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Level 4 secure data is now accessible.</span><br/><br/><br/>- - - - -<br/><br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Silvara Galaxy Map</span></span><br/><br/><img alt="Image" src="http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/sonatawolf/GalaxyMap.jpg"/><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Old Alkarom Empire</span><br/><br/>The Old Alkarom Empire refers to the remnants of the original unified anthro empire before the Fracture Wars of 4412. Although it is still territorially the largest alliance within the Lower Silvara sector, the empire is only a third of the size it used to span, many of its outer colonies haven either been taken by force or given to other alliances as parts of treatises. The Old Alkarom Empire's main military force is known as the Alkarom Alliance, supplemented by local militia in their efforts to preserve peace and stability within the empire's borders. The Empire's stated agenda as of 450X is to “reunite all anthros under the Alkarom name and continue the advancement of our species.” That being said, differing interpretations of this goal have sparked numerous debates between the progressive and the traditional, and as such consensus on how to accomplish said goal has never been reached.<br/><br/>While the central government of the Empire is quite prominent, the regime makes a point of taking a laissez-faire approach to interstellar law, allowing individual planets and entities to create their own legislation besides their own. Over the past several hundred years, this has allowed multitudes of cultures and lifestyles to form, from feudal warrior states to top academic centers. However, in recent years, the central government has put a number of wartime policies into effect due to increased diplomatic tensions between neighboring empires. Encouragement to join the military has also risen in hopes of gathering the troops needed to counter new military threats.<br/><br/>The anthro home planet of Alkarom is obviously located in this region, along with the demi home planet of Senaya.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Kenarai Empire</span><br/><br/>Occupying the side of the Lower Silvara Sector opposite of the Old Alkarom Empire, the Kenarai Empire is the second-largest of the four recognized galactic entities. It also bears significance for being the first collection of regions to break off of the Alkarom Empire, thus marking the beginning of the Fracture Wars. Thus, relations between the two empires have never been particularly stable, but fortunately the last decade has seen the first of hopefully many compromises and peace talks between them. However, given the number of contested colonies and the state of the Catin Empire, the line between war and peace will remain perilously thin for the rest of the century.<br/><br/>Unlike the Old Alkarom Empire, the central government of the Kenarai Empire exercises it's power greatly, levying and enforcing interstellar legislation with only limited consent from the individual planets. It is through such policy the empire continues to strive for it's goal of becoming the galaxy's strongest military force, strong enough to stand against any others who would threaten their liberties, and as such mandatory military training and optional combat specialization programs are present on almost every planet in Kenarai Space. Although such firm handling has sparked a number of quickly-crushed short-lived rebellions in the past, most local entities follow the central government's own belief's themselves, thus making such heavy-handed law not as oppressive as one would think.<br/><br/>The tauric home planet of Reyjic is also located in this region.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Catin Empire</span><br/><br/>Relatively small and weak compared with it's neighboring territories, the Catin Empire is a low-key entity occupying a small fan of systems near the galaxy's center and likely would have never come into being without the intervention of the Old Alkarom Empire. Unlike most non-Alkarom regions, the Catin Empire was not formed as a result of the Fracture Wars, instead starting as a contested territory between the Kenarai and Old Alkarom Empires. In 4632, representatives from both parties compromised and allowed the debated area to become an independent state, thus creating the Catin Empire. Nontheless, there are many Kenarai officials who still see the compromise as temporary, despite sentiments otherwise from Old Alkarom and from Catin itself.<br/><br/>One of the reasons Catin space was so hotly contested was due to the presence of many resource-rich planets, created either naturally or through private terraforming endeavors. As such, agriculture and raw materials form the crux of Catin economy, with their harvests and mining fueling many other colonies in and out of their borders. Catin culture reflects this comparatively rustic lifestyle, but at the same time those discontent with the usual small-town way of life often leave for greater endeavors. Thus, the planets of the Catin Empire have more often than not served as homeworlds for some of the galaxy's finest adventurers and scholars.<br/><br/>The feral home planet of Vural is also located in this region.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Herakor Empire</span><br/><br/>In most recent times, the Herakor Empire has undergone the most change and, worryingly, has become one of the Alkarom Empire's greatest potential threats. It has never been particularly notable in galactic interactions until the last few decades, originating in the Fracture Wars as a splinter region formed during the chaos of the conflict. Throughout most of its history, the Herakor Empire was racked with civil war due to disagreements between it's planets, preventing the territory as a collective from every playing a large role in interstellar diplomacy. However, roughly two decades ago rulers from one planet managed, through unknown methods, to take control of the Herakor Empire and create a military force of a unprecedented caliber (specific intel about the rulers, planets, or military are above your security clearance). Since then, the Herakor have been launching invasions of the outer borders of the Alkarom, and, unprepared for such a sudden and powerful assaults, the Alkarom has been forced to give up an alarmingly large number of its furthest colonies. Although an adequate defense has now been set up, the new force behind the Herakor Empire is still a worrying development.<br/><br/>Due to the state of affairs between the Alkarom Alliance and the Herakor Empire, little data about the latter's culture exist. What little that does exist, however, seems to describe an almost monarchic and heavily war-oriented form of government. According to refugees from the region, most planets are kept under strict martial law, with the military's influence present in nearly all aspects of daily life. Accounts of numerous specialized training programs and domestic operations have also surfaced, although the nature of these programs are currently above your security clearance. Both of this data only attests to the lust for conquest the Herakor Empire seems to have, making their latest insurgence all the more troubling.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Uncharted Territories</span><br/><br/>The unmarked areas on the Galaxy Map corresponding to the Upper Silvara Sector are uncharted territories, aka regions that have not been claimed by any of the four governments. Preliminary exploration of the closest systems seem to suggest that most planets in these sectors are either not colonizable or are too hazardous to attempt such a feat, thus creating a general consensus that such exploration isn't worth government funding. That being said, the region is of much interest to private companies aiming to find resources or other useful materials in the wide expanse. Thus, countless explorers have pressed deeper and deeper into this region in hopes of finding useful planets, but due to the nature of their work, more often than not these expeditions often turn into one-way trips. Further complicating matters is increased border enforcement from both the Kenarai and the Herakor Empires, making entry into the uncharted territories rather difficult.<br/><br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Notable Species</span></span><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Anthros</span><br/><br/>The term “anthro” is colloquially used to describe the bipedal animalistic creatures that originate from the planet of Alkarom. They all share similar body structures, walking on two legs and having arms, but countless variations from this standard formula exist due to the multitude of races* in existence. The name “anthro” is derived from local religion, which described similarly built but strangely furless creatures said to reside in another far-off galaxy. By and large, anthros are social and versatile, containing a blend of evolutionary traits that makes them ideal for all sorts of jobs.<br/><br/>Anthros have come to be the dominant species of the galaxy, easily the most numerous at an estimated 75% of galactic population and having claimed most  galactic space in the Lower Silvara Sector. However, their unity as denizens of Alkarom have long since shattered due to the Fracture Wars, which led to the creation of nearly a dozen independent anthro empires.Recent years have seen the creation of alliances, which shrunk the number of these empires down to four, but from the current state of affairs the reunion of anthros under one title seems unlikely in the near future.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">((*In the context of the game, "species" refers to the body structure of the character, as in anthros versus demis. "Race" denotes what we would normally call species, that is differences in base species, as in fox versus cat.))</span><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Demis</span><br/><br/>First contact with demis was made on their home planet of Senaya in the Year 4261. Demis seem to be a mix of features between anthros and the aforementioned furless creatures, having smooth furless skin but any number of animal features as well. First encounter with demis were peaceful, and at this time anthros had just begun major coloization efforts around Alkarom while demis had were still grasping basic space travel. By sharing their technology with the demis, they were able to join the anthros as the second spacefaring species in the Silvara Galaxy.<br/><br/>Demis comprise the second most numerous group in the galactic populace at 15%, with their numbers spread throughout all parts of anthro space. Due to their biological similarities, demis are capable of most jobs and tasks anthros are, but anthros are usually slightly more physically adept. Interestingly, demis seem to comprise the highest percentage of space explorers, although whether or not this has a biological basis is currently unknown.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Ferals**</span><br/><br/>First contact with the ferals was made on the surface of their home planet Vural in the Year 4307. Ferals share many characteristics of anthros in terms of bodily structure, even having many of the same racial divisions in the species. However, ferals instead have another set of legs in place of arms and walk on all fours. The stark similarities apart from these characteristics, in anthros, ferals, demis, and taurics alike, seem to suggest a common biological basis despite their evolution on different planets, a conundrum that still has many top scientists scratching their heads.<br/><br/>Although first contact with ferals was hostile, peace was quickly worked out between them, and before long they were taught the technology needed to become a spacefaring species themselves. Ferals make up a rather small portion of galactic population, roughly 5%. Although either the same height or shorter than anthros in most cases, the shape of their bodies often means they are equally sized or larger and are more physically adept, and as such ferals mostly partake in labor and transportation jobs.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">((**Unlike in most cases, ferals in this game are, by and large, intelligent creatures. That is, they are capable of complex thought and morals and are just as capable of learning as any other species!))</span><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Taurics</span><br/><br/>First contact with taurics came on their home planet of Reyjic in the Year 4384. Taurics are large and powerful and seem to be a combination of both anthros and ferals. Their upper bodies seem identical to those of anthros, but their lower bodies resemble those of ferals from the shoulders down. Larger body structures all-around mean that taurics are often close to twice as tall as anthros and weigh far more. First contact with taurics was peaceful, and before long they joined the other three species in space faring endeavors. However, tensions from a nearby anthro planet, which saw the taurics as dangerous, ultimately resulted in a revolt of Taurics known as the Tauric Rebellion, which other local anthros crushed with quick and violent force. Disagreements between these local planets and the Alkarom regime on how the situation was handled lead to the initial splitting of the Kenarai Empire from the original empire, thus setting off the Fracture Wars.<br/><br/>Taurics only make up about 5% of the galactic populace, with their numbers spread far and wide since the incident on their homeplanet. However, due to their combination of anthro and feral traits they are very well-suited for combat and, as such, mostly work as military personnel or as independent mercenaries, bounty hunters, and guns for hire.<br/><br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Technology vs. Magic</span></span><br/><br/>As suggested above, a number of religious beliefs exist amongst all the spacefaring species and, as of late, been the subject of much debate in recent years. Despite the considerable technological advancements that have brought galactic civilization to the state it is now, there are still many phenomena that scientific minds have been unable to decipher. In some feudal worlds, the manipulation of fire and water is practiced as an art and for self-defense, while other individuals exhibit telekinetic powers with no biological or mechanical explanation.<br/><br/>Over the millennia, the ability to use such magical powers has lead to the rise of many religions, each putting forth their own deities. Historical records have shown many reports and claims of these higher powers teaching magic to mortal individuals, may of which still find life via publications and the extranet. However, most scholars dismiss the idea as old speculation, stories created when scientific knowledge had yet to illuminate the world. Even so, the presence of unexplainable powers in not deniable, and knowledge of these powers and their associated beliefs is recommended for all higher-ranking personnel in the Alkarom Alliance.