Clans of the Directorate

The clans (or Rokhans in standard Rokhandan) are the primary political entities of the Ruz'kahni Directorate. It's sometimes overlooked or forgotten by outsiders that the Directorate as an organization (sometimes also called the central or federal government) is at its core simply an oversight body for the clans. For example, there is technically no such thing as a Directorate citizen, but rather, all citizens of the Directorate are citizens of a clan, which in turn is a Directorate member. The term 'Directorate citizen' is simply shorthand for 'a citizen of one of the clans of the Directorate.'

The clans operate more as nations than families, with diverse and disparate cultures, political systems, philosophies, and sometimes biologies. Many of the clans were more or less explicitly created by and for various outworlder species to serve as their political representation within the Directorate. Some clans practice multiculturalism in various forms, some are ancestor-worshipping monarchies, and so on. There is only one thing that all clans have in common: they all abide by the Directorate Charter, which itself is a somewhat loose document that simply declares things such as murder and slavery illegal, as well as serving as a statement of future-oriented and group-minded values.

The Three Factions

Within the Directorate there are three main political blocs, each represented by a historically prominent clan, and so each bloc is simply named for that clan. While there are smaller blocs that are more focused on individual issues or on fringe views, the three main ones are:

The Celleni

Main Article: Clan Celleni

- Renowned astrophysicists and stellar engineers

Formed not on Fen but on the Directorate’s initial extrastellar colony, Celleni was founded shortly after the colonists' creation of the first FTL vessel, the Atya'Llara. The colony’s discovery of W-1 in the decades after its foundation formed the basis of their new identity: a near religious obsession with unlocking the secrets of the universe. They declared their clan’s creation after jumping into Fen’s orbit and proudly broadcasting their achievement. The brilliant light of Cellen, their home star became their clan-symbol. Today the Scout service bears it in front of the Directorate’s symbol, symbolizing the influence of the Celleni. The Celleni bloc is largely made up of disenfranchised clans or those highly removed from Fen and is commonly regarded as the 'Outworlder bloc' by detractors. They are largely made up of politically moderate clans with a diverse but typically conventional range of policy opinions with a notable focus on anti-centralization and have never considered Fen or Even Ahni all that important. They value openness, progress, and the pursuit of new knowledge of all kinds. They see exploration of frontiers both scientific and physical as the utmost good, and for this reason are disinterested in tying the Directorate down to service to foreign powers or to Fen itself.

The Houyani

Main Article: Clan Houyani

- Agricultural magnates and traders

An ancient clan of Fen, once known as great warriors, have become most well known for their sky-gardens. These vast cities in the clouds, anchored to the tempestuous world below by magnificent slender towers are not uncommon in Fen. But no others had created vast terraced greenhouses in the stratosphere so efficient a single one could easily feed hundreds of millions of souls. Their corporations and produce are now so common throughout the Directorate that their symbol, a crescent sword, has become deeply associated with Directorate food exports. The Houyani bloc are relative isolationists who believe that the Directorate should focus on its own domestic issues and development rather than get involved in costly foreign entanglements, although they generally don't want to sacrifice apolitical exploration of the unknown. They generally align behind the belief in the Directorate should build tall rather than wide, and that the central government's interference in clan affairs hinders that goal.

The Aldet-Kazaan

Main Article: Clan Aldet-Kazaan

- Brilliant strategists and reckless adventurers

Long ago the Aldet and Kazaan were once bitter enemies, but the two clans united to fight a greater threat. Their legacy as a warrior-clan has never been forgotten, and they established one of the premier military schools in the Directorate. More than this though, they praise the adventurous and forward-moving. Eager explorers, cunning rogues and brave marines define their legacy. Their symbol is a profile of two ghineru, the most common riding animal of Fen, with antlers completely entangled into a knot. The Aldet-Kazaan bloc is made up of clans that see it as their duty to have close ties with the less advanced powers in the pursuit of defense, and to that end also pursue centralization. Because Aldet-Kazaan has been in power until recently, they tend to occupy elite or prestigious positions as established cliques. With the War of Ruz'kahni Survival now long over, their hawkish, defense-minded politics are falling out of favor and their status as a politically dominant force within the Directorate is currently under threat.

The Other Clans

Celleni Bloc:

• Clan Al'Ames-Svet - Seen as poor, rural thieves by many. They are notable shipbuilders and have a strict policy of mass-adoption of orphans. They're heavily invested in exploration and goods exports.
• Uthya Sa Kemzit (The United Families) - The alliance of the kemzali species, they're feared and distrusted psions. Their unity with the Celleni for politics is a matter of historical norm and a disinterest in Fen as the center of Directorate politics.

Houyani Bloc:

• Clan Ek'kett - A clan typically stereotyped as ambitious, borderline-predatory strivers across a broad range of fields. They largely consist of networks of small firms that cooperate with one another to advance their own interests, although they would argue that if they didn't operate as such, larger firms from without would dominate them. As their leadership believes that internal development creates opportunities for these networks to embed themselves in their respective industries rather than recklessly expand and risk kinetic conflict with the unknown, they tend to side with Houyani.
• Clan Ikaw-Akha - A clan of tall and lanky spacers. Technocratic industrialists who largely believe in thoroughly exploiting knowledge and resources from every gas giant, asteroid belt, and barren moon. They are politically moderate, however, and are also in support of expanding the frontier so as to avoid over-exploitation of a single source. May occasionally side with the Celleni instead.

Unaligned/Other:

• Clan Jadthraxaka - a clan commonly seen as harsh, archaic in attitude, unfriendly, and haughty.