↑ Overview
Name: The Custodi
Tag: C::
ID: Corsair ID
IFF: Corsairs

↑ History
Ancient History

After the Cretan planetfall the Corsairs found themselves without basic resources needed to sustain life on such a hostile planet. The lack of food and water pushed some to hunt whatever little game was near the arid equatorial regions of the planet, others attempted to grow and harvest crops in the hot climate. Over the harsh initial years of Cretan settlement a group of colonists decided to venture away from the equator in search of more fertile and lush lands.

Those people eventually settled in the northern temperate regions of the planet, colonising what later would be most of the fertile grounds of Crete. Before the Cretan population constructed first spaceships and ventured on first expeditions to chart the neighboring space, the northern colonists, now calling themselves the Custodi — Preservers, have grown richer and more powerful amongst the Corsair society, using their fortunate geographical location to trade food and attract workers to their cities.

Originally the Custodi worked very closely with the equatorial population of Crete, trading their crops for minerals, constructing ships and attending expeditions. Indeed the Custodi were the first to chart and name the only moon of Planet Crete - Kalhmera. However after the second century A.S., the cultural divide between the other Corsairs and the Custodi started growing, eventually limiting their relations only to trade.

At the location of their first settlement the Custodi built the High City of Heraklion. It earned its nickname being the northernmost situated city on Crete and eventually it became the central hub for storing, processing and transporting food from all the lands claimed by the Custodi - the lands they named Attica. The land of Attica became famous not only for its crops, but also the mountains and exports of their famous building material — white marble, the use of which produced the distinctive and unique Custodi architecture in the cities of Attica.

After the second century the Custodi all but ceased their expeditions into space, instead focusing on their matters planetside. Unlike the other nations of the Corsair Empire, the people of the High City maintained a strictly structured political system. They preserved the culture of their ancestors, who they believed to be ancient Greeks. Indeed, the Greek language (in its modern and ancient varieties) is taught and studied by many Custodi and proficiency in using it is a sign of social status.


Over the centuries the culture of the Custodi has not changed significantly, with the notable exception of adopting the Cult of Archangels as the major religion in the High City, which rapidly spread to the rest of Attica. Heraklion was mostly free from the regulations set in place by the Council of Elders due to its special relationship with the ruling body of the Empire.

Recent History


The recent history of the Custodi is dominated by the noble family of Augustopoloi and their endeavours of bringing Custodi back to their roots as space-faring spearheads of the Corsair nation. The Augustopoloi began as a mercantile family of traders, first moving goods between Attica and the equator, long after the relationship with the rest of the Corsairs began to sour, then venturing into space and moving food to the Corsair raiding parties and pawning off their stolen goods.

In 822 A.S. the Augustopoloi family began to lobby the Ecclesia for funding of a Custodi fleet, separate from the main Corsair force. Their efforts came to fruition, as the then-Archon Aesop IV successfully secured funding and lease of old Corsair navy ships that became the core of the newly created Custodi space fleet. A newly appointed Strategos (in some documents: "General"), Icarus Augustopolos led the initial efforts to establish a broader Custodi presence in Sirius.

Among his accomplishments were the establishment of relations with the Kingdom of Gallia, the construction of the Custodi flagship CNS Andromeda and the fortification and supply of the Corsair Petra Outpost in Sigma-15. The illustrious career of Icarus as strategos was only eclipsed by the unsuccessful bid for colonisation of Planet Nicosia (Saigon) in the then-newly discovered system of Cyprus (Sigma-21) and the construction of Constantinople Base in its orbit. The negotiations with Kusari over the sovereignty of Nicosia proved unsuccessful, the base was destroyed by a joint Kusarian-Rheinlander force and the Custodi colony on the planet was abandoned.

At that point, another important figure of the Augustopoloi family entered the scene of Custodi politics. Icarus' daughter Dia quickly rose through the ranks of the Custodi fleet, proving herself to be a capable pilot and became one of its primary lieutenants. In March 824 A.S., the Ecclesia voted Icarus into the office of Archon, and Dia was appointed the next strategos.

In 824 A.S. the Gallic war with Bretonia was in full swing and the Gallic warships advanced as far as New London. The Corsair battleship CNS Athos assisted the Gallic assault on the Bretonian capital. The bet made on the Kingdom winning seemed to be the safest and short of a small setback during the defence of a Bretonian invasion of Omega-49, everything went as planned. The relationship between the Custodi and the Gallic kingdom was cordial, and embassies were established on both capital planets. Victory against Bretonia — the "sick man of Sirius" — seemed assured.

Mere weeks later, the forces of the Gallic Confederacy successfully captured New Paris and the war turned around almost overnight. The treaties, carefully negotiated with the GRN over the partition of Bretonia between Corsairs and Gallia were little more than history. In the wake of the political turmoil, the Custodi ambassador to Gallia, Petros Katsouranis, went missing.

Icarus I Augustopolos was voted out of office on 29th of September, 826 A.S. and retreated to a secluded villa on the outskirts of Heraklion. With first touches of grey in his hair and beard, he passed down the Augustopoloi family signet, the symbol of the head of the dynasty, to Dia. Then he retired from Corsair political and military life, opting for a quiet life in the Attican meadows.

Present Day

Current day Attica mostly comprises of farmlands, orchards and olive plantations, giving the Corsair population much needed grain, fruit and wood. Due to the poor soil quality on Crete, as well as the abundance of population ready to work the fields, the agricultural technology in use is little more advanced than simple extensive farming with traditional methods. Industrialised and mechanised methods of food production and processing did not find much adoption in the Custodi economy.

The politics of Heraklion began as a carbon copy of a form of the ancient Athenian democracy, however over the years it has evolved into a convoluted oligarchy in which the largest Custodi families hold the greatest sway. In theory, the primary legislative organ of the Custodi society is the Ecclesia, which welcomes any citizens over thirty years of age willing to participate in a popular assembly. The most important matter of the Ecclesia is the selection of an Archon, who represents the executive branch of government. The one selected as Archon enjoys virtually unlimited power over Custodi internal and foreign affairs, which he can delegate down to specially selected ministers known as Ektelestes. In practice, the Archon's real authority is very much up to the sway he can hold over the Ecclesia, that is usually dominated by voting blocs that represent the interests of the Custodi noble families.

Additionally, the Ecclesia appoins a Justiciar, who represents the Supreme Cort of Heraklion and as such is responsible for the judicial branch of the Custodi political system. The Justiciar rules not only on the basis of law, but also on what he or she deems more beneficial to the Custodi society at large. The figure of Justiciar is always apolitical, appointed for life, and is forbidden to participate in elections or sessions of the Ecclesia. Typically the title has been given to one of the priests or priestesses of the Cult of Archangels.

The Custodi enjoy a special relationship with the broader Cretan Council of Elders. While nominally subject to the highest ruling body of the Empire, Custodi participate via involvement of an Ambassador, who is an extension of the Ecclesia in the Council. The Ambassador has the authority to represent and advise the Council, however has no voting power (other than as a tiebreaker) and cannot initiate any official action. Instead, the Ambassador can veto any Council resolution that he deems harmful to the Custodi and the Custodi can choose not to implement the Council's directives.

The Custodi society preserve their cultural identity and are tied to their symbolism much more than other Corsairs. The symbol of the Broken Delta is seen all over the High City. The delta symbolizes reluctance to changes and attachment to tradition. The light green color stands for the fertile lands of Attica.

Additionally, many Custodi hold certain beliefs about the origin of Cretan Artifacts. While not explicitly confirmed or denied, the theory that Artifacts found in such abundance on Crete belonged to the Nomads or the Daam K'Vosh is not very popular. Instead, they are believed to have been used by another prehuman civilization that we have not yet learned of. Some even hold a belief that members of that species visited humans in the times of ancient Earth civilizations and have been adopted as ancient polytheistic deities.

Nowadays, the Custodi fleet is significantly scaled down compared to what it used to be during the Augustopoloi hey-day. The humiliation after losing the Gallic war caused the opinion of the noble families to shift dramatically against any significant involvement in Sirian affairs and the Custodi maintain only a token force separate from the main Corsair navy.

↑ Diplomacy

↑ Structure
Archon
Angelos IX Katsouranis Άγγελος Θ' Κατσουράνης
Representing the faction hostile to the Custodi advancement into space, the successor of Icarus is not a strong political figure. Privately a nephew of the missing ambassador to Gallia, Petros Katsouranis, Angelos is a weak ruler, easily swayed by his Ektelestes, primarily playing up the humiliation of Augustopoloi after the lost Gallic war.

Justiciar
Evangelia Kaya Ευαγγελία Κάγια
Evangelia Kaya is the Justiciar of the Custodi and a senior priestess of the Monastery of the Archangels. As the head of Heraklion's Supreme Court, she is responsible for the proper functioning of the justice system of the Custodi society.

Strategos
Vacant
Due to the disbandment of the organised Custodi fleet, the position of Strategos is currently vacant and the Custodi raiders organise themselves in minor parties, led by minor veterans.

Ambassador
Temporarily vacant
Due to the stepping down of the former Custodi Ambassador to the Council of Elders, Argus Nikitas, the post is currently vacant until a suitable new candidate can be found.

↑ Settlements
Planet Crete - Omicron Gamma


The homeland of all Corsairs is also the homeland of the Custodi. Generally focused around the northern part of the planet, Custodi settled the continent of Attica and built their magnificent High City of Heraklion. There are about fifteen million Custodi on Crete, however the population of Attica is slightly larger than that, accounting for many other Corsairs coming to those regions to work as farmhands. The High City itself accounts for about a third of that number, with several smaller cities scattered across Attica, the largest of which - Delphi - is home to about four hundred thousand people.

Lagos Depot - Sigma-13
Despite the general reluctance for Custodi to interfere in other Corsairs' affairs, a couple hundred went on and joined the Corsair navy, exploration squadrons or trade fleet. A good portion of them stayed on Lagos Depot in Sigma-13 and found common ground with other Corsairs on the frontier.

Rhodes Shipyard - Omicron Gamma
Several Custodi engineers and shipbuilders work on Rhodes to manufacture, maintain and repair their warships if necessary.

Petra Outpost - Sigma-15
Fortified and supplied by the Augustopoloi, Petra Outpost is a bastion deep in the Sigma-15 nebula, quietly watching over the actions of the Rheinlanders, Kusarians and the Core. Staffed by Augustopoloi loyalists, it's a bastion of hardline veterans and excellent Custodi raiders who know they way around the Border Worlds.