Zaheidi Empire

The Zaheidi Empire is a vast empire of Icathiria led and dominated by the zaheidi, an enigmatic race never seen without their everpresent armor. The empire encompasses several thousand inhabited planets, and claims more than sixty million cubic light years of space (though admittedly its grip on much of that space is somewhat tenuous). The Empire is a powerful and influential force in the known space of Icathiria, with the military and economic might to impose its needs on worlds that would otherwise have little interest in its affairs.

Demographics

The vast majority of Empire's inhabitants are zaheidi—97%, according to some estimates. Though there is no official injunction against other races settling in the Empire, imperial laws heavily favor the zaheidi, making citizens of other races feel like a repressed underclass, and making those of other races therefore reluctant to settle in the empire in the first place. Aside from the zaheidi themselves, the most common race in the Empire is the geminus, which for some reason seem to be less bothered by their unequal treatment there (though certainly not entirely unbothered by it). Etasens, gamians, and humans also are represented among the Empire's citizens, as well as members of other Icathirian races in still smaller numbers.

If zaheidi make up the overwhelming majority of the Empire's population, the converse is also true: the Empire encompasses an overwhelming majority of Icathiria's zaheidi. Zaheidi are welcomed into the Empire with no questions asked, and most zaheidi find the chance to be among their fellows and to be favored over those of other races difficult to turn down. Even those few zaheidi not born into imperial citizenship, then, often emigrate there and become citizens. Very rarely, an unusual zaheidi may renounce its citizenship and leave the Empire out of protest over its discriminatory policies, or for other reasons, but even so the iconoclast's descendants are likely to rejoin it. The only exception—the only zaheidi not readily accepted as imperial citizens—are criminals and rebels exiled from the Empire for their misdeeds. This has led to a perception that all zaheidi outside the Empire are criminals, which has reinforced the desire of extraimperial Zaheidi to join the empire to escape this association. (Eager to encourage all zaheidi to join it, the Empire has done nothing to dispel this misapprehension.)

Cosmography

The Zaheidi Empire actually comprises three principal distinct regions, connected only by warpholes. Where the Empire originated continues to be where the bulk of its planets are located, in the galaxy of Iam. Nearly a quarter of the galaxy is claimed by the Empire. The Empire also, however, has smaller but still significant holdings in the galaxies of Akthalia and the Iris. It also has a presence in Mnendar and the Cauldron, although the Empire's territories there are significantly less extensive.

Next to the capital itself, an Iaman world called Miahdi, the two most heavily guarded and well protected places in the entire Empire are the warpholes connecting Iam to Akthalia and the Iris. The Empire recognizes these warpholes as tactically vital not only because their seizure by an enemy would mean the effective cutting off of the Empire's holdings in these galaxies from the capital (and vice versa), but also for economic reasons. The fact that the Empire controls the only rapid routes between these galaxies gives it a great advantage in trade there.

Government

At the head of the Zaheidi Empire is a figure called by the zaheidi the Iaraba, but known to most outside the Empire as simply the Zaheidi Emperor. While the Emperor's existence is common knowledge, his (or her, or its) appearance and nature are a mystery. The Emperor dwells in a palace called the Resiance on the capital world of Miahdi, and never leaves its grounds—or at least, if he does, he does not do so openly as the Emperor. Conversely, with few exceptions, outsiders are not allowed into the Resiance grounds, with the exception of a small reception area that the Emperor himself never enters. The only exceptions are palace servants called vadelects who, from the moment they accept the position there, are never permitted themselves to leave the grounds (and some of whom are actually born into vadelection); and the Premiers, the highest officials of the government next to the Emperor himself, and the only people permitted to freely enter and leave the Resiance. (Inevitably, given the Empire's racial attitudes, all the Premiers are, and have historically always been, zaheidi.) Only the Premiers and (presumably) the vadelects ever set eyes on the Emperor himself, and neither speaks of the Emperor's appearance or nature to outsiders. This, naturally, has not prevented innumerable stories from spreading: of the Emperor being an enormously oversized zaheidi, of the Emperor being several zaheidi joined together physically and mentally; of the Emperor being some alien being totally unlike the zaheidi; of the Emperor not existing at all, and being nothing more than a pretext by the Premiers who actually run the Empire.

Below the Emperor himself, the Empire is divided into two hundred and sixty two dominions led by local viceroys. The dominions vary in size; the largest encompasses more than six hundred inhabited planets, while several dominions each occupy only a part of a single planet. Regardless, each viceroy nominally has an equal voice on the Imperial Council in which they meet once a (Miahdian) year to express their concerns with the Premiers and encourage them to pass on those concerns to the Emperor. Administrative divisions—and other matters—within each dominion vary widely, the viceroys being given considerable leeway to run things as they see fit so long as they submit the proper levies to the Emperor and follow the policies he imposes.

Relations

The Zaheidi Empire tends toward isolationism, having as little to do with other governmental bodies as possible, especially since those other governmental bodies necessarily comprise mostly nonzaheidi. Nevertheless, the Empire does engage in some trade, selling certain materials and organisms found only within its boundaries and goods manufactured there and buying other goods and organisms only found outside them. The zaheidi are particularly noted for their skill with creating weaponry such as axes and polearms; while these old arms are certainly considered too old-fashioned to be practical for actual use in combat (the zaheidi themselves utilize them principally ceremonially), certain groups and many individuals enjoy acquiring them for decorative purposes, especially as the weapons of zaheidi manufacture are often finely and skillfully decorated.

While the Empire is not currently at war with any other major power, its mildly expansionistic nature has certainly embroiled it in conflicts in the past. The Empire is not particularly interested in conquering more inhabited planets and absorbing more nonzaheidi into its population. It is, however, interested in gradually expanding its territory to make room for its slowly growing population. While most of the time the Empire seems content with its current holdings, at irregular intervals (spaced many years apart) it seemingly suddenly decides it needs to seize a few more planets. When this happens, it obviously comes into conflict with the inhabitants of those planets, if any, and with its neighbors and allies.

There are some organizations with which the Zaheidi Empire has a more or less continually antagonistic relationship. The Accord is certainly the largest such organization; perhaps the only empire of Icathiria larger than the Zaheidi Empire, the Accord sees the other empire as a threat that cannot be allowed to grow too powerful. For the most part, the tension between the two empires takes the form of sabotage and of strikes and skirmishes between the empires' forces far from the empires themselves, which can be disavowed by their respective leaders if necessary. War has broken out between the two empires in the past, however, and while it has never lasted long it has been very destructive while it went on. The Zaheidi Empire also counts the Legion among its enemies; the Legion not unreasonably considers the Zaheidi Empire to be prejudicial and unfair to nonzaheidi, and has frequently taken measures to show its displeasure and try to better the situation.