Odraani Answers! (Patreon)

Here are the answers! They are quite lengthy, but tried to cover the questions of similar topics together!

What is the Odranni homeworld like? What is it called? What biomes are most prominent? Is there anything special about it such as the amount on continents it has?

Any recommendations for sightseeing on the homeworld?

Setten is located in a binary star system, relatively close to its sun, and because of it the climate is warm with most of the biomes ranging from scorching deserts through savannahs to jungles.

It has a single supercontinent, Maro. Studies are showing that it is in the process of breaking up into three continents, albeit slowly.

The gravity is slightly stronger, which is why the natives seem to be so nimble even when carrying heavy gear.

While the planet itself is relatively unfit for tourism given its harsh conditions, Liyyzen is considered to be the most spectacular city that kept its pre-over industrialization look. It is built into a series of valleys along the ocean shore.

Monarchies are fun! What's the Emperor (or Empress) up to these days?

How would you describe the Odranni polity? A democracy? A constitutional/absolutist monarchy? Oligarchy? Something else?

The empire was led by the Empress for most of its history, however, once it began its interstellar colonization and conquering efforts, a council of 7 representatives was established. Each councillor represents a number of systems, with the Empress being the head of the council. The Empress represents Setten, and she is the only one with a right to veto.

Because communication is incredibly slow in between the systems, most regions act semi-independently, with local governors in charge. Corruption and abuse of power is a serious issue that plagues every branch.

Have you managed to bring many species under your glorious rule, or is that a work-in-progress sort of thing?

What's the protocol of the Odraani in regards to new contacts? It seems they've met Darb-Earth, is there a reason they haven't just conquered it?

The Odranni seems to be an expanding imperium, so how does it govern its newly conquered territories? How are conquered peoples treated?

60% of known space is under Odraani control, varying between light and heavy supervision; amounting to a current total of 37 habitable planets (used to be 39, where one as evacuated and rendered inhabitable after an industrial accident, the other being lost to a rebellion.)

How a new planet is being treated depends on a lot of variables; if it's uninhabited and suitable for terraforming, the Odraani colonises it.

If a habitable planet's population is cooperative, the local governments stay in charge but with a local Odraani 'peacekeeping' militia plus advisors to supervise it. Most of the time, their presence means a huge boom in trade, even if most deals end up favouring the Odraani.

However, if a planet is uncooperative and is actively hostile, a large fleet is called in to keep the inhabitants at bay; these mean strict new laws, curfews and patrols, and taking on the shoot first, ask questions later policy hoping to put an end to the situation swiftly. The garrison of Odraani troops on land features large numbers of other species from collaborative planets in order to boost their numbers.

Out of the 37 planets, only 4 are under heavy supervision. 

(Elise’s universe is completely different from theirs, taking place in another galaxy)

What's the Empire's greatest feat of engineering? Perhaps an impressive building or a Death Star lookalike?

Jump gates! Most of their tech is somewhat lagging behind, or simply reverse engineered, like laser weaponry.

Even in their current state, these massive, solar-powered megastructures allow the Odraani to move vast amounts of ships and cargo around in the "blink" of an eye.

Their charge times are slow, taking up two whole weeks to tear a rift, and can only stay open for a few minutes, but allow instant travel.

They are accident-prone, such as sending the ships to the wrong coordinates over corrupted data or simply cutting them in half because of poor timing.

The gates are the main reason most planets decide to cooperate with the Odraani, as they open up enormous opportunities within trading and migration.

Are there any rebels, pirates, dissidents and the like trying to bring it down from within?

Out of the army/navy/air force/space force, which gets the most attention?

There are always groups not fully agreeing with the direction the Odraani are aiming for; most of them a relatively small nuisance, with the Odraani not having to interfere at all, as the local militias can handle them.

Pirates are not much of a problem, thanks to the jump gates, however, the Odraani often make deals with outlaws to hassle foreign trade routes.

Their most prominent branch is the 'Aviation' branch which includes both air and space force, with their Navy being the least favoured branch, as it lost its significance once space-faring became "cheap".

Their ground troops are left undeployed until necessary, given their heavy, fragile suits, but their weapons make up for their weakness. The army also uses militias made up of conscripted alien species, equipped with Odraani tech to the dirty work.

What's Odranni culture like? Is it a single monoculture or is it incredibly multi-cultural but under a single polity? If the latter, what would be considered their 'dominant' culture? What does the average Odranni wear? Any fantastic holidays they have? What sort of media do they enjoy? What sort of cultural values are the Odranni encouraged to aspire to?

It’s really hard to describe their culture, as they are made up of hundreds of species, each coming from different regions or even planets, bringing their own culture. 

However, their 'dominant' culture is what the precursor of the Odraani nourished, which carried its influence into the whole empire.

The most 'Odraanian' casualwear is usually made up of multiple layers of long robe-like garments or loose-fitting clothes made from sturdy fabrics, that cover most of the body, including the neck and the topside of the tail. It is also fashionable to cover the back of the neck, especially for snakes.

These originate from Setten, where protection from direct, scorching sunlight is necessary.

Their most beloved forms of entertainment are music, dancing and theatre, though lately cinema has also set foot after contacting a more advanced world.

Art is generally abstract and geometric, not using shading or perspective.

Only a few holidays are celebrated empire-wise, such as the Empress' Riseday (Hatchday), New Year's Eve, Unification Day (the day when the modern empire formed) and Soequi (when the two suns of Setten align with another).

The main philosophy of the Odraani to be in control of your own body, your surroundings, and life in general; this includes a healthy lifestyle, living in an orderly fashion, but also mining planets to the core or a never-ending urge to be in charge.

Question for Darb: What would you say are your main sources of inspiration for the Odranni? They are a pretty cool idea and I'm curious what inspired you to create them. Thinking of telling any stories with them? .w.

Tons of places! Star Wars, Halo, Freelancer, Mass Effect, Killzone, Fallout and so on; it's really a hodge-podge of ideas, but it's a ton of fun to play around with things! One point I really want to keep in mind is to keep the whole setting fun, and sometimes even cheesy, not too serious!

And while I really love world-building, I have the storytelling abilities of a colander. <.>

( Many thanks to DiscardingSabot@FA for proofreading this <3 )