Skantos

Skantos
Astrographical Information
System	Skantos System
Suns	Gerin
Moons	Sar Jirok
Rings	None
Orbital Position	2
Rotation Period	27 Hours
Orbital Period	325 Days
Galaxy	Milky Way
Rim	Center Rim
Quadrant	Alpha
Grid Coordinate	N19
Physical Information
Class	Terrestrial
Diameter	9324 Kilometers
Atmosphere	Breathable
Climate	Tundra Continental Temperate
Primary Terrain	Steppe Boreal Forest Tundra Volcanic Savannah
Surface Water	67%
Habitability (%)	100%
Average Surface Temperature (°C)	8°C
Societal Information
Official Title	Sacred Union of Skantos
Government Type	Parliamentary Confederacy
Administrator	King Akamatsu Ietada of Karakoram Abbot Bhakto Sambhota of Mosonaral King Xue Yang of Saikhan Chief Anana Qimmiq of Senkher
Capital City	Lianguoshi
Demonym	Skantoan
Native Species	Boone Crystal Ponies? Omkha Praxtin Skantoans (Majority) Theyvin
Immigrated Species	Humans Qu
World Languages	Karakorumu-go Proper Baixinese
Population	~800 Million
Affiliation	Sacred Union of Skantos (Unaligned) (De Facto Accord Protectorate)
Settled In	Before 164100 BCE
Organized In	536 CE

Skantos is a medium-sized terrestrial planet and the second planet from Gerin, a K-Type Orange-Dwarf situated in the centre of the Skantos System, while Skantos itself is orbited by two moons, the much larger spherical Sar and the asteroid-sized Jirok. It is the second largest terrestrial planet in the Skantos System and the only habitable one, having 67% of its surface covered by oceans which surround a collection of four relatively cool and arid continents, with the northern regions of the planet being dominated by tundras, the equator being dominated by grasslands, and the southern regions being dominated by semi-arid steppes. Skantos has developed complex intelligent life such as the Skantoans, the predominant species of the planet which coexist with various other smaller groups. Skantos is divided into a number of independent nations of which the four 'paramount nations' which encompass a vast majority of its landmass are associated with the 'Sacred Union', a loose planet-wide alliance designed to maintain peace and natural balance after recent instability.

Skantos is unique for its unnaturally immense concentration of Orgone Energy making it among the most spiritual and magically-prone planet that is known to exist, being one of the only planets to be classified as a 'Spiritual Planet'. Despite this, actually getting to Skantos to witness its unusual properties is a treacherous journey as Skantos is located in the heart of the "Skantos Maelstrom", a chaotic nebula full of debris and storms which prevents travel to the planet without carefully charting a course through the Skantos Passage which goes through the south-west of the Maelstrom, making navigation via larger vessels impossible. Another side effect of its location within the Skantos Maelstrom is scanners and telescopes generally have a hard time detecting objects within the Maelstrom, including Skantos itself most of the time. Skantos' spiritual nature appears to be capable of spreading far beyond the planet itself, with religions such as the Theian Native Faith and Ancient Yatan Faith being thought to have originated there, alongside many other religions thought to have originated elsewhere mysteriously being practiced by certain Skantoan cultures.

Culture, Society and Demographics

Skantos as a whole is significantly less advanced than Human cultures despite possessing organized societies for much longer, only possessing extremely limited industrial capabilities with a vast majority of the planet being in a decentralized feudal/tribal state where local communities only nominally loyal to higher governing authorities. Due to their naturally decentralized nature, most Skantoan communities and regions which share a wider cultural group are in some form confederated into wider governmental institutions, often leading to a majority of the peoples of Karakoram, Mosonaral, Saikhan, and (western/eastern) Senkher being depicted as 'unified' or homogenous societies, though in reality each of these four major civilizations is incredibly decentralized in varying degrees, with Karakoram arguably being the most centralized due to having a more widely recognized monarchy, Mosonaral being completely decentralized in an almost anarchic manner, Saikhan being a loose feudal collection of provinces and protectorates only nominally loyal to their "shared monarchy", and Senkher more-so being a collection of loose tribes of which many don't recognise the authority of their high Chief. As such, the often uniform colours on a map depicting Skantos as divided into four major powers should not be interpreted as meaning that they are unified nation-states, as to this day each individual settlement (and especially each individual region) is effectively its own 'nation' in all but name.

Culturally, the four major cultural groups present in the four largest 'civilizations' differ from each other significantly. Due to Karakoram's harsh volcanic climate and the presence of competitors, the locals were forced to advance to higher levels than in much of the rest of Skantos which lead to the development of many centralized communities centred around family and social class which lead to the development of a surprisingly high living standard for such a harsh environment where agriculture is often difficult. Mosonaral's isolated and tightly populated position lead to it naturally maintaining a lifestyle of tight-nit communal villages primarily headed by religious figures, with the high level of trust in society leading to the development of a significant focus towards freedom and individual liberty despite the importance of religion. Saikhan's vast arable lands and river systems lead to the development of highly structured societies primarily dominated by major feudal lords and landowners nominally loyal to a shared ceremonial 'Saikhani monarchy' where they serve as governors and maintainers of social tradition, making the lives of the poorer majority of Saikhanians arguably worse than that of the other major cultural groups due to high degrees of social stratification and highly conservative attitudes preventing major progress which has instilled a kind of 'stoicist' mentality. Senkheri culture is divided into two sub-groups where the developed 'west' possesses strict social roles and a clearer hierarchy while the 'east' is largely egalitarian and decentralized with a focus on respect, though due to sharing a harsh tundra climate they share many common traits thanks to both practicing similar forms of nomadism.

Alongside the four major civilizations of the Skantoans, the other less populous species of Skantos also possess their own cultures such as the subsistence-hunting Boone, nomadic Omkha mounted-archers, the isolationist and advanced Praxtins, the Crystal Ponies of the isolated Crystal Empire, the mysterious shapeshifting Theyvin of Gleann Ganaim, and the sole "alien" settlements of Anor Londo and Uhaten which developed after the Battle near Skantos Passage (though the latter has largely dissipated due to competition with Skantoans). Many other Skantoan cultures exist as well, with the Qankuli being a formerly Senkheri culture which developed a centralized monarchy which was maintained by brutality, with the Kasa-Kyolmik splitting off of them to embrace a 'less repressive' theocratic model, while to the south the Sideritum and Taaraa-Patitah cultures developed distinct religious beliefs from the wider Saikhani culture which lead to their separation, while Phillealand and Skelden simply never had enough contract with the rest of wider Saikhani culture to integrate into the group.

Geography

Skantos is divided into 4 major continents situated across its surface, with the 'Saikhan Sea' being defined as a central position from which each of the continents' position is defined, with the largest continent of Saikhan housing steppes, grasslands, and tundras located to the east, the second-largest continent of Senkher primarily housing tundras being situated to the north, the third-largest continent of Karakoram primarily housing volcanic wastelands and arid grasslands being situated to the west, and the smallest continent of Mosonaral also housing tundras being situated to the northeast. Skantos is dominated by a number of water bodies as well, with the Tengis Ocean in the northern hemisphere and the Dalai Ocean in the southern hemisphere divided by the Bay of Jivekh and Bay of Senkherdeer, while the waters between the three largest continents are divided into the Saikhan Sea in the north of the equator and the Ariun Tengis sea in the south. Some further regional definitions also exist to further divide up the continents such as Saikhan often being divided into 'north' and 'south' based on the Occidentine River and Orientine River, though no such definitions are universally agreed upon.

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  Continents of Skantos

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  Water Bodies of Skantos

History

Urheimat of Skantos' Species

Primeval Era

Little is known of Skantos prior to the emergence of complex cultures and societies, with no evidence of external contact due to its position within the Skantos Maelstrom (Whose own origin is equally if not more mysterious) made it incredibly difficult to detect. The various species of Skantos, including the Skantoans, Theyvin, Omkha, and others had lived hunter-gatherer lifestyles for hundreds of millennia without leaving much of a identifiable record of the myriad of tribes and small communities they had developed, with the only records being the likes of cave paintings and the occasional relic. The earliest cultures were concentrated around central Saikhan particularly along the Occidentine River and Orientine River alongside the fertile plains to the south of said area.

Theyvin Era

The Theyvin Empire at its greatest extent

Out of the various species of Skantos, the Theyvin (whom share a common ancestor with the modern Skantoans) were the first to develop complex societies in 163100 BCE, with Theyvin spreading themselves across much of Skantos in small communities as a free people with no desire to concern themselves with issues which could arise on Skantos as dedicated themselves solely to personal enrichment mainly via a natural Metamorphic trait in their biology, changing their forms to live not only their own lives but the lives of others in an unending cycle. After countless years, the status quo was interrupted when two entities appeared onto Skantos from an aperture to another reality, revealing themselves to the Theyvin in a form much like their own and rallying those which would listen into a much more organized and disciplined force than the remaining anarchic Theyvin, ending the Primeval Era as the 'Theyvin Empire' was born in 162500 under the suzerainty of the Twin Matriarchs, whom swiftly waged a campaign to unify Skantos under one banner in a century-long struggle against dissident groups, incorporating all Theyvin they could under the Imperial System in rejection of Skantos' nature as a free spiritual world, building the planet's first structures with the pure reason of rejecting Skantos' natural order. While the Theyvin previously were free and often participated in other species' cultures on their own whims, under the guidance of the Imperial System they rejected all others as lesser.

Skantos had developed quite extensively under the reign of the Empire, with the height of their rule after the conquest of the rest of Skantos had concluded in a victory leading to largescale development of advanced technologies, with radiometric dating of unexplained structures on Umay suggesting that the Theyvin may have even ventured beyond Skantos in spacecrafts of their own design at around 95200 BCE. Despite their many successes and advancements, disagreements among the Matriarchs and the rejection of Skantos' natural state lead to the gradual decline culminating in an outright schism between the Matriarchs, with the First whom had come to appreciate Skantos wishing to cease rejecting Skantos' natural state in order to benefit the lives of the Empire's subjects to a position of equality and prosperity, while the Second wished to continue 'imperialization' to bring Skantos and the Empire into a new age of expansion under one System to dominate all. In the ensuing chaos, the empire was torn apart as the Theyvin populace suffered heavy casualties with the few survivors returning to a tribal way of life either attempting to rekindle their previous free lifestyle or yearned of a return to the System's order in perpetuity. In the chaos, the Second had been wounded and banished by the First into stasis at the cost of grave injury they could not survive from, thus wounded and alone they passed on some of their power onto a Skantoan, granting them immortality and untempered connection to a sphere of information.

Dark Ages

The collapse of the previously advanced Theyvin Empire back into a state of tribalism lead to the degradation of complex societies on Skantos back to a state akin to the Primeval Era, ushering forth the 'Dark Ages' which lasted from 94500 BCE to 26500 BCE as Skantos once more was solely composed of small tribes and communities which primarily subsisted off of nomadism or occasionally agriculture along the major rivers. The devastation that the Theyvin population faced during the collapse lead to a major dominance shift demographically and societally, as the Skantoans (which had been inhabiting the area around Central Saikhan since the Primeval Era) grew to become the dominant species of Skantos during this era, spreading across a majority of Skantos' surface in small tribal groups aside from the far-southwest where the Omkha remained dominant and central Karakoram (which was fairly temperate at the time) where the Praxtin remained dominant. After millenia of stagnation, the Dark Ages would come to a close as the earliest complex Skantoan societies began to emerge.

Early Skantoan Era

Major Early Skantoan Nations

The Dark Ages would come to an end as Skantoans first began to develop complex societies in 26500 BCE, with countless small city-states springing up throughout Skantos with the first appearing in the river valleys surrounding the Occidentine River, Orientine River, Spalare River, Sycor River, and Demer River valleys, with the advent of writing appearing in the Orientine River Valley culture in 25600 BCE. Societies would gradually grow in complexity within these regions, with numerous kingdoms and empire emerging and falling as Skantoans began expanding across the frontiers into the more inhospitable parts of Skantos. After many millennia of small states dominating Skantos, the predominant civilization of this period would rise in the form of the Ariun Empire extending itself across much of the western shore of Saikhan, while the Karemi Confederacy rose across the then temperate southern portion of Karakoram. Many societies still extant to this day first emerged during this era as well, including Sycoryo, the First Qankuli Empire, Sideritum, and the Taaraa-Patitah Kingdom (which was according to legend established by an 'extraterrestrial prophet' which had found Skantos, though it is unknown where this supposed traveller came from). Towards the latter end of this era, complex Omkha societies also began to form in southwestern Saikhan starting in 11900 BCE.

Eventually, this period of various small statelets would come to an end as a series of major volcanic eruptions (including the massive Mount Karakoram) in 10900 BCE caused widespread crop failures which saw the fall of many major civilizations as power in Saikhan shifted eastwards, culminating in the beginning of the Middle Skantoan Era in 10009 CE.

Middle Skantoan Era (Rise of the Paramount Nations)

Skantos in 6000 BCE

The Middle Skantoan Era is widely regarded to have begun upon the establishment of the Kingdom of Baixinsai in Saikhan in 10009 BCE, the oldest of what would later become the 'Paramount Nations' which are regarded to have over time consolidated rule over a majority of Skantos onto themselves mainly by assisting end the widespread famines which had occurred during a millenia-long 'cold period' due to the eruptions. As Baxinsai gradually began to expand acorss central and southern Saikhan, the first 'Monastic Collective' of Mosonaral had largely unified Skantos' smallest and least populous continent in 9840 BCE (and had finished building said society's world-renowned spiritual temples by 7604 BCE), and Karakoram had largely begun unifying under the loose rule of its first continent-wide Empire under the Shirai Dynasty (a former minor noble clan under the now collapsed Karemi Confederacy) before Saikhan had finished confederating its subjects in 8970 BCE, around the same time that Ancient Asophania was said to have 'left Skantos' in Sycoryoan records. Later on, Senkher would confederate last in 7105 BCE, later also establishing Eastern Senkher in 6520 BCE, at which point the four 'Paramount Nations' had formed.

After the gradual consolidation of the Paramount Nations, Skantos would enter the 'two millennia of great peace' where the planet saw largescale progress and prosperity, with a notable discovery whose true ramifications would only be felt later being the discovery of the Library of Eden in 6430 BCE by Karakorami monks residing in the city of Eden's End atop the peak of Mount Karakoram which would later establish an organization of the same name in 6327 BCE, notably this group of monks included Asai Aeko, individual which had received the gift of immortality and knowledge at the end of the Theyvin Era. The Two Millenia would come to an end in 4150 BCE as the Tian Dynasty of Saikhan launched a largescale war of conquest against the Omkha Tribes located in the southwest of its territory, successfully conquering them over two centuries of sporadic conflicts which saw them subjugated into Saikhan. In 3998 BCE ancient Yatans would also discover the Library of Eden, allowing for minimal contact between the two planets among those aware of the extradimensional space as a branch of the LoE organization was formed among Yatans, though as Humans and Skantoans are nearly identical the two did not recognise each other as aliens (with the reason behind this similarity still unclear, even if some connection in the very distant past is likely). Afterwards, Skantos entered another period of peace with only minimal tensions and conflicts until 1800 BCE.

Later Skantoan Era (The Great War)

Skantoan Great War & Aftermath

The Middle Skantoan Era came to a close in 1800 BCE as the imperialistic and repressive Qankuli Empire which had formed in the Early Skantoan Era entered a period of widespread expansion, waging many wars of conquest against Eastern Senkher and Saikhan over a period of three centuries, often advancing as deep as the Occidentine-Orientine River Valley. Simultaneously on Yata in 1503 BCE, the Tarqalan Empire of inner Asia was defeated by the Yetai Empire, ushering forth a period of instability which allowed for a number of religiously motivated slave revolts by Crimsonist prophet Jaanyn-utaryše to bring the Empire into a period of turmoil as the 'Kolodymy Empire' absorbed much of its territories and waged a war of liberation across western Eurasia before its defeat in 1200 BCE allowed for the Tarqalans to restore their empire, forcing Jaanyn and his most devout to withdraw themselves off of Yata with a promise of one day returning, venturing through the previously discovered Library of Eden onto Skantos due to its location being known and its spiritual significance. Much like how the Theyvin had rejected Skantos' spirituality to gain power, the Second Kolodymy Empire which had emerged in Qankuli territory rejected all Deities as malevolent, waging a revolutionary war against the Qankuli Empire which saw its collapse as Saikhan proclaimed victory against its opponent.

While Saikhan expected what appeared to be a revolution to bring peace, the Kolodymy Empire which found itself in a comparatively more peaceful world ill prepared to wage such vast conflicts, launched a invasion of Saikhan in order to liberate Skantos from the rule of the Divine, using its sophisticated Carnomancy methods to advance quick and deep into Saikhani territory by rallying the society's peasants to rise up against their aristocracy, surrounding Baixinsai and advancing far enough west for many small statelets such as Gleann Gahaim, Ikhtalnol, Taaraa-Patitah, and Sycoryo to break away from the Saikhani confederate system, becoming wholly independent states. Seeing a clear threat to the stability of Skantos, the other nations of the world in the form of the increasingly powerful Karakoram and the previously isolated Senkher intervened, breaking the siege of Baixinsai and pushing the Kolodymy back before eventually capturing their capital of Pačmašhalavlӓ, leading to Jaanyn's and many of their followers' disappearance as the Second Kolodymy Empire collapsed, leaving behind only a couple Qankuli city-states.

Skantos entered a new period of peace after the end of the war, with the sole major point of contention being the Karakorami occupation of several previously Kolodymy-occupied western territories, of which most were returned to Saikhan within a few decades after some pressure aside from the furthest southwestern-most area where many Karakorami settlers had arrived, establishing the 'Territory of Minamiram' under the Karakorami Shirai Dynasty. Tensions over the status of this region continued for centuries, with Karakoram eventually relenting in 5 CE and handing over most of the territory to Saikhan as to avoid a major war against its only real competitor aside from a few main settlements which resisted the the transfer, proclaiming the 'Minamirami State' to defend the settlers' interests, though no major conflict had occurred here. Other major events in this era include the banishment of the Crystal Empire from Yata in 1000 BCE by the Alicorn Kingdom, relocating Crystal City to Senkher in a sealed state which prevented it from interracting with the world and Sycoryo claiming that Ancient Asophania was 'permanently banished' during 398 BCE.

Early Modern Era (Interregnum)

See also: "Yata History Timeline"

The Interregnum's Status Quo

Rise of the Ikhtalnol

After centuries of peace aside from a couple tension points, Skantos appeared to have permanently settled into a new status quo where Senkher and Mosonaral remained isolated while the increasingly competitive Saikhan and Karakoram had become rivals due to Karakoram outpacing the much more populous Saikhan during its times of trouble. Everything changed in 129 CE as Mount Karakoram, the largest volcano on Skantos, underwent a super-eruption of a scale unseen in the past million years, plunging Skantos into a 80-year-long winter as the previous temperate forests and plains of Karakoram were turned into wastelands which caused the collapse of the Shirai Dynasty back into disunited clans, the shattering of the tenuous class system of Saikhan as the peasants overthrew the Tian Dynasty as the Kingdom fractured once more, and the tribes of Senkher/Mosonaral drifted apart from one another as the harsh temperatures made maintaining their confederacies impossible.

Uhaten rule over Skantos

73 years later, the now much more advanced Humanity rediscovered Skantos via their spacecrafts after charting a course through the Skantos Maelstrom, with Asophania, Gensokyo, Iujadogia, Macanaland, and most notably the Commonwealth of Independent Systems discovering the planet, with the CIS establishing an extensive presence throughout the Skantos System in the form of various hidden facilities and space-stations making use of the Skantos Maelstrom as a easy method of hiding their presence if ever necessary, effectively turning Skantos into an informal protectorate of the CIS and Yatan-Theian Accord as a whole (despite Skantos being unaware of this status, as its inhabitants have never made contact with either of them). Skantos itself degenerated into a state at first much like the Early Skantoan Era (Although even during their reign the Paramount Nations had never industrialized), with the previously less influential Praxtins carving out a large Empire of Praxtus surrounding Mount Karakoram and the southeastern peoples of former Saikhan established an elective monarchy in the form of the Kingdom of Regialus which grew to be the new greatest power on Skantos. During this interregnum, Polskan (the predecessor of the CIS) ships fought the Quhanim in the Battle near Skantos Passage, leading to a group of Qu being marooned in Senkher where they would form a small enclave they called 'Uhaten'.

The Uhaten vs the Triple Alliance

The Paramount Nations are restored

The Interregnum's status quo would break once the many divided Ikhtalnol Omkha clans unified under the Talynord Clan, forming the 'Great Omkha State' which launched a worldwide conquest to take over Skantos, defeating Regialus and challenging the gradually expanding Uhaten society in Senkher, which finally lead to the defeat of the Ikhtalnol as after centuries of isolation the Uhaten had developed their own unique culture separate from their ancestors which allowed them to develop as the next major species of Skantos due to their vast technological advantage over the other nations of the world, asserting themselves across much of Skantos via a protectorate known as the 'Empire of Skantos' which encompassed the many Skantoan states under their domain, as well as unintentionally preventing the Omkha from achieving a similar 'dominance shift' that the Skantoans achieved against the Theyvin. After the assassination of Qiuha I, an individual appointed by the Uhaten to serve as the monarch of the Empire of Skantos, the Uhaten began asserting themselves much more significantly over the planet which lead to the Great Skantoan Revolt where the Quzhutang Movement rose up and overthrew their rulers, seceding as the new 'Sacred Union of Saikhan' which largely saw the local monarchs which rose during the Interregnum fall out of power as local religious leaders seized power, leading to further technological regression due to rejecting the Uhaten's industrialism.

The Sacred Union dedicated itself to liberating the rest of the Skantoans from the rule of what they saw as 'invaders', launching a second campaign to liberate northern Skantos during the Uhateni-Saikhani War, managing to secure a victory in 534 CE which saw them advance northwards while Karakoram and Senkher restored their independence and formed a 'Triple Alliance' opposing the Uhaten. Wishing to enact revenge, the Uhaten launched a third war in 535 CE under the influence of the eldest within their society still loyal to the wider interstellar Quhanim's ideology as the 'War of the Triple Alliance' began, seeing widespread success against Skantos' other states until some of the eldest group used resources seized in the war to construct a rocket which was to be used to re-contact the rest of their kind, leading to the CIS taking notice and freaking out at the possibility of a third Qu Invasion and launching a nuclear bombardment of the Uhaten and their lands, throwing Skantos into turmoil as most Uhaten perished and the spiritual energy fields encompassing the planet reacted violently, causing worldwide storms and instability.

Later Modern Era (Nu-Skantos)

See also: "Yata History Timeline"

Seeing their planet thrown into turmoil by the previous war, the three members of the Triple Alliance alongside Mosonaral which had revolted against Uhaten rule formed the 'Sacred Union of Skantos' to restore the natural balance, initially in order to create a confederacy to unify the world in peace, this fell apart as out of the ashes the four Paramount Nations had finally been fully reunified, with Senkher (under the Agnaqiul Tribe) and Karakoram (under the Ietada Dynasty) being restored in 534 CE, Mosonaral establishing a new Monastic Collective in 539 CE, and finally the clergy lost their absolute power over Saikhan in later 539 which saw them fall under the rule of their monarchy once more under the new Xue Dynasty. While the attempt at a Skantoan confederacy had failed, the Sacred Union was preserved as a loose alliance between the four nations to maintain peace and stability after the past 4 centuries of turmoil and disunity, establishing an international territory known as Lianguo to serve as a capital for the alliance. Alongside the four restored paramount states, several other smaller nations persisted to this period such as Anor Londo, the Second Qankuli Empire, Kasa-Kyolmik (whom claims to be a continuation of the Kolodymy), the Aligned Skelden Tribes, Champignon, the Crystal Empire, Gleann Gahaim, Novo Gensokyo, and many others.

Government and Politics

Flag of the Sacred Union

The Sacred Union of Skantos is an intergovernmental association encompassing the four paramount nations of Skantos (which nominally administer a vast majority of the planet) that functions as a loose alliance intended to maintain peace and balance on the planet. The Sacred Union originates from the 'Sacred Union of Saikhan', a polity limited to solely Saikhan which emerged after the Great Skantoan Revolt, waging several conflicts against the increasingly aggressive Uhaten until the War of the Triple Alliance saw the Uhaten (and much of Skantos as a whole) destroyed, prompting them to unify with the other polities on the planet in order to prevent further conflicts between species. The Sacred Union has a fairly complex administrative structure with the sovereign 'Member-States' at the top, which preside over regional governments and communities. Annual meetings are held in the city of Lianguoshi where all willing member-states alongside representatives from their highest administrative divisions (who in the Sacred Union are referred to as 'Jasaghs') collectively organize the whole Sacred Union as a whole when necessary, or to simply foster collaboration between proximate groups. Gradually, the Sacred Union's influence has begun to weaken.

Government Structure

Administratively, the Sacred Union is incredibly decentralized with the member-states having complete independence and sovereignty within their own realms, though their territories are often fairly decentralised between various self-governing administrative divisions under local rulers. Uniquely, the Sacred Union grants all religious and spiritual traditions the same significance in government due to them being seen as parts of a 'greater whole'.

As may be expected from such a decentralized entity, the Sacred Union's 'executive government' is generally only ceremonial in order to deal with diplomacy, organizing local rulers, and managing territories with more direct loyalty to themselves. The executive is headed by the four Heads of State and Government that make up the union and thus share executive duties, with each of them representing each of the four major Skantoan cultural groups including the chief of (western) Senkher, the king/queen of Saikhan, the king/queen of Karakoram. and the abbot of Mosonaral, as while it may be theoretically possible for other individuals to be elected for this role, it is generally tradition for each of these individuals to be appointed. The leaders only have limited powers, and no means to enforce most of them outside of their own territories aside from moderating the Spiritual Diet which elects them (for life or until resignation), managing religious/spiritual affairs, and commanding the Sacred Union's military forces known as the 'Armed Banners', though this military often isn't the most effective due to being largely militia-based with only limited numbers of career-trained soldiers and sailors.

The 'Spiritual Diet' serves as the legislature of the Sacred Union, hosting annual week-long gatherings of local rulers in Lianguoshi so that they may discuss issues that affect larger regions or even the whole Sacred Union, making collaboration not only encouraged to keep the Union together but actively beneficial for all within its bounds. Additional duties of the Spiritual Diet is appointing the leaders, suggesting 'directives' for the Executive to accomplish, and appointing Yarguchi (judges) to the Supreme Yarguchi Court in Lianguoshi.

The 'Yarguchi Courts' serve as the judiciary of the Sacred Union, with each region appointing their own 'Yarguchi' (Judge) to oversee their own local courts responsible for enforcing laws within their own territories, while especially high-profile court cases are handled by the 'Supreme Yarguchi Court' in Lianguoshi.

Members of the Sacred Union

The most notable of the Sacred Union's constituents are the 'Member Nations', consisting of various independent nations which comprise a significant portion of the Sacred Union's governance, presiding over various local communities (Banners) and regions (Leagues) which remain at least nominally loyal to their presiding ruler, though some may still exist beyond the Union. Four of these member-states, Karakoram, Mosonaral, Saikhan, and Senkher, represent the four major Skantoan cultural groups (With some exceptions), while the fifth member-state of Lianguo acts as a intercultural union that serves as the capital of the Sacred Union. Beyond the members of the Sacred Union, Skantos is home to a number of additional sovereign states.

List of Member-Nations

Flag	Name	Full Title	Government Type	Capital	Official Languages
	Karakoram	Empire of Karakoram	Absolute Monarchy	Ongansen City	Karakorumu-go
	Lianguo	Republic of Lianguo	Republic	Lianguoshi	Xitangese Creole
	Mosonaral	Monastic Collective of Mosonaral	Anarchic Confederacy	Byangrong Tsho (De Facto)	Mosonaralesi Skad
	Saikhan	Kingdom of Great Saikhan	Semi-Constitutional Monarchy	Baixinsai	Proper Baxinese
	Senkher	Senkheri Confederacy	Tribal Monarchy	Agnaqiul Sitikkut	Senkherip Kitaani