Races of the Satare Empire

The Imperium "homeworld" is known as Sataré, is a large world with little in the way of landmasses, orbited by thirteen moons.

As a result of these moons, the natural tides are violent. The planet itself was all but abandoned centuries ago, leaving behind small conclaves of fishing folk living in stilted shacks along the vicious island coasts.

The moons serve as homes for the majority of the population, ten being mostly suitable for habitation thanks in part to intense terraforming.

The culture and wealth of these colonies varies vastly, with the upper classes living in high rise towers in futuristic cities and the poor dwelling in walled settlements that more resemble medieval villages.

Most technological advancements are reserved for the military and the rich, and as most of the rich ARE military families, it ends up pretty much one and the same. While there are still millions living with only horses and carts as transport, the military has access to massive warships capable of warp travel. The majority of the empire's wealth goes into fighting various wars, "defending the people" and attempting to expand their empire and resources.

Many of the colonies exist as farming settlements, utilizing modern technology combined with good old-fashioned horsepower. It's worked for thousands of years after all, so why not simply keep it up?

The rural colonies are poor; people still spend nights darning socks and washing laundry by hand. Farming work is still done using a lot of manual labor and a few simple machines (Think Victorian level of tech mostly,some automation), though crops have been genetically modified to be hardier and easier to grow.
The technology level on the rural colonies could best be equated to something similar to the poverty-stricken areas of modern earth. While the small settlements do have running water and electricity, and hygiene is less of a problem thanks to filtering technology, proper medical care is hard to come by unless you travel to the larger cities. Those who can afford to, use tractors, but most still use horses.

They have a lot renewable power. Solar, wind and hydroelectric energy is used for the majority of settlements along with biomass generators. Even the most backwater town has indoor plumbing, but may not have a very reliable power supply, many isolated settlements run on small local generators they haven't the money or resources to adequately maintain.

Most of the colonies have artificially controlled weather, the weather satellites are generally reliable, but solar flares and space debris can take them offline, resulting in rather catastrophic storms and chaotic weather until they're repaired.

The terrain of many of the colony moons makes automotive transport difficult to say the least, so beasts of burden are used for most things instead. Personal automobiles are simply unheard of outside the upper class cities, they simply aren't practical. Instead most farmers and merchants implement horse drawn carts to get from a to b. On the whole, there are few paved roads in the rural areas and fewer cars and trucks.
Horses and cattle are cheaper than fuel anyway.   

Satare

The Satare are a tall humanoid race barely distinguishable from humans. They have a dark olive complexion and typically red hair, though variations of blonde aren't uncommon either. They tend to have green or blue eyes. They are tall and bulky, standing on average around 6'6" for males and 6'2" for females.
Broad shouldered and extremely robust, they're strong and tough and seem to adapt well to most environments.


Hexenfolke

The Hexenfolke are a downtrodden race, physically and culturally distinct from the rest of the empire.
The forested moon they call home has little in the way of natural resources, barring of course wood and stone, and they get only what they need from the home world and other colonies.
Largely ignored and mostly forgotten, the Hexenfolke tend to be treated as second class citizens. Their access to medicine is limited only to the larger settlements, the smaller villages mostly relying on old-fashioned folk medicines and remedies. They have a rich culture of magic and superstition, a contrast to their cold, war minded oppressors.

On average, Hexenfolke tend to be shorter than the Satare, with males standing around 6' and females around 5'8".

Their hair is typically slightly wavy and pale white-blonde or strawberry blonde; though light brown and black isn't unheard of. Their skin is ruddy and prone to freckling, which has lead to a common trend of covering their heads with veils and headscarves as protection from the sun.
Their eyes are light, ranging from grey to blue and rarely, green.
The Hexenfolke have sharp features and a typically fine bone structure. Their limbs are often described as being "overlong" and disproportionate to their bodies, long and slender with equally long slim fingers and toes.


While hybrids are possible and happen occasionally, the general contempt toward Hexenfolke and prejudice toward such unions means they're rare. Hexenfolke are considered by most Satare to be backwards, a little folksy and prone to superstition. They're often blamed for the "Infection" that's laid waste to huge regions, though there's absolutely no basis for this accusation other than the Hexenfolke being an easy scapegoat. They are paradoxically, also regarded as excellent healers and doctors and guard their herbal knowledge carefully. It's the only leverage they have against the Imperium.

Naming conventions: Old Germanic, Norse. The Satare tend to have Germanic names while the Hexenfolke's names are more commonly Norwegian/Finnish sounding. They also just make stuff up because they can.
Most Satare names will be war related. They never use the prefaces "tor" (thor, they don't have gods), "Wolf" (they don't have wolves either, and werewolves are terrible so they will avoid anything with Wolf in it) and "Hund" (dog). Canines in general aren't commonly found within the Empire, they aren't well liked.

While most of the time their names are gendered, there is a lot of overlap, particularly of traditionally masculine names being given to girls.

Language: Their language sounds rather remarkably proto Germanic, there's bits that to a linguist would sound Norse, with elements of other North (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian) and West (German, Old English) Germanic scattered in.
They write in runic form, their writing closest resembling Gothic (rather than Futhark) written left to right.

The Hexenfolke speak the same language, albeit with a few of their own unique phrases and terms and with a more North Germanic accent. (They should sort of sound Norwegian)
The Satare accent is closer to modern German sounding, perhaps a bit harsher and more guttural.

J should always be said as a Y sound. W as a V. V as F.

Culture:

The Empire is a war prone nation, their method of expansion across the stars being one more of genocide than adoption. They're a people who take what they want, when they want it. As a result, they have few allies and many enemies with whom they're almost constantly fighting.
They operate mandatory conscription. Cadets are recruited just after their fourteenth birthday and spend the first nine months undergoing intensive combat training before branching out into individual disciplines for a minimum of fifteen months. After this, the majority who remain go into combat orientated roles, be that air force (Known as the Fleet, a combination of Navy and Air Force rolled into one due to the nature of space), infantry or home defense (Who naturally see very little actual action).

The medical core is almost entirely made up of Hexenfolke, who refuse to fight. They use a combination of technology and herbal remedies passed down through the generations, their ancestral knowledge has proved invaluable to the Empire who are too pragmatic to pass up something as useful as a good doctor.

Conscientious objectors (who are rare) and condemned prisoners end up in munitions factories and the like. They work in sweatshop conditions and are generally treated as less than scum.

The Inner Colonies:

The inner colonies is the name given to the moons that orbit Satare itself. While the Imperium has a LOT of colonies, the inner colonies are considered "the home lands", and where the majority of the population live.

Melanok A largely forested moon given over to agriculture. The population once lived in scattered farmsteads and cottages nestled amidst the trees, but the surge of "werewolf" activity drove the populace away from the forests centuries ago. Now they live in close quarters, their cities and villages surrounded by high walls. People cluster together for safety, and as population expands, more housing is simply built on top of existing homes, creating multi-storey tenements in the more urbanized areas.

Farmland is also walled, the center of each farm being the walled manor house which is then surrounded by villages which are each themselves surrounded by sturdy walls. These compounds work under a system similar to the old manorial system of Earth. The owner of the land rents it to the workers, who eke a living from their plots and fields.

While the majority of the technology here could be described as primitive (early 20th century) their simple ramshackle buildings are all decked out with solar panels.
They have mostly dirt roads, a few semi paved ones in larger towns and properly paved roads nearer the space ports.
There is a large highway, super modern and walled on both sides with guard posts. It runs straight from port to port through several townships. It's a toll road but extremely safe. You pay for the safety, it's that or travelling through the dangerous monster infested woods. Sadly many traders don't have the wealth to afford to tolls, so still rely on the old waypoint inns. These are walled homesteads with an inn, stables, outbuildings and small gardens for growing their own foods. They're self reliant, running on their own generators and completely off grid. Once these inns thrived, now they make a meager living on the few desperate/poor enough or for other reasons unwilling to use the safe highway.
The gates are locked tight before sundown and don't open again till sunrise just like the towns and villages.


Ikoni – The Hexenfolke "homelands". This moon provides what is essentially a reservation for the Hexenfolke. Their villages are walled much like other rural colonies, though their architecture differs greatly. Unlike the Satare, the Hexenfolke rely predominantly on whatever they can produce on their own reservations. As a result, many of their towns are constructed of wood surrounded by palisades instead of the high stone walls typical of the other rural colonies.
Their towns are scattered, buildings seldom reaching above two stories in height, a contrast to the fourteen storey tenements common across the rest of the empire. Everything is built around a central meeting house, a large single storey building that serves as both town hall and tavern.

There are some who believe Lycanthropy began on Ikoni, the natives certainly seem to have a lot of ancient myths that speak of the condition. Evidence that the disease began here is scant though.

Helige – Mostly industrial, Helige homes the refineries, several factories and warehouses. The workers live in high-rises, the air is thick with acrid smoke and it's not a particularly pleasant place to be. Most of the factories here require unskilled labour so it's almost entirely mechanized, those few who live here do so simply because they have nowhere else to go and can't get work elsewhere.

Bürag – The majority of government is housed here, the cities comprised of large high tech futuristic high-rises and skyscrapers interspersed with raised landscaped parks. Statues of various heroes of the empire decorate the elevated streets.
The cities exist in three dimensions, walkways built above ground at multiple levels to connect to other buildings reducing the need to actually travel to ground level at any point. Indoor gardens replace parks in the more built up areas and there's a complex monorail and elevator system. Nobody owns a vehicle in the city, there's no infrastructure for such items and the public transport is extremely efficient.

The population are generally government workers and old military families. General workers live on the ground floor or worse, below ground entirely. The undercity is a stark contrast to the pristine municipal parkland and shimmering glass and metal structures. Grimy, crowded and dark, those who live here are poor and miserable.

Gadin - widely regarded as one of the most beautiful of the moons, it's scenery is dramatic and stunning. Canyons and valleys create breathtaking vistas and the geothermal activity of the entire moon makes it a popular tourist attraction as well as useful source of power.
There are several national parks and a few scattered towns here which survive mostly on the tourist industry. This is one of the few moons where Lycanthropy is yet to take hold. Park rangers patrol the reserves rigorously, which combined with a relatively low population, may be the reason there have been few reported wolf sightings or attacks.
There are a few military training facilities here as well.

Daan - Fleet outpost and training grounds. Scrapyard and reclamation plant. It's a small industrial moon and not particularly descript.

Soldat - Military training compound. The majority of this small moon is given over to military structures, barracks and space ports. This is where the majority of the Imperium Army are trained and shipped out. It's a dusty rock with little to recommend it.

Tiede - A richly forested world, known for it's forestry and agriculture. Towns here are built high into the trees with the only access being via well guarded lifts or, much like the other agricultural colonies, with large walls surrounding them.

Freide - another forested world, home to the sculptured gardens. The ruins of a monastery sit deserted on the slopes of the mountains, what was worshiped there long since lost to time. The Imperium have, for as long as they can remember been Atheistic. The landscape is green and mountainous. Cities and towns are for the most part pretty varied with modern juxtaposed with archaic. There are very few motor vehicles, a very efficient elevated maglev rail system operates to get people where they need to go. The capital is built in a valley leading down to a large freshwater lake. The limited space means it's particularly built up, there's no building below 10 stories here and a great many are built into the hills themselves to maximize space. There are also buildings built out over the water itself.
Like most Imperium colonies, their settlements are walled or otherwise cut off by natural barriers like mountains and rivers.

Dagnr - Mostly marshland, known for it's swamps and waterways. Some cities have been built, but it's mostly small settlements built on stilts and vast plantations on higher ground. People get around by raft or boat mostly. The majority of the population make their living working the plantations.


And then the three hostile moons:

Wüsten – A desert world, uninhabited but for the mine and factory workers. This is one of the places convicts and Conscientious objectors are sent to work.
The jailers work in 6 month shifts, spending half the year on the desert moon and the other half with their families. Suffice to say, they're paid handsomely.
Away from the mines and factories there is a military training compound.

Eisam – Eisam is, as the name suggests, a frozen wasteland. Rich in mineral resources and far from any civilization, mining operations run from here along with the Empire's largest prison. A lot of the mining is done by machines, which are considered far more valuable than the prisoners. Nothing like knowing a machine is more valuable than you are to really make sure you regret your crimes. The mines are working prison camps where the worst criminals go to work off their debt to the Empire. The very worst are simply executed, but this is where you'll find those who it's felt 20 odd years of back breaking labor might improve the attitude of. It's dangerous awful work, but that's precisely why the prisoners are made to do it. It's cheaper to get criminals to dig than pay danger money to actual skilled miners. They mine under strict guard, and the knowledge that even if they escaped, they'd not last long out on the frozen tundras.

The skilled workers who do work here, do so for much the same reason as the workers of Wüsten, the pay.

Verlas - Deserted, classified as uninhabitable. Nobody knows much about this world and there's none stupid enough to defy the "no fly" zone around it. The theory is there's some sort of planetary defense system set up there, or it's a secret prison, but nobody's entirely sure and it generally isn't talked about. Conspiracy theorists aren't treated with much kindness within the Imperium.
Whatever is on this tiny desolate world, nobody knows and nobody likes to talk about it. Questions like "So what about the 13th moon?" are generally met with a hand wave and a dismissive "Oh it's a desolate rock too small to bother with." or something similar. Most people are happy with that explanation.

A typical rural town/village with multiple rings of walls and gates.

Waypoint compounds are very common on the rural colonies. They act as Inns and safehaven from "the monsters in the woods". No sane person travels the forests after dark.

Effectively a walled inn/tavern/homestead with outbuildings and small holdings allowing the inhabitants to survive for a time, even under total lockdown.
Heavy reinforced gates at either end are locked and barred before nightfall, even the river is barred, preventing access by boat or swimming but allowing the water to flow through. The walls are high and thick. Nobody gets in who isn't supposed to be there, or at least that's the theory.

This particularly one is in a state of disrepair due to disuse. When the newer paved highways were constructed, these waypoints became less and less commonly used. The only people these days willing to risk the forest roads are either too poor to pay the tolls on the highway, or carrying something they don't want the patrols to know about. Many of the waypoint families found it simply was no longer economically viable, so there's several abandoned compounds dotted around. They're still used by desperate travelers, or less savory individuals who have a reason to want some isolation.

Satare Wedding

The date: Always a “lucky” date is selected, preferably with as many new moons as possible and no full moons. A wedding conducted under a full moon is doomed to failure.

Before the ceremony:

The bride and groom are both bathed separately, a hot steam bath to “wash away” their past lives in preparation for their union.
Both would be anointed with herb infused oils to stimulate fertility, virility and loving feelings along with purifying herbs to protect the couple from harm.
Both would be instructed on their roles as husband and wife by their attendants.

Both bride and groom would be dressed in their garments, complete with sword at their belts to ward off any unwelcome guests, be they flesh and blood or something else.

While Hexenfolke prefer to wed in the open, Satare tend to be wed in the courts or other governmental buildings of their hometown.

The ceremony is typically held at dawn, after a long night of celebration. Everyone eats and drinks and there's dancing.
The cake is composed of many small cakes and breadstuff brought by the guests. Each guest brings one and adds it to the pile to be distributed later to the whole gathering.
The couple are also gifted money with which to furnish their new home.

The bride and groom walk arm in arm down the aisle with their attendants sweeping the floor before them to sweep away any “bad fortune”. When they reach the officiate, turn to face one another. At this point, they exchange swords, usually with a ring held in the hilt. Both take their rings and wear them upon the ring finger of their left hand.
Swords still crossed, they speak their vows to one another.
In Satare weddings these days it's very dry and legal.

The couple then leave the hall or glade under an arch of swords made by their guests holding their weapons aloft. Passing under the swords, the couple lead everyone out into the sunlight.
Bride and groom join hands and carefully step over the threshold together, taking their first symbolic step into their new life together, as partners.

There is more dancing and celebration in the streets as the couple are escorted to their new home.
This is their primary wedding gift, and upon arrival they are presented with the keys to their new married home (paid for by both bride and groom's parents). It's unusual for a couple not to move into a new home following their marriage, it's considered symbolic of their new lives together, a new page and to not have a clean slate would be woefully unlucky.

At this point they are left alone to “consummate the marriage” while their guests and family all continue to celebrate in the streets.

Imperium holidays: 13 months of around 31 days each. (I haven't named their months so using vague earth equivalents to give an idea of when approximately in the year they fall)

Germanic language so J is a Ya sound, V is a Fff sound and W is a V.

New year – Nykommen Jar -  The day after longest night. The days are getting longer, the worst of winter is over. The cycle starts again. The day after Longest Night is considered a good time for beginnings, betrothals and deals are made on this day. - Jan (New years equivalent)

Planting/"Plow day" Plogdag – The first furrows are plowed, seeds are sewn, spring is about to begin. Markets are held around this time, the first public gatherings since winter started.  -Feb/March

“Summer's start” Sumar Anfang -  Spring equinox.
Festival celebrating the beginning of longer days and warmth. Start of the farming season proper when the first shoots are starting to appear. Fertility festival. Homes are opened, shutters pulled back to allow fresh air to blow away the stuffy air of the winter darkness. A lot of weddings happen at this point (new life/new beginnings). -April (easter equivalent)


May day "Beloved Day" Svassdag  - The season for proposals. Fires are lit in high places and the young and newly betrothed will leap through the flames to "kindle their love".  (a bit like valentine's day, with less hearts and cards and more flowers, fruit and fire)

Longest day (Lengstdag)– Summer solstice.
HUGE celebration of life and light. Much dancing, much music and a prevalence of mirrors and reflective surfaces that reflect the light into the darkest of places. - June/July

Homecoming (Hiemruckkehr or Hiemkehr)- The first fruits are falling. This is the point many soldiers return home to be with their families over the colder months, to help with harvest and to keep their families safe from the darkness ahead. - August/Sept (kinda like christmas in the whole family aspect, just not as cold and with less turkey)

Harvest (Haust)- Much work to be done, the harvest has to be brought in, that which will not keep must be preserved and readied for the long winter ahead. There's usually a big dance held at this time, one of the last big celebrations before the cold and darkness forces people into their homes more and more.
The dance can't begin till the harvest is done, in the farming communities this means each farm must declare themselves finished, shouting and celebrating. The farmhands lead the parade from each farm to the center of the village where the dance will begin.

The last sheaf of wheat or corn or whatever else they're harvesting is always kept, braided and decorated and kept safe till the planting season, where it will be planted with the fresh seeds in the belief it will "protect" the seedlings and ensure a good crop.
- Sep/oct

“Gathering” (Ernte) or “winter's start” (Wetr Anfang) - Autumnal equinox.
The time of storing and gathering supplies for the long winter ahead. Homes are shut up for the winter darkness. Preparing the home and supplies for the long dark months. The honored dead are drunk to on this night and songs of great heroes sung. The lights are hung which shall remain lit till new year comes again. Rural towns may hold "fire festivals" as part of the light hanging ceremony. Fireworks may even be lit. - Nov (Halloween equivalent)

Longest night (Lengstnacht) – Winter solstice.
No trade is done on this day. Gates are locked tight, guards go home. Everyone stays indoors. You huddle around the fire and eat and tell stories till the sun comes up. - Dec

And back to new year.

Animals:

There are no canines anywhere within the Imperium. No dogs, no wolves, nothing. Nobody can even remember if they ever had dogs, if they were all slaughtered when lycanthropy became rampant or if they just never had them.
But they don't have canines.

They also don't have cows. They're too large to transport easily and take up land that could be more efficiently used for crops. They don't therefore eat beef, instead they eat a lot of goat, lamb, various fowl and pork. Though even pigs are rare, goats, sheep and birds are the easiest to keep and the most efficient to farm.

It means all dairy products are made with goat's milk.

In the forests there are deer, introduced as additional food sources and to give people something to hunt. The satare are rather fond of hunting game. There are also various fowl and a few escaped wild pigs, goats or horses that have survived and bred.

As the colonies were all settled worlds, predatory species weren't really ever introduced. Aside from some stowaway rats and mice and the cats people keep to deal with the vermin, there just aren't any predators except for the insane infected.

Some colony worlds have rather strange fauna, the richer areas have escaped exotic creatures from alien worlds, brought in as pets and either intentionally or accidentally released into the wild.

The huge national park, the moon Gaden has many introduced species including bears and wildcats, but this is about the only place you'll ever see them. They're there to give the tourists some excitement, and to maintain the eco system without so much need for outside interference. Numbers are carefully maintained as are habitats, and there are organized hunts a few times a year.

The Imperium was founded 1813 years (by the imperium calender) ago. (that's 742AD by the Terran calender)

They know they aren't the native species of this system, but they have no information about where they originally came from.

What is known is that they arrived and colonized one of three habitable moons (most likely Burag), cannibalizing their ships for parts to build their first settlement.
Over time knowledge of space travel was lost and it wasn't till they needed more space to expand that they began to spread out again.
a further 2 moons were deemed habitable without intensive terriforming so were colonized. Tiede and Friede.

As terriforming improved they spread out even more, colonizing more and more moons.
those deemed less than ideal for habitation and too expensive and intensive to make so were used for other things like military compounds and prison camps.

Verlas, the 13th moon was determined officially to be too toxic and too much work to bother with, so it was declared unsafe and nobody ever goes there.
It's a tiny rock, nobody really thinks much about it.

The Hexenfolke like to claim they were there first, but the Imperium don't hold much stock in old Hexenfolke delusions. They're fairly certain the Hexenfolke arrived when they did, likely stowed away or as passengers on their ships as the Hexenfolke have no space travel technology of their own and show no signs of ever having wanted or tried to develop it.
The fact the observatory on Friede contains writing that looks like old Hexenfolke doesn't prove anything, and that star chart tiled into the floor doesn't match any known constellations so who knows?

There's a great deal of early Imperium history lost to time. As with many cultures, history is written by the victors and so much just gets forgotten or changed over time.

The Satare prefer to look forward anyway, they don't hold much with fixating on the past. Where you came from doesn't matter, it's where you're going that's important.

Fun with Runes lol.