House Va'ruun is the third interstellar government to have formed in the Settled Systems. It is a theocracy centered on the worship of a deity called the Great Serpent,[1] and the extent of its territory is unknown. The capital of House Va'ruun is Dazra on planet Va'ruun'kai in Kavnyk system.
Overview[]
House Va'ruun was formed by the passengers of a colony ship that launched from New Atlantis in 2190 and was reported lost. During one of the colony ship's grav jumps, a passenger named Jinan Va'ruun experienced a period of lost time, during which he claimed to have communed with a celestial being that called itself the Great Serpent. This being asserted that it created the Milky Way galaxy long ago before entering a hibernation lasting countless millennia to recover its strength. Now that it was finally awakening, it would soon reclaim its creation in an event known as the Shrouding. Only its loyal disciples would be permitted to survive, while all others would be devoured. Jinan took on the task of preparing for the Shrouding by spreading the Great Serpent's teachings and gathering as many followers as he could.[2]
In 2230, the descendants of the lost colony ship revealed themselves to the Settled Systems as House Va'ruun, a theocratic faction founded and led by Jinan Va'ruun. The ship used to make contact with the other great factions was the Mourning, which served as House Va'ruun's flagship until it was decommissioned in 2299. At first, House Va'ruun established diplomatic relations with the other powers and claimed to only want to spread the message of the Great Serpent. In 2240, however, Jinan declared an all-out war on the rest of human civilization: the Serpent's Crusade. This conflict ended in 2263 when Jinan died and was succeeded by his son Jarek Va'ruun, who sued for peace. House Va'ruun spent the following years trying to rehabilitate its reputation, and even established an embassy in New Atlantis for that purpose, but these efforts largely failed. Following the Colony War, it became the third faction to ratify the Armistice, but then withdrew into isolation.
Fanatical, hostile remnants of House Va'ruun known as Va'ruun Zealots stayed behind and continue to plague the Settled Systems as of 2330. According to Andreja, the Zealots have twisted the teachings of the Va'ruun faith and see all non-believers as “accursed” who must be cleansed from the galaxy before the Great Serpent will deign to consume it. Travelers have reported sightings of Va'ruun Zealots in Decaran, Moloch, Ophion, and Zosma.
House Va'ruun is so secretive that it does not share the jump coordinates of Va'ruun'kai with its own agents. They are sent to gather intel on the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective, as well as pilfer important supplies that House Va'ruun can not produce by itself. These agents are dropped off at random locations and must carry out their missions with practically no support, and they cannot return home until their superiors deem their mission complete and send a ship to retrieve them.
Organization[]
As of 2330, the government is managed by the Va'ruun High Council and led by Anasko Va'ruun.
Jinan Va'ruun founded House Va'ruun, which was also based on the four noble Houses he had created: Veth'aal, Ka'dic, Dul'kehf and Ma'leen. Representatives from each of the noble Houses are included in the High Council, smaller subordinate houses cannot have representatives on the High Council.
After the death of Jinan Va'ruun, power passed to his son Jarek Va'ruun, who stopped the Serpent's Crusade started by his father. His brother Jandar Va'ruun headed House Ma'leen and publicly spoke out against the head's decision, calling Jarek Va'ruun a traitor. Conflict led to a rupture and in 2274 House Ma'leen broke ties with House Va'ruun and left Va'ruun'kai, becoming the basis of the Va'ruun Zealots, who refused to obey the decision to stop the Serpent's Crusade. As a result, only three noble Houses remained on the Council. Each of the houses that make up the High Council is responsible for a certain sector of government and controls a ministry: Ministry of State — House Veth'aal, Ministry of Conjunction — House Ka'dic, Ministry of Commerce — House Dul'kehf. The Ministry of State is responsible for monitoring compliance with laws and public order, controls the military and police forces. The Ministry of Conjunction deals with external relations and information gathering, including the introduction of agents and communication with them, and contacts smugglers. The Ministry of Commerce deals with economic issues: planning, accounting, and distribution of goods and materials. On the surface, the three noble Houses have no conflict of interest, but in the shadows they compete with each other for resources and influence. The Houses can resolve issues within the competence of their ministries independently, while the High Council resolves more general problems. The Speaker, as a representative of the Great Serpent, has absolute power, and everyone in House Va'ruun is obliged to obey his decisions. All Must Serve.
Locations[]
- Kavnyk
- Va'ruun'kai
- House Va'ruun Embassy, New Atlantis
- Indum III-b, Indum
- Starstation RE-939, Alpha Centauri
- Ka'zaal Sulfur Mine, Ka'zaal, Nirah
- Serpentis
Ships[]
- Class A
- Class B
- Class C
- Class M (cannot be captured)
Weapons[]
Members[]
Named members[]
- Jinan Va'ruun (founder and first leader)
- Jarek Va'ruun (second leader)
- Anasko Va'ruun (current leader)
- Andreja
- Mir'za
- Qasrik Bal'mor (ambassador to the United Colonies)
- S'iah Mavan (high priestess and “gravid”)
- Tomisar Ka'dic
Unnamed members[]
- Va'ruun Zealot
Notes[]
- The player can choose to be an adherent of the House Va'ruun religion at the start of the game by selecting the “Serpent's Embrace” Trait during Character Customization.