Cilindare

System: CilindareHex Location: 0818

Star Type: Single star, A9 V

Number of Worlds: 7

Gas Giants: 2

Planetoid Belt: Asteroid and comet belt

Starport Type: A High class port

World Size: Earth-sized

Atmosphere Type: Thin

Surface Water: 10%, and much of it is frozen.

Population: Medium (600 million)

Political Affiliation: Cilindarean Arm

Notes: The homeworld of the Cilindareans, this planet has vital moral significance to them. Foolish regimes of the past have, at turns, 1) embarked on foreign adventurism of dubious value that spent the military might of Cilindare, and 2) pursued naive pacifism and refusal to fight, even to defend themselves from open attack, as a reaction to the overt militarization of the past. The end result of this was the ruination of Cilindare due to massive, planet-busting weaponry that literally turned much of its surface to glass (which is now ground down to fine, sandy powder in vast plains.) Volcanic upheaval was a result of this planet-wide holocaust as well, so new mountain ranges leapt upward to pierce the sky with ragged, jagged peaks. The Cilindareans themselves underwent a diaspora to nearby worlds, where they gradually rediscovered their military culture, but insist on a wiser use of it. And, they've recently started trying to terraform their original homeworld back into habitability, although they are still confined largely to domed cities with controlled atmospheres.

The Cilindareans are best viewed as something like the ancient Spartans translated into space with just a touch of the Varangians to them as well—ideal as both soldiers and warriors. Their life is purposefully harsh and militaristic, crafting them into the perfect warriors and soldiers. The expansion of their collective has been measured and deliberate. And the soldiers gain useful experience, as well as vital riches, serving as mercenaries, bodyguards, bounty hunters, and more across much of known space. The Bern kings in particular have long made use of the Cilindari corpore custodes, a kind of Varangian guard of Cilindareans, as one of its most trusted elite units, and traditional rival to the psionic Praetors.

The classic Cilindarean battle suit can probably best be short-hand described as a more lightly armored Warmachine (from the Iron Man movies) but with a face-mask that's more like that of the Winter Soldier or Star-Lord. The Cilindareans themselves are extraordinarily Nordic in their physical appearance; blond and ruddy hair predominate, as do gray, blue and green eyes and white, often freckled skin.

This isn't completely true today, especially as the Cilindareans have spread through more of the galaxy and at least somewhat intermarried with others. The descendants of the old Janissary corps, which make up a large plurality within their polity, have dark hair with pale skin and gray or blue eyes. There have been a fair number of intermarriages between these two populations, although it's fair to say that the relationship between the former slaves and the "pure" Cilindareans is complicated. There's a fair bit of mutual respect, but also rivalry. Both practice similar martial traditions, including a variation on the agoge as part of male child raising, and these former slaves, still calling themselves Janissaries, have started to spread throughout the galaxy as mercenaries not unlike the Cilindareans before them.