The fifteen major worlds are mentioned here, though largely in passing.

Rals System/Ralsiia and direct Colonies:

Organized along Matriarchal lines, the humanoid Ralsiians are an interesting species; They appear generally similiar to Elves in most respects, except skin colour, which is a light brown/tanned colour very similiar to that common among persons of Arabic descent from Earth; For hair colours, they have a very wide range, including numerous colours not normally found on humans or elves, and all sorts of shades between those. For eyes, however, they are notorious; The eyes of Ralsiians are solid and glow a bright red. Likewise, they have lightly furred, long, highly prehensile tails, a rather unique trait for an otherwise rather elven/human race. It is unclear of the Ralsiians are native to their planet or not; There is some thought that they might be related to Asgardian High Elves, possibly as a result of gene-splicers' experiments.

The Ralsiians are strongly matriarchal and are an oligarchy that leans towards a series of traditionary monarchies with royal families. There is the traditional upper "noble" class, and the three strata of the middle class, IE, rich professional self-made women and men, the professional class, with varying specific professions, and lower middle class serving in management, private buisnesses, and other roles. Finally, the lower class, traditionally factory workers and farmers. There is upward mobility into the middle class, but limited. However, if one can make the exceptionally tough grade to become an officer in the Ralsiian military, one is treated like a noble no matter one's background, making military service popular; enlisted personnel are also well liked and respected among the middle class, and many young persons seeking to get out of the lower classes will attempt to join the military; However, most officers are drawn from the ranks of the nobility.

Ralsiia is a heavily populated world with three major continents and two island continents but a very large water surface, and is also relatively hot as a planet, though not overly so. The population is some twenty billion, spread into massive spires and towers of tightly packed cities; Much of the rest of the land surface is covered in national parks and preserves, and some of the cities are floating cities. Most of the food grown on the planet comes from the sea, or hunting for the very rich. The rest is imported. High technology goods are exported.

However, living inside the system are another, roughly, fourty billion persons, including those inhabiting orbital habitat cylenders, asteroid colonies, and other places throughout the vast and unusual system. These persons are treated like they lived on the surface of Ralsiia it's self.

Still, many desire to immigrate to other worlds, and there are large numbers of those colonies which have been closed down or abandoned for scrap; At one time, even more Ralsiians lived in such colonies in the Rals system.

Finally, there are four major colony worlds, each in another system, where the Ralsiian population is considered like it is part of the population of Ralsiia it's self, as these worlds were Ralsiian colonies before the formation of the Ralsiian Star Empire.

Empress Saverana II of the Ralsiian Star Empire is also Saverana II, Queen of All the Ralsiians, the fifth Queen of the Jynkarta Dynasty to hold the dual titles, as laid down in the initial agreement which resulted in the formation of the Ralsiian Star Empire.

The dominating presence of the Ralsiians within the Star Empire that bears their name, despite the fact that they entered the compact that formed the Ralsiian Star Empire as equals with the humans and elves, is a combination of factors; Though the stunning victories of the Countess of Kriesdale and the leading role of the Ralsiians in the War of the Quadruple Entente were a major factor, so was the fact that Ralsiians are minor (very) M.D.C. beings with a radiation invunerability. This has made them natural in establishing vast orbital habitats without concern for radiation shielding, and for pushing the boundaries of Empire at an otherwise reckless pace. Unlike some other radiation-immune species, the Ralsiians do not emit radiation themselves; Likewise, though their world is very hot by human standards, it does have large standing bodies of water, though largely salt water, and though most of the land mass is desert, is habitable by humans and similiar races, though not a preferable climate.

One of the things which has led to their swift developement and dominating presence, or atleast another factor, is the presence of Admontium Ore in large quantities in the Rals system, and on Ralsiia. Admontium Ore is a natural MDC metal, and was first fashioned to begin the Ralsiian equivlant of the Iron Age, a long time ago, as a necessity to truely make lethal weapons with which to fight each other. Many water-borne ships, tanks, and finally spacecraft were built out of Admontium Alloys, and still are to this day. The ore is common enough within the so-called "Bulge" of habitable worlds within the Thundercloud galaxy, and has been found in other such bulges, but is virtually unheard of outside of the cores of the galaxies.

Population, total, for all five worlds and systems: 160 Billion.

Actually quite similiar to the Elven Star Kingdom of the United Worlds of Warlock, the primary difference being that they suffered a magical "regression" of sorts for unknown reasons and turned to technology. Over the years, they have developed a government very similiar to that of the Ralsiians, but far more gender-neutral.

They had two habitable colony worlds before the formation of the Ralsiian Star Empire, and hence these are considered effective extensions of their own homeworld, the same for habitats and such within those three systems.

Recently, a fair number of magically inclined Draconids, in the tens of thousands, atleast, but not many more than that, have been invited the United Elven Kingdoms' homeworlds, to begin the instruction and recovery of the magical knowledge of those united kingdoms; A fair number returned with the Imperial Tour Fleet. This special immigration allowance was forced through by the King of the Elves, to which the Empress agreed; Largely for the same purposes as stronger relations with the United Worlds Warlock, so the elves can regain their magical heritage.

Population, total, for all three worlds and systems: 144 billion

Originally organized along Roman Lines, and occupying a Terra-like world, one of several in the three galaxies, the Human Caesarium slowly evolved into a form of government similiar to that of 1880s, Mid-Victorian era Britain, as it remains to this day; The House of Lords functions as the court and some of the governmental functions, though more of them reside within the Premier and the Senate, both of which have members selected by popular election. There is no particular male/female bias.

Like the United Elven Kingdoms, the Human Caesarium had two colonies before the formation of the Ralsiian Star Empire, and the same laws apply to them as do with the United Elven Kingdoms.

It is believed that humans arrived in two waves onto the homeworld of the Human Caesarium, the first being from the early Roman Empire/Roman Republic, the history of which is lost to time, though the inhabitants do speak a version of perfect, classical Latin, and a second wave of English-speaking inhabitants, the details of which are also sketchy, which may have been transported back in time in addition to dimensionally to arrive on the world.

Population in all three planets and systems: 116 Billion

The Wolven Confederacy is very similiar to the old Confederated States of America during the American Civil War on Rifts Earth; However, the main differences is that each state on the two worlds can and does have a wildly varying form of government, ranging from dictatorship and theocracy to democratic republics. These two wolven worlds are believed to be lost colonies of the old Wolven Empire of the Corkscrew Galaxy, but their exact history is unknown.

All citizens living on these two worlds or within the systems have the same laws and rights that apply to the three major races above, though how these are meted out varies wildly between each seperate nation-state. The Nation States each send a representative to a council body, and also select their representatives to the People's House at the said Quorom. To send personages to the House of Lords, the Empress of the Ralsiian Star Empire grants titles of nobility to those Wolven selected to hold said positions when they are not already of noble rank.

They have extensive orbital habitats and asteroid and moon colonies.

Population total of both planets and systems: 108 billion.

These worlds are a show of unity between the three original races, with each one contributing a portion of it's population to live in peace and unity; Though, after the destruction of the first World of the Concordiat, the Home Fleet has made it's base in a massive asteroid turned starport that sits at the Lagrange Point between these two worlds, which orbit each other in addition to their home sun.

Nobility of appropriate rank from all three races can sit on the House of Lords for the entire Ralsiian Star Empire, and of lesser rank for the House of Lords for the Worlds of the Concordiat, while the Premier and House of Commoners are both selected by population election. The populations are principally Ralsiian, Elven, and Human, but Wolven and Vyrmpyre are allowed to immigrate.

Population of the system and double-planet: 140 billion total.

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Writeup by Marina O'Leary (LusankyaN@aol.com ).

Reformatting by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune ).

Copyright © 2001, Marina O'Leary. All rights reserved.