Database and Lore

Zhav’Tren, Capital of Subclan Gok’Shinta

*Spoilers if you haven’t read Gabatrix: The First Peace* “My people are that of great renown and power. They have established the mightiest subclan that the Shal’rein had ever seen. Yet, my people are that of blunt instruments, held back by ideas of stubborn refusal to change. Gok’Shinta could have been more…..far more than they should be. Unfortunately, they will only be known as a Falkamar’io, a lumbering beast of immense size and strength, but livid, slow, and cumbersome, perhaps easy pickings for the other Itreans that wish to kill it,” Master Adjunct Gular’Shel, 2289 AD. The world of Zhav’Tren holds the most significant important place in Shal’rein politics. It serves as the cornerstone of the Gok’Shinta, the most powerful subclan of all Shal’rein. Its history is substantial, and its ability to survive against the rigors of constant conflict from the other Shal’rein subclans has allowed the people to come out on top. But, much like Shal’tar, not knowing of the contribution of planet Zhav’Tren is a failure to acknowledge the majority of the Shal’rein people.   History The origins of planet Zhav’Tren and Gok’Shinta go together in their formation. At the time, Shal’rein subclans would splinter and operate together at whims. Alliances and enemies were too commonplace amongst the various populaces. The competition for water worlds was an ever-present and ongoing pace that followed as far back as the surviving accounts of Itrean history. Planet Zhav’Tren was founded as far back as 152,000 years ago under the warlord Zhav’Grin the Great. Zhav’Grin was a masterful tactician and strategist that would lead victory after victory against the other subclans. He would use these rows of conquests to carve out his new subclan of Shinta that would consume 1/4 of the entire Shal’rein race. In time, however, the other subclans would become increasingly emboldened to resist him. Unlike Jalgren the Great, Zhav’Grin’s abilities at diplomacy were appallingly bad. However, he had managed to luck out near the halfway point in his life. He would marry the Shal’rein princess of subclan Gok, another powerful group. The joint ownership of Gok and Shinta would become one in time. To make way for this, a watery world located in a K-Type star system would be chosen as the lead shared capital for both Gok and Shinta. When Zhay’Grin would eventually die of natural causes, the subclans and his succeeding daughter would unite under one banner of Gok’Shinta. By then, Gok’Shinta would control almost 50% of the entire Shal’rein species. However, in doing so, the other subclans would eventually work together and almost unite under the Shala’Ko’Ken. Named in honor of Zhav’Grin, the planet would be named Zhav’Tren. Despite the early years, planet Zhav’Tren was far from any type of capital world. Instead, many Itrean historians considered it as a watery backwater of a planet. Its underwater cities had become laden with crime and decadence. Some even considered it as an unsuccessful modern New Atrea in the first 50,000 years of its founding. It was a superficial capital world in which Shal’rein bureaucrats avoided going to. However, 100,000 years ago, a series of enormous reforms were put into place. For one, sets of large orbital flat shipyard platforms were created. Under the leadership of Giki, her goal would be to transform the planet into a place of commerce and trade. Much like the other Itrean planets that had become central shipyard stations, Zhav’Tren would be transformed into an industrial system in space. Two of these platforms were created. Their monstrosity in size would cast shadows over the singular ocean of the world. To help prevent fluctuations in the atmospheric grid, large hatches were constructed to help vent sunlight. The triumph in this engineering would usher in the first usage of a weather control network. Giki would further move in armies to establish martial law and rebuild the internal structure of the underwater cities. Within 96,000 years, the first platform would be fully completed. The second would be soon to follow. The reforms had worked, and the underwater cities were made pristine and beautiful. The society flourished, and Zhav’Tren would ultimately become the central capital of Gok’Shinta. With such power, Zhav’Tren would help push the fleets of the Gok’Shinta subclan. Its population would triple within 70,000 years and would successfully repel every Shal’rein invasion that was ever pressed against it. While damage to the shipyards would occur, most of the damage could be quickly repaired. With the might of the world, Gok’Shinta would nearly conquer Shal’tar 50,000 years ago. However, Zhav’Tren’s legacy had been somewhat sullied in all its might. Even with an industrial and administrative complex, the world still lacked proper cohesion. Shal’tar had proven that quality could sometimes overpower quantity, even with their lesser resources. The Gok’Shinta would learn the hard way that enormous, overbearing vessels may not compete as well against the Shala’Ko’Ken counterparts. It was said countless times that Zhav’Tren would launch offenses to see them fail, yet they could still easily mount such offenses. Their resources had given Gok’Shinta a significant edge in launching attacks on other subclans. It wasn't an entirely tricky process when Jalgren would commit to conquering the Shal’rein. The early battles were tough, but the subclans refused to unite together. With most of the Aksren empires subdued, Jalgren could launch an all-out offense into Shal’rein clan space. However, Gok’Shinta would be saved for last. Shala Ko’Ken would be the first line of targets. Once they were successfully subdued, it would be Zhav’Tren that would be targeted next. Jalgren’s invasion was not a precise victory. The Shal’rein were adamant about protecting their worlds, and the Aksren Emperor would be inflicted some losses. The final assault on Zhav’Tren was long and arduous. During the month-long siege, shipyard platform 2-Trasa would take significant damage. It would be under Jalgren’s request that both platforms be destroyed. However, the shipyards were also heavily defended as well. Their firepower was impressive and capable of taking on fleets of Aksren warships. Eventually, both of them would be destroyed. Their shattered remains would rain down upon the oceans like a never-ending tidal wave. Thankfully, the casualties on the surface were relatively light, but the elimination of these crucial assets would knock out Gok’Shinta and a vast majority of Shal’rein resistance. Jalgren himself had stated that he had profound regret in knocking out Zhav’Tren and the Trasa shipyards. He believed in a united Itrea, and it was rumored that he even had a Shal’rein mistress that worked under him. However, some Itrean historians have defended Jalren’s actions as the Shal’rein would have never given up on fighting him. Instead, the Shal’rein would have to readjust to living under the new watchful eye of the empire. Through Zhav’Tren, the Shal’rein had a direct link to the Empire during its 20,000-year reign. Gok’Shinta was all but dismantled, leaving a shell of a capital world. However, this didn’t mean that the planet was useless. In time, Zhav’Tren elites and commoners alike would get a chance to move and operate in the Empire in the early years. The ancient aquatic languages of the Shal’rein would fade away as they learned to speak the common language of the Aksren. Many Itrean historians often state that this was for the best, but the Empire wasn’t to last. It would be Shal’tar that would launch their first widescale rebellion onto the Empire of Jalgren. At the time, Zhav’Tren had wanted to revolt, but without the ships or equipment, it was pointless. However, Rototrein managed to get into contact with Zhav’Tren, and they expressed interest in fighting the Imperial forces. After Rototrein had successfully liberated his homeworld of Shal’tar, he would ready a massive naval force onto Zhav’Tren. The battle for the planet was significant and another genuine test for the Rototrein Rebellion. The people had managed to build copies of Rototrein’s warships, but the entire fleet was smashed to bits by the Imperial forces. This left it to Rototrein to win the day. However, the Empire was still too weak to handle the combined strength and would finally withdraw from Zhav’Tren. Within those years, the council vowed to recreate the subclan of Gok’Shinta. Basic shipyards were created, and the planet would jointly ally with Shal’tar. In an ironic twist of fate, the Gok’Shinta nearly conquered Shala’Ko’Ken, but this time, it would be the new Nak’Ko’Ken subclan that would liberate the Gok’Shinta people. Zhav’Tren would be used as the new launching point of deep space raid missions into imperial space. A series of new Shal’rein warships would be built by the planet to contribute to the rebellion. In the early days, however, the only true significance that the planet could offer were assault carriers until battleships could be built in masse. Regardless, the Gok’Shinta “Whale” dreadnoughts would form the ranks of the amassing resistance against the Jalgren Empire. Once the corrupted empire would finally fall, Rototrein would be held in great regard by the Gok’Shinta. After 20,000 years had passed since the founding of the great empire, the ancient rivalries of former subclan wars were almost nonexistent. It was here that Rototrein’s family members would help implement the “Trial of the Gun” measure to help ensure that all subclans could work together under a united Shal’rein people. Zhav’Tren would be used as the capital of the new united regime. While Shal’tar still served as an important world, Zhav’Tren would serve in future matters for Shal’rein policies and bureaucrats alike. Within 500 years, the great platform shipyards would be reconstructed and made fully operational 9000 years ago. However, it would still take countless years for the Shal’rein to slowly reclaim their lost territories from the Aksren empires. Within the last 10,000 years, Zhav’Tren would continue to serve as the main capital world. The underwater cities had flourished, and populations quadrupled. Like many Itrean capital worlds, it would serve as a hub of trade and the spread of cultural ideals. The system would only see one failed siege by the Alara’jal, but they were ultimately routed. Shal’rein defenses proved to be more than adequate in repelling them. Ultimately, the war with the Emphra would prove to serve as a new test against the Shal’rein. With an unknown horror looming at every Itrean doorstep, Zhav’Tren had been put on high alert. It was obvious that Shal’rein resources were poured into defending the planet at all costs, much like Shal’tar. Zhav’Tren would see two invasions by the Emphra. The first one nearly breached the defenses in 2284, but the second assault in 2288 had proven to be far worse. 8% of the entire Shal’rein fleets had been wiped out in an attempt to save the capital world from falling. What is known as the Great Battle of Zhav’Tren in 2288- 2289 would serve as one of the most pivotal fights in recent Shal’rein clan history. Tens of thousands of Emphra vessels closed in on the capital world. Their forces would continue to fight Shal’rein orbital defenses for one month as reinforcements continued to pour in from both sides. One of the platforms had been heavily damaged and nearly consumed by Emphra. Their ships would pour and crash into the surface oceans and plague the populations. Even with the Emphra fleet decimated, it would take over a year of fighting to save the planet from being overrun. Regardless, it would be one of the many turning points of the entire war when Zhav’Tren was finally declared safe from Emphra in late 2289. Zhav’Tren was prioritized in repairing itself during and after the Emphra War had concluded. Great efforts were made to restore the ecological damage that Shal’rein inflicted on themselves by eradicating the Emphra. It isn’t much of a surprise that some of the Zhav’Tren population had left the planet for good to move to some Yutilian worlds during the Itrean Republic’s days. The world would bare the front of repair and recovery efforts for almost 40 years.         During the era of the United Itrean Republic, Zhav’Tren would continue to face repairs and reconstruction. Other worlds, such as Shal’tar, had been made into the new capital for the time being. Cities were rebuilt both underwater and on the surface. It wouldn’t be until 2333 that the platforms were made fully operational again. By 2337, Zhav’Tren would regain its position as a central capital world. Unfortunately, by 2339, the Republic had long but collapsed. The Itrean Civil War was imminent. Zhav’Tren’s shipyards were fully active in producing new warships. However, much like the rest of the Itrean worlds, Zilik’s Disease would severely lessen production. Zhav’Tren would face three minor invasions from the Aksren, and all would fail to gather any ground. By 2349, a new prevalent issue now resides in the capital planet. The monarch, Fisagrend, is dying. Her age and health have been deteriorating for some time, and it will be a matter of time before a new Trial of the Gun will be needed to determine the next successor. Until then, Zhav’Tren will remain the most crucial world for the Shal’rein and their politics.