Dragonstar: The Outlands
The Great Unknown
While starships have allowed us to explore and even settle great portions of the galaxy, a much vaster area remains untouched and unseen by the Dragon Empire. The various dragon clans and a number of independent ventures spend a great deal of effort in exploring these regions in hopes of discovering new civilizations and untapped resources. One such organization is the Royal Exploratory Service, which was founded in the pre-Empire days and has been scouting the edges of the known galaxy for more than 5,000 years.
The Empire is a spherical volume of space in one of the galaxy’s spiral arms. The regions of space on the edges of this sphere are known as the Outlands. The only habitable Outlands worlds with which the Empire has contact are those only recently discovered and colonized. This is where my home lies, and likely yours as well, recruit. Of course, there are worlds without end in the Outlands that we haven't found, yet...and no doubt many more than we ever will.
The most dangerous region in the known galaxy actually cuts through the edge of the Outlands. This region is a massive dark nebula, an impenetrable curtain across space known as the Dark Zone. Most of the ships that teleport into the Dark Zone never return, though the crews of those that do tell of exotic treasures and terrible dangers. This black scar cutting through the periphery of the Empire is thought to be the home of the mind flayers and other alien beings, and only the most foolhardy every venture there.
The Outlands
Beyond the settled star systems of the imperial domains are the Outlands. Technically, any region of the galaxy not settled and developed by the Empire is classified as part of the Outlands. In practice, the term refers to the frontier region surrounding the Empire. The borders of this frontier are constantly being pushed outward, and many formerly Outlands worlds are colonized and brought within the imperial fold. As a result, this indistinct region is constantly in flux.
The Outlands are divided into two hemispherical sections: the Coreward Reach and the Rimward Barrens. As their names suggest, they each account for two halves of the outer shell that surrounds the Empire. In general, the Coreward Reach has been more thoroughly explored and colonized than the Rimward Barrens, because the royal houses that control the coreward domains typically have more resources at their disposal to do so. Isolated colonies and outposts in the Rimward Barrens are some of the loneliest places in the known galaxy.
Despite the commonalities of life throughout the known galaxy, the planets of the Outlands are as varied as the stars. Some of these worlds are home to civilizations that predate the Star League. Others are teeming with plant and animal life but not a single sentient race. Some are incredibly rich in magic, dominated by wizards and sorcerers of astonishing power. Others are dominated by theocracies in which arcane magic is punishable by death. Some know little of the arcane arts or divine magic, but have built thriving civilizations based on science and technology. On at least one occasion, a slower-than-light starship launched from such a world made first contact with the Empire—rather than the other way around—at a remote outpost in the Coreward Reach.
Most of the Outlands worlds, of course, are not as unified as the above might suggest. These worlds support many races, cultures, and civilizations, each with different characteristics and different levels of development. The greatest civilization on the planet Nenlach in the Kalban system is an elven empire many thousands of years old. This realm is steeped in magic—some of it more advanced than the imperial standard. The rest of Nenlach's population, however, is remarkably primitive: Dwarves dig shallow holes in the mountains with flint tools, and human nomads hunt on the savannas with sharpened sticks. The characteristics of these worlds are often generalized and simplified in imperial records, but visitors soon learn that the reality is always much more complicated.
The experience of Outlands worlds that have made contact with the Dragon Empire varies greatly. Predictably, the royal houses of Qesemet are usually more delicate in their dealings with Outlands cultures than are their counterparts in the Kingdom of Asamet. The Royal Exploratory Service is responsible for most of the first-contact operations in regions controlled by Qesemet. This prestigious organization has strict rules and procedures governing when, why, and how a new world is contacted. In most cases, extended periods of covert and non-intrusive observation are required before any contact is made. Full contact follows only after it has been determined that it would benefit both Qesemet and the Outlands world.
First contact with Asamet is usually a more difficult and disruptive event for the Outlands worlds within its zones of influence. Most dragons—even the good-aligned subspecies—have an innate biologically, magically, and spiritually driven greed often referred to as the "hoarding instinct." Just as most species are driven by instincts of survival and reproduction, dragons are driven to acquire wealth, possessions, and power. The hoarding instinct is, unsurprisingly, strongest in the dragons who rise to positions of leadership and dominance. And in most evil dragons, this instinct is often satiated through violence. Simply put, if they see something they want, they take it. If someone else already claims it, they are merely an enemy to be defeated in pursuit of the prize.
As a result, the royal houses of Asamet have a long history of annexing Outlands worlds using all manner of violent means. Their most common tool is straightforward military conquest, and the viceroys assigned to rule these worlds in the aftermath are typically ruthless in the measures they use to keep the native populace in line.
In some cases, though, a planet is too powerful or a house's resources too limited for the military option to be viable. On these worlds, the royal houses of Asamet often conduct extended campaigns of covert destabilization to break or corrupt their enemies from within. These campaigns may last decades or even centuries, but the near-immortal great wyrms who direct these actions can afford to be patient.
Under Mezzenbone's rule, the Imperial Special Police Directorate is a sinister shadow of Qesemet's Royal Exploratory Service. While their activities are never proven publicly, ISPD agents operating covertly on Outlands worlds have assassinated kings, wizards, and clerics and touched off devastating wars between rival nations to soften them up for eventual conquest. For example, on Primogen II, the ISPD secretly funnels high-tech weapons to both the good- and evil-aligned factions, simply to perpetuate the age-old conflict that prevents them from threatening the imperial presence on the planet.
When an Outlands world is formally colonized by the Empire, a viceroy is assigned as the imperial representative on the planet. In the domains controlled by the royal houses of Qesemet, the viceroy may be little more than an advisor, working with existing, traditional governments to facilitate the planet's transition from fully autonomous Outlands world to imperial colony. The viceroy maintains the authority to step in and take control if necessary, but otherwise interferes in the day-to-day government of the planet as little as possible. On planets annexed by Asamet, the viceroys typically rule with a tighter fist. On some worlds, the governments of the major nations have been wiped out entirely to paralyze any opposition to the viceroy and his rule.
The viceroys are, in principle, nominated by the leader of the royal house in whose domain a planet is located. For example, Khelorn, the Grand Duke of Deserene, is ultimately responsible for naming the viceroy of a new Outlands colony founded within the Domain of Deserene. In reality, the royal houses have whole semi-feudal bureaucracies to which the Grand Dukes delegate these responsibilities. Usually, these assignments are made for purely political reasons: to forge stronger alliances with powerful families, to reward service, or to appease an influential lord's displeasure with some matter of policy or anger at some perceived slight. The result is an intricate feudal game of obligation and privilege, service and reward, of which the valuable Outlands are the ultimate prize.