Basidrix Cyber Ecclesia

Government

The Basidrix Cyber Ecclesia is structured as a unitary theocratic oligarchy. It is typically classified as a semi-authoritarian mixed-market economy, with moderate-to-high levels of corruption.

The Ecclesia is ruled by the highest priests of the United Creeds, who are called 'technophants'. Technophants have served the United Creeds for decades as haruspexes before their ascension, and are experts in both spiritual and mechanical matters. From the technophants, a Grand Technophant is elected every two decades to guide the state. The Grand Technophant is responsible for appointing an advisory council to aid them in the task of running the state, effectively acting as a combined executive and legislative branch of government.

There is extreme competition within the Ecclesia to be promoted to higher ranks of priesthood, particularly technophant. Intrigue and power struggles are commonplace, and assassinations are not uncommon. Although this creates an environment where those who cannot 'play the game' are prevented from rising through the ranks, those that do learn the intricacies of the Ecclesia learn it well. High-ranking technophants are often masters of intrigue and politicking, having learned to survive for so long in a high-ranking position.

History

For most of their recorded history, the Basidrix have worshipped machines. Although the specific nature of their worship differed depending on the time and particular faith, by their Industrial Age, the faiths on Naridixis had coalesced into worshipping the fusion of flesh and machine. Despite a lack of technology, great effort was put into the development of crude cybernetic technologies, and by the Atomic Age in the early 21st century CE, the first implants had been invented. Numerous conflicts, many involving nuclear weapons, erupted over doctrinal differences and efforts to convert others. By the end of the century, a tentative peace had been established, with a single faith - the Cybernetic Creed - establishing itself as the dominant faith.

The fundamental belief of the Cybernetic Creed was that the divine had been cast between organic flesh and machine technology. To unite the divine, it was necessary to merge flesh and machine using cybernetics. However, a number of creeds (sometimes referred to as cults) developed underneath the Cybernetic Creed. These were the Commune of Toil. who believed in the divinity of hard work and belonging to one's roots; the Templars of Steel, who believed cybernetics were the key to safeguarding one's body and soul; the Fellowship of the Hammer, who believed the best expression of the divine was quality craftsmanship; and the Choir of the Mind, who believed that the interlinking of consciousnesses through networked trances was the highest expression of divinity. Over time, these creeds became increasingly dogmatic, insisting that each was the one true faith. Inter-creed violence became routine during the 22nd century CE.

The development of the hyper drive in 2199 CE sparked a spiritual revolution on Naridixis. Believing that the technology was divinely guided, each of the creeds saw it as their opportunity to take control over the planet. The Ecclesia, the governing body of Naridixis, did its best to keep the competing factions at bay, preventing any one of them from becoming too powerful. Over the following decade, debate and violence became ever more common across Naridixis and the early Basidrix colonies.

In 2212 CE, the development of full cybernetic augmentation technology caused the technophants, the leading high priests of the Ecclesia, to call for a conclave to end the violence and create a unified dogma. The Conclave of Technophants, as it was called, first tasked the Ecclesia with rolling out full augmentations to the entire population. In order to support this effort, the population was tithed in both money and community service. The Conclave lasted for several years as all Basidrix were augmented, and in 2215 CE, the technophants made an announcement as to their debate on dogma and doctrine. Rather than uplift a specific creed as the one true faith, the Conclave would create a unified creed that took elements from all four creeds. Immediately, the leaders of the four creeds denounced the Conclave as invalid, refusing to accept their decision. However, rather than excommunicate the creed leadership or declare them heretics, the technophants showed mercy, allowing room for interpretation in the faith.

By permitting the members of the old creeds to continue practicing elements of their faiths, their moderate support base was undercut, leaving only a handful of hardliners left. By mid-2216 CE, the four creeds had effectively been absorbed entirely into the United Creeds. The Conclave of Technophants ended in 2217 CE, as they finalised their decision on tithes to support the Ecclesia. In 2222 CE, the Ecclesia itself was reformed, formally elevating the technophants to become the leaders of the state.

Demographics

The Cyber Ecclesia's population is almost entirely Basidrix, with only a small number of xeno species present. Those xenos that are present are primarily slaves purchased from the galactic market, particularly the Tzynn Empire. Due to a general attitude of xenophobia and a spiritual doctrine considered heretical by many other religious states, xeno migration is effectively outlawed (with a very small number of exceptions).

The entire population of the Ecclesia is cybernetically augmented. The Ecclesia provides cybernetic augmentation free of charge to its citizens through the United Creeds, which is permitted to collect tithes of time and wealth to fund itself. Basidrix cyberneticists are among the best in the galaxy, rivalling those of the Voor Technocracy.

Economy

The Basidrix Cyber Ecclesia is a small industrial mixed-market economy. Most economic activity is private, focusing on industrial manufacturing and services. The state sector has a commanding influence on the cybernetics industry for religious purposes. Education is a mixture of public and private, with all state schools being run by the United Creeds. Healthcare is predominantly run by the Ecclesia, and it is a mixture of traditional medicine, genetic therapy, and cybernetic augmentation.

Society

Basidrix society revolves entirely around the worship of cybernetic implants and cybernetic augmentation. While there are some number of secular augmentors, most augmentation and maintenance is performed by the priest-bureaucrat-augmentors called haruspexes. All inhabitants of Basidrix space are expected to be fully cybernetically augmented, and the particularly devout have additional ritualistic implants installed. These implants are often used to show support for the cyborg's preferred creed, most of which are the United Creeds. Less religiously inclined Basidrix typically prefer more functional and utilitarian implants.

Due to the relative isolation of the Cyber Ecclesia from the rest of the galaxy, its government and inhabitants have a generally negative view of xenos. Xenos are viewed with distrust and suspicion, and are believed to be heretics or spies. Very few xeno migrants are permitted to immigrate to Basidrix space, and only those that pass stringent background checks and fully convert to the United Creeds. On occasion, foreign traders are permitted into Basidrix space temporarily, usually during times of resource shortages or when the government wishes to support new colonies. This attitude of suspicion often extends to the Basidrix themselves, as haruspex inquisitors hunt down any sign of heresy against the United Creeds. Although some deviation from the norm is permitted, such as following aspects of the four old creeds, blasphemy against augmentation is punishable by death.

Military

Although traditionally the Templars of Steel were the military force of the united Basidrix, since their absorption into the United Creeds in 2216 CE, the Ecclesia has operated its own military. The modern armed forces of the Ecclesia is the Ecclesiastical Guard, which is divided into the Space Guard and Planetary Guard. The Space Guard commands starships and orbital infrastructure, while the Planetary Guard is responsible for the defence of Basidrix worlds, and on rare occasions, the invasion of hostile ones. Personnel are both volunteers and conscripts who choose to join the military as part of their "Tithe of Time", a required period of time per year that all citizens are required to serve the Ecclesia.