Essence of Glory Faction Concept : Aehrenthal Federation

The Aehrenthal Republic was a collection of blue collar manufacturing worlds on the edge of Empire space. Upset that they rarely received more than raw materials and production quotas for their tax dollars, the system level leadership of the soon to be Aehrenthal systems lobbied for greater autonomy and a lessening of the tax burden. The Empire, overextended, and with a bloated administration decided to grant the Aehrenthal systems a unified leader who would only answer to the Emperor. Intended as a symbolic gesture to placate the systems while maintaining control, the newly crowned King Aehrenthal (for whom the systems are now named) quickly dissolved his post, replacing it with an elected cabinet which he presided over. Aehrenthal created a democratic system under the pretext of liberty and giving people a say in their governance but imperial historians cast it as a move to provoke the Imperium in to a war that Aehrenthal knew he could win and with it win the independence of his new nation.

The war was surprisingly short with the highly organized industrial might of the new republic out doing the overly bureaucratic system of the empire which put eldest sons at the heads of factories rather than those qualified or educated. In battle the republic's troops (mostly drafted factory workers) usually proved to not have the stomach for protracted fights, creating the need for more nationalistic and inspiring social programs and incentives. The soldier class quickly developed in to one of the most influential and prestigious groups in the Republic with politicians commonly wearing their military uniforms rather than civilian dress.

The new mobilized society combined with their industrial prowess made short work of the outmoded Imperial navy, but the militarism of their war of independence never truly subsided, due in part because the war has never truly ended, with the border territories erupting in constant skirmishes but also because there has been little political will to tone down the military rhetoric.

The intent of this faction in the game is to highlight the problems of emerging democracies especially when faced with such aggressive neighbors. Taking hints of Starship Troopers in to a revolutionary France type of society where they are not only facing internal problems but also a massive outer enemy, the Republic faces a lot of difficult choices for itself and how it should interact with the other nations in the game.

From a writing standpoint it's interesting because of not only the political what ifs but also the personal ones within the society that'll be explored later. In the current build the writing is slightly rigid from a character perspective, it's difficult to have a lot of diversity (in terms of character background) in the imperial factions because of the nature of their society. In the Republic faction we'll see not only more diverse character backgrounds but also more diverse political beliefs that will play in to the greater story of the Republic.