The Yscenics are a linguo-nationalist, oligarchic caste-based society dedicated to preserving old Earth languages, cultures, and technologies. Their homeworld, Arcadia, is situated between the Venti Republic and the Temple Sphere, but it is largely non-viable. At the top of their caste system are the Earthly Genera, who reside in opulent domes. This elite group consists of several political dynasties that claim their right to rule based on genetic, linguistic, and cultural heritage. Below the Earthly Genera are the Tribute Cladites, individuals who have voluntarily joined Yscenic society and are recognized for their promising Earthly lineage. The Tribute Cladites disproportionately occupy professional and highly skilled roles and enjoy greater rights and privileges compared to those in lower castes.
The majority of the population consists of the Paean Haploids, who fill various roles but are generally junior to those in the upper castes. The lowest caste, known as the Criminaloids, comprises individuals deemed to have inherent ideological, cultural, linguistic, or genetic tendencies towards subversiveness. These individuals are preemptively regarded as criminals and have limited agency and integration into Yscenic society unless they undergo extensive expiation or re-education. This group is notably diverse, with members united primarily by their resistance to Yscenic norms. In Yscenic society, all religious beliefs and ideological positions that do not elevate the Earthly Genera to the highest authority are criminalized.
The Yscenic society has puzzled contemporary sociologists with its archaic preoccupation with castes and conservatism. The fascist oligarchy known as the Earthly Genera has struggled to control its territories for the past century. Civil insurrection is increasingly trending towards full-scale civil war, with some provinces already engaged in significant naval and ground conflicts against the Yscenics. House New Zealand and House Canada are currently attempting to secede and join the Venti Republic under more democratic principles.
The Yscenics' extensive military investments in population suppression and policing have resulted in enforcement agencies that are often armed and empowered similarly to their military forces. The successful Balharn Revolution, the ongoing conflict on Odelke, and the Longitudinal War on Idris suggest that the Yscenics' collapse might be inevitable. The superpowers have universally, directly or indirectly, opposed the Yscenics, now focusing on how to dismantle the regime without causing massive civilian casualties. Creating stable successor governments is a priority, though resuming pre-occupation authorities often proves impossible.
The Yscenics' religious persecution of occupied populations was as brutal as it was thorough. Mass deportations and incarcerations, as seen throughout humanity's bloody history, revealed a barely concealed exterminative disdain. Pogroms followed swiftly, but bands of religious partisans secured devastating reprisals before being eventually quashed. The Yscenics privately revered their killing fields and mass graves as ideological hecatombs while publicly feigning shock and disavowing actions they claimed were taken by "fringe" elements. Historian Samwalli Johanis noted, “The Yscenics viewed humanity's long history of cruelty, tyranny, and fascism and somehow rationalized that the species' success depended on these vile acts.” The Yscenics carefully present themselves as distinct from their forebears, outwardly preaching reform and democratization while invasively surveilling the Cladites, Haploids, and Criminaloids for unpatriotic behavior.
Today, the Yscenics employ Armournauts for private policing and counterinsurgency efforts. The Nation Houses of the Earthly Genera also maintain personal bodyguard forces that rival any contemporary fighting force. Fortunately, most of these forces are used primarily as a deterrent against other Nation Houses. However, the Yscenics and their hired Armournauts have earned a reputation for cruelty, frequently using mines, flamethrowers, and other weapons considered criminal by the cluster superpowers.