Origins
Known in the earliest recorded texts of history as “The Cold Ones,” the Icers are an ancient and merciless race raised up from the abyssal planet of Ng Yelo.
Ng Yelo, more commonly known in the galactic tongue as Iceria, is a terrifying and hostile alien world. With barely any breathable atmosphere. The majority of Ng Yelo is nothing more than a barren, lifeless wasteland forever encrusted in ice and snow. A black diamond hurtling through the stars. What little vegetative life that does exist on Ng Yelo is often found below the surface of the planet where the core of this frigid world spits out toxic fumes and poisonous gas from its atomic vents that would outright kill even most living things that did not evolve here.
The Icers belong to a long held caste system, led by an Emperor or Empress and their elite brood of warriors. Over eons of time the Icers have conquered nearly all of western galaxy, including worlds such as Hydia and Concordia, crushing and consuming entire star systems into their vast Empire which they reign over with terrifying military might. There is no question that the strongest military in the universe is theirs to command, and there are few worlds who possess the capability to withstand the strength of the Empire.
From birth, Icers are either conscripted into the different branches of their military regime until adulthood, or cast out into the wastelands to live in the frozen tundra and hellish wilds. This practice has both bolstered the ranks of their already impressive starfleets, and created a deep sense of loyalty and nationalism among native Icerians.
Though often misunderstood by the rest of the universe, the Icers are beings whose extreme environment and brutal class system have engineered an enduring galactic civilization. It is said that they were the first to chart the stars, but the truth is more complicated. Long ago Ng Yelo itself was nearly a world conquered by a species known as the Arctorians. Even with their advanced technology and superior weapons, however, the Icerians endured this attack and in the wreckage of the failed attempt to conquer their planet took what they learned from that conflict and sought revenge. The Arctorians themselves are no more. Their own homeworld having long been decimated by the retaliation of the Cold Ones of old. A lesson for the pages of history which the Empire of Ng Yelo is keen to remind those foolish enough to stand against it.
Modern History
Following the events of the Broken Crown, and the death of Empress Icythe, the war-general Ymir now sits upon the Frozen Throne of Ng Yelo as Tyr'Kalla (Emperor). His aim is to once more bring glory to the Empire by expanding its borders and conquering planets that have previously managed to thwart their march. Ymir is beloved and hated for his iron-fisted politics, and dogmatic calls for a return to the days of open conflict and war with the armies and federations of the new galaxy. His fiercest opponents, include members of his own courts, and a sizable number of rebellions which have sparked or grown fiercer since his rise to power. But little in the way of outright conflict with Ymir has come to pass, for Ymir is said to be one of the most powerful Zantetsu (meta-humans) in the known 'verse, and commands many loyal and powerful commanders and lieutenants in the ranks of his armies.
Cultural Keystones
Iceria is a brutal world where the strong thrive, and the weak are dominated. The Empire possesses few outright "laws" on its home planet which would prohibit what the rest of the galaxy would likely call crimes. Murder, drug-trafficking, and even slavery are common-practices on Ng Yelo, though the finer rulings of such activities are at the discretion of the Tyr (Lords) of Ng Yelo's various domes and civilizations.
Though often depicted as a nightmarish war-world of crime and rampant violations of ethics, even the other empires and federations of the galaxy are loath to admit that there is a trade-off. With its vast resources, the Empire is able to provide advanced technology (such as starships, capsule-cities, and healing pods) to the worlds which fall under its crown. Their impressive naval forces also allow for extensive commerce throughout the western galaxy to flourish, and for even desperate worlds to receive resources they otherwise would never have access to. In exchange for these commodities, the Empire asks very little beyond conscription into its naval fleets, and the ability to build cities, factories, and starship ports in order to better oversee its colonies.
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