The Maza, also known as the Order, is the name of the Phoviverse’s collection of sentient species. Membership in the Maza allows for its members to trade freely between one another, outlaws slavery and attempts to keep peace between the sentient races.
For a race to be able to join the Maza, they must be capable of communicating with other races, have a recognisable governmental system and be deemed peaceful enough to not harm other races without being provoked.
There are laws that all members of the Maza must abide by:
- Do not harm other sentient beings. Treat others as you wish to be treated yourself.
- Do not attempt to settle disagreements with violence. Exhaust all peaceful potential solutions first.
- Do not treat other beings as less than yourselves. Do not differentiate between species. All beings are equal.
- Do not steal, provoke or enslave.
- Do believe in what you wish. Do not try to enforce your beliefs on others. Do not harm others because of your beliefs.
- All beings have rights to food, water, shelter, peace and justice.
- Trade fairly. No species must pay more than another for the same quantity and quality.
Non-Maza species must be treated by these laws, unless they provoke negative responses and cause harm to Maza members. Non-Maza species must themselves apply to join the Maza, they cannot be introduced by a Maza species and must find their own way.
The inner most workings of the Maza are controlled by the Circle.
The Circle consists of two representatives from each species. These beings settle all disputes between species via diplomacy and work together to create equal opportunities for everyone. It’s up to the Circle to judge whether a new species can join or not.