The Concordat

Hiram and Nicolas gaze into the universe.

**The Multiversal Concordat** is the name of a massive cluster of universes, linked together by a group of powerful and ancient societies, including the Omnians. Stellar engineering and paracausal science was used to "wall off" their local universal cluster from the rest of the Omniverse, with unauthorized entry becoming impossible. Travel between the connected universes, meanwhile, became possible without the use of Shiver Drives, due to the nature of the Concordat's creation. For eons an advanced society flourished in the Concordat, though during the Xanos Apocalypse Wars, large sections of the Concordat were destroyed in battle against the Golden Legion.

While technically a collection of hundreds of other universes, the Concordat is often treated as one singular universe for practical purposes, with the MVSF and Axiom Nexus giving it the designation of **Sacramentum 1:1.** The Concordat's close allies, the Council of Elders, refers to them with the designation of **Universe 2**.

## Governance

"The Multiversal Concordat" is also the name of the government which rules over the entirety of the cluster. Important families in the Concordat, such as the House Carjimbo, are given the designation of noble houses, which rule over entire universes in the empire's name. They are also given officer's positions in the star-navy, the concordat's military wing.

The logistics of running an empire that spans such an unthinkable amount of territory is understandably arcane. A vast meritocratic bureaucracy presides over the innumerable administrative tasks of the Concordat. All bureaucrats above a certain level are eunuchs (meaning that their reproductive capacity is stopped, not that they are specifically castrated human males). Through an impossible to understand process that takes eons of paperwork, deliberation, meetings, quorums, and so forth, the ministers of the Concordat appoint a Prime Minister from among them to serve for life. Due to the eunuchs' command of most functions of governance, and their task in appointing the head of state, commentators have classified the Concordat's government as a Meritocratic Technocracy, rather than a Noble Oligarchy.

The government rules with a very light hand, but in the few cases when Concordat citizens have to deal with them, they often complain of a labyrinthine bureaucracy with years worth of paperwork to fill out for even the simplest tasks.

## Society

The Concordat is deeply xenophobic, and distrusts all who are not part of the government, which they see as the only source of civilization and order in existence. As a result, they constructed the Language Stream, an energy field powered by Dark Hearts, Epstein Particles, and the combined psychic force of every sapient being in the Concordat - which is where it gets its name from. The Language Stream is used as a shield to stop travel to the Concordat through the Shiver.

The technology of the concordat is advanced beyond any other civilization in existence. Every citizen is able to enjoy infinite amounts of luxury and comfort. Medical technology allows people to be functionally immortal. However, mandatory military service, and long campaigns against rebel forces mean that many citizens become outlaws to dodge the draft.

Criminals and high-profile situations are dealt with by the Pence Force, a collection of every universe's version of Michael Pence, for some reason. Most Pences are actually pretty cool guys - the Michael Pence of Universe Nexus 0:1 is an exception, not the rule.

## History

The Concordat's billions of years of history are simply too long to summarize in a few short sentences. A grossly oversimplified timeline of notable events will have to suffice.

10 billion years ago - concordat is founded

5 billion years ago - the Language Stream is created after the "Podling Incident"

2 billion years ago - the Onfroy-Boatwright wars nearly destroy the Concordat, and kill all life. Cloaking devices and other WMDs are banned.

87 million years ago - Jerbeebis Dwan leads a movement for democracy and the powering down of the Lanugage Stream. They begin the largest peaceful protest/general strike in multiverse history, lasting 1 million years.

86 million years ago - the WMDs law is lifted.

86 million years ago - Jerbeebis Dwan's entire universe is destroyed by a Discombobulator Ray.

86 million years ago - the WMDs law is re-enacted.

10 years ago - the language stream and the question-mark holiday, an ancient tradition, are threatened by the rebel leader Ichabod Chuntus. After 78E-KV Michael Pence, The Right Honorable Commodore Lord Forsythe-Carjimbo, and a strange outsider, foil Chuntus's plan to steal the language stream. The holiday is given new name when the outsider revealed himself to be "Saint Nick," delivered presents to children, and declared that the holiday was called Christmas.

Now - the Concordat is at the point of breaking due to the onslaught of the Golden Legion.