Seangon ("shawn-gawn" or IPA: ʃɔːngɔːn) a small militaristic star nation with two spheres of influence and made of 35 well-developed planets, a few well-developed moons, and several large space stations, divided into twelve districts. It is remarkably well-isolated considering its proximity to other star nations and the technology of the day. Apart from merchants, few people are allowed to enter and leave, and even then Seangean merchants must have a military escort to keep them from straying too far, and foreign merchants are only allowed to trade at approved locations on the perimeter of the Republic. They look down upon most other star nations, viewing them as wastefully decadent.
Seangean is no-nonsense people and has very simple forms of entertainment - most of which must be State approved. Sports are quite popular within Seangon, as are nature walks, as they celebrate the beauty of the planets the people reside on, many of which were terraformed, and so these walks also celebrate the ingenuity of the Seangean people.
Table of Contents
History
The planets of Yangior and Neuanfang were settled by separate Korean and German colony ships, respectively, in 2661 and 2667 respectively following the Deep Seed Project of the Astrum Diaspora. Yangior, a bountiful, perfectly habitable planet with gravity just below that of Earth, rapidly settled across its entire surface, while Neuanfang remained harsh, high-gravity, and hostile to human life until terraforming efforts were complete in 2682.
When the Intersystem Alliance made contact with the two planets in 2741, they found themselves unwelcome by a well-developed and prideful Yangior and a reticent Neuanfang, the latter still upset they'd been sent to such a poor planet. Both governments did willingly accept the technologies the Alliance offered and began spreading out through the systems around them. Neuanfang found themselves now resource-abundant, as they were willing to mine in some of the harshest of climes, and finally found themselves in a population boom to rival Yangior's previous success.
The two planets slowly spread through their spheres of influence, and Yangior soon found that they were overstretching their resources, only focusing on population growth and tending to the human-habitable planets, while the Neuanfangors methodically settled every nearby celestial object large enough to hold the most meager of settlement. The normally isolationist Yangior opened themselves up to trade with Neuanfang and likewise began to immigrate to the small star-nation.
By 2950, more than half of the population of Neuanfang under the age of 60 had Yangior blood, whereas few Neuanfangors had managed to settle into Yangior space. Under pressure from Yangior and their own citizens, Neuanfang elections favored pro-Yangior politicians. By 2970, the Neuanfang Senate voted to dissolve the nation into Yangior hands. Many suspect that their success is owed to a growingly militant Yangior, who, only a year after the joining, renamed their nation Seangon. By the turn of the millenia, most trade and migration beyond the borders of Seangon had halted, effectively isolating the nation under their new Prime Ruler, Erik Von-Myung, who reigned until his death in 3209, whereupon his son and skilled biomancer, Heunel Von-Myung, took office.
Government
Government, religion, and military are effective one. The Prime Ruler, of which there have been only two, commands almost unilaterally. The Heralds - esteemed and highly skilled technomancers - rule each of their districts quite freely; some are quite fair and others may be draconian, but all ultimately must obey the rules of the Prime Ruler. They are allowed to make their own decrees but often do so through a stringent State Relations department to ensure that their decrees do not interfere with that of the Prime Ruler.
Each Herald has appointed multiple governors beneath, almost all of whom are generals, with few exceptions. Heindrink Oscarburk, the oldest of Heralds, began appointing state scientists as governors over his region of Hesseyang in 3342. While initially questioned, Prime Ruler Von Myung allowed it, as the scientists involved were largely involved with his longevity. In the 3380s, however, state troops known as the Prime Warden began being dispatched vice the Regional Championeers began enforcing strict law-and-order in Hesseyang.
The only authorized religion is that of the state; it has been called by foreigners as the Seangean Religion, but those living in the star nation see it as the only true religion and do not have a name for it. Their "diety" is their Prime Ruler; presently Prime Ruler Von-Myung. The "practitioners" of this religion are fully aware that their deity is a human by birth, but the point of view of the religion is that Von Myung, as a skilled Augur has transcended typical human bounds and has essentially become a man-made god. Von Myung, in this fashion, claims the title of the Oldest Man in the Galaxy at over 500 years old. His age, gathered knowledge, and multiple assistant AI are his claims to power; he has, in the mind of the Seangean, a vast wealth of experience and knowledge, and that few, if any, should contend with him. Rights of transferring this power are shakily laid out at best, as few believe Von Myung will die; it is widely believed his son will take the Seat, as his son, Wieyuno Von-Myung is also an Augur, but is only two-hundred years old, with a few other Augurs, Elementals, Cryptics, and Ascendants as advisors to the Prime Ruler claiming a better "wisdom-right," (Nanomancy is not recognized within Seangon).
Other technomancers, who are known colloquially as Heralds, are the only others who hold religious power in Seangon, with Master Technomancers known as Prophets. Prophets hold a surprisingly large amount of political weight over the Prime Ruler, however, those who oppose him are often quickly lost to public cognizance, found to have committed atrocities, defected, or any various number of terrible things that remove them from public sight. High Prophets, appointed by "vote" govern each individual district.
The exact precepts of the religion are few:
One must not betray the State.
One must not betray one's family.
One must not be lazy; this is a betrayal of self.
One must not be self-indulgent; extravagance must be rendered unto the state to better Seangon.
One must not allow oneself or one's family to become corrupted by outsiders, such as a betrayal to one's family.
One must seek to add to life rather than destroy.
Beyond this, most commands from the Prime Ruler are perceived by both the citizenry, Heralds, and the law enforcement arm of the military as needs see fit, and citizenry is known to police each other more effectively than law enforcement do, in fear of punishment for violation of the First Precept. Several governors and Heralds have attempted to add the precept of "One must not betray the Region," but were overruled on the premise that the rule would be superfluous.
Culture
The Seangon revile all things extravagant unless it is personally approved by a governor, Herald, or Prime Ruler. Color and art are non-existent unless they glorify the state in some fashion. The closest concept Seangon has to an "Art Contest" are contests to see who can most "accurately," portray their Prime Ruler; the most recent winner was Herald and Nanomancer Anita Strausman in 3291 for his 100 square kilometer construction of Seungli Myung, a city whose name translates to "Victory Myung," which is claimed to be an accurate representation of Myung leading his Prime Wardens against rebels on the moon of Freiheitan. Citizens are allowed to live in the city and marvel at the fixed reenactment, which Herald Strausman claims to have witnessed personally, though no records can actually place either individual at the battle.
Food in Seangon is remarkably plentiful, if bland to most palettes, but most food is easily identifiable as being derived from German, Korean, and Indonesian ancestry.
Farming is held in high esteem in Seangon. The practice is viewed as "adding to life," one of the tenants of Seangon theocracy. Farming communities are held in an almost holy esteem, and working fields during harvest time is a common pilgrimage.