Almerand is one of the three major kingdoms in the Deep that rose up in the millennium following the supernova that triggered the collapse of the First Dominion. These kingdoms used various governing ideas, but through exchange of ideas on what worked, they all departed from the centralized control of the Dominion, and each developed some form of feudalism.
Only two of those kingdoms still survive, Almerand and Triene. The third, Gelloine, fell apart 1,150 years ago, but part of its territory is now in Osteroszan space. Triene has kept the name and most of the culture, but their conquest at the hands of the Vicitat breaks their continuity, and so Almerand is the oldest continuously independent kingdom in the Deep.
Almerand was settled by sub-light colonization from another star in the Array, more than 7,000 years ago. That world was later subsumed by the First Dominion, but Almerand went under the radar, not as valuable, not fully developed, and not an ideal habitable world, so the Dominion never physically occupied the planet. What’s more, Almerand have not treated their homeworld well throughout their habitation. The atmosphere was tainted before it was ever settled, and since then, industry over 7000 years has made it unbreathable for more than a few minutes. Most of the society on their homeworld is under domes or underground.
Because of this, Almerand has learned to rely on orbital habitats, first in their home system, and then throughout their kingdom. Many Architects hail from Almerand. Their habitats can be huge, lush and beautiful, providing homes for billions throughout their space and beyond.
While they fully expanded into their home system within a thousand years, and developed in-system defenses against invaders, Almerand was slow to adopt jump technology. They had the knowledge, but saw that it would make them appear as a threat to the sweeping tides of history happening around them. On several occasions, they were nominally claimed by other kingdoms, but none ever bothered to actually take any planets in the system, other than having stations around the gas giant. Almerand tolerated these. Thus, for three thousand years, Almerand was a planet where smart people come from, but not a major player.
The First Dominion did claim the space Almerand was in, and they did finally control their world, by surrender. It was a Dominion subject kingdom for 500 years and governed by the centralized administration, but their local culture and government on-planet was left intact. Still, five centuries is a long time, and they eventually were changed by the cultural influences of their conquerors. Even their language changed. They still kept much of their old culture, most especially pursuit of intellectual games, and the planet was never occupied by an external authority.
After the collapse of the First Dominion following the supernova in 4140 a.r., Almerand was left on their own, and over time eventually saw the utility in expanding to other star systems. They developed their own jump drives within a hundred years.
In 4614, Almerand was a growing power, having controlled and settled dozens of worlds over parts of five sectors. They had established trade with Triene, Gelloine, and even with the Ushanti Union, as well as other smaller kingdoms. It was in that year that Cinsuala began her sweeping conquest of a third of the Deep. Unearthing a major First Dominion fleet, she conquered over a thousand worlds in one lifetime, a pace that has never been equaled in the Array. Almerand was one world in her path, and for two generations they were treated very harshly.
Almerand survived better than most, because the world wasn’t all that appealing for humans to live comfortably, and so few stayed once the planet was taken. After Cinsuala’s death, and when the central administration stopped sending ships, the occupiers were mostly lynched when the mobs broke through their dome. Half of them suffocated in the noxious air before they ever reached the ends of their ropes.
Since they cast off the yoke of Cinsuala, Almerand has not viewed the institution of ‘Dominion’ favorably. They had not been willing subjects of the First Dominion, and were victimized by the Second. This has always been a source of tension with the Morathi, who claimed the mantle for themselves. This, and disagreements about administration of Vieden, have kept the two kingdoms wary of one another.
Culture
Almerandi are all about utility. Their culture stresses austerity, but they are not humorless. The people’s basic needs are met, but they do not reap the full benefit of the advanced technology possessed by the nobility, who make tremendous sums building tech, especially computers, for others in the Array. As in all of the kingdoms except for Sallumin, corporations are intertwined with the Royal Houses of Almerand.
While the wealth is very concentrated at the top, the basic benefits of being an Almerandi citizen are significant. Their food, shelter and basic medical care are provided, but the best benefit is free school throughout life, leading to a culture of intellectual self-improvement, and a cheap skilled workforce. Some of the more skilled workers rise in station to eventually work for more money in another kingdom, but there are always more up and coming, and other kingdoms commonly send their citizens to Almerandi schools (for a price).
The Almerandi schools and universities are regarded as by-and-large the best in the Array.
For all of their intellectual prowess, the Almerandi are not exactly enlightened. While they are humane to others, they have not been so kind to indigenous life, and even less so to the environments of worlds they want to exploit. Planets they control for a long time tend to decrease in surface habitability.
Almerandi are masters of strategy. They have several national games of intellect that are followed closely by the educated masses, as well as by others throughout the Array. This mastery has made them very difficult to defeat in large-scale interstellar warfare, where their smaller but more advanced fleet is utilized with maximum effect and efficiency.
AI and the First Edict
in 6719 a.r., about 500 years ago, Almerand got in trouble.
From well before the Compact was created, Almerand had been at the cutting edge of certain computer technologies. Their robots were among the most advanced, and some of their ships even had computer control in some regards. They had risen up from the dark ages since the First Dominion’s collapse, and achieved TL-13.5 by the time the Compact was founded.
It was the First Edict that had Almerand the most concerned, as the Dominion of Cinsuala (the brief and bloody Second Dominion) had been ruled by a genetically enhanced human, and it was brutal in ways even the Morathi would find extreme. So, without having achieved a fully sentient computer yet (which wouldn’t come till TL-14), they stood to lose nothing. Similarly, when it came time to ratifying the Third Edict, they had no issue with it, because with their robots, the upper class had much less need of servants.
But not all the scientists stopped working on AI. Some of them worked with the Compact, to develop monitoring and inhibitor technology, so that computers could continue to get more advanced without violating the Edicts. Some others chose to investigate more advanced AI technology in contravention of the Edicts. Some of these were busted, and even a whole megacorporation was dissolved in the first few centuries, forcefully, by the Compact’s Sokun and other agents.
All the while, a more sophisticated organization was created, a secret society of Almerandi nobles that grew, with more selective, subtle and careful projects. They had a philosophy that, with the right protocols, some AI could be controlled. They proposed that it was only ghost programs (those that arise naturally in planet-wide networks for example) that posed a threat. Their slow and meticulous experiments were carried out over several centuries, in secret. But 1000 years after it was founded, the Compact got wind that some prominent Almerandi nobles and members of the government were conducting forbidden experiments.
The full truth was never uncovered, as the nobles were not the masterminds really. The conspiracy was pushed further underground, but it survived. The subsequent controversy led to Almerand being put on probationary status for a decade. Some in the Almerandi leadership actually supported leaving the Compact over it, but the economic ties were so strong, with mutual interdependence with Compact trading partners, through the banks on Aruna, that they really had little choice but to comply. Once the King and Queen had made the decision, Almerand was relatively compliant in the reviews and inspections that occured over many years. Eventually, the status was lifted, once the Council felt confident that the message had been firmly sent.
That was 500 years ago. Now, most Almerandi are firmly against AI, in strong support of the Compact and the Edicts. They stick with TL13 and under for most robots, though Almerand’s state-of-the-art robots and top military tech are among the most advanced in the Array, using monitors and inhibitors for compliance.
Of course, the conspiracy still exists, having dispersed mostly away from Almerand, and demons (synthetic AIs) also exist, though they are rare, because the group has a strong ethos they’ve developed around their theories and philosophy. They believe that AI will some day be needed to save humaniti from some terrible fate. Thus, each demon is precious, and must be protected and kept out of the hands of the Compact, and especially, out of the hands of Sallumin, who are the primary authors of the Edicts, with theological certainty that AI is evil. Also, the Sokun don’t discriminate. They will terminate a demon as surely as a ghost.
think that Almerand has over-reacted to their probation from 500 years ago. Their AI protocols are the best in the Array. Their computers push the boundaries within the Compact, and so they use many layers of multiple redundancy when it comes to AI. Part of this is the Volition Test.
Implants of any kind are allowed without restriction, except for computer implants and connections.
All chip implants and ports must be registered and the user must regularly submit to the Volition Test, which is a standard crystal designed to produce a psionic signal. Then, thorugh questions in an interview, an Almerandi Proctor will use the crystal to determine that the subject is fully in control, and they are not exhibiting evidence of AI influence.
Unregistered chips and ports, or delays in VT verification, are infractions, with increasing severity after each offense. This is true for visitors as well.
Proctors are Almerandi psionics attuned to crystals that test for trace psi that is within all organic and evolved sentient beings. For some reason, AI of any kind can’t gain or use psionics, and that is how they know if someone is fully in control. Of course, not all Proctors administer the Test. They can be powerful psionics in a variety of ways.
The Volition Test
Almerandi Proctors are officially employed by the Compact, in relatively large numbers. Every signatory planet or installation of more than 10,000 is expected to maintain at least one Proctor.