Cool. :3
I'd love to do two, to be honest. I think I can push them through by the weekend. I already know what I have in mind. :3
Weekly Flag Challenge: Discussion & Entries
- Thread starter Transparent Blue
- Start date
Cool. :3
I'd love to do two, to be honest. I think I can push them through by the weekend. I already know what I have in mind. :3
Cool. If I get a third entrant agreeing I shall update to two flags!
Flag of the Republic of Tir-na-nOg
The Great Mythological Upheaval of 1869 shook the world. Scandinavia was overrun with Dragons and Jotuns, Werewolves stalked the forests of Germany, and Sirens caused the deaths of thousands of sailors and passengers. During the upheaval, a new island about the size of Ireland appeared in the north Atlantic. It was found to be inhabited by a race of people with powerful magic, and pointed ears, called "Elves" by most. in their own language they were the Tuadh Dannu, or "Children of Danu", their mythical creator Goddess. According to most scholars, the entire island went out of phase with the rest of the world in the late Iron age, only to return due to the Upheaval. The Island was named by the British explorers Tir-na-nOg, from the Otherworld of Irish mythology. The Island was declared a Protectorate of the British Empire, and they went about "civilizing" the locals, who were still using iron Age weapons and tools. Suffice it to say, they didn't stand a chance against the British. From 1871 to 1915, Tir-na-nOg was under British control. During that time, a large number of Gaelic speakers were moved to the island. In 1915, as the great war broke out in Europe and America, the Tir-na-nOgians decided to make their stand. While the majority of the British troops were away in Europe, a combined force of Gaels and Elves stormed a local armory, and proclaimed the Republic of Tir-na-nOg. With the magical capabilities of the Elves, and support from America, who joined the war on the side of the Continental Powers in 1916, the young nation won its independence. Similar revolts took place across Ireland, and soon, the rest of the British Empire. The Republic of Tir-na-nOg today is a thriving democracy, though they are rather isolationist as a response to decades of colonial rule.
The flag of Tir-na-nOg is a vert-argent-azur horizontal tricolor, defaced by a Raven. The Blue represents the sea, from which the island came, the Green represents the fields and forests of Tir-na-nOg, as well as the Tuadh Dannu people, and the white represents peace, prosperity, and hope for the future. The Raven is the symbol of Morrigna, the Goddess of war, and its bloody beak and talons are in rememberance of those who fought and died in the revolution. All in all, the message that the flag conveys is "we are a peaceful nation by nature, but don't mess with us"
P.S- I wanted to make two flags, but I have other things that will get in the way of that, so I thought i'd better just post the first one.
P.P.S- is the flag too big? If so, I can resize it.
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No worries. You can always update if needed before the close.
Yeah. Should fit within 600x1200. So if you reduce proportions by roughly half you'll be kosher.
OOC: I was going to make a colonial version too, but I didn't have much time for that. :v
IC:
Union of Brahmapura
"Elysium was not just a fancy name chosen on a whim by a European colonial master. The Greek legends spoke of it as a blissful afterlife, meant only for those chosen by the gods. The British believe themselves to be in the same position, gods over myriad lands and peoples, in a realm where the sun never sets. This is why we have discarded that name. This is why we are now the Garden of Infinite Flowers." - Babur Rimush, founding Prime Minister of Brahmapura, formerly the Dominion of Elysium
The modern history of Brahmapura, the world beyond the mystic portal, cannot be explained without understanding the history of the region the portal is located in. Lying at the northern, broken end of Adam's Bridge in India's Tamil Nadu region, Brahmapura, or Elysium as it was known before its independence, appeared at a time of expanding British rule in India in the 18th to 19th Century. As the British East India Company consolidated its grip on the Indian subcontinent, explorer Sir Daniel Whitney chanced upon the portal while commanding the garrison in Ramanathapuram in 1795, just months after the British took over administration of the town. Venturing into the portal, he was met with a strange idyllic paradise, inhabited by people he could only describe as 'biblical demons and monsters of Greek legend'. Naming the new land Elysium, he and his fellow Britons quickly cemented their foothold in the strange world, chronicling his tales akin to a Greek epic, much to the enthusiasm of British contemporaries at the time. What was not commonly told at the time was the experience of the 'monsters' he had encountered. Derogatively called Demons by their new colonial masters, the Rakshasas, as they came to be known, came to inhabit Earth's side of the portal, as did many settlers from the Indian subcontinent in Elysium. Exile to Elysium became a popular means of punishing dissidents in the Raj, including deposed royals, intellectuals, and religious teachers. This common experience, and the leadership provided by the exiles, led to the rampant spread of Indian culture and faiths among the Rakshasas. By the time of independence in 1947, Hindus make up a slight majority of the population, followed by Buddhists, Muslims and Christians. Records on indigenous culture and beliefs showed a startling derth of underdevelopment, possibly equivalent to Bronze Age or earlier. That the Rakshasas became a minority only cemented this synthesis of cultures.
When the issue of Partition was brought up at the end of the Second Great War, the Indian National Congress was insistent on Elysium's incorporation into the new Indian Union. Partition of Elysium, administered as a separate colony from India under the British Crown, was deemed impractical, with portal access under complete Indian control. Nonetheless, the multicultural Elysian League led by Babur Rimush, a half-Rakshasa leader, argued for a separate, multiracial homeland from both India and Pakistan, pointing at the mass human exodus and chaos taking place in the Raj. While protection of the Rakshasa from future discrimination by the Hindu-dominated government in New Delhi was a prime motivation for a separate Elysium, the fact was that the cultural boundaries between the Earthling settlers and natives had blurred beyond recognition.
"Have the British not done enough damage drawing lines in the sand!? Are they not content until entire families are separated wholesale, and religious zeal turns their soil red with blood? We are walking down a path to self-destruction! Partition will not happen here! If it must happen, then it will end where our two worlds meet!"
In the end, despite Congress' wishes to incorporate Elysium into India (and much to the satisfaction of Pakistan's leader, Muhammad Ali Jinnah), the British acceded to Rimush's demands, creating the Dominion of Elysium with the border right at the portal. Just two years later, Elysium severed ties with the British Crown, renaming itself Brahmapura. The saffron crest of its new flag, a combination of the old, Greek-derived Vergina Sun used in British Elysium, and the Ashoka Chakra, is set on a dark purple background, a representation of Indian heritage taking root in an alien world. Today, Brahmapura remains as diverse as ever, a mix of Indian and Rakshasa cultures, separate from the acrimonious state of the Indian subcontinent. And while it is unknown whether the portal will remain open, the people of both worlds are undoubtedly changed by its presence forever.
IC:
Union of Brahmapura
"Elysium was not just a fancy name chosen on a whim by a European colonial master. The Greek legends spoke of it as a blissful afterlife, meant only for those chosen by the gods. The British believe themselves to be in the same position, gods over myriad lands and peoples, in a realm where the sun never sets. This is why we have discarded that name. This is why we are now the Garden of Infinite Flowers." - Babur Rimush, founding Prime Minister of Brahmapura, formerly the Dominion of Elysium
The modern history of Brahmapura, the world beyond the mystic portal, cannot be explained without understanding the history of the region the portal is located in. Lying at the northern, broken end of Adam's Bridge in India's Tamil Nadu region, Brahmapura, or Elysium as it was known before its independence, appeared at a time of expanding British rule in India in the 18th to 19th Century. As the British East India Company consolidated its grip on the Indian subcontinent, explorer Sir Daniel Whitney chanced upon the portal while commanding the garrison in Ramanathapuram in 1795, just months after the British took over administration of the town. Venturing into the portal, he was met with a strange idyllic paradise, inhabited by people he could only describe as 'biblical demons and monsters of Greek legend'. Naming the new land Elysium, he and his fellow Britons quickly cemented their foothold in the strange world, chronicling his tales akin to a Greek epic, much to the enthusiasm of British contemporaries at the time. What was not commonly told at the time was the experience of the 'monsters' he had encountered. Derogatively called Demons by their new colonial masters, the Rakshasas, as they came to be known, came to inhabit Earth's side of the portal, as did many settlers from the Indian subcontinent in Elysium. Exile to Elysium became a popular means of punishing dissidents in the Raj, including deposed royals, intellectuals, and religious teachers. This common experience, and the leadership provided by the exiles, led to the rampant spread of Indian culture and faiths among the Rakshasas. By the time of independence in 1947, Hindus make up a slight majority of the population, followed by Buddhists, Muslims and Christians. Records on indigenous culture and beliefs showed a startling derth of underdevelopment, possibly equivalent to Bronze Age or earlier. That the Rakshasas became a minority only cemented this synthesis of cultures.
When the issue of Partition was brought up at the end of the Second Great War, the Indian National Congress was insistent on Elysium's incorporation into the new Indian Union. Partition of Elysium, administered as a separate colony from India under the British Crown, was deemed impractical, with portal access under complete Indian control. Nonetheless, the multicultural Elysian League led by Babur Rimush, a half-Rakshasa leader, argued for a separate, multiracial homeland from both India and Pakistan, pointing at the mass human exodus and chaos taking place in the Raj. While protection of the Rakshasa from future discrimination by the Hindu-dominated government in New Delhi was a prime motivation for a separate Elysium, the fact was that the cultural boundaries between the Earthling settlers and natives had blurred beyond recognition.
"Have the British not done enough damage drawing lines in the sand!? Are they not content until entire families are separated wholesale, and religious zeal turns their soil red with blood? We are walking down a path to self-destruction! Partition will not happen here! If it must happen, then it will end where our two worlds meet!"
In the end, despite Congress' wishes to incorporate Elysium into India (and much to the satisfaction of Pakistan's leader, Muhammad Ali Jinnah), the British acceded to Rimush's demands, creating the Dominion of Elysium with the border right at the portal. Just two years later, Elysium severed ties with the British Crown, renaming itself Brahmapura. The saffron crest of its new flag, a combination of the old, Greek-derived Vergina Sun used in British Elysium, and the Ashoka Chakra, is set on a dark purple background, a representation of Indian heritage taking root in an alien world. Today, Brahmapura remains as diverse as ever, a mix of Indian and Rakshasa cultures, separate from the acrimonious state of the Indian subcontinent. And while it is unknown whether the portal will remain open, the people of both worlds are undoubtedly changed by its presence forever.
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Flag of the Federal Union of Rome
While the upheaval of 1869 was horrific in Northern Europe, perhaps due to the dark nature of the Celtic and Germanic mythos, the Mediterranean was relatively peaceful. Portals were localized on the sites of the ancient pillars of the classical age: Rome, Athens, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Carthage. Surprisingly enough, the newly united Kingdom of Italy was the first to exploit the new opportunity. While the French, Prussians, and Austrians were dealing with their wild monsters, the Italians only faced the relatively more rational creatures of the recorded Hellenistic mythos. Using treaties, clever diplomacy, and trade, the Italians pushed their way into this new Elysium, exploring the land and seizing the Elysium end of the portals in Constantinople, Alexandria, Athens, and the site of Carthage.
This new colonial domain named Novus Roma catapulted Italy into the ranks of the great powers, outpacing France and Germany while standing on equal footing with the British. History still took its course and Italy joined the Central Powers shortly before the outbreak of the Great War,(caused by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by the recently turned dhampir Gavrilo Princip). While the Italians and the Roman Colonial Troops acquitted themselves admirably, seizing much of Southern France, Iberia, the Balkans, and Asia Minor though they were prevented from marching into the Levant by Colonial Rakshasas. The war ended in a stalemate, with the British propping up Northern France, and splitting up Germany and Austria with the Russians while Italy took the Mediterranean.
After the war, a charismatic veteran, styling himself as Il Duce began a meteoric rise to power, focusing Italy's place in the sun. This fascistic movement quickly took power and began a program of forced assimilation in the occupied territory and militarizing heavily to seize the rest of Europe from the Entente powers. The tactics were brutal, killing all opposition and setting up reeducation camps for the rebellious. These political swings did not make much headway into Novus Roma, with a strong republican tradition already established and a firm democratic governing body refusing to accede to the demands of the higher government in Old Rome. The fascists soon grew bolder and began directly intervening in colonial affairs, extraditing political opponents and slowly consolidating their hold. they did not take into account the separate national identity that had formed, influenced by immigrants from around the Mediterranean, from Gibraltar to Antioch. The kangaroo trial and prompt execution of Roman Leader Scipio Maximus was the final spark, that lit the fires of the Roman war of independence.
Italian troops initially held the upper hand, advancing deep into Roman territory and seizing important population centers. The Roman Army which was largely disbanded after the great war was quickly mobilized, drawing millions of volunteers backed by a grizzled veteran core. Using strategic retreats and fabian tactics to lure the Italian army in, the Romans executed a brilliant operation, seizing all the portal sites in a coordinated attack and destroying nearly all the infrastructure between the two worlds. Faun special forces with Harpy Air support and centaur stormtroopers devastated the unsupplied and encircled Italians, pushing them out of Novus Roma entirely.
With its professional army effectively wiped out, the burgeoning Italian empire collapsed into itself, with the occupied territories rising in open revolt and declaring independence. Adopting the new Pax Romana doctrine, the newly independent state of Novus Roma mounted an expedition into Italy, driving into Rome and finally dismantling the fascist regime. The constitution was reinstated and referendums were held across the empire to restore order and stability. With the exception of Southern France, nearly all the territories declared independence, with many former colonies setting up democratic governments for the first time. The Colonial State of Novus Roma itself was officially reformed into the Federal Union of Rome, drawing on old republican traditions and unified culture to forge a modern state.
Today, Rome stands as the leader of the free world, head of the Latin League in the Mediterranean and a founding member of the Free Alliance, occupying a major seat along with the North American Federation, the Indian Union, Brahmaputra, the Republic of Tir-na-nOg, and the Uku-Kay-Hanan Pacha. The flag is based on both the roman standard and the flag of the kingdom of Italy. The shield of the Arms of Savoy represents the stalwart defense and commitment of the people of Novus Roma to republican ideals. The Roman Aquila represents the unity of the Roman culture and the union of disparate immigrants and citizens who have chosen Rome as their home. The two golden stripes represent the two-sided portal that both links and separates the two worlds.
The flag of the Nation of the Arches
When the group of Anishinaabe midewinini (one from each of the Algonquin, Nipissing, Missisauga, Ojibwa, Odawa and Potawatomi nations) conducted their most sacred ritual to request help from the miigis, following the arrival of Europeans in their lands in the early 17th century, the result was not what they expected or even hoped. Secluded on an island in a lake on the island of Manidoowaaling with only a few acolytes in attendance, they expected to experience a vision giving them guidance; they hoped in their hearts for an actual visitation by one or more of the radiant beings.
Instead, a huge glow appeared in the sky and descended to the earth. When it touched the ground, it expanded and formed into glowing arches. Through these arches came not one, not six, not seven, but dozens of human-like figures. As the days became weeks, hundreds came through the arches.
Initially the new arrivals made no effort to interact with the people of the nations, who began to wonder if these really were representatives of the miigis. With their golden skins, they did recall the legends of 'glowing beings' but in their attitude to the land in which they had arrived, they seemed to be no different from the whiteskins, building settlements and forcing the nations out of their traditional lands.
As the weeks became years, it became clear that the the newcomers had indeed protected the area from the European threat, but for their own ends, not those of the nations. There were a few early attempts at resistance, but anyone who committed violence against the golden-skins would either be killed immediately by their shouting fire weapons or would disappear in the night. By the end of the 18th century, the Anishinaabe nations had been forced out of most of their homelands by the invaders. Those who remained became workers for the golden-skins, permitted to remain at their whim, but without any power to decide what happened in and to their own lands.
The Europeans to the east and south, who continued to grow more and more numerous, initially tried to dislodge the golden-skins by force of arms then, when that failed, agreed borders between 'their' lands and those taken by the golden-skins. It was during the treaty negotiations that the golden-skins gained the name by which they would be better known in non-Anishinaabe histories. They called themselves iilfaneas, understood by the Europeans as 'elfenese' hence they became known as the 'elfs'.
Over time, the few Anishinaabe remaining in their ancestral lands learned more of the history of their new masters and of their homeworld, including the different tribes and clans of the elfs. Some of the stories hinted at divisions which might be exploited but it was not until nearly 300 years after the Infamous Ritual that a true chance came.
There had been reports of occasional wars on the elfen homeworld in the past, but they had never spread to Earth before. This time was different; skirmishes broke out amongst the elfs on this side of the archways. A visionary Anishinaabe leader, later named Nimkiikwe (Man of Thunder), claimed that the time of the Seventh Fire was at hand, if only the nations would join him. Controversially he also invited white-skins to join the fight for freedom, promising that this alliance would lead to peace and prosperity, in the time of the Eighth Fire. Even more controversially, he also sought allies from amongst some of the poorer elfs, having seen the inequality which existed in their society too.
The war for freedom lasted 11 years. At the end of it, the alliance of red-, white- and golden-skins was in control of the archways and all the lands around them. The newly free nation (no longer different nations) stood at the gateway to the future.
The flag of the Nation of the Arches is a simple tri-colour of gold, red and white with a traditional Anishinaabe thunder bird flying above an archway.
I apologise to any members of the First Nations for the mistakes I am sure I have made here.
When the group of Anishinaabe midewinini (one from each of the Algonquin, Nipissing, Missisauga, Ojibwa, Odawa and Potawatomi nations) conducted their most sacred ritual to request help from the miigis, following the arrival of Europeans in their lands in the early 17th century, the result was not what they expected or even hoped. Secluded on an island in a lake on the island of Manidoowaaling with only a few acolytes in attendance, they expected to experience a vision giving them guidance; they hoped in their hearts for an actual visitation by one or more of the radiant beings.
Instead, a huge glow appeared in the sky and descended to the earth. When it touched the ground, it expanded and formed into glowing arches. Through these arches came not one, not six, not seven, but dozens of human-like figures. As the days became weeks, hundreds came through the arches.
Initially the new arrivals made no effort to interact with the people of the nations, who began to wonder if these really were representatives of the miigis. With their golden skins, they did recall the legends of 'glowing beings' but in their attitude to the land in which they had arrived, they seemed to be no different from the whiteskins, building settlements and forcing the nations out of their traditional lands.
As the weeks became years, it became clear that the the newcomers had indeed protected the area from the European threat, but for their own ends, not those of the nations. There were a few early attempts at resistance, but anyone who committed violence against the golden-skins would either be killed immediately by their shouting fire weapons or would disappear in the night. By the end of the 18th century, the Anishinaabe nations had been forced out of most of their homelands by the invaders. Those who remained became workers for the golden-skins, permitted to remain at their whim, but without any power to decide what happened in and to their own lands.
The Europeans to the east and south, who continued to grow more and more numerous, initially tried to dislodge the golden-skins by force of arms then, when that failed, agreed borders between 'their' lands and those taken by the golden-skins. It was during the treaty negotiations that the golden-skins gained the name by which they would be better known in non-Anishinaabe histories. They called themselves iilfaneas, understood by the Europeans as 'elfenese' hence they became known as the 'elfs'.
Over time, the few Anishinaabe remaining in their ancestral lands learned more of the history of their new masters and of their homeworld, including the different tribes and clans of the elfs. Some of the stories hinted at divisions which might be exploited but it was not until nearly 300 years after the Infamous Ritual that a true chance came.
There had been reports of occasional wars on the elfen homeworld in the past, but they had never spread to Earth before. This time was different; skirmishes broke out amongst the elfs on this side of the archways. A visionary Anishinaabe leader, later named Nimkiikwe (Man of Thunder), claimed that the time of the Seventh Fire was at hand, if only the nations would join him. Controversially he also invited white-skins to join the fight for freedom, promising that this alliance would lead to peace and prosperity, in the time of the Eighth Fire. Even more controversially, he also sought allies from amongst some of the poorer elfs, having seen the inequality which existed in their society too.
The war for freedom lasted 11 years. At the end of it, the alliance of red-, white- and golden-skins was in control of the archways and all the lands around them. The newly free nation (no longer different nations) stood at the gateway to the future.
The flag of the Nation of the Arches is a simple tri-colour of gold, red and white with a traditional Anishinaabe thunder bird flying above an archway.
I apologise to any members of the First Nations for the mistakes I am sure I have made here.
Image(s) created by FriendlyGhost using paint.net. Free for use on this site (alternatehistory.com) as long as you credit me (@ my username is fine). Use on other sites is also permitted as long as you PM me here to let me know.
The bird symbol was taken from Anishinabe.svg on Wikipedia Commons, in the public domain. Resized by me.
Information on the Anishinaabe nation from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anishinaabe; about the Seventh and Eighth Fires from https://native-americans.com/seven-fires-prophecy-of-the-anishinabe-ojibwa-ojibwe/ and the name Nimkiikwe from https://ojibwe.net/projects/anishinaabe-names/.
The bird symbol was taken from Anishinabe.svg on Wikipedia Commons, in the public domain. Resized by me.
Information on the Anishinaabe nation from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anishinaabe; about the Seventh and Eighth Fires from https://native-americans.com/seven-fires-prophecy-of-the-anishinabe-ojibwa-ojibwe/ and the name Nimkiikwe from https://ojibwe.net/projects/anishinaabe-names/.
Bugger yes!
I've been moving so it slipped my attention
.Coming shortly.
Poll is now up. Apologies for the delay!
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Flag of the NeoCarthage Trade Conglomerate. the NeoCarthaginians hail from Sirius V, also known as Argyre. From Sirius, the NeoCarthaginians control a wide Star Trade network through which countless billions of Terra's are made every single month. Through this considerable wealth, the elite of neoCarthage have a monoply on several technologies, from cloning to Protodyson construction methods. This economic dominance has gained them both trustworthy allies and determined enemies, willing to go any lenghts to unlock the secrets of NeoCarthaginian tech.
The pride of NeoCarthage manifest themselves in a huge gate, able to catapult ships into Hyperspace, known as the Pillars Of Hercules. through this gate, they have been able to connect various trade routes to Sirius, improving living conditions for both the coreworlds and the backwater planet's at the frontier of the human diaspora. However, plots to destroy the Pillars are common among the impoverished masses of Sirius V, and several cults (which might or might not be supported by other spacefaring nations) have pooled their resources to enact a coup on the elite of NeoCarthage...
The two purple strokes in the flag stand for the Pillars of Hercules, while the blue represents their home star, Sirius. the black represents the heritage of the original colonists, with the symbol of Carthage proudly displayed over it.
Could this nation be based off of a legendary kingdom? let us say something Arthurian?
Should be fine, since the basis of King Arthur's legend is in Sub-Roman Britain, though it is told in an anachronistic way (i.e. medieval tale, but that's because it is one). Just make sure that legend has some historical basis. gib seiba
The precursor colonies of what became the Diarchy of Artemis and Selene were founded late in the Terran Exodus, the system the dual planets were in - Zeta Olympike - being not only relatively unrich in resources but also off the main trade routes.
Being on the fringes therefore made them a hotbed of piracy and radicals, but also unprepared for the plague known as Adam's Curse outside the system but Hera's Curse: the male population was devastated. Their medical tech kept up as best as possible but periodic recurrent outbreaks always kept the male population down, by default the system polities developed a matriarchal bent.
It was in this climate that the Amazons appear. Originally a semi-piratical trade group they made male slave trading and organ theft a common policy and a regular hazard to male spacefarers of the Olympic trade routes - though veterans of the system's "Temples of Aphrodite" considered that a small price to pay.
Then the uterine replicator was developed. Combined with the gamete fusion methodology that allowed any two people a biological child regardless of sexual gender this made the male gender superfluous to Amazon needs and one would expect them to fade into history as their role came to an end.
However the Amazons obtained a near monopoly on the devices and leveraged their presence in several trade ports into a political force. Coinciding with another occurrence of Hera's Curse they became a dominant political force and within a generation had transformed the Confederation of Selene into an expansionist female only nation; within another generation they dominated the entire Zeta Olympike system.
A few wars with their neighbours granted them control of a portion of the Olympic route.
The proclaimed Diarchy of Artemis and Selene is today a mostly federal and confederal organisation with an explicit matriarchy where the few remaining males are (mostly) tolerated but excluded from power. Political control of the uterine replicators has created a near caste system where almost all citizens are bred for purpose. Raiding has now evolved into tariffs and tolls but the Houses of Aphrodite are still extant if less luxurious than their prime. Neighbouring systems though still fear the Amazons descending en masse to carry off their menfolk or gonads, and anyone bearing the tattoo of the Diarchy is granted both extreme civility and avoidance.
The main banner used features the Amazon tattoo - 2 crescents joined to a trident - said to be based on the ancient symbol for women. The crescents represent the twin(-ish) planets of Artemis and Selene who hold the majority of the population, the trident represents the Trojan cluster of the Nereids where the original Amazon base was located.
Being on the fringes therefore made them a hotbed of piracy and radicals, but also unprepared for the plague known as Adam's Curse outside the system but Hera's Curse: the male population was devastated. Their medical tech kept up as best as possible but periodic recurrent outbreaks always kept the male population down, by default the system polities developed a matriarchal bent.
It was in this climate that the Amazons appear. Originally a semi-piratical trade group they made male slave trading and organ theft a common policy and a regular hazard to male spacefarers of the Olympic trade routes - though veterans of the system's "Temples of Aphrodite" considered that a small price to pay.
Then the uterine replicator was developed. Combined with the gamete fusion methodology that allowed any two people a biological child regardless of sexual gender this made the male gender superfluous to Amazon needs and one would expect them to fade into history as their role came to an end.
However the Amazons obtained a near monopoly on the devices and leveraged their presence in several trade ports into a political force. Coinciding with another occurrence of Hera's Curse they became a dominant political force and within a generation had transformed the Confederation of Selene into an expansionist female only nation; within another generation they dominated the entire Zeta Olympike system.
A few wars with their neighbours granted them control of a portion of the Olympic route.
The proclaimed Diarchy of Artemis and Selene is today a mostly federal and confederal organisation with an explicit matriarchy where the few remaining males are (mostly) tolerated but excluded from power. Political control of the uterine replicators has created a near caste system where almost all citizens are bred for purpose. Raiding has now evolved into tariffs and tolls but the Houses of Aphrodite are still extant if less luxurious than their prime. Neighbouring systems though still fear the Amazons descending en masse to carry off their menfolk or gonads, and anyone bearing the tattoo of the Diarchy is granted both extreme civility and avoidance.
The main banner used features the Amazon tattoo - 2 crescents joined to a trident - said to be based on the ancient symbol for women. The crescents represent the twin(-ish) planets of Artemis and Selene who hold the majority of the population, the trident represents the Trojan cluster of the Nereids where the original Amazon base was located.
Kingdom of Logres
(Teyrnas Lleogyr)
With the discovery of how to create artificial wormholes the nations of Earth sent colonizers to many habitable planets, one of these planets was called Kepler-442b. The planet was divided between several nations. One of these nations was the United States of Europe, and one of these colonies was named New Brittany as most of the colonists came from Brittany, Cornwall, and Wales with minorities from Western England, Northern France, Ireland, Scotland, and Northern Spain. Shortly after the planet was colonized, the Solar System Nomenclature Standardization Act passed renaming Earth to Terra, Kepler-422 to Maponos, and Kepler-422b to Dôn, among all other habitable systems.
Colonial life was hard for everyone at first, but New Brittany had a rich supply of natural resources making it a very rich colony. As the colony's wealth grew the USE garrisoned more and more troops until the New Breton Gendarmery was the colony's only native defense. After a few generations, the USE began to withdraw troops to prepare for World War IV. This left New Brittany almost defenseless to pirates and other colonies. The leadership of New Brittany turned to the colony's natural wealth to solve this problem hiring mercenaries from other colonies. This worked for a while the but the mercenaries soon found that life in New Brittany was easier than their home colony. The mercenaries quickly over powered the Gendarmery.
While what remained of the forces of New Brittany were on the run, a mysterious gendarme commander rose out of obscurity. Remembered only as the Colonel of the Dragon Regiment (later shorted to Pendragon) he organized an effective fighting force and led the New Bretons to victory against the mercenaries, even loosing his own life in the final battle protecting civilians.
After WW IV, the nations of Terra were not able to project any influence to their outer space colonies, and most (including New Brittany) formed their own nations. In honor of their ancestry and Pendragon the New Bretons looked to Sub-Roman Britain and the legends of King Arthur for inspiration of their new state Logres, with the royal crown of the country going to Pendragon's cousin.
The nation's flag consists of a blue and gold bordered pendent at the hoist charged with a gold dragon to represent a theoretical flag of Sub-Roman Britain, with the colors taken from the the attributed arms of King Arthur. The black triangles at the fly represent the blackness of outer space. And the three crowns in pale represent authority of the crown the charge of the attributed arms of King Arthur (only on state flags).
(Teyrnas Lleogyr)
With the discovery of how to create artificial wormholes the nations of Earth sent colonizers to many habitable planets, one of these planets was called Kepler-442b. The planet was divided between several nations. One of these nations was the United States of Europe, and one of these colonies was named New Brittany as most of the colonists came from Brittany, Cornwall, and Wales with minorities from Western England, Northern France, Ireland, Scotland, and Northern Spain. Shortly after the planet was colonized, the Solar System Nomenclature Standardization Act passed renaming Earth to Terra, Kepler-422 to Maponos, and Kepler-422b to Dôn, among all other habitable systems.
Colonial life was hard for everyone at first, but New Brittany had a rich supply of natural resources making it a very rich colony. As the colony's wealth grew the USE garrisoned more and more troops until the New Breton Gendarmery was the colony's only native defense. After a few generations, the USE began to withdraw troops to prepare for World War IV. This left New Brittany almost defenseless to pirates and other colonies. The leadership of New Brittany turned to the colony's natural wealth to solve this problem hiring mercenaries from other colonies. This worked for a while the but the mercenaries soon found that life in New Brittany was easier than their home colony. The mercenaries quickly over powered the Gendarmery.
While what remained of the forces of New Brittany were on the run, a mysterious gendarme commander rose out of obscurity. Remembered only as the Colonel of the Dragon Regiment (later shorted to Pendragon) he organized an effective fighting force and led the New Bretons to victory against the mercenaries, even loosing his own life in the final battle protecting civilians.
After WW IV, the nations of Terra were not able to project any influence to their outer space colonies, and most (including New Brittany) formed their own nations. In honor of their ancestry and Pendragon the New Bretons looked to Sub-Roman Britain and the legends of King Arthur for inspiration of their new state Logres, with the royal crown of the country going to Pendragon's cousin.
The nation's flag consists of a blue and gold bordered pendent at the hoist charged with a gold dragon to represent a theoretical flag of Sub-Roman Britain, with the colors taken from the the attributed arms of King Arthur. The black triangles at the fly represent the blackness of outer space. And the three crowns in pale represent authority of the crown the charge of the attributed arms of King Arthur (only on state flags).
Meuble héraldique dragon1 work of Jacques63: recolored, resized
Couronne héraldique svg work of Baek13: recolored, resized
both under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en
Couronne héraldique svg work of Baek13: recolored, resized
both under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en
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Of Daedalons and Icurians
The human race had achieved much in their thousands of years of existence, but as with any other species extinction soon follows. But Man did not just suddenly cease to exist. By the year 2650 CE transhumanism, the continual progression of AI, and the genetic engineering of the human species had so altered the human form that there was no longer a baseline of humanity, other than in long forgotten frozen samples or in the deep databases of older AIs.
After the advent of exotic particle data drones (EPD2), future transhumanists were able to use the event horizons of black holes to send EPD2s to numerous destinations across the galaxy that the slow generation ships could never reach. The EPD2 themselves were advanced AIs that could use the materials they found within their target solar system to create von Neumann machines to other machines to assist with their research. The EPD2, designation Prometheus, was sent to the star system Kepler-452. Where it found Kepler-452b, the only planetary body in the system, a high gravity, but life sustaining planet. Prometheus developed a biological drone based on the humanoid form and using materials from Kepler-452’s Oort cloud, and sent the humanoid drones, designated as MUD (Man-like Utility Drones) to the surface.
Several years of their presence on the surface, solar flare activity from Kepler-452 unexpectedly increased. The EPD2, in order to protect the data it had collected, sent data packets of all its stored archives. Unfortunately, much of the data was lost to the MUDs in transmission. Interestingly, one set of data held the history of the ancient Greek cultures. As the MUDs continued to research the system they now called home, an idea to modify one of their interplanetary shuttles into a solar sail craft to reach the EPD2 was devised. Dubbed Daedalus, the craft took 30 years to reach the location of the EPD2 in the Oort cloud. Finding the AI defunct, but many data systems still uncorrupted, the crew of the Daedalus took another 30 years back to Kepler-452b, now named Labyrinth because of the numerous river canyons on the planet.
The recovered data allowed the MUDs, calling themselves either the Diadala or the Labyrinthans, to alter themselves into beings capable of procreation. The population began to boom on the surface and in orbit. As materials were needed for them to expand their presence, more solar sails were made and the Diadala would expand out into the Oort cloud where they would set up mining facilities and large coilguns to send the material to Labyrinth orbit. Most buildings and items were modeled after the artistic ideals of the ancient Greek nations. Large columned buildings and artistic stylings of Crete, Athens, Byzantine, and so on.
The solar sailors to the Oort cloud would become known as Daedalons. Interestingly, some of the younger generations began to investigate Kepler-452, now named Minotaur, using the solar sails to dive as near to the sun’s corona as possible. As more and more of these thrill seekers lost their lives or were missing, those who partook of this sport became known as Icurians. As the centuries have moved on the Labyrinthans have colonized six other star systems nearby Kepler-452. As they are a very long lived people and the slow movement of solar sails has culturally adapted them to long travels, the sub-lights colony ships are a normal part of their culture.
FLAG: The flag of the Daedalons and the Icurians is the octagonal roundel found on the solar sails' main hulks of all of their space nation's ships. The roundel is placed in the center of a navy blue field which represents space. The octagon has a yellow circle representing the sun Minotaur (Kepler-452) at the apex. The sun is also a labyrinth representing the striving of this new human species. A yellow ovoid is set between a pair of wings. The ovoid represents the Prometheus who gave the Diadala they knowledge they needed to survive and the wings represent the sails of the solar ships. The seven stars are the seven solar systems that the Diadala have colonized. The figure between the stars are the Diadala themselves reaching to be more than they were created to be.
The human race had achieved much in their thousands of years of existence, but as with any other species extinction soon follows. But Man did not just suddenly cease to exist. By the year 2650 CE transhumanism, the continual progression of AI, and the genetic engineering of the human species had so altered the human form that there was no longer a baseline of humanity, other than in long forgotten frozen samples or in the deep databases of older AIs.
After the advent of exotic particle data drones (EPD2), future transhumanists were able to use the event horizons of black holes to send EPD2s to numerous destinations across the galaxy that the slow generation ships could never reach. The EPD2 themselves were advanced AIs that could use the materials they found within their target solar system to create von Neumann machines to other machines to assist with their research. The EPD2, designation Prometheus, was sent to the star system Kepler-452. Where it found Kepler-452b, the only planetary body in the system, a high gravity, but life sustaining planet. Prometheus developed a biological drone based on the humanoid form and using materials from Kepler-452’s Oort cloud, and sent the humanoid drones, designated as MUD (Man-like Utility Drones) to the surface.
Several years of their presence on the surface, solar flare activity from Kepler-452 unexpectedly increased. The EPD2, in order to protect the data it had collected, sent data packets of all its stored archives. Unfortunately, much of the data was lost to the MUDs in transmission. Interestingly, one set of data held the history of the ancient Greek cultures. As the MUDs continued to research the system they now called home, an idea to modify one of their interplanetary shuttles into a solar sail craft to reach the EPD2 was devised. Dubbed Daedalus, the craft took 30 years to reach the location of the EPD2 in the Oort cloud. Finding the AI defunct, but many data systems still uncorrupted, the crew of the Daedalus took another 30 years back to Kepler-452b, now named Labyrinth because of the numerous river canyons on the planet.
The recovered data allowed the MUDs, calling themselves either the Diadala or the Labyrinthans, to alter themselves into beings capable of procreation. The population began to boom on the surface and in orbit. As materials were needed for them to expand their presence, more solar sails were made and the Diadala would expand out into the Oort cloud where they would set up mining facilities and large coilguns to send the material to Labyrinth orbit. Most buildings and items were modeled after the artistic ideals of the ancient Greek nations. Large columned buildings and artistic stylings of Crete, Athens, Byzantine, and so on.
The solar sailors to the Oort cloud would become known as Daedalons. Interestingly, some of the younger generations began to investigate Kepler-452, now named Minotaur, using the solar sails to dive as near to the sun’s corona as possible. As more and more of these thrill seekers lost their lives or were missing, those who partook of this sport became known as Icurians. As the centuries have moved on the Labyrinthans have colonized six other star systems nearby Kepler-452. As they are a very long lived people and the slow movement of solar sails has culturally adapted them to long travels, the sub-lights colony ships are a normal part of their culture.
FLAG: The flag of the Daedalons and the Icurians is the octagonal roundel found on the solar sails' main hulks of all of their space nation's ships. The roundel is placed in the center of a navy blue field which represents space. The octagon has a yellow circle representing the sun Minotaur (Kepler-452) at the apex. The sun is also a labyrinth representing the striving of this new human species. A yellow ovoid is set between a pair of wings. The ovoid represents the Prometheus who gave the Diadala they knowledge they needed to survive and the wings represent the sails of the solar ships. The seven stars are the seven solar systems that the Diadala have colonized. The figure between the stars are the Diadala themselves reaching to be more than they were created to be.
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