Like a phoenix rising from its own ash, the Ascendant Dawn was likewise born from the ruinous final hours of the High Imperium. Even as warships of the Stellar Assembly poured into the capital system of Taros, civilian ships fled through an intergalactic gateway to safety.
But the Dawn has its origins even further back, when the Imperium was still the master of its own destiny and yet sought to expand its ambitions and control beyond the very edge of the galaxy. A task force dispatched on a relief mission through an unstable hyperspace passage to a nearby dwarf galaxy instead found a further passage to a much larger galaxy, one on par with the Milky Way itself. The cost of the journey proved to be beyond counting for the inhabitants of the dwarf galaxy, which was collapsed by the Imperial fleet’s journey.
The long years between the fleet’s departure and reestablishment of contact between the newly formed colonies and the wider Imperium remain largely without historical note, aside from contact with several alien factions. But when Elandra Vos, leery of the growing shadow over her empire reached out to the Imperium’s long-lost children, they responded eagerly. Sadly, Vos perished in the Great Betrayal mere weeks after contact and the burden of leading her people from their path of ruin fell to her illegitimate daughter Alearan.
The result of a particularly torrid affair with a dashing naval officer, Alearan was raised with the eventual aim of taking her mother’s place, even before the Shadow revealed itself. After Elandra’s death, swift action only became imperative, thus justifying what she did next. A daring raid on a naval station allowed Alearan to bring several satellites down from orbit onto Taros, serving as a distraction to Contemplator while she coordinated evacuation efforts with the help of several senior admirals.
Upon arrival in the new galaxy, the refugees and preexisting colonists wasted no time in crowning Alearan as Empress and head of state for the newly formed Ascendant Dawn. From this point forward, Alearan and her successors reign’s have been mostly focused on expansion and consolidation of their newfound dominion.
For the day is coming fast and the time is here at last. The dawn shall come again and the Circled Star’s light will once more blaze in the halls of the mighty and powerful…
Basic Governmental Structure
Eschewing the Imperium’s rigid structure of social class and the absolute monopoly of the noble houses, the Dawn is instead structured around merchant combines formed of extended families and their allies. Politics are much more fluid as a result of these larger social networks and the shifting way they interact. Each of the combines is allowed to appoint one member to the Convocation, the main legislative body of the Dawn, which sets such things as taxes, tariffs, and general trading policy.
Society and Economics
Isolated as it is, trade and economics are the very lifeblood of the Dawn, and the major trade hubs are the beating hearts that keep it all moving. The Dawn has retained the Imperium’s practice of using a “byte” of data as standard currency, but this has been justified on the basis of stability and containing inflation, rather than any real need to compete with the economies of other nations.
The Dawn boasts an even higher standard of living for its citizens than the Imperium ever did, thanks to the constant currents of trade that flow through it. This means that the average person within the Dawn’s borders is far more likely to have a working knowledge of politics, as well as a keen interest in such.
Military - General
The Dawn military, such as it is, exists mainly as a lever to pursue trade negotiations by other means. More than one world has refused favorable terms of trade or offered decidedly slanted trade deals, only to find Dawn warships darkening their skies and hunting their shipping lanes with wild abandon.
The Dawn has finally grasped the one lesson that the Imperium never could when battling its many foes. Cut the supply line and the enemy will crumple like paper. As ruthless in its own way as the Imperium ever was, the merchant combines still maintain sizeable technologies and hidden shipyards. And in dire times of war, every last ship that flies can be found to volunteer for some sort of mission, no matter how small.
In addition, Dawn privateers are a terror to behold, brutal and bloodthirsty, capable of callous tortures and mind games that would break even the strongest of opponents.
Advanced Technology
The merchant families of the Dawn have lost none of the technological prowess of their forebears, and have even come up with a few new tricks or streamlined other things. Kinetic weapon carriers are a staple of continuing advancement, as is Interdict technology, for these consummate traders know that isolating your foe is the first step on the road to victory..
On the other hand, largely fallen the wayside and shunned but still preserved is the infamous tech known to the Milky Way as Reality Editors. Largely blamed for the final destruction of Taros and seen by most as a tool of the Shadow, Editors are feared and the merest whisper of anything connected with it can ruin entire careers and sometimes end lives. But the Dawn still maintains knowledge of their workings and manufacture against the black day of need when the keys of Ragnarok will be needed again...
The Rise of the Syndicate
When the Dawn finally returned to the Milky Way, they were disgusted with what they saw. Militaristic empires running amuck, and other powers with a stranglehold on trade lanes. Enraged, the Dawn began slowly reaching out to those it knew would be sympathetic to its cause. And now they have risen.
The Dread Seven, The Shadow Powers, The Syndicate.
Call them what you will, their goal is the same. The complete and utter dissolution of the Stellar Assembly and its banishment to the furthest corners of history. Now they have stepped out of the shadows and into the light, but with a crushing defeat at the Battle of Schwalbe, the leaders of the Dawn must evaluate just how far they are willing to go to achieve victory as the War in Heaven rages once more...