===PREMISE===

The Stran Imperium: greedy tyrants, gracious parents, the universe holds many interpretations of them. Some believe them to be dangerous upstarts, a race of profane abominations, or a threat to all sapient life. The galaxy teeters on the brink of war as the three great powers meet in a last effort to come to some kind of compromise: the upstart Stra, the zealous Quenti, and the watchful Dabbax. All three believe that the other must be eliminated for the galaxy to know true peace; your job is to ensure that, regardless of the outcome, the galaxy must remain strong for the coming storm.

===TECHNOLOGY===
The first hallmark of any galactic civilization is gaining access to the hyperlane network, a sort of warped space parallel to our own. Its topology loosely correlates to real space, but perhaps most importantly, it seems to be much smaller. Systems that are light-years apart can be traveled between in days, provided a hyperlane exists between them. Travel through natural wormholes, or the artificial ones that exist in the ancient Gateway network (that numerous empires are in the process of fervently reverse-engineering), are an alternative method, but virtually every system has *some* hyperlane connection. It is unknown if the network is naturally occurring, or was deliberately constructed by one of the ascendancies before they fell into stagnation and decline.

Energy technology is highly advanced; cold fusion reactors are the most common form of power among military vessels, and hot fusion is the power source of choice for larger civilian vessels. Fission and chemical power are still used depending on the size and specifics of the application, and more esoteric power generation methods exist. Stran engineers claim to have perfected zero-point power, but this is a closely guarded secret.

Weaponry among the stars takes three primary forms: directed energy, directed mass, and propelled explosives. The existence of tachyon sensors able to detect long-ranged attacks and hyperdrives to avoid them has kept combat in relatively close ranges; while a battle can still span a solar system, longer ranges than that are simply not feasible. The only tachyon weapons developed, though devastatingly powerful, can still only reach roughly two astronomical units before becoming too incoherent, and decaying too far, to function effectively.

Energy shielding exists, but continued debate rages over whether it is superior to high density armors. Certainly, it has the advantage over a series of engagements, and tends to resist energy weapons better, but the method of hurling a large mass at one's enemy has not ceased to be effective in space, and shields are notoriously poor at absorbing solid impacts.

Genetic engineering is commonplace, even among more spiritual nations. The specifics of the programs vary, but it is highly unusual to meet an individual whose genetic template matches that of their ancestors.

Cybernetics are less common, but several species are considered to be ones of cyborgs; that is to say, one cannot function in their society without some level of augmentation. Needless to say, they are quite advanced. It is not uncommon to see professional soldiers with combat exoskeletons that interface directly with their nerves; Stra in particular require cybernetic rigging to survive outside of an aquatic environment for extended periods, and so it is uncommon to see one without something similar.

===NATIONS OF STELLARIS===
Stran Imperium

The Stra are a race of aquatic reptiles hailing from the planet of Tebador. They are one of the few species to achieve a spot on the galactic stage without being the majority population in their own empire. This is due to the remarkably favorable conditions of their homeworld; with plentiful warm waters and marshlands with which to develop their civilization, they are quite intolerant of hostile environments. A Stra, at baseline, requires a very narrow temperature range, water pH, and salinity in order to remain healthy; it is uncommon to see them outside of the few worlds, called Gaia worlds, that are exceptionally suitable for all forms of life, and spaceborne habitats that can easily support their delicate constitutions.

How, then, did the Stran Imperium evolve into the galactic superpower it exists as today? The secret lies in a discovery made very early in the Imperium's history, about forty years after the development of reliable FTL travel. The Imperium's location and acquisition of a system known as Sol, with a race of pre-sapient arthropoids known as Cockroaches, coincided with quick leaps in the field of genetic engineering; it wasn't long before the bugs were fully awakened to their potential and valuable members of the Imperium. While not quite as naturally gifted in the sciences as the Stra, their biology is quite the opposite; an unmodified Cockroach can live comfortably on almost any world defined as habitable, and actually *need* a certain amount of exposure to ionizing radiation in order to remain healthy.

Colonization via proxy, using Cockroach settlers and later increasingly intelligent androids, were only part of the Stran expansion into the stars. The Imperium made heavy use of vassals, often assigning planets to lords and gifting them with enough resources to begin forming their own fiefdoms under the watchful rule of the Tidecaller royal family. Vossos Tidecaller, first of her name, is the current Empress, and took the throne sometime in her fifth decade, after her predecessor finally passed away despite the best efforts of advancing medical and cybernetic sciences. Stran law necessitates that the ruling class be continuously educated in politics, economics, diplomacy, and various other matters of state until it is time for them to ascend to a position of power; Vossos is no exception.

Stran society is stratified to some degree, with an upper ruling class and a secondary elite consisting primarily of both military nobility and the scientific elite. The biggest point of contention with the other great galactic powers, however, is the presence of synthetics in their modern society. The movement for AI rights went quickly and smoothly in the Imperium; cybernetics had already become a foundation of Stran society (in fact, it is hardly possible to function in it without implants) that it was only logical to include fully artificial citizens.

This last is the greatest point of contention with the other galactic powers. The Sildor Regulators believe that a fully sapient AI, allowed to operate in that capacity, is no less than an existential threat to galactic civilization. The Quenti Enforcers, on the other hand, believe them to be one of the highest forms of heresy, a pathetic and disgusting mockery of the sanctity of life. The only greater form of heresy is an organic transferring their consciousness to such a container. . . and the step just below that is violating one's body with profane cybernetics.

Dabbax Regulators

The Dabbax are a race that far predates most of the empires in the galaxy, save for the denizens of the other stagnant ascendancies; they may even predate the *sapience* of the younger races. They are an arthropoid race, with a relatively cylindrical body shape complete with a flat head, with short, robust antennae overlooking large, wide-set eyes.

The Regulators were not always known as such; to most of the galaxy, they were the Chroniclers, a race that largely only contacted other races to tell them they were uninterested in speaking with them, or to make the occasional "request" of a younger empire; very rarely, they would even offer the occasional gift should their lessers be exceptionally accomodating. They were content to passively watch the universe around them and live in decadence, served by robotic slaves - until the rise of the Imperium to galactic prominence in less than two centuries finally caused them to stir from their slumber. They possess technology well in excess of what even the Imperium owns, as well as being another species of cyborgs - and they are a fair degree less friendly.

Their history is largely unknown; they still rarely deign to speak with the so-called "lesser" races, viewing them as children to be guided or punished at best. A rumor abounds that they do not remember their own history, or understand their own technology; while they have some technologies that seem incomprehensible, much of it is not far removed from modern designs. The one element of it that is clear is that an ancient rivalry between the Sildor and the Quenti exists, and both ancient powers seem keen on pursuing it with a vengeance - when they aren't subjugating their neighbors to "safeguard" them from their own technology.


Quenti Enforcers

Another ancient race, the Quenti are, as a rule, fanatically religious. The exact tenents of their religion are unknown, but they revile robots and cybernetics, and have guarded holy paradises for ages, allowing none but the stray explorer to set foot upon them (and even that is unappreciated.) They have generally humanoid forms, with a similar range of skin tones, but have prominent bony ridges along their foreheads, and tend towards more greenish casts.

Similarly to their ancient rivals, the Quenti were once known as the Watchers; their chosen role in the galaxy was simply the guardianship of their holy worlds. This changed when the Dabbax began to meddle in the affairs of the young races once again; evidently loathing the idea of their ancient enemies establishing a hegemony, they started up aging fleets of advanced battlecruisers and began to enforce their beliefs on the empires unfortunate enough to be located near their territory.

Their technology and history exist in a similar state to the Dabbax, but with an extra layer of dogma and spirituality laid atop it. Their subjects are given many instructions, but little enlightenment; they assure them that they will reach salvation, as long as they do not violate the precepts, and tell the young ones little else.

Sildor Reavers

A race of humanoids thought to be related to the species that once roamed the now-irradiated fields of Sol III; some have theorized that the planet was some sort of lost colony, or that the two races were seeded by some greater progenitor. The Sildor have up-swept ears, and are notably stronger than average, as well as being remarkably fertile; these traits aided them historically.

The Reavers, to the relief of the galaxy, were destroyed as a nation, if not a species, just a scant two decades ago. Previously, their government was a somewhat unusual structure: a democratically elected committee headed it, and that committee's rason d'etere was the destruction of all other forms of sapient life, which were believed to be unworthy of existing should they be unable to resist Sildor military might.

After numerous radical elements were purged in the wake of the Stran Imperium's successful invasion (with rumors of mind-control chips in the cybernetics the newly conquered were provided with,) the former Reaver territory was split up into the Sildor Nation and the Empire of Sildoria, with native rulers installed in kingship positions over each. The latter has stayed fairly true to Stran values of rationalism and xenophilia, but the former has drifted back toward their former xenophobic and militaristic views, with many fearing an uprising and the resurgance of the Reavers. Stran attention is largely elsewhere for the moment; with two awakened ascendencies to contend with, internal affairs have been somewhat neglected.

Xu'Lokako Harmonious Confederacy

The Xu'Lokako are a tall race of reptilians, with a crocodile-like snout and long external ears that lay almost straight backward and perpendicular to the neck. While not as mysterious as the ancients, they are reclusive by nature, only interacting with other races when forced; their society is both pacifistic and xenophobic, headed by a parliament focused on moral principles and nonviolence. Their only major role (by design) in galactic affairs until recently has been the sheer size of their empire; with a people united and peaceful, they were able to quickly extend their reach into the stars until it bumped up against other powers in the stars.

However, the Xu'Lokako have recently been tentatively reaching out to the other races, observing them and feeling out their attitudes for some unknown purpose. It is rare to encounter more than one, but increasingly common to have seen at least that; as usual, rumors claim they plan everything and nothing.

The Great Pacts

Two large alliances exist in opposition to the Stran sphere of influence; the Harmonious Pact and the Sanguine Pact.

Fittingly, the former is united by mutual religious beliefs. The Ganvius and the Trako, a flytrap-like race of plantoids and a winged arthropoid race not unlike humanoid grasshoppers, both believe in harmonious spiritual coexistence, and feel that the Stra have violated the universal spirit with their aggressive conquest and despicable usage of cybernetics. The third race in the pact, the Vivisandia (another race of plantoids, these more flower-like), is more open to cooperation with the Stran Imperium, but the network of religious and political alliances tie them closer to the rest of the pact. Later joiners include the Obadin Consensus, a molluscoid "species" consisting of some kind of symbiotic relationship between an unintelligent squidlike humanoid and a brain slug, and the Sovereign Bebaki Nations; Bebaki are horned humanoids with dark skin and prominent curled horns. The Obadin lean towards the more hostile side of the pact, while the Bebaki are unfriendly, yet still curious, towards the Stra.

The Sanguine Pact exists for rather more practical purposes, and is unusual for being an alliance between a star empire and a gestalt consciousness. The Coalition of Veteri, a military junta, welcomed the Ix'idar Collective onto its board; though the two empires have mutually exclusive goals (of galactic domination), they have chosen to work together against a threat to them both.

The Continuum

A minor player on the galactic stage, and perhaps the most mysterious of many mysteries. The Continuum is an autonomous network of machines maintaining a series of heavily damaged ringworlds; probes as to its purpose seem to indicate that it is intended to maintain these as a refuge for organic species, but it always claims to be at capacity. Long-range scans suggest the presence of large storage facilities on their ringworlds containing large amounts of carbon and other elements commonly found in organics. The intelligence does not allow foreign vessels into its space, however, and it exists at the edge of the galaxy; almost nothing is known beyond this information.

Kar-Du Forerunners

A race of fungoids with a distinctive V-shaped green head, and three sensory organs on either side of it. They are another race of ancients, but rather friendlier than the others; though they show little interest in outright intervention, they are happy to communicate with the others, viewing the galaxy as a sort of show. They often give out innocuous tasks to the young empires, and are the most likely to allow foreign ships into their territory - though they still refuse to share the secrets of their technologies.

Yv'Zorak Shard

An avian race, and the last of the ancients. Much like the younger Xu'Lokako, they desire nothing but to be left alone; unlike them, they will enforce this desire through liberal application of kinetic artillery. Numerous border skirmishes have erupted between the Shard and the Imperium, the latter testing the former and daring it to act and the former growing increasingly hostile, but remaining seemingly dormant otherwise.