Byllius Principality

From the Beginning

At the height of the Norouzi Dynasty, Byllius province was a cluster of densely populated worlds separated from the Imperial Core by the Sugambri Governorate and the expansive Hercyina Silva nebula. Connected to the rest of the nations of the Great Charter by a relatively narrow navigable passage called the Meridine Corridor, it had been traditionally governed by a Duke directly related to a Prince in the Imperial Family. Its history during that time was placid and the region prospered under peace and good governance.

Byllius as a society was only dimly aware of the Lydia event and the distant border skirmishes with the inscrutable alien entities colloquially known as the Outsiders. At the time it hardly mattered, as political infighting within the Empire had become cutthroat and the external threat seemed insignificant at best. Decade after decade the conflict was fought mostly by core Imperial fleets and it became one of a number of other factors sapping the Norouzi dynasty's strength. Slowly but surely the whole entered into steep decline.

As unrest and internal political ambitions began to fragment the Empire, support and direction from the home worlds became erratic and the province became a self-governing principality. While it owed nominal allegiance to the throne, the gradual loss of regular communication ultimately prevented the Emperor from exerting any influence there.

Following the collapse of the Norouzi Dynasty and the escalation of succession politics towards civil war, Byllius began arming in order to protect its interests. The Outsiders, it seemed, were also able to read the schisms within the Empire and began methodically advancing against the warring parties, though their goals and strategy were never clear. Some advanced intelligence was behind their movements, though entire sectors were bypassed, others were systematically annihilated.

Byllius itself was almost immediately removed from the civil war with the first major Outsider assault into the region, which severed the Meridine corridor and regular contact with the rest of the Empire. A series of campaigns were waged to re-open navigation and they met varying levels of success, occasionally allowing ships and information to traverse through to the Sugambri region, which later became the Kyburg Dynasty following the end of the Civil War. By the time the Kyburg Dynasty began to effectively combat the Outsiders, however, the noose had closed around Byllius and so began the Long Siege.

Characterized by intense raids and skirmishes, the Long Siege was a calculated and well-executed campaign of attrition by the Outsiders against the isolated Byllius state, while the much stronger Kyburg Dynasty continued to fight on the larger front. Initially the Siege was met with arrogance by the local admirals, whom firmly believed that the Outsiders could be overwhelmed and pushed out of the Meridine Corridor. In the first years whole fleets were lost in the attempt and Outsider attacks on the frontier worlds began to intensify.

The heavily developed and populated core of Byllius relied on its frontier worlds for material support and as the attacks continued, the production and flow of goods to the interior began to stutter. Decade after decade it became harder and harder to maintain the perimeter and all attempts at re-taking the corridor were finally abandoned. Material shortages and logistical problems became commonplace, as safe routes for trade within Byllius dwindled. Settlements and whole worlds were eventually abandoned in an effort to tighten the defenses, but the Outsiders were a relentless force. No matter the opposition, attacks continued if only for the sake of inflicting damage on ships or infrastructure.

The fabric of society began to unravel as logistical shortfalls trickled down into a shortage of basic essentials, aggravated by populations displaced towards the densely populated interior from the beleaguered frontier worlds.

Defeat, though, was unthinkable. If the Outsiders attacked in earnest and succeeded in finally overwhelming the defenses, they would spare no one. Society as a whole shrugged off many of its inhibitions and threw itself into the matter of survival. Radical change followed, each step allowing the state to survive each inching advance of the Outsiders.

The Byllius Principality as it is today, is gaunt and tired compared to its former self. The candle has been burning at both ends for too long and the damage is telling. Civil infrastructure is in disrepair and crumbling and the fleet has been reduced to scavenging its own ships for spare parts. It is a state at the very end of a long road of hardship and it may have been resigned to its ultimate doom. Until, that is, the universe itself seemed to deliver them escape, and salvation.

National Stats

38 points

Population: Rank 3 (5)

The golden age of Byllius province passed with the collapse of the Great Charter and its glorious luster has faded in the long years of adversity since, but so long as the people of Byllius live the nation shall never be extinguished.

Transhumanism: Rank 2 (2)

During the Long Siege, strained logistics and shortages of basic essentials nearly brought Byllius to its knees. In the absence of many of the things that made life tolerable, and sometimes even possible for the average man, many people turned to mass-market cybernetics in order to subside on less. While these cybernetics were cheap, they weren't without cost. People could work tirelessly and live in smaller spaces devoid of creature comforts, but the technology could not offer them the day to day experiences of being alive. It has given rise to a society where only the elite can fully afford the luxuries of what most would call everyday life, shunning mechanical augmentation entirely, while the poor are forced to rely on virtual reality simulations to satisfy their cravings for the warmth of the sun and the scent of a breeze.

Infrastructure: Rank 4+1 (4)

The sheltered industrial heartlands that allowed Byllius to survive the Long Siege had never been fully vulnerable to enemy threat, though not quite enough to keep up with the slow erosion of the fleet. No new ships have passed through the Dichallon Locks to the outer worlds in nearly twenty years and virtually all efforts of the star yards and foundries are directed at keeping the remaining ships of the Byllius fleet from breaking down altogether.

Growth Potential: Rank 3 (3)

For thirty years the Outsiders and their inexorable advance had slowly tightened the noose around isolated former Imperial territories. Even a brief repose would allow the beleagured state to re-establish its tenuous logistical chains and recoup valuable frontier possessions that had been given up for lost.

Military Support: Rank 4 (4)

In recent years most 'fleet maintenance' has involved determining which ships to strip for parts. Given survival has typically been proportional to the number of ships on the firing line, this practice has given rise to a delightful, ruthlessly efficient logistical organism.

Space Fleet: Rank 6+1 (6)

There's nothing more telling of the state of the nation than the conditon of the fleet, summarized by a common enlisted man's addage: "If it wasn't for spite and bailing wire, we wouldn't have a damned thing."

Diplomacy: Rank 2 (2)

As it turns out, most of the diplomatic corps is simply thrilled they have someone to talk to. It may take some time for them to find their words again.

Espionage: Rank 2 (2)

At one point the Bureau of Strategic Information controlled a vast intelligence-gathering apparatus mostly concerned with the day to day intrigues and power struggles of the Great Charter's member-states. In the time since it has mostly been relegated to internal security and there is no doubt the Bureau has fallen into a state of mediocrity for lack of a proper challenge, or at least an environment where performance metrics are no longer tied by necessity with avoiding untimely death.

General Advancement: Rank 1 (4)

Imperial technology has always offered enough tools for the well motivated to succeed, though none of them are particularly special. Given the chance, there are those in power who would sacrifice entire worlds to regain a few secrets of the old empire's might.

Unique Technologies: Rank 2 (3)

Fourty years after the onset of the Long Siege, one expedition successfully navigated the Hercyina Silva and was able to bypass the blockade of the Meridine Corridor, reaching into regions of the old Empire that had been out of contact for near a hundred years. While a sizeable fleet was dispatched and returned intact, the public record omits whatever they found there, or what they brought back with them.

Emergent Technologies: Rank 2 (3)

The maligned savior of the state is no doubt the revolution in taboo technologies. Nanotechnology and cybernetics have ultimately delivered Byllius from collapse several times as political opposition yielded with the failure of all other alternatives to ensure the long-term survival of the nation.

Magic: Rank 0 (0)

What? The universe doesn't kindly ask everything follow the Suggested Guidelines of Physics.

Military

Fleet (900)

3 Flagship (S15) - 45

At one time, the fleet had a grand flagship for each of the noble houses that funded their construction. Some met a glorious end against the enemy, but the sad truth is most of them have succumbed to long years of wear and hard use.

15 Battleships (S10) - 150

The newest capital ships in service of the state have not found it easy to fulfill their duties. Still in their prime and largely free of crippling mechanical problems, they have been forced into action far too often for the sake of less capable vessels that may not make it back home. They are universally battered and all but the most grievous damage they've suffered in combat has been hastily repaired on the frontiers rather than a proper star yard. The events of recent years promished that all of them would die violently and it is rare that one is pulled from the front for proper refit.

17 Battleships (S9) - 153

Most of them twenty years past their expected service life, others worse, the mainstay of the Byllius fleet rests in the venerable ships who have survived on the line longer than any others.

16 Battleships (S8) - 128

Though lacking in firepower and protection compared to a current-era warship, in a different time they were proud capital ships in their own right. Their glory years are long over, but these antequated man o' wars are far from useless.

112 Light Cruiser (S6) - 168

The 'cruisers' of the Byllius fleet are a diverse lot counting nineteen different classes amongst themselves. Most are the survivors of what once were extended families of these ships, surviving by looting parts from their derelict relatives.

176 Fleet Escorts (S4) - 176

The ubiquitous escort classes were most often put together on the front from modules fabricated on different frontier worlds. While this had some influence on the survivability of the early models, nanomechanical packages in recent years have greatly assisted in seamless integration. Their construction gives them an unpolished, unsophisticated appearance and despite that they have always identified well with crews for being at least partly built by the worlds they patrol. Owing to their modular construction and nearby facilities that can service them, the escorts remain the only branch of the fleet in fully adequate and serviceable condition.

160 Torpedo Boat (S2) - 80

Little more than parasite craft, simplicity of design and ease of repair have made the smallest ships of the fleet often in the best condition. There are few that show signs of combat damage by simple virtue of how rare it is such a small ship survives a direct hit.

Strategic Defenses (40)

The Dichallon Locks (S40) - 40

The one and only great fortress of Byllius lies at the gateway to its populous inner worlds. Originally concieved as a propaganda piece in the excess of the golden era, now its importance as a strategic asset is ironically and unintentionally realized.