The Azlanti Star Empire
The Azlanti Star Empire is a multi-system government near the Hydra Nebula of the Vast, founded by humans that originally came from Azlant Click this link to see if this article exists on PathfinderWiki., the first great human empire on Golarion. They are driven by the belief that pureblooded Azlanti humans are the most perfect species and seeks to bring all others beneath their rule.
History
Millennia before the Gap, thousands of colonists from Azlant followed the governor Eronestria through magical portals to New Thespera, a distant planet orbiting the star Aristia. Just after a few months, the portals failed, stranding the pioneers on New Thespera and rendering their home forever inaccessible.
Eronestria was determined to see her colony thrive in this distant planet and founded a new Azlanti empire for the Great Purpose of carrying on the Azlanti traditions, culture, learning and philosophy, eventually spreading to the stars. Her vision was acclaimed by the colonists, and she became the first imperator of the Azlanti Star Empire.
With their advanced magic and technology, the colonists settled across New Thespera and established a new bastion of Azlanti civilisation. Eronestria extended her lifespan far beyond the human average, but she died before the Star Empire could expand to other planets, due to a considerable loss of magical and technological expertise. Her successors continued her work and created their own destiny without the malignant influence of the alghollthus like on Azlant.
In 852 AT, the imperator drafted a formal charter to provide resources for space exploration programs, split between the Scientific Exploration and Expansion Bureau and the Aeon Exploitation Office, which explored technological and magical approaches, respectively. Both managed to send unmanned craft to suborbital space, but all were destroyed upon re-entry. In 939 AT, fed up with stagnation and infighting, consolidated the AEO and the SEEB into the Imperial Space Agency, which managed to combine concepts from its constituent groups into an orbital platform that can be recovered.
In 964 AT, the ISA developed the first aeonaut suit to protect aeonauts from the dangers of space. The first crewed mission ended when a fault in the gyroscope tore the ship apart and killed the pilot; the second one returned safely after orbiting New Thespera, rewarding in the pilot Fortia Rimisi with a small fiefdom and an arcidux title. In 1083 AT, the Azlanti established the first colony on Eostrillon, the nearest planet to New Thespera, and, after a peaceful first contact, imposed their rule on the native screedreeps. From this first colony, exploration of other worlds grew in length and complexity.
In 1527 AT, almost the entire staff of Amaznen Research Station in orbit around Eostrillon was killed in an explosion resulting from an experiment with aeon stone-laced gears. By replicating the incident, ISA scientists invented the onos drive, rendering space travel quick, reliable, safe and routine; this is considered to be the end of the early Azlanti space age.[7] In the subsequent millennia, the onos drive was key to the Azlanti's conquest of all worlds in the Aristia system, but was still too slow for interstellar travel. Their scientists tried to develop starships and engines that could traverse to other solar systems, but no experiment succeeded, the other stars remained out of reach and the Star Empire confined to a single star.
According to official history, the Aeon Throne was created by Ixomander I, founder of the current Ixomander dynasty, when he became Star Imperator in 1460 PG, but this part of history is lost to the Gap and cannot be confirmed by historical records.
After the Drift was revealed to them, the Azlanti Star Empire turned their might to creating Drift engines to fulfil their Great Purpose. The Azlanti conquered every habitable or resource-rich world they found, enslaving, subjugating or exterminating any other sentient species.
Demography and Population
The Azlanti, despite being the founders and ruling class of the Star Empire, only make up a minority. They consider themselves the only true humans in the galaxy and deserve to rule over the entire universe, conquering anyone who disagrees and accepting those who would willingly serve them. Even the Azlanti commoners, despite their hard and mundane work, believe and act as if they were the master race.
Among the non-human species officially designated as sentient aliens, the gathols, gosclaws, neskintis, screedreeps, shatoris, slivaras and vilderaros are considered to be second-class citizens; the brakims, dessamars, elanayas, filsoks, mercoys, stelliferas and volotins are tolerated or ignored by the Azlanti and not considered to be citizens; androids, hortuses, iztheptars and tromlins are enslaved; and others are not recognised as sentient at all.
From their enemies, the Azlanti have learnt that their ancestral homeworld has disappeared, and their cousins on Golarion have interbred and assimilated with other humans. Because of this, they consider the humans of the Pact Worlds as much of an inferior race as aliens.
Territories
The Star Empire controls twelve star systems, including: Aristia (the capital), Thenekral, Irdinang, Gjor, Croban, Danskon, Disaj, Eusilid, Nadeghey, Nys, Oyoya and Quinander. Outside of the empire's official borders, the Azlanti have also established colonies and outposts on 20 planets.
Military
The Azlanti Star Empire's military is divided into two major branches: the Imperial Fleet and the Aeon Guard, as well as an auxiliary paramilitary made up of non-humans called the Alien Cohort. The Imperial Fleet, the space navy of the Star Empire, consists of both humans and non-humans, with the officers being predominantly Azlanti. Its size and strength rival those of the combined navies of the Pact Worlds and Veskarium. The Aeon Guard, issued aeon stone-enhanced equipment, serves as the elite infantry with the purpose of protecting and expanding the empire and quelling insurrections; only pure-blooded Azlanti are accepted into the ranks of the Aeon Guard. The Alien Cohort, which accepts recruits from all non-human species, is the smallest arm of the Azlanti military. Despite being treated as expendable, the Alien Cohort isn't lacking in recruits, as it is one of the few ways for a non-human to gain status in the Star Empire.
Religion
When they first colonised New Thespera, the Azlanti brought their gods from Golarion with them. One of them now stands above all others: Lissala, goddess of duty and obedience. She teaches that those that follow the empire's authoritarian rule will be rewarded, and because of her widespread worship most Azlanti citizens are content with being part of the Star Empire.
Foreign Relations
In 259 AG, the Veskarium colony of Najin-Korozayas, unknowingly built near Star Empire-controlled space, was easily conquered, its entire population enslaved or slaughtered. A Starfinder Society scout ship exploring the Vast made first contact with the Star Empire in 269 AG, and the Star Empire promptly destroyed it. Every interaction between the Pact Worlds or the Veskarium and the Star Empire since then has ended in similarly efficient and overwhelming violence — no ship has survived direct contact with the Star Empire, including two Pact Worlds diplomatic envoys.
In addition to the Pact Worlds and Veskarium, the Azlanti have also learnt about the Shadari Confederacy and the wrikreechees, but none have been deemed threats or targets for war yet. High-ranking Azlanti officers are aware of the Swarm, though they have yet to go to war either.
The Star Empire is governed from New Thespera, home of the Aeon Throne that serves as the seat of power. The empire's supreme leader is called the Star Imperator, a role filled for the last two millennia by the Ixomander dynasty. The current Star Imperators are the twin siblings Iorian and Yridela.
Each star system in the Star Empire, except for the Aristia system (which is under the direct rule of the Aeon Throne), is governed by either an arcidux, a hereditary noble, or an exarch, a high-ranking admiral whose title can't be inherited. Most arciduxes have ancestral lands on New Thespera as well as a planet or two as their personal fiefdoms.
A duxillar is the hereditary ruler of one (or rarely multiple) planets. Lower-ranking noble titles are sardat, each of whom rules over a moon, major space station or large province on a planet; and dominus, rulers of even smaller territories.
The Azlanti commoners make up the illustar class, which is also sometimes considered the lowest noble title. This is the highest social position which a non-human citizen of the Star Empire could reach.
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