Old Empire Capitals and the Growth of DV culture, commerce, and trade

Written by Halli

The old empire capitals of Delta Velorum used to denote the original, founding empires of the galaxy. Elves, dwarves, gnomes, Orcs, and Avia-Ra. For centuries, these empires forged alliances, started and ended wars, and brokered trade and peace treaties. But all of this turmoil left the galaxy in a constant state of upheaval. Citizens in each empire were on the brink of revolution; in particular, a group of influential gnomes took to space and established the Gnomish Flotilla, which still operates to this day.
The Gnomish Flotilla was originally established as an exploration and peace-making endeavor, meant to visit each empire capital and learn of their culture, ways, and people. They were met with a mix of skepticism, worry, and sometimes, hostility. The Gnome empire disavowed any connected to the Flotilla. Only after the old empires slowly dwindled, and then were disbanded, did the Flotilla return back to Martax. But it does make a yearly orbit around the DV, acting as an aid ship to those dealing with plague, drought, or civil war.
As the IC was formed, and then eventually disbanded, the old empires slowly began to let go of their militarized, hostile ways. The arrival of humans, the invention of the Vect, and the migration of the Skithari, forced the old empires' hands in a way they didn't expect. Cultures merged, blossomed, changed. The concept of "race" became more muddied, since the old empires were no longer clinging to narrow-minded thinking. Other events - ship crashes, visitors from other galaxies, the implosion of the Andromeda Galaxy - buoyed the rising tide of citizen-led adoptions of new ways of thinking, doing, and being. While ancestrally and genetically the old empires still exist, their cultures have merged and blended so much with others, including new entries to the DV like humans, creating a much more interesting, wide-open galaxy.
Now, the old empire capitals act as main hubs for trade, commerce, and education. Each old empire capital has its specialties.

• Etilion (Old Empire Capital of the Elves): General academics and higher learning; skilled artisans and jewelers. The universities and libraries of Etilion are the best in the DV.
• High Terra (Old Empire Capital of the Humans): Agriculture; technology labs (including Vect-run labs, which are still a source of suspicion among some). The military has several ship building docks on High Terra.
• Drez (Old Empire Capital of the Orcs): Magic schooling and DV Governance-approved magical experimentation; Maw studies and research. Skilled textile weavers, leather workers, and other tradesmen see the markets of Drez as the best in the DV.
• Jormund (Old Empire Capital of the Dwarves): DV Governance-approved Vect studies; exploration and research into The Black (the space beyond the Outer Maw Ring). Jormund is also home to massive crystal parks, which attract millions of visitors.
• Kemet (Old Empire Capital of the Avia-Ra): Military training; gourmet cooking (Kemet has some of the best restaurants in the galaxy). General commerce and open-air markets.

Lakshay: The world of Lakshay is a stand out in the DV. Because the humans who split from High Terra long ago never managed to establish Lakshay as a power in the DV, this capital world has struggled for some time. It is known as a haven for bandits, thieves, and illegal magical and technological experiments. But it's also the best place to get new, off-the-market tech. There is also a renown racing track on the dark side of Lakshay where the stakes are so high those who enter can win big, but forfeit everything they own if they lose. DV Governors would love nothing more than to bring Lakshay "to heel" but they have not been successful so far.
DV Governors meet on Concordia, a planet quite close to the Sepulchur Star.
For players: Depending on the old empire capital closest to where you grew up (or if you grew up on one), you can pick a specialty of that capital to have knowledge in. Rolls to access this knowledge are done with Advantage.