polities

Polities of Known Space Across the stars of Charted Space, power is fragmented, dynamic, and fiercely contested. While the Third Imperium remains the most vast and recognized stellar empire, it is but one of many polities—independent interstellar governments, hegemonies, client states, mercantile city-states, and martial alliances—each with its own ambitions, traditions, and territorial claims.   In the Trojan Reach and other frontier sectors, these polities define the ebb and flow of politics, war, and commerce. Here, ancient empires collide with rising warlords, trade syndicates carve out autonomous enclaves, and city-state starports act as sovereign microstates in the cold vacuum of space.   Why It Matters: For Travellers, understanding the ever-shifting web of polities is critical to survival. Allegiances change, borders are contested, and a warm welcome on one world may turn to a death sentence on the next. Every docking bay could fly the banner of a different ruler, and every contract carries political weight.   Whether forging alliances, dodging embargos, or choosing which cargo to smuggle across whose border, wise captains keep a close eye on the stars—and the polities that claim them.