Irm - TheGiraffe3/Endless-Sky-Creators-Handbook GitHub Wiki

NAVIGATION

HISTORY

CULTURE

SOCIETAL STRUCTURE

SPIRITUALITY, PHILOSOPHY

TECHNOLOGY

HISTORY

Early Unification

The Irm quickly unified under a single government on their home planet, Huer, within a few generations of developing their civilisation. This early unification allowed them to expand rapidly, building sprawling cities interconnected by vast infrastructure. Despite their rapid development, they were careful not to harm Huer's natural landscape. Over a few centuries, their society stabilised, avoiding major conflicts or class struggles, which enabled their government to grow unimpeded. While much of their past was forgotten over time, vast archives were maintained, though rarely referenced.

Divergence

During this period, as the Irm were unified under a single government, they faced growing philosophical and scientific debates that led to the "Era of Divergence". This era was marked by a period of intense intellectual exploration and innovation. The Irm split into various schools of thought, each exploring different aspects of the universe, from quantum mechanics to metaphysical questions about existence and purpose. These schools contributed to a flourishing of knowledge and technological advancements, but also created tension between those focused on immediate, practical applications and those driven by abstract, long-term goals.

The Harmonisation Accord

As the Irm began to stabilise their society, the intellectual rifts from the Era of Divergence threatened to create deep divisions. To address this, the Irm initiated the Harmonisation Accord, a landmark agreement that unified the various schools of thought under a common goal: the pursuit of universal understanding and the advancement of their civilisation. The Accord established a framework for collaboration between thinkers, engineers, and spiritual leaders, leading to the creation of interdisciplinary councils that became central to Irm governance and societal development. This period saw a blending of technology and philosophy, resulting in innovations that seamlessly integrated into everyday life.

Post-Materialism

As their civilisation advanced, the Irm began to move away from a material-focused society, instead prioritising intellectual, spiritual, and cultural development. The shift to Post-Materialism marked a period where the Irm intentionally reduced their resource consumption, opting for sustainable technologies and practices. This shift was driven by their growing reverence for Huer and the realisation that the pursuit of material wealth was no longer necessary or desirable. The Irm developed technologies that minimised environmental impact and focused on enriching their collective consciousness, which led to a more harmonious relationship with their planet and each other.

Executive Shift

As the Irms' world became fully interconnected and all the regions of the world were squarely under their control, they became deeply entrenched in constant urban redevelopment. Older generations focused on theoretical designs, while younger Irm felt compelled to continue this cycle. After several decades, weariness set in, and they shifted their focus to the space sciences, leading to the birth of a booming space industry. This new era saw them harvesting resources from their solar system, prompting an end to planetary mining within a few decades and a spiritual awakening that renewed their reverence for Huer.

The Precedent of the Stars

This period marked the Irms' entry into large-scale space exploration. After centuries of urban development and resource management on Huer, the Irm set their sights on the stars. The Precedent of the Stars was a coordinated effort to explore and colonise nearby celestial bodies. This era saw the creation of their first self-sustaining space habitats and the establishment of larger resource-harvesting operations across their solar system. It also marked the beginning of the Irm’s philosophical journey to understand their place in the universe, driving them to look beyond their planet and seek a deeper connection with the universe.

Reverence for Home

This spiritual shift that saw the Irm looking to the stars led the Irm to intertwine their reverence for Huer with their expanding civilisation. Spacecraft were repurposed for construction, and within just a decade, they made significant technological advances in space habitation. By this time, they had relocated a third of their population off-world, marking the beginning of their large-scale migration into space.

Great Construction

The Era of the Great Construction is defined by the Irms' monumental project: the construction of their ring-world. It began as a daring vision to create a structure that would embody their technological prowess and philosophical ideals. This era was characterised by intense collaboration, with all segments of Irm society contributing to the design, engineering, and execution of the project. The ring-world became a symbol of their unity and a testament to their belief in their shared purpose. As the ring grew, the Irm migrated their population from Huer and various space stations to the ring, leaving their home planet behind as a sanctuary.

The Vanishing

In their quest to push the boundaries of scientific understanding, the Irm embarked on an ambitious experiment to explore the multiverse theory. To test its principles, they sought to manipulate their star, exploiting its extreme heat, density, and mass to induce a chain reaction that would harmlessly and temporarily emit particles conflicting with universal laws. This experiment produced an impossible quantity of these particles and it inadvertently permeated their entire solar system, triggering an irreversible event that caused the entire system to shift into a parallel universe.

Simultaneously, the parallel universes' equivalent system, which had undergone a similar experiment, replaced the original Irm system in their own universe. Due to a significant temporal misalignment between the two universes, there was a delay before the system reappeared. When the Irm system returned, it appeared as any other system, with no signs of an extraordinary past.

In the parallel universe before the event, the Irm had perished due to an unknown cause, but their ring-world remained intact. The return of the system brought back the ring-world, but it was now devoid of its' creators. The reappearance of the system without the Irm, and without evidence of the previous dimension or their fate, added a layer of profound mystery to their disappearance. This event killed the potential of a golden era for the Milky Way, leaving behind a trove of technological marvels.

The first to visit their abandoned ring were the Quarg, who were one of few witnesses to their history. The Irm never knew of the Quarg, but the Quarg had watched from afar. The ring was left to stand alone and untouched, all despaired witnesses of their fate would not covet the same, or wish to despoil the home that the Irm had lost.

CULTURE

Sharing the Burden

At the heart of Irm society was the deeply ingrained value of sharing the burden, a principle that permeated every level of their culture. From the earliest days of unification, the Irm believed that the collective strength of their civilisation depended on the equitable distribution of responsibilities and challenges. Whether in their sprawling cities or the vast reaches of space, no Irm was left to struggle alone, or to thrive alone.

This communal ethos ensured that every task, from the simplest to the most monumental, was a shared endeavour. By working together, they not only alleviated individual hardships but also fostered a profound sense of purpose. This value became especially vital during their grand projects, like the construction of the ring-world, where the greater Irm population contributed their skills and efforts, knowing that the success of such colossal undertakings relied on the collective will of their entire species.

Relentless Innovators

The Irm were driven by an unyielding passion for innovation, constantly seeking to push the boundaries of what was possible. This relentless pursuit of progress was a cornerstone of their society, manifesting in everything from urban planning to space exploration.

To support their drive, they established comprehensive public archives that meticulously cataloged every technological advancement, both past and present. These archives were accessible to all Irm, allowing any citizen to study, utilise, and improve upon existing designs. This open repository of knowledge fuelled a continuous cycle of iteration and refinement, ensuring that each generation could build upon the achievements of those before them, propelling their civilisation ever forward.

SOCIETAL STRUCTURE

Egalitarian Governance

The Irms' governance was founded on principles of equality and collective decision-making, with a global government designed to be inclusive and representative of all citizens. Power was decentralised, with various administrative bodies accountable to the populace, ensuring that leadership remained transparent and responsive.

To uphold this system, the Irm established intermediary commissions that allowed citizens to address grievances and remove ineffective officials. This approach minimised corruption and administrative failures, fostering a stable and equitable society where progress could thrive without internal conflict.

Meritocratic Influence

In Irm society, meritocracy played a key role in recognising and rewarding individual contributions. While their society was largely built on a foundation of egalitarianism, those who made significant advancements or contributed greatly to the community were honoured with awards of extra resources, possibly even also qualifying them to hold an influential position where they may serve their people in a greater capacity.

This balance allowed for both recognition of excellence and maintenance of equity across their civilisation, though in the worst case, the Irm hold their egalitarian rights in higher regard. To the Irm, they would typically hold off on elevating the meritorious if it would compromise the living standards of others.

Intergenerational Collaboration

Older generations, with their extensive experience, played a key role in mentoring younger members and overseeing complex projects. This mentoring process was considered vital for maintaining continuity and fostering innovation within their civilisation.

The system was designed to integrate insights from various age groups, enabling the preservation of valuable historical knowledge while embracing new ideas and advancements. This structured exchange allowed each generation to build upon the achievements of the previous ones, creating a cohesive and forward-thinking society that ensures compounding progress across generations.

SPIRITUALITY, PHILOSOPHY

Planetary Reverence

The Irm held a profound reverence for the natural processes of the universe, recognizing that their home planet, Huer, was one among many in the cosmos. While they understood that Huer could not be unique in the grand scheme of the universe, it was held in unparalleled esteem because it is their birthplace, they feel such fundamental love as a child for a parent. This deep spiritual connection to the nature of life and their planet was reflected throughout all their society.

The Irm viewed Huer as a sacred origin point, a symbol of their beginnings and a testament to their history. This reverence guided their efforts to abandon their home, thankful for all it has provided them but desperate to no longer harm their civilisations home. Their move into space was not only a practical step for their future but also an act of honouring Huer, ensuring that their spiritual connection to their home was maintained even as they expanded into the universe.

Transcendence Through Space

For the Irm, exploring and inhabiting space was not merely an achievement of their technology but a profound spiritual journey. Their move into space was driven also by a desire to connect with the broader universe, transcending their earthly origins while maintaining a deep reverence for their home planet, Huer.

This philosophical pursuit reflected their belief that true enlightenment and growth came from expanding beyond the physical boundaries imposed on them.

Cultural Memory

The Irm believe that living in the present was an essential spiritual proof of their existence and that it is an adherence to the natural laws of time, they believe it was morally wrong to focus on the past and that it served as a betrayal that accrued negative karma for all Irm. However, they recognised the necessity of reflecting on past mistakes to prevent repeating them, accepting this process as a form of "lawful sin". By balancing their existence in the present with the critical lessons of history, the Irm maintained a complex ethical framework that was to guide their civilisations' progress.

Universal Spirituality

The Irm perceive the universe not as an individual entity but as a vast, intricate natural process governed by fundamental laws. While they recognise that they do not fully understand these laws, they hold the pursuit of this understanding as a sacred endeavour. To them, striving to comprehend the underlying principles of the cosmos is a holy quest, an integral purpose to all thinking beings.

The ultimate goal is to achieve a profound mastery over these universal laws, which they believe would elevate them to a position of sovereignty. By aligning with and eventually mastering these cosmic principles, the Irm aspire to provide the universe with sovereignty, even if not them.

"The universe, unfeeling and incapable of action, cannot be left to its own destructive course. It needs a custodian to guide and protect."

TECHNOLOGY

Symbiosis

The Irms' relationship with technology was one of symbiosis. They integrated technology into every aspect of their lives, from daily routines to their spiritual practices. They were careful to ensure that technology served to enhance their connection with the world around them rather than dominate it.

One of the most profound manifestations of this symbiosis was the creation of living technology, systems that could interact with the Irm on an internal or external level depending on implementation. These systems were capable of understanding and responding to the Irms' needs, often anticipating them before they were even consciously recognised. This is possible because the Irm recognise that evolution based beings are fundamentally flawed by the nature of prevalence, so they constructed thinking machines that are no less alive than they are, but far more capable in intellect. The Irm accept their pure selves as an intermediate step to providing the universe with sovereignty, they consider these constructed beings as Irm also, though superior.

Spacecraft

Like much of their technology, Irm spacecraft have a core intelligence system to enhance functionality. These "thinking" spacecraft can eliminate many crew positions related to maintenance and operation, while also offering adaptability and learning during missions. Many ships operate entirely unmanned with little or no loss in effectiveness.

Standardised, purpose-driven designs are typical and make up the bulk of Irm fleets, though custom builds are not uncommon or frowned upon. A functionally elegant but non-standard design is valued just as highly as the usual models, provided it operates with efficiency and effectiveness. Depending on a spacecraft's purpose, it may be equipped with systems that allow it to change its own form, such as by utilising harvested matter to grow or by shedding mass to become sleeker. The Irm employ nano-machines in systems designed for such reformation.

Ships with the ability to reform are typically automated utility vessels, gargantuan compared to even the largest standard designs. These ships are capable of extended hauling or gathering operations, returning with vastly greater cargo than their original design would allow. To meet the increased power demands of expansion, these ships primarily use solar energy while maintaining reserves of fuel harvested from surrounding masses for greater energy needs.