The Ryhn Union (NATION, PC)

The Ryhn National Union (Ryhnëharinn Atdheannu Maat) is a collective union of the twelve largest nation-states formed by the Ryhn peoples. It was founded, upon Zana Sevasti's ratification of the Precepts of Ano-Biehnan in 1804 ISC, after the end of the arduous and blood-soaked Terminus March. The Union's holdings lie on the edge of the Terminus Est nebula, within the region variously known as Herunnain Beseddeon, or the Seth Group. Its territory consists of the principle worlds of Anur-Raan, Nya Llamar, Esaujkan, Merileiloc, Kalkorayn, Mnahan, Rahenequai, Djehu Isanakta, Amalteith, Yllkadar, Falkojshen and Suha Ma'il, and these nation states are the aegis under which 55 billion souls live. Though each nation state bears its own capital, by virtue of seniority, fame, and its status as the seat of government, Anur-Raan's City of the Red Seers holds primacy amongst all its sisters.

Biology
Rhyn are phenotypically tall and slender, externally appearing eerily similar to the Wessen or Imperials. They display a wide variety of skin, eye and hair colours, though these groups tend to be confined to each individual nation as sub-ethnicities.

On a physical level Rhyn are universally slender, flexible and fast. Their strength is naturally analogous to Wessen, though biokinetic abilities may modify these in particularly capable individuals.

Mentally, the Rhyn display extremely high cognitive ability, with a particular ability for unconventional thinking and problem solving, as well as a superlative capacity for psychic powers.

One of the many mental functions the Rhyn possesses is the ability to develop a tiny connectome for a specific, autistic task, functioning analogously to neural net driven machine learning. Wessen are, to a point, able to fine-tune their brains in similar ways - they can will themselves into seeing visual or auditory hallucinations, for example. Wessen cannot, however, change fundamental thought processes by will alone - functions like memory retrieval or encoding, true multitasking, and others. Rhyn, by contrast, will find that their brains will become increasingly unique on a macro-organizational level, because of the unique solutions they develop to solve repetitive or intensive tasks. A Rhyn weapons artificer may develop a specialised region of their brain specifically for performing engineering calculations accurately on short notice, separate from the region used for general mathematics. A seer might develop a greater social and psychological insight into others as a means of predicting probable behaviours. Each manifestation of this process tends to be unique.

Another trait is the phenomena referred to by the Rhyn as Fatesight. A Rhyn can mentally will themselves into processing massive flows of information and probabilities necessary for specialised tasks, and while perceiving reality in parallel simultaneously, as well as maintaining a single coherent consciousness throughout. This ability is usually dressed up with objects, concepts and metaphors drawn from the individual’s subconscious, a mental language and architecture that enables the Rhyn to focus their ability. So for example a Rhyn utilising divination abilities might see their fatesight process as a massive web of shooting stars flashing across a thoughtform sky, or an ocean’s waves curling and shifting against beach sands.

Most commonly used in the application of psychic abilities, a more primitive form of this is used for many biological processes, with only the likes of sleep and memory beyond direct control.

Government Structure
In the aftermath of the Long March the Ryhn nation-states have coalesced into a federal union, a notion pioneered by the Tutelary Agent turned impromptu stateswoman Zana Sevasti. Following the last will of her mentor, the great folk-hero Herunnain during the dark days of isolation with the horrors of the nebula, Zana has shelved her rifle and sword and picked up the pen instead, taking up the mantle of Kryeautarinn (Traditionally translated as Chancellor). Sevasti is wholly committed to the cause of unity among the desperate and divided Ryhn nations.

The individual states and their constituent peoples of the new federation remain sovereign but unified of their own accord, and the notion of secession or discontent has hitherto proven to be inexistent in the face of the constant threat of demonic incursion on the Ryhn’s principle worlds.

More practically, anything that does not concern the running of the federal government or the maintenance of its inalienable constitutional rights is left to the individual nations, a state of autonomy that has proven pleasing to the proud, but still somewhat fractious Ryhn peoples.

The federation operates as a militarised constitutional dictatorship utilising a written power structure that must be adhered to, and given backbone by a parliament, split into two houses; the Djehuti Mledha (Wiseman’s Assembly, composed of 100 members), and the Atdheann Mledha (National Assembly, composed of 24 members, two for each state), representing the interests of the population and the federal government respectively.

Though Sevasti, and any potential successor, holds supreme political power, she does so by the consent and elections of the people themselves, and the former Tutelary has gone to great pains to ensure that the process remains set in stone.

With the refinement of the new government, Sevasti has composed a fairly minimalist cabinet of advisors, composed of the Hennat-Brenshem (Minister of Interior), Hennat-Haru (Minister of Defense), Hennat-Tehuti (Minister of Trade), Hennat-Osadain (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Merimaat (Chief Prosecutor) and Halat-Shikues (Head Seer)

Military
The Ryhn military of 2104 is a starkly different entity to its pre-Terminus March iteration. Directly commanded by the Kryeautarinn and her subordinate, the Hennat-Haru, the Ushtari-Rau (Warcadre or Myriad) is the unified military organisation that ensures the security of the Ryhn peoples, and is contributed to by every extant nation under that banner. It is constitutionally charged, under the Precepts of Ano-Biehnan with the following duties;


 * To preserve the peace and security, and provide for the defense of the Ryhn and their allies.
 * Overcoming any nations responsible for aggressive acts that imperil the peace and security of the Ryhn.
 * Assisting the community in cases of humanitarian emergencies; supporting search and rescue operations.
 * Continuous and sufficient training to deal with the tasks that might be assigned to it.
 * To prosecute and purge utterly any demonic entities which reveal themselves, and to root out and expunge those who hide.
 * To operate in all capacities against the Vanguard, regardless of all other factors.

The army is split into six separate service/administrative wings; the Command Staff, Army, Airforce, Navy and Support Group, under which the distinctive martial subtypes and specialists operate.

Odhërnan Hetau
The Command Staff (OH, or Odhërnan Hetau, Command Group) is the highest military structure in the Ryhn military, established as a strategic staff group, led by (OR-9/10?) _. It oversees the development, management and coordination with the land, air and void strengths in a joint military force. It is they who function as the High Command of the Ushtari-Rau, and they who direct the service wings in fulfilling the constitutional duty of the military.

Konaësin Naunet
The Army (KN, or Konaësin Naunet, Land Force) functions as the military’s primary implement, operating on the ground in combat roles and the defense of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as participation in humanitarian, non-combat and peace support operations. Composed of both the conscripted citizen-auxiliaries as well as permanent professional soldiers, the Army is the core element of the Ushtari-Rau.

Heruajer Naunet
The Ryhn Air Force (HN, Heruajer Naunet, or, roughly, Gale Force) articulates its core missions as air superiority, regional integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, rapid inter-system mobility, regional strike, and command and control. It is in control of all thermospheric and lower assets.

Detladaiil Shelwe
The Ryhn Navy (DS, Detladaiil Shelwe or, roughly, Void Stalkers) is organized, trained, and equipped to provide freedom of operation for the (Ryhn Union) in, from, and to space, and provide prompt and sustained space operations. The Navy’s craft are highly maneuverable, fast, and surgical, further bolstered by their utilization of psionic jump drives and the psychic talents of their crew members, but lack much in the way of armour and are expensive to produce.

Its stated duties are to protect the interests of the Ryhn in space, deter aggression in, from, and to space, and conduct space operations. The Navy establishes five core competencies: space security, combat power projection, space mobility and logistics, information mobility, and space domain awareness. The Navy additionally prosecutes the enemy through the nine spacepower disciplines required for the core competencies; orbital warfare, ship-to-ship warfare, boarding and counter boarding operations, space electromagnetic warfare, space battle management, space access and sustainment, military intelligence, cyber operations, and engineering and acquisitions.

Konhahli Mbështetëse
The Support Group (KM, Konhahli Mbështetëse, roughly translated to Support Command), is the service wing which has, as its functional purpose, the support of the Ushtari-Het in the areas of procurement and supply, maintenance, inventory, transport, medical supply, and supporting civilian-military cooperation for these issues. The Support Command and logistic support units are expected to accomplish their duties and enable logistical sustainment in any kind of environment, across all official Ryhn territories and between all elements of the Ryhn military.

Doctrinally, the Ryhn military relies on speed and stealth where others trust in brute force or numbers. To this they add a specialty for esoteric or psychic technologies, as well as proficiency for trickery and deception. Though by no means afraid of sullying their hands in battle, they much prefer surgical applications of force or utilisation of unconventional (some would say cowardly) methods.

Population
The total population of the Ryhn is estimated to be in ~55.3 billion, unequally divided and stretched out across all the extant nation states. Nya-Llamar (20 B), Merileiloc (13 B) and Anur Raan (10 B), bear the largest concentrations, as well as the most territory and assets. In terms of species demographics, the nation states are entirely homogeneous, bearing no diaspora or subspecies beside the baseline Ryhn themselves.

Education
The Ryhn schooling is distinctly split into multiple stages. The first stage, referred to as Msehimi, puts children in standardized, but precisely crafted general schools from the ages of 4-16, teaching a curriculum of practical science, linguistics, mathematics, conjoined history-mythology, cultural tradition (under which art, music, etc fall) philosophy, biology, and intensive physical conditioning.

The 17th year, Anpetuimi, denotes the period in which the citizen undergoes psyche-analysis by a cadre of experts who additionally evaluate the child’s performance in their initial schooling, preferences, and various other factors. Recommendations are made to the Ryhn, but the final decision as to their chosen vocation is left to them alone, and by the end of the year, the Ryhn is given their adult suit of armour and associated crest, and prepared for conscription into the army. The evaluations and psyche-analysis are given to mentors, specialist teachers who select students (or are assigned them by the Seer Covenant) who they then accompany for the rest of their adult years throughout their years until their discharge from conscription. Mentors fill a dual function as vocational educators and military instructors, teaching their student in the intricacies of both by way of their centuries upon centuries of experience. Commonly most Ryhn form a bond with their mentors as strong as those with their own family, and many continually keep in touch or seek guidance with their counterparts for the rest of their lives.

By 18, the Ryhn enters their conscription tour, Herunnaintelne, mentor at their side, operating within any wing of the military for periods ranging from a handful of years, to a century in the case of Nya Llamar, living in communal barracks or ship quarters with other Ryhn their age. The mentors work alongside the military instructors, supplementing and reinforcing their guidance to maximise the educative benefit to their students, and they prepare as much for their life after service as they do for the harsh realities of warfare. Upon conscription the Ryhn is considered a full adult.

After exiting Herunnaintelne the Ryhn enters the vocation they had selected during the Anpetuim as a fully professed and trained worker, but they may freely switch professions if they so desire, or even re-enter military service, as many often do.

Family Structure
The core unit on which the Ryhn family structure trades is the trio of father, mother and child. This in turn makes up the heart of the mode of social organisation known as the Malfarafisni, an equivalent to a tribe or clan structure composed of multiple related families, further characterised by common culture and patrilineal kinship or social ties. This organisational structure dates back to the beginnings of Ryhn civilisation and is universally present among the nations. It is further split into nemr and afer. Nemr refers to all members of the kin community that live in its traditional territory, while afer refers to the immediate family members and cousins.

More senior clans, those who formed the core of the current nations, are particularly respected first among equals, expected to guide and protect the younger, smaller clans, and to set the example of service to their country with blood, heart and mind.

A distinctive trait of the Malfarafisni is their internal dependence on the Herunilada and Kanailada, written codes of customary law and traditions that reinforce and underpin rather than contradict the more general state laws.

Economy
The social and economic policies of the Ryhn are equivalent, with the exception of small details here and there, to the Nordic Model of free market capitalism. It features, among other things, comprehensive welfare state and multi-level collective bargaining, with a high percentage of the workforce unionised and a large percentage of the population employed by the public sector (the military, healthcare and higher education as well as some companies like utilities, communications, transport are usually state-run or state-owned). A distinctive feature of the Ryhn market is its flexibility, with laws making it easy for employers to hire and shed workers, and the overwhelming frequency of high-skill workers underpinning the system.

Agriculture
The Ryhn have long ceased to commit valuable manpower that could be used in fighting demonic incursions to the honourable if mundane profession of farming. Since the early years of the Terminus March they have instead created, out of psychoplastics, thoughtmetals and psychically imprinted half-sentience, monoliths and automatons to commit these tasks for them.

The monoliths, towering constructs that reach far into the sky, harvest, refine, store and preserve foodstuffs for whole continents, while automatons dutifully care for households and remote watchmen’s outposts in more traditional methods. The rudimentarily aware, almost canine-like entities are fundamentally loyal to their Ryhn creators, and fundamentally efficient in providing fresh, qualitative, clean food for them; meats, grain, vegetables, fruits and a myriad other types. They require little maintenance, owing to the self-repairing quality inherent to their psychoplastic forms, but they, as any other supply source, require armed guard against potential aggressors, irregular or military. No Ryhn nation in the Union takes lightly the safety of the entities that provide their dominions with life. The automatons might take a day to create individually, but the monoliths take months or over a year of painstaking psychic shaping by dozens or hundreds of sculptors to work at the expected capacity, but each is a worthwhile investment. Hitherto the Ryhn have never suffered famine or lack since the introduction of these two entities into general use.

Industry
While the Ryhn still utilises automated industrial facilities, non-sentient variants of the agricultural monoliths, for the tasks that most fundamentally require them, the innate psychic capacity of the species enables a great simplification of difficult tasks that have served the species well as the march of progress carries on. Psychic talents like pyrokinetics and ferrokinetics have replaced metallurgical equipment and furnaces. With a touch, physicians specialising in healing arts can set bones, purge disease, and reknit flesh far more precisely than crude surgical instruments. The prevalence of skilled workers has led to a resultant increase in the frequency of high-quality examples of craftsmanship.

Among the most respected crafting industries are the creators of military equipment and individual suits of personalised armour and helm crests that are unique to every adult Ryhn, or the monolith and automaton sculptors. More strangely, the creators of the robes, kapicas, fustanellas and jubletas, textiles that cannot easily be made by psychic application, are as respected, perhaps because a crafter is unable to simply manifest the necessary material or technique to create the traditional folk dress so treasured by the Ryhn.

Notable manufacturing companies (all nationalised, state-owned entities);


 * Enimiah, based in Anur-Raan
 * Keyle-Kiralu, based in Esaujkan
 * Renenushon, based in Merileiloc
 * Hephata Teuta, based in Nya Llamar
 * Gilfalkor, based in Rahenequai
 * Herunnainetvai, based in Falkojshen
 * Asu-Gelinas, based in Suha Ma’il
 * Imnauet’Jan, based in Djehu Isanakta
 * Kiriazi, based in Mnahan
 * Adavinae Kolkata, based in Amalteith
 * Isindon, based in Kalkorayn
 * Neru Athanarva, based in Yllkadar

Culture
[UNORGANISED TIDBITS, FIX LATER]

[Ancient Egypt style hyperfixation on the proper ritual care for the dead.]

[The Ryhn highly value all forms of art, but they possess a special love for auditory and kinesthetic variants. The species possesses a very expansive amount of practises and styles regarding the topics. Songs primarily revolve around myths and legends, either of the deities of the Ryhn or folk heroes such as Sevasti or Aranlahut.]

[The Ryhn are a deeply spiritual people, one of the most religiously ardent in fact, with an extraordinarily low amount of atheists or non-religious citizens inhabiting their communities. As the Ryhn interact more and more with the galaxy, certain fringe theorists/cultural exchange personnel wonder if they aren’t biologically hardwired towards religious faith and possess that kind of hardwiring as a fundamental aspect of their psyche. This notion is not accepted as fact on the whole, but the Ryhn make no effort towards clearing the matter up, leading to arguments among the scientific/diplomatic communities. ]

[Iso-Polyphony is the traditional method of singing among the Ryhn, with all denominations/states practicing the style. Something shared uniquely with Humanity and no other extant major species. Ryhn I-P is accentuated by psychically-modified tonalities or emotional pulses, or the tradition involving the main singer slipping into a trance and becoming the object of their song [Using certain minor preparatory rituals the singer can outright cognitively trick themselves into becoming the psyche of the folk hero they are singing about, or the living avatar of one of the deities via deep-set psychic trance. Living out the story properly, to give it a euphemism.]]

[Individual singers are also popular to a lesser degree. It is less common, but still just as regarded as an art form as the iso-polyphonic folk songs and hymns. Individual singing is typically done for matters that are more personal in nature.]

[The practices for funeral dirges are different between each state, with some practicing group singing, while others prefer the individual type.]

[The Ryhn wear armour almost constantly, both as a means of maintaining war-readiness in the face of constant conflict, and as an expression of culture and tradition. The practice, in the context of its use even by the civilian elements of society, originated since before the Terminus March as means of honouring their fallen, as well as the agents of the Gods who secured the survival of the Ryhn species. Each suit is custom-made and individualised, bearing a hereditary name or list of deeds, as well as the heraldic colours and iconography of the individual wearing it. The elaborate and distinctive Ryhn helm crests, which evolved during the Terminus March, are an extension of this, part fashion statement, part heraldry, part family history, and part daily wear that serves to differentiate between individuals. The history of a Ryhn’s armour is enough to fill texts on their own, and indeed it is customary in some nations to commit it to writing, though this practice is often only undertaken in the twilight of life.]

[Ryhn armour is part of the standard dress code. Mandalorian-esque individualisation, personal touches and clan heraldry]

[Biosuit and robes worn beneath armour are standardised and made out of kinetic weaves.]

Language
Ryhn language is divided into three forms. The first is the Simplified Lexicon, a streamlined and minimalist variant developed by the linguists and translators of Anur Raan.

It is meant to facilitate interspecies or diaspora communication, prioritising efficiency in direct meaning with minimal words as well as a relatively simple alphabet and structure, though it pays the price in both nuance and elegance compared to the other two variants. To a Ryhn’s ear, the Simplified Lexicon sounds uncomplicated, austere, even blunt, though effective in communicating intent.

The second, what is referred to as the Canon Lexicon, is a standardised variant that serves as lingua franca across Ryhn space commonly used in day to day life, government operation, and other societal elements. In spite of being the “generic” tongue, Canon Lexicon is an almost obscenely difficult language, highlighted as much through psychic communication, tone, gesture and posture as words and writing.

Adding to the confusion are the many mythological references and double meanings that are instantly recognisable to a native, but difficult for a foreigner without a learned understanding of Ryhn faith to parse.

Owing to its complexity, only the most capable scholars acquire a degree of fluency, and in the cases of lesser-lifespan xenospecies this tends to be a lifelong endeavour.

For their part, the Ryhn see foreigners who learn a working Canon Lexicon vocabulary particularly impressive and worthy of respect, and some of the more traditionalist states require a solid understanding as a conditional rite of passage for diaspora to live among them, as it has acquired a veneration among all of the nation states.

Dialectic Lexicon, while the root origin of Canon and Simplified, and descended in turn from the proto-spacefaring Ryhn languages, is even more ancient and esoteric. If Canon is venerated, then Dialectic is holy, a link to ages past, to the Gods, to the old universe, and to a more peaceful and innocent time.

Though the core vocabulary and structure remain relatively familiar, each dialect is entirely unique to its individual nation state, and not spoken or used outside of them except by linguists and translators.

Each dialect bears cognates and isoglosses and other items that are completely idiosyncratic, often drawn from the nation’s unique history, myth and cultural situation, occasionally mixed with loanwords drawn from the closest Ryhn nations in proximity, or even from Proto-Spacefaring. The dialects are the child-tongues of the language learned by Herunnain and the Tutelary Agents, the pre-First Great War Ryhn, spoken by the elders and philosopher-sages with the weight of centuries upon them.

* 1 (Lit.T: Instruction or Learning)

* 2 (Rou.T: Examination or Inspection)

* 3 (Rough translation of the term _, can be variously interpreted as sage, wiseman, philosopher, or even elder, depending on dialectic inclination.)

* 4(Lit. T: Lesson of Herunnain)