This is a small chapter explaining the history and systems of this world. Feel free to skip to the main story.
The Age of Expansion and the End of Old Earth
Humanity was born on a small blue world at the edge of the galaxy. For millennia, it was the only home they knew. But as their technology advanced, they reached beyond their system, first settling nearby planets, then venturing into the stars.
With the invention of warp travel, entire star systems once thought unreachable became colonies. Yet warping had its limits—ships could only travel in straight lines, and a small deviation could send them light-years off course. To prevent disaster, the Republic of Old Earth built a vast network of beacons, allowing fleets to navigate the void. These became the first star routes, the arteries of human civilization.
But there was a flaw. While ships could warp, messages could not. Communication delays led to chaos—settlers would arrive at colonies before their authorization was even received. To bridge the gap, humanity returned to an ancient method: human messengers.
Then, as always, war came.
The colonies rebelled. The Republic of Old Earth crushed them. Colonial fleets fell to Old Earth's new weapon—lasers. The Republic’s warships could strike from a distance, destroying enemy vessels before they even reached missile range. Yet while Old Earth ruled space, it could not break the colonies themselves. Massive fortress-cities, protected by planetary shields, held firm.
Old Earth responded with brutality. From low orbit, they rained fire upon their rebellious children, unleashing thousands of tons of artillery in ceaseless bombardments. No shield could withstand such slaughter. Entire cities were flattened.
The colonies did not forget.
The Fall of Old Earth
A century later, the colonies rose again. This time, they followed a leader—General Titus de Andromedus. His fleets shattered Old Earth's navy and turned its own tactics against it. Thousands of colonial warships gathered over humanity’s birthplace and unleashed retribution. The planet burned.
When the fires died, Old Earth was no more.
Humanity swore that day never to use orbital bombardment again. It was a promise kept in word, if not always in spirit.
With Earth gone, Titus crowned himself ruler of mankind, the first interstellar king. But his dream was fragile. After his death, the colonies splintered. What he built crumbled.
For the next thousand years, mankind was divided. Civilizations rose and fell. No one ruled for long.
The First Emperor
Then, on the planet Arcadia, a king awoke from a vision and tore out his own eyes.
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What he saw in his blindness terrified him. He believed humanity stood at the edge of ruin. He swore to unite mankind, no matter the cost.
For forty years, he waged war. Some bent the knee. Others were crushed.
His armies brought not only conquest but faith. He declared himself the chosen of the Sun God, and his priests spread his word across the stars. To his followers, he was not merely a king—he was a messiah.
In the forty-first year of his reign, he crowned himself Emperor of Humanity. The old calendars were discarded. A new era began: the Human Restoration Calendar.
His greatest decree was the purging of the golden-eyed—the psyker curse, as he called it. Those who could glimpse beyond reality, who whispered of visions, were hunted and destroyed.
He had learned from Titus’s failure. He did not seek to rule every world directly. Instead, he granted power to noble houses, each governing their own domains in his name. As long as they paid their tithes and obeyed his decrees, they were left to rule as they pleased.
His empire did not break.
His bloodline still sits upon the throne.
The Structure of the Empire
After centuries of rule, the Empire of Humanity stands unchallenged. Its order is absolute:
The Emperor – Supreme ruler, master of thirty star systems.
The Clergy – Keepers of faith, governing five sacred worlds.
The Eight Great Houses – The most powerful noble families, each ruling up to ten systems.
The High Houses – Lords of three to five systems, answering to the Great Houses.
The Low Houses – Rulers of one or two systems, serving as vassals to the High Houses.
The Planet Lords – Masters of a single world.
The Knights – Commanders of landholdings, mining stations, or warships.
The Commonfolk – Merchants, artisans, soldiers, and citizens.
The Slaves – Those who toil in the name of the Empire.
For generations, the balance has held. But all things must end.
The Emperor is old. His throne grows unsteady.
And war is coming.
The Rebellion of Orven
In 367 PHR, Duke Orven, lord of the border world Orven, was a loyal vassal of the Empire—until the day his wife was discovered to be a psyker.
The golden-eyed had long been hunted by the Church, and when the truth came to light, the clergy declared her a heretic. She was to be executed, burned in the fires of purification.
But Duke Orven refused.
Instead of surrendering his wife, he slaughtered every priest and inquisitor who set foot on his world. Their bodies were burned in the pyres meant for her. Then he declared his secession from the Empire, casting off its rule.
The Emperor sent fleets to reclaim Orven. None returned.
Again and again, the Empire struck, and each time, Duke Orven’s forces shattered them. His ships fought faster, hit harder, and adapted to every Imperial tactic. It was as if they could predict the enemy's moves before they were made.
Whispers spread that Orven had turned to Thinking Machines—AIs, long banned in the Empire. The Church called it blasphemy. The nobility called it treason.
But none could prove it.
For over a century, Orven has stood defiant. No Imperial fleet has been able to reclaim it.
The current Emperor Selucus IV waged many wars to subjugate his nobles after the secession of Orven but now he is old, withered.
Now, as the Emperor’s reign weakens, as shadows grow long in the court of Arcadia, a new war looms.
