Tlatlathui Imperium

The Imperial flag, representing the star Tlatlathui.

The **Tlatlathui Imperium**, or simply **Tlatlathui**, is an interstellar nation within the Known Galaxy. It is a hegemonic empire formed predominantly of worlds colonized by the zhur'ryan species prior to the Occupation.

## Etymology

The name Tlatlathui is a composite noun in the zhur'ryan Altazec language which roughly translates to "burning dawn". It is both the name of a sun god in Altazec mythology, and the name of the star around which the zhur'ryan homeworld Tototl orbits.

## History

The Tlatlathui Imperium was not properly established until 3479, four years after the Occupation ended.

Prior to the Occupation, the zhur'rya were not a united people: their history was one of bloodshed and violence, marked by frequent wars between nations and citystates. Despite their warlike ways, the zhur'rya managed to colonize much of their home system before discovering the secrets of faster-than-light travel, and in the decades before the Occupation began they established small colonies on planets in the neighbouring Cueyatl and Miztli systems.

Tototl spent much of the Occupation under the thumb of the Yohzhu Empire. In the early years of this period, the Tototlian nobles saw their new overlords as a perfect foe to test their might against, and repeatedly petitioned Consul Kaminari to meet their armies in the field of battle. After a year of these requests, the consul instructed the nobles to assemble their armies on the Plains of Molcaxitl. Believing that she had finally acquiesced, many of the nobles did so. The consul's flagship then opened fire on the Plains of Molcaxitl, turning it and the assembled armies into a glass crater.

The near-annihilation of their armed forces dealt a series blow to zhur'ryan pride, leaving them subdued and humiliated for the remainder of the Occupation. When the Occupation finally ended in 3475 and their Yozhu overlords suddenly withdrew, declaring them to be free, a single thought gripped Tototl's populace: we will not be made weak and subservient again.

One young noble, Popocatépetl, would take advantage of this sentiment. By appealing to the wounded pride of the masses he gained popular support, and because his father was one of the few nobles who had not sent his forces off to the Plains of Molcaxitl he had a military edge over the other factions squabbling for control of Tototl. Popocatépetl would ultimately unify the entire planet under his banner, before assembling a ramshackle fleet and reclaiming the lost colonies in Cueyatl and Mitzli.These conquests culminated in the establishment of the Tlatlathui Imperium, with Popocatépetl being crowned its Huey Tlatoani, or Emperor.

## Government

The Tlatlathui Imperium is ruled by a caste of nobles known collectively as the tlatoque. Individual planets are governed by minor nobles known as cuahtlatoani, who are in turn subordinate to the tlatoani, or System Lord, which rules the system in which the planet is located. Each tlatoani is in turn subordinate to the Huey Tlatoani, or Emperor, who rules the Imperium from the Solar Throne on Tototl.

The position of Huey Tlatoani is not strictly hereditary. If the current Huey Tlatoani dies and his appointed heir is not old enough to assume the throne, the nobility does not appoint a regent to rule the Imperium in the heir's stead. Rather, a conclave of priests convenes to select a new Huey Tlatoani from one of the active tlatoqueh, based on assessments of their character, merit, and interpretations of portents. The elevation of a tlatoani to Huey Tlatoani creates a vacancy amongst the tlatoqueh, resulting in a suitably-skilled cuahtlatoani being elevated to the rank of System Lord and a minor noble being elevated to the rank of cuahtlatoani in his place.

The Imperium's executive branch is the Council of System Lords, an assembly of the tlatoque who rule the systems which make up the Imperium. It is informally known as the Council of Five (or the Council of Four, before Tlatlathui colonized the Pitzotl system) due to the fact that the Imperium encompasses four systems and the fact that the Huey Tlatoani himself has a seat on the council.

Beneath the Council of System Lords is the Imperial Senate, an assembly of the cuahtlatoani who rule the invididual worlds within the Imperium, or the representatives thereof. They function as the Tlatlathui Imperium's legislative branch, able to draft and vote on laws before sending them up to the Council of System Lords for consideration. A piece of legislature cannot be put into law unless it is approved by the majority of the Council.

## Military

The Tlatlathui Imperium is known for its large military. Roughly 25% of the nation's total population serves the armed forces in some capacity, and these personnel are drawn from both commoners and the nobility. Commoners make up roughly 60% of the armed forces, filling generalist roles, while nobles make up the remaining 40%, filling command roles and specialist roles.

### Knights

There is one institution within the Imperium's military which bridges this class divide: the Knightly Orders. These prestigious warrior societies count both nobles and distinguished commoners among their ranks: a noble who enlists in the military is sorted into one of these Orders by default, while commoners who demonstrate remarkable skill and valour on the battlefield can be inducted into their ranks, earning them a place in the lower echelons of the nobility. The military and the Knightly Orders are thus seen in a favourable light by the general populace, as they provide an avenue of upward social mobility for the lower class.

Each Knightly Order specializes in a different form of combat, and thus fulfills a different role on the battlefield. Some examples of the Knightly Orders and their roles include:

* The **Order of the Ocelot**, an Order which specializes in stealth operations and night combat;
* The **Order of the Cuauhtli**, an Order which specializes in high mobility skirmishing;
* And the **Order of the Ayotl**, an Order which specializes in heavy weapons and direct assault.

Knightly Orders are broken down into system-based Chapters, which are further divided into planetary Sub-Chapters. Each Chapter is led by a Chapter Master, who in turn answers to the Grand Master of the Order. Grand Masters are subordinate to the Huey Tlatoani and the Council of System Lords.

### Navy

The Tatlathui Imperium's predecessor states did not possess notable space fleets, as they believed themselves to be alone in the universe and saw little need to defend their worlds with warships. The subsequent occupation by the Yohzhu Empire was a painful eye-opener, and when Popocatépetl established the Tlatlathui Imperium, one of his first orders of business was to assemble a starfleet capable of defending the fledgling Imperium's territory from external threats.

The Imperium's naval combat doctrine emphasizes engaging the enemy in close quarters. To that end, many ships in the Tlatlathui Imperial Navy boast powerful engines and light armour to more easily close with enemy vessels, and sport bow-mounted, forward-firing laser cannons and magnetic accelerators. The Imperium's fleet thus has a reputation for being highly maneuverable and packing a considerable punch, but also for limited broadside capability and an overreliance on deflector shields.

Like several other nations's starfleets, the Tlatlathui Imperial Navy makes use of strike fighters. There are several classes of dedicated carrier in the T.I.N., most notably the *Coyolxauhqui*-class, whose twelve launching bays allow it to disgorge its entire complement of 144 strike fighters all at once. The most iconic strike fighter in the T.I.N. is the *Nagual*, a lightly-armoured and lightly-armed craft able to transform from a pure aerospace mode to a bipedal walking configuration. This transformation was born of an attempt to mimic the more advanced transforming mecha used by the Yozhu Empire, and while the *Nagual* pales in comparison, the magnetized soles of its feet allow it to land directly on the hulls of enemy vessels and wreak havoc upon vital systems at close range.

## Demographics

### Population

Tlatlathui has a population of approximately 44 billion inhabitants. The native zhur'rya make up 95% of the population, with immigrants from neighbouring nations making up the remaining 5%.

### Religion

The predominant religion in Tlatlathui is the **Ohtlitica Chicahuac**, variously translated as "the Hard Road", "the Healthy Path" or "the Way of the Strong". It is a panentheistic faith which posits that the universe is the creation of a singular supreme being, who divided himself into countless lesser deities which are diametrically opposed to one another. As these deities compete with one another, the supreme being is improved and bettered by their conflict. Its tenets proclaim that one should better oneself by seeking out challenge and overcoming hardship, for to do so is to bring oneself closer to the divine perfection of the Supreme Being.

On galactic censuses, the Ohtlitica Chicahuac is listed as "**Ohtliticism**" for the sake of brevity.

The state religion of Tlatlathui is the **Imperial Cult**, an offshoot of Ohtliticism which venerates the First Huey Tlatoani, Popocatépetl, as an avatar of the Supreme Being and a messianic figure for unifying and revitalizing the zhur'ryan race in the wake of the Occupation. The chief adherants of the Imperial Cult are the **Octezcatl**, or **Still Mirrors**, a secretive priesthood which threw their support behind Popocatépetl during his rise to power--and if rumours are to be believed, may have assassinated some of his rivals. Cadres of these warrior-priests serve as personal bodyguards for the Huey Tlatoani, silently protecting the Imperium's rulers from any and all threats.

## Territory

* **Tlatlathui System:**
	+ Tototl [Capital]
		- Huitotl
		- Huexolotl
	+ Zolin
	+ Cochotl
	+ Canautli
* **Cueyatl System:**
	+ Amoxcalli [System Capital]
	+ Teopan

* **Miztli System:**
	+ Mizton [System Capital]
* **Pitzotl System:**
	+ Quimichin [System Capital]
	+ Coyametl

### Astrography

The Tlatlathui Imperium shares borders with the United Stars of Woglinde to the galactic west and with the Sirian Union and the Savages of Jotun to the galactic north and northeast, respectively. Vast tracts of empty, uncolonized space separate it from the Kingdom of Mars to the east, the Grand Confederacy to the southeast, and the Mighty Amalah Nation to the far southwest.