Arden Star Empire

The Arden Star Empire is a cluster of 300 solar systems with 233 settled planets. It was previously part of the M'KHaren empire, but broke off during the Mage Wars and no longer shares a border. Arden is also an early member of the Alliance and considered a very prosperous state. While a sovereign nation, it is often regarded as part of Joint Space.

Capitol

The imperial Capitol is Arden Song, a prosperous world with many ancient buildings. The National Museum houses a collection of artifacts known as "The Arsenal of Freedom", which is quite valuable.

Government

Officially, Arden is a Constitutional Monarchy, with a direct, popular vote. There is no highest office; the government is ruled by a parliament of which various members take turns heading, rotating every three days whilst government is in session. The Emperor holds no direct political power, but is responsible for opening and closing parliament, and wields certain powers "for the people". For example, the Emperor is allowed to suspend parliament, and may also force its members to work without pay if the citizens feel they are doing a poor job.

While Arden's royal family will typically trace its lineage to the M'KHaren Empire, no single line held the throne longer than three centuries before the dawn of the Second Age, when the head of the then-ruling house brought in the Crimson Blade. Since then, the line has been broken several times when a sitting emperor died without a formal heir, and various forced vied for their own empire. By the mid Fifth Age, the royal court had established a system which tracked the next heir out to over a thousand places, thus ensuring a proper emperor was always available.

Actual Leadership

True power in Arden belongs primarily to the Great Houses, which collectively own around ninety percent of the economy and seventy percent of available land, including all major corporations. Every citizen on Arden is a member of at least one House, with purity of the bloodline a major factor in one's political and economic station. On Arden the term "Roughian" refers to an individual who belongs to many different houses and has a very diluted bloodline. Loyalty to one's house is considered paramount, so roughians who have not proven their loyalty to a house make up the lowest members of society.

Each house has a Patriarch (or Matriarch) who controls the house and its resources, and through those resources, its members. Members of a specific house are expected to vote in accordance with the Patriarch's wishes. All members of parliament either directly control a house, or controlled by one.

Arden is in fact very unusual economy, insofar as effectively no one makes a living wage. It is impossible to emigrate to the empire, because available jobs do not pay enough to support one's self. Arden's own people instead earn most of their money through a "House Benefit" paid to them according to their station and standing within the House. The great houses also own most of the land and buildings, so part of the house benefit is usually a place to live.

Rather in spite of this odd arrangement, the economy in the Arden Star Empire is quite strong, with a high standard of living for most of the populous. The chief industries are tourism and banking, with primary exports being knowledge and skills-based. Manufacturing, while healthy, is primarily focused around the local needs of the Empire; as the import and export of goods at the inter-stellar level has a very low profit margin.

Tourism

Arden Song is home to a major GATE-point interface, while an actual GATE hub exists in a neighboring star system that is part of a Foundation total control zone. Similar interfaces exist throughout the empire, with local terrestrial travel and space tourism common from the interfaces. In the Sixth Age, Arden's primary attraction is it's many buildings and artifacts of great antiquity. Nearly every city boasts structures dating back to the Mage Wars, with many far older; and every town and village has preserved at least one building from it's earliest inception. For many Alliance tourists, such things are a real rarity.

Trading on this notion, Arden is full of "micro museums" and displays, many of which contain perfectly ordinary objects that just happen to have great age. While most of these are not particularly profitable, they help lend to the over-all atmosphere of the the empire, which has also purchased many artifacts from all over the known worlds. Very few places offer the same level of variety.

Arden became especially popular in the post-war period of the Sixth Age, when countless displaced refugees traveled to it's museums to see items preserved from their now-lost home worlds. While Arden is certainly known to have profited from this trade; they made a considerable effort towards showing respect for the now-lost civilizations they represented. Many Ardenians view themselves as protectors of history, and view the artifacts in their museums and collections as important items which should be kept safe.

Curiously, in contrast to Ardenian's otherwise self-severing society, "historical artifacts" are viewed as property of the state, and do not belong to individual great houses. Well many houses are in physical possession of large collections, they are seen as stewards and curators, not owners.

Defense

Since the early Second Age, the Arden Star Empire has leased its inter-stellar military defense to the Crimson Blade, the mercenary branch of the Gudersnipe Foundation. The Foundation maintains one hundred and fifty battle groups, about eight thousand ships, in the region, with an agreement that at least seventy percent must be "combat ready" at all times. The Ardens have often quibbled with the Foundation over the exact definition of combat status, with the divisions assigned to the region holding some of the worst operational readyness grades in the entire corps. However, as the region is politically stable, the need for a high degree of combat capability is low.

As part of their agreement, Arden seeded three complete solar systems and a further nineteen planets to the Foundation as "total control zones". A portion of Arden's payment for the Blade's services comes in the form of raw materials mines from these sites; the rest is paid by the government. Arguments over the value of Ardenian standardized currency, against the Foundation's, are common.

Despite their long relationship, Crimson Bladers are discouraged from mixing with the Ardenians. Very few bases are on or near habitable worlds, and ships on patrol avoid giving their crews liberty leaves at Ardenian ports wherever possible, even though one of Arden's primary industries is tourism.

In addition to the Crimson Blade fleet providing defense on an inter-stellar level, Arden also maintains a strong civil defense force, staffed by Ardenian citizens, and armed with weapons purchased from the Gudersnipe Foundation. Arden is, in fact, among the very few nations who operate the Harpy-class of fighter-bomber under export from the Foundation; most operators gain the craft under lend-lease, but Arden is able to purchase and legally own operational units, as well as produce some replacement parts locally.

The division of military assets is considered favorable by both sides; despite its wealth and strong economy, Arden does not possess the resources necessary to build warships on a scale that the Foundation does, while keeping the smaller assets directly in the hands of the people helps the Blade avoid mixing with the locals, whose lifestyle the Foundation considers "unwholesome".

Criticisms

While the Foundation and the Arden Star Empire have always maintained a close political and economic relationship, the Foundation is not complimentary of the Ardenians. One high-ranking official openly referred to Arden's economy as "farcical" and "the extreme-end of the welfare state". Roughly ninety-nine percent of Arden's wealth is controlled by just five hundred and eleven house patriarchs. There are six great houses that own entire planets. Ninety-five percent of Ardenians live in houses they do not own, and from which they can be evicted at any time. Even most of the societal elite have little to no actual money of their own, and rely instead on lavish gifts and credit lines from the house.

Arden, effectively, has no middle-class: just the patriarchy and its subjects. There is no space for personal wealth, no opportunity for self-making: if you aren't born into the higher etchlons of society, you have no hope of rising above your station.