai endured as a result of their own actions. Sanctions from Busaanid Successor States throughout the Glittering Hinterlands removed more than 60% of their international trade partners. Those Sharaadi *kiith'id* that participated within the War of Sorrows and survived the Culling struggled as much as the Empire did during those intial years, temporarily removing them from being an amble supply of customers and trade partners.

Seemingly overnight, the value of the Gaennid Imperial Note (*Samhaar Saanid Gaennaan* /ˌgeɪnˈnɑi ˌsɑːnidˈsɑm/; Currency Symbol: Ꞩɴ) plummeted. Without the support of its former trade partners to the Orion Trailward and Planar Nadirward, a ravaged post-war economy faced an uncertain future.

The beginning of the recovery period was largely supported by international interests in the Empire's continued longevity. Though it was unlikely that any singular industry would "save" the Empire from the myriad potential death spirals that loomed over the proverbial horizon, each star system themselves a font of raw resources and the capabilities to process them, the economic strain of production becoming over-production without buyers was a staggering blow to the Imperial economy. Prices on goods throughout the Empire plummeted to new lows since wartime inflation had gripped the nation by its throat, and for a brief period luxury was felt across all economic classes before deflation ground industry to a halt. Only six years after the Culling, a heavy glut fell across all sectors of industry that found its power through international trade and export and remained so for nearly a decade before a bulk consumer was found in an unlikely former enemy.

In the decade that followed the brief Gaennid respite of commonplace luxury, Taazuti Guildsmen had all but strong-armed desperate Gaennid merchants into giving away their wares reinforcing the notion that the Gaennai were alone in the wake of the Sha-Jur Civil War. Before the Alfssandic high king realized the potential ruination that would come from a descintagrating Empire, however, *Sjahaar* Segen Elesaan-*sja* of the Essem Kiith'id, found cause to support the new Barasani government with political and monetary capital to legitimize not only her rule but the Essites' overall international importance. Bulk purchases of goods and products that the Essites were unable to fabricate through their own means (a consequence of their pillaging and raiding culture) managed to keep the Empire of Gaennaan afloat almost entirely on its own until the Alfssandic Kingdoms entered into similar trade agreements.

In the following century and a half, the discovery of kassem-alloy renewed international interest in Gaennid fabrication materials, products, vehicles, starships, and ultimately, the Imperial note in spite of the nuclear strikes on Farahid and Atos II.

### Technology

Among many noted technological and scientific advancements made by Imperial scientist used throughout human space, there are several that stand out as exceptional and are desired by many nations.

#### Kassem Steel

The Empire of Gaennaan owes its existence to Clan Kassem, a vassal-tribe of the oldest of the forging *kiith'id* (*khuuram-chaar kiith'id* /ˌkhu.ɽɑm ˈtʃɑːɽ kiːθʔid/), Kiith Kassem. As the mining industry started to lose its initial momentum, Juuro Kassem invented a metal-alloy that was both light and incredibly durable. Named "kassem steel" (*taas kassem* /tɑːs kʌs.sɛm/) after her kiith, its formula is a jealously guarded secret and is so important to the Empire’s economy that it is considered a matter of national security. Juuro did reveal that the smithing process is difficult and time consuming, but the product far outweighed the cost in both time, labor, and resources.

Though the Komen term employs the word "steel," translated directly from ’taas,’ the origin-word holds several meanings ("metal, plate, plating, sheet [metal]”). In truth, kassem steel is just a versatile metal-alloy that is used in industries across human space.

Its remarkably resilient structure allows the metal-alloy to withstand small munitions when placed within police-grade ballistic vests or shrug off naval kinetic rifle fire as a ship's protective armor. As a particularly popular product in shipbuilding, millions of tonnes of kassem steel is consumed to produce starships of quality and durability. Gaennid ships of a large enough tonnage are not made with a single layer of kassem steel, but given several layers depending on their class and use. Should the first layer crack and flake, the next layer will be able to continue protecting the crew and ship, and is easily replaced during the following repair and refit cycle.

While its uses in combat cannot be discounted, its usefulness to civilian industries speaks of the alloy’s wide-reaching capabilities. It's true worth, and the reason for the Gaennid Empire's survival despite the Gaia Accord's enactment, is the alloy's seemingly endless adaptability.

## Demographics

An Imperial Census taken in 10.251 estimated the Empire’s population to be 34,4 trillion among 17,4 billion kiith.

### Ethnic Groups

The Empire of Gaennaan is a melting pot of ethnic peoples that can, for the most part, trace their lineages over seven-thousand years, back to the reign of the Sjittite Empire. The true origins of the Sjittite clone strains employed by the Golden Men are impossible to trace beyond the Dusk of Gold, but the racial divisions based on artificial differences such as pigmentation are largely dismissed as arbitrary. Instead, Gaennid sensibilities (like the Busaanid and Sjittite ones that came before them) rely on cultural, ethnic, and *kiith'in* divisions to classify and separate people.

Beyond the ties to the ancient Sjittites, the Empire of Gaennaan's immigration policies have allowed foreign ethnic groups from the Thuulians, Aegymanids, Taazuti, and more to settle and interlace with existing ethnic groups to create new ones. Strict social conventions force theses new groups into kiith-based divisions, but the cultural implications of this liberal approach to an otherwise communally conservative peoples allows the Empire to diversify and enrich its own peoples from within.

### Languages

The official languages of the Gaennid Empire are Gannspek (*Gaennadi* /ˌgeɪnˈnɑ.di/ or *Gaennadiiyaah* /ˌgeɪn.nɑˈdiː.ah/), Shaartok (*Sharaadii* /ʃɑ.ɽɑː.diː/), Esspek (*Essiyam* /ɛs.si.yɑm/), Nassaspek (*Nassamii* /nɑsˈsɑm.iː/), Ancient Bussenspek (*Busaaniiya* /bʊ.sɑː.niː.yɑ/), and standard Shiildryk and each are spoken by large portions of the overall population. The most prominent, predictably, is Gannspek.

Gannspek as a language is Sjit-Bussic, having evolved heavily from Ancient Bussenspek first, burrowing from those languages that are also Sjittic, and directly Sjittite second. Those languages that have had a major influence in it’s development (Shaartok and Nassaspek) are recognized officially by the Imperial Office of Demography. Still, there are others (*Languages*) that are unrecognized by the government despite having played heavy roles in Gaennai’s growth. Whereas words, terms, and grammar have mostly evolved on their own, these languages still have many words that are phonetically and meaningly similar. The citizenry of the Empire as a whole is expected to know Common Gannspek fluently, even if their community primarily speaks a language of the other officially recognized languages.

Ancient Bussenspek is used solely by the elite of the kiith'id as a homage to their old distant origin. In many political circles, it is seen as an ability that gives a person particular worth if done with considerable eloquence. In other circles, it is a sign of how intelligent a person is. A person’s worth as a member of the Gaennid elite is almost entirely tied to their ability to speak Ancient Bussenspek with a form of grace and elegance which is a feat in and of itself.

Shiildryk, the last officially recognized language of the Gaennid Empire, is spoken by entirely by shiildr across the Sphere, being rendered in transmitted binary format.

Outside of those languages considered “official” (or are commonly used among the *kiith'id*) are those of other nations and cultures that have either proximity to the Empire or have been learned by the merchant *kiith'id*, many trading *kiith'id* among Kiith Jhaam, Bharaami merchant *kiith'id*, and Giiraadi *kiith'id*.

### Urban Centers

Urban areas vary depending on the amount that a regional ruling body devotes to infrastructure and civic authorities. Though a strong desire to rebuild after the Lament still exists after thousands of years, nearly all wide-spread reconstruction efforts have long-since transitioned into maintenance roles. Many of major cities hit hardest by the Sha-Jur War have grown into megacities, stretching thousands of kilometers along coasts, at the foot of mountain ranges, and across valleys while developing vertically-dense, several-level thick cityscapes.

For example, Opelaas (the capital of Thaed-Ga'yiif, a region belonging Kiith Maad’jer) was the largest city in all of the Empire in 10.326. It stretched 1414,14km along the northern Basin Sea, reached 460,67 km inland, and was home to over 3,1 billion citizens. Megacities like Opelas grew at an unprecedented pace that threatened the ecosystem which was supposed to support it. To ensure that worlds that harbored these immense cities like Opelas would not succumb to the weight of industry and human concentration, the Natural Harmony Missive of 10.326 limited the horizontal-growth of these megacities to favor a far more ecological balance than industrial.

### Education

The Office of the Imperial Census (*Divaan Samhaar'in Seyiid* /di.vɑːn sɑm.hɑːɽʔin seɪˈiːd/) reported in 10.400, the adult literacy rate for Gaennid adults was 90% and 86% for the elderly. Children and teenage literacy rates were 93% and 91%, respectively. The Census noted a significant rise in children and teenage literacy from the previous five-year period (children, 91%; teenagers, 89%) detailed in the 10.405 Census Report.

Education is mandatory for children at 6-Standard years old and continues for teenagers up until age 16-Standard, and is paid for by the *kiith*(*'id*) in control over their region through general kiith taxation. Those children who are 6-Standard begin their Fundamental Educational Training (*Taariib taediim temel* /ˌtɑːˈɽiːb ˌteɪˈdiːm tɛ.mɛl/) provided by Fundamental Schools (*Temokuul'id* /tɛ.mokulʔid/) for five years before moving onward into the Intermediate Educational Training (*Taariib taedim arra* /ˌtɑːˈɽiːb ˌteɪˈdiːm ɑɽ.ɽɑ/) program. Teens are expected to start attending Intermediate School (*Arradaasa* /ˌɑɽ.ɽɑˈdɑː.sɑ/) at 12-Standard, following a student-focused approach rather than a class-focused. The concept was argued against for some time before it was realized that if the student learned at their own pace, they do far better in society afterward, thus supporting their clans and their kiith in a larger capacity.

At 16-Standard, students are given a choice to end their educational career (usually to pursue their clan’s trade in which they are most likely already trained), enter into a vocational curriculum (*Taariib Ensaafem* /ˌtɑːˈɽiːb ɛn.sɑːfˈɛm/; lit. Tradesman’s Training), or to further their education and attempt to enter university-level education.

The Tradesman’s Training allows young adults to  branch out from their clan’s trade without having to attend a kiith-funded university or college. These adults often come from families whose trade is less fruitful than others through market saturation or little local need, and enter into fields that are in need of new and skilled workers. This vocational curriculum ranges from two-to-four years (standard) depending on the trade, and is also paid by the kiith though their imposed education tax.

The option to continue onward to supplementary levels of education is available for them until 50 years of age, but if a student is ready to take the entrance exams to the universities of their choosing it is encouraged to do so. There is no limit on how many times a student may apply to take a university’s entrance exam. Where most centers of higher learning are funded through the education tax, there are some private universities that offer quality education for a price. Oftentimes, these institutions are considered wasteful and an exclusive educational environment only for those wealthy enough to gain entrance. Still, it is well understood that those public universities closer to a kiith‘s economic center are better funded and give the best return.

Allowances are made for those students who are diagnosed with chronic mental or physical illness or developmental disorders. This includes individually tailored educational curriculum taught by specially trained staff that are able to cope and deal with the hardships these children and young adults face. To ensure that these children receive a top-level education, it is common practice for an kiith‘s Treasury to ensure that these programs are well funded first before issuing the funds to other necessary educational programs.

### Healthcare

Healthcare in Gaennaan is primarily a semi-publicly funded healthcare system supported by the taxation of those *kiith'id* whose corporations, companies, or businesses fall within the highest-grossed earnings (HGE) bracket, and possesses a comparatively small privately-funded healthcare network to nations its same age. Public healthcare is provided to those who hold citizenship through birthright, though there is a fund dedicated to undocumented individuals residing in the country. While the primary method of care is through this semi-publicly funded taxation, it is common for wealthier individuals (in most cases, those same kiith'id that paid the healthcare tax to the kiith they pay fealty to) to pay for “in-kiith” medical care professionals of all specialties out of pocket.

The Imperial Health and Medicine Board (*Samhaar'in Kurul Sajliik aur Medikaant* /sɑm.hɑːɽʔin ˌkʊɽˌʊl ˌsɑʒˈliːk ɑʊɽˌmɛdiˈkɑːnt/) oversees the Empire’s healthcare systems workings, from scientifically-support standard policy procedures, to issuing maintenance periods and procedures for medical equipment, to the standard of pay for professionals in their fields of medicine, to and auditing of kiith'id who use their acquired healthcare taxes improperly, and more. Adherence of such things is mandated by kiith-based bureaucratic branches Kiith Medicine Advisory Branches (Faarae Aistishaar Medikaant’in al Ayshiirat /ˌfɑːɽˈeɪ ɑis.tɪʃ.ɑːɽ ˌmɛdiˈkɑːntʔin ʔɑʔʃiːɽ/) of the IKSM, who also monitor the needs of the Kiith’id under a ayshiirat and advise the ruling clan’s Interior Bursar on where the funds should go. The money gathered is then used to import medicines and advanced medical equipment, build sophisticated hospitals or refurbish those that do not achieve the standards set by the IKSM, and pay healthcare staff for those medical facilities.

In 10.400, the life expectancy of children at birth varies depending on the distance from planets bearing *kiith'in* economic centers. Those in these economic centers is 256,53 years, or 252,89 years for male-assigned individuals and 260,17 years for female-assigned individuals. The planets farthest away from those economically powerful planets is 233,70 years, or 225,44 years for male-sexed individuals and 241,95 years for female-sexed individuals. In the same vein, Primary Care Practitioners (PCPs) and nurses make up the bulk of the medical care workforce, evenly distributed across the Shroud, while other specialties decline sharply as planets fall farther away from interstellar economic centers.

## Culture

The Empire of Gaennaan has evolved since before the first colonists landed on Farahiid over eight-hundred years ago as a part of the Busaanid people. Though directly descendants of their allies, time and distance allowed the Gaennai to become a unique people unto themselves.

Descendant of nomadic peoples, the Gaennid colonized the Shroud of Gaenna quickly, spurred by global conflict fueled by the death of the Shepard of Farahiid, Ameen Baqqir, in the early days of their history. The Gaennai divided into several hundred different *kiith'id* to spread their mixed cultures and languages across four worlds in just one-hundred years. With the discovery of the terminus world, Kel-Ad, thousands of clans settled Bissim Sa over another one-hundred years.

Over six-thousand, five-hundred years after the settling of Farahiid (3.933.05.22) in the Busaanid Empire, billions died in the Gaennid Empire's most-well known civil conflicted spanning over 94 years, which ended in the atomic flames of the Culling. In between all these conflicts were hundreds of wars fought in the shadows and among the streets of their megacities. Common knowledge outside of Gaennid space mostly pertains to their violent past, inferring through that history that the Gaennai are likewise violent and backwards.

While it is true that the history of the Empire of Gaennaan is rife with conflict, they have come to prove their worth as a people rich with tradition.

### Community and Kiith

*Main article: Post-Sjittite Kiith Caste System*

Community is the single-most important aspect of Gaennid culture. Large numbers mean safety, even in the modern era. A close-knit community of sufficient size is capable of building an industry or raising an entire planet. A common saying in Gaennaan is:

“If you cannot trust those outside of your family, you can always trust your brother.”
The community acts as a person's emotional support, physical protection, and place of belonging. One's family will always be available to steer them toward the Kiith’in Path, good health, and prosperity. Another Gaennid adage sums the concept neatly:

”Should you leave our home in search of work or adventure, there is always a bed for you whenever you return."
The Gaennid *kiith* follows a common genealogical kinship or a binding connection such as marriage or adoption. These *kiith'id* are close-knit and loyal to those whom are considered kin. The size of a *kiith* is dependent on its age and wealth, and a sheik may find themselves leading a kiith that could only have a few hundred members or an interstellar membership in the hundreds of millions. As genetics or external features do not clearly distinguish one clan from another, kiith markings (*tohu kiith* /to.hʊ ˈkɪːθ/) are tattooed onto the faces of those who are considered of age (usually, 20-standard) in geometric, symmetrical designs.

Above the *kiithim-fa* (First Family) stands the *kiithim-ira* (Second Family or Family Council), which stands generally above the rest of the lesser *kiithim*. A Gaennid kiith is both a house of noble lineage and a political body. They allow for multiple *kiith'id* to gather and share resources, find avenues for marriage, and protect themselves from external threats whether they be foreign or domestic. At the head of the kiith, the Named Clan (the clan that the kiith is named of) holds vassalage over clans, whose sheiks take an Oath of Kiithhold Vassalage to pledge their loyalty to their *sja*.

While becoming a vassal to a kiith is widely regarded as a safe decision for a sheik to make, it is not uncommon for a tribe that is large and powerful to remain independent of Gaennid kiith'id all together. These are often times Giirjaadi kiith'id, Gaennid nomads that travel as one fleet trading the wares to others, but hundreds of powerful *kiith'id* such as Kiith Kaalath and Kiith Irffan possess multi-trillion Imperial note businesses that allow them the autonomy of a kiith without the expectation of obeying a *sja*.

### Giirujaad

The Giirujaadi are a general term for the groups of nomadic Gaennid peoples.

In the aftermath of the Lament, several billion Gaennid citizens were left homeless and trapped aboard nomadic fleets that continuously sought supplies and safe harbor. Within a decade, a few hundred kiith'id decided that it was best to make landfall, replenish their numbers, put the dark days behind them, and start their lives anew.

Most kiith'id, however, decided to remain in tribal fleets that moved from one star system to the other, trading or offering their *kiithim* as mercenaries should the need present itself. These people most-resemble Gaennaan’s second relative, the Sharaadi, in both culture and structure. Everything revolves around their fleets, their ships, and their numbers, and each control every aspect of daily life from food to activities to music to duties. The oldest and largest of these Baddauin kiith'id even possess unique dialects that are indecipherable to outsiders.

### Gender Identity

Gender in Gaennaan is a fluid and personal experience. It is understood that a person's assigned sex (*janstaeiim* /ʒɑnˌsteɪˈiːm/; lit. sex assignment) at birth is not their gender and is an entirely separate, medical topic from the aforementioned subject. While a person's gender identity may align with their assigned sex as male (*naaram* /nɑːɽɑm/) or female (*naaran* /nɑːɽɑn/), it is also true that it may coincide with neither sex or both and fall within a third or fourth gender group. While gender identity may be assumed as early as age 3-Standard, children and teenagers are well within their social rights and are widely supported by their communities to explore themselves to understand who they are as individuals. This does not lend to a person's gender expression, which is also its own separate topic.

Gender-terms are seen as the foundations of all Gaennid, each one supporting each other so that the community remains strong. Offered visually as a separate foundations, there are four terms on which Gaennid are able to build upon to understand themselves:

Gender Terms
 Behtaan
 Kaargan
 Mataad

When titles are concerned, all titles are non-gendered if not already gender neutral. For those that are agendered, or ready to be gendered to the specific person who wields it, the title is then fitted with a suffix that denotes the holder's gender identity. Using the title-suffix ‘-kha’ as an example, it is a non-gendered signifier meaning “khan” in the closest english translation. As said before, the word that is attached with a suffix identifying the user's gender identity in a manner that is impossible to misinterpret:

Gender Terms
 -*khan* | /ˌbɛˈhɑt.tɑn/
 -*khar* | /ˌkɑːɽˈgɑn/
 -*khat* | /ˌmɑˈtɑːd/

There are those titles, though, that have no manner of gaining a suffix. These titles are specifically gender neutral and have no implied notion toward a persons' gender identity. One such title is ’*sja*,’ or sheik (kiith chieftain).

Social conventions are unconsciously demanding on those who are speaking of others either in their company or not. For example, it is considered impolite to not refer to someone by a fifth set of pronouns:

*onlar* (/on.lɑɽ/; they)
*onlar'in* (/on.lɑɽʔin/; their)
*onlare* (/on.lɑɽ.ɛ/; them)
before that person has introduced themselves and their gender, even if that person is a close friend or relative. Those same social conventions do not apply to people speaking of themselves. If a person is introducing themselves, speaker is under no obligation to offer their gender distinction should they be uncomfortable revealing that information. Bearing that in mind, introductory greetings usually follows the pattern below, featuring the gender-conjugation of the pronoun *ana* (/ɑ.nɑ/; I) specifically tailored to introduction,m either to indicate what gender a person is or to announce that they aren't ready or willing to provide that knowledge.

*Merhadaan! Anab/Anan/Anar/Anat/Anon ayiismah* [name] *hae.*
Hello! I(fld./fem./masc./agen./non.) am [name].
While the entire social view seems an oddly personal, singular trait for a people who view that the community comes before the person, it is not so in reality. A person must be comfortable with their self-identity so that the Tribe, the Kiith, and the Empire may survive. The spirit of the Gaennid concept of gender identity is best summed up in the words of *naaran*-born *Shajuukan* Nashuun Gaenna-*sja*, spoken to foreign diplomats puzzled by the notion.

"*A person who knows themselves is strong. A well-grounded foundation– No... Rather, a deep-set and driven pile upon which the Kiith's foundation is laid, so it may flourish. When the Kiith flourishes, so does the ayshiirat. Should the ayshiirat flourish, so too does the Empire.*"
*Shajuukan* Nashuun Gaennaah-*sja*
### Art & Architecture

Gaennid artistry and architecture work hand-in-hand to create an aesthetically pleasing homage to the great swaths of cultures from which they came. Finding inspiration in artistic styles from ancient Sjittite and Kryssiad styles, Gaennid artists and architects generally seek to display these roots in their tradecraft. Gaennid art dives into many mediums and disciplines including painting, calligraphy, weaving, pottery, jewelry design, metalworking, and stonemasonry.

Common motifs in painting, pottery, and masonry hearken back to the flower-like deigns often found on the ceilings ancient mosques of Habbaan, like the Zhaa and Lot Mosques of Kiith Saade. Painting often depicts still, natural life and keenly poised portraits.

Calligraphy, much like that of ancient Farahi and Habbaan, is a widely enjoyed art form that features words that hold meaning to the artist and are judged by the brush strokes in relation to that meaning.

Jewelry design and metalworking is left to master craftsmen of the forging *kiith'id*, used to bring beauty to fashion, starships, buildings, and more. Kiith Barasan has contracted many a kiith foundry to create organic designs featuring precious metals such as gold to bring the ancient Ir-An aesthetic to their Imperial Saaderkiin Guard, personal vessels, and dynasty jewelry. While not as old as the Imperial Crown Jewels of Ir, the Imperial Jewels of the Shajuukan is a comparable collection in size and allure.

Architecture is not seen as a separate entity from art but an extension of it. In true Persian fashion, the Gaennid use mathematics, geometry, and astronomy to build their mosques (*maarjuk* /mɑːɽ.ʒʊk/; def. "place of kneeling/worship/") so that light from the local star will stream in at strategic positions throughout the day. Modern architecture ranges from classical Persian and Hindu designs to a popular quasi-organic industrial builds that are strong, quick to build, and capable of reaching two kilometers into the sky or carrying millions of tonnes of people, vehicles, and materials.

### Cuisine

Gaennid cuisine takes heavily from the cultures who make up the largest demographics: the Farahi, Atosi, and Taurii.

Fruits like dates, plums, pomegranates, quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins are eaten throughout the Empire and are often dried for long storage onboard ships, both nomadic and not. The Gaennid usually eat fruits as desserts, focal points in a regular meal, or simple snacks. Honey is a popular pair for fruit-focused snacks and desserts, but it is also extensively used in candying them.

Gaennid meals are usually seasoned to be hot, but balancing heat and taste is important. Spices like cardamom, cayenne, cumin, curry powder, and powdered ginger are staples in a Gaennid kitchen and meals featuring these spices are served with strained yogurt (*maut sabaadi* /mɑʊt ˌsɑˈbɑːdi/). Lunches and dinners are cooked around a center ingredient, usually long-grain rice widely paired with vegetable and meat curries. Onions and garlic are used in dish preparation, but are served separately from the main dish as a side if prepared via frying pan

### Music

Music across the Empire varies widely in all communities but there are common connections through classical music that originated from their diverse ethnic populations' Terran ancestral lands of Old Earth. Sjittite (and later Busaanid), Nur'waati, Taurii, Atosi, Habbaan, and Farahi classical and folk musics form the core of Gaennid classical and traditional clan music. Of them, the most notable is raga (*raagam* /ˈɽɑː.gɑm/ lit. "coloring, tingeing, dyeing"), a improvisational melodic framework similar melodic mode in Taurii classical music largely featuring the venu (*veenuh* /vɛ.ɛn.ʊh/) or *bansuri* (/bɑn.sʊ.ɽi/)  side-blown flutes. Kassisi classical music has seen a rise in popularity as Kassisi-ethnic groups have started to rediscover their ancient roots, melding classic Sjittite theories with guitar (*kitaar* /ˌkiˈtɑːɽ/) flourishes popular in Kassis.

Modern popular genres are elektronika, *sanriihgi* (/sɑnˈɽiːhgi/; a descendent of reggaeton), classical power metal, classical period music, and traditional Gaennid kiith music that features the ancient Taurii instrument the *shenaai*.

### Sports

As with everything in the Empire, team sports are the most enthusiastically followed. The ancient sports of football (fuutbol /ˌfuːtˈbol/) and baseball (baasbol /ˌbɑːsˈbol/) is regarded as the most popular sports throughout the Empire.

Out of the two, football is the most popular. Separated into regional divisions mediated by the Sahn Fuutbol Gaennaan Mahaasan (/sɑhn ˌfuːtˈbol ˌgeɪnˈnɑn ˌmɑˈhɑːsɑn/; Sf.Gm), or the Gaennid Federation of the Football Union (GFFU; jee-foo), kiith'id field their own football teams that compete for the various Naamid Cups for a chance to win the Imperial Football Championship. For the last six years, Kiith Thej within the Raaq-sponsored Khessaq League has won the Imperial Cup, Kiith Barasan coming second to each championship.

Run in the same fashion, Kiith Raaq is the one kiith that has won the Imperial Baseball Championship most often on-and-off for the last fifty years.

Internationally, the Solar Racing League Le Grand Voyageur is some of the most anticipated sports events throughout the Empire—specifically, the highly prestigious Essite Cup. Of the companies apart of the Solar Racing Manufacturer Group, Dhuun Starship Foundries Incorporated of Kiith Dhuun sits second to the Essite Azima Heavy Industries despite having only entered into the race in 3352. Dhuun Starships has an impressive list of wins but has only won the Isharan Cup once in 3405 when Tehar Dhuun captaining the *Najsatar* (trans. "Starstrider") used a massive asteroid sling (MAS) maneuver to cross the finishing threshold.

### Religion

Masarism (*Masaara* /ˌmaˈsɑːɽ.ʌ/; The Way), pronounced “Ma-zār-ism”, is a religion of astrolatry that was born of Busaanid Linnageism and bore Sharaadi Aittijanism. Those who follow Masarism are called the Masarene (Masaari /ˌmaˈsɑːɽ.i/).

The Masarene draw most of its core beliefs from the ancient Busaanid Linnageans, though the nature of its worship is different from that of its parent. From the casual observer the difference in ways of worship may seem minute at best, but the fundamental beliefs that separate Linnageans and the Masarene is the strength in which community plays a roll in both the religion and the culture. For the Isharans, it is true that the family is important, but so too is the individual. For the Gaennid, the clan is the most important body, as it was the protection of the clans that allowed the Gaennid to survive their long and turbulent past.

Despite the majority of Gaennid follow Masarism (roughly 89%), the Empire officially welcomes all religions (as well as those who are non-religious) within its borders.

Behind Masarism, Neo-Linnageism makes up the second largest denomination, Gaennaan seeing a slow rise to popularity among Isharanists (those who believe the Empire should return to the Path instead of following the Way). Those religions that were prevalent in the Gaennid ancestral homes on Earth, Isa'am and Innduisism, especially, have found new followers among the Empire; Khaetolicism, Sii'kiimism, and Juudaeism have found little popularity amongst the people.

An unexpected denomination has appeared, however, among the disenfranchised and homeless: Luminaries of the Church of Eos. Luminism, the heart of the Covenant of Edom's nonsecular state religion, is spread by the Luminous Brotherhood. They are often seen marching to a drone draped in red hooded cloaks offering food and clothing to those who need it and a place to sleep to the homeless in exchange for hearing the Word of Eos. Despite having a moderately low homeless rating of 65% (about 2,14 tillion people), an unofficial clan has risen from those who are taken in by the Brotherhood. Nearly 77% of all homeless (1,64 tillion) have reportedly adopted the kiith name "E'ossam," or "Man of Eos."