Outlands

The Outlands, as it is referred to by both the Terran Empire and Procyon Expanse, is a star cluster in the far western frontier, separated from the rest of the galaxy by the treacherous Outland Archipelago.
== History ==
=== Early Years (pre-84 BTP) ===
Within the star cluster, a total of six spaceworthy empires would form: the Calatian-controlled Xilcyne Dynasty, the isolated Shade Dynasty of Aludra, the democratic Arkab Republic, the spiritualist Holy Accord of Deneb, the militaristic Wezen Tide, and the authoritarian Adharan League. Within these early years, many lightyears of space were explored, and in the case with the Accord, League, and Republic, colonies were set up on the planets of Sadir, Rukbat, and Polis respectively. As these empires began making contact with each other, tensions began to arise as many began to succumb to border friction. This was especially apparent between the Wezen Tide and Adharan League, due to the proximity of their home systems. When the Wezen council learned that the Adharans had colonized the system of Rukbat, a star the Chondrichites had held highly within their religion, hostilities escalated dramatically, with the Wezen Tide threatening a crusade to take control of the system.
=== The Drums of War (84 BTP-78 BTP) ===
As the situation in the northern Outlands began to boil over, in the south, a much larger conflict was in the making. By the time of 84 BTP, the Holy Accord of Deneb fielded the largest military within the region. However while the Nephilim built their empire tall, the neighboring Calatians were working to claim large swaths of space. Within no time, the two empires' borders were causing friction. At this time, formal contact was to be made between the two nations. However as the Xilcyne ambassador arrived and disembarked on Deneb, she was promptly cut down by the Chancellor's praetorian guard. With the Accord in a panic, viewing the Calatians as demons straight from their ancient texts, the Accord immediately began preparing their military, launching a surprise invasion of the Xilcyne Dynasty less than a month after the incident.
As this was happening, the Wezen Tide initiated their own invasion of the Adharan League, seeking to annex the state and place Rukbat under their control. Over the span of a few years, both invasions were met with little resistance, with the Adharan League surrendering to the Wezen Tide and the Accord capturing the Xilcyne Dynasty's capital of Calatia IX, kinetically bombarding and destroying its cities with tungstan rods. To the Nephilim, the war was won. With House Xilcyne and it's navy eradicated, the Accord began landing troops to finish their purification of the Calatian race, which had retreated into the forests of their planet. It was at this point the Accord turned its eyes to the Wezen Tide, who, to their horror, had captured Rukbat. A system they too held with high regard, considering it a holy system. Less than a month after Calatia IX fell, the Accord declared war on the Wezen Tide, with the Calatian war seemingly over.
However as Accord galleys began their push into former Adharan territory, Deneb and Sadir began facing a sudden string of terrorist attacks against its military facilities, as well as assassinations against various magistrates and praetors. While investigations into these attacks would find Nephilim responsible, it wasn't until two years into the Wezen war that the Calatians' shapeshifting abilities were discovered. Despite capturing Rukbat, the Accord was once again gripped with turmoil and paranoia, with the Wezen navy holding Accord forces at Adhara. With focus once again shifting towards the still-ongoing invasion of Calatia and unable to fight on both fronts. As if to make matters worse, crop blight began to affect Deneb's limited agricultural industry, causing food shortages and complicating supply lines. Capitalizing on the mounting war exhaustion, Chancellor Pronoia was cornered by a Calatian infiltrator in her own throne room, the infiltrator identifying themselves as Orrian Crawraek: a former noble and leader of the resistance movement. Threatening further attacks and assassinations, Orrian offered a truce in which the Nephilim would leave Calatia IX and its western territories in peace, in exchange for the withdrawl of Calatians from the Accord, which was agreed to.
With the Calatian war ended, the Accord focused its attention on the Wezen front. Intending to provoke the Tide's surrender, the Accord began exterminating the Adharan and Wezen inhabitants of Rukbat. As Pronoia's top praetor had predicted, the Wezen Tide offered a truce, surrendering Rukbat in exchange for the safe return of refugees. As with before, the Accord agreed to this proposal. By the end of these two wars, the Accord had come to control a majority of the known Outlands region, with the Wezen Tide licking its wounds, the Arkab Republic struggling to preemptively reinforce its defenses, the Shade Dynasty completely isolated in its own space, and the founding of the Crawraek Dynasty in the place of the shattered Xilcyne Dynasty.