Imperial Timeline

1,000,000 B.E. (Before Empire): War rages across the galaxy as various races compete for dominance across interstellar distances. Starships capable of vast speeds are created; weapons capable of destroying entire star systems are produced. The terrible war ends with the rise of a single race in domination over the others. This race, whose actual name has been lost to the mists of time, is known as the Shining Ones amongst the surviving races of the Empire. [Note: The battle for dominance in the proto-Empire is the subject of the upcoming "Galactic Emperor: Invasion" game.]

500,000 B.E.: Records are extremely unclear at this point, but The Shining Ones disappear from our galaxy. Some say the Shining Ones fought a war of some sort amongst themselves, or one against an unknown enemy, perhaps the ancestors of the Vl'Hurgh. In any event, these beings are either killed or leave the Galaxy voluntarily. They leave behind many artifacts of their civilization, which was heavily based on technology and psionics.

300,000 B.E.: The Thrile, plants which began as non-sentient on Yarrow IV, begin to develop intelligence as the radiation from left-behind Shining One artifacts on their planet mutates them. This race will go on to become one of the four Ruling Races.

250,000 B.E.: The Grune begin to develop technology; different Grune tribes fight wars ranging over the sands of its desert homeworld. Around the same time, the Iyali begin to develop a complex system of mathematics, which will eventually lead to their development into the technological geniuses of the future Empire. Both of these races will go on to join the Ruling Races.

150,000 B.E.: The two races, their names purged from history, that had subjugated the Sorvu on their homeworld of Ro III are killed by a plague which spares the Sorvu race. The Sorvu begin the domination of their planet.

50,000 B.E.: All four of the races which would eventually become the Ruling Races begin their expansion into neighboring star systems as they refine their technology. Some conquer militarily (the Grune and the Thrile) where others prefer peaceful expansion (the Iyali and the Sorvu). Starship technology is not yet organic.

30,000 B.E.-0 B.E.: A series of wars rock the galaxy as the four Ruling Races encounter each other. These long and sporadic wars are punctuated by long periods of peace; strange alliances are formed; minor races rebel and are put down; and rogue warlords rise and are defeated.

1 Y.E. (Year of Empire): The Pax Imperium is signed between the four ruling races, specifying the tenets of peace amongst the galaxy. An Imperial Council is selected; trade routes are made between all four races; and peace settles on the Galactic Emperor. Falniss the First, a Sorvu, is elected the first Aegios of a Million Suns.

500 Y.E.: The first organic Motherships are created by an alliance of all the races.

750-825 Y.E.: A rebellion, instigated by members of the Grune race, is staged, and a long war ensues. The rebels at first merely try to secede from the Empire; the Emperor (an Iyali) refuses, arguing that their example might cause a domino effect, destroying the stability of the Empire and making it vulnerable to internal and external threats. The rebellion had support of some of the motherships, which turned against their peers. When the rebellion was finally defeated, a small contingent of motherships disappeared along with much of the rebel population, these were the ancestors of the Vl'Hurgh's motherships.

1000 Y.E.: Unbeknownst to the Empire, the rebel population which has escaped to the far corners of the Galaxy are subjugated and in some cases eliminated by the Vl'Hurgh at this time. The Vl'Hurgh pause in their conquest to integrate mothership technology into their conquest plans.

1700-2000 Y.E.: The Border Wars. The Vl'Hurgh attack the Empire several times at its borders, starting with minor raids, with only a few motherships on the offense. Every decade or so, the Vl'Hurgh probe Imperial defenses, attacking different parts of the Empire to test the defenses and the desirability of their future target.

2001 Y.E. (and beyond...): The Vl'Hurgh, acting through Imperial spies culled from the rebel races that they had subjugated, assassinate the Emperor and most of the rulers of the great Imperial districts. As the Council convenes to meet for a new election, the Vl'Hurgh launch a massive assault on the galaxy, and it's a race to elect a successor and fight off the Vl'Hurgh all at once...