Invithian Empire

**"A million skies, a single staff. Held by one line, our fates shall be ever fine!"**

*-Excerpt from the Invith national anthem*

## Government

### Most recent constitution

73 AC (adoption of the planetary dynasties)

## Society

### Religion

Formally secular with notable spiritual elementsSizable Audean minority

### Population

Aproximately 4,5 trillion

The Invithian Empire is an interstellar empire centred around the world of Teallan. The empire is home to roughly 4,5 trillion inhabitants spread across 84 worlds, consisting predominantly of the Gavzan species which founded the empire.

The empire was founded in -503 AC by empress Invith in a time of civil-war inside one of Teallan's most powerful states. After Invith brought an unexpected end to the civil strife, she and her descendants would go on to boost their power to hegemonic proportions, culminating in the eventual unification of Teall. The empire would be among the very first in the known galaxy to achieve FTL capabilities in -67 AC, allowing it to grow to be what many consider to be the first great power in the galaxy. Currently, the empire is considered the third greatest power in the galaxy behind the UTC and EAD, though this should be considered with some reservations: although the empire is impressive on paper and has the advantage of age on the EAD and especially the UTC, its lack of either the Commonwealth's technological prowess or the Dominion's psionic might, as well as its traditionally isolated style of diplomacy has caused it to fall far behind in practice. This has caused Invith to become trapped as a battleground in the Silent War, being considered the main prize of the conflict by many. Whilst this initially allowed the empire to obtain great wealth by playing the rivals against each other and collecting profitable deals from both spheres, the ever-increasing interference of the great powers has since soured the political landscape of the empire, with abundant fear that the empire is heading towards a breaking point.

Invith is organized as a constitutional monarchy, where power is shared between the imperial monarch and the democratically elected Imperial Assemblies. The emperor/empress holds primary executive power, though this is shared with the imperial cabinet which is approved by the assembly. Each planet in the empire is ruled in a manner of its own choosing, though for the most part their governing structures resemble that of the empire as a whole, with only a few notable outliers such as the worlds under considerable Epochian or Audean influence. Upon the death of the imperial monarch, the planetary rulers gather to select a successor amongst themselves. The Invith system has been put under stress by the interference of the UTC and EAD, leading first to the appearance of notable political factions aligned with either sphere and more recently with the alignment of certain branches of the imperial family, shaking the image of the imperial family as the empire's untouchable bulwark to its core

## **History**

**"In no history of any civilization have the lives of so many been shaped so radically, and so completely, by single life as in the imperium which Invith forged."**

*-'An Inquiry into the land of the eternal empress', by Xer xenologist Gav-xar, 330 AC*

### Empress Invith

#### **Rise and unification**

Around the year -530 AC, the lands of the Empire Amongst The two Moons were engulfed in chaos. Though the empire had once been the preeminent power of the region, it had been brought low by a disastrous series of events: what had begun as a succession dispute spiralled out of control as generals, governors and various other opportunists rose up in a bid for power. By the year -530, the violence had lasted for over a decade, yet new factions and conflicts kept emerging without end. In such circumstances, the reunification of the empire appeared like a faint hope. Yet unbeknownst to those suffering under the violence or the warlords which perpetuated it, not only reunification but the greatest conquest which had been seen in the history of the empire, or even the whole planet, was fast approaching. These events would be brought about by a figure all would soon know: empress Invith.

Due to the relative lack of documentation at the time, as well as the heavy propaganda effort about Invith's life, the exact events around Invith's rise to power are unclear. The most accepted narrative is that Invith started off as the leader of a peasant militia which aimed to provide protection in the chaos of the civil war. She would soon prove highly capable in this role and expanded her influence across a growing area, elevating herself to be a genuine, if minor player in the war. Her power would very abruptly begin to soar, however, as she began to subjugate the other factions of the civil war in unprecedented succession. Sources from the time claim she was aided by heavenly fires and other magical forces. Whilst some contemporary scholars believe such accounts to be genuine and others believe them to be complete fabrications, the most popular theory is that Invith had found a cache of ancient technology which she put to use to overwhelm the opposing armies, as many of the artifacts which exist from that time, such as the staff of dominion, seem to share the same similar characteristics and inexplicable sophistication. Regardless of the method, Invith had managed to completely pacify the empire around -522 AC, claiming the old imperial throne for herself. She would spend the next 12 years repairing the ravages of the civil war and constructing great projects which led to spectacular economic renewal, whilst simultaneously reforming the army into a more loyal and professional entity and establishing the first forms of popular representation and local democracy.

#### **The true foundation**

In -510 Invith declared the reconstruction of the empire complete and announced her ambition to subjugate its historic rival. the Three-River League. Using the new economic and military strength of her empire, Invith managed to completely occupy the league by late -504, a feat no emperor had achieved before. At the end of her victory parade, she would shock the empire with perhaps the most consequential act of her reign: the Decree of Renewal. She declared that the old nobility had proven themselves unworthy of their privileged positions through their perpetuation of the civil war, whilst her achievements proved that it was now her blood which was favoured by the gods. All aristocratic privileges would thus be abolished and noble estates seized, whilst Invith and her descendants would remain the only ones to enjoy a special status, declaring her blood's sacred right to rule all which lies beneath the sky. This naturally sparked outrage amongst the nobility, triggering mass revolt. Such efforts would be doomed, however, as they would be crushed between the new unconditionally loyal imperial army and peasant counter-revolts. In the end, the nobility was completely destroyed as a class, cementing Invith's authority beyond question. For another 30 years, Invith continued the unstoppable advance of her empire until she eventually declared her youngest child as heir in yet another unprecedented act, using her final years to consolidate and prepare the empire for the succession. By the time of her death, the combination of seemingly supernatural military success, the introduction of local democracy, economic advancement and aggressive propaganda had forever elevated her to an ascended position within the empire which none dare challenge to this day. Invith would not go down as yet another empress of the Empire Among the Two Moons, but rather the empire would go down as the everlasting achievement of Invith, with all subsequent monarchs being mere caretakers of her legacy.

### The Early Empire

#### **Inhath**

Following Invith's death, the empire was left in the hands of her youngest daughter, Inhath, whose reign was defined by the continuation and finalization of her mother's social engineering projects, chief among which was the democratization of the empire. Whilst local democracy had taken hold under Invith's reign, she had always kept a tight grip on the central state apparatus. Inhath would go on to expand popular sovereignty to this sphere by establishing the three great assemblies of the masses, the regions and Works and limiting the power directly invested in the monarch. Through these efforts, Inhath sustained the immense popularity of the monarchy and secured the ideal environment for rapid industrialisation, scientific advancement and economic growth. These developments proved vital during the renewed period of military expansionism during the latter part of her reign, as new communication technology helped connect the empire's ever-growing frontier, rapidly expanding behind the advance of ever-greater armies. Inhath's reign would be cut short when she and a large number of her children where killed in a guerilla ambush when visiting one of the newly acquired Quolou territories, leaving her son, Vahgan, as the first emperor.

#### **Vahgan**

The first stage of Vahgan's unexpected reign was dominated by the circumstances of his mother's death as the empire's population demanded vengeance. This prompted a ruthless crackdown in Quolou, considered by many to be on the level of genocide. Whilst Vahgan was initially just as enthusiastic to obtain vengeance for his mother's death, he was reportedly left shocked by the aftermath of the crackdown, as well as the general devastation and poverty he found whilst overseeing the new frontiers. This prompted him to bestow imperial mercy on the remaining population of Quolou and once again called for a halt of expansion. He would proceed to champion a normalization of the newly acquired territories and played a crucial role in the ascension of pro-welfare politicians which enacted wide-reaching social programs. The quality of life for the empire's citizens improved substantially due to these programs whilst also playing an important part in speeding up the pacification of new territory. After his initial fervent actions, Vahgan adopted a more passive attitude towards governance and was content to oversee a largely uneventful but stable period until his death, prompting the ascension of his daughter Gahninh.

#### **Gahninh**

After her ascension, Gahninh focused her efforts on establishing a measured yet rapid rate of expansion for the empire, employing temporary subject states and abundant charity projects to quickly endear new areas to her regime. As the process gained momentum, Gahninh decisively aimed the empire towards the goal of finally realising Invith's ambition proclamation to rule all which lay beneath the sky. She nearly succeeded in this goal, only to hit the most significant barrier to the empire's expansion up to this point: the Rqvan National republic, a radically authoritarian state which managed to unite the remaining opposition to imperial expansion and achieve rough technological parity. Gahninh's attempt to subdue the Rqvan led to a humiliating defeat as offensives were repeatedly halted by the fanatically determined republican forces. The resulting stalemate would turn into an unofficial peace, to the infinite frustration of Gahninh. She died merely half a year later from a heart attack, reportedly during an impassioned rant which she was prone to in her final months after the peace.

#### **Galvha**

Gahninh, herself childless, would be succeeded by her niece Galvha, who vowed to finish what her aunt started and end Rqvan for good. Several years were spent in preparation for the final confrontation, readying the empire to leverage all its might in the coming war. When this war finally came, the empire managed to achieve greater success than in previous offensives, pushing the republic back through sheer overwhelming force. Even so, the war dragged on, accruing a greater death toll than all of Gahninh's wars combined. Eventually, it seemed the war would advance to another bloody stage as the Rqvan fell back to a fortified mountain pass to make a final attempt to shield their core lands. A confrontation here would never come, however, as Rqvan was hit by several nuclear strikes. This new weapon devasted the republic's command and production capabilities, finally destroying its resistance and prompting a surrender. Galvha now finally and truly ruled all which lay under the sky and established total hegemony over Teallan.

#### **Ruling all which lies under the sky**

The unification of Teallan under the Invithian banner marked the beginning of a remarkable period of peace and political stability, as faith in the imperial family remained unshakable and the institutions built up by Invith and her descendants proved robust. These factors allowed Gavzan civilization to progress much more rapidly than most civilizations in similar stages of development, bringing greater wealth and technology than most could hope to achieve whilst largely preempting many of the common pitfalls of pre-space civilization, such as environmental degradation. Space-based technology would be developed gradually yet steadily, culminating in the completion of FTL-technology in -67 AC. At this point, the empire rested upon exceptional foundations which would allow it to become the most significant known power after transitioning towards being interstellar civilization

### The First Galactic Power

#### **First steps**

After the initial stage of exploring its immediate vicinity, the empire managed to find several suitable worlds for colonization such as Vahlan, Involan and Hathlan. The first colonization efforts began in -43 AC, with the departure of the colony ships set for Involan being accompanied by a grand ceremony in which it was declared that Invith's descendants held the birthright to rule all which lay under every sky, essentially claiming sovereignty over the entire galaxy. But even as the colonization of such worlds was progressing, the empire had yet to encounter any form of alien life, as its early ascension to interstellar existence meant it was free to expand in isolation.

As the first waves of colonisation were being completed and the empire was reaching a size of a dozen worlds, the existing political system was beginning to strain under the need to administer multiple worlds. This situation would be resolved in 73 AC when empress Hanvinh died without a clear heir, leaving the extended imperial family divided over the issue of succession. The opportunity was used by the then grand magistrate Pavin to call for a new constitutional convention between the assemblies and the imperial family to overhaul to the political system to the new interstellar nature of the empire. It was decided to reorganize the empire with its constituent worlds as its federal unit, rechristening the assembly of regions into the assembly of worlds. Each world would furthermore be given the right to decide its own method of governing itself, though it would still need to participate in empire-level elections and processes. Lastly, each world would receive a member of the imperial family who would act as the world's potentate and have a similar position to the imperial monarch but on a planetary level and establish their own sub-dynasties on their respective worlds. The potentates were given the responsibility of choosing a new monarch from amongst their ranks and gather periodically in the new imperial council to provide non-binding advice to the empire at large. With these reforms, the empire took the shape it holds to this day.

#### **Struggle For Supremacy**

The empire would not remain isolated forever, as around 92 AC several alien civilizations were encountered in rapid succession. Whilst maintaining a general indifference to these civilizations for the first few years after the discoveries, Invithian attitude shifted dramatically with the ascension of emperor Rhavgan, who sought to enforce his claim of galactic hegemony upon his new neighbours. When these new states rebuffed Invithian demands of subservience, the empire launched a mass remilitarisation campaign to assert its will. Fearful of the impending imperial aggression, the opposing states formed the preservation coalition in 113 AC and launched a pre-emptive attack on the empire in the hopes of removing it as a threat and partitioning its territory between them.

The empire was caught off guard by the attack and initially lost several worlds to the attackers. Whilst the coalition was diverse in its makeup, it spawned much panic and hate in the imperial populace due to the actions of its more extreme members. In particular, the actions of the Aaraq'o Union inspired much terror due to their genocidal actions during their occupation efforts. Despite their early gains, the coalition eventually ran out of steam, both due to internal conflicts and the renewed vigour of the imperial defenders, whose productive capabilities were quickly outpacing those of the coalition. After 8 years of war, the empire began a large scale counter-attack and crushed the coalition fleets, going on to liberate their occupied worlds and enter coalition space. The imperial retaliation would be harsh, rejecting any form of limited surrender and accepting only the complete destruction of the coalition members. On 126 AC, the last worlds of the coalition were invaded and annexed by the empire, bringing the war to a close.

Whilst the severity of Invithian vengeance varied for each former coalition species, all would suffer greatly under it. Most were condemned to a fate of slavery or at best third-rate citizenship, with the worst fate being reserved for the Aaraq'o; who were forcefully removed from their worlds and divided across the empire into isolated enslaved groups, with only collaborators being offered the mercy of banished, causing several hundred thousand to be scattered across the youthful sector. With the coalition destroyed, there were none who could still challenge the empire's claim to hegemony.

#### **The Fruits of Hegemony**

Riding high on its victory against the coalition, the empire underwent its period of greatest expansion and power, expanding to many more worlds and asserting it's power wherever it went. With the defeat of the coalition standing as a warning, all newly encountered states had no choice but to submit to the empire's will. By the year 280 AC, the empire had reached possibly it greatest hight, standing as the unshakeable superpower of known space with dozens of tributary states, many of which were stuck as enclaves in the empire's expansive territory. It was around this time, however, that the diplomatic goals of the empire shifted towards a more passive stance as public support for constant expansion and military adventures dried up. This would eventually shift into full-blown isolationism, with the empire being content to maintain its existing sphere and demanding little more than lip service to its claims of galactic sovereignty from most new states encountered.

In the meantime, the empire encountered two rising powers which had shown a greater degree of vigour and strength than most minor states previously encountered: Exalted Audean Dominion, a rapidly expanding religious state possessing strange psionic power, and The Universal Technocratic Commonwealth, a materialistic state which had displayed an unprecedented rate of technological development. Interaction remained limited with both states, as the empire had no interest in asserting itself over these relatively distant states. This situation would shift when the UTC and EAD came into conflict during the First Clash and the resulting astropolitical stand-off which would come to be known as The Silent War. Both powers hoped to gain Invithian support to tip the balance and came scraping to its doorstep to appease its leaders. The then empress Galvha III managed to use the situation to play the two powers against each other and gain favourable deals with both. For many decades the empire benefited greatly from The Silent War, with many Gavzan considering it a golden age of prosperity. It would not last.

### The Last Neutral Power

#### **The Crumbling Bulwark**

Whilst Galvha III's diplomatic approach greatly enriched the empire, it would set the empire on the path of eventual decline. Galvha's successors proved incapable of balancing UTC and EAD interest to the same extent as her and as the strength of both powers grew, the monarchs and their governments started to lose their grip on the situation. As the decades went on, the demands of both powers grew ever more forceful and it was increasingly the empire which had to play the role of the appeaser. Around the year 410, it had become clear to all that the Audean and Epochian spheres had eclipsed the empire in power and that the absorption of the empire into either sphere was becoming a genuine prospect for both powers. A new stage of competition over Invith's empire began as the UTC and EAD started covertly sponsoring political movements and co-opting them to their own goals, leading to Xenoist and intellectual movements uniting under the banner of Epochianism and imperial worship movements syncretising with Audean beliefs. Even some of the empire's more distant tributaries had begun to escape imperial influence and flock to either sphere.

Many amongst the empire's leaders looked at these developments with great concern and desperately searched for a solution, culminating in the rise of the harmonist movement; which advocated for the normalisation of the new political movements in the hope of severing them from their foreign backers and a reform of the empire's diplomatic approach. The movement gained further momentum with the ascension of the pro-harmonist empress Inzi in 427 AC. She would facilitate the creation of the Grand Coalition of Imperial Unity, a political coalition which included every party present in the assemblies, with each party being granted at least one government post. This included the pro-UTC "Imperial Renovation Movement" and the pro-EAD "Holy Empress' Salvation Party", being granted the secretariats of the academies and the secretariat of faiths respectively. Whilst these were both relatively minor posts, they were exploited none the less as means of social engineering by the IRM and HESP, leading to measures such as the establishment of exchange programs to UTC academies and a loosening of restrictions for foreign missionaries. Inzi furthermore made preparations for an attempt to abandon the empire's claim to galactic hegemony in order to open up the possibility of diplomacy with other neutral powers and creating a power bloc to counter the Epochian and Audean spheres. This would not come to pass, however, as Inzi died after just 9 years of rule in 436 AC from a sudden illness.

The legacy left by Inzi is perhaps the most controversial of any to wield the Staff of Dominion, as many nationalists and traditionalists claim she enabled foreign influence through the Grand Coalition by legitimising foreign-backed parties and giving them the means to shift society in their favour whilst preparing to betray Invith's legacy by forsaking the empire's rightful claim over all worlds. At the same time, harmonists claim that Inzi's death ruined the last chance of reinvigorating the empire and that her reign's bad consequences are the result of her efforts being abandoned by her successor, leaving the Epochian and Audean movements strengthened without isolating them and weakening the empire's diplomatic position without unchaining it.

#### **Galavon's Restoration and The Divided Blood**

The general unpopularity of Inzi's rule amongst the rest of the imperial family led them to nominate the young, fiercely nationalistic Galavon as the new empress after her death. Galavon sought to undo the efforts of the harmonists and take as hard of a line against the foreign powers as she could possibly afford. She began by giving the green light to traditionalist parties to dissolve the Grand Coalition and expel the IRM and HESP from the government. She furthermore refused to make any additional agreements with either sphere and harshly tightened control over the empire's remaining tributaries. The empress was subsequently praised by many for restoring the empire's dignity by standing up to its prospective puppetmasters, but the underlying issues had not disappeared. The Epochian and Audean parties continued to grow slowly, which made it more and more difficult for traditional parties to keep them from government. The situation was made yet more difficult by the rise of ultranationalist movements in reaction to foreign influence which demanded that the empire retake control through military means.

Still, the UTC and EAD were unsatisfied by the slow progress of their allies and decided to expand their efforts to influence the empire. They had seen that the tides of Invithian politics revolved greatly around who held the Staff of Dominion and thus shifted their ambitions to elevating an ally to the staff. These efforts would prove difficult due to the fact that they could not be as direct in approaching the various potentates as they could be in supporting political movements and all active attempts to establish an allied dynasty failed until both powers received an ally through happenstance; with the xenoist Arvith seizing control of the Involan dynasty and potentate Hathzi of the Rhavlan dynasty converting to Audeanism after a Zuhl envoy on unrelated business had revealed a plot to poison her daughter. With both dynasties now being flooded with covert aid, they began building up their own alliances amongst the dynasties, bitterly dividing the Imperial family in a way that had never been seen before.

And so the empire in 500 AC stands as a fragile remnant of its former glory; with its political scene hopelessly divided, its once unshakable ruling house struggling against itself and foreign interference hiding behind every corner. Its claims of galactic dominance have, even to its once confident inhabitants, become little more than a sad joke. Amongst the constant deterioration, only the ageing Galavon still stands as a beacon of stability and the empire's lost pride. But as the empire heads seemingly ever closer to the breaking point, there is just one burning question on everyone's mind:

Who will succeed the Empress?

## **Government and Politics**

"**Our empire really is the strongest which exists, for you work tirelessly to tear it apart from without and we from within, yet still, it does not collapse.** "

*-Alleged rant by an Invithian diplomatic official to their Audean counterpart, commenting on the state of Invithian politics, 492 AC*

### The Staff of Eternal Dominion

The symbolic centrepiece of the Invithian state is the office of emperor/empress, or to be more exact: "The Supreme Ruler of All Skies". The monarch holds the highest executive power in the empire, possessing the authority to make decrees, set objectives for the cabinet and veto decisions made by the assembly. Aside from their official powers, the monarch holds considerable informal influence due to the historically dominant position of the imperial family. The position of monarch is generally represented by the Staff of Eternal Dominion, which is the badge of office and a relic passed down from the time of Invith. It is believed to be a piece of ancient technology, having several incredible features such as enabling communication with anyone within the same planetary system.

The monarch is assisted in their rule by the imperial secretariat, which is elected by the assemblies and is responsible for advising the monarch on government affairs and handle the day to day minutia of governance.

### The Imperial Assemblies

The legislative arm of the empire consists of the three imperial assemblies, the assemblies of the masses, works and worlds, each representing the people of the empire in different capacities.

The Assembly of The Masses represents the citizens of the empire as a whole and are elected through a proportional election system. This assembly is often considered the most significant of the assemblies due to the political difficulties of blocking its decisions in the other assemblies.

The Assembly of Works represents the workers of the empire through the inclusion of trade-unions and professional associations. The assembly primarily concerns itself with economic questions and generally defers to the assembly of the masses on non-economic subjecs.

Lastly, the Assembly of worlds represents the various planets which constitute the empire, with each world providing one representative to the assembly. How these representatives are nominated is left to the planetary governments to decide, leading to a great diversity in nomination methods.

In order for a piece of legislation to pass into law, it must be approved by a majority in two of the assemblies and not rejected by more than 4/5ths of the remaining assembly. Aside from this, it is the duty of the assembly of the masses to appoint the imperial secretariat, which additionally needs the maintain the confidence of at least a third of all assemblies to maintain their positions.

The assemblies have historically done much to diffuse various forms of tension across the empire due to giving in outlet for many aspects of society, yet it has also led to deadlock on several occasions due to the inconsistent makeup of the assemblies, a situation made all the worse by the increasing polarization of the political scene.

### **Political Factions**

The recent developments in the empire have led to a highly fractured political landscape with a variety of factions contesting control of the assemblies. One particular quirk which is found across these factions is that, in order to be considered legitimate, they must justify their policy points as furthering Invith's legacy and find a way to assert that it is what she would have wanted to be done. In the attempts to craft such justifications, the various factions have developed wildly different interpretations of Invith's life.

##### **Imperial Peoples Party (Status-quo nationalism)**

The IPP is the current ruling party of the Empire and is considered the main crutch of Galavon's rule. They lead the yellow coalition, an alliance of traditional democratic parties who uphold Galavon's nationalist stance and support her passive resistance to foreign influence. The IPP considers itself to uphold the extended legacy of sovereign democracy laid out by Invith and her descendants, refusing the compromise either on the empire's claim of galactic dominance or with foreign ideologies. The IPP is thus, in most regards, the face of the status-quo.

##### **Harmony Association (Harmonism)**

The HA is the main democratic opposition party active in the assemblies, having once been the main support base for Inzi's rule. They lead the blue coalition, which is the alliance of democratic harmonist parties seeking to revive Inzi's attempt to revitalize the empire. They call for the abandonment of the empire's claims towards galactic dominance, justifying this by saying that Invith had only ever claimed dominion over Teallan and that extending this claim over the whole galaxy was only ever an egotistical revision by later politicians. They furthermore wish to once again attempt to integrate the Epochian and Audean factions by working with them to address their genuine grievances in the hopes of severing them from their foreign masters, claiming Invith's cooperation with various local theocratic movements as a precedent for such actions. Whilst harmonism was severely weakened after Galavon's abandonment of Inzi's reforms, it has seen a gradual resurgence as the divisions in society have only worsened during Galavon's sixty-year reign.

##### **Holy Empress' Salvation Party (Audean syncretism)**

The HESP represents the pro-Audean factions within the empire, advocating for a form of Audean syncretism. This faction has its origins in imperial worship movements which have fluctuated in popularity throughout the empire's existence. Whilst these movements were rather insignificant by the time of the Silent war, they saw a resurgence of popularity after Audean missionaries started to cautiously co-opt their messages in order to aid in their conversion efforts. This started a process of extensive syncretisation, resulting in the current Invithian variant of Audeanism which claims that Invith was the chosen emissary of the gods and ascended to the pantheon after her death. They claim that for many centuries Invith steered the appointment of her successors to ensure the most divinely gifted individuals would uphold her divine legacy, which is what ensured the empire's early success. The syncretists, therefore, despise the current imperial nomination system, claiming it to be a direct betrayal of Invith's intentions and that it has caused the true ordained heirs of Invith to be denied their right to the staff, causing the empire's subsequent decline.

The main agenda of the HESP is to abolish the current imperial nomination system and make it so the monarch is responsible for designating their successor. They furthermore wish to implement their version of Audeanism as the empire's state religion, cut down on welfare, create restrictions to voting eligibility and enter into an alliance with the Exalted Audean Dominion. The party has seen its main success in gaining seats in the assembly of worlds due to its strength in and appeal to frontier worlds through its denounciation of the weakness and complacency of the core worlds. At the same time, it has struggled to gain a foothold in the assembly of the masses and especially the assembly of works due to its anti-populist stance which has thus far alienated many working class gavzan in more populous worlds.

##### **Imperial Renovation Movement (Epochianism with Invithian characteristics)**

The IRM is the main pro-Epochian political organisation, upholding a modified form of Epochian ideology. The IRM was formed through a fusion of xenoist and intellectual movements which found common ground in Epochianism. The Empire's Epochians mainly point towards Invith's actions of strengthening the state and implementing meritocracy during her reign, especially the Decree of Renewal, as a precedent for the implementation of Epochian technocracy. They believe it is the tasks of the monarch to ensure the ascension of the most skilled individuals towards positions of power. An even more salient issue for the IRM is the status of non-Gavzan in the empire, however, seeking to steer the empire towards a sapientist direction and end the institutional oppression of xenos, particularly those subjugated during the War of the Coalition. They point towards Invith's relatively tolerant integration of conquered peoples as a justification for this viewpoint.

The main Agenda of the IRM is the emancipation of non-Gavzan in the empire, the implementation of Epochian technocratic institutions, the reduction of the assemblies to a purely advisory role and the formation of an alliance with the Universal Technocratic Commonwealth. The party has seen great success in gaining prominence within the assembly of works due to its strong appeal to the more intellectual and technical professions. At the same time, the party has had difficulties breaking into the other assemblies due to its support being primarily concentrated within a handful of urbanised worlds and intellectual circles.

##### **Gavzan National Rectification Alliance (Revanchist ultranationalism)**

The GNRA is an extremist nationalist party which has gained traction in recent years in response to the pervasiveness of foreign influence. They believe all foreign actors ought to be immediately expelled and that imperial might ought to be forcefully reasserted to restore the empire's greatness. The GNRA furthermore maintains a view of racial superiority, claiming the empire's successes and Invith's exceptionalism prove the inherent superiority of the Gavzan, whose rightful dominion has shamefully allowed to decline through weak leadership and the subversive efforts of foreign species who by all rights ought to be brought in servitude to the empire. Whilst this faction is the smallest in terms of general popularity, it is highly active and vocal, due in part to Galavon's implicit approval of their actions.

### Planetary Governments and Dynasties

The Invithian Empire is a federal entity where each constituent planet is given a high degree of freedom in how to govern itself. Different worlds have varying welfare systems, economic policies and on occasion even political systems which deviate greatly from that of the higher level of the state. This laissez-faire attitude towards planetary rule has long helped to ensure stability within the empire and has been a major inspiration for the Epochian particularist movement. Each world is still required to participate in the processes of the central government in a uniform manner, however.

In addition, each world is presided over by a member of the imperial family, who fills the office of potentate. The title of potentate is passed along the same line, causing the various planets to give rise to their own local branches of the Invithian dynasty. The potentates meet once every Teallani year in the imperial council, which after several days of debate may publish an advisory report to the empire. In addition, the council meets whenever the reigning monarch dies to elevate one of their own to the staff.

#### **Prominent Dynasties**

##### **Hathlan Dynasty**

The Hathlan dynasty is the current ruling branch of the invith family, with Galavon having previously been the potentate of the world. The dynasty is currently headed by Galavon's granddaughter Galahan, who has been the potentate of Hathlan for 15 years. She and her late mother were long considered the obvious replacements for Galavon considering her general popularity, but this prospect has changed significantly due to the fact that Galahan has in recent years aligned herself with and become the face of the ultranationalist movement, alienating the support of more traditional nationalists the dynasty previously enjoyed.

##### **Galvhlan Dynasty**

The Galvhlan dynasty is seen as the current face of the traditionalist elements of society. Having been the most vocal opposition to Inzi's policies and later a key player in Galavon's ascension, the dynasty has thus far been mostly content to act as a kingmaker and avoid direct involvement with politics. The recent shift of the Hathlan dynasty towards ultranationalism has changed this, however.

Inqon, the current potentate, has denounced this shift as a betrayal of traditional values and, for the first time in her dynasty's history, announced her interest in becoming the empire's ruler in order to safeguard the values which the empire holds dear.

##### **Arthlan Dynasty**

The Arthlan dynasty, being the dynasty from which empress Inzi originated, bears a controversial legacy due to being highly intertwined with the harmonist movement. Arthlan had once been the capital of the Toacat species, one of the species subjugate during the War of the Coalition which had been given the most lenient treatment. As potentates, the Arthlan have long had to balance the interests of Gavzan settlers, Toacat collaborators and the disenfranchised native population as a whole to maintain the stability of the world. This meant the world was an early hotbed for harmonist though and the Arthlan rulers quickly embraced this new way of thought. Even in the time of the harshest decline of harmonist ideology, the Arthlan potentates stubbornly defended the actions of Inzi and helped harmonism to survive its crisis.

Now, with harmonism making a comeback, Inzi's great-grandson Gavzi has once again decided to make a play for the staff in the hopes of finally finishing what she started.

##### **Rhavlan Dynasty**

The Rhavlan dynasty has been the face of Audeanism in the empire since the conversion of potentate Hathzi in 475 AC. This conversion was, despite the intensive efforts of the EAD, not the result of any conscious effort; during a routine diplomatic visit, the presiding Audean priest had learned that Hathzi's daughter and heir was suffering from a mysterious illness and noticed through his psionic ability that one of her attendants grew tense whenever the subject was brought up. He then took a gamble and singled out the attendant and started to question him and discovered all responses to be lies. He accused the attendant to be responsible for the illness on the spot which, whilst initially causing outrage due to the breach of protocol, soon let to the discovery that the heir was being poisoned by the attendant. The immensely grateful Hathzi offered the priest great honours and extended hospitality for his actions, which he decided to utilize in order to attempt to convert her. His efforts succeeded, and half a year after the incident Hathzi publically adopted Audeanism, installing the priest as a permanent envoy to the Tribunal. The dynasty has since worked to built up a pro-Audean alliance within the imperial family and facilitate the spread of the faith.

Now Zivgha, Hathzi's daughter whose life had once been saved through Audeos' intervention, now prepares to make an attempt for the Staff of Dominion, in service to the old gods and the first empress.

##### **Involan Dynasty**

The Involan dynasty is the current standard-bearer of Epochian ideology. Involan has, as one of the empire's oldest colonies, long been a significant player in internal politics. It is also one of the worlds with the largest Aaraq'o population, who were introduced to the world in droves to fuel it's burgeoning industry. Involan becoming the face of Epochianism considered a monumental and unexpected shift since its potentates had long been staunch traditionalists. The key to this switch lies in its current potentate: Arvith. As a son of the previous potenate Arvon, he was left to the common fate of being unlikely to ever ascend himself due to being overshadowed by his two elder sisters. His childhood would be mostly unremarkable aside from the fact that he got into trouble on several occasions for getting to close with the Aaraq'o servants. Around adulthood, he was mainly assigned to minor duties, which at one point included accompanying a trade mission to Epochion. There has been much speculation about what happened during this trip, but it is clear that it caused Arvith to become aligned with Epochianism, as his return coincided with an increase in undocumented activity on his part as well as an emboldening of Involan's Epochian movement. These developments would come to a head when, in 483 AC, his mother and sisters died in a space transfer accident. Many believe this accident was orchestrated by Arvith himself, though no solid evidence of this has yet been found. Through the next frantic years, Arvith managed to manoeuvre the Epochian faction into power and dismantle the local democratic system in favour of a UTC-styled technocratic one. He furthermore nationalised the ownership of the planet's xeno slaves and has continuously attempted to push the limits of the rights which he can provide them.

In the last years, Arvith has leveraged Involans considerable influence to rapidly built up his own power base within the empire in the hopes of one day wrestling the Staff of Dominion from the traditionalists and extend the light of the beacon over Invith's realm.

## **Demographics**

**"Our righteous dominion over the skies matters little to those forced to face the dirt."**

*-Statement made by potentate Arvith regarding the status of non-Gavzan in the Empire*

## **Diplomacy**

**"Ironic"**

*-A general guide to astropolitics, describing the effects of Invith isolationism, 489 AC*