United Sonic Principalities

The United Sonic Principalities is a confederation of twelve small, meteographically linked states located predominantly in the lower orbits of Ardjet. Faced with sustained climate cooling in much of its territory and foreign invasion, the people of the Sonic dominions have united and rapidly industrialized both to defend what is already theirs and to acquire resources and living space for future generations.

History

The constituent states of the United Sonic Principalities have been politically separate dominions for most of their history. Up to little more than a century ago, they spent most of their resources competing with one another as completely independent countries. From the second half of the 47th century, long-standing cooling of the climate became an increasingly significant impediment to the economies of several of these dominions, resulting in heightened agreements of trade and cooperation.

Faced with Imperial aggression under the dictatorship of Desslok, the Belkan War tested and intensified solidarity among the Sonikans, culminating the foundation of the United Sonic Principalities. The wisdom of the decision seemed confirmed on religious grounds when, shortly thereafter, the 11th Invasion Fleet was wiped out in a storm hailed as the intervention of the Divine Wind. With the time and space won by this upset victory and the collapse of the Belkar Empire, the Sonikans consolidated their military and financial resources for a series of fierce defensive battles and a program of rapid armament and industrialization that continues to this day.

In recent years, the United Sonic Guards have taken over the former Belkan regional naval base. Renamed Sol Ciel, the isolated island has become a densely populated city with heavy emmigration from the Home Islands. Sonikans have also occupied several outlying territories composing Orbs-Ivlis-Dilete and is poised for further expansionism into the surrounding region.

Culture

Sonikans are culturally linked via spoken language, religion and race (being Apoions) but are divided by nation. Wing structure is the definitive identifier of nationality, affecting citizenship, inheritance of property and a host of other matters under traditional law. Each of the twelve nations speaks a different dialect of Sonico (though all are largely mutually intelligible) and share a pantheon of celestial and meteological deities. Chief among these are Sonica – the Mother of Song, Eponym of Language and Koruga – the Cloud of Death. More recently, Dilete – the Divine Wind has become a strong figure in the wake of the Belkan War. Sonikans tend to be fairly devout compared to the people of similarly technologically advanced states. Religion and superstition remain strong cultural and political forces.

Although commonly referred to as Sonikans abroad, most prefer to be referred to by their nationality, especially while in their homelands. Many are firm that their state is not one country but a collection of countries and while not formally correct, the usual Sonikan parlance for the USP is still the more traditional 'Twelve Dominions'. While the idea of solidarity has had over a century to establish itself, Sonikans maintain a lively rivalry in every field they can think of. Even military units, though usually having no membership restrictions, maintain cultural traditions that date back to when they were forces under a specific dominion.

Government

The archprincesses of each of the Twelve Dominions are collectively Head of State of the United Sonic Principalities. Each member nation runs its own local affairs, its own monarchy and the majority of Sonikans wouldn't have it any other way. The power of the princesses derives from their role as leaders and priestesses of the Sonikan pantheon. While their authority is sometimes moderated by other members of their royal family, each is an absolute monarch within their dominion and generally only submits to their peers in the context of the Sonic Council, itself a formalization of an older tradition stemming from the 47th century Kanycan Convention.

Each session of the Sonic Council lasts two years with each member hosting in turn. While there are provisions for the extraordinary case of all twelve monarchs gathered in one meeting, this has never happened since the formation of the union. Under the constitution, if even a single one of the monarchs is unable or indisposed to attend, then none do so. Hence, all meetings are conducted behind closed doors by specially appointed civilian Presidents. It is currently the 18th Session of the Sonic Council under the presidency of the Principality of Sankt. Having officially moved their royal court to the new city of Sol Ciel in the last few years, this is the first time the capital of the USP has been outside the Home Islands. Because of the delicacy of dealings between monarchs, the council is very careful in its selection of subjects for discussion, generally limiting itself to military and foreign affairs.

The Twelve Dominions

Midchis
Midchis is the most powerful of the twelve, controlling most of the Kanycan cluster after beating all of their opponents in the Kanycan War a hundred years ago.

Karino
As the architects of the 47th century Kanycan Convention as well as the USP itself, Karino has developed a reputation as the peacemakers and diplomats. Their territory was reduced to a single isle during the Kanycan War upon which the great city of Ven Ciel subsequently grew.

Azel
Azel is the only dominion that originates rimward of the Robe. Their subtropical isles of Azel-Ivlis have been a breadbasket to the region for centuries. Their proportion of the total Sonikan population grew considerably over the past century and a half and as such they became the second most powerful overall.

Floria
The Principality of Floria occupies the rimwardmost of the Home Islands besides Azel-Ivlis. Their country and people considered the most beautiful of the Twelve Dominions.

Nanasy
Rainy.

Sankt
The current host of the Sonic Council. The Sankt dominion was sharply reduced by the Kanycan War but the nation's fortunes turned recently when they won the right to resettle in the city of Sol Ciel.

Pucelle
A mostly depopulated nation, Pucelle survives almost entirely as a proud military tradition.

Ikasa

Meiru

Reizei
Like Pucelle, the Reizei is a greatly reduced nation and exists almost entirely as a diaspora among the others.

Vezendy

Viede
The bitterly cold Viede homeland is the innermost of the orbits and now sees snow almost year round. Almost 80% of the population has emigrated to more hospitable territory.

Unique Trait

Sky Knights
Apoions are natural fliers with compact bodies and, as a result, a high average G tolerance. To take advantage of this, the Sonic Guards employs high performance aircraft in support of all military operations. By customizing aircraft and payload for individual missions, Sonikan aircraft-carrying warships and ground units operating with air cover have unparalleled operational flexibility.

Zones

Points: 138
Industry: 99
Upkeep: 200
Materials

Claria: 15

Sakuradite: 12

Adamant: 3

Sildron: 3

Orbs-Sonica

Orbs-Sonica is the original motherland of the Twelve Dominions, occupying an isolated quadrant in the innermost orbit of Ardjet. Kanyca is by far the largest archipelago among the Sonikan Home Islands with approximately the landmass of all the others combined. Until about a century ago, it was divided more or less evenly between the dominions of Midchis, Karino, Vezendy, Reizei, Sankt and Pucelle. Desperation stemming from climate and economic crisis drove the cluster into the Kanycan War during which Midchis more or less defeated all its opponents. Presently, Midchis controls about 85% of the territory, Karino controls the metropolis of Ven Ciel and Vezendy controls most of the rest.

1 x Cluster (3 sakuradite)

5 x Reef (5 claria, 5 sakuradite)

6 x Empty

2 x Military Base

1 x Metropolis

The Robe

The Robe is a Tyrus-Lorenz type Claria condensation cloud that forms the natural rimward border to Orbs-Sonica. Its most notable locale is the research headquarters of Reizei Integrated Force Laboratories. The installation lies somewhere in the clouds and was instrumental in developing weaponry that ultimatedly repelled foreign incursions during the General War.

2 x Gas Cloud

1 x Military Base

Sol Ciel

Sol Ciel was a Belkan regional naval base occupied by the Sonikans some seven years ago. Owing to a fantastically pleasant tropical climate, the once isolated rock became a major destination for emigration from Orbs-Sonica and civilian settlement has now largely dwarfed the original military purpose. The cosmopolitan city was officially awarded to the Archprincess of Sankt, who made it her capital. Each of the other dominions has at least a small settlement area with larger sections given to the nations with the least territory.

1 x Empty

1 x Military Base

1 x Metropolis

Orbs-Ivlis-Dilete

Literally "lands brought by Dilete - the Divine Wind", Orbs-Ivlis-Dilete is a region of island-hopped military conquests taken over the past fifteen years. The sole exception is the archipelago of Azel-Ivlis, which is considered among the Home Islands. Pucella Citadel is a massive military stronghold that is also the capital of Pucelle.

1 x Reef (free; 1 claria, 1 sakuradite)

3 x Ring

1 x Military Base

Military

Points: 92 (1380 IP)
Upkeep: 254/200

12 Sword class dreadnought
(+1) Klein Field (Sildron)
(+1) Gravity Turbines (Claria)
(+1) Aircraft (Sakuradite/Claria)
(+0) Hexagons
Designed a decade after the end of the General War, the Sword class dreadnoughts are the first capital ships built entirely within the Sonikan Home Islands. Initially intended to replace the motely collection of second hand vessels that made up the heavy elements of the Sonic Guards navy, both they and the Sonikan economic recovery turned out so well that the fleet eventually tripled in size. They have since been at the leading edge of the USP's outward expansion, developing a reputation for being fast and tough. Its most recognizeable feature however, is doubtless the extensive aviation facilities that occupy the aft deck.

12 Song class heavy cruiser
(+1) Hadron Shock Cannons (Sakuradite)
(+1) Aircraft (Sakuradite/Claria)
(+0) Ominous Avian Profile
Constructed in the shadows of much more visible dreadnought battleships, Sonikan Song class heavy cruisers were built as a cheaper alternative to more dreadnoughts on the line of battle and as a powerful, far-ranging patrol to threaten enemy shipping and defend the USP's extensive shoal and ring zones. To this end, it is fitted with powerful hadron shock cannons to give it firepower more in line with a capital ship and, of course, an aviation deck. Just how effective the resultant ship for its cost in any of its prescribed roles has not yet been tested.

60 Demon class light cruiser
(+1) Aircraft (Sakuradite/Claria)
(+0) Variable Geometry
Destroyers are too small to launch and rearm aircraft so the Sonikans look towards aircraft-carrying light cruisers as a workhorse unit. Their sleek, variable geometry design belies a fundamental simplicity that has allowed the Sonikans to turn out a fair number of these ships in the past several years.

4 Art class monitor
(+1) Twin Gravity Blast (Claria)
With new heavy cruisers coming online, the fleet arm took several of its last generation armoured cruiser hulls and heavily rebuilt them, mounting a pair of reverse-engineered graviton induction cannons as a siege weapon.

60 Reinforce class destroyers
This new standard multi-role destroyer is a middling hull design with view towards potential mission-specific expansions but no particular field of excellence out of the box. As in many armed forces, they are assigned little glory but few doubt their necessity on the battlefield, if only to make up the numbers.

3 Lady class marauder
The USP's only cloaking warships purchased under heavy secrecy several years ago followed later by both her sisters. Rumors are that the mysterious vessel has an onboard AI capable of controlling all onboard functions and can more than adequately fight with a bare handful of officers onboard. It is equipped with an array of unusual weapons.
(+1) Thanatonium Shockwave Torpedoes
(+1) Superheavy Claria-Induction Graviton Cannon
(+1) Spy Sensors
(+0) Mental Model

30 Assault Ship
(+1) Fast (Claria)

70 Military Transport

30 Sonic Valkyries brigade
(+1) Combat Engineering (Adamant)
(+1) Armour (Adamant)
(+1) Air Support (Sakuradite/Claria)
(+0) Quirky Traditions
Valkyr units trace their traditions to the personal household retainers of royalty and mostly maintain those traditions despite recruitment on a qualifications-only basis being mandated for most of them. They form the elite of the Sonic Guards infantry force and are trained and equipped for a vast array of difficult missions.

5 Valkr Pucella brigade
(+1) Stealth (Sildron)
(+1) Electronics (Claria)
(+1) Aerospace Unit (Sakuradite/Claria)
(+0) Catsuits
The Valkyr Pucella holds a special position among even the Valkr for their legendary actions during the Kanycan War and are traditionally first in the military order of precedence. Among several traditional privileges is to recruit only from Pucelle. Once as general in purpose as any household guard, they have evolved into covert ops specialists. Although best known as the state and capital security force, that role is neither exclusive to them nor their exclusive duty.

100 Sonic Guards brigade
(+1) Air Support (Sakuradite/Claria)
(+0) Braggable Uniforms
Aside from being stylishly (if not always weather appropriately) attired for parades, the Sonic Guards is well known for operating with extensive, well coordinated air support for everything from reconnaissance to precision strike.

18 Tactical Armour brigade
(+1) Air Support (Sakuradite/Claria)
(+0) Mecha
An offensive military unit centered around various infantry fighting vehicles and the eponymous 4.5m tall "tactical armour" unit. Rarely referred to as the Sonic Dragoons.

9 Main Battle Armour brigade
(+1) Air Support (Sakuradite/Claria)
(+0) Mecha
In contrast to tactical armours, a main battle armour is, as the classification suggests, more like a proper tank in size. Like the tactical armour, it is an offensive unit built almost explicitly to invade foreign soil as the Sonikans have never had a precedent armoured tradition.