Ecumene

The **Ecumene** was an alliance during the Eighth Age between the most powerful civilisations on Jerde.

## History

After they defeated the two-headed Aspuruk alien invaders and their Ettin-Kings, several civilisations decided to utilise their enemies' technology instead of destroying it like the other peoples of the world did. They condensed those machines and their rytoryntar crystals to a safer form, allow them to be replicated safely and causing these civilisations to become more advanced and powerful than the rest of the world.

While other civilisations remained somewhat medieval, the Ecumene's members enjoyed a higher standard of living, complete with computers, electricity (fuelled by rytoryntar), and flying vehicles.

As they were exploring the Galaxy, the Ecumene attempted to contact the other two human races among the stars: the Freyrgardian nations, and the ancient Londurilli. Horrified by the sight of fleets hovering above their lands, the many nations of Jerde refused the Ecumene's technology, preferring to be left alone. Some nations slowly utilised Ecumene technology to improve their peoples' lives and produce more resources.

The Ecumene was disbanded during the Fifteenth Age, when its rulers wanted to build their own empires in the Galaxy and by conquering Jerde. It was succeeded thousands of years later by the insane Denlotia, and then the Jerde Alliance. Bujan is a member of the Jerde Alliance.

## Members

### The Pentarchy, later Hexarchy

The five founding members of the Ecumene are known as the "Pentarchy" or the "Five Kings". With the redemption of Yawanda, it was readmitted as a sixth member, resulting in it being renamed as the "Hexarchy" or "Six Kings".

* Darros
* Tukshara
* Daizhou
* Dashadesha
* Yawanda (former)
* Kikori (replaced Yawanda's seat)

### Later Six

* Freyrgard - Noticing messages from the Pentarchy, delegates from the kingdom of Mantua reestablished contact with Freyrgard, then known as Hafsteinn. The Freyrgard that became a member of the Ecumene was a state union of Mantua and Hafsteinn into a single country.
* Eibeq - a Goturean realm where its nomadic people have built their own spacecraft.
* Iferia - an old ally of Yawanda and Kikori, its people were masters of metalworking. It was the strongest of three nations, the other two being Kwiamba and Ugwelia. They were the ancestors of Tebwe.
* Marnoxai
* Zaloi - the ancestors of Pogimmel.
* Tevatis - the ancestors of Fiera, an island nation at western Randros.

### Other members

* Rukania (Tyarvo)
	+ The Kingdom of Tyarvo represented all of Rukania, as Roriz refused the offer. Roriz was not interested in space travel.
* Roriz (southern Rukania)
	+ Only admitted later as its neighbours wanted it to trade with aliens.
* Sevraeja - formerly Luskara
* Raumotu

## Society

The members of the Ecumene were known for building floating cities and fortresses out of blasted mountain rocks.

Daizhou and Tukshara were the first nations to discover and use gunpowder, followed by the Slavs to the west of Darros.

## Names

Eighth Age - Sixteenth Age - modern times

* Daizhouvian: *Dieh-gei* (wise world)

* Tuksharan: *Abhi-loke* (world of the high ones)
* Darroskei: *Samolmir* (world of machines)
* Dashadeshan: *Vidhyebhavo* (learned world)
* Yawandian: *Ngwapasira* (wise world)
* Kikorin: *Utherimunda* (bright lands)

### "The Pentarchy"

* Daizhouvian: *Ngo-dei*
* Tuksharan: *Pisjechalpe*
* Darroskei: *Pench-vlemoly*
* Dashadeshan: *Pancharaj*
* Yawandian: *Shanu-mambo*
* Kikorin: *Ithano-munene*

### Hexarchy

* Daizhouvian: *Ljok-dei*
* Tuksharan: *Shkaichalpe*
* Darroskei: *Sas-vlemoly*
* Dashadeshan: *Sasaraj*
* Yawandian: *Tanhatu-mambo*
* Kikorin: *Ithathaton-munene*

### Flying city

* Daizhouvian: *Fui-djeng*, *Fui-to* (larger city), *Fui-bao* (flying fortress), *Gao-lui* (space-fortress), (space market)
* Tuksharan: *Pauchara*, *Pauchari* (larger city), *Pauhciko* (fortress), *Kenteri* (black fortress, space fortress), (space market)
* Darroskei: *Letægrad*, *Letægorod* (larger city), *Nebepostǐ* (Sky-stronghold), *Tsrǐngorod* (space-fortress)
* Dashadeshan: *Uḍḍayapur, Uḍḍaipur* (flying city), *Manthara* (fortress), *Uḍḍaipurā* (flying fortress, *Vimanapurā* (large fortress city), *Gaganagara* (space city)
* Yawandian: *Dengaguta* (Sky-city), *Dengasvingo* (Sky-castle), *Chenasvingo* (white-castle, space fortress)
* Kikorin: *Rin'erado* (Sky-city), *Rion'ado* (Sun-city)

### Rytoryntar

* Daizhouvian: *Chin-sin* (Blue-fuel)
* Tuksharan: *Aśniselle*, *Aśnisel* (Blue-fire)
* Darroskei: *Sinogonje*, *Singonje* (Blue-fire), *Dzvæspeklo* (Star-glass)
* Dashadeshan: *Ākāśilā*, *Ākśilā* (Sky-stone), *Tārāśilā* (Star-stone)
* Yawandian: *Bhuluumoto* (blue-fire)*, Nyeredzibwe* (star-stone)
* Kikorin: *Njatagirathi*, *Njatirathi* (sky-glass)

## Trivia

* An "ecumene" (or oecumene in British spelling) is the Greco-Roman term for the civilised or known world; more specifically, the Roman Empire.
	+ Daizhou is based on Zhou Dynasty China;
	+ Tukshara on the Tocharians;
	+ Darros on the pre-Christian Slavs and medieval Russia;
	+ Dashadesha on ancient and medieval India;
	+ Yawanda on Wakanda and Great Zimbabwe;
	+ and Kikori on the Kikuyu people and the coastal cities of medieval Kenya and Tanzania.
* The "Pentarchy" was a proposal during the Roman Empire in which the Christian church was to be administered by patriarchs of five cities: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. The word is also used for a reign of five rulers.
	+ Here, the author decided to base the "Pentarchy" of the Jerde Ecumene on the "Tetrarchy" of Roman Judea.
	+ With the addition to Kikori as the sixth member and the restoration of Yawanda, the Ecumene became the Hexarchy, made of six main members.