Hegemony of Man
Of the starfaring races of the ‘verse, only the vect are truly younger than humans, and none have less total time in the sky. Yet, despite that, since the day the first human astronauts bootstrapped their way from High Terra to the stars, their expansion has been quick, rash, and almost virulent. Within five generations, humans were amongst the most populous races in the galaxy. Despite having a relatively short lifespan, their adaptability, ingenuity, almost comical lack of concern for their own well-being, (along with their apparent ability to crossbreed with nearly any type of humanoid) makes them a force in the galaxy that can’t be ignored.
In the decades prior to their spaceward expansion, the humans endured a series of nearly cataclysmic wars on High Terra. Were it not for a secretive group of world leaders banding together out of mutual self-interest on the eve of their own self-destruction, humanity might have snuffed itself out before it truly began. That secretive cabal of leaders went on to build the foundations of the Human Alliance. Within a decade of this new, united humankind working towards space colonization, they had colonized all twenty planets in its home system, discovered Void-based FTL travel, and sent their first delegation of ambassadors to their nearest maw.
Not merely content with owning their own small piece of space, humanity exploded outwards. Under the guidance of the legendary wizard Gregorian Terminus, the human alliance stretched itself to the edges of its reach. Colonizing and conquering world after world with force, bartering, mutual partnership, political marriages, and any other tactic they could use to ingratiate themselves with the discovered local cultures, the Alliance become large enough to potentially usurp galactic balance.
The Rift War
Expansion, however peaceful or beneficial, always runs to a stopping point. In this instance, it was simultaneous encounters on either side of Alliance space with two massive armadas: on one side, a seemingly endless Forest of elven tree-ships, and on the other, the ramshackle, flame-spewing ships of the Orc Warhorde. The war proper lasted for only a single year, but in that time, each fleet rained destruction on each other the like of which the galaxy had not seen since the Night Crusade. In the end, the Orc Warhorde was pushed back and treaties were signed with the elves, but the Alliance had been split in two. As the borders of Alliance space are very nearly bisected by an impassible Dead Magic Zone, the two “halves” of the Alliance had been left to fight their part of the war on their own.Around High Terra, the independent worlds of the Alliance leaned heavily on the leadership and military of the Terran government and Chancellor Gregorian Terminus during the conflict with the elves. Following the end of the war, it was decided in a landslide election to reform the Alliance into the Terran Hegemony: all independent worlds of the Alliance would become sovereign territory of High Terra and would follow its rule above all else.
Terminus himself was elected Arch-Chancellor of the new Hegemony and led its post-war reformation and reconstruction efforts. No one is quite sure when Terminus, an accomplished wizard, underwent the Rite of Lichdom, but by the time he turned 150 years old, it was clear that Terminus had become an immortal lich. However, with the strength of the Hegemony growing, and in deference to his considerable power, Terminus saw no public opposition for two hundred years of leadership.
Once all was said and done, Terminus stepped down from the position he had held for two centuries and handed the reins to the first of many High Chancellors, Dominus Arcto III, who set the standard for all High Chancellors to follow. Terminus, immortal as he is, still maintains some pull on the dealings of High Terra, and has maintained a permanent position as advisor to the High Chancellor since his abdication. Some whisper that he still controls the seat of power, but none have been able to substantiate this claim.
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