Ecumene Verse

The **Ecumene Verse**is a universe that appears in The Ancient Ones Role Play. It is the home universe of Neyla.

## Summery

This is a universe filled with advanced and high technology, centered primarily on the Milky Way Galaxy. In this reality, the Forerunners and Prothean civilizations both existed and the current civilizations have based most of their technology on the ruins of either of these. The fact that both existed brings with it the chance that the Reapers and The Flood might exist as well, though there are currently few sources supporting the existence of either. The dominating civilizations are the Thessian Ecumene, the Asari Republics,  and the human Coalition of Civilized Governments. Each controls a specific portion of the galaxy and are independent of one another.

### Asari Republics

The Asari Republics are collectively one of the major nations in the galaxy; actually a coalition of asari republican governments with a tradition of true and total democracy. Easily the most economically powerful sector of the galaxy, the asari worlds traditionally used their financial clout to keep the galactic market stable. Their military fleets patrol shipping lanes and colony space against smugglers and invaders. Their capital is known simply as 'The Citedel,' a vast station located in the Serpant Nebula which is protected by their most powerful warships and defenses.

The cornerstone of the Asari Republics is their practice of absolute democracy, made possible by dedicated communications infrastructure. Every adult citizen (including naturalised non-asari citizens) is able to access virtual legislative chambers - akin to extranet chat rooms in basic function - where opinions are shared and their merits debated, and ultimately political policy set by the direct consensus of the citizens themselves. There are no political officials or representatives, nor any individuals or groups with special authority or right of veto.<

In practice though, Matriarchs are hugely influential in setting Republican policy - while having no greater absolute authority than any other citizen, Matriarchs' centuries of experience are shown great deference by the vast majority of asari, and where Matriarchs involve themselves in an issue, the discussion tends to revolve around exploring the merits of one Matriarch's position against another. Generally the process stops short of being an effective rule by Matriarchs, though, as many Matriarchs actively encourage younger asari to analyse and critique the contributions of their elders; in political circles it is often considered disrespectful to advocate another's position, even that of a Matriarch, without having thoroughly explored it first.

### Coalition of Civilized Governments

The Coalition of Civilized Governments, routinely referred to as 'The Coalition,' is the name of the empire of Humanity, centered primarily on Earth and it's colonies in the Sol System. This empire spans the bredith of the galactic Orion arm and stands at the same technological level as the Asari. They are allied to both the Asari Republics and the Thessian Ecumene, as both have embassies on their homeworld, Earth.

In 2148, a mining team on Mars made perhaps humanity's greatest discovery. After investigating the "Bermuda Triangle-like" reputation of the southern pole, the team unearthed the subterranean ruins of an ancient alien research station, revealing incontrovertible proof of the existence of alien life. Humanity was no longer alone in the universe.
The impact was profound in all areas of human culture, but nowhere more so than religion. New beliefs sprang up overnight such as the Interventionary Evolutionists, who zealously proclaimed the discovery as proof that all human history had been directed and controlled by alien forces. Even established religions struggled to explain extraterrestrial life. Some tried to incorporate this new-found knowledge into their dogma, some remained silent, while a few tried to stubbornly deny the evidence found on Mars.

The news of the discovery dominated the media and raised questions not only about the existence and purpose of humanity, but questions about the aliens themselves. Foremost, were they still out there? While these questions had served to fracture most religions they had a unifying effect in politics. Rather than nations fighting each other over their differences, it was now "us vs. them" and the foundations of a united human front were laid.

Within a year of the discovery, Earth's eighteen largest nations had drafted and ratified the Coalition charter, establishing a representative political body to expand and defend human territory. Shortly thereafter, the various nations of Earth pooled their military resources to create the Coalition Military.

### Thessian Ecumene

The Thessian Ecumene is currently the dominant superpower in the galaxy, relying primarily on their technological superiority over the other two factions to maintain their control and dominance across the galaxy. This galaxy-spanning empire, centered on the garden world of Thessia in the M13 supercluster, rules over the half of the galaxy not controlled by either the Asari Republics or the Human Coalition. They use primarily the same categories and technology as the other two for standard ships, though their FTL and weapons technology is far more advanced then either, relying instead on hard light and plasma instead of kenetic bombardment as the other two do. They are capable of using pinpoint FTL jumps thanks in part to a device known as a 'Jumpspace Modulator,' which was reverse-engineered from Forerunner technology found on their homeworld.

The Ecumene was once confined primarily to Thessia itself and known then as the 'Empire of Taigawa,' ruled nominally by the Patalia Dynasty for nearly two hundred years. In 2034, alien ruins were discovered in a massive cave system beneath the city of Illium. Then empress of the empire, Nirrti, decided to share this discovery with her country's neighbors, who responded by drafting a charter for the Imperial Council. Unfortunetely for Nirrti however, she would die of old age before the charter could be ratified. That responsibility would fall to her then young daughter, Neyla, who then had the Imperial Council headquartered at the White Tiger Palace, an ancient stronghold built in the 16th century by the Yulan Imperium in order to cement their control over the city of Cheng Yíån.

Shortly after the formation of the Imperial Council, the nations of Thessia began moving to unite, abet some forced to under threat of invasion by Neyla and her forces. A number of space elevators were built in key cities across the planet in order to cheapen the sending of supplies and men into planetary orbit; these same space elevators becoming the foundataion of Thessia's orbital defenses, including it's headquarters, Armarli Station. Shortly after, the empire renamed itself the "Thessian Ecumene" and began a program of rapid colonialization, held in check only after contact with the Asari. The Ecumene currently consists of 678 colonies each defended by their own orbital defenses, 78 orbital constructs, 25 Dyson Sphere constructs, including a shield-worlf/dyson sphere known as the Path to Shangri La.The Ecumene routinely utilizes Forerunner technology and weaponry.

## Magic and how it works

Magic is rare in this universe and often utilized by a few, powerful individuals. The most potent are offensive spells, including elemental magic, such as fire balls and electricity. Imperial Councilor Analayla is one of the few who have mastered elemental magic to such an extent that she could destroy an entire army. However, magic is not without risks. The more powerful spells require long and complex incantations to cast, and interrupting these incantations could tear holes in the fabric of reality within a given dimention. The caster relies primarily on his or her will, skill, and concentration, and while learning a spell is relatively trivial, mastering it could take anywhere from weeks to months.

Most mages, with the exception of Councilor Analayla, live in isolated locations, including mountain temples and aging strongholds. This is often a desicion made on the mage's own violation, and is not forced, as the mage may feel that isolating him or herself might protect society at large and allow them time to study and master their magic in peace. Some mages form groups for this purpose, though this is not common.

## Notable Inhabitants

Neyla is the leader of the Thessia Ecumene, and the primary representative of this verse

**Shiala** is Neyla's daughter and heiress to the Crystal Throne.

**Rila Siari** is an asari matriarch who serves as the head ambasador of the Ecumene. She was used as the basis for LIA, the navigational and defense AI of Neyla's flagship, *Mantle's Judgement.*

**Analayla** is a member of the Imperial Council of Cheng Yian, Thessia's capital city.

**Valeera** is another member of the Imperial Council.

**Shi'era** is another of Neyla's daughters. She is a High Fleet Admiral in the Imperial Navy and can lead The Ecumene's fleets in war.