Ardanan

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Ardanan
Four Letter Code	ARDN
Federation Status	Members
Planet of Origin	Ardana
Encountered	ENT: Precious Cargo & TOS: The Cloud Minders
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	M
List of Named Ardanans
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Name

• Proper Name: Ardanan
• Pronunciation: Ar'Da'Nan

Home System

• Quadrant: Beta
• Location: Sector 007 (coordinates B25-0001-1298)
• Proper Name: Mu Leonis A
• Pronunciation: Mu Le'Onis A
• Star: Class K (orange)
• Distance from Star: Approximately 193 million km
• Companions: 7 planets with Ardana being the 2nd

Home World

• Proper Name: Ardana
• Pronunciation: Ar'Da'Na
• Diameter: 10,200 km
• Gravity: 1.2 standard gravity with a density of 5.7
• Axial Tilt: 10%, minor seasonal effects (less than Earth)
• Orbital Period: 317 days
• Rotational Period: 27 hours
• Classification: M
  • Surface Water: 20%
  • Atmosphere: 0.96 is a standard pressure with 77% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 2% argon
  • Climate: Semi arid in many regions with mild to hot temperatures
  • Population: 67.9 Million, split between Stratos and the surface.

History

Introduction

Split between the City-Dwellers of Stratos and the Troglyte Zenite miners of the surface, Ardana housed the only known source of Zenite in the galaxy, which was considered by the Federation Council to be a strategic resource. In their rush to secure this resource, Ardana's admittance was expedited, and the Federation turned a blind eye to the many criteria for Federation membership that the Ardanans did not meet. The Ardanan Elite on Stratos promised to reform, but in the six years between it's admittance and the USS Enterprise's emergency visit to the planet in 2269, nothing was done. Summary executions, torture, a highly stratified and segregated culture, all existed while Ardana was a Federation member. The events of the Enterprise's visit to Ardana have been long-lasting, and have saved two cultures from the brink of ruin. After inspecting the Zenite mining operations, the Enterprise's crew discovered the City-Dweller's gross disregard for, and oppression of the Troglyte people, making them work mines that were hazardous to their health. Notable among these hazards was Zenite Gas, which lowers an individual's intelligence and emotional control. Supplying the Trogyltes with breathing masks, the Enterprise broke the control of the City-Dwellers over the oppressed masses and set off a chain of events that lead to the Reconstruction. While the Federation Council deliberated over what should be done about the Ardanan situation, the Troglytes rebelled over High Advisor Plasus' lies to help them, and so began the Ardanan Civil War.

The War ended two years later with the capitulation of the Stratos elite and the execution of High Advisor Plasus by his own people. With Federation support, the Troglytes and the City-Dwellers reintegrated into a singular, Ardanan identity, agreeing that all would live on Stratos that wished it, and no one would be forced to work the mines. While Zenite production ground to a halt for years while this was being done, the large amount of wealth supplied by the Stratos treasuries kept the planet afloat financially. The money was also used to build several new habitats in the skies of Ardana to accommodate the new population and now all live in the luxury of Ardana's floating cities, while the mining operations are carried out by automated systems and a handful of overseers and repair technicians.

The so called 'New Ardana' is a place of culture, an acceptable amount of luxury, intellectual pursuits and working together to make the whole better. Ardana is now an upstanding member of the Federation, renown for it's luxury, wealth, civic minded citizens, libraries and Zenite mines. Ardanans are the self-proclaimed Auditors of the Federation and their Councilors often point out member states (Or prospective members) that are not in compliance with the Federation Charter, refusing to see the same mistake made twice.

Old Ardana

The History of Ardana begins in earnest with the founding of the Ardan Empire (The Old Empire), 'Ardan' meaning 'Eternal Gem (Or Flower) of Glory' in the ancient Tokushu dialect. The Tokushu were the ones to found this Empire and the Callers predicted that it would last for Ten Thousand years, which it eventually did. The Founding of the Empire lay in the spreading of the ideals of the Prophet Tokush, who wrote the Calls and spread them among the peoples of the known world. No where was the faith more fervent than among the Kidenthu, who, upon learning of Tokush's murder at the hands of the Lithusin Nobles, all took to calling themselves 'Tokushu' the people of Tokush, and launched a Holy War against the Lithusin. This war annihilated the Lithusin and struck their lands barren, assuring that they would never rise again and that they would serve as an example to the entire world the price to be paid for the mockery of their faith. It was upon the ruins of the Lithusin capital that the Tokushu proclaimed their greatest general, a former scholar of great faith, Lysenda, High Queen of their new Empire, and began their systematic conquest of most of the known world.

After conquering several neighboring nations, the great Tokushu host arrived in Ysiran lands, one of the first places to be touched by Tokush's teachings. The Ysira threw open their gates to their would-be conquerors and willingly joined their Empire, the first people to do so. Throughout Lysenda's 60 year reign, the Tokush conquered half the known world (Approximately 30% of modern Ardana) and while their expansion was curbed by internal strife in the years after her reign, the Ardan Empire endured.

Eventually the Ysiran Nobles gained nominal control over the throne of the Empire (Approximately 340 years after Lysenda's death) and established what the long lasting establishments of the Empire. Among them were the Oras, 12 (Some say 13) very large cities of great wealth, power and knowledge that served as capitals of the Empire, each ruled by their own King.

At its Zenith, the Ardan Empire encompassed 70% of Ardana and 65% of its population, though it would be what it did and didn't control that led to its downfall.

The End of Old Ardana and the Birth of Stratos

The Ardan Empire fell to strife within and without its own borders. The third of the planet not under its control had proven to be a worthy adversary to the Ardan Empire, and cost the Empire that was nearing its 10,000th year its existence. Uniting the rest of the planet not under its control in a grand coalition, the Jenerite Republic led a crusade against Ardan's control of the planet. Though initially successful, such a vast Empire that had stood for all of recorded history was not so easily taken down, and the Ardans fought back decisively against the Jenerite coalition. What the Ardans didn't account for was the Colun's desire for freedom from their servitude, and with the backing of the Jenerites, launched an insurrection against their masters. This caused the Ardans to pull their forces away from their borders and focus on putting down the rebellion. Seizing the opportunity, the Jenerites marched into the heartland of the Empire, to the gates of the capital city of Ezentera itself.

Feeling that they had no options but to distract the enemy army in kind, the Ardans launched nuclear strikes against the Jenerite coalition, utterly devastating both the land and population of these nations. In retaliation, the Jenerites launched missles of their own, and in the process of this deadly exchange, Ardana itself is devastated and the survivors crowd into the few surviving cities that are both still standing, and free of radiation.

For fifty years the Ardanans toiled in this near hell-like post-apocalyptic landscape, until salvation arrived from a secret Ardan laboratory that survived the war. The scientists announced their plan to use up the remaining resources of Ardana to build a great floating city in the clouds to serve as an ark for the remaining survivors, and a launching point to terraform and heal the planet. Banding together, all of the survivors who contributed to Stratos's construction were guaranteed a place in the city, and the scientists announced it would be open to all. After fifteen years in the Earth Year 1356 Stratos lifted off from the ruins of Ezentera and ascended into the clouds above.

For three hundred years all Ardanans enjoyed the paradise of Stratos, though a loose and informal class system remained. Eventually though, after the planet had become stable enough environmentally and expeditions had been sent down to the surface, the citizens of Stratos encountered an unexpected side-effect of the nuclear bombardment. Zenite, a fable ore of supposedly demonic origins, had presented itself in vast quantities on the planet's surface, and while the Ardanans initially thought little of it, visitors from a first-contact delegation from Retellians found Zenite of immense value and eagerly bought up the samples the crews had returned with. Eventually small mining expeditions were unable to meet with demand as Ardana became wealthy from interstellar trade, and the various uses for Zenite ore became known in entirety. The High Advisor at the time proposed exporting some of the population of Stratos to the surface to mine the ore, to be brought back up when another solution could be found.

By the 22nd century however, those exported to Ardana's surface had endured five hundred years of forced labor as generations lived and died in the Zenite mines. They developed into a sub-culture called the Troglytes, while the elite of Stratos became known as City-Dwellers, their high culture, decadence and enormous wealth was built upon the backs of forced labor in the mines below.

By the time of Ardana's admittance to the Federation, a group of Troglytes known as the 'Disruptors' had started to resist the oppression of the Stratos Elite and after the intervention of the USS Enterprise, waged war against the City-Dwellers and founded Ardana anew.

Government

In the days of Old Ardana, the Old Empire consisted of 12 (Really 13) Kingdoms called Oras ('Cities of Merit') and many smaller Oras, each submitting themselves to the nominal authority of the High King of the Empire. The qualifications for, the rules of succession, and authority of the position of High King varied on who held the position. Classically the High King was a carefully chosen leader of the Old Ardanans (Exclusively chosen among the ranks of the Nobles) who had broad power over the common folk, but had less control over the nobles. The High King was also considered Divinely anointed, and his authority was absolute, so long as he either kept the nobles in check, or submitted himself to their scrutiny. Heredity was a weak factor in succession, and while a father might occasionally be succeeded by a son for sake of stability, the position of High King was traditionally bucked from one noble House to another. A High Queen was a rare occurrence after the first Empire, and in total there were only 21 High Queens in the entire 10,000 year history of the Old Empire.

In the last days of the Old Empire, the position of the High Advisor, a merit based position, became eminently more influential, to the point to when the Empire collapsed, the tradition of a monarchy was abandoned by the Ardanans in favor of a meritocracy.

After the Ardanan Civil War, a new democratic government came to power, with the position of High Administrator acting as the head of Government, and the High Advisor maintained as the head of State. The High Administrator is chosen by popular vote, while the High Advisor is a position awarded to the most accomplished and respected Ardanan politicians. In the century since the civil war, the High Administrator has traditionally been of Trogylte descent, and the High Advisor has been of Stratos descent, though members of both cultures have ascended to both positions. The High Administrator's actions are held in deep scrutiny by the general populace and debate and philosophical discussions on policy dominate Ardanan politics.

Description

Ardanans are externally identical to Humans, though have only 3 ethnic/racial groups and a different assortment of genetic traits.

Tokushu: The Tokushu are the dominant Ardanan ethnic group in both the Troglyte and Stratos City Dweller cultures. The Tokushu hailed from the southwest of Old Ardana and were the founders of the Old Empire, though eventually the rule of it became dominated by the Ysira. The Tokushu are very fair skinned, with light brown eyes and light brown hair being the norm over the vast majority of the population. This combination of traits are considered 'The Blood of Old Ardana' and while other hair colors pop up from time to time, they are considered 'Impure' by those who hold their heritage in high esteem. None the less, these traits are appreciated for their rarity, though little else.

Ysira: Darker skinned than the Tokushu, the Ysira were the first group of Ardanans to join the Old Empire willingly and later, Ysira Nobleman made up the majority of the Kings of the Old Empire. The Ysira favored men as rulers, in contrast to the Tokushu who would rather place a woman at the top, but supported by men, and their culture eventually mixed with that of the Tokushu to form the standard of Old Ardana. The Ysira were also equally split between the Troglytes and the Stratos City Dwellers, though they no longer found themselves in such positions of power as they had in the Old Empire, with the traditionally Ysira King being replaced by the normally Tokushu High Advisor.

Colun: The Colun were a conquered ethnic group of Ardanans and integrated into the Old Empire as a servant caste. The Colun stand between the Tokushu and the Ysira in skin tone and exhibit lighter eye colors, but similar hair to the Tokushu. The Colun naturally, were split disproportionately towards the Troglyte caste when Stratos was built, though a few Colun had ascended to minor nobility by the time of the disintegration of the Old Empire, allowing the Colun to be represented on Stratos.

Other ethnic/racial groups existed at one time on Ardana, but they all died out in the aftermath of the disintegration of the Old Empire as their numbers were fewer than those of the main 3 groups. Over time these populations mingled with the others and the people no longer existed in their historical form. Many Ardanans have the blood of these old ethnic groups, but their traits are no longer present and no Ardanans identify outside of the 3 current ethnic groups.

Physiology

Ardanans are very similar to baseline Humans, with only slightly increased lifespans of around 150 years (Versus the Human norm of 130). Those Ardanans of Troglyte descent are often born with a predisposition towards building muscle mass, and over all be a heartier people physically, while those Ardanans of Stratos descent (Especially those with the blood of Old Ardana) often considered more attractive because of the old marriage conventions among the nobles of Stratos.

Psychology

Modern Ardanans are similar to Humans, though they have a well developed superiority complex. It is a passive one, but they are always willing to believe that their culture is superior to that of those they are interacting, and will never overtly declare their feelings. Rather, many appear smug and slightly arrogant. Those of Troglyte descent are a little more tempered in their interactions with other species, though among other Ardanans, some tensions still remain, left over from the centuries of oppression they endured at the hands of the Stratos elite. All Ardanans are all too willing to point out flaws in the societies of those they meet, whether it be cultural deficiencies, or injustices being suffered by the populace.

Religion

Ardanans do not possess religion in the traditional sense. They do not worship gods, rather they invoke the names of two natural forces of Ardana, the Stone and the Wind. The Stone and the Wind are seen as the mother and father of Ardana respectively, and the relationship that each Ardanan has with both is seen as a personal connection between parent and child. If that relationship is close or distant, or perhaps non-existent is left for the individual to decide. Ardanans have a singular religious text, called the Calls, which details the nature of the Stone and the Wind, the pre-history of Ardana, and the traditional virtues of Ardanans. The Calls are revered, but the commentaries on the Calls, called the Echoes, are seen as more influential. 'Sanctified' Echoes are those written by Callers (The priestly class of the Ardanans) and approved by both the Stone and the Wind by writing the words on stone and holding them up to the wind for 2 days and 2 nights, if the words remain intact the Echo is considered appropriate for distribution.

Because of the more 'Spiritual' versus 'Religious' nature of Ardanan beliefs, all Ardanans 'believe' in the Stone and the Wind, and follow their teachings. Though as Ardanans see all Ardanans as children of the Stone and the Wind, two natural forces, they traditionally had no word, or even possessed the concept of a 'non-believer' until they reached modern times. Secularism and atheism is looked down upon in modern Ardanan culture, the same as it was in the Old Empire, and the same as it was for both groups of Ardanans until their reunification. For Troglytes, their faith was a motivator, and something to be cherished, and for the Stratos City Dwellers, their faith was a sign of culture, a symbol of a proud history and a divine lineage.

Mythology

No true myths unless you count the new ones that revolve around the evil demonic creator of zenite and its curse.

Society

The citizens of Staratos don't work and spend all their time creating music, art and debating philosophy. The population is carefully controlled so as to not exceed the cities maximum potential. Ardanan society is now highly egalitarian, though still culture focused, with the richness of not only Stratos's coffers, but its culture being known throughout the quadrant. There is still something of an informal class system, though it is more like a pecking order, and is used only among those descended from the Stratos Elite and those with the blood of Old Ardana.

Culture

The pursuit of the arts is something that defines Ardanans, and most of the population are artists, philosophers, and writers. There are also many scientists, though they are held in less esteem, to the Ardanans the arts are the truest expression of the might of a people, and the influence of Ardana's artists are felt all over the Federation. Many Ardanan Masters take apprentices from many Federation worlds to study in their studios, and many conscientious members of the Federation's upper crust send their children to be educated by the best of the best on Stratos in matters of art, philosophy and intricacies of politics. Many will find that the Ardanans have a distaste for bureaucracy, and many of their laws are simple and their politicians unwilling to play games while in the service of the people.

Customs

While not really a custom the city of Staratos has an annual art festival that draws tourists from all over. It has grown so big that it must now be held on the surface of the planet.

Technology

They are masters of anti-gravity and their capitol Staratos is a prime example of this. It is probably one of the most famous anti-gravitational cities in existence. It floats majestically above the planets surface. The rest of their technology is about mid-level to that of the rest of the Federation members.

Economy

As the only known source of Zenite in the galaxy, Ardana is rich beyond imagination and it is said that they could conquer their own empire with this wealth alone. They do not have a greedy lust for this wealth though, and instead use it to support their society and ensure that their culture can maintain its legendary richness and vibrancy. Their oldest trading partner, the Retellians, have also benefited from the export of Zenite, often acting as middlemen, though within the last 150 years their importance has waned significantly as Federation companies have taken over most of their contracts and deal with the Ardanans directly.

Military

They have no military force at all. However they do have a civil police force that ensures the safety of the entire population. This force is well trained and equipped and is usually made up of those of Troglyte descent.

Federation Intelligence Files

For more info see Federation Intelligence file TOS-2269-0745 and ENT-2043-0095

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