The Galaxy

The galaxy can be a dangerous place, but also one filled with wonders. While there are still many emergent civilizations that have yet to agree on the true shape of their planet, or which stellar masses orbit which, most beings affiliated with one of the great powers learn the basics of stellar geography and intergalactic travel not long after they achieve literacy. While this information was once culturally distinct to most home systems, the Lazax Empire erased much of that heritage, unifying its worlds under one map, with its throneworld of Mecatol Rex on top of the galaxy.

Some cultures have retained their ancient understanding of the stars. Several, like the Emirates of Hacan, still reference their constellations in religious services. Others, like the Clan of Saar, have secret maps that lead to galactic rally points should one of their asteroid homes ever fall to a rival. However, most still teach the Lazax map of the galaxy, even as the Lazax themselves fade into the past.

The destruction of the Hall of Cartography on Mecatol Rex some three millennia ago deprived the great powers of data on hundreds of millions of surveyed worlds. To this day, exploration and star surveying is a lucrative trade, and all of the Great Civilizations pay handsomely for the discovery and mapping of habitable systems, or those rich in rare resources.