Leagues of Votann - Notable Leagues of Votann: The Leagues of Votann are the largest socio-political polities of the Kin, akin to close-knit alliances or confederations among their member Kindred. As noted above, the first leagues were forged by those Kindreds that directly owned their own Ancestor Cores. The leagues initially existed only as military alliances intended to ensure the member Kindreds' precious Votann were defended, and they sprang naturally out of the already extant bonds that had existed among the original sublight Human Long March mining fleets that had settled the galactic core. Soon enough, the leagues evolved into mutually beneficial confederations comparable in their differing cultural values and territorial scope to true stellar nations.Each league possesses sole claim to the ancient heraldic colours and logos of one of those original Long March mining fleets. Every Kindred that belongs to a league is thus entitled to display these colour schemes and sigils in whatever fashion they see fit, providing it is suitably respectful to the Ancestors. Over the Terran millennia, the territories claimed by each league within the space of the galactic core have become relatively set, while shared prevailing cultures, economic specialties and outlooks have come to dominate within their member Kindreds.Typically, a League of Votann is comprised of six to twenty Kindreds, but this number varies greatly among the leagues. A powerful league will oversee vast swathes of space within the galactic core, controlling not only whole Hold Worlds and Mining Worlds, but also void stations, Kin flotillas, and other assets.As the Kin possess no centralised administrative body for the entirety of their species, no one knows precisely how many Leagues of Votann there are. This troubles the Kin not at all. For them, it is enough to know that they are many and strong, and that every league -- no matter their differences -- strives for the furtherance of their race.The traditions and customs of each league typically grow from those of its founding Kindred. They are also informed by the lore offered up by the league's Votann and -- on rare occasions -- by the unusual predilections or rudimentary personalities affected by these same Ancestor Cores. In typical conservative Kin fashion, what begins as a ratified charter or unofficial verbal agreement between allies, soon solidifies into traditions that all of a league's Kindreds are expected to uphold.While some of the Leagues of Votann might appear homogeneous to outside observers -- barring only their heraldic colours and league insignia -- in truth, most are quite different culturally from one another. Many factors impact the nature of each league. Should its territories border an especially hazardous region rife with alien threats, that league is likely to adopt a more militaristic outlook. A league whose Kindreds are renowned for their Cthonian Mining Guilds or interstellar trade might possess a more cosmopolitan and exploratory culture. Conversely, the perils of Far-space may have rendered particular Kindreds cynical, insular and aggressive.Some leagues pride themselves particularly upon their voidfaring capabilities, the forthcoming knowledge and comparative clarity of their Votann, or on their reputation as adventurers and tellers of grand tales. Moreover, every Kindred within a league has its own way of keeping its customs, and may choose to focus on one particular aspect of its league's overarching traditions.Amongst the Trans-Hyperian Alliance, for example, the folk of the Kindred of Liminus Crag are famed as shipwrights of the swiftest voidcraft and atmospheric gunships, while Ukûlak's Kindred chose instead to honour their league's traditions by having every last one of their Kin serve at least a Terran decade as Hernkyn during their early years. By comparison, the brutally direct Kindred of Six of the Kronus Hegemony pride themselves on their mastery of urban warfare, while their sometime rivals, Sylâkh's Kindred, favour massed artillery and siege warfare.Some of the Leagues of Votann possess traditions that epitomise one aspect or another of their race's core values. The Typhon-Styx Protectorate, for instance, seek always to render themselves indomitable, so that they may be unassailable by enemies and invaders. Their Oathbands lean towards steady and relentless strategies, advancing from one defensible position to the next and allowing waves of enemy counter-attacks to smash themselves apart against swiftly-raised ramparts and tanks, dug in as temporary bunkers. The holds of the Typhon-Styx are, without exception, massively fortified. They are forever being improved by the league's diligent Brôkhyrs.The Ghulo Industrial Complex, by comparison, is a league whose Kindreds pour almost all of their time and energy into maintaining trade routes, and keeping their convoys of heavy haulers and escort ships moving along them. This league contains several extremely large and powerful Cthonian Guilds, whose influence in the Hearthspakes of its Kindreds is such that they are virtually the de facto rulers of the Ghulo Industrial Complex as a whole.Other leagues have more unusual characteristics, or are notable for their allies and connections. The league of the Tethys Expanse, for instance, is extremely widespread over a large expanse of space. Its Kindreds maintain contact by means of a singularly potent interstellar communications network, whose proprietary technologies they will only lease to other leagues for a substantial fee.The Sigma-Drakoni Union is a martially-inclined league that prizes honourable combat greatly. Its Kinhosts are held to a strict code of conduct at all times, and take an unusual degree of pride in their heraldry and decorative insignia.The Pan-Telluric Commonwealth boasts an exceptionally egalitarian society, while the Jotun-Erydani Combine have a strongly meritocratic and Brôkhyr-centric one.Meanwhile, the Seran-Tok Mercantile Leagues is primarily known among the Kin for being the league to have traded most heavily with the T'au Empire.