Before the Alliance:

The Polybius Galaxy, once ruled by the decayed Holy Earthtine Empire under a name long forgotten, is now free to choose its destiny. In ancient times, the people of Polybius rose in rebellion against the morally decaying Empire with the help of mighty and seemingly divine beasts. The nihilistic Empire was driven out of the galaxy and placed under the sovereignty of these extraordinary beings. The beings were diverse, with the Polybian Dragons being the mightiest of them all. It was through the Dragons' magicka that led to the reckoning of Polybius's Imperial Government. The Dragons sought to guide their followers towards building new civilizations. Dragonkind divided non-dragons into vassal realms, usually divided between different tribes of various species. The Dragons became content, prideful, and full of hubris. The Dragons soon forgot the values of equality, and many started to see themselves as superior to every other being. The most powerful of the Dragon realms was the Celestial Dragons, who waged war against the Dragon Kingdoms of the outer arms.

Through years of conflict, the foundations of Dragonic civilization decayed. Grand ambitions slowed, turned to petty greed as once wise leaders turned into petty warlords. Conflict opened weaknesses for the vengeful remnants of the Empire to regain their cruel dominion over the Galaxy. The people of the galaxy rose in rebellion against both the Dragons and the Imperial Reconquerers to success. The Polybius nations and the Imperials pushed the Dragons to the brink of extinction, targeting both good and evil Dragons indiscriminately. What was left of the Celestial Dragons were forced to leave the Galaxy while the Warlord Dragons hid in the deepest voids between the Galactic Arms. These tyrannical Dragons formed their own Pirate Kingdoms while the Polybius nations formed alliances to push both the Dragons and the Empire out of the galaxy once again.

The Polybian people formed their own nations, kingdoms, and alliances after the end of the Second Great War. The galaxy was divided between trivial and arbitrary cultural regions defined by colonial interests. Close to the galactic core is the Celestial Systems, home to the wealthiest and most diverse nations in the galaxy. Every type of ideology, religion, and culture can be found in the Celestial Systems. Such as Philosophical Atheists living side by side with Communal-minded spiritualists, authoritarian fundamentalists, lesbian monarchies, materialistic artists, insectoid collectives, anything that one can imagine calls the Celestial Systems home. Though they may not all get along, they are united under a common goal of defending themselves against pirates, dragons, and the Empire.

The other side of the galactic core, past its axis, is known to the Celestials as the “Agrestal Systems,” which takes up half of the galaxy. The Agrestal Systems is far less organized, leaving little room for social connection as it is home to isolated, nomadic cultures. The exception is the Sovereignty of Harmonous Kingdoms, a confederacy of wealthy kingdoms that rivals the Star Alliance. In the same axis as the Celestial Systems is the Periphery Systems, both divided between Arrvian and Notori spheres of influence.

The Notori Periphery was once dominated by the human Kingdom of Notor until the Kingdom became the founding member of the Polybius Star Alliance. The single major power in the Notori Periphery today is the remote Indari Republic, home to the bashful but self-sufficient avians, the Indarian species. The relatively young Republic is known for being a hub for science and capitalism in the Periphery, being home to many upstart and humble corporations and syndicates. On the other side is the more conservative-minded Arrvian Periphery, home to the powerful and old Queendom of Arrvia. A conservative matriarchy that has colonized the Periphery and serves as the Alliance’s closest rival. The Arrvian Periphery, unlike its Notori cousin, is the second poorest in the galaxy after the Agrestal Systems. While the Queendom imposes its peace across its Periphery, it is still home to rivaling, reactionary kingdoms waging war against each other.

Both Peripheries are poor, wartorn, and troubled by piracy, dragons, and Imperial remnants. To the Celestials, the Peripheries are a sad nuisance, one that is seen for its uncharted wealth, a source of mass migration and immigration at best or a source of crime and piracy at worst. The Peripheries themselves are a topic of the Alliance’s biggest culture wars between progressives, conservatives, and supremacists.

The Polybius Star Alliance:

The largest to ever be known is currently the United Polybius Star Alliance. Founded by Fedor IV the Great of the Kingdom of Notor after conquering the warring Celestial nations with the help of the Utorian Princepality. King Fedor forced the conquered nations to reform into Utorian-style democracies, and eventually into a military alliance between Notor and Utoria. The alliance itself brought about stability and progress, even outgrowing its founders with the decline of the Norr Dynesty. What was once a simple alliance to manage Notor and Utoria’s client states reformed into a democratic union of nations. And 1000 years since its foundation, the Alliance has endured every pirate, Imperial, dragon, and eldritch horror that has invaded it while bringing about the best quality of life since the Old Empire in its glory days. The Alliance is considered to be the successor of the Earthtine Empire in Polybis. Being the envy of the galaxy and even beyond.

But not everyone is content in the Alliance; many wish to see it either reformed into something greater or decentralized, or even abolished. Many wish to see it succeed the Old Empire, such as the progressives who see the Alliance as a means of bringing about a “Shining Polybius Empire”, a progressive and welcoming Empire built on the foundations of equality, equity, and diversity. The Conservatives wish to decentralize the alliance back to its old Notor-Utorian days. Seeing the current Alliance as being bureaucratic and invasive. In their eyes, the Alliance is repeating the same mistakes of the Old Empire by diminishing the sovereignty and cultures of the Celestial Systems. Empowering an out-of-touch centralized government that could one day be taken over by a tyrant.

The last major group is the Supremacists, a title given to them by their Progressive foes (to their annoyance, they prefer “Commonwealithers”). From a surface-level look, the Supremacists are radicalized conservatives opposed to unlimited migration from the Peripheries and the Alliance’s bureaucracy. But the Supremacists are perhaps the most complex of political groups. Supported by dark money of the old Celestial Bearucracy, the title of Supremacists fit their name (to their annoyance,they still prefer “Commonwealithers”.) as the foundation of the Ideology of “Commonwealthism” is the consolidation of power to a centralized and reactionary government under a “Celestial Commonwealth” managed by a gentry of techno-oligarchs and dragonic theologians. Forcing cultural ideas of the Celestial Dragons onto the people, such as bigotry, slavery, and domination, while also eliminating their political rivals. All in the purpose of creating a powerful Commonwealth that can outmatch the Empire through a brutal, militaristic society. Though nearly all of them will deny this when asked.

While the Supremacists are quite infamous, they are also a powerful player in Alliance politics due to their seemingly unlimited funds and corporate and government connections. While using culture war issues as a means to gain popular support. The Alliance’s largest Think Tank is the “Commonwealth Morality Institute” or “The Commonwealth” for short. To their foes, the Commonwealth is a shadowy deep-state puppeting the Alliance’s elites towards their goals. Deeply loathed by the Progressives and the Conservatives, a cold war brews inside the Alliance for cultural dominance.

Recently, Arbris Naroth, CEO of the Aura-El Corporation and the richest man in the galaxy, has become a donor to the Commonwealth’s political causes. Aura-El is the largest monopoly centered on FTL and computer innovations, which maintains the Alliance’s economy. Though critics of him say that he merely retrofits old Imperial technology and passes them off as his own inventions. Worrying still, rumors started by whistleblowers state that Naroth has started focusing on Imperial AGI technology. He’s specifically focused on prospecting operations on old Imperial Megalopolises. The rumors say he’s looking to awaken an ancient evil, but nobody is not sure on the specifics...

=====================
This map represents 7 (or more, I lost count) years of trial, error, and coping with low self-esteem. A map representing the main setting for my Earthtine Project.
This is a very unusual post, and I will never get an account for Bluesky or Twitter. So I'm posting it here for now.

The map is stil very much a work in progress. An always-evolving personal project when I have the will to work on it more. Very much an early access. I'm posting it now so I have some motivation to work on the damn thing.

Full version here: https://www.deviantart.com/pheasant.....-AC-1247062540