

# The Book of The Sphere

# An Historical Companion to "The Chronicles of John Alkali"

Published By

Rik Johnston

# Smashwords Edition

# Copyright 2016

Dark Perceptions Publishing

# ISBN: 9781310845529

Digital Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to a third party. If you would like to share this book with Another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the publisher and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. Please note that this is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, places or events are purely coincidental.

Table of Contents

The Profezya Manifesto

The Tale of The Ichouli Usurper and the Birth of the Human Tribes

The Imperatore

How Government Operates in The Sphere

Tribe Lauffarey

Tribe Lartey

Tribe Tranquilo

Tribe Relygioni

Tribe Ilgovernoh

Tribe Amarey

Tribe Leengua

Tribe Lastrada

Tribe Lagerra

Finito

An Excerpt from "Dreaming god"

#  THE PROFEZYA MANIFESTO

A PROMISE OF THE HUMAN TRIBES BECOMING ONE

AS HANDED DOWN FROM THE ICHOULI TO THE IMPERATORE

When The Profezya Manifesto was first handed down to The Imperatore, it was one text written in a single paragraph in the ancient tongue of The Ichouli. The original prophecies did not have names and were not assigned to specific Human Tribes or events. When the texts were gifted to Barakheth, Grande Historian of The Great Library of Xelivios on Lionstemia, many ages were spent trying to ascertain their meaning, and determining what prophecies were linked to which of the Human Tribes. This task has been endlessly debated by The Tradizione and checked and rechecked for accuracy and discrepancies. And thus states the raw texts of The Profezya Manifesto

"The renewal of The Ichouli and the defeat of their great enemy will come only after The Great Unification of their children, The Chiliroc. Only then will their power be restored and they will regain their strength. In order for this to transpire, many signs will manifest themselves when the time is at hand. One of The Chiliroc will trespass and suffer the wrath of a superior being. A statue will be erected by one of The Chiliroc and will be viewed as an act of war. One of The Chiliroc will be special, and will quell the fire that quickens between two others. One of The Chiliroc will cure and will kill in the same act. The Favored Chiliroc of The Favored Chiliroc will face near complete extinction. An object shall be built by one of The Chiliroc that will cause the deaths of billions of The Chiliroc. Following this, one of The Chiliroc will stand upon a great mountain, and will begin The Great Unification of the children against their oppressors. One of The Chiliroc will sacrifice their very essence, and restore that which was once lost. One of The Chiliroc will embrace what they were always meant to be while another one of The Chiliroc abandons everything they will become. One of The Chiliroc will produce light and darkness, hope and destruction, but will be cut from the same cloth. A disease will tear at The Chiliroc, and will break apart their body. One of The Chiliroc will give their life, and give it again to turn the tide. A secret heir to The Favored Chiliroc of The Favored Chiliroc will put end to the time of darkness. When these signs are accomplished."

The following list has been meticulously pored and pondered over and is as precise as it could be translated to. The numberings and headings were fashioned by Barakheth to give an order of semblance to the writings handed down to The Imperatore from The Empress of The Ichouli. What follows is the closest version of The Profezya Manifesto that could be provided in a format that is reader friendly to all of the Human Tribes, and does not make special allotments or allowance to any of the Human Tribes in particular.

I

PROFEZYA IMPERATORE

One Human Tribe will face near extinction at its highest levels, with only one distant member of the Sangulinea surviving. The surviving member of the Sangulinea will put an end to the time of darkness.

II

PROFEZYA LAUFFAREY

One Human Tribe will develop an exceptionally powerful weapon that will be used against them, causing the deaths of billions on one of the thousands of worlds that they have colonized. This will be a symbol of unity amongst The Human Tribes.

III

PROFEZYA LARTEY

One Human Tribe shall erect a statue of a fallen leader, which will be viewed as an act of war by an alliance of alien races.

IV

PROFEZYA LEENGUA

One Human Tribe will put forth a unique individual who will put a final end to hostilities between Tribe Ilgovernoh and Tribe Relygioni, and this peacemaker will join with the symbol of Human Power and aid him in his struggles.

V

PROFEZYA TRANQUILO

One Human Tribe will make a breakthrough and cure an ailment common to every Human Tribe, and this cure will also be fatal to another race during the time of darkness.

VI

PROFEZYA LASTRADA

One Human Tribe shall make a breakthrough and will travel where no Human has ever been, and will face and encounter with a horrible truth.

VII

PROFEZYA AMAREY

One Human Tribe will make an ultimate sacrifice during a time of darkness and this sacrifice will restore that which was once lost.

VIII

PROFEZYA RELYGIONI

A sign will be given to One Human Tribe to restore their faith in the Old Goddesses, and their purpose in The Sphere. This sign will be seen across The Sphere over a period of four years.

IX

PROFEZYA ILGOVERNOH

One Human Tribe will cast aside every belief they have established in order to survive, and will condone that the other Human Tribes do the same. By unbecoming what they have become, only will they survive to continue on being what they have become.

X

PROFEZYA LAGERRA

One Human Tribe will produce two Men who will escape a great holocaust and will become opposing symbols of power. One will become a symbol of destruction of the Human Tribes and the other will become a symbol of hope.

XI

PROFEZYA TRADIZIONE

A galactic form of government, comprised of all of the Human Tribes, will fall. The attack that destroys it will come unseen and will not happen quickly.

XII

PROFEZYA UNIFICAZIONE

There will come One with great need, who will stand tall on the mountain and declare The Human Tribes as one people, and unite them in common purpose, who has passed through death and returned, and who will give all more to fight and defeat a great evil.

XIII

PROFEZYA VITTORIA

One Human will make a miraculous return from the dead, and will give their life a second time at a moment that will turn the tide in favor of the Human Tribes.

XIV

PROFEZYA SANGULINEA

There will be an Heir to The Imperatore who will be hidden from friendly and unfriendly eyes alike and will not know of their Royal Sangulinea, and this Heir will restore order and justice to The Sphere by defeating a great evil.

XV

PROFEZYA FINO ULTIMA

Once The Profezya Manifesto of the Human Tribes is fulfilled, the Great Unification of the Human Tribes will occur, and The Ichouli will regain the power to return from whence they came and defeat she who has committed great evil upon The Ichouli. For when the gifts become whole, so shall The Ichouli.

THE TALE OF THE ICHOULI USURPER AND

THE BIRTH OF THE HUMAN TRIBES

(WITH ANNOTATIONS BY BARAKHETH OF THE IMPERATORE)

In the beginning, there was only the Sphere, full of vastness, darkness, and emptiness. Untouched, The Sphere was perfection. The Ichouli looked upon it from their Sphere. It should be noted that The Universe that we know is one Sphere, which resides within another Sphere. And inside of this Sphere, resides another Sphere. These Spheres stretch in both directions (larger and smaller) far into infinity, to a number of Spheres that is so large that the Human mind is unable to comprehend. This is what is known as The Multiverse. There are so many Spheres with millions multiplied by billions multiplied by trillions of different forms of life, some so great and breathtaking that a Human could not look upon it without it destroying them completely and utterly. And there are some forms of life that are so insignificant and small that a Human would and could most likely pass over them without ever realizing they had seen what they might consider a living thing. The origins of The Sphere have been passed down through the history of The Imperatore for a million generations, for these are secrets dared not spoken outside of the circle of The Imperatore, but only amongst ourselves, our ancestors, and our descendants, though Tribe Relygioni also believes in these ideas through their faith. The fabric of The Sphere is not only woven with what we call matter, anti-matter, and dark matter, for these are not the only substances which bind together that which we see in the entirety of space all around us. There is dark and there is light to be certain, and all its subtle and delicious flavors in between, but the true forces that hold it all together are emotions. Before our minds could comprehend the true state of The Sphere, there were emotional forces that conspired to make things as they truly are. We stared at the stars, the planets, and the galaxies for thousands of years, theorizing on ideas of explosions, and divine entities, and a million other proposed ideas that inspired us to think far beyond what and where we are. But as our technology grew, so did our understanding of what The Sphere is, and where it comes from, as did our comprehension of how emotion created all that we know.

This chronicle begins in the Sphere greater to our own, which we will refer to as The Greater Sphere, and the Sphere greater than that as the Massive Sphere. We shall refer to our Sphere as The Sphere, and the Sphere within The Sphere as The Lesser Sphere. An anomaly that occurs with the Spheres is that the smaller the Sphere appears on the outside, the greater amount of space there is on the inside. This is the reason that some The Ichouli looked upon The Sphere with envious eyes, so that they might inhabit a greater space than their own. It was The Ichouli who inhabited the Greater Sphere, and who were the first to discover the secrets to breaking the confines of their Sphere. Nobody knows where these Spheres came from, or how old they are, or when they were created, or who created them. For as long as anybody has known, the Spheres simply are.

It should be noted that upon the discovery of The Sphere, The Ichouli regarded it as a thing of blackness, goodness and purity, and in The Sphere they saw the ability to begin anew and to expand their influence and dominion, encompassing and entwining The Sphere with The Greater Sphere.

The Ichouli are beings of benevolent spiritual radiance, and one could not look upon their actual physical form as it is shrouded behind an intense veil of light. It is said that only The Ichouli can completely see their own true form, and that that form is only shown to another when The Joining occurs. The Joining is a time in which The Ichouli procreate, thus creating the next generation of their species, which is odd because for billions of units of measurement, The Ichouli, in their natural lives, are without beginning and without end. The Ichouli believe that their offspring have always existed, long before their physical appearance in the Greater Sphere. It would be observed by Humans that The Ichouli are a race completely composed entirely of females, though The Ichouli do not recognize gender as such, as they simply "are". While The Ichouli all lean toward feminism in personality persuasion, it is not a physical act that creates their offspring, it is a sharing of thoughts, ideas, and emotions that manifest themselves into what becomes an offspring for The Ichouli. By two of The Ichouli sharing their Lifepulse, they can create offspring that share traits of the two donors of The Ichouli. And in these thoughts, ideas and emotions lives only benevolence, for The Ichouli know nothing of the darker base emotions that we know. It would be a misnomer to state that The Ichouli are a race of beings as their word for it is far beyond Human understanding, even though The Human Tribes are their offspring. The Ichouli are of a singular mind on all things, every thought is shared completely amongst each other. It has always been as such, or always was until the Time of the Exile happened, but I am getting ahead of myself on my own tale.

Time does not exist to The Ichouli the way it does to the Human Tribes. Billions of Human years are mere seconds in The Ichouli lifespan, and mere seconds are billions of years to The Ichouli, such is the way of perfection. It is a paradox which rules The Ichouli and their way of life, and that paradox feeds their passion for all living things. It is this paradox which permeates every aspect of the existence of The Ichouli.

Though they share all their thoughts, there is one who keeps these thoughts in perfect order. She is The Empress, Her word infinite and true, who was not put in charge of The Ichouli to lead, or to impose rule, but to demonstrate Her subservience to The Ichouli by doing what is best for them at all times. Every single member of The Ichouli recognizes this fundamental natural order of selection, and acknowledges it. It is a position of service, not of recognition, for it has always been as such, and always will be.

The Empress is tended by The Eight, Her Handmaidens, who assist Her in each and every task set before Her, advising Her and informing Her of all that was, all that is, and all that will be. The Handmaiden Lauffarey, knowledgeable in the ways of industry, building what must be built for the betterment of The Ichouli. The Handmaiden Lartey, with her eye for art and design, striving to add beauty to the culture of The Ichouli. The Handmaiden Relygioni who lives by her faith in things unseen and beseeches The Ichouli to do the same. The Handmaiden Ilgovernoh, with her unquenchable thirst for order, to keep The Ichouli moving in the same direction. The Handmaiden Lastrada, whose hunger for exploration would expand the dominion of The Ichouli far beyond what they have known. The Handmaiden Leengua, whose study of sound and language would exponentially increase The Ichouli's understanding of other cultures. The Handmaiden Tranquilo, skilled in healing through medical advances, bringing The Ichouli a better quality of life. The Handmaiden Amarey, who knows only love, truth, honor and kindness and is a beacon to The Ichouli and their way of life. The Ichouli have existed under these conditions for billions of years, unmovable and unshakeable. But much like the physical law that states that bodies in motion will remain in motion until acted upon by an external force, such is the same with The Ichouli, and it is this physical law is what would eventually become their downfall.

The closest to a religious belief, if they indeed had a word for such a thing, that The Ichouli could conceive of was that if they were able to shift beyond infinity, outside the Spheres there is an emotionally unattached being who watches everything, making no judgments or assumptions, and who will not interfere in anything going on in any of The Spheres. This Supreme Being believes His Utopia is a perfect system where everything runs on a precision schedule, and to involve himself would not only unbalance one Sphere, it could possibly unmake all of time and space. This Supreme Being is known to The Ichouli as The Watcher, and though they have never seen this Being, they have a strong faith that He exists. Of all of The Watcher's creations, The Ichouli are believed to be his favorite.

The Ichouli exist within The Greater Sphere, which was created as a perfect paradise where they thrived and flourished for millions upon billions upon trillions of ages. It however came to pass that The Ichouli had discovered there was no more space within The Greater Sphere, and thus, they desired expansion as most beings do when space becomes limited, and so they turned their eyes toward The Sphere. Ages were spent trying to discover the theories and the technology to break away from The Greater Sphere. It was also known to The Ichouli that The Greater Sphere existed within the confines of The Massive Sphere, so when the technology was developed to break the boundaries, The Massive Sphere would be their first attempt. A team of four was put together to travel to The Massive Sphere, led by a brilliant yet ambitious young Ichouli named Trinta, who had risen quite quickly in the ranks of The Ichouli, gaining influence through her charisma and charm. The Empress personally assigned Trinta to lead the mission to The Massive Sphere. Every single member of The Ichouli gathered together to witness an historic moment, the first time any Sphere, beings had achieved the technology to do what none other had achieved, to break the confines of a Sphere. Trinta and her team were explicitly given instructions to go and observe, and under no circumstances were they authorized to interfere in any way. If this mission were a success, exploration of The Sphere would begin immediately following their return. With these orders in mind, the team entered the Sphere Injector, and was transported to The Massive Sphere.

Upon arrival in the Massive Sphere, the team discovered it was a place of darkness and death, of madness and intense suffering. Never having experienced these things, two of The Ichouli exploration team went utterly insane and fell into a great sadness and depression and terminated their own Lifeforces in order to stop the visions replaying over and over in their minds. However, it was Trinta who began to felt stirrings deep inside of her that she had never known before, and where the others felt fear, she found deep pleasure in it. Trinta took careful note of this and instantly theorized that if the termination of a Lifeforce could be inflicted upon oneself, it could certainly be terminated by her own hand as well.

And so it came to pass that the corruption of The Ichouli began with their first murder in the Massive Sphere as Trinta gleefully terminated the fourth team member's Lifeforce, laughing maniacally as she did so.

This epiphany brought forth a cornucopia of impure thoughts into her mind, having just committed the first and only murder The Ichouli had ever known. And Trinta reveled in it, drunk with power. She observed violence, death, disease, deceit, starvation, and the desire to conquer within The Massive Sphere and became a student of their teachings, learning the lessons of evil at an astronomical rate. She then vowed to return to The Greater Sphere and overthrow The Empress and Her Handmaidens to seize power for herself, but instead of benevolence, she would rule through hatred and fear. This would be a revolution that would be a long time coming for The Ichouli, and she was certain that once she brought these lessons back, there would be others who felt as she did. Those who stood with her would be greatly rewarded, while those who opposed her would suffer by her own hand, and their Lifeforce would be inexorably terminated.

Then the thought occurred to Trinta that the others could have possibly terminated their own Lifeforces in an attempt to keep themselves from becoming exactly what she had become, and that made them weak. And then the Lifeforce that she herself had terminated, would that one have become as she had become and possibly made an attempt to terminate her? This became a justification for all that she had become, and so it was reconciled in her mind within a fraction of a second. She would be the one to lead The Ichouli to strength and power.

But upon Her return, she would need a way to control the masses and get The Empress and Her Handmaidens out of the way permanently so she could ascend to her rightful place of power. What were these sensations that accompanied her actions? There was satisfaction, anticipation, and ambitions perhaps, and almost certainly fear, anxiety and hatred. Hatred gave birth to her anger, which grew into malevolence, and that gave her a newfound strength and purpose.

But a plan was what was needed. So after some careful observation, she discovered something called a parasite, which would infect a living being, weaken them and eventually kill them. She learned about this parasite and what it was capable of, and the safest way for her to handle it. After she collected enough of the parasite, she made her return to The Greater Sphere.

So it came to pass that Trinta returned to The Greater Sphere, and brought the parasites with her, along with deception and subtlety, and unleashed it upon the unsuspecting masses, spreading it far and wide in a short period of time, afflicting billions including The Empress and Her Handmaidens. And in an act of deception Trinta showed duplicitous concern for The Ichouli as a whole and offered a solution to save them.

It had already been discovered that the gravitational forces with The Sphere were much greater than those in their own Sphere, and Trinta suggested that The Sphere could be used as a quarantine zone so the gravity could leech the parasite from their bodies. Seeing no other way to solve the issue at hand, The Empress agreed to Trinta's plan. And so it came to pass that The Empress and Her Handmaidens, along with billions of other afflicted members of The Ichouli were injected into The Sphere.

Once all of the afflicted were inside The Sphere, Trinta the Usurper placed a powerful shield around The Sphere, thus preventing the escape of anyone imprisoned within and cutting off any sharing of thoughts between the Spheres. Trinta then proclaimed herself as the new Empress, taking The Sphere and placed it within her tiara, as the crown jewel to keep safe and protected so the True Empress could never return. Trinta then took the name Serendipity for herself and began a murderous killing spree of any and all that opposed her, but her bloodlust could not be sated or quenched. For the first time The Ichouli experienced the meaning of fear, and the horror of what their paradise had become was a cost too great for many of them to bear. Serendipity simply had to wait for the afflicted within The Sphere to die, and then absolute rule would be unquestionably hers for the taking.

But then something happened within The Sphere that Serendipity did not intend. The Empress took up a position within the very center of The Sphere and placed Her Eight Handmaidens in prominent strategic positions throughout, with the other billions of afflicted taking up random positions in a massive space where their distance was too great for their radiance to warm one Another. The gravitational forces within The Sphere began to leech the parasites from the bodies of The Ichouli, forming spherical masses which began orbital paths around The Ichouli in various mass and distances. They had indeed managed to cure themselves of the parasites, and it wasn't long before The Ichouli had found contentment in exile after accepting that there would never be a return. After a million years of research, The Empress had discovered that the former parasites had transformed into planets that would at some point be capable of sustaining life. There was a plan forming in the back of The Empress' mind. Seeing the new foundation built by the exiles, Serendipity made contact with The Empress and told Her she would destroy The Lesser Sphere if they continued their adaptation to their new environment, and the ensuing explosion would destroy everything in The Sphere. The Empress explained that it wasn't possible to destroy an entire Sphere, and to do so would break The Infinity Chain linking all the Spheres together, thus unmaking all of reality. And while the idea of destroying everything all at once appealed to Serendipity, she would be unable to be around to enjoy it, so she accepted this truth and vowed to find another way to destroy the exiles.

And so it came to pass that an exclamation point was placed upon the happiness of the exiles, and The Empress and Her Eight Handmaidens sent forth their Lifepulses from their wombs to various points within The Sphere, creating life, our lives, and life as we know it.

When The Ichouli creates a new member of their race, it requires the Lifepulse of two Ichouli joined together, but this is not the only life they are capable of creating. A single Lifepulse is capable of creating a race of much lesser life forms, though it was expressly forbidden amongst The Ichouli, as the result would be considered to be impure as the offspring would also require two Lifepulses, but from two separate genders. But this was a new Sphere, and The Empress began to think that the old rules no longer applied under the current situation. So The Empress and Her Eight Handmaidens sent out their singular Lifepulses and created life on various worlds throughout The Sphere.

The Empress, gifted in all manner of foresight, attached a Profezya to each of the Human Tribes that were born unto the Sphere. The Grande Profezya or Profezya Fina Ultimo thusly states: **Once The Profezya Manifesto of the Human Tribes is fulfilled, the Great Unification of the Human Tribes will occur, and The Ichouli will regain the power to return from whence they came and defeat she who has committed great evil upon The Ichouli, for when the gifts become whole, so shall The Ichouli.**

Almost instantaneously, The Empress assigned each Human Tribe their Profezya, and divided their gifts evenly amongst the Human Tribes, even before their creation.

The power of The Empress was wisdom and knowledge, the ability to lead, to shape and mold Her people in a way that was mutually beneficial to the advantage of all who followed Her, and this would be Her gift to Her offspring.

And it came to pass The Empress, being of nobility and divine benevolence, sent out Her Lifepulse and created the ruling class of the Human Tribes, which she called The Imperatore. This Tribe was to become the Royal Sangulinea which binds all the Tribes together. They were set forth on their homeworld named after the true name of The Empress, Lionstemia, to serve as the authoritative historians for all the Human Tribes, who's Great Libraries of Xelivios housed the information on the development and histories on the Tribes and were gifted the wisdom and the tongue to carry on fellowship with The Empress Herself.

And thus states Profezya Imperatore: **One Human Tribe will face near extinction at its highest levels, with only one distant member of the Sangulinea surviving. The surviving member of the Sangulinea will put an end to the time of darkness.**

(The Imperatore have been forever aware of the impending doom that Profezya Imperatore warns of. Because of this, The Imperatore created the finest security force in all of The Sphere, and Lionstemia was fortified to become the safest and most hardened target anywhere in The Sphere. Lionstemia was built so securely that it was considered to be unbreachable. The city has been strengthened and is self-sufficient enough to withstand years of orbital bombardment, should the need arise. The only true threat to The Imperatore or The Royal Sangulinea is when they are in transit, and even then a massive fleet of warships accompanies them. While it has been known to The Imperatore for tens of thousands of generations that their bloodline will be wiped out, every precaution has been taken to ensure their survival.)

The power of The Handmaiden Lauffarey was knowledge in the creation of technological advances through industry so she could provide a strong foundation for her and the rest of her kind, and this would be her gift to her offspring.

And it came to pass The Handmaiden Lauffarey sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Tribe named after herself and gifted them with the knowledge and use of industry and technology, and set them forth on their homeworld of Ingonia where they would eventually forge the steel, the technology and the ships that would one day bring the Tribes together.

And thus states Profezya Lauffarey: **One Human Tribe will develop an exceptionally powerful weapon that will be used against them, causing the deaths of billions on one of the thousands of worlds that they have colonized. This will be a symbol of unity amongst The Human Tribes.**

(While Tribe Lauffarey has built warships and weapons in the past, they have always held to a strict code to never build a super weapon of any kind. They defy Profezya Lauffarey with every breath in their bodies. They don't believe in prophecy as that kind of fear is counterproductive to their way of life, so they do everything they can to circumvent the probability of the Profezya Lauffarey becoming a reality.)

The power of The Handmaiden Lartey was the creation of works that would illicit an emotional response so that her kind might know the joy, the despair, the depth and scope of their Sphere around them and look at it from various points of view, and this would be her gift to her offspring.

And it came to pass The Handmaiden Lartey sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Tribe also named after herself and gifted them with the intuitive ability to create a wide variety of art and music, setting them upon their homeworld of Dahlshor so they might juxtapose beauty against destruction, melody married with harmony, and the ability to critique with the desire to create ever greater works than those that had come before them.

And thus states Profezya Lartey: **One Human Tribe shall erect a statue of a fallen leader, which will be viewed as an act of war by an alliance of alien races.**

(Tribe Lartey are highly intuitive and know that art is a way of life for them and that the subject is interpretive and open to discussion. They do not even worry about the repercussions of Profezya Lartey, as not everybody is going to like everything all of the time. They are dismissive of the prophecy and it has never hindered their progress or their need to create art or music.)

The power of The Handmaiden Leengua was the endless knowledge of languages as to clearly communicate and interpret the communication of her kind in absolute truth, and this would be her gift to her offspring.

And it came to pass The Handmaiden Leengua sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Tribe also named after herself and gifted them with language and speech so they would understand the various tongues throughout The Sphere and set them forth upon their homeworld of Dyntallo to write what must be written, say what must be said, and interpret what must be interpreted with truth and integrity.

And thus states Profezya Leengua: **One Human Tribe will put forth a unique individual who will put a final end to hostilities between Tribe Ilgovernoh and Tribe Relygioni, and this peacemaker will join with the symbol of Human Power and aid him in his struggles.**

(Because Tribe Leengua has always had an awesome command of linguistic skills, they have been utilized as the go to guys to lead negotiations between The Human Tribes. When they speak, there is a sense of reason to everything they say, so everyone tends to listen, no matter what language. They are always arbitrating disputes between The Human Tribes, specifically between Tribe Ilgovernoh and Tribe Relygioni, as the two concepts of order and spirituality are mutually exclusive. Tribe Leengua is aware of Profezya Leengua every single time they settle a dispute between the two Human Tribes and there is usually much discussion surrounding it at the negotiation table.)

The power of The Handmaiden Tranquilo consisted of the knowledge to bring health to her kind and others through advances in healing so they might life fully without the obstruction of illness and plague, this would be her gift to her offspring.

And it came to pass The Handmaiden Tranquilo sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Tribe she also named after herself and gifted them with health and peace so they may heal that which is broken, and set them forth upon their homeworld of Paradiso where medical advances could be made that would essentially save billions of lives throughout The Sphere in the preservation of life instead of taking it.

And thus states Profezya Tranquilo: **One Human Tribe will make a breakthrough and cure an ailment common to every Human Tribe, and this cure will also be fatal to Another race during the time of darkness.**

(Tribe Tranquilo really doesn't have time to pay attention to Profezya Tranquilo as they have always just done what they do, create a greater sense of healing for The Human Tribes. If the day ever comes they stumble upon a cure that will heal every single Human Tribe of a great ailment, then they will rejoice that they have done well for the people living in The Sphere, not because a prophecy had dictated they do so.)

The power of The Handmaiden Lastrada was the curiosity of what lies beyond and the willingness to go there and find pure nourishment for her and her kind so they might expand their dominion and witness new things, this would be her gift to her offspring.

And it came to pass The Handmaiden Lastrada sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Tribe she also named after herself and gifted them with the ability to travel and prepare food in ways other Tribes could not imagine so they might reach new worlds and make peace over a great meal with friendly conversation, setting them forth upon their homeworld of Nyppatoria where they could look far out into The Sphere and yearn to reach every point of light and feed them with the goodness of their homeworld.

And thus states Profezya Lastrada: **One Human Tribe shall make a breakthrough and will travel where no Human has ever been, and will face and encounter with a horrible truth.**

(Tribe Lastrada has travelled and seen more of The Sphere than any other of the Human Tribes, save possibly The Imperatore. Tribe Lastrada is skeptical of Profezya Lastrada because they've been everywhere and seen it all, or as much of it as they're allowed to see. When and if they find a new destination, then they might take the prophecy more seriously.)

The power of The Handmaiden Amarey was to simply love and to be loved in return, so that a bonding may occur between her and her kind, bonds that are meant to last forever, this would be her gift to her offspring.

And it came to pass The Handmaiden Amarey, who was the most innocent and uncorrupted of the Handmaidens, sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Tribe which she also named after herself and gifted them love, honor and truthfulness so they might easily accept the people of every Tribe and form bonds with them that are not easily broken, setting them forth upon their homeworld of Hestendra so they could make deeper attachments and connections and serve as a pure example of how the Human Tribes should interact with one another.

And thus states Profezya Amarey: **One Human Tribe will make an ultimate sacrifice during a time of darkness and this sacrifice will restore that which was once lost.**

(Tribe Amarey are ever aware of the meaning of Profezya Amarey, as they yearn to fly to the skies again. The conflict for them lies in the fact that they're not specifically a confrontational people, so they cannot imagine what sacrifice they'll have to make in order to restore their power of flight, but are always unafraid and willing to do what needs to be done as long as it doesn't interfere with their loving and peaceful values.)

The power of The Handmaiden Relygioni was the belief in things and powers that were unseen by their own eyes, and the ability to make their kind feel the faith that they felt in their hearts for a greater power, this would be her gift to her offspring.

And it came to pass The Handmaiden Relygioni sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Tribe she also named after herself and gifted them with the qualities of religion and spirituality so they could never forget the higher power that bore them from her womb, setting them forth on their homeworld of Vinestrus to worship, to believe and to have faith in things which exist, yet are unseen and so they might teach others of these things, a life beyond mere existence.

And thus states Profezya Relygioni: **A sign will be given to One Human Tribe to restore their faith in the Old Goddesses, and their purpose in The Sphere. This sign will be seen across The Sphere over a period of four years.**

(The last couple of millennia, each generation of Tribe Relygioni has slid further and further from the Old Beliefs, and has found a new spirituality to follow. The current generation is fully aware of Profezya Relygioni but chooses to dismiss it as ancient dogma, but they are a superstitious Human Tribe and are always divining signs and worry that each sign might be the sign spoken of in Profezya Relygioni.)

The power of The Handmaiden Ilgovernoh was the ability to place each and every thing in perfect order, to defeat chaos and untidiness for her and her kind so they might have structure in their lives, this would be her gift to her offspring.

And it came to pass The Handmaiden Ilgovernoh sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Tribe which she also named after herself and gifted them with the fundamentals of government and order that they might find diplomatic solutions to social issues within The Sphere that will benefit every Tribe, setting them upon their homeworld of Plohm to make laws which would protect the weak and the innocent, to guide them in a way which will keep the peace and order, and to serve as a beacon of light to the other Tribes.

And thus states Profezya Ilgovernoh: **One Human Tribe will cast aside every belief they have established in order to survive, and will condone that the other Human Tribes do the same. By unbecoming what they have become, only will they survive to continue on being what they have become.**

(Tribe Ilgovernoh don't believe in all that ancient prophecy mumbo jumbo, as it does not ring true with their sense of order. Profezya Ilgovernoh asks Tribe Ilgovernoh to discard their most basic truths and their established sense of order for survival. The Elders of Tribe Ilgovernoh couldn't imagine any scenario where they wouldn't need to maintain order and discipline, so to them, the prophecy is null and void.)

And The Empress looked out upon The Sphere and felt a grander sense of accomplishment and fulfillment than she had ever felt in The Greater Sphere where She and Her fellow exiles had originated. And in order to protect the children of The Sphere, The Empress took The Lesser Sphere and placed it within Her heart where Serendipity could never find it, allowing its power to feed Her own, thus increasing Her own power tenfold. It was at this time that The Empress ordered the silence of the Eight Handmaidens were not to have any communication with the Tribes under any circumstances.

And so it came to pass that The Ichouli Empress decreed that She would love and protect every Human Tribe equally, and looked forward to the time of The Great Unification where the Tribes would combine all of their gifts and become truly one. This was the dream and the word of The Empress was infallible, even to Her own standard.

Seeing the potential threat that the Tribes of The Empress and Her Handmaidens posed to her, Serendipity sent her Lifepulse from her womb deep into The Sphere in a fit of rage and jealousy.

And thus, the Tenth Tribe was created, the one who was never meant to be, but who was loved equally as equally as any of the other of The Human Tribes.

And Serendipity took her own power, and intended to give her gifts to her offspring, as she was a jealous entity. She meant her offspring to be the antithesis of everything The Empress and The Eight Handmaidens had created, and so infused them with hatred, anger, deception and violence, these would be Serendipity's gift to her offspring, and she did not love them, nurture them or give them any advantage.

And so it came to pass that Serendipity sent out her malevolent Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Tribe that she named Lagerra and gifted them with the means to make violent war, to deceive, and the ability to kill one another indiscriminately so when the time of The Great War came, they would be well practiced in the death and destruction of the other Human Tribes. She set them forth on their homeworld of Earth near a less radiant member of The Ichouli named Sol, who was a devout follower of Serendipity. Tribe Lagerra was created for the sole purpose of destroying the other Human Tribes, as Serendipity craved the destruction of all creations of The Empress and Her Eight Handmaidens.

Tribe Lagerra would differ from Tribe Lauffarey as they would primarily use their works of industry to build weapons of war instead of for the common good of all the Human Tribes. This would be a curse as they extend the hand of warfare to knock on the doors of other Human Tribes.

Tribe Lagerra would differ from Tribe Lartey as their art would be a chronicle of the chaos in their world around them, painting a history of violence and bloodshed. This would be a curse as they would establish through their history of art that they were superior to other Human Tribes.

Tribe Lagerra would differ from Tribe Leengua as they would choose to act irrationally and violently instead of learning the language and communication necessary for problem solving. This would be a curse as the meaning of peace is lost in translation and they speak only a tongue for war to other Human Tribes

Tribe Lagerra would differ from Tribe Tranquilo in the sense that their healing would only extend as far as their own hand would take them, and not offer healing to any other race without a price or cost. This would be a curse as good health would come at a price for the greedy and opportunistic to gain wealth and influence from the other Human Tribes.

Tribe Lagerra would differ from Tribe Lastrada in their ability to conquer every new land they would discover and steal its wealth instead of simply setting foot on it and bathing in the richness of its culture. This would be a curse as they come to new lands not with an open hand to give, but with the sword and indignation of other Human Tribes.

Tribe Lagerra would differ from Tribe Amarey by choosing to indiscriminately hate and destroy each other instead of loving and building each other up, keep them grounded on the earth they would walk on. This would be a curse as they choose harsh words of blame and anger, letting hate guide the path instead of walking the path of other Human Tribes

Tribe Lagerra would differ from Tribe Relygioni in the sense of not being able to accept the spiritual beliefs of others and their inability to allow other beliefs to flourish without abolishing them with warfare. This would be a curse as they impose their belief systems on others through strength of force instead of living peacefully with other Human Tribes.

Tribe Lagerra would differ from Tribe Ilgovernoh by living in chaos and disorder by the over governing of their people by the creation of fascist regimes to lead a malcontent populace in disharmony and discord. This would be a curse as they live in dissidence and demonstrate their lack of honor toward other Human Tribes.

The Empress looked upon the creation of Tribe Lagerra with marked displeasure, but held to Her vow to love and protect all Human Tribes equally; this would include Serendipity's offspring. It wasn't long before The Empress began to modify Her long-term plan to include Tribe Lagerra into Her grand scheme.

And in Her gentility and goodness, The Empress sought to include Tribe Lagerra into the plan She had for the Human Tribes, as Serendipity's gifts could be used against her. The joining together of the Human Tribes would incite The Great Unification, which will result in the evolution of The Ichouli into a new and more powerful race of beings with the various gifts shared among them, and they would be able to return to The Greater Sphere and defeat Serendipity and Her minions.

And it was at that point in time that The Profezya Lagerra was revealed, and it was the keystone and the glue that held together The Profezya Manifesto. Its meaning was extremely cryptic at the time of its inception, and it would be pondered over for millennia to come.

And thus states Profezya Lagerra: **One Human Tribe will produce two Men who will escape a great holocaust and will become opposing symbols of power. One will become a symbol of destruction of the Human Tribes and the other will become a symbol of hope.**

(Tribe Lagerra has always been known to be the warlike of The Human Tribes. They are not even aware of the existence of Profezya Lagerra because they haven't met the charter requirements for membership to The Tradizione. The Imperatore has pondered long over this prophecy and can't understand how this might relate to Tribe Lagerra, as they are still stuck in their own solar system and not an issue.)

Anticipating this move by The Empress, Serendipity moved the next piece in their galactic scale game of chess by brutally torturing two of The Ichouli until they swore eternal loyalty. Of the worst punishments an Ichouli can face, the absolute worst is to be robbed of their radiance, revealing their true selves to every other member of The Ichouli. Serendipity's torture transformed these radiant beings into abominations whose sole purpose was to wreak havoc on the Human Tribes.

The first of the two of The Ichouli was mutilated to the point where the victim was no longer recognizable as one of The Ichouli, and only gave off half of her original radiance. She renamed this abomination Squigis and sent her forth to the outer edge The Sphere where she sent out Her Lifepulse and birthed a race of beings in Her image, naming them after herself and gifting them with massive technology, unprecedented healing abilities and extensive knowledge of Human physiology, so they might capture and study them in depth to discover weaknesses in the Human Condition. The Squigis had only a mind for warfare, to move from world to world, consuming its resources, and building the next stepping-stone in their path to domination, leaving each world barren in their swath of destruction.

The second of The Ichouli was tortured by Serendipity to the point where the victim no longer gave off any radiance of any kind, and was renamed Zarn-Do. Serendipity sent Zarn-Do to the opposite end of The Sphere in its darkest region where she sent out her Lifepulse and created a bloodthirsty race of beings in her image named after herself, and gifted them with the ability to exist in absolute darkness and the coldest temperatures. With this, they were also given the ability to DarkShift, which is the ability to take on any form they choose and to travel effortlessly from one shadow to another. Their purpose was to serve as spies and saboteurs, creating discord among the Human Tribes. It is said that the Zarn-Do have a deep craving for the taste of Human flesh which once consumed gives them the ability to exist in the light for limited periods of time, but momentarily renders their DarkShifting abilities ineffective, as they take on the full appearance of the Human they consume. This makes the Zarn-Do exceptionally good at infiltration of the Human Tribes.

Seeing the threat created by the minions of Serendipity was very great, The Empress took up council with The Imperatore, bequeathing unto them The Bloodsword, which would serve as a key to unleash the combined power of The Empress and The Lesser Sphere through a weapon known as The Empÿre Omega. The Bloodsword could only be used by the Alpha member of the Imperatore Ruling Family, as to keep this power from falling into the wrong hands. A Rite of Passage was created to pass The Bloodsword from the hands of the deceased Imperatore to the next in the line of succession. Upon the death of The Imperatore, his body is to be anointed with various spices and placed upon The Alter of Ascension at the top of the Royal Palace of Quertillion for a period of no less than three standard days, with The Bloodsword cradled in his hands. At midday on the third day, The Empress would fire a beam onto The Alter of Ascension, burning the pyre and cleansing The Bloodsword of the fallen leader's influence. The body of the former leader will remain in the fire unburnt until the new Heir is crowned. While the pyre is burning, The Heir must reach into the fire and take hold of The Bloodsword at which point the snake etched upon the blade comes to life and bites into his hand, thus proving the authenticity of the bloodline of said Heir. If The Heir survives the venom and is unscathed from the burning of The Bloodsword, The Heir is authentic and then the handle is filled with the blood of The Heir, completing the Rite of Passage. This ritual is what makes it possible for The Imperatore to communicate with The Empress, and to gain control of The Empÿre Omega.

In times of great threat, The Imperatore can call upon the powers of The Empress to destroy vast armies who would move against the Human Tribes. It is the combined powers of The Empress, The Imperatore and The Lesser Sphere, which continuously keep the Human Tribes safe from attack by The Zarn-Do, The Squigis and The Iryntyl (cybernetic outcasts of The Squigis). There is a system of checks and balances that ensure that The Imperatore does not abuse this power. The Imperatore were also gifted with the knowledge and wisdom to know when this power was to be used and when it was not to be used. The Imperatore must consult with The Empress to decide whether or not the threat is real, and if a threat does exist, The Empress fires radiant beams from Her heart to any location within The Sphere, destroying any threat to Her children, The Human Tribes. It is said there is nothing that can stand against The Empÿre Omega as it is a weapon of immense power. The Empÿre Omega creates a deadly beam of energy fired from The Empress Herself through a portal that opens in front of its target and is capable of wiping out vast fleets of opposing vessels in one fell blast. And so The Imperatore took possession of The Empÿre Omega and kept its operation strictly within The Royal Sangulinea.

The Empress recognized the need for hope, and so the final pieces of The Profezya Manifesto were set forth for The Human Tribes, so they would know there would be leadership and great heroes to fight a greater evil.

Recognizing that The Human Tribes would want interaction in the creation of laws and infrastructure, The Tradizione was created to keep each Human Tribe in step with each Other. This is a peaceful council, consisting of one elected High Chancellor from each Human Tribe, who has subordinates who report to him, and subordinates who report to them. It is a system that has worked for hundreds of thousands of years. Having foreseen the creation of The Tradizione, The Empress had created a Profezya involving them as well.

And thus states The Profezya Tradizione: **A galactic form of government, comprised of all of the Human Tribes, will fall. The attack that destroys it will come unseen and will not happen quickly.**

(Much like The Imperatore and Profezya Imperatore, The Tradizione gets nearly the same level of protection The Imperatore gets because of Profezya Tradizione. They can't imagine when or where this attack might take place, but are always vigilant of the possibility that it could happen. The part that scares The Tradizione is that the attack will not happen quickly, and fear the possible suffering insinuated within the text of the prophecy.)

And perhaps the most cryptic of all the Profezya are the Profezya Vittoria and the Profezya Unificazione. These weren't assigned to any specific Human Tribe, but to random individuals who are destined to do great things. The two both speak of a person who will defeat death, and will help to fulfill The Profezya Manifesto.

And thus states The Profezya Unificazione: **There will come one with great need, who will stand tall on the mountain and declare The Human Tribes as one people, and unite them in common purpose, who has passed through death and returned, and who will give all more to fight and defeat a great evil.**

And thus states The Profezya Vittoria: **One Human will make a miraculous return from the dead, and will give their life a second time at a moment that will turn the tide in favor of the Human Tribes.**

(It is not known if these were once one prophecy and turned into two, or if they're regarding two different people, or if they're completely separate events. They have been pondered over more than any of the other prophecies, and The Imperatore is always looking for signs of anybody who might even be one of these mythic heroes. Much has been said about these prophecies, and many have been mistaken as being these heroes, but none have ever returned from their deathly slumber.)

Thus, the stage had been set for the eternal power struggle between the true Empress of the Ichouli, and the Usurper Serendipity, who makes her dominion within The Greater Sphere. While The Empress sits at the center of The Sphere with a watchful eye and keen mind, Serendipity is always at work with her malicious machinations, seeking only to destroy the exiles for her own ultimate pleasure. The Empress protects the Ten Tribes of Humanity from each and every threat until all can be settled at The Time of the Great Unification, which is rapidly approaching. We have yet to see where the loyalty of Tribe Lagerra lies, with the Human Tribes or with the Blackshadow Alliance between The Squigis, The Iryntyl, and The Zarn-Do. Only time truly holds those answers. But it is an astounding time to be a historian, as I'm seeing the possibilities of how this game will unfold. Being born of The Imperatore, and keeper of this Great Library of Xelivios, I can see the past and apply it to what I know in the present, and though I can only speculate what will happen in the future, I am not sure that The Empress will ever fully ever be able to gain complete and final victory over Serendipity, or vice-versa. It is the forces of good and evil which bind this Multiverse together, for if one were destroyed the other could not survive. And we are pawns on their board until the very last breath that time will take.

  * Sections in Parentheses are personal annotations by Barakheth.

THE IMPERATORE

And it came to pass The Empress, being of nobility and divine benevolence, sent out Her Lifepulse and created the ruling class of the Human Tribes, which she called The Imperatore. This Tribe was to become the Royal Bloodline which binds all the Tribes together. They were set forth on their homeworld named after the true name of The Empress, Lionstemia, to serve as the authoritative historians for all the Human Tribes, who's Great Libraries of Xelivios housed the information on the development and histories on the Tribes and were gifted the wisdom and the tongue to carry on fellowship with The Empress Herself.

The Empress' Lifepulse slammed mercilessly onto the surface of the planet, causing a global quake and covering the valley below with pinpoint orbs of light. The points of light steadily grew in size to a radius of roughly eight feet over the period of seven standard rotations of the world Lionstemia, and on the seventh day, the ruling class of the Human Tribes was born. These humans were instilled with the knowledge of the past, the present and to some degree are able to divine the future, and given the wisdom to rule with the benevolence of The Empress to make the choices that were to be made for the greater good of all Human Tribes. In the beginning it was uncertain who would serve as The Imperatore until word from The Empress herself revealed it would be Clan Thorn who would serve as the Royal Bloodline for the entire existence of The Imperatore.

The first of The Imperatore was Ignatius Thorn, born with all the knowledge of all of the Human Tribes, and their technological, political, religious and curious inclinations that made each of them who they were to become. The race of The Imperatore acquiesced to his knowledge on all matters, and this is how the Capitol World at the Center of The Sphere was built. Everything that happens in The Imperatore is pre-ordained, and they are slaves to their own destinies, an eternity of servitude to the Human Tribes, even though they are the ruling class. As with The Empress, The Imperatore does not abuse his power, but instead it is a symbol of power for the Human Tribes and whose goal it is to bring them together for the betterment of all humankind.

With the Usurper Serendipity having created her own class of Humans, The Empress took The Lesser Sphere and hid it deep inside her heart where it would never be found, and where its power would be added to her own. And unto The Imperatore, The Empress gifted them with The Empÿre Omega, a powerful, weapon which was capable of firing intense blasts of solar energy through a portal to utterly destroy its target. There is no defense from a blast from The Empÿre Omega.

But to insure that the destructive power of The Empÿre Omega could only be used by The Imperatore himself, The Empress bequeathed unto him The Bloodsword, which would serve as the key to the weapon. The Bloodsword could only be utilized by the Alpha member of The Imperatore Royal Sangulinea (Royal Bloodline). A Rite of Passage was created to pass The Bloodsword from the hand of the deceased member of The Imperatore to The Heir in the Line of Succession in The Royal Sangulinea. Upon the death of The Imperatore, his body is to be anointed with various spices and seasonings, and placed upon The Alter of Ascension at the top of The Royal Palace of Quertillion for a period no less than three full rotations with The Bloodsword cradled in his hands. At midday following the third full rotation, The Empress fires a beam onto The Altar of Ascension, burning the pyre and cleansing The Bloodsword of the influence of The Fallen One. The body of The Fallen One will remain in the fire, unburnt until the New Heir is crowned. While the pyre is burning, The Heir must reach into the fire and remove The Bloodsword from the grasp of The Fallen One, at which point the snake etched upon the blade comes to life and bites into the hand of The Heir, thus validating the authenticity of his Sangulinea. If the Sangulinea is not authentic, The False Heir will be denied and the venom will cause him great pain, and will likely, but not necessarily kill the False Heir to the Royal Sangulinea. If the Sangulinea proves to be authentic, the snake sucks enough blood from The Heir to fill the handle of The Bloodsword. It is the bonding of The Bloodsword to the genetic material of The Heir which makes use of The Empÿre Omega possible. At the completion of the Rite of Passage, the body of The Fallen One is petrified by the fire, which will be placed in The Hall of The Fallen Ones, where he will be remembered for all time.

It is by the grace and nobility of The Imperatore that The Empÿre Omega is kept safe, and that it is not used needlessly. It has been so since the creation of Lionstemia, so shall it be until The Time of the Great Unification, when the evil would be destroyed in The Sphere. But in order to guide The Imperatore to that day, they were given another gift by The Empress.

From the beginning, The Imperatore was given The Profezya Manifesto, and has pondered over its meanings throughout the ages. The raw version of The Profezya Manifesto is the first volume ever entered into the Great Library of Xelivios, and since then, there have been lengthy tomes written about the ancient prophecies and when and where they might fit into the grand scheme of events in The Sphere. The Imperatore constantly monitors events throughout The Sphere, watching for the signs of The Profezya Manifesto to appear to them, though for many millennia, none of the signs have come to pass as interrupted and the waiting game continues.

Almost immediately upon their birth, The Imperatore began to build Lionstemia as they had envisioned it to be, a great cosmopolitan world where the cultures of all the Human Tribes would one day be welcomed as a melting pot of the accumulated knowledge and emotion. Within a century, The Imperatore were already leaving their homeworld and spreading out across The Sphere to observe the development of the Human Tribes. One of the most important functions of The Imperatore is that they are authoritative historians, and have detailed chronicles of the history of the other Human Tribes, which they have gained through monitoring, infiltrating, and blending with other colonies throughout The Sphere. For every world, or colony settled by the Human Tribes, The Imperatore has successfully integrated into it, not to teach them or to guide them, but to keep an accurate account of their events, and have housed these volumes in The Great Library of Xelivios on Lionstemia. Anything that anybody would want to know about the advancement of the Human Tribes could be found there, from the industrial revolution on Ingonia, or how Tribe Amarey lost their ability to fly, or how Treewall changed the world of Paradiso forever. Everything is there, from the minutest detail, to the most historically significant moments.

The Empress recognized the need for an authoritative Grande Historian, and so she gifted Barakheth to The Imperatore. The Empress placed Barakheth in The Great Library of Xelivios in The Imperatore's one hundred and fifty first year, as the information became too much for any person to catalogue and categorize. Thus, Barakheth was created, with a mind of steel, and a perfect memory for all things, and was blessed with an immortal life, to witness the history of the ages, and to serve as an eternal advisor to The Imperatore. Without Barakheth, the Great Library would have fallen into disarray and decay eons ago, and there would be no record of the creation and progression of The Sphere.

Throughout the ages, The Imperatore has ruled with complete magnanimity and compassion for the Human Tribes of The Sphere, however in recent times The Tradizione has pushed for more and more concessions from The Imperatore and called for limits to his power and influence. Much of this has to do with Tribe Ilgovernoh and their subservience to The Imperatore, and it seems that there is an agenda to silence the voice of The Imperatore and spread his power equally amongst the Human Tribes. The Imperatore thus far, has not bent to the will of The Tradizione, and to do so would require the sharing of knowledge and power to those who are not prepared for it. The Imperatore knows that to give in to such allowances would cause division amongst The Tradizione and invite the Janusho to dinner.

In recent times, The Squigis, The Zarn-Do and The Iryntyl have been restless and have been becoming bolder in their dealings with the Human Tribes, daring to strike small Human colonies on remote worlds and utterly destroy them. The Imperatore cannot afford to give up power to The Tradizione, as he suspects The Time of the Great Unification is rapidly approaching. Though extensive discussions between The Imperatore and Barakheth have practically concluded that The Imperatore himself will not live to see that day, due to the words of Profezya Imperatore

And thus states Profezya Imperatore: **One Human Tribe will face near extinction at its highest levels, with only one distant member of the Sangulinea surviving. The surviving member of the Sangulinea will put an end to the time of darkness.**

A time of great darkness is at hand for The Imperatore, a Human Tribe who has always been a part of the light. Without the guiding light of The Imperatore, there can be no hope, no grace, and no future.

HOW GOVERNMENT OPERATES WITHIN THE SPHERE

All throughout The Sphere, certain Tribes of Humans, spread out far and wide; have peacefully co-existed with one another. Each of these races of Humans brings their unique qualities together, which helps them to find solutions to many of the challenges that might arise. Each of the Human Tribes elects a High Chancellor, who stays in service to the people for their entire lifetime. The combination of the various High Chancellors makes up a Universal council known as The Tradizione, who oversees and corrects various issues that may arise between the Tribes. The Tradizione answers to The Imperatore, the Royal Sangulinea of the Human Tribes, who is gifted with the knowledge and the wisdom to rule Humankind with benevolence and strength. The Royal Sangulinea is a perfect balance of the qualities and traits that are divided amongst the Human Tribes, giving them the means to see all ends. The Imperatore's loyalty to The Human Tribes is unquestionable, and their purpose is to both offer guidance and to chronicle the histories of the various Human Tribes. The Imperatore have been observing Humans since their creation by The Ichouli, and guiding them when necessary to meet the ultimate goals set forth by The Ichouli to regain complete balance within The Sphere. The purpose of the traits and qualities being split up throughout The Human Tribes within The Sphere is to keep one Tribe from having a distinct advantage over another. It is the duty of the Tradizione to conduct matters of imports, exports, training, and assistance where needed. The Tradizione also arbitrates disputes between The Human Tribes.

THE TEN TRIBES OF HUMANS

THE FIVE TENETS FOR TRADIZIONE MEMBERSHIP

These Five Tenets that are an absolute requirement for a Human Tribe to join the ranks of galactic politics and become a part of The Tradizione. These Five Tenets are to be met by every Tribe and there are no exceptions.

Tenet One: The Human Tribe must have a one world government which last peacefully, without internal conflict, for a minimum period no less than two millennia. The Tradizione is not in the business of making war between Tribes, the ability to live in peace with other Humans is unequivocally the most important rule as the determination of integration will be based on how well Humans can co-exist with one another.

Tenet Two: The Human Tribe must, by their own means, create the technological ability to leave not only their homeworld, but break the confines of their own solar system spreading their influence far and wide into the stars. Since import and export with the other Tribes is absolutely essential, it is important that the ability to travel to the capitol homeworlds of the other Tribes is another unequivocal requirement.

Tenet Three: A new Human Tribe must learn to fully integrate with the other Tribes of The Tradizione by sharing their knowledge of their qualities with the other Tribes. This creates a stronger bond between all of the Tribes, making The Tradizione stronger as a whole. No knowledge is withheld from any Tribe with the exception of that which The Imperatore deems not worthy of the eyes of The Human Tribes. Sharing knowledge is essential to the growth of The Tradizione.

Tenet Four: A new Human Tribe must pool their resources with the resources of the other Tribes of The Tradizione, thusly helping to expand the influence of The Tradizione into the farthest reaches of The Sphere. Advances in technology, medical, science, and even art must be shared to compound these ideas with ideas that already exist, pushing the boundaries of what Humans can accomplish to their furthest ends.

Tenet Five: A new Human Tribe must submit their rule to the benevolent wisdom of The Imperatore and to surrender their ideas of independent government to integrate into the government system created by The Tradizione. The same laws will be followed by all the Tribes of The Tradizione, and will take an oath to protect The Imperatore and The Tradizione against all enemies and in turn will be provided with protection, with well-being, and with everything needed for them to thrive. This, above all else, is the ultimate requirement for membership to The Tradizione, to serve The Imperatore, and for the Imperatore to serve them.

THE ORDER OF GOVERNMENT

The hierarchy of the government of The Human Tribes of The Sphere is as follows:

  1. The Imperatore

  2. The Tradizione

  3. The High Chancellors (Way)

  4. The Regents

  5. The SecReps

  6. The Tribal Leaders

THE IMPERATORE

Much has been stated about The Imperatore. It needs to be noted again, because this cannot be stressed enough, that The Imperatore is both a race of Humans as well as the title given to the head of the Royal Sangulinea. The distinction between the two becomes obvious by the usage of the term. It is easily understood to the Human Tribes living under the umbrella of The Tradizione, and it isn't difficult to ascertain once an ear is gained for it.

The Imperatore moderates the council known as The Tradizione. It is the duty of The Imperatore to offer insight and support in all matters brought before The Tradizione, to keep order in while the council is in session, and has the power to overturn any almost any decision that The Tradizione makes. Generally, The Imperatore gets one vote in any matter voted upon in The Tradizione, unless there is a tie vote, and then The Imperatore gets a second vote to break the tie. It is also the duty of The Imperatore to introduce any speaker who wishes to come before the council. If a motion is passed, it is up to The Imperatore to ratify it and put it into action.

THE TRADIZIONE

The Tradizione is a council that consists of The Imperatore and the High Chancellors from each of the Human Tribes. The Tradizione council meets daily to discuss issues between Tribes such as imports and exports, disputes, colonizations, expansion and defense, issues which may cause the peace between the Tribes to be broken. Each member of The Tradizione gets one vote on the council.

THE HIGH CHANCELLORS (WAY)

Each Tribe elects one Chancellor, who takes the position for life. The office of High Chancellor is a non-commissioned position, though compensation is paid to the High Chancellor's family based upon performance. The High Chancellor must have the needs of the people clearly in mind at all times, for their position is a term of service to the people. If a High Chancellor is caught taking a bribe for his or her vote on an issue, they are put to the sword and their families are stripped of their possessions and exiled. Greed and corruption is not looked favorably upon in The Tradizione, and is met with harsh punishments. In order to be elected as High Chancellor, a candidate is required to have experience in a ten-year term as a Regent.

THE REGENTS

Each of the Tribes has colonized and settled on many worlds beyond their initial homeworld, and these settlements are overseen by The Regents. The Regents are the elected ruler of each world, colony, asteroid, or any other such place where Human expansion has occurred. The Regents for each Human Settlement also have their own houses of government on Lionstemia, The Nine Houses of The Regents, where they convene to vote upon issues for each of the Human Tribes much in the same way The Tradizione does. The High Chancellor for a given Human Tribe oversees the proceedings and makes reports to The Tradizione. The Regents simply refer to this session as The Gathering. As with The Imperatore in The Tradizione, in the event of a tie vote during The Gathering, The Chancellor gets two votes. The Regent is a ten-year term of service. In order to be elected to the term of Regent, a prospective candidate is required to have served two consecutive two-year terms as a SecRep.

SECTOR REPRESENTATIVES (SECREPS)

A Sector Representative, or SecRep, is elected to monitor issues in specific areas on each world, colony, asteroid or any other such place where human expansion has occurred. They serve as the leaders of smaller areas where there are conglomerations of cities, usually separated by a geographical feature such as a mountain range, a sea, an ocean, or some other topographical feature. They meet often with the other SecReps and The Regent of their world to discuss ideas on how to improve things on a planetary level, which is referred to as The Shill. As with The Chancellor at The Gathering, The Regent is present to gather all the information of that world and pass it along to The Chancellor, who will present that information to The Tradizione and The Imperatore. In the event of a tie vote at The Shill, The Regent gets two votes to break the tie. The SecRep is a one-year term of elected service, and two years of experience is required as a Tribal Leader in order to be elected to the position of SecRep.

TRIBAL LEADERS

Tribal Leaders are elected officials who see to the day-to-day operations of a town or a city. They are the backbone of the government of The Sphere, as this is where everything begins. The Tribal Leaders are the head of their own intelligence groups who oversee the management of all aspects of urban living, from air, to waste, to power, to defense, and sustenance. Each problem is handled proficiently and reports are made which are sent to the SecReps to present to The Regents, and then to The High Chancellors to be discussed at The Tradizione and in front of The Imperatore. A Tribal Leader is a two-year term, and two-year's experience in the military is required to take the position.

This is the Hierarchy of Government within The Sphere. It has been this way for billions of millennia, and it has been the beacon by which light has shone throughout The Sphere. It is not questioned, it is not modified, nor shall it ever be.

THE ENFORCEMENT OF LAW

While the laws in The Sphere are made by The Imperatore and The Tradizione, those laws need enforcing, and that duty lies squarely on the shoulders of Tribe Ilgovernoh. To see that the laws are observed, Tribe Ilgovernoh trains, employs, and deploys a special police force known as The Rakbaton.

The Rakbaton work throughout The Sphere, confronting crime when and where they see it and bring it to justice. The Rakbaton are the largest private army in The Sphere, and they unrelentingly go the distance to do whatever it takes to get the job done, whether it's the arrest of a small time smuggler, to the bringing down of the large Splundle cartels. The Rakbaton are fearless in their pursuit of justice. When The Rakbaton apprehends a criminal, they are taken to The Skwellion on Plohm, which houses The High Courts. A criminal act is brought before the Criminal High Court, where first The Chilanxi investigates their criminal act by scanning the memory of the accused to ascertain what role in the crime was played. The Chilanxi delivers their findings to the prosecution, and to the defense, who make their best arguments to the jury. After a few moments of deliberation, the verdict is handed to the Criminal High Court Judge, or Mimboxil, as he or she is known. The Mimboxil makes a determination on sentencing and within the guidelines, passes judgement. The whole process is quick, efficient and does not tie up the system.

The other duty in The Skwellion is the arbitration of disputes, which is handled by the Chanbroxil, or High Court Arbitration Judge. The Chanbroxil, and consequently its juries are farmed out to members of Tribe Leengua because of their ability to settle disputes in a fair and impartial manner. In fact, while Tribe Ilgovernoh has a fair sense of order, Tribe Leengua is much better at such duties, and there is no shame on the part of Tribe Ilgovernoh for allowing them to do these duties for them. By using this cooperative system, it allows Tribe Ilgovernoh to focus more fully on their law enforcement duties, and this creates a powerful working bond between the two Human Tribes.

But sometimes the preservation of law and order requires more extreme measures, and that is where Ghost Syndicate comes into play. Sometimes there are threats that are too extreme, or situations that need to be handled with utmost discretion, so Ghost Syndicate is sent to deal with these dangers, permanently. The other function of Ghost Syndicate is the bureau of internal affairs and monitors corruption in The Rakbaton and The High Courts. Ghost Syndicate has the power to pass its own judgment and terminate with extreme prejudice, which accounts for much of the black ops missions that have been carried out throughout The Sphere. Ghost Syndicate answers only to The High Chancellor of Tribe Ilgovernoh and to The Imperatore himself. Most members of Tribe Ilgovernoh are aware, but Ghost Syndicate is always watching, however, most members of Tribe Ilgovernoh are true law abiding citizens, as it is built into their genetic code. Ghost Syndicate is plugged into all of the information systems in The Sphere, and often stumbles across many illegal activities that other groups wouldn't. In fact, the criminal groups have had to become clever and learn to communicate their intentions by other means than electronically. When Ghost Syndicate finds something vital, they will often anonymously send it to The Rakbaton to have it taken care of.

TRIBE LAUFFAREY

The Handmaiden Lauffarey sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Human Tribe named after herself and gifted them with the knowledge and use of industry and technology, and set them forth on their homeworld of Ingonia where they would eventually forge the steel, the technology and the ships that would one day bring the Human Tribes together.

Upon the Lifepulse's impact upon the world, seismic activity increased exponentially, giving rise to an increase of volcanic eruptions on Ingonia. Eruptions of steam and ash blotted out the light from the nearby Handmaiden; lava bombs ejected from the core of the planet and impacted the surface of the planet, slamming into it, each with the force of a meteorite. After a day of these random and intense eruptions, they ended as abruptly as they began, and the cooling of the lava bombs began to form the shapes of eggs on the surface of volcanic plains. After a few more days, these eggs began to form cracks and hatched soon thereafter, giving birth to new life. The Lifepulse that had impacted the molten world of Ingonia, and the steam, ash and lava of that world brought forth the first of the men and women of Tribe Lauffarey, with fire in their veins, forged from steel and hammered into workhorses of proficiency.

The earliest days on Ingonia were not easy for the first of Tribe Lauffarey, forcing to live in the harshest environment that one could imagine, a superheated effervesce, filled with toxic air and razor sharp lava rocks. Food was scarce, and most of the water there was unfit for consumption. The members of Tribe Lauffarey showed an affinity for the use of tools from the very beginning, fashioning rough axes from broken pieces of obsidian, and building their first hammers and other apparatuses from petrified pieces of wood. They used the heat of the lava to extract metals from ores, and began to build the gears, the pistons, the other pieces of rudimentary machinery which would be needed to manipulate their environment to their use. Within their first century, Tribe Lauffarey established their first city, which would eventually become their capitol city of Furnacia. The idea was to create a series of buildings where they would produce the things they needed to build other buildings at the lowest levels, where they could channel the molten material flowing from the planet into a smelting chamber, and then they could infuse whatever ores they were able to find and use the heat to separate the metals from the ores. Over the centuries, Tribe Lauffarey has perfected the creation of a wide varieties of metals and alloys, one of which is so durable that is completely heat resistant and stands up to the weight of flowing lava when made thick enough.

One word sums up everything that is Tribe Lauffarey, efficiency.

And so it came to pass that the world of Ingonia, with its molten rivers of magma, its clouds of steam and ash, and its richness in ores and minerals became the home of Tribe Lauffarey, the leaders in industry and technology throughout The Sphere. Tribe Lauffarey has an intimate understanding of how this kind of volcanic climate would work to their advantage, turning the churning rivers of magma into ducts that would carry molten ore from one place to another and clouds of steam that would be harnessed to power turbines that would be used to operate their factories. The design of the stem powering systems is ingenious on the part of Tribe Lauffarey as they have constructed piping down into the mantle of the planet to prevent any pressure build up from the active magma beneath. This venting process prevents potential volcanic eruptions from taking place on the planet's surface that would both destroy property and set back industrial efforts while providing and endless supply of steam power to the planet at all times. The magma inside the interior of the planet, strictly forbidden for mining for any reason, continues to build constant steam pressure, which is directed upward to the lower levels of the factory district, whose steam turbines provide a plethora of power to fulfill all the planet's energy needs. In time, the surface of Ingonia had become covered with large skyscrapers, manufacturing centers and the Pyramid Shipyards, which is a center for importing and exporting goods, the creation of starships, and also serves as the planet's main star port. Freighters come from all over The Sphere with deposits of ores to be refined in an operation that runs every hour of the day. The ores are dumped into the unloading chutes and melted down, hammered and pressed into sheets, and then they are cut shaped bolted, dipped to create everything from faster than light engines to cooking utensils, and everything in between. And within hours the refined goods are loaded back on the ships for departure to various destinations throughout The Sphere.

The skyscrapers of Ingonia are all of nearly identical design, though they vary is size from one another. The design is efficiency at its finest, with the factories at the lowest levels where the rivers of ore can easily flow down to and be easily utilized. The research and development levels are above that, and then the living spaces are above that, and the commercial levels are in the highest parts of the buildings where they are most easily accessible by the numerous flying vehicles that inhabit the planet. On the roof of each skyscraper is an atmospheric processing plant, which filters and cleans the air to make the planet inhabitable for Tribe Lauffarey. The sky of Ingonia is a dimly lit red with swirling black clouds, as the natural sunlight that comes through the atmosphere is filtered through the smoke and dust from the industry below. Ingonia isn't the cleanest Human Tribe Homeworld, but it's also far from filthy, it simply looks industrial. A worker is assigned a living space in the same skyscraper that they are employed, that way a commute is no further than an elevator ride. Everything on the planet, while having an industrial look and feel to it is scaled down to its simplest form, streamlined for efficiency. Every single thing is built in a way to keep production at a maximum pace, 38 hours a day.

There is one specific continent on the planet that is entirely devoted to the growing and manufacturing of the foods needed for the population of their planet to survive. The workers in this area are dedicated and committed to providing sustenance to the people of Ingonia. This continent exists under a shield that creates its own artificial weather patterns, temperatures and engineered sunlight. The "sunlight" is so efficient that it actually decreases the growing time for each species of plants as well as provides excellent grazing for the herds. It is the one place on the planet where a clear, blue sky actually exists.

The males of Tribe Lauffarey are tall, strong, and exceptionally muscular from the thousands of years of heavy industrial work that is bred into them. They are completely work minded, as every ideal they have is structured around working for the betterment of the Tribe. From an early age, children of Tribe Lauffarey are groomed into a specific skill set, which will become the occupation they will work for the entirety of their lifespan. The working conditions are excellent, and safety for the workers is especially important. Workers are valued and recognized for their achievements, and it is known in the higher echelons of management that a happy worker is an efficient worker. Every effort is made to cater to the workers and their needs, from the food they eat to the tools they use, to their safety gear and training to make sure that the workers are well pleased and looked after to maximize each workers output.

There is quite a lot of difference between the males and the females of Tribe Lauffarey, the females are strong, but not nearly as large as the males, as they work in different trades. The Tribesmen of the Lauffarey put their brawn to work in heavy industry, the female mind of a Tribeswoman of the Lauffarey works in a much different way than that of the male. Thus, the females are more suited to work in the research and development department, and oftentimes as management to oversee the work being done by the males. While the men are the backbone of industry and construction, the women are the minds behind the things the men build. Some of the females work in the professional sectors of Tribe Lauffarey, choosing to become teachers or medical professionals, public service, or even highly sought after culinary mistresses. This system isn't meant as a sexist statement, for Tribe Lauffarey have no words to differentiate between value of the sexes. They simply believe that every person has their function, and it is a further extension of their efficiency. Both sexes know their purpose and do what must be done to further the overall goals of the Tribe as a whole.

Tribe Lauffarey have always viewed themselves as "one family", so they do not call any single person "mother, "father", "son" or "daughter". When the time comes for Tribe Lauffarey to procreate offspring, it is up to the male to choose a mate. One biological difference between Tribe Lauffarey and the other Human Tribes is the need to propagate offspring begins with a desire on the part of the male instead of the female. The male will choose his mate, and will only cohabitate with her as long as it takes to achieve conception of a child, and then he leaves her and returns to his duties. Tribe Lauffarey does not place emphasis on human attachment that other Human Tribes do, and the creation of a child is generally emotionless, though examples of the contrary have been known to occur. This is not to say that Tribe Lauffarey does not feel anything from their physical bonding, a sexual encounter between them is one of the most meaningful and intense experiences of their entire existence, and simply because they do not hang onto that attachment once procreation has been achieved doesn't mean that they don't remember it fondly. Because Tribe Lauffarey does not live together in family groups, this keeps things strictly on an efficient level, so the men are able to go right back to work. Once a male has mated with a female, he may choose the same female he chooses to procreate, or he may find another female to mate with. As there is no emotional attachment to the process, this way of continuing their species doesn't hurt anybody and everyone understands that the betterment of Tribe Lauffarey is the most important thing. To the eye of the offworlder, this concept seems cold, but it is a practice that has succeeded for Tribe Lauffarey for over ten millennia.

The woman continues on with her duties during their gestation period, and when the child is born, he or she is taken to a learning facility to live until their sixteenth year, where they are trained in a trade that is predetermined by their genetic disposal. It is not an emotional moment for a mother to give up her newly birthed child, but a moment of pride for her, where her offspring can be raised from birth, groomed to follow the mandates and needs of Tribe Lauffarey. Such is the way of being the most efficient Human Tribe in all of The Sphere.

As is the case of most of the Human Tribes, there is no economic system in Tribe Lauffarey, though they do have a barter system they use for trade for goods with the other Human Tribes. Tribe Lauffarey has very strong partnerships with the other Human Tribes, and they will often hire out their workers for long term building or industrial projects. One such partnership is given to Tribe Tranquilo, with whom they refine ores and manufacture goods in exchange for top tier medical supplies, another to Tribe Ilgovernoh in exchange for protection by The Rakbaton. Such a bartering system works throughout The Sphere, adding to the fullness of the Human Tribes though cooperative efforts instead of the lording of wealth over one another.

Tribe Lauffarey's place in The Sphere is solidified, and their High Chancellor, Talas Uronian-Way places his old world values as a top priority in The Tradizione. Each and every time a vote is cast in session; Uronian-Way always takes the longest time to think through his decision before making a final vote on it. He weighs the implications carefully not only for his Tribe, but for the other Tribes as well. He will often vote down a measure if there is a better way to achieve the goals of the Tribes. Talas Uronian-Way does not abide by foolish notions and does not approve of inefficient methods to accomplish any task, regardless of which of the Human Tribes proposes it. Simply put, the plan had better be streamlined; otherwise it will not earn his vote. Everything is either black, or it is white where he is concerned, and refuses to see things in terms of the gray areas. This is what makes him such a valued member of The Tradizione.

Tribe Lauffarey would seem to the casual visitor like a harsh and cold place where Humans are slaves, but the truth is that each and every member of the Tribe are blissfully happy to be working toward the furthering of their goals and the growth of their people. Many throughout The Sphere are in awe of the efficiency of Tribe Lauffarey, and some of the other Human Tribes have gone as far as making strides to adopting their work ethic and efficiency levels. Tribe Lauffarey serves as an example of strength.

TRIBE LARTEY

The Handmaiden Lartey sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Tribe also named after herself with the intuitive ability to create a wide variety of art and music, setting them upon their Homeworld of Dahlshor so they might juxtapose beauty against destruction, melody married with harmony, and the ability to critique with the desire to create ever greater works than those who had come before them.

The Lifepulse of the Handmaiden Lartey slammed into the world of Dahlshor, causing great tsunamis which washed over the land, leaving large objects which resembled barnacles upon the plains of that mighty world. Those barnacles sat upon those plains for fourteen rotations until they began to break open, and hatch, revealing the first human lifeforms to grace that world. The temperate climate of Dahlshor separates the four seasons, in fact, not too dissimilar from Earth, Dahlshor has a complete rotational period of 25 hours, but its standard rotation around its star is roughly 362 days. The planet is nearly one and a half the times the size of the earth, giving it a slightly greater gravitational, but not as noticeable as it is on some of the other homeworlds.

The early days on Dahlshor were pleasant and simple for the Human Tribe who inhabited it. Dahlshor's temperate forests helped to sustain them and make their survival simple. Building materials were abundant, and it wasn't long before Tribe Lartey began to live up to this potential by creating things that were aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and it wasn't long before friendly competition between members of Tribe Lartey occurred. The designs were simple at first, and to this day, nearly everything from those early days was catalogued and preserved. As better technology came along, more elaborate designs evolved with it. Of all of the Human Tribes, Tribe Lartey yearned to leave their homeworld, not because they suspected other Humans out there, but because they were determined to find rarer and rarer materials to build their works of art with. And this became their motivation for their expansion from Dahlshor.

If Tribe Amarey is built upon love, honor and emotion, then it could be fairly stated that Tribe Lartey is the antithesis of that, and would be built upon lust and pride. Their lusts for creating the ultimate works of art and the pride the feel in those accomplishments are the traits that define Tribe Lartey. This is not to say that Tribe Lartey is a wholly deceitful people. They have many good and positive traits, but they are exceedingly greedy and desire wealth and influence more than anything else. It is just more difficult to see their positive traits underneath the sheen of shallowness and vanity that they possess.

Members of Tribe Lartey are astute and remarkably gifted in negotiating sales contracts, as one would have to be living in a world comprised completely of art. In a moment's notice, every single thing on Dahlshor, whether it is a painting, a house, a vehicle, a person or even an entire village can be bought or sold at any price. Tribe Lartey has become especially shrewd at deal making, and one often will stack the terms of the negotiation heavily in his or her own favor. Negotiations for the sale of a piece of art can drag on for hours or days, and sometimes has been known to go into the realm of weeks, with each party positioning themselves for the maximum amount of benefit and payout. No deal is ever completed without it being signed off on by both parties, who have a member of Tribe Leengua available to fairly arbitrate the deal.

A casual visitor without knowledge of their culture might arrive at the Tribe Lartey Homeworld of Dahlshor would immediately recognize that it is a world diverse with art and music, but that is only what one would see on the surface. The art and the music tell the tale of a culture ravaged by a different sort of warfare that has been going on since Tribe Lartey first opened their eyes. Tribe Lartey have predicated themselves upon being exceptional artisans and craftsman, of which evidence of this exists in the design of every street, every building, every garden, and every single thing from the lowliest farms to the highest skyscrapers. Every single thing created by Tribe Lartey is an absolutely breathtaking work of art, and that is both their strength and their weakness. Unlike its industrial counterpart Ingonia, no two buildings look alike; in fact it is a crime to create one building that looks like another. From the highest skyscrapers, and Tribe Lartey hosts the highest skyscrapers in The Sphere, to the smallest hovel, each building is a unique statement to the artistic brilliance of its culture. Tribe Lartey push the boundaries of design and architecture further than any other Human Tribe in The Sphere. So needless to say, Dahlshor is an exceptionally popular vacation spot for the other Human Tribes as it's one of the most breathtaking worlds of them all. It should be noted that in their search for unique design, they tend to borrow design ideas from other Tribes and incorporate those ideas with their own, thus giving Dahlshor the nickname, "The Borrowed Paradise".

Everywhere you look, everything is an absolutely awe inspiring work of art. To walk the streets in any of the cities of Dahlshor is a unique experience filled with incomparable sights, but none of the cities is as fantastic as their Capitol City of Modybir, with sounds of a wide variety of street music tickling your aural senses, the scents of an expansive palette of one of a kind ethnic foods fills your senses, and delicious eye candy of both the architectural and human varieties. While Tribe Lartey does pride itself on hosting a wide variety of dishes found throughout The Sphere, while not distasteful in any sense of the word, they succeed in making dishes that are far more appealing to the eye than to the stomach. The honor of the greatest tasting culinary delights far and away belongs to the chefs of Tribe Lastrada.

While Dahlshor is a popular vacation spot throughout The Sphere, not many get the opportunity to visit there due to the overall cost. Being a culture of art does not come without having a price, and so Tribe Lartey is only one of two of the Human Tribes who have a monetary system. To visit Dahlshor is the equivalent of paying an admission fee to a museum, and it's a very large admission fee. The value of the art on Dahlshor is based on a rating system, which is determined by the heads of the Five Famiglias.

The Five Famiglias are the final authority on what the value of a piece of art is worth on Dahlshor, and their word on the matter carries more weight than the High Chancellor, or even The Imperatore. (But then again, The Imperatore does not have time for such things, and the grading of a piece of art is beneath his notice.) As stated before, there are Five Famiglias on Dahlshor, and they not only grade every piece of art on the planet (though commoners have the ability to grade as well, but more on that later), but collectively own upward on ninety-two percent of it. The law on Dahlshor stands that any group could form a Famiglia, but a new Famiglia hasn't been formed in a thousand generations. To form a new Famiglia, one must have accumulated and maintained an obscene amount of wealth and power.

Each of the Five Famiglias also has their fingers in various other activities, some of questionable legality; create the criminal underworld throughout The Sphere. The Quellius Famiglia, whose power and authority on Dahlshor has been established longer than any other House, deal in weapons and propitiate underground uprisings throughout The Sphere. House Quellius was the first of the Five Famiglias, led by the ruthless and cunning Don Scabbarini Quellius, and his art and weapons dealings go "unnoticed" as he is paid up with the right people to turn a blind eye. House Quellius also owns the Nexilund, the Cathedral on Dahlshor where the Five Famiglias meet to grade the works of art that are created on the planet.

The next most influential of the Five Famiglias is House Juntious, who has also amassed a dizzying amount of art and wealth, and are also the head of the largest splundle ring in The Sphere. House Juntious and their leader, Don Marcous Juntious are partnered with the Sporonel Cartel, who manufactures the illegal drug. House Juntious is indiscriminate about who they sell splundle to and will often hire young people from all of the Human Tribes to serve as diversionary elements to keep The Rakbaton busy and well stocked with captures. These young people are usually sold out in order to keep law enforcement off their scent, and there's a lot of counter-intelligence that is fed to keep their true shipments from being brought down.

House Solondia, led by Don Arigosa Solondia has earned their fortune and influence by privatizing the penal system in The Sphere. Not only does House Solondia have exclusive rights to own and operate the prisons in The Sphere, they also operate an art smuggling ring through the prisons where art is stolen, sold and shipped out through the prison system. House Solondia also has turned inmates into labor for hire across The Sphere. There is a treaty between House Solondia and House Juntious where the young men and women who are caught in the splundle diversions are the first to be auctioned off for indentured servitude to some of the wealthiest families in The Sphere. Prisoners can be used to accomplish a wide variety of tasks throughout The Sphere, from everything to lowly house servants to large scale construction projects on the furthest colony worlds. In fact, only a small portion of prisoners ever stay housed in the prison system, only the most violent ones. The worst of the worst are either executed, or are shipped off to the Zarn-Do to be used as food for their people in exchange for safe passage in their space.

House Kavalora, which is led by Don Lauritous Kavalora is also fairly influential but not in the way that you might think. The Kavalora Famiglia is duplicitous, and most in The Sphere don't even realize it. While House Kavalora appears on the surface to be noble, and they offer protection to businesses throughout The Sphere for a price, (specifically businesses that house and deal in art), they also have a group of enforcers who go and cause harm to the businesses who refuse to pay for their protection, often in the guise of one of the other Famiglias. On Dahlshor, it is a crime punishable by death to destroy another person's work of art, so for House Kavalora to value monetary gain or influence over art is not commonplace for a member of Tribe Lartey. But there seems to be a small cross section of people who fit this mold perfectly, and believe that the destruction of art is itself art. These are the kinds of people that House Kavalora seeks out. Extensive surveillance of a person is conducted before an offer is made to join them, and if that person refuses, they are killed so their secrets are kept. Once somebody joins House Kavalora, they are never allowed to leave, or have friends or lovers outside of the Famiglia. House Kavalora is the very definition of chaos, though on the exterior, they appear to be the most humble and gracious of all of the Five Famiglias.

The last of The Five Famiglias is House Nuntorri. They are the owners and operators of all of the entertainment and gambling establishments throughout The Sphere. House Nuntorri has exclusive rights to gambling and to most of the clubs where live music is played throughout The Sphere, and they are notoriously protective of those rights. If a person is going to be a performing or recording musician throughout The Sphere, they cannot do so without a contract with House Nuntorri, who earns a percentage of everything that is earned. They earn one hundred percent of the gambling profits in The Sphere, and do not share their profits. Many of the workers in their casinos or music venues have been bought and paid for from House Solondia, so they do not pay wages to their employees, other than the housing and feeding of them. People who cheat House Nuntorri are made severe examples of, and though The Rakbaton has tried to crack down on them taking legal matters into their own hands, they have not been successful in their endeavors. House Nuntorri has their own brand of justice, which often ends in very brutal torture and death.

There is sort of a peaceful warfare that has been going on as long as Tribe Lartey opened its eyes. Every single member of Tribe Lartey critiques every single thing on the planet down to the smallest of details. This sometimes makes it difficult the Five Famiglias to get along, as each Famiglia believes they own the greatest works of art. And while this problem isn't as prevalent amongst the poorer people, it can become quite a problem in the circles of the wealthy Famiglias. The Famiglias have more influence over a critique of a piece of art than a Commoner does. Every single person can potentially critique a piece of art in the point system, and this point system determines each piece of art's overall value. Commoners are people who are not associated with a Famiglia and are allotted zero to two points they can grade every piece of art with. Members of a Famiglia are allotted zero to one hundred points to grade art with, while the Dons of each House are allotted zero to one thousand points. This system can be used to grade, or misused to downgrade a piece of art that another Famiglia has previously graded highly, which can on rare occasion, lead to outbreaks of violence between the Famiglias. However, if all of the Famiglias agree on a piece of art, and their members all grade it highly, this can make for an exceptionally valuable piece of art and can even in some uncommon cases earn the artisan an invitation to join a Famiglia. But this is an unusual opportunity because the Commoner usually does not have the resources to create a piece of art that will easily impress the Five Famiglias. The Five Famiglias are so powerful that they only consider the High Chancellor, The Tradizione and The Imperatore of enough importance to dictate law and statute to them. The heads of the Five Famiglias will dine with the High Chancellor on Dahlshor, gaining more power and influence with every piece of art they grade.

The men of Tribe Lartey are strong, like the men of Tribe Lauffarey, and have the hard, chiseled build, but the difference lies in the sculpting. The men of Tribe Lartey are muscular in the way that models tend to be, exceptionally handsome to look at, but not nearly as strong as the men from Tribe Lauffarey, as their strength comes from hard labor and practical experience instead of the targeted body sculpting that the men of Tribe Lartey achieve in a workout center. The men of Tribe Lartey will breed with any Human female from any of the Human Tribes who is attracted to them. They know the value of sexual pleasure and know that they can spread their seed as far and wide throughout The Sphere as they possibly can. Women of other Human Tribes will find themselves almost uncontrollably attracted to a male from Tribe Lartey because of the excessively strong pheromones they possess. And upon mating with a female, they will most likely impregnate them due to the unusually high sperm count that males of Tribe Lartey tend to have, the most of any males in The Sphere.

A non-purebred child from a coupling is not permitted to live on Dahlshor, and is sent to live with their mother on whichever world they happened to come from. In recent times, female visitors to Dahlshor are written a prescription several weeks before their visit that will give them immunity to 99.96% of the male pheromones of Tribe Lartey. The other option is some heavy duty birth control options set in place before they visit Dahlshor. This is the option most of the young females who visit Tribe Lartey prefer, as the pheromones and the subsequent sexual encounter can have a euphoric effect on the female, and is something that she will likely remember with some fondness for the rest of her life. It has been said by many females that a sexual encounter with a male of Tribe Lartey was the best they've ever had. This is typical of males of Tribe Lartey, to impregnate as many people as they can, creating a quantity of art, rather than searching out an optimal mate to create one quality piece of art.

The cruel trick that nature has played on the males of Tribe Lartey is that they have those powerful pheromones, yet the females of Tribe Lartey and Tribe Amarey are completely immune to them. The females of Tribe Lartey are obscenely beautiful, second only to the females of Tribe Amarey. Tribe Lartey is predominantly controlled by the females when it comes to the propagation of their species, as they are vastly more selective than their male counterparts are. A female of Tribe Lartey wants to create the best work of art that they can, and they consider their offspring to be their ultimate work of art. The females tend to be very selective about whom they will mate with, but will often choose a male from their own kinfolk before a male of any other Human Tribe, as for a female, it is considered by them taboo to thin their bloodline. However, they will sometimes make very rare exceptions and mate with members of Tribe Amarey or The Imperatore because of their physical perfections, but would likely never mate with a member of Tribe Ilgovernoh because of the their clean and sterile look, or Tribe Lauffarey with their dirty and overly strong look. However, females are not exempt to the law and if they do happen to be impregnated by a member of another Human Tribe, the child is sent to live offworld with the father. Unlike the males, the females have a very strong attachment to their offspring, so the female will almost always accept the responsibility of this choice and opt to leave Dahlshor to raise her offspring with the alien father. It is very rare that a female of Tribe Lartey will choose to mate with an offworlder, so this is usually almost unheard of. This policy of mating exclusively within their community does tend to lend itself to snobbery on the part of Tribe Lartey, but they certainly don't look at it in this way. The female of Tribe Lartey knows that the burden fall upon them to create a quality piece of art in their offspring. While the males make quantities of art that they cannot keep and fully appreciate, the females concentrate on maintaining the purity of their kin by being exclusively discerning of the males of Tribe Lartey, so they can reap the benefit of raising their child on their homeworld. A female from Tribe Lartey will mate with a male of Tribe Lartey for life, as it is understood that when a male is chosen they have entered into a partnership to create the ultimate piece of art, which will not end at conception or birth, but will continue on by shaping that child's personality traits, which is part of the overall depiction of what that piece of art will become. When a female chooses a male of Tribe Lartey, it is understood by the couple that while he becomes a family with her, he will still create art with offworlders. This is the way it has always been and this is the way that it will always be. He does understand that the needs of his primary family are of the utmost importance, but the female harbors no jealousy over his sexual encounters with outsiders.

When a purebred child of Tribe Lartey comes of age, they are graded like any other piece of art on the planet. This creates the social status of Tribe Lartey on Dahlshor, and the higher a person is rated, the more influence they will have. Their level of influence gives them access to better and better materials to create their art with. Because of this, adults can be, but not often are traded for other works of art if they are ranked highly enough. Some might consider this cold, but it is the way of Tribe Lartey. Sometimes lowly graded adults are traded for art supplies and building materials to create a grand work of art. These lowly graded people tend to become the worker class on Dahlshor and service a variety of needs for more highly graded people such as food preparation, maintenance, or sanitation.

As previously stated, Tribe Lartey is one of two of the Human Tribes with a monetary system, and this is because the planet, its structures, its gardens, its streets and its citizens are all absolutely magnificent pieces of art. While Tribe Ilgovernoh is first in monetary wealth alone, Tribe Lartey actually far surpasses it in terms of monetary and physical wealth. Having that monetary system tends to make Dahlshor more corrupt than other Human Tribes, but such is the price of living on the most glamourous planet in The Sphere. Power and wealth corrupt, and while there is a beauty on Dahlshor that is unparalleled to any other world, there is also goodness there as well.

Things have been this way on Dahlshor since its inception, which Tribe Lartey does tend to pay proper homage to in many of their works of art. They recognize the one who gave birth to them, and do their best to acknowledge her existence through their art. In fact, if one were to look hard enough in their city of Modybir, the story of their creation can be told in various works throughout the city, if one were inclined to put it all together into the correct order. Tribe Lartey does hold some superstitious belief in the Profezya Manifesto, and live in fear of it, worrying that everything they know and love could come to a bitter end at some point in the future. This concerns them more than anything. More than anything though, Tribe Lartey knows where they came from and they know where they hoping to get to, even if they don't exactly understand the journey they're taking to their destination.

TRIBE TRANQUILO

The Handmaiden Tranquilo sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Human Tribe she named after herself and gifted them with health and peace so they may heal that which is broken, and set them forth on their homeworld of Paradiso where medical advances could be made that would essentially save billions of lives throughout The Sphere in the preservation of life, instead of the tragedy of taking it.

The Handmaiden's Lifepulse made contact with the world of Paradiso, causing a rain that fell over the entire surface of the planet. Within a few rotations, plants began to break through the soil of the planet, and grew mightily upon its harsh and barren surface. Weeks passed, and these organic lifeforms grew steadily larger and began to form buds upon them. As the plants continued their cycle of growth, so did the buds until both had grown quite large and were able to withstand the high winds that tore across the surface of the planet. After some time and nourishment by the light of the Handmaiden, the buds bloomed, having successfully grown the first members of Tribe Tranquilo on Paradiso.

But Tribe Tranquilo had been born, but were the Human Tribe that almost wasn't.

The planet Paradiso was not always the paradise its name suggests it is. When Tribe Tranquilo was first set forth upon that savage world, the odds of their survival were stacked highly against them. The surface of Paradiso was once harsh and barren, blasted by the severe winds and storms that destroyed any life form that was unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. The Human Tribe Tranquilo set its first thousand years living in caves, hunting between storms, and moving in caravans about its surface, between the storms, and survival overrode their true purpose. But so long as survival was the first order of business, they would never know their true purpose. Tribe Tranquilo grew slowly and adapted to their situation, swelling to a billion people planet-wide, oblivious to the doom that crept its way across a dark infinite abyss, toward that storm swept world.

The early signs began to manifest themselves in the skies, though they were not yet intelligent enough to comprehend what was happening. That fashion of science is not the way of Tribe Tranquilo, so when the extra star formed in their sky, which after a time became bigger and brighter, they paid it little mind, for if they had, better preparations could have been made.

But no preparations were made.

The meteor slammed into the planet Paradiso with incredible force, and the millions who were not safe inside their caves were immediately incinerated by the fallout of the meteor's impact, covering the world in a dark cloud, and transforming the seas to vapor. This was a blessing to the planet Paradiso, though it didn't appear to be at the time.

The meteor was no mere rock from that came from the heavens, but instead an enormous seed that had germinated the entire planet. When the powerful storms cleared the clouds, the vapor had fed the seed, which had split into many pieces upon its impact, spreading it over the surface of the planet, and thus, Paradiso was truly born. The coming of the seed had also changed the planets wind and weather patterns, and for the better.

Large trees began to grow around the edge of the meteor crater, and within the crater itself. It was the next generation of Tribe Tranquilo who would discover this and who would move into the crater itself. The remainder of the landmass would become a heavy rainforest that would host the largest variety of organic life anywhere in The Sphere. The planet would also feature shallow seas, and deep oceans, both complete with their own ecosystems.

The trees at the edge of the deep crater grew greater and greater and greater over hundreds of years, reaching high toward the heavens, becoming so large at their bases that after sixty generations, they finally grew together, forming a massive wall around the crater, a wall that eventually became a kilometer thick. These trees were of a special variety, not native to the world of Paradiso, and their stalks were tougher than any steel in to be found anywhere in The Sphere. Tribe Tranquilo formed their first major city inside the crater, and aptly named it Treewall.

Treewall became the capital city of Paradiso, and Tribe Tranquilo flourished inside of its deep walls. Seeds from the trees themselves had germinated the remainder of the planet, giving protection from the furious storms that slammed into the continents. Soon, these storms all but died out, and the world mellowed, and transformed into a great forest, with pastoral areas used for agriculture. And a great variety of vegetation grew in the undercarriage of the great forest, many of which would have important medicinal qualities. Tribe Tranquilo has harvested these herbs, and plants, and various other things over the years, so they might fulfill their true purpose as healers. This is where the birth of Tribe Tranquilo truly began.

For many members of Tribe Tranquilo, it is believed that the meteor which nearly ended their world was a gift from the Handmaiden Tranquilo herself, to demonstrate to them that even in immense death and suffering that life can thrive in the most hostile of environments. It is a strong part of their belief system that the meteor was an organic seed which gave them everything they needed, and instead of mourning those who lost their lives thousands of years ago on that day, they rejoice and believe that those spirits are a critical part of everything around them. It is the spirits of the fallen who guide their hand to such talents as creating cures for the most ravaging of diseases, for the energies of The Sphere are cyclical and recycle themselves into another form. To say otherwise on Paradiso is punishable by death.

After thousands of years, the main stalks around Treewall had reached such heights that they had nearly climbed into the planet's stratosphere. Near the tops of these trees, there was a line of sight into The Sphere that was unparalleled by any other view on Paradiso, and for the first time, Tribe Tranquilo looked to the Heavens and felt compelled to bring their medicine into the universe.

They had dabbled in the art of technology, but hadn't perfected it as of that point. So they attempted to build their starship, but without success. Frustrated with the process, the components were abandoned high in those trees and they went about their work creating medicines for their own people.

Then something happened that Tribe Tranquilo did not intend. One day a pod formed on the outside of one of the edges of Treewall. This pod continued to grow over the period of a year, and when it had finally reached maturity, the outer edges peeled away to reveal what appeared to be a starship, completely constructed out of the same wood that comprised the walls of Treewall. This was important for two reasons, first being they now had the starship they needed to take their cures far into The Sphere, but secondly because Treewall had demonstrated that it was a sentient being.

This was immediately folded into their philosophy about recycled energy, and the seed being a gift from the Handmaiden Tranquilo. Some suggested that the seed was the Handmaiden Tranquilo, but the thought was quickly dismissed. The Tranquilo Temple was constructed, and for the first time, Tribe Tranquilo was able to have direct communication with Treewall, who had created a living network over the entire planet. It was Treewall who imparted a prophecy upon Tribe Tranquilo. One Tribe will make a breakthrough and cure an ailment common to every Human Tribe, and this cure will also be fatal to another race during the time of darkness. Though Tribe Tranquilo had not known it at the time, Treewall had given them a glimpse into their destiny tied up in The Profezya Manifesto, which had not yet been revealed to them.

Tribe Tranquilo, having vowed to live in peace with anyone they might come into contact with, swore that they would not bring about a cure, which would be deadly to another race, for it was not their way. And though Treewall repeated this prophecy every single day, Tribe Tranquilo stood firm in their resolve to only heal every other race.

Now having the ability to travel into the stars, Tribe Tranquilo set up its own government and made rules and guidelines about how they should conduct themselves and what their formal protocol was when they meet another race of beings. As far as governing their own people was concerned, there was little need as everybody was deeply and spiritually connected to the philosophy that helping and healing

Tribe Tranquilo concerns themselves only with the best of intentions, the desire to do good not only for themselves, but for all around them. This extends into their family relations. There is no superiority between males and females, and this is not reflected in their selection of a mate. Tribe Tranquilo have a very natural and organic courtship process, neither sex has a greater word than the other when it comes to choosing a partner. In fact, of all of the Human Tribes, courtship between the members of Tribe Tranquilo comes the easiest. One might even observe that single adult men or women on Tribe Tranquilo are a rare commodity, and they have a very strong family dynamic. The loyalty that members of Tribe Tranquilo have toward their families is one of the strongest bonds in The Sphere, maybe only second to the bonds of love felt by Tribe Amarey.

Parents of Tribe Tranquilo tend to teach their children everything they know about the science of medical practices as early as they possibly can, whether its research on new cures, or if they are to become the finest surgeons, or if they're working on the agricultural corps creating healthier crops. Tribe Tranquilo only has a mind for the improvement of life, be it Human Tribes, plants, animals, or alien life forms, they go above and beyond to push the boundaries of their science to assist anyone and everyone they can.

Treewall itself is of great help to them in their scientific discoveries and helps by creating labs and new technologies to assist them in their endeavors. Tribe Tranquilo and Treewall are an inseparable team, and accomplish much together in terms of scientific breakthroughs. They have a symbiotic partnership, and cannot succeed without each other. Some have theorized that Treewall itself is actually the Handmaiden Tranquilo herself, manifested in another form, but The Imperatore insists that this is not the case.

The eastern outer wall of the crater rises to a massive height, which holds back the waters of the sea. The outer edge of the crater, 360 degrees around, creates a dampening field that acts as an electromagnetic pulse that will shut down the power systems of any incoming star ship or vehicle, and will crash it into the sea or the rainforest. To avoid this, the approach to Treewall is made from the sea, and is guided through a heavily guarded gate. This gate is guarded by a mighty fortress called Seawall; it is impenetrable, and heavily fortified. There is a high tower on the north side of the gate that serves as traffic control. The dampening field also protects Treewall from orbital bombardment from energy and projectile weapons such as missiles and rockets, and will disarm the power systems of most dropped bombs. If nothing else, Treewall has learned not only to nurture Tribe Tranquilo, but to protect it as well.

The final battle of The Squigis War was fought and won at the great fortress of Seawall. The Squigis made a push to take The Sphere for themselves thousands of years ago. The Imperatore had fallen into a deep coma following an accident, and The Squigis used this opportunity in an attempt to carve a path to Lionstemia to neutralize The Empÿre Omega, once and for all. Without The Imperatore to operate The Empÿre Omega, it was the optimal time to strike. Many thought that The Time of The Great Unification was at hand, but not all of the signs had been consistent with The Profezya Manifesto.

The Squigis found their way to Paradiso almost immediately, and the siege on Seawall lasted nearly a year. Treewall produced an almost limitless quantity of projectiles to protect the city from their enemy ships that dared come near the city. The Squigis did not count upon the military might of the defenders at Seawall, who fought their seemingly endless stream of ships that assaulted their fortress. Each one, shot down and fell into the sea, where they were consumed by the creatures of the deep. At long last, reinforcements arrived from Ingonia and The Imperatore awakened from his slumber, and The Squigis were driven back to the fringes of The Sphere where they came from, but that is a tale for another time.

Few sights in The Sphere could parallel the sight of Treewall and Seawall, save the artistry of Dahlshor itself, or the grandeur of Lionstemia. Paradiso is a world of peace and plenty, and Tribe Tranquilo does not want for anything, every need is fulfilled for them. Paradiso truly is the paradise it claims to be, and the people who live there have no desire to live anywhere else in The Sphere.

TRIBE RELYGIONI

The Handmaiden Relygioni sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Human Tribe she named after herself and gifted them with the qualities of religion and spirituality so that they could never forget the higher power that bore them from her womb, setting them forth on their homeworld of Vinestrus to seek the unseen with faithfulness, to have belief in things which exist, yet are unseen, and so they might teach other of these things, a life beyond mere existence.

And so it came to pass that the Lifepulse of the Handmaiden Relygioni swept across the desert world of Vinestrus and the winds blasted the desert sands into mounds upon the surface of the planet. And the harsh sunlight bore down upon these mounds and life was created within them. After a period of eight standard rotations, the first Humans of Tribe Relygioni emerged from the mounds of sand. These were the first children of the Purefaith, those who had the only direct contact with The Handmaiden Relygioni, which set their entire faith into motion.

The Handmaiden Relygioni imparted upon them the tale of The Ichouli and the one who usurped the power of The Empress. She told them of The Profezya Manifesto, and the war between the forces of good and evil, and how the Human Tribes would be one day united. They are the only Human Tribe, beyond The Imperatore who has ever had contact with one of The Ichouli, and even though none beyond the Purefaith have ever had contact with The Handmaiden Relygioni, they all believe very devoutly in her and The Profezya Manifesto.

The planet Vinestrus is a harsh world covered in a hot desert in which every day needs are the key to survival, yet the nomadic people of Tribe Relygioni walk those deserts every single day, as they have for many millennia. The planet is covered almost equally in sand dunes and rocky canyons and outcroppings, combined with some fresh water seas. The people of Tribe Relygioni travel from sea to sea in their spiritual quests, the primary one being the Dus'Wentill.

The Dus'Wentill is the ritual in which the children are sent alone into the desert with only their faith to keep them alive, and upon their return are granted adulthood. The Dus'Wentill is a nomadic pilgrimage from the western Mosephel Sea to the eastern Soamfium Sea in which the younglings have nothing but their faith to keep them alive. Underneath the giant dunes lies the Dus'Wen, giant reptilian creatures that can, and often do consume Humans who are fearful of them. The Dus'Wen can sense emotion, and the fear of the children is on display over their faith of survival, the creatures feast upon them without hesitation. But if their faith is strong and they show no fear, the Dus'Wen will ignore them. This isn't as easy as it sounds, as the Dus'Wen are quite intimidating and exceptionally frightening to see in person, especially to a child. No tears are shed for those who are lost, for if their faith isn't strong enough to take on the Dus'Wen, then they will have no hope of standing against the minions of The Usurper Serendipity when the time comes. Such is the way of life on Vinestrus.

Tribe Relygioni spends much of their lives as nomads, travelling between the High Monasteries in the Desert Mountains, to the Sacred Oases scattered throughout the Wastelands, to the Seaports on the shores of the Great Seas. Each of them believe in the same thing, but throughout their history, several denominations have grown from the original Purefaith. One of the prominent denominations is the Winteri Faith, who pays only tribute and homage to The Handmaiden Relygioni. They know of the existence of The Empress and the other Handmaidens, but choose to only worship and celebrate their Holy Mother, and they are on a quest to unify all of Tribe Relygioni under that belief. While there are other denominations that celebrate The Empress, and even some of the other Handmaidens, The Winteri Faith is the prominent group of worshippers on Vinestrus.

Technology is fairly non-existent on Vinestrus; in fact, it is outlawed everywhere on the planet with the exception of the capitol city of Antacium. The highest form of technology allowed outside the capitol city is weapons for hunting or protection from some of the predatory creatures that roam the surface of Vinestrus. No motored vehicles are allowed past the city gates; no air vehicles are allowed beyond the flight path from space to Antacium. The members of Tribe Relygioni prefer to focus on the simple life, and they feel that technology is a distraction to their faith, so instead of facing the temptation, they outlaw it. Offworlders are not even permitted beyond the capitol city, and this is to preserve their planet for themselves. While Vinestrus is a desolate tract of wasteland, Tribe Relygioni is highly protective of their homeworld, and they protect its sanctity and purity at all costs. They strongly believe their homeworld is a gift from The Handmaiden Relygioni, and they take every threat to it very seriously, including environmental threats.

As previously stated, Tribe Relygioni feels that technology can only hinder their faith and sever their organic connection of their belief system, so they don't even carry personal communication devices, as nomadic people tend not to form lasting bonds with others outside their Caravan. Caravans are the clans of Tribe Relygioni. Each family, and sometimes extended family, forms a Caravan that travels together for safety in numbers. Caravans can number from as low as fifteen to twenty people up to tens of thousands of people, though these large Caravans often don't last as long as the smaller ones do as it takes much more resources to sustain a large Caravan than it does a smaller group. The average size of a Caravan is usually about fifty to seventy-five people, most of which travel with pack animals and live in makeshift tents that are always set up each evening facing the Great Mosephel Sea in the west.

Courtship in Tribe Relygioni is quite different than any of the other Human Tribes. It is absolutely forbidden to choose a mate within your own Caravan. Usually more than one Caravan will stop at various places on the planet at the same time. In fact, the Great Sacred Oases of Vinestrus are always occupied by no fewer than four Caravans at a time. So when a young man and a young woman become attracted to one another, the marriage process is quick and it is a decision that is made for life.

The attraction that young men and women have for each other in Tribe Relygioni is one of the great unexplained mysteries of The Sphere. When there is an attraction, there is absolute assuredness that the pairing of the two is ordained by The Handmaiden Relygioni, and they both believe that it is something that is meant to happen. Before both Caravans leave the oasis, which usually happens within a day or two of arrival, the pair will be married. It is said that nothing is as beautiful and spiritual as a pairing between a young couple in Tribe Relygioni, but it is only something that people have only heard about and have never witnessed, as there are no recordings, photos, or broadcasts and no offworlders are allowed out of the capitol city to witness the event. The evening of the wedding is spent full of worship, cheer, drink and dance between the two Caravans which lasts late into the night until the newlyweds choose to rest. When the morning comes, the bride leaves with the Caravan of the groom. It is not a moment of sadness for a Caravan to lose a young woman to another Caravan; it is a moment of joy even though they may never see their daughter again. Their marriage vows are made for life, as Tribe Relygioni does not have a word for divorce. If their union is indeed ordained by The Handmaiden Relygioni, as Tribe Relygioni believes it is, they will break neither vows nor their union until death takes one or both of them. Tribe Relygioni are so faithful to their vows, that when one of their spouses passes, they will never remarry, as it's a violation of their very being.

The people of Tribe Relygioni have a very simplified moral code; they have their tenets that they live by called The Benalanse. This code was handed down to them by The Handmaiden Relygioni since the dawn of their inception, and was written by her own hand on the cliffs of the western sea. They do not murder except in defense of their own life. They do not steal from another person, no matter the circumstance. They do not have an eye for another's mate, as this will cause dissention. They treat each other with the respect they would want to be treated with. While they pray toward the western sea five times a day, every eighth day is reserved for exclusively for worship, and they do not falter in this. They do not recognize status, and therefore no single person is elevated above another in their Human Tribe, which avoids petty jealousy and covetousness. Monetary systems are forbidden as they create greed and promote status amongst their people that would lead to warfare. They do not marry outside of their Human Tribe, for outsiders on their homeworld are forbidden beyond the walls of the capitol city. They are bound by a sense of simplicity and hard work, and are always travelling their world in search of peace and enlightenment. Their ways seem quaint to offworlders, but they do not care what others think. And though some members of Tribe Relygioni have left their homeworld, they always tend to return soon, as they cannot bear to be parted from the land given to them by The Handmaiden Relygioni. Temptation does exist, but battling that temptation is their second nature, and rarely do they falter. Overcoming temptation is one of their greater joys, though they never speak of it outside of their prayers, in which they express their struggle with it.

Even their High Chancellor, with his frequent journeys to Lionstemia prefers the solace of his homeworld over the many splendors of The Sphere. For many members of Tribe Relygioni, the other Human Tribes of The Sphere are much too fast paced for them, and they find the speed of it all confusing and maddening. They would prefer a secluded place where there are small populations, where they can stare into the skies and praise The Handmaiden Relygioni. For them, completeness is comprised of seclusion where they can feel the presence of the Supreme Being that placed them upon their world.

In The Tradizione, Tribe Relygioni is represented by their High Chancellor, Toman Nolondia-Way. For thousands of years, Tribe Relygioni and Tribe Ilgovernoh have spent their time in The Tradizione at odds with one another. Where Tribe Ilgovernoh believe in order and law, Tribe Relygioni believes in following the tenets of The Benalanse and The Profezya Manifesto, which often are at odds with the stricter ideas that Tribe Ilgovernoh subscribes to. The two High Chancellors often find themselves on opposing sides of social issues, and both speak passionately regarding their stance on the issues, which results in some long debates in The Tradizione. For Tribe Relygioni, if the issue is a conflict of interests with The Benalanse or The Profezya Manifesto, then Nolondia-Way will fight the measure until every last vote is against him if need be. It's a constant battle of the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law between those two Human Tribes, and will forever be.

Tribe Relygioni essentially embody what might be considered the very best of the Human spirit. Outside The Tradizione, they have no quarrel with anybody, and for the most part, choose to live as simply and peacefully as they can. They do not wish for more than they have been given, and are exceedingly thankful for the things that they have been given, more so than most of the other Human Tribes. Many look to Tribe Relygioni for inspiration, but very few of them measure up to their standard of goodness and purity. Tribe Relygioni serves as the epitome of what all humanity should strive to become.

TRIBE ILGOVERNOH

The Handmaiden Ilgovernoh sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Human Tribe which she also named after herself and gifted them with the fundamentals of government and order that they might find diplomatic solutions to social issues within The Sphere that will benefit every Human Tribe, setting them upon their homeworld of Plohm to enforce laws which would protect the weak and the innocent, to guide them in a way which will keep the peace and tranquility, and to serve as a beacon of light to the other Human Tribes.

The Lifepulse of The Handmaiden Ilgovernoh thumped hard into the rocky world of Plohm, cracking its smooth surface and creating a network of deep canyons over the entirety of the planet. Shards of these walls were broken off and filled with light, after which a period of thirty standard rotations hatched to birth the first Humans of that world.

Of all of the Human Tribes, none has a stronger sense of order than Tribe Ilgovernoh, as they see everything in clear cut black and white. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. They do not have a religious conviction to cloud their vision, nor do they allow emotion to influence their way of thinking. They are gifted with an intuition of knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt, what is right and what is wrong. They have no qualms about it.

As previously stated, the surface of Plohm is smooth, solid rock which is fractured with deep canyons. From orbit, these canyons make the planet appear that it is cracked and breaking apart. Tribe Ilgovernoh's cities are not built on the surface, but hidden deep within the canyons themselves. Their arcane dwellings are carved into the solid rock faces of the high canyons, as are their businesses, and especially their High Courts, known as The Skwellion. These High Courts are large, spacious structures, whittled from solid stone, and have stood for centuries, decorative and ornate, yet sterile and cold. Strong pillars of stone, large and wide stair cases, and noble statues adorn the interiors of their structures. To witness these dwellings, one would think that they live in opulence; however, they would call this a modest home. Technology is seen sparingly, minimalist at best, and what tech can be seen is married to the structure and architecture where a person would have to really be looking for it to see it. Everything is fairly simple and very streamlined. Everything has an order about it, everything has a place, and nothing is out of place.

Deep within these canyons, large rivers run wild, teeming with fish and a wide variety of underwater vegetation. This is largely what the inhabitants of Plohm use to sustain them. Underneath one large section of the planet is an underground sea, where the rivers all to flow to. During the winter months, the surface of the planet covers itself in thirty to forty feet of snow and ice in the Polar Regions. This runoff in the spring and summer is what keeps the rivers flowing and the sea replenished. Summer months on Plohm are blisteringly hot, at about 140 degrees, while the winter temperatures dip down to a chilly -20 below zero. A large part of the reason Tribe Ilgovernoh's dwellings are built so deeply into the canyons below is to maintain a livable temperature. The solid rock insulates the dwellings and maintains a cool temperature in the summer, but much warmer in the winter. The few days during the middle of spring and a few days at the middle of autumn are the only times of the year where the temperature is comfortable enough for humans to venture to the surface. The spring is the only time of the year that they can collect a moss that grows on the surface rocks, which is used for Rolea Tea that Tribe Ilgovernoh makes and exports to The Sphere. In the autumn, those couples of days see the collection of rare, succulent Ciniti Mushrooms that they use in their own cooking, but some are exchanged to Tribe Lastrada for use in their culinary masterpieces. In return, Tribe Lastrada provides Tribe Ilgovernoh with grains and breads, which they are unable to get on their own world.

The primary function of Tribe Ilgovernoh is the enforcement of law, and this happens in The Skwellion. The Skwellion has a dual purpose, its first is to arbitrate disputes between the Human Tribes, and the second is the conviction of those who would flaunt the law.

The Chanbroxil is the Arbitration Court, who settles disputes between two parties. Oftentimes, Tribe Ilgovernoh will hire members of Tribe Leengua to hear and settle these disputes, as they have a much better ear for this sort of thing than they do. Tribe Leengua make much better members of service to The Chanbroxil because of their mastery over languages and because they possess the ability to put words together in the correct way to make everything make more sense in the settling of disputes. While Tribe Leengua does not have a monetary system, they are recompensed on various other ways by Tribe Ilgovernoh for their services

The Mimboxil is the Criminal Court who passes judgment and sentencing for a person who has committed a criminal act. The Mimboxil work with an investigative group called The Chilanxi, who is able to scan the memories of a suspected criminal and make a report to The Skwellion as to their findings. There are no lawyers or criminal defense on Plohm, these sorts of things tend to slow down an efficient process. Within minutes of a suspect's appearance before the Mimboxil, they are convicted or released on the flawless findings of The Chilanxi. In the tens of thousands of years The Skwellion has been indicting criminals, a mistrial or mistaken conviction have so rarely happened, that no living person can recall the last time that such an event had occurred.

It isn't the purpose of Tribe Ilgovernoh to create the laws, for that is the purpose of The Imperatore, but rather to enforce the laws already in existence. No other Human Tribe works as closely with The Imperatore as Tribe Ilgovernoh does. The two are the left hand and the right hand of the law, working in tandem with one another to keep peace and justice in The Sphere. Only The Imperatore can create new laws, or change existing laws, but Tribe Ilgovernoh is there to see that those laws are upheld and fulfilled. It is a system that has worked for several hundred millennia, and isn't about to change anytime soon. A point of fact, Tribe Ilgovernoh is the most trusted of all the Human Tribes in the eyes of The Imperatore because of their sense of right and wrong. This does not mean that The Imperatore favors Tribe Ilgovernoh more than any other of the Human Tribes, it only means that they have a working relationship that has stood the test of time.

The Men and Women of Tribe Ilgovernoh remain fairly exclusive to one another when it comes to courtship and marriage. They have a special intuition about other people, and know when people are being honest with them and when they're not. Logic tells them that if they mate outside Tribe Ilgovernoh, they could dilute that gift in their offspring, and they would never want to have a disadvantaged child. Their gift is that they see other's motivations very clearly, and are usually quite a few steps ahead of others. This also tends to make Tribe Ilgovernoh very good and respected as military leaders throughout The Sphere. Tribe Ilgovernoh has a top notch fleet of warships, with officers who think and act for the common good. No order is ever questioned, and no duty is ever left unfulfilled. They are the epitome of military precision. The best of the best military officers go on to join the Rakbaton.

The Rakbaton are the Special Forces of Tribe Ilgovernoh, which serve as Law Enforcement throughout The Sphere. They are cunning and tenacious, and they do not give up their prey easily. They understand that their oath is to give their lives in the preservation of order and answer only to The Skwellion. They are exemplary officers, and follow every order to the letter. There isn't much that The Rakbaton cannot accomplish, they have the power and authority to search and seize property as needed, granted to them by The Imperatore himself. They simply do what it takes to get a job done.

But sometimes the preservation of law and order requires more extreme measures, and that is where Ghost Syndicate comes into play. Sometimes there are threats too extreme, or situations that need to be handled with utmost discretion, so Ghost Syndicate is sent to deal with these dangers, permanently. Ghost Syndicate is led by Mani Singh, a swordsman, and a master of silent assassination. Mani Singh handpicks members of Ghost Syndicate from the highest echelons of The Rakbaton, and for a member of Tribe Ilgovernoh, this is one of the highest honors one can aspire to. Ghost Syndicate answers only to Chancellor Victus Danarian-Way, who is Tribe Ilgovernoh's representative in The Tradizione.

This position is something that every child of Tribe Ilgovernoh dreams of, to one day become a part of Ghost Syndicate. Their exploits are tales of legend, and their status has become almost mythical amongst the population. But first, children of Tribe Ilgovernoh must get through their rigorous schooling program. Each and every day is spent learning about the law of The Imperatore, and the history of law, and the implication each law has had throughout the history of The Sphere. Tribe Ilgovernoh children are not taught about The Ichouli or the beginnings of Human History, they are taught who has done what to whom, and what the consequences of those actions are, and what the penalties will be. This grooms them specifically for the role of law enforcement, on whichever level they choose to partake of it, whether it's Arbitration, Criminal, Investigation, Military, Enforcement, or Nullification. When they reach the age of 14, they are given a test. Their knowledge of law coupled with their personality will determine which branch they will be geared toward. The entire system is efficient. Perhaps the only Human Tribe more efficient than Tribe Ilgovernoh would be Tribe Lauffarey, but they are different forms of efficiency.

The Tribe Ilgovernoh home is generally a happy home. While they aren't overly emotional, they still are able to show each other a fair amount of love. Families stay families for as long as they are compliant within the law in Tribe Ilgovernoh, but very few of them end in divorce, as it is logical to maintain lifelong relationships. Courtship amongst members of this Human Tribe is a very staid endeavor, and to enter into a marriage is an enduring commitment for them. They do believe in divorce, but it is a rarity in Tribe Ilgovernoh, and the terms of a divorce settlement are usually decided in The Chanbroxil. Other Human Tribes would divorce each other, but usually Tribe Ilgovernoh does not. This is another reason that members of Tribe Ilgovernoh do not court outside of their own Tribe is because of the lack of commitment that runs so rampant in other Human Tribes. Good moral standing is important to the members of Tribe Ilgovernoh, because if you can't keep your commitments, then your word is no good, and then you can't enforce the laws if you can't keep the laws. Moral standing is so important to them that crime is practically non-existent in Tribe Ilgovernoh. Children are taught from a young age what it means to break the law and what the punishments await if they do. Depending on the severity of a crime, a punishment for a child of Tribe Ilgovernoh can range anywhere from hours of community service, to lengthy imprisonment, to banishment from Plohm for life. Members of Tribe Ilgovernoh, while they have a monetary system, value their credibility above all else. They live in fear of becoming a victim of their own system and losing their credibility. It is almost unheard of to find a member of Tribe Ilgovernoh in the prison system.

This also stands true for guarding the prison system. While Tribe Ilgovernoh is exceptionally gifted at convicting criminals, they utterly fail in the incarceration of them. They don't feel that they should spend any time listening to or being influenced by convicted criminals. And so they sold the prison system to The Solondia Famiglia of Tribe Lartey, who has privatized the prison system and sells prisoners to the other Human Tribes for hard labor purposes. Tribe Ilgovernoh gets a piece of the action, the prisoners are locked up, and work a wide variety of jobs for the highest bidder. The prisoners are implanted with an explosive device that can be activated remotely. If a prisoner escapes, or is non-compliant, they are destroyed. The Solondia Famiglia makes trillions off these deals, which keeps them very well fed, and very influential in the ranks of Tribe Lartey. This also keeps Tribe Ilgovernoh from having to handle the convicts they convict. It might not seem like the most honest way to deal with prisoners, but this is one offense that Tribe Ilgovernoh turns a blind eye to. It also earns Tribe Ilgovernoh some leverage with the Five Famiglias, in case they need favors in the future.

Favors from the Five Famiglias are also a sort of a corruption that Tribe Ilgovernoh also turn a blind eye to, but they are, in their eyes, a necessary evil. Sometimes there are certain things that Tribe Ilgovernoh need accomplished, and the normal channels of law enforcement aren't able to acquire them, so they have to ask the Five Famiglias for help. But these sorts of criminal underworld connections are not spoken of openly in Tribe Ilgovernoh, nor are they even known but only to a few particular members of that Human Tribe. Sometimes they have to do a little evil to accomplish a greater good, though it is a rare occasion that this happens. It gives the Five Famiglias a certain amount of satisfaction and an enormous boost in influence to have this power over Tribe Ilgovernoh.

Overall, Tribe Ilgovernoh is strictly honorable, and they uphold the letter of the law almost to a fault. It is their pleasure to keep the residents of The Sphere in complete order, for that is what they were created for. Tribe Ilgovernoh leads a fairly simple life, and that's the way they prefer it. They know that a lot of hard work, keeping your nose clean and being persistent is the best way to succeed and to overcome anything. And as long as The Sphere has a need for law and order, Tribe Ilgovernoh will always be there to fulfill that need, and bring justice where it is sorely needed most.

TRIBE AMAREY

The Handmaiden Amarey, who was the most innocent and uncorrupted of the Handmaidens, sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Human Tribe which she also named after herself and gifted them love, honor and truthfulness so they might easily accept the people of every Human Tribe and form bonds with them that are not easily broken, setting them forth upon their tropical homeworld of Hestendra so they could form deeper attachments and connections and serve as a pure example of how the men and women of the Human Tribes should interact with one another.

The Lifepulse of The Handmaiden Amarey gently moved over the warm seas of the tropical world of Hestendra and imbued the coral reefs with its pure and unadulterated energy. The coral reefs began to form pods upon them under the water and after twenty-one standard rotations, the pods burst open, producing the first Human life on Hestendra. Of all of The Handmaiden's children, none were as loved as Tribe Amarey, and the first dwellers of that world were born with the innate ability to fly on the currents of the wind, a gift bestowed upon them by The Handmaiden Amarey herself, and they were given the knowledge that they would never lose that ability so long as their beautiful bodies remained unclothed.

Another gift given to Tribe Amarey was their unparalleled beauty and innocence. Throughout The Sphere, there were no Human Tribes as physically and emotionally beautiful as Tribe Amarey. Tribe Amarey were taught that their unclothed form was natural, and that the gentle world they lived upon would not require them to be clothed. They had no reason to be ashamed of their bodies, as they were given the most beautiful bodies in the entire universe. The Handmaiden Amarey, with her motherly sensibilities, nurtured her Tribe and gave them every single advantage so they could fulfill their purpose in a way that no other Tribe would be able to. Their innocence was Tribe Amarey's greatest strength and their greatest weakness.

And so it came to pass that Tribe Amarey flourished upon the world of Hestendra, a paradise with an even tropical climate; there is no place on the planet that is too hot or too cold for its inhabitants. It is covered in lush green vegetation, easily workable soil, and tastefully clean water. The weather is not harsh and does not vary more than 30 degrees in temperature at any given time. The planet exists within a thermal induction zone, which keeps weather conditions nearly perfect at all times. Its grasslands and orchards grow some of the most tasteful food in all of The Sphere, and its vineyards produce the some of the most valuable wines in all The Human Tribes. Not only is Hestendra optimal for growing sustenance, it is also home to some of the most romantic vacation spots in anywhere in The Sphere. These are the most likely reasons that The Handmaiden Amarey chose to birth her Children to this particular world.

So for thousands of years the members of Tribe Amarey were content on their homeworld, gliding on currents of humid air, with every need in their world provided for them. Food was abundant, shelter was easy to build and they loved with their whole hearts, paying no mind or attention to The Sphere beyond their paradise. It could be said that Tribe Amarey didn't know, or didn't care that there were other Human Tribes, and they may have been better off if they had not discovered that fact.

For a thousand generations, Tribe Amarey thrived on Hestendra, until they were discovered by Tribe Ilgovernoh in their interstellar quest to bring order to new worlds in The Sphere. It should be noted that Tribe Ilgovernoh does not conquer other worlds, for this idea stands against the principles that they are founded on. They come to new worlds, and if they're inhabited, they educate those worlds in the ways of law and order so these worlds might work together with other worlds more efficiently. Their arrival on Hestendra was no different. Tribe Ilgovernoh was astounded at what they had found, the most beautiful Human Tribe in The Sphere, and they were flying around in their unclothed bodies.

For Tribe Amarey, the arrival of another Human Tribe was an exciting moment, but the event was also an oversight on the part of The Imperatore, who had decreed that none of the Human Tribe homeworlds could be discovered by another Human Tribe until they had the ability to leave their home world by their own means. And it was sheer accident on the part of Tribe Ilgovernoh that their discovery of Hestendra came to pass, due largely in part to a navigational error when plotting a course to a neighboring star system. At the moment the discovery was made, and contact was made with Tribe Amarey, Tribe Ilgovernoh instantly realized their error, and knew that the law had been broken.

The Imperatore was immediately contacted, and the situation was explained. The Imperatore announced he was departing for Hestendra to sort the situation out, and Tribe Ilgovernoh was told to make no moves regarding education to Tribe Amarey without his consent.

Excited about the arrival of The Imperatore, the Captain of the Tribe Ilgovernoh ship looked out upon the unclothed bodies of Tribe Amarey, and decided that this would not do for the arrival of The Imperatore, that etiquette demanded they should be more formal for their first meeting with The Imperatore. So his men were ordered to assist in clothing their bodies to prepare for The Imperatore.

After a thousand generations, the old wisdom gets lost through the ages, and so it came to pass that Tribe Amarey clothed themselves in the garments provided by Tribe Ilgovernoh. Almost all at once, Tribe Amarey dropped to the ground, without a complete understanding of what had just occurred. It was one of the darkest moments of their history, the day they lost the power of flight.

Upon the arrival of The Imperatore, he looked out across the clothed, flightless Amarey Tribesmen and Tribeswomen, and knew his intervention had come much too late. The Captain of the Tribe Ilgovernoh ship explained to him that they were flying around unclothed when he arrived, and that once he placed clothing on them they didn't fly after that. The Imperatore explained that clothing is a barrier between them and the currents of air they used to glide upon and that shoes are the chains that bind them to the ground. It was explained that a divine gift was taken from them this very day, and that Tribe Ilgovernoh would have to pay a price to make amends for this transgression against them.

And so it came to pass that Tribe Amarey shed their clothing again, but did not regain their ability to fly, for they were no longer one with the currents of the atmosphere. Much research through the Old Texts was done, and it was discovered that The Profezya Manifesto provided a vague answer that must be fulfilled in order to return their power of flight. An ultimate sacrifice would have to be made during a time of darkness, and this alone could give them back what they lost. Unfortunately, this answer was as cryptic as everything else in The Profezya Manifesto, as nobody knew when or how these prophecies would be revealed.

In time, Tribe Amarey accepted the limited use of technology on their homeworld, and even formed a capitol city, which they called Laren. They even elected a High Chancellor and joined The Tradizione. Their current High Chancellor, Teamor Shalosa-Way is an excellent leader of his people, always doing what is absolutely best for them at all times. He takes the time to educate himself on every issue and weighs the pros and cons of every point of view. While not usually the most vocal member of The Tradizione, Teamor Shalosa-Way makes the most informed decision on the council than any other member, save perhaps The Imperatore himself.

It is not often that a member of Tribe Amarey will live offworld. They will go and do a fair amount of travelling, but this is mostly out of curiosity of who they might meet. Members of Tribe Amarey tend to remain fairly exclusive to one another, but it is not rare for them to meet and fall in love with members of the other Human Tribes. However, the Tribesmen and Tribeswomen of Tribe Amarey tend to be fairly selective in terms of whom they will choose to be a life partner, and that choice generally has little to no bearing based on physical qualities. In order to court a member of Tribe Amarey, one must prove themselves to be trustworthy and loyal beyond a shadow of a doubt. For Tribe Amarey, love is everything, and that love must be built on trust and on honesty. More than physicality, Tribe Amarey are attracted to somebody they feel that they can trust, and will not give themselves to just anybody. Trust is the beginning of a bond that deepens and widens as time goes on. This bond is called Semage, or the life bond, and it is a very serious matter. Once a member of Tribe Amarey achieves Semage with another person, they will choose that person as a mate for life. However, if Semage is established with another person, it is unwise to break it, as this will literally kill the member of Tribe Amarey who is involved in the relationship. Generally, it is understood between two members of Tribe Amarey that if they court one another and Semage is attained, that neither will do anything to break that bond with each other. For this reason, members of Tribe Amarey feel deeper attachments to other members of their own Human Tribe than they do other Human Tribes, though Semage with other Human Tribes is not as rare as it sounds.

With Tribe Amarey, there is no such thing as a casual fling, as they will not give themselves to another person without the attainment of Semage. So the cruel trick upon the rest of the Human Tribes in The Sphere is that Tribe Amarey are the most physically beautiful of all the Human Tribes, but they cannot be had if they aren't able to form a lifelong bond with a person. While Tribe Lartey values members of Tribe Amarey for their beauty and wants to incorporate them into the art of making children, it is unlikely that would come to pass, particularly with Tribe Lartey males, because Semage would not be achieved. It should also be noted that females of Tribe Amarey are immune to the pheromones of the males of Tribe Lartey, so quite often their charms are wasted upon Amarey Tribeswomen. And Tribe Lartey females would likely mate with Amarey Tribesmen, but it would have to be a lifelong pairing, and the female of Tribe Lartey would end up having to leave Dahlshor to be with him.

Hestendra is a world of great beauty and great emotion, but it is also a world that is under estimated in its value. Most people in The Sphere carry the assumption that because the men and women of Tribe Amarey love more deeply than any other of the Human Tribes, that it is the optimum place to meet another person for a fleeting encounter, when that couldn't be furthest from the truth. It is a world of misconception that carries with it the weight of responsibility of that choice, and The Imperatore has imposed heavy penalties to those who court members of Tribe Amarey irresponsibly. The cost for breaking Semage for Tribe Amarey is their life, so shall it be with the partner who breaks Semage with an Amarey Tribesman or Tribeswoman. This is known throughout The Sphere.

Tribe Amarey are an amazing and wonderful people and life with them can be intense and fulfilling for those who have the strength of character to attain Semage. Life with them is an ongoing adventure filled with life and love that lasts a lifetime.

TRIBE LEENGUA

The Handmaiden Leengua sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Human Tribe also named after herself and gifted them with language and speech so they would understand the various tongues throughout The Sphere and set them forth upon their frozen homeworld of Dyntallo to write what must be written, say what must be said, and interpret what must be interpreted with truth and integrity.

The Lifepulse of The Handmaiden Leengua blew its frigid blast over the ice-covered world of Dyntallo, forming large frozen pillars of upon the surface of that world. These pillars stood, solemn and stoic, untouched or unmoved by anything on the planet for over a period of three hundred standard rotations. One by one, the pillars began to melt and slowly revealed the shapes of the first Humans to ever set foot on the planet Dyntallo.

The Tribesmen and Tribeswomen of Leengua were born to their world with ice in their veins so they could survive the frosty temperatures of the world they were born to. Tribe Leengua had the longest gestation period of any of the Human Tribes in order to acclimatize them to the world they call home. They were also gifted with the built in ability to understand and a wide variety of languages. Tribe Leengua has brains that are hardwired to translate other languages. In fact, if they come across a language they've never heard before, they can learn to speak it with some proficiency in a matter of hours just by hearing it spoken around them.

The surface of Dyntallo is a frozen wasteland, incapable of supporting life but there is a network of caverns beneath the planet's surface where life not only grows, but it thrives as well. These caverns are frozen over with sheets of solid ice which the sunlight is filtered through, acting as a greenhouse where plant and animal life abundantly grow. While the temperatures in the caverns aren't superheated, it is much warmer than on the surface and allows for some kind of ecosystem to exist.

Steppe farming is done in these caverns to provide sustenance for the members of Tribe Leengua and their livestock. The livestock provides dairy products for the people, but what they really love most is the taste of animal flesh, cooked over and open fire washed down with a stout alcoholic beverage, which is quite similar to the beers of Tribe Lagerra. They are a hearty and happy folk, who have spent thousands of years mastering their craft of communication with one another, and with the other Human Tribes of The Sphere. The members of Tribe Leengua are also exceptional fisherman, and sail the seas with their icebreaker ships, gathering some of the finest seafood found anywhere in The Sphere. While they only can consume a relativity small quantity of what they catch, much of it is exported and shipped offworld to the far corners of The Sphere. Tribe Lastrada will often trade goods with Tribe Leengua for their seafood.

Tribe Leengua learned early on that the words that they spoke were the most powerful weapon they possessed, and found from personal experience that they were both effective and persuasive in the use of their expressions. Tribe Leengua has an almost mystical quality to the way they speak, and when they do, all within earshot pay attention to what they have to say. Tribe Leengua are exceptionally respected within The Tradizione, as their arguments are well constructed, logical, and carry a significant amount of weight amongst the High Council. Their representative of The Tradizione is Ezilora Fluentia-Way, and her utterances are highly respected as her advice is generally followed by all who hear what she has to say.

As the technology on Dyntallo improved, their craftsmen were able to manufacture domes that were placed upon the surface of the planet that would give the people of Tribe Leengua their own private patches of land. The largest dome houses the surface of their capitol city of Glistenice, with the splendor of its gleaming White Tower which reaches above the cloud cover of the planet, high and defiant against the blizzards.

Social interaction is unique amongst the members of Tribe Leengua. Often they will create new languages in an attempt to stump one another as to what is being spoken. This is a game that has played itself out throughout the ages, and continues to this day. Thus far, nobody in Tribe Leengua has been able to create a language that cannot be broken. But this is a way for them to put their levels of intelligence on display for others to see. For members of Tribe Leengua, attraction begins with intelligence.

It is not uncommon for members of Tribe Leengua to court members of the other Human Tribes, but their primary attraction is toward those of their own Tribesmen or Tribeswomen, though they have been known to harbor intense attraction toward members of Tribe Tranquilo, Tribe Ilgovernoh, and The Imperatore. The men of Tribe Leengua will find themselves almost uncontrollably attracted to the females of Tribe Lauffarey for their research and development creativity. If a member of Tribe Leengua marries outside of their Human Tribe, they will almost always inevitably move offworld to be with their spouse, as not many offworlders will tolerate the icy temperatures on Dyntallo.

Courtship within Tribe Leengua begins with initiation by either the male or the female, and there is no sense of superiority between either of the genders. They both work together for the betterment of their Human Tribe, partners in all things, from language to agriculture and every job in between. While their talents aren't immediately useful on their homeworld, they have been found to be useful to many of the other Human Tribes in The Sphere, as they are usually lent out as exceptional interpreters who translate between Humans and aliens with spot on accuracy. Another useful trait of Tribe Leengua is that they have a penchant for being able to decipher codes and encoded transmissions with relative ease. For this reason, The Imperatore has employed them in their Intelligence community, and they have a keen ear for the subtleties and nuances of secret communication. Barakheth also insists on members of Tribe Leengua to assist him in The Great Library of Xelivios to help translate ancient texts. Tribe Leengua are also employed to work in the Chanbroxil of Tribe Ilgovernoh as Arbitration Judges because of their ability to assist parties who are affected by disputes reach settlement on a wide variety of social issues such as ownership of property, staked claims, lawsuits, and even divorce settlements. Tribe Lastrada will also commission members of Tribe Leengua to be on their expedition crews of their star ships, which gives them an edge for communication with new alien species that they may discover at the outer reaches of The Sphere. Tribe Lartey will often hire a member of Tribe Leengua to oversee the sale of highly valued pieces of art and to see that fair settlement is reached for the and is of proper value for the piece or pieces being sold. On very rare occasion, Tribe Relygioni will consult with a member of Tribe Leengua to interpret ancient manuscripts of their people for them, things that have been lost for ages in the ancient monasteries.

While the role of Tribe Leengua on their homeworld is minimalist at best, they have an unlimited supply of services that they provide throughout The Sphere as a whole, to nearly every other of the Human Tribes and the variety of alien species as well.

The people of Tribe Leengua are jovial, and love the company of offworlders who have enough fortitude to brave the elements of Dyntallo. The men are burly and rough looking, with heavy beards and boisterous voices. They are always happy to sit down with a stranger and enjoy a pint of ale, inquisitive about every detail of the offworlder's travels and where their paths have led them. The women are also quite husky as well, but this does not take away from their beauty. The extra weight helps to protect them from the arctic climate, and it is an evolutionary trait that has served them well to keep them warm. Also, most offworlders know that it is not wise to point out the weight of a member of Tribe Leengua as they can take offense to it quite easily, and are physically much stronger than many of the other Human Tribes. They also have tempers to match their rowdy attitudes, and will fight if provoked. They might be masters of negotiating their way out of many circumstances, but sometimes they don't mind brawling, just for the sheer joy of it.

While they are not as skillful of chefs as Tribe Lastrada, Tribe Leengua can make some fairly hearty food that will warm up the insides fairly quickly. Beyond their ales, they also distill a grain alcohol that provides them with a warming effect. This drink is called Symdlamesh, and is the strongest grain alcohol found in The Sphere, save for some variations of a substance called moonshine, which had been distilled on Earth during the Fourth Cycle of Tribe Lagerra.

Tribe Leengua seem like a simple people, but at their heart are relatively complex in the way they approach their existence. They have a positive outlook on their lives, and don't think of themselves as having been dealt a bad hand by having to live on Dyntallo. They are thankful for what The Handmaiden Leengua has given to them, and work hard each day to make their Human Tribe a little bit better than it was the day the preceded it. If more Humans had this simple outlook, The Sphere in its entirety would be much happier place.

TRIBE LASTRADA

The Handmaiden Lastrada sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Human Tribe she also named after herself and gifted them with the ability to travel and prepare food in ways that other Human Tribes could not imagine so that they might reach new worlds and make peace over a great meal with friendly conversation, setting them forth upon their pastoral homeworld of Nyppatoria where they could look far out into The Sphere and yearn to reach every point of light and feed other Human Tribes with the goodness of their homeworld.

The Lifepulse of The Handmaiden Lastrada gently washed over their world, enveloping it in the pureness of her energy. It wasn't long before beautiful plants began to emerge from the ground, growing enormous bulbs below the surface of the soil. After a period of sixty standard rotations, the tops of these bulbs began to show above the dirt, and started to break open, revealing the first Humans to walk the surface of Nyppatoria. These Humans instinctively were birthed with intimate knowledge of agriculture, an uncanny ability to place the foods they've grown and put them together in ways that are pleasing to the palette, and an intense curiosity to explore every inch of their world and beyond.

The pastoral world of Nyppatoria is an agricultural paradise, with its easily workable soil, lush vineyards, scented orchards, high humidity, warm golden sunlight and monsoon rains. It is also home to a simple folk who take great pleasure in cooking extraordinary delicacies, and who yearn to take their culinary creations to other worlds to enthusiastically learn of other cultures over a meal that is anything but ordinary. This is what creates the duality of Tribe Lastrada on their homeworld of Nyppatoria.

While farms, orchards and vineyards are prominent on the continents, the shorelines of Nyppatoria are reserved for the planet's other big industry, which is shipbuilding. With their insatiable need to travel into the stars and meet other Human Tribes as well as other races of alien creature, Tribe Lastrada sits amongst the finest shipbuilders in The Sphere. The ships built by Tribe Lastrada are not overly extravagant like those of Tribe Lartey, nor are they the cold and efficient designs of Tribe Lauffarey, or the organic vessels of Tribe Tranquilo, but are simple, livable and comfortable for the passengers who would voyage on them.

To truly know of this is to know what it is to be born of Tribe Lastrada, their curiosity is never ending when it comes to seeking out the furthest corners of The Sphere and beyond. If only one thing could be said about Tribe Lastrada, it's that they are driven by their curiosity, for better of for worse. That curiosity is also the reason they have become exceptional chefs, and their cuisine is by far the best in all of The Sphere. And word of their culinary genius has spread so far and wide throughout The Sphere that Nyppatoria has become one of the hottest vacation spots for all of the Human Tribes, with its warm temperatures, beautiful fields, golden afternoon sunlight, idyllic villages and outstanding fare.

There are two notably large cities on Nyppatoria, first being the capitol city of Qyl, and the second being the shipbuilding center of Yimishqua, which hosts the only starport on the planet. It is unlawful to take a starship anywhere else on the planet than the Port of Yimishqua, though there are high speed rail trains that travel as a form of mass transit between Yimishqua and Qyl. The only starship that flies directly in and out of Qyl is that of the High Chancellor, Umiel Patanza-Way. She is allowed the privilege of flying directly out of Qyl to Lionstemia to attend her sessions in The Tradizione.

Yimishqua also boasts an incredible center of trade and culture for Tribe Lastrada, where members of most of the Human Tribes come and bring good in trade for culinary delights. This is welcomed amongst the members of Tribe Lastrada as this brings new ingredients from other worlds to their own to incorporate into their own recipes. Tribe Lastrada has traded seed from every Human Tribe in The Sphere, including Tribe Lagerra on Earth, though they're not fully aware of this. They have also gathered seeds, spores, and various other commodities from the Colonial Worlds and have planted them upon Nyppatoria, which has earned the planet the nickname of "The Garden of The Sphere. For example, Tribe Lastrada have gathered seeds for a plant they call tomatoes, and have actually grown better tomatoes than any single place on Earth ever has.

Once you get outside the cities, you can travel by rail anywhere on the planet, to the outlying villages. Other than going by foot, this is the only form of transportation on the planet. On a journey to the village of your choosing, you would be treated to visuals of the Great Steppe where the grains are grown and the herds are tended, you would see the vast vineyards bathed in warm, golden sunlight where you would see the wineries where some of the most fantastic wines in all of The Sphere are patiently made, and you could smell the fruit growing right on the trees, so tantalizing and tempting that you can taste them with a scent. But above all else, you would meet some of the most hospitable Humans from anywhere in The Sphere. There are thousands of blue lakes and gentle streams that playfully meander throughout the countryside, and there are fish farms, where some of the most succulent seafood in The Sphere is bred and grown.

The people are a simple folk who believe in family values, and the notion that a hard day's work, a full belly, and their family are really the only things they need to make them happy. Their villages are filled with the aromas of freshly cooked food any hour of the day or night, and there is no shortage of the sounds of laughter and conversation to be taken in. Offworlders are treated with proper respect, and they hold true to the simple idea that there isn't any challenge or disagreement that cannot be resolved over a good meal.

All in all, the men and women of Tribe Lastrada do things in a fairly normal and straightforward fashion. There is a short period when a couple gets together, and it is quite common for either sex to initiate this courtship, as they view each other as equals. There are roles that each gender fulfills to be sure, but when it comes to settling down and creating a family, both sexes are completely equal in their decision to do this. They live and love with all of their hearts, and usually remain with their partner for their entire lives, until death. Unlike Tribe Lauffarey or Tribe Lartey, there really isn't a dominant gender when it comes to the propagation of their people. Everything is simple and straightforward.

When a visitor arrives to stay a day or two in a village, they are greeted with genuine hospitality, and are put up in a home, bed and breakfast style. While Tribe Lastrada likes to do a lot of their own travel and exploration, they also take great pride in hosting others who are on their travels. The only payment they demand for their hospitality is half a day's work the following day after a visitor has stayed. But the evening of a visitor's arrival is cause for celebration where the plate is never empty and the wine flows abundantly and easily.

When night falls on a village, depending on the weather, most of the residents will gather outside around the community fire pit and engage in a ritual known as the Klim. The Klim is simply a gathering around the fire, pointing out the visible star systems in their night sky that they have visited, or are planning to visit. They will regale visitors with tales of their journeys, and not only are they very good storytellers, they are exceptionally charming in the way they relay these stories. They talk and they laugh, and share tales of far off civilizations until the fires die down, and then it is time to turn in for the night. Life begins early in the morning for members of Tribe Lastrada.

The heat of the previous day has drawn moisture from the lakes and shallow seas that mark the face of the planet, and almost like clockwork, Nyppatoria drops a gentle but drenching rain for nearly four hours during the late night to early morning hours which irrigates the crops, orchards, vineyards, and provides drinking water for the people and grows the vegetation to feed the herds. Nyppatoria is the only planet in The Sphere where the weather is actually predictable down to every minute every day of the year. This system is one reason why the planet has a nearly perfect climate for agriculture.

When morning breaks, visitors are treat to a magnificent breakfast, unlike any they have ever had, or are likely to ever have again once they leave Nyppatoria. The members of Tribe Lastrada believe that breakfast is an important meal because it is the fuel that will power them as they tend the fields, flocks, orchards and vineyards, so it is handled with loving care, and upon its completion, there is a morning prayer in each village asking The Handmaiden Lastrada to bless their bountiful harvest and to continue to grace their world with such favorable conditions. Tribe Lastrada is only one of three of the Human Tribes who say such a prayer to the Handmaiden who gave birth to them, the others being Tribe Relygioni and Tribe Amarey.

At midday, the visitor's debt is paid in full, and they are free to leave to their next destination if they choose. Or they can choose to continue to work the remainder of the day if they are staying an additional night in the same village, which frees them up for travel first thing in the morning. This system is completely understood by the visitors who come to vacation upon Nyppatoria, and the work given to them is much more relaxed than their occupation on whichever world they come from.

Each village is given a generous quota they are required to fill, and since the entire planet is agricultural, it isn't difficult to do what needs to be done. The reward for a family filling a quota is four weeks off world to a destination of their choosing. This incentive is what keeps Tribe Lastrada working hard, so they can get out and experience new places as often as they can. It is these journeys where their tales for The Klim come from. Travel is in their blood, and their willingness to take their menu of cookery masterpieces with them to share when and where they can is one of the greatest joys a member of Tribe Lastrada could ever hope to achieve. Each family has their own secret recipes and tastes of specific dishes that they pass down from one generation to the next, so if you've tastes something from one family, it is unlikely that the same dish from another family would be identical. There is a cornucopia of diversity to be found in the family recipes of Tribe Lastrada.

Back along the shorelines, the shipbuilders are constantly importing materials to build their ships with, so they can further their reach throughout The Sphere. Tribe Lastrada is very conscious about their factories and the output of pollutants that might harm their atmosphere and disrupt their ecosystem. Strict guidelines are in place for the operations of these plants and the utmost care is placed upon maintaining them so they run as clean as they possibly can. Tribe Lastrada is always working on travel innovations to get further and further to new frontiers, including a plan to take their fine culinary masterpieces beyond the edge of The Sphere. There is a prophecy within The Profezya Manifesto that states, **"One Human Tribe shall make a breakthrough and will travel where no Human has ever been, and will face an encounter with a horrible truth."**

It is strictly forbidden by The Imperatore for any Human to break the confines of The Sphere, for the tales of what lies beyond are now only known to The Imperatore, to Barakheth and to the High Priests of Tribe Relygioni. Tribe Lastrada is heading toward a confrontation with being locked into an ancient grudge match with the very stars they travel to within The Sphere. Though their curiosity of what lies beyond The Sphere far outweighs their fear of a prophecy or the mandate of The Imperatore. It is built into their genetics to want to discover what is out there, as far and as fast as they can go, and there isn't much that will stop them from finding out.

The Imperatore knows of the longing of Tribe Lastrada, but surmises that breaking the boundaries of The Sphere is an impossible task. If it could have been done, The Ichouli would have done it long ago and returned to defeat The Usurper Serendipity. But despite his mandate, and knowing the improbability of the task, The Imperatore knows that Tribe Lastrada will keep trying no matter what.

Travel has been of great benefit to Tribe Lastrada, as seventy percent of the Colonial worlds in The Sphere have been settled initially by members of Tribe Lastrada. They have spread their seed much further and wider than any other of the Human Tribes, colonizing nearly every inhabitable area of The Sphere. While nearly all of the Human Tribes has colonized a multitude of worlds, none have come close to the sheer amount that Tribe Lastrada has settled. But their homeworld is still by far, the most impressive of all of the worlds they inhabit. Even with all their ambition to go as far as they can, even they can concede that there's no place like home.

TRIBE LAGERRA

Serendipity sent out her Lifepulse and birthed unto The Sphere a Human Tribe that she named Lagerra and gifted them with the means to make violent war, to deceive, and the ability to kill indiscriminately. She set them forth on their homeworld of Earth near a less radiant member of The Ichouli named Sol, who was a devout follower of Serendipity. Tribe Lagerra was created for the sole purpose of destroying the other Human Tribes.

The sheer apocalyptic hatred of Serendipity's Lifepulse slammed into the world of Earth with enough force to nearly destroy the planet. The wave of destruction left the planet in flames, and from those flames, the first members of Tribe Lagerra were born. This gave them a mind only for destruction and for death, for lies and deceit, for cruelty and for domination. And it was this hatred they were born with that Serendipity was planning to use to destroy the children of The Empress and her Eight Handmaidens. They were born from her jealousy, her anger, and her spite for all living things.

Serendipity's plan was not without flaw.

The creation of a Human Tribe predicated upon hatred and anger was its own undoing. Much of their own history has been lost through their repeated self-destructions, but has been well documented in The Great Library of Xelivios on Lionstemia. In fact, Tribe Lagerra has built itself up and completely destroyed itself on four separate occasions, one of which was not of their doing.

In what the historian Barakheth has called The First Cycle of Tribe Lagerra, the greed and the infighting over resources caused an economic collapse which led to famine and starvation of well over ninety percent of their population. This was called The First Holocaust of Tribe Lagerra. The survivors learned to be frugal with the remaining resources for a time and were able to eventually recover and rebuild their society.

In The Second Cycle of Tribe Lagerra the Human Tribe nearly destroyed itself with the creation of a man-made pandemic, which swept across the land, killing over ninety-nine percent of the Earth's total population in what is known as The Second Holocaust of Tribe Lagerra. The only survivors were the small percentage of Humans who were able to develop immunity to the virus. The survivors were able to repopulate and rebuild their world.

In The Third Cycle of Tribe Lagerra the Human Tribe was nearly destroyed by a meteor strike which caused global destruction. Some believed that the impending doom by the meteor strike was judgment from a higher power as Tribe Lagerra was already well on its way to destroying itself again of its own volition. Some members of Tribe Lagerra had the knowledge and foresight to create a vault deep under the ground that would be self-sustaining and would shelter them from the destruction on the surface. The resulting impact destroyed all but the less than fifty people who were sheltered in the vault, and every living thing on the planet's surface was utterly destroyed. This was known as The Third Holocaust of Tribe Lagerra. The survivors dug their way out more than a hundred years later and did not have the advantage of previous technology to aid them in their survival as everything had been completely demolished.

The Fourth Cycle of Tribe Lagerra was the longest lasting period of existence for the Human Tribe. Everything had to be rebuilt, rediscovered, and regrown from its most basic principles. The Earth had to be reworked to accommodate growth for plant and animal life. Seeds had to be recollected, and somehow a variety of insect species had been able to adapt and survive the meteor strike. The resources of the previous world were lost, and it was a fight for their very survival. Because of this, Tribe Lagerra needed some intervention from The Imperatore and the other Human Tribes.

Animals were brought in from all over The Sphere and set loose upon the Earth under the noses of the residents of Tribe Lagerra. Throughout the thousands of years, members of the other Human Tribes would come and guide Tribe Lagerra toward its recovery, and ultimately its destiny. Tribe Lauffarey was one of the first of the Human Tribes to aid in their rebuilding, as evidenced by the pyramid structures placed in a variety of locations all over the Earth. Eventually, The Imperatore created an Empire where he could go and personally oversee the progress of Tribe Lagerra, he called his Empire Rome.

Rome became the city on Earth where members of all of the Human Tribes could go and blend in. Artisans from Tribe Lartey brought their aesthetic sensibilities to Rome, creating the most beautiful city of its time, full of art and music. Tribe Ilgovernoh brought government to Rome and made it a Republic. Tribe Lauffarey brought their industrial sensibilities to Rome and created viaducts and waterways to help it become the most advanced city of its time. Tribe Leengua brought the use of language and diplomacy to help Rome expand its influence. Tribe Lastrada developed the land around Rome, helping the people of Tribe Lagerra create fields, orchards and vineyards that would be unparalleled anywhere else on Earth. Tribe Relygioni brought religion to Rome so that their faith and hope in something beyond self-destruction could be achieved. Tribe Amarey came to Rome and taught them the value of love, and gave them a sensation they had not previously had the capability to feel. Tribe Tranquilo came to Rome and trained their physicians in the ways of healing, so they could mend others instead of breaking them. And The Imperatore came with lessons for benevolent rule, and named the ruling class, which he called the Caesars, who were to show Tribe Lagerra a better way.

And for a while, the experiment of Rome worked.

And slowly, the true nature of Tribe Lagerra set in and corrupted that which was so lovingly fashioned for them, until eventually Rome corroded and imploded upon itself. This was not to be the end of the Fourth Cycle of Tribe Lagerra though. This Cycle was to last nearly two-thousand more years, with traces of what was given to them in Rome living on through the ages. Many wars had broken out and been fought in those years, and it seemed as if The Fourth Cycle of Tribe Lagerra was headed toward another inevitable self-destruction, and so The Imperatore began to make a contingency plan for their survival in The Fifth Cycle of Tribe Lagerra.

And with the cooperation of Tribe Lartey, Tribe Tranquilo, and Tribe Lauffarey a device was created. A rare blue crystal, which was found embedded deep in the heart of an asteroid, was imbued with the ability to record and store an incredible amount of information within it. This device would be delivered to the Earth to a unique individual when the time was right, and this person would be guided to dissuade The Fifth Cycle of Tribe Lagerra of their doom by teaching them of their destruction of The Fourth Holocaust of Tribe Lagerra.

The Imperatore watched the Earth for hundreds of years, and just decades before the Fourth Holocaust was to occur, the person he was searching for was found. The person in question was a young boy from a village called Cadence Falls. The Imperatore saw in this boy all of the qualities he was searching for, honesty, integrity, intelligence, and creative decision making skills. The Imperatore set his plan into motion and the boy grew into a man, and it wasn't long before the inevitable Fourth Holocaust was set into motion.

The Fourth Holocaust of Tribe Lagerra occurred by nuclear fire in the year 2021 over a global squabble over natural resources. Once again, over ninety-nine percent of the seven billion people inhabiting the planet Earth were completely destroyed, including the boy who was chosen by The Imperatore. The survivors went on to rebuild the Earth in The Fifth Cycle of Tribe Lagerra.

The survivors of The Fourth Holocaust went underground until about the year 2200 when their shelters became too confining to support population growth. The first settlements began to form in rural areas as the former population centers were still too irradiated to support human life. A hundred years later, human settlements began to learn of the existence of other human settlements. By 2500, these settlements had begun to form trade networks to share their resources. Some groups of settlements began to band together to form nations.

By the year 2600, multiple nations had formed on the Earth and had become aware of each other's existence. Wars begin between nations over territorial disputes and boundaries. They also find themselves in dispute over which of the world's major religions to preserve and which to dispose of, but not one of the nations have any idea what the true message of any of the world's religions are, or even how to properly practice them.

By the year 2800 the nations find themselves in global conflict once again, having completely forgotten the holocaust completely in the 800 years since their destruction. In 2897, an artifact is unearthed in a mountain cave found within a sarcophagus and unifies the religions of the world under one banner. This discovery ushers in an era of peace on Earth for more than a thousand years. By the year 3100 a one world government is formed led by a council represented by all 26 nations of Earth's Human Race. The world government is built based upon the united religion, created from the pictograms on the sarcophagus that contained the artifact. The pictogram told of a prophecy of an ancient man who would return and fundamentally change Humanity through his teachings.

By 3600, the level of technology had managed to reach pre-holocaust levels as the first space flight launches in 1600 years are achieved, and began to happen with more and more frequency. By the late 3600's, plans were being made for the first settlement on The Moon. And humanity's proudest moment came in 3721 when that settlement became a reality, and it was called Luna Michrondis. Over the next two-hundred years many more settlement colonies were established throughout the Sol system on planets and moons of various planets. But somehow the militant side of Tribe Lagerra began to take hold again, and the curious, religion driven government became reorganized into The StarDefense Corps to fit the ever changing needs of Colonial Expansion. Shipping lanes between the colonies began to open up, allowing for commerce and tourism between the Earth and the colonies.

The StarDefense Corps began to push the boundaries of research and discovered something hidden within the religious artifact. After much research, it was discovered that something very special could be done with the contents of the sarcophagus, something that would change the course of Humankind. And in the year 4092, the greatest breakthrough known to the Earth occurred, but that is another tale for another time.

FINITO

And this concludes an introduction to the diverse Human Tribes of The Sphere.

The Profezya Fina Ultimo speaks of the end of the exile of The Empress and The Eight Handmaidens to and their return to The Greater Sphere, where a war will be waged and the end days will come for The Usurper Serendipity and her followers will be defeated and imprisoned within The Massive Sphere. This time will not be achieved until The Human Tribes are able to evolve by combining their sacred gifts and unify as one people.

In the infallible foresight of The Empress, her knowledge of each of the gifts She and her Handmaidens would bestow upon their children would be the key to breaking their imprisonment within The Sphere. The unification of these gifts would unlock the power to return to The Greater Sphere, and a period of everlasting peace would prevail throughout The Sphere for the remainder of time immemorial. The Human Tribes would elevate themselves to the positions of immortality they so richly deserve, and become equals with The Ichouli.

But these matters are tales for another time.

###

#  ~A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR~

Thank you for reading _The Book of the Sphere: An Historical Companion to "The Chronicles of John Alkali"_. Many of the ideas and concepts presented within this volume are ideas that I created in my youth, and have been working into a trilogy of long form novels, the first of which I hope to have out in 2018. The next novel I will be releasing is called _Dreaming god_ , a psychological thriller about a girl who has nightmares about the future.

Once _Dreaming god_ is released, I will be working on the first book of the trilogy in _The Chronicles of John Alkali_ , which will be titled _The Key of Immortality_. Following the trilogy, I have plans for another standalone novel called _Miracles of Silence_ , which is the tale of a man who repeatedly gets beaten down by life and what those experiences do to him. I cannot wait to share these stories with you, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support. What follows is the first chapter of _Dreaming god_ , I hope you enjoy it.

AN EXCERPT FROM "DREAMING GOD"

# C H A P T E R O N E

## I

MORNING IN CADENCE FALLS

OCTOBER 1995

It was a beautiful early autumn morning in the small town of Cadence Falls Washington and the residents of the sleepy village were waking up to face another day. People were going about doing their early business, getting their espressos, laughing and going about their business. Men, women, and children were coming and going on their way to their places of employment, to school, to appointments and other various engagements. The sun was showing brightly through the half barren branches on the trees and the air was crisp and fresh. It was a beautiful morning all in all; it was cool and breezy, but not too windy. The trees were sparsely loaded with leaves that were near their surrender for another year and the ones that had fallen to the ground were raked into random piles in the front yards of the local citizenry. It is the end of a cycle, one that will begin again soon, renewing life all around. It was a great day to be alive, unless of course fate had something else planned.

Jennifer Cox, a proud young mother was struggling to push her baby carriage up the side of the hill toward the intersection, anxious to meet with the other young mothers in the community, and hoping to compare baby stories with them. A lot can happen with a baby in a week's time, and she had news to share, that little Andrea had finally slept her first full night, much to her mother's relief.

At the drive through espresso stand at the top of the hill, people are getting their ritualistic morning coffee fix. Second in line, waiting in his car, James Miller is getting his morning coffee and talking through his car phone with his fiancée, discussing patterns for the dishes in the kitchen, of which he hardly seems too interested. The car before him pulls away and he pulls up to the window and upon seeing him, Cassie Davis the spunky young barista begins working on his usual drink. Having had a late night with his fiancée, he realizes that he needs a stronger dosage today.

"Excuse me honey, can you hold on a minute?" James said in his most loving tone, before addressing the coffee girl. "Can you make that a triple today, please?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Miller." Cassie said enthusiastically, with a broad smile stretching across her pretty face. "How's Brooke today?"

"She's doing well, she says hi." James responded and then returned to his conversation with Brooke.

A few moments later he is handed his tall and steaming hot cup of coffee. James reached around to try to reach his wallet, but his movement was restricted by his seat belt. He rolls his eyes and unlatched the seatbelt, arching his back, reaching around and fishing his wallet from his back pocket. He rummaged around in his wallet for about ten seconds for producing a five-dollar bill and handing it to Cassie.

"Keep the change.", James said with Cassie nodding in approval.

About two blocks down the road, Jennifer finally had reached the intersection and saw a friend of hers across the street who she hasn't seen since high school. Excited, she called out to her and her friend and waved her over. Her friend got an exceptionally excited look on her face and ran across the street and the two began to converse with one another. Jennifer turned from her baby carriage and gave her friend the biggest hug she could, and telling her that she missed her. Laura, her friend, indicated that she too missed Jennifer, and then they discussed the many changes that college had brought about in Laura's life, and the many changes that marriage and motherhood had brought about in Jennifer's life. The two of them were very excited to see one another again. But neither of them was really paying attention to anything but each other at that very moment.

Perhaps the strangest of things on this particularly fine autumn morning was young Tuesday Moxley standing across the street from them, still wearing her nightgown and clutching her teddy bear, Winston. Some might think that it's pretty unusual for a fourteen-old girl to be standing on a street corner holding a teddy bear, and they might have, if anyone had actually taken any notice of her whatsoever. Stranger yet, she seemed invisible to everyone around her, as people were walking past her, taking no notice of any kind. And stranger still, it seemed as if Tuesday, on this very bright and colorful autumn morning seemed to lack any color of any kind, as if she had just escaped from an old black and white movie. Finding yourself in black and white on a morning that was as vibrantly colored as that morning was, most certainly was not a good thing.

Then that queasy thing that always happened in her stomach happened. It's as if somebody had flicked a switch on, and she was suddenly in touch with the emotions of everybody around her. She could feel James' amorous feelings toward Brooke, and could feel it when they disagreed about the traditional china plates with the floral patterns he favored as opposed to the modern designs she preferred. She could sense the happiness that Cassie felt for the two of them, a genuine happiness wishing the best for them, and sadness as well, wishing she could attain a love like James and Brooke's. She could feel the ecstatic elation between Laura and Jennifer, as the two frantically shared important thoughts with each other trying to catch up the last three years in only a few moments. She could easily sense the feelings of little Andrea, as a calm overtook her.

Tuesday then had an uneasy feeling that something terrible was about to happen. Instantly she reached out into the thoughts and the feelings of those around her, as she had done so many times before and it wasn't long before she figured out what was happening. Little Andrea's baby carriage began to roll backward down the hill, slowly at first. Neither Jennifer nor Laura instantly took notice of it, but Tuesday was instantly aware of it. She has experienced things like this many times and knows that it will end badly, as that feeling turns into a nauseous uneasiness that creeps into her gut and does not let go.

II

THAT FEELING IN HER STOMACH

Tuesday's mood changed, seeing that the infant was in danger. As a man approached her on the street, she screamed out, though she knew it would do her no good.

"Not again!" Tuesday cried out in a panicked voice. "Please don't make me go through this again!"

She said it loudly enough that everyone around should have heard her, but nobody took any kind of notice whatsoever. The man just walked on by her as if she weren't even there, which was really annoying to Tuesday.

James Miller tossed his wallet over on the passenger seat after several unsuccessful attempts at trying to get it back into his back pocket, muttering something to himself about small economy cars. He reached over and pulled his seatbelt over and clipped it, but it didn't latch completely. He held his coffee in his hand, and took a sip before pulling out of the drive-thru, and turning onto the main road, facing down the hill.

Tuesday sensed this instantly. Somehow James was connected to the fate of this child.

Tuesday screamed again, this time even louder. Once again, nobody even looked in her direction, nobody even cocked an ear, nobody responded at all. Tuesday's attention was suddenly ripped from James' car and back to the baby carriage, which was rolling faster now, down the hill and heading off the side of the sidewalk and toward a tree.

It was at this moment that Jennifer wanted to show a little pride and was beaming about her daughter. But when she turned around to show Andrea to Laura, the carriage wasn't there, in fact it had traveled a good forty feet down the hill. Instantly, Jennifer's elation transformed to panic, as she turned and gave chase to the runaway baby, calling for somebody, anybody to help her.

Instantaneously, Tuesday felt the sudden change in the emotions of the young mother, and tried her best to follow the action, but was compelled to look back up the hill at James' car, which had begun to pick up some speed, and had covered the distance of a block in the few seconds that Tuesday had been watching the stroller. Again her attention shifts back to the drama with the child. Jennifer is chasing the carriage, screaming, with Laura hot on her heels.

"My Baby!!" Jennifer shrieked, which seemed to get the attention of everybody on the block, but nobody seemed close enough to help her.

Tuesday continued to scream herself, however nobody seems to hear her and they are now focused in the direction of the baby. Things began to move in slow motion now, at least that's how they seemed to Tuesday and all that she can hear is the steady sound of a heartbeat, growing faster and faster, as the scene around her moves slower and slower. Bystanders from the other side of the street were beginning to take notice, with looks of great concern upon their faces, knowing they were helpless to resolve the outcome. Again, Tuesday's attention was yanked from the child and back onto James in his car.

She could see James very clearly, as if she were in the car with him, going along for the ride, wherever that ride may be taking her. James reached for his coffee from the cup holder, gripping the paper cup by the plastic lid from above. As he did so, the car enters the intersection, and the driver's side tires hits the deep rut, which causes the lid to separate from the cup, spilling the hot coffee all over James.

"Owww!!" James screamed out in pain. "Crap, that's hot!!"

Tuesday could feel the pain of the hot coffee searing into James' skin, and could feel the concern coming from Brooke, who was still on the phone with him. James' attention wasn't focused on anything at that very moment but the task at hand.

Tuesday found herself on the street again, seeing the baby carriage, still in slow motion, as if she never missed a second of the action going on around her. Although it had picked up some serious speed, the baby carriage worked itself over to the side of the sidewalk and its wheels were now riding in the grass. A moment later, it was completely off the sidewalk and had moved onto the lawn, slowing it dramatically. A few seconds later the baby carriage came to a complete rest gently against a tree, much to the relief of everyone who was witnessing this. Jennifer and Laura, who were a good distance behind the infant, were still in hot pursuit. Tuesday stops screaming for the moment, and a calm washes over her. She smiled, thinking that everything was going to be fine with the baby, as she could no longer sense the danger surrounding the child.

With a sigh of relief, she could sense the emotions of the onlookers returning to normal, some even began to clap and cheer for the positive outcome. Tuesday smiled a little to herself, and secretly hoped to herself that this would be the one time that everything turned out fine. This had to be it; this had to signal the end of the curse.

If that was indeed the case, why did that feeling in her stomach still exist?

III

WITNESSING THE HORROR

Suddenly her attention shifted back to James in his car again and she realized that everything wasn't going to be all right. While his attention was momentarily focused on the hot coffee that was spilled all over him, he failed to realize that he had completely crossed the intersection, but more importantly, he had drifted into the other lane, with oncoming traffic rapidly approaching him. He had also picked up some considerable speed, which he was also unaware of, and he was traveling at least forty miles an hour.

The sound of a horn blaring caused James to look up and out his front window and at the last possible moment he saw a pickup truck headed directly for him. Tuesday could sense his panic as he pulled his steering wheel hard to the right to get the car back into his own lane, causing his tires to squeal quite loudly. In a moment of great confusion, the people around who were just cheering on the mother's dramatic rescue of the child were about to become witness to another accident. Tuesday could feel their confusion but was able to somehow remain focused on what was happening.

At that very moment, Jennifer was only a few short feet from rescuing her baby, when her head turned at the sound of the tires on the pavement and realized that the danger had not passed. Tuesday could feel the tension of situation and suddenly everything moved more slowly than it ever had. She screamed from the depths of her soul and yet again, nobody took any kind of notice of her whatsoever.

"No, Stop!!" She cried out. "Make it stop!!"

In his attempt to avoid an accident, James over-compensated his steering and veered across his lane and into the front yard, on a direct course toward a tree, where a baby carriage appeared to be resting. In a moment of clarity and adrenaline, Jennifer dived toward the stroller, shoving it clear of the tree, just a second before James' car impacted it.

Jennifer however, was not so lucky.

Neither was James.

Jennifer was caught fully between the tree and the vehicle, while in a mid-air dive, which wrapped her back around the tree backward as the front end of the car conformed to the shape, pinning her fully to the tree. Tuesday could physically feel the pain that Jennifer experienced in her dying moment, a greater pain than she had ever felt in her whole life. She felt it all in the fraction of a second in between the time that the vehicle had slammed into Jennifer and the moment she died, which stretched on for Tuesday for what seemed like hours. She could feel the horror that Laura experienced, watching the death of her childhood friend right before her eyes. She could even feel the shock and the amazement of the onlookers, who had felt comforted only a moment before.

Worst of all, Tuesday could physically feel the pain of James, who wasn't quite as fortunate as Jennifer. His seatbelt, which hadn't been fully connected, failed, and he went through the windshield and slammed against the tree. James held on for a while, and Tuesday could feel the pain he was going through, she could feel his broken bones, she could feel the lacerations on his face, she could feel the blood filling his lungs, his heart pumping desperately. She could also sense the worry that had filled Brooke at that moment, which was still on the phone, and had to hear the gasps and groans of her true love dying.

Anxiety began to fill Tuesday as the dread and the grief had overtaken her. The world began to spin around her, she looked down the hill a half a block and could see traffic stopping, including a bus full of school children that were about to witness something that she wished they would never have to see.

Tears began to fall from her eyes, as she could no longer endure the pain she was feeling. In the dark recesses of her mind, she found herself wishing that James would just die so she would stop feeling this excruciating pain, although it was not nearly as bad as she experienced from Jennifer. The stress was more than she could take for very long, as Tuesday began to scream louder and louder, and the tears became more and more. In her head, she heard a cacophony of voices, some concerned, some sad, some crying. The voices and the emotions became greater and greater with each vehicle passing by the accident, and she could feel all these emotions all at once. She was fairly able to cope with it right up to the moment the school bus pulled up alongside the accident and the emotions of the children overwhelmed her. She looked up to the bus and saw several of her familiar classmates looking at the scene of the accident, and a boy was there, a boy she didn't know.

And why couldn't James just die? It was selfish of her to think of, but the closer he came to it, the more painful it became. The pain was so great it dropped her to her knees, and she began screaming like a madwoman. She looked up again at the school bus, and saw herself on board, and the paradox of feeling her own emotions was more than she could take. She started pounding the ground with her fists, screaming and yelling, crying. After a few moments, it became difficult to move, as if somebody, somewhere were holding her back. She didn't realize the truth of this until she awoke from this nightmare to find her mother restraining her on the bed.

*Read the full novel of Dreaming god, coming Spring 2017.

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

Rik Johnston grew up in a rural community in the state of Idaho. During those years, he discovered that he loved writing stories about far away worlds, about military commandos and about time travel. He honed his skill under the tutelage of his high school English teacher, who recognized a degree of talent, and agreed to publish some of his stories in the local newspaper. The stories that he wrote became the basis for _The Chronicles of John Alkali_ , an idea that he has developed throughout the years.

Rik spent a good deal of his life in Southwest Washington State, where his storytelling desires had morphed into a dream of independent filmmaking. He wrote a screenplay for what would have been his first film called _Dreaming god_ , but instead is now adapting that screenplay for his first full-length novel.

Rik Johnston currently resides in Mobile Alabama with his wife. He has three beautiful daughters, seven wonderful grandchildren and three cats. Rik enjoys playing guitar, attending his church, and likes cinema and video games. Rik is currently attending college to learn how to repair computers and how to manage large computer networks.

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~ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS~

I'd like to thank the following people for being a part of this process throughout the years. My Mom, for allowing me to think creatively and encouraging the use of my imagination at the earliest age. Andy Frostensen, who was a good friend who always gave me honest criticism of my work. Margaret Brackenbury, who helped me to realize my potential and who first published my work. James Schmoyer, who was one of the first in my adult life who said he'd be interested in my stories. The staff at the Longview Public Library, who put up with me for months on end while I worked on my screenplay. My co-workers at Borders Express, Gary, Elisa, Tammy, Carrie, Mishel, Cathy, Donna, and Cassandra who always pushed me to take my writing further. I'd like to thank my good friends Bryan Moon, Erika Ankenman, Kyle Powers, Christopher and Michael Shindel, and John McGregor for just being really awesome people when I wasn't a very awesome person. I must thank my beautiful children Angi, Kimi and Emily for being an inspiration in my life. I want to seriously thank my wife Cherie for the hours she puts up with me ticking away on my laptop to accomplish this, I love you and you mean the world to me. I'd like to thank my church family at Covenant Life Church, for showing me truth and providing a steady light to steer by. And I'd like to thank Yahweh for each and every day being a blessing in some capacity or another, to Him be the Praise.

Rik Johnston

Mobile Alabama

September 23, 2016
