SAFFI

Saffi (neutral vulgar misnomer, nonfaction specific)

Na-Shiyaa'fir (Person, native ethonym)

Um-Shubar'fir (Big Person, native ethonym)

U-Scha'hi Urs-katal (The Branch Coalition, by themselves as collective)

Last updated: July 3rd 2026

COLLECTIVE SUMMARY

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According to Saffi records, their species were already a blooming starfaring civilization for 2,000 years when the Unrelenting Force struck their homeworld (circa 1452 AdF). The invasion resulted in the effective collapse of the Saffi interstellar sphere, forcing the evacuation of billions and the abandonment of numerous settled worlds.

Dominion Saffi are almost exclusively affiliated to a faction known as the Branch Coalition, originally intended as a temporary evacuation government, it gradually evolved into the dominant political body among surviving Saffi populations. It is a loose federation of clan fleets with no central authority.

The Branch Coalition was responsible for taking evacuated populations far from Saffi space in search of potentially habitable worlds to reestablish and regroup their civilization - it took them almost two centuries to make first-contact with the Dominion, a stationed Qire vessel in the Riterkor system, in 1660 AdF.

The encounter rapidly escalated to Saffi-led aggression towards the stationed Qire crew, who worked patiently to appease and calm the interlopers. A series of diplomatic encounters led to the Qire welcoming the Saffi into the Foundational Dominion. Joined the Dominion in 1781 AdF (aligned neutral power).

Origin

The star Ou'Papa (-130, -5, -50), about 140ly from Argost - just 33ly from Riterkor, deep within Qire space.

Originally from the small planet Ma-Okar, a moon of the gas giant Ma-Humpar. The Saffi home is a lush forested rainworld, thanks to the intense weather systems created by tidal interactions with Ma-Humpar and the planet's sibling moons.

Ma-Okar sports a very large 100km-wide crater in the planet's northern hemisphere, a remnant of a theorized asteroid impact that would have occurred about 4.5~4.7 million years ago. The resulting ecological collapse opened numerous vacant niches, allowing the ancestors of the Saffi and Shubafi to rapidly diversify into roles previously occupied by the planet's megafauna. A fine layer of radioactive atomic tungsten, cobalt and iron found all over the globe might challenge the origins and nature of the impactor.

Abroad, they're known to claim very few worlds, but operate numerous space habitats and crews throughout the Dominion.

Saffi cultural traditions generally reject concepts analogous to "honorable combat". Victory and survival are commonly viewed as the only meaningful measures of success in conflict.

Description

The Saffi as a collective aren't one single species, more like a 'civilizational label'. They are a joint of two main subspecies that according historical records, have had a strong mixed-relationship prior to the collapse of their interstellar sphere. They are the Saffi and the Shubafi (common terms).

Historical records suggest both species have existed in a shared civilizational framework for thousands of years, to the point that outsiders frequently mistake them for dimorphic variants of the same species. Neither species is generally regarded as subordinate to the other, with most Saffi social structures historically incorporating both populations in complementary roles.

They are both dromaeosaurid-adjacent bipeds, with a forward-leaning posture and stiff tail for balance. The arms of appreciable length end in two four-fingered hands for climbing and fine manipulation. Heads blend sharp saurian features with a short hooked beak. Large forward-facing eyes which appear bloodshot due their hot-colored sclera. Their bodies are covered in a mix of tough scales and vulture-like down, with a mane of brightly colored parrot-like feathers along the spine, head, and tail for social signaling. Like the Hoku, the Saffi males are the most 'visually interesting' individuals of the species, while females lean towards muted plumage.

Their four-toed feet sport a vestigial scythe-like claw in the innermost toe, called a spur - believed to have aided their ancestor in killing and catching prey, as the Saffi are primarily carnivores and pack hunters, with a secondary diet of fruits and fungi.

Foreigners need not bother learning the raspy and call-based speech of the Saffi, as these are near-impossible to reproduce with non-Saffi vocal anatomy. Instead, the Saffi have made a cultural practice of collecting languages and idioms as a sign of status. A typical urban Saffi adult knows several languages fluently, and a well-traveled Saffi may speak a dozen or more. This linguistic versatility makes them exceptional diplomats, spies, and traders - but also occasionally unsettling, as they can switch between accents and voices with unsettling ease.

The Saffi voice-mimicking custom is an extension of this linguistic culture. It is a mark of respect to mirror the voice of whomever they speak to - at times even 'collecting' said voice, though Dominion laws heavily control that cultural quirk - most experienced Saffi develop a "persona voice" as their external voice to avoid alarming foreigners.

The small Saffi are generally uncanny imitators while the Shubafi are silent stalkers.

Both are deemed by the Hoku and Chelok as too dangerous to deal with carelessly, due their innate lethality and strength.

SAFFI - the small ones

Compact, avian-like biped, 2'1 to 3'7" tall, ~2 meters long, 10 to 22kg, proportionally longer face/snout. Usually display feathers in black, white, and earthly tones with orange markings.

Faster, regarded as opportunistic, risk-prone, greedier, and more socially volatile than their sister-species. Usually employed in delicate or fine work, diplomacy, and spying.

SHUBAFI - the big ones

Robust, theropod-like biped, 4'0" to 6'0" tall, 4~5 meters long, 150~280 kg, proportionally shorter face/snout. Usually display feathers in light-colored earthly tones with yellow, orange or red markings.

Stronger, generally regarded as cautious, patient, and inclined toward long-term planning. Usually employed in administration, logistics, coordination, heavy industry, and other occupations requiring long-term planning and physical labor.

Spacetravel

Commonly use ionic rockets and torchships, developing proprietary interstellar propulsion is no longer considered a strategic priority. Some larger factions still use proprietary A-M/AM drivers able to pull into γ~6, but most current Saffi tech is reverse-engineered. They are by many standards, considered a reluctant client species.

Relations

Officially a neutral power. Highly opportunistic, seemingly non-territorial, clan-based, deeply social amongst themselves, deeply pragmatic. Untrustworthy but useful spies, salvagers and brokers.

Unknown fleet size.

Official census figures place the Saffi population at approximately 3 billion, though independent estimates range from 10-20 billion due to extensive clan migration, unregistered habitats, and disputed frontier settlements.

Civilizational goals seem to be the sole prosperity of their civilization.

Hard to trace relationships with everyone else. Primarily mercantile. Most dislike humans in general. Small Saffi are surprisingly fond of the Nan-Nan in the absence of Shubafi.

OTHER LINKS

No known links at this time

Relativistic Travel

Last updated: August 18th 2026

RELATIVISTIC TRAVEL IN BtFF

In this house we don't do faster-than-light travel. Relativity is sacred in this universe - the challenge is not to circumvent it, but to live with its consequences.

The rating of relativistic speed of starships in this universe is given as integers of the Lorentz factor (γ) instead of decimal fractions of the speed of light - that is, how many times the subjetive ship time appears to compress due time dilation in comparison with restframe time.

For example, a relatively fast starship with a rating of γ ~ 6 experiences a subjective time that is 1/6th of the restframe - for a 10 light-year trip, thats about 1yr8m trip experienced by the crew. So keep that in mind whenever that gamma (γ) rating gets thrown around.

It is also commonplace to use stasis chambers for the slowing down of biological clocks for really long trips or at lower cruise ratings, for example, Old Humanity managed to make it work for an additional 40 years of subjective time while in their prime.

TRAVEL PROFILES
Travel profiles are constraint that depends on a few factors such as travel speed, acceleration, target distance, and propulsion method.

COASTING
Typical travel profiles for intermediate distance destinations (d_aceleration < 0.5*d_total), such as those in between large populational centers in the Dominion core are dominated by a acceleration-coast-deceleration type of travel. If we determine:

a = acceleration in G's

d = distance in light-years

y_coast = target coasting speed in Lorentz factor.

Then we can calculate:

Time spent accelerating (total, inertial observer).

Distance traveled while accelerating/decelerating (total, inertial observer).

Coast time (inertial observer).

It then follows that the total travel time is the sum of t_coastinertial + t_burninertial.

As an example case, at 1G acceleration, top speed of γ ~ 6, traveling 50 light-years takes 11.48yrs (acc/dec) + 40.87yrs (coast), for a total time of 52y 4m 5d 14hrs to arrive.

BRACHISTOCHRONIC (CONSTANT ACC.)
As γ increases (or distance decreases), the math dictates that the acceleration/deceleration phases must increase in time, in such way that, the coasting time shrinks to an infinitesimal fraction of the total time spent traveling. Which means the travel speed grows and peaks before decreasing.

Without a explicit ceiling for the maximum speed obtained, these travel profiles are mostly limited only by fuel reserves in order to sustain constant acceleration throughout the trip - which isn't the case for most non-Qire starships within the Dominion.

CUSTOMARY METHODS OF PROPULSION
Choice of propulsion is determined less by maximum cruise velocity than by economics. Fuel cost, available infrastructure, expected travel time, maintenance requirements, and intended cargo all influence the selection of a propulsion system. Consequently, no single architecture has displaced all others, and vessels of widely differing performance routinely share the Dominion's starlane network.

Practical cruise ratings throughout the Dominion rarely exceed γ≈10. Although higher Lorentz factors greatly reduce the time experienced aboard a vessel, they offer progressively smaller reductions in arrival time as measured by the outside universe. Since fuel consumption and engineering complexity increase far more rapidly than the logistical benefits gained, most commercial operators regard higher cruise factors as economically unjustifiable.

Pure Aneutronic Matter-Antimatter Rockets

Typical cruise factor: γ ≈ 2-10

The standard propulsion system throughout most of the Dominion. Matter and antimatter are reacted producing primarily charged pions whose momentum is directed magnetically to generate thrust. Their high thrust-to-weight ratio, operational flexibility and comparatively simple engineering have made them the preferred propulsion method for commercial, military and civilian spacecraft alike.

Although fuel-intensive, matter-antimatter rockets are capable of sustained acceleration and deceleration over interstellar distances, allowing routine travel between neighboring systems within acceptable subjective travel times.

Most Dominion freight, passenger traffic and naval operations rely upon some variation of this architecture.

Pion "Drip" Drivers

Typical cruise factor: γ ≈ 1-6

Among the oldest propulsion systems still in widespread service. Pion Drip Drivers accelerate vessels through the gradual release of small quantities of antimatter over extremely long burn periods. Their comparatively low thrust results in months or years of continuous acceleration, making them poorly suited for passenger transport but exceptionally economical for bulk cargo.

They remain common aboard autonomous freighters, industrial tugs, ore transports and long-duration logistical missions where travel time is of secondary importance. Their modest top speed means they can more safely and frequently venture across uncharted interstellar space for shortcuts and direct routes rather than using starlanes, with reduced risks of high relativistic impacts or abrasion.

Ion-Fusion Drivers

Typical cruise factor: γ ≈ 2-5

Ion propulsion remains popular among smaller spacecraft operating within developed regions of the Dominion. By continuously accelerating ionized reaction mass through powerful electromagnetic fields, these engines provide excellent efficiency at the cost of relatively low thrust.

Although incapable of the rapid departures characteristic of matter-antimatter vessels, Ion Drivers are regarded as remarkably reliable and inexpensive to maintain. Patrol craft, survey vessels, scientific expeditions and privately owned starships frequently employ them for regional traffic between nearby systems.

Light Sails

Typical cruise factor: γ ≈ 1-4

Rather than carrying significant quantities of reaction mass, light sail vessels derive propulsion from immense laser arrays positioned throughout developed star systems. These arrays illuminate highly reflective sails over distances of several astronomical units, accelerating vessels with no onboard fuel expenditure.

Because propulsion infrastructure must exist at both departure and arrival systems, light sails are almost exclusively employed along heavily trafficked commercial corridors and within mature planetary systems. Their exceptionally low operating costs have made them popular for passenger liners, luxury transport and scheduled commuter services despite their comparatively modest cruise velocities.

Many Core worlds maintain dedicated beamways linking orbital habitats, neighboring planets and nearby systems, functioning as an interstellar equivalent of public rail infrastructure.

Ramscoop Matter-Antimatter Ships

Typical cruise factor: γ ≫ 10

No confirmed Dominion civilization is presently known to possess operational Ramscoop Matter-Antimatter propulsion. The only documented examples have been observed aboard the Elder Starships of the Great Expedition.

The immense forward structures characteristic of these vessels are widely interpreted as magnetic collection systems capable of harvesting the sparse interstellar medium while simultaneously serving as radiation shielding during extreme relativistic flight. If correct, such systems would permit effectively unlimited operational range without conventional refueling while sustaining cruise velocities approaching several hundred to >1,000 in Lorentz factor.

Whether harvested hydrogen is directly fused, converted into antimatter, or merely supplements onboard reserves remains unknown. Likewise, many observed performance characteristics continue to defy satisfactory theoretical explanation, leading some researchers to suspect the presence of additional propulsion systems operating alongside the ramscoop architecture.

Non-Aligned Powers

Last updated: July 21st 2026

ÆTHER INCOGNITA

The civilizations and entities listed here are not members of the Foundational Dominion, nor are they generally known or understood by its inhabitants. Most remain known only through fragmentary historical records, isolated encounters, archaeological evidence, or ongoing scholarly speculation.

The following classifications refer only to their approximate location relative to Dominion space and do not imply political affiliation, territorial continuity, or current activity.

Within the Dominion's frontier
Goll Unity

Raydee

Within the Solar Neighbourhood
Swarm

Elsewhere in the Milky Way
Canutans

Extragalactic
Oraygonians
It-at-the-Sagittarius-Dwarf-Galaxy

Starlane Network

Last updated: July 21st 2026

STARLANES

Starlanes are the backbone of the Dominion's economy and a peculiar source of collective pride. Magnetic and radiation probes routinely clean up vast 'tubes' through the interstellar medium, allowing for fast, reliable, and safe hyper-relativistic travel between designated waypoints.

The original purpose of which, was to clear interstellar distances through volumes of space seeded with collections penetrator mines - sharp metal monoliths designed to vaporize relativistic objects on contact deployed during the Qiro-Arrene wars.

Flying through uncharted space is certainly possible, but the risks are too great for most commercial purposes.

Starlanes exist in two categories mainly: opaque and clear.

Opaque Starlanes
The prototypical starlane. Those 'tubes' which traverse relatively gas-dense regions of space, where there's significant aerodynamic drag experience by those which veer off course. The proper structures can be as wide as 0.5-3 million kilometers wide depending on age.

Clear Starlanes
Less dense regions of space that often need little to no maintenance in a classical tube-shape, BUT that nonetheless exist on starmaps for being known safe routes in between clouds of penetrators, groups of rogue subtellar-mass objects and asteroids.

Very long plotted routes often pass through several opaque and clear sections, but the typical local starlane (<10pc) tends towards one type or the other.

Dominion History

Last updated: August 22nd 2026

NOTES ON DATING
From the Year of Prime Foundation (14,650 CE) we count backwards (BdF) and forwards (AdF) in time, each year being equivalent to 366.18779 Earth-days - which means that dates in 'present time' are given ~9.32 years in advance when compared to our standard calendar.

SUMMARIZED TIMELINE
THE COMBINE ERA, (aprox.) 5000 BdF - 0 AdF
The Luminary Combine reigned the current Dominion core until its collapse during the Qiro-Arrene wars.

Before 5000 BdF, the establishment of the Luminary Combine
Little is known of Dominion history prior to this era, historians point out that after a major unification period, the Luminary Combine rose up as a major organizational body within Arrene society, eventually growing up to be the ONLY body besides the Lodestar Accord, which traces its origins to approximately this same era. It must be noted that the Arrene were already a blooming interstellar civilization at this point in history (?).

The civilizational goals for the Luminary Combine were to spread across over 800 star systems before its decamillenium, a position they calculated statistically stable for its long-term survival into deep time.

~4600 BdF, the annexation of the Chelok peoples
When the LC first found the hunter-gatherer Chelok peoples across Endreka, they were rather surprised. Not because they had found some moderately sophisticated life form, but because genetic analysis of these beings revealed they weren’t native to that planet - likely brought to or travelled there themselves. Regardless of the truth, it meant the Arrene weren’t necessarily alone in their local bubble of space.

From this epoch onwards, we see the complete change in culture and doctrine to a fulltime war-economy, with complete industrialization of every aspect of society focused on the sole expansion and fortification of its territory. And also, the start of their signature “bait and counterstrike” doctrine regarding extraterrestrial contact.

3560 - 3490 BdF, the annexation of the Ygiv peoples
When the Ygiv first broadcasted their first deep space radio signals, circa 3560 BdF, it deeply unsettled the Arrene sphere. Up until this point in history, the Arrene had only beamed radio and laser pulses into deep space, occasionally firing salvos of relativistic missiles at the few stars that ever replied back - but these targets were usually located tens to hundreds of light-years away. Triangulation and strength of the Ygiv signal indicated they were just under 54 light-years from the Arrene capital, Argost. Somehow slipping right under their radar. The Ygiv Question represented an unacceptable uncertainty. Strategic assessments concluded that immediate intervention represented the lowest-risk outcome. If it were the case the Ygiv were still a planetbound civilization as the Arrene estimated it to be, then perhaps total annihilation wasn’t the optimal choice, perhaps they could be a useful client state.

Arriving from the nearest waypoint, Thosuo, just 25 light-years from Osuna, the Ygiv homesystem - the Arrene armada carried sufficient personnel, industrial equipment and logistical reserves to establish approximately twenty independent colony worlds. Following the first contact phase, in 3495 BdF, the Luminary Combine ultimately seized all administrative and military powers over the Ygiv peoples. The terms of surrender largely focused on the guaranteed continuation of their basic survival and cultural needs.

3500 - 650 BdF, the attrition epoch
As Combine exploration expanded beyond the Core, repeated encounters with independently developed Chelok societies became increasingly common. Although separated by centuries and often unaware of one another's existence, their recurrence fundamentally altered Arrene strategic planning. Encountering the less technologically advanced Chelok? Fine, they’ll even offer some of theirs for your purposes. But any culture past the nuclear-stage they encountered has posed a sizable threat to their occupation. The Luminary Combine was strong, but not strong everywhere all at once. Chelok resistance to the LC’s presence varied from a few dozens to hundreds of megatons, at times even gamma ray bombs and antimatter missiles. All of which the Arrene had already long passed by, but still represented a logistical and strategic nuisance to the collective.

The general knowledge of Arrene activity or at least notion of it was suspected by the Pankal, which largely fomented supply lines to distant frontier worlds, selling weapons and ships to frontier interstellar states to be used against the Arrene. An effort which subsequently backfired on internal politics as feeding into rebellious interstellar states. The official stance of the Pankal chelok was that the Arrene posed too far of an unknowable threat to directly face them, even if overall human survival was but a guaranteed result.

FOUNDATION CONFLICTS, 650 - 1 BdF
From the perspective of non-Arrene historians, this series of events were the result of a catastrophic First Contact case between a blooming interstellar empire and an extragalactic civilization.
[see the conflict timeline here]

THE DOMINION ERA, 0 AdF CE - PRESENT
5 AdF, Signing of the Treaty of Forzai

After years of deliberation, the Treaty of Forzai is signed between the Arrene, the 44 Qire Witnesses, the Ygiv clans, and the interstellar nations of man. Though the Chelok might need a minute to properly ratify the treaty across their space. The Elder Starship 'Alpha' stays stationed above Argost, and the others scatter into deep space.

1059 AdF, first contact between the Hoku and the Chelok at Dhéģhōm
The Hoku were already in the process of trying to not join whatever the Dominion is, because they are afraid of whatever the elder races are doing. Nonetheless, they become great traders with the Chelok
The Hoku are briefly introduced to the idea of the Dominion, but opt not to interfer.

1660 - 1781 AdF, the Saffi sign up

The Saffi, seeking survival from an unknown aggressor, encounters and attacks a stationed Elder Starship and its crew over a mining outpost. This short encounter was followed by multiple expeditionary and diplomatic ones, which led to their eventual admission as an aligned neutral power.

2064 - 2094 AdF, first contact between the Hoku and the Nan-Nan
The Nan-Nan are visited by the Hoku, and integrated to its interstellar nation.
A planet-bound advanced society akin to 22nd century humanity when the Hoku reached up for first contact. Some wished to join the hoku out of their own volition.

2548 - 2553 AdF, the Hoku sign up
A century prior, hoku asteroid miners in the Muhori system had accidentally pinged a derelict Qire warship in its flyby through the system's outskirts. This ping prompted a first-contact response from the Dominion authorities, and a century of preparation for an annhilation conflict from the hoku side.

The hoku joined in 2553 AdF, albeit reluctantly. After being visited by diplomatic fleet lead by the Elder Starship 'Kappa', in the Muhori system.

2642 AdF, the Nan-Nan sign up
It took them a while to decide, but are convinced the net benefit is worth it, inspite of the Hoku's waryness.

3350 - 3550 AdF, the fall of Hokushoku
An unknown extraterrestrial force invades the Hoku space, the Dominion is unable to send enough reinforcements in time to fend off the invaders, Hokushoku and its colonies fall within days of consecutive first contacts. The Fall of Hokushoku represents the start of a period of political unrest since the Arrene have showed themselves unnable to care for their allies against outsiders.

~3575 AdF, the events of Beyond the Final Frontier (book I) take place
[missing link]

Dominion Organization

Last updated: June 24th 2026

GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION

No official Dominion flag exists, the Treaty of Forzai explicitly forbids symbols that might imply a unified state. The Arrene Combine's signet is used by convention for Dominion-wide communications, though its use remains a point of contention among member civilizations.

The Foundational Dominion possesses no universally accepted central government. Rather, it exists as a mesh of interdependent political, economic, and legal institutions operating under the interpretations of the Treaty of Forzai - a 5200-page document about the complete reestructing of Arrene power - serving as a model for its member civilizations. Which expanded on the terms, interpretations and readings of the Qire's Ultimatum upon the capitulation of the Luminary Combine:

"Halt claw.

Halt Foot.

Failure, undone."

The Dominion is enforced through starlane routes, clone armies and unmanned fleets, mostly of Arrene nature - though, it is mostly uncertain how the Qire half of the Dominion operates, as it is deemed a 'ghost space'.

Most inhabitants interact with Dominion institutions through local authorities, commercial organizations, and member governments rather than through any singular Dominion body.

Institutions are generally considered "Dominion institutions" when they possess standing under Foundation law and participate in the legal framework derived from the Treaty of Forzai.

Political Administration

Dominated by the Arrene Combine, successor to the Luminary Combine and administrator of the Dominion capital at Argost. The Arrene Combine is the closest entity to a central government within the Dominion. It maintains administrative authority over the Arrene Core and operates much of the infrastructure connecting the inner Dominion.

Its influence is strongest within approximately fifty light-years of Argost and becomes progressively weaker toward the frontier domains.

Despite widespread perceptions that the Combine "is" the Dominion, its authority remains legally constrained by Foundation precedents and treaty obligations.

Commerce and Infrastructure

Historically dominated by the Arrene-backed Lodestar Accord, whose freight and passenger services connect the majority of major Dominion population centers through the starlane network. As a consequence, the organization exerts political influence disproportionate to its nominal commercial role, much like a private government system.

Long-Range Trade and Mediation

Traditionally associated with the Ar-Rahhalam Ithnajmyu (Voyager's Guild, or ARI), whose member organizations maintain commercial routes throughout the Pancalestia and neighboring regions. Unlike most freight organizations, navigators maintain the (near supernatural?) capability to travel beyond established starlane corridors, granting access to remote systems and regions beyond normal commercial routes.

Expeditionary and Contract Service

Historically fulfilled by the Kahiko Moku and associated Trader's Guilds of the Hoku diaspora.

Originally founded as a warrior-monastic order among the Hoku, the Kahiko Moku gradually transitioned into a network specializing in escort, courier, security, and contract operations.

Although diminished following the Fall of Hokushoku, the organization remains active throughout the Dominion.

Government Offices and Titles

Unlike most interstellar states, Dominion offices do not form a universally recognized chain of command. Lower offices are generally territorial in nature, while higher Foundation offices derive their authority from ancient legal traditions, treaty obligations, and institutional precedent.

OBSERVABLE OFFICES

MUNICIPAL

Mayor

Administrative authority over individual cities and settlements.

Governor

Regional authority over precincts, provinces, and other subplanetary jurisdictions.

PLANETARY

President

Executive authority over major territorial divisions of inhabited worlds.

Earl

Administrative authority over minor colonies and frontier settlements.

Count

Combined civic and military authority over entire inhabited planetary bodies.

STELLAR

Duke

Administrative authority over a stellar system and its associated colonies, habitats, stations, and settlements. Qire are known to occasionally serve as provisional Dukes until a permanent officeholder is recognized.

FOUNDATION

Arbiter (777 recognized offices)

Predominantly held by Arrene, domain-dependent. Responsible for the mediation and interpretation of disputes occurring between Dominion institutions and signatory bodies.

Principality (155 recognized offices)

Presumed to be exclusively held by Qire. Their exact function remains disputed by legal scholars and historians.

Witness (44 recognized offices)

Generally regarded as the highest observable Foundation office. Presumed to be exclusively Qire. The extent of their authority and responsibilities remains poorly documented outside specialist legal circles.

Determining whether a Arbiter outranks a Principality, or a Principality outranks an Arbiter, often depends entirely on the matter being discussed. The practical authority of an office may vary significantly between civilizations, regions, and legal interpretations. It is generally agreed that Witnesses constitute the highest publicly observable rank among Qire participating in Dominion affairs.

It is unknown whether additional Foundation offices exist beyond those listed above. No universally accepted records concerning higher offices are publicly available.

Dominion Population and Demographics

Last updated: June 24th 2026

POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHICS

The census work done by Dominion authorities is messy at best and sloppy at worst. Hundreds of bodies over dozens of planets and colonies, responsible for keeping count of billions of individuals, some of which actively hide from said authorities and some of which are constantly moving about.

Here's a 3,350 AdF (~18,000 CE) rundown of the latest counts ranked by species:

1. Ygiv, about 120 billion - too many to count.
2. Chelok, 90 ± 20 billion - might be closer to 100bi with agriworlds.
3. Hoku, 65 ± 10 billion - might be closer to 80bi with agriworlds.
4. Nan-Nan, 18 billion - ~70% planetbound to their homesystem.
5. Arrene, 7.8 ± 0.01 billion - all accounted for.
6. Saffi, officially around 3 billion - many unaccounted for living abroad.
7. Qire, no census given.

Total population: ~330 billion sophons.

Despite its vast stellar volume, most of the Dominion's population is concentrated around a handful of heavily developed worlds and agricultural colonies - 49 developed planetary population centers, from which 29 can be found under control of the Pancalestia, the Chelok domain.

This means that on average, there are ~1,200 "unclaimed" star systems for every inhabited world within reach.

Dominion Astrometry

Last updated: August 22nd 2026

GENERAL GEOGRAPHY

The Dominion is a region of space located behind the Coalsack Nebula as seen from Earth's perspective, between 700 and 900 light-years from Earth. Its center is roughly 830 light-years from Earth.

As a stellar region within the Milky Way, it might be loosely associated with the lower Sco-Cen OB association, as the region includes several bright young blue stars, such as CH Crucis and 251 G. Cen which are under 150 million years old.
It has no physical borders, but it is agreed to encompass a spheroidal volume ~240 light-years across, centered around the world of Argost, the Arrene homeworld.

ASTROMETRICS (and other statistics for nerds)

KEY SYSTEMS & WORLDS

Standard Dominion Astrographic math bases itself on Ykaga's ecliptic plane around Aa Rithel, the sun of the Arrene's homesystem. All coordinates and stellar positions in official astrometrics are given in Arrene Standard, here translated to modern standard light-years for viewer comfort.

NOTABLE LOCATIONS (clickable)

|      X,    Y,    Z | STAR ID     | PLANET    | NOTES

|      0,    0,     0 | Aa Rithel    | Argost         | Capital of the Dominion

|   -14, -17,   49 | Osuna       | Serenity      | Homeworld of the Ygiv

|    85,  36,   75 | Paza          | Hokushoku | Homeworld of the Hoku

| -130,   -5, -50 | Ou'Papa    | Ma'Okar      | Homeworld of the Saffi

|    98,  67,   28 | Udun         | Dheghom    | Capital of the Pancalestia

THE ARRENE CORE

|      0,    0,     0 | Aa Rithel    | Argost        | Capital of the Dominion

|   -15,   -3,   -3 | Endreka     | New Horizon | --

|     -1,  13, -12 | Nizel           | Hardpoint      | major hoku population in the core

|      2, -15,  13 | Festar         | Radiant         | --

|   -22, -18,  25 | Thosuo       | Tributary        | --

|    28, -15,  28 | Forzai         | Far Haven     | --

|   -14, -17,   49 | Osuna       | Rihuta          | Homeworld of the Ygiv

|   -11,   -7,   70 | Kaegaels   | Stormport      | Former Ygiv extractivist colony

THE HOKU EXPANSE

|    85,  36,   75 | Paza         | Hokushoku     | Homeworld of the Hoku

|    98,  52,   75 | Ninetali     | Sideshoku        | a stormy world

|    91, 117,  91 | Kotalizapa | Voliloshoku      | major moon of a trojan brown dwarf

|    93, 94,  100 | Anaya      | Anaya              | Homeworld of the Nan-Nan

|    73,  21,   76 | Muhori      | Muhori              | oldest Hoku colony, quadruple system

|  134,  62,   59 | Dekutali    | Dekushashoku | an icy world

|  139,  19,   98 | Kakaili      | Qekohoshoku   | Former Chelok colony, oceanic tropical

THE QIRE SPACE

|   -66,   -8, -66 | Qirurtar     | Wayfarer's Orb | A hydrogen mining station around a gas giant

| -105, -19, -34 | Riterkor     | The Nightforge | Qire mining station?

|   -94,    9,  18 | Olgur         | The Hothouse  | Qire colony?

|   -81,   -2,  49 | Surtirte      | The Dustworld  | Qire starport?

| -130,   -5, -50 | Ou'Papa   | Ma'Okar           | Homeworld of the Saffi

THE PANCALESTIA

[click here for the comprehensive list (29)]

OTHER LOCATIONS FOR SPATIAL REFERENCE

|   80, -155, 160 | Coalsack N. | --                | Major cold molecular cloud ~60ly wide

| 229, -521, 467 | HD 117207   | Iir'rinr'ta   | Homeworld of the Raydee

| 284, -546, 556 | The Cradle  | Nam Arde | Forgotten homeworld of the Chelok

| 283, -544, 533 | Alpha Cen.   | --                | Closest star to the Sun

| 290, -540, 563 | Eps. Eridani | --                | --

| 290, -539, 563 | Tau Ceti        | --                | --

STELLAR POPULATION

While largely obscured by the Coalsack Nebula when seen from the Earth, it is possible to spot about ~270 of the 450 giant stars that populate the region (no seriously, it's cataloged.)

Extrapolated data from local surveys suggests the Dominion contains 69 ±4 thousand stars within its 240-light-year-wide volume. By type they are:

        53,000 red dwarfs

        9,000 orange dwarfs

        5,000 late Sun-like stars

        2,000 early Sun-like stars

        400 bright stars

        5 blue giants

        + 8,000 rogue brown dwarfs 

        + 890 white dwarfs

        + 450 bright evolved stars

When compared to the solar vicinity, the average Dominion sector contains about 10x more bright stars, namely evolved stars such as blue subgiants and red giants, due it being contained within the meeting point of star-forming regions.

Needless to say, traveling across this space is like going through a crystal chandelier. The brighter population of which serves rightfully so, as reference 'lighthouse stars' for astronavigation by its inhabitants.

This angle clearly frames all four domains of the Dominion's civilized systems, here UP is north from the capital Argost.

REGION HABITABILITY

The Dominion stellar catalogs register about 58,000 star systems contained within the spheroid. From which 5,700 systems may contain at least one Earth-sized planet in its habitable zone - its estimated that from those planets, 600 of them exist around Sun-like stars (high-mass K to low-mass F) as rocky planets. If distributed at random, they could be separated by ~25 light-years from each other.

Only five planets across the Dominion are known to have independently produced technological civilizations. These are Anaya, Argost, Ou'Papa, Hokushoku, and Rihuta.

Statistically speaking, it would be expected to exist about 40 exoplanets with an ESI of 0.90 or higher, and at least another ~150 worlds scoring 0.80-0.90 - which is very relevant given all four local species originate from Earth-analogues (technically speaking). Less than a quarter of these theoretical paradise worlds have been identified, however.

Most frontier populations live in the few rocks scoring 0.70-0.95 right next to their homesystems, depending on specific infrastructure tolerances, that means traveling 20-100 light-years on average in between colonies.

Although, simple and 'inferior' forms of life aren't necessarily that rare either. A very common type of ecosphere that can be found in the Dominion is the 'Proterozoic Earth-Analogue'.

A recurring frustration among xenobiologists is the tendency for unrelated complex ecosystems to repeatedly evolve crustacean-like body plans. This has proven beneficial to travelers, who consider "find the local crab" a remarkably reliable survival strategy.

YGIV PEOPLES

Ygiv (neutral vulgar, nonfaction specific)

Qesaxakuho (Whisperers, by the Hoku)

Iurr'nakai (Whimpering Ones, by the Raydee)

Aa'Ruhuhassar (Blue Ones, by the Arrene)

Yig-Yith (Smart Ones, by themselves)

Last updated: June 24th 2026

COLLECTIVE SUMMARY

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The Ygiv civilization had just started to use radio waves when they were detected by the Arrene. The Thosuo ultramarine fleet arrived within 30 years for first contact, circa 11,088 CE. Joined the Luminary Combine in 11,155 CE (3500 BdF)

Joined the Dominion in 14,650 (0 AdF), with the defeat of the Luminary Combine in the Battle of Argost (extra-signatary).

Origin

The planet Aa'rihuteshqatar (Arrene name, often shortened to Rihuta or Serenity by others), in the Osuna system (-114, -17, 49), a double-K binary about 54ly from Argost, 25ly from Thosuo.

Rihuta is a tropical oceanic world surrounded by small moons, it has a characteristic blue color from space given its shallow oceans, bluish vegetation and blue inhabitants, the Ygiv. The other Ygiv population center is the colony world of Kaegaels, a neighboring star system that the Arrene had later populated with them (initially as cattle, later employed as a workforce). Though nowadays, the Ygiv are mostly ubiquitous to the Arrene Core and its dozen worlds.

Description

Being 2’2” to 4’0” tall, 4 to 6ft long, and 40 to 60kg, the Ygiv are lizard-like hexapods in a centaurine posture. Their most prominent feature besides anatomy are their two pairs of pitch-black eyes dominated by one much larger pair, and their deeply azure or sky blue skin pigments. They possess several appendages on their heads that serve sensory and communication purposes, flushing with blood and picking up bright red colors, which means they very visibly blush and bruise, which means they are commonly seen in armor or protective clothing/uniforms not unlike humans.

Their speech is akin to whispers and raspy vocalizations, with some high frequency notes, their languages are popular vulgata among travelers for their ease of learning, mainly Common Nagiv.

Their multiple appendages mean they are very skillful artists and builders, that combined with their genius actively worked in favor of them when faced with becoming food or a slave caste of the Combine. The Treaty of Forzai largely liberated up the Ygiv population, although it hasn’t necessarily freed them.

Spacetravel

Common proton rockets for in-system travel.

Proprietary interstellar mode nonexistent.

Often accompany other species' crews during interstellar travel as a workforce.

Relations

Officially friendly to foreign powers. Non-territorial, social collectivistic, curious anc creative. Largely exploited, second-class citizens across the Dominion.

Fleet size numbering the hundreds.

Population estimated at 50 to 100 billion across the Dominion core.

No civilizational goals, aligned power.

Hostile relationships with qire, positive relationships with the humans, neutral with hoku and arrene.

Civilization has been long assimilated, the Ygiv live for about 70 years.

OTHER LINKS

The Osuna System (homesystem)