Imperium of Andarra

The Imperium of Andarra is the largest nation in the galaxy and is the ultimate representative of humanity in galactic affairs. It spans 50,000 lightyears across and controls over a million worlds. The previous Emperor of Andarra, Karl Franz, has recently passed away, heirless, which threatens to tear the Imperium apart.

Foundation
The Imperium of Andara was not founded on peace, but on war. During the Age of Strife, the Mother of Mothers, Gaia, reunited Terra under her domain. Once established, she allied herself with the Mechanicum and conquered the rest of the solar system. In M11 A.D., after years of countless research, the Imperium was able to reverse engineer the technology found in the warp relays and implement it on a smaller scale, enabling individual ships to enter the warp. With this newfound technology, the Mother of Mothers, Gaia, Empress of Mankind, launched a great crusade to reclaim the lost worlds of humanity.

Great Crusade
On 25.8.200M11 A.D., the first Imperium ships entered the Alpha Centauri system, which has been claimed by an insectoid race known as the Rakata. Their origins are unknown, but their presence on Byss suggests that the species had long wiped the local human population off the planet. Enraged, the Mother of Mothers launched a full-scale invasion of the planet, obliterating the species' hives and bombing entire armies from orbit. Within a year, the species was declared extinct by the Mother of Mothers. Humanity rejoiced in the destruction of their enemy, but the reclamation of Byss was merely the beginning of a century-long campaign.

To assist in her crusade, the Mother of Mothers created the Astra Sparticus, genetically-enhanced supersoldiers designed to be as efficient and potent in the art of war. Their power was unmatchable by any and all lifeforms, for they were designed to be perfect. However, the introduction of the Spartans meant that the Thunder Warriors were obsolete; they were significantly more aggressive and unstable compared to the cold and calculating nature of the Spartans and were thus considered a liability by the Mother of Mothers. On behalf of the Empress's orders, Galatan Oriona, first of the Spartans, was tasked to answer the Thunder Warrior question.

Thunder Warrior Question
The year is 7.11.250M11 A.D. The Mother of Mothers has sent a fleet of ships to the Eridanus system, with Galatan spearheading the assault on Eridanus Prime. The entirety of the Thunder Warriors was present in the fleet, eager to spill blood for the Empress, who they viewed as a living deity. When they arrived, Galatan ordered the Thunder Warriors to make landfall in the most contentious zone of the planet, promising them countless glories and triumphs in their name if they are able to capture the region for the Imperium. The Thunder Warriors, motivated and bloodthirsty, were blinded to the truth that they had been ordered to die. The Thunder Warriors fought ferociously against the human forces on the planet, but they were no match for their advanced weaponry. Deciding that the conflict needed to end as quickly as possible, Galatan ordered a full-scale orbital bombardment of the zone. In the end, none survived the bombardment, not even the Thunder Warriors who, in their last moments, saw only the face of betrayal in the form of cyclon torpedoes.

The End of the Great Crusade.
Aided with her new Spartans, the Mother of Mothers continued to reclaim thousands of worlds. Most were peacefully annexed into the Imperium, but others, such as Eridanus Prime, faced the wrath of the Empress's fury. Impressed by Galatan's achievements, the Empress assigned him the role of Warmaster, a position second to the Empress herself.

After 400 years, the Great Crusade was declared as a resounding success, uniting an outstanding number of over a million worlds under the Imperial banner. However, billions of lives were lost in the conflict. The end of the Great Crusade marked the beginning of the Age of Andarra, but though the Empress's conquest has concluded, darkness lurks within the hearts of men.

Galatan's Rebellion
With the end of the Great Crusade, the Mother of Mothers decided to retreat into her studies inside the Imperial Palace. She reorganised the royal court into the Senatorum Imperialis, a massive governmental body responsible for overseeing Imperial law and the Inquisition, a body that was reserved only for the finest Imperial soldiers. Additionally, the position of Chancellorship was created—a role designed to regulate the flow of debate in the Senatorum Imperialis, as well as to advise the Empress. However, as radical as her reforms were, the average citizen embraced the reforms with open arms, happy to know that their rights as a human being were acknowledged by the Mother of Mothers. Nevertheless, her reforms did face opposition, especially by the Astra Sparticus, who were heavily against the notion of demilitarisation as their entire culture was based on the notion of perpetual warfare. Furthermore, there were some within the Imperial population who revered Genetrix as a living deity, the embodiment of Order, who brought salvation upon mankind with her divine presence. Thus, when they received word that any form of worship towards the Empress was banned, they were shocked and blamed the Senatorum Imperialis and the Chancellorship for passing such a bill.

What merely began as passive discontent quickly dissolved into anarchy as Galatan, the Warmaster of the Astra Sparticus, grew distant with the Empress, confused by her decision to demilitarise the Imperium. After all, humanity still has plenty of enemies to conquer—why should the Imperium be left open to invasion? It is unknown as to why Galatan turned on the Empress, but when he did, the tide of destiny was forever altered. Five of the ten Sparticus legions joined Galatan's Rebellion, along with countless planets who viewed the Imperium's suppression of belief as a form of tyranny. The Empress, refusing to believe that her most loyal follower and friend would betray her, remained in the palace, ignorant to the truth that been declared by Galatan himself."'Let the galaxy burn.' — Warmaster Galatan"

The Great Divide
Chaos has erupted throughout the Imperium. The newly-conquered worlds, rebellious in nature, rose up against the Empress, who they saw as decadent and corrupt. Aided with the mighty legions of Sparticus, the revolution spread like wildfire, engulfing countless worlds in its wake. The Empress knew that Galatan would not stop until he gets what he wants, but in the wake of this revelation, the Empress decided to stand her ground and fight back the coming tide..

Sanguinius, captain of the Red Angels legion, led a campaign into the rebel-controlled territory, reclaiming numerous planets in the name of the Empress; however, his actions alone would not deter Galatan from his thirst for victory. He lured the Red Angels into the outskirts of the Imperium, where he could be of little use due to his distance from Terra. With one of the loyalist legions eliminated, Galatan sought to destroy the Ravager legion, led by the indomitable Sicarius Gilde, renowned for his actions in the Battle of Catachan V. Sicarius understood that the loyalist planets required more defenses, however, with the loss of the Red Angels for the rest of the war, he simply could not find himself to fix his legions in a single position. He and his strategists analysed the perfect location for the Ravagers to fight in, for they were masters in the art of environmental warfare, utilising the terrain to its maximum potential. He eventually chose Malachor as the perfect planet for his strategy. A planet infamous for its treacherous mountain ranges and perplexing terrain, Malachor was the perfect location for the Ravagers to fight in. On Malachor, the Ravagers will stand against Galatan's legions, and the Rex of Catachan V will have the traitor's head.

Battle of Malachor V
Sicarius lured Galatan's forces to the planet. In his hubris, he sent his personal flagship to distract the traitor legions to the planet, but a spy had intercepted Sicarius's plan and informed Galatan about a Ravager counter-attack on Malachor. Eager to eliminate the Ravagers, Galatan sent a thousand Spartans to engage the Ravagers on the ground, whilst he ordered a large portion of his fleet to surround the planet and destroy any Imperial ships. Sicarius was unaware of the massive traitor fleet in orbit, as Galatan's fleet had destroyed the Imperial fleet above Malachor. Galatan coldly ordered the destruction of Malachor via exterminatus, the same order he gave centuries ago in order to destroy the Thunder Warriors. With a stroke of a finger, the Ravagers, alongside Sicarius Gilde, were killed by a wave of unbearable heat; the planet broke into pieces as Galatan's fleet watched the destruction unfold from above

The loss of Malachor V, the Ravagers, and Sicarius convinced the Empress that Galatan could no longer be redeemed. Thousands of Spartans flock to Galatan as their legion-captains were slaughtered one by one by the Arch-traitor. They left behind a trail of destruction. The Imperium of Andarra, once a bastion of hope against a dying galaxy, was in flames. Unfortunately for the Empress, a massive surge of energy within the warp had, once again, rendered interstellar travel to be too dangerous and unpredictable. Whatever hopes of reinforcements for Terra seemed to diminish. Sol was on its own.

Closing Years
Galatan carved a path of destruction, splitting the Imperium in half as he pillaged his way to Sol. Fortunately, the currents of the warp enabled Sol to prepare its defenses as the warp storms had also disrupted Galatan's quest for Sol. The Empress tasked the Inquisition to transform the abandoned moon of Titan into a planet-wide fortress—a bastion of firepower never before seen in the history of humanity. She entrusted Ciaphas, an extremely powerful psychic, to amplify Terra's defenses. Meanwhile, Mars had also been embroiled in its own schism. While the Imperium was occupied in its Great Crusade, some within the Mechanicum believed that their potential to achieve divinity was held back by the Mother of Mothers and their obligation to the Imperium. When these Mechanicae Pefide heard of the Empress's decision to ban religion, they rebelled against the Mechanicum, plunging Mars into civil strife.

Then, the inevitable came. Galatan's forces exited out of the warp near the derelict '''Charon warp relay. '''The warp had delayed Galatan's forces from arriving the solar system for three decades, but now that the storms had dissipated, his forces are free to enter the system whenever they seem fit. Sanguinius ordered all of his fleets to head for Terra in order to join the system's defense against Galatan, though his fleet would take some time to join the battle.

The Solar War
On 25.12.701M11 A.D., the traitor legions arrived in the sol system. Galatan established contact with the Mechanicae Pefide, wherein he promised to grant them the complete right to practice their beliefs in exchange for support in his campaigns against the Empress. The Pefide embraced the offer with open arms and retaliated against the Mechanicum with renewed vigour.

Meanwhile, on Terra, the Halafax legion, led by Rogar Sigilite, had arrived in time to participate in Terra's defense against the traitor legions. The Empress welcomed Rogar to her palace, briefing him of the situation as they traversed through the palace. Unfortunately, their moment of peace was interrupted by a surprise orbital bombardment by a small portion of Galatan's fleet. Terra's defenses were launched against the invaders, tearing through its hulls almost instantaneously. Nevertheless, the traitor fleet had managed to send countless dropships to the surface. The Battle for Terra has begun.

Battle for Terra
The Mother of Mothers ordered that all Sparticus captains present on Terra must meet with her at the Imperial Palace. Three captains—Abdi Rasyid, Rogar Sigilite, and Caledonia Kriëg—were present, their giant armours glistening brightly amidst a sea of gold. With a single kiss on the forehead, the three captains were blessed with the gift of Anathema's foresight, which allowed them to manipulate the aether, to a certain extent. The three men leave the room.

Ciaphas enters the room, brooding. He has finished the construction of a mighty barrier around Titan that should stave the traitor legions for a few weeks—enough time for Sanguinius to rally the scattered Imperial navy and spearhead a counteroffensive towards Terra. However, he is weak, drained of life. Ciaphas assured Anathema, his oldest friend, that his time had come, that he is ready to sacrifice his own life if it meant that the Imperium could see the next light of day. With a heavy heart, the Empress ordered Ciaphas to procure a mighty barrier around Terra—one that could withstand a thousand Exterminatuses simultaneously and much more. Ciaphas gave his essence to the barrier; what remained was absorbed by the Empress. Thus, the Ciaphas was no more, remembered only as Ciaphas the Hero.

After many weeks, Titan fell to the traitor legions. On Mars, the Mechanicum were driven to a single stronghold on the peak of Mount Olympus. The rings of Mars shone brilliantly in the night sky, forging great ships of war for the traitor legions, for the Pefide's victory over Mars was absolute. As a thousand traitor ships slowly approached Terra, a glimpse of hope could be felt in the aether. Within a second, hundreds of Imperial ships exited out of the warp, proudly carrying the banners of the Imperium. Sanguinius had arrived, and with him, a flow of reinforcements from the rest of the divided Imperium. The traitor legions made landfall on Terra, and were soon locked in a conflict for the very heart of humanity.

Confrontation on Galatan's flagship.
The Empress gathered all of her psychic strength and teleported herself on Galatan's warship. There, she saw the mutated body of her old friend, abhorrent and unconcerned. He pulsated with the aether; it was evident to her that the man she once knew, once trusted, was gone. The two figures found themselves in the heat of combat, dodging each other's blasts of warp energy. They fought in a dance that would determine the fate of the galaxy and humanity's future in the stars. As Genetrix gracefully avoided many of Galatan's attacks, he launched a devastating surge of lightning to her. Crippled, Genetrix could only watch helplessly as Galatan walked closer to her motionless body. However, before Galatan could strike her down, a lone Imperial soldier, who had been boarded the vessel with the rest of his comrades, stood against the colossal soldier, unmoving and undeterred. At the end, his will was no match for Galatan, who struck him down with a single swing of his blade, but the lone soldier's defiance motivated the Empress to stand firmly against Galatan. Mustering all of her willpower, she unleashed her full psychic power against him—an action reminiscent to what she had done to Khan during the Great Collapse. Galatan, and any traces of him in realspace and in the aether, were removed entirely from existence. Weakened, the Empress fell to her knees. She mustered the last ounces of her strength to leave behind a message that she broadcasted in the minds of every human being in the Imperium—Ciaphas Franz, and his descendants, shall rule the Imperium at my behest.

The Empress of Mankind, the Mother of Mothers, Gaia, Genetrix—the greatest human being to have ever existed mysteriously vanished without a trace or clue as to where she might have gone. Some speculate that Genetrix had perished onboard Galatan's vessel, however, there are legends in the Imperium—one of which stipulates the existence of an angel, who only appears in the direst of circumstances. But whether those legends are true have yet to be determined.

Imperial Stagnation
After Galatan's Rebellion, the Inquisition cracked down on the religious fanaticism of the Imperial citizenry, utilising any methods within their disposal. Although they swore loyalty to the Laws of Making, it became apparent that the Inquisition was slowly turning into the very thing they swore to destroy—religious fanatics. The four captains that survived the rebellion would live on to lead the Imperium in numerous campaigns against external threats, such as the New Republic, a large coalition of species dedicated to the ideals of the Old Republic.

Yarrick Franz, Ciaphas's son, proved himself to be a capable statesman. He abolished the role of the Chancellorship and created the High Marshall role in its place. Furthermore, he reorganised the Senatorum Imperialis to only consist of the most powerful individuals within the Imperium, from sector governors to the high tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus. He retracted the ban on religion, citing it as the primary cause of Galatan's Rebellion. This, however, only seemed to increase the religious fervor of the Imperial citizen as more and more came to view the Mother of Mothers as the definitive god of humanity. After two hundred years of prosperous reign, Yarrick approved of the creation of the Ecclesiarchy, a religious governmental body dedicated to spreading a bastardised version of the Laws of Making, also known as the Imperial Creed—one that espouses the belief that the Mother of Mothers was the true god of mankind.

The emperors that came after Yarrick would not be as influential as Yarrick. By M20 A.D., nine thousand years after Galatan's Rebellion, the Imperium of Andarra is a dystopic society whose citizens suffer endlessly from oppression and religious fanaticism. Beset on all sides by enemies, humanity is engaged in a never-ending war with its neighbours, its borders expanding and contracting. However, there is one emperor that outshines even the most brilliant of Yarrick's reforms, and his name is Karl.

Reign of Karl Franz
Considered to be a golden age for the modern Imperium, Karl Franz ruled the Imperium justly and with great efficiency. He greatly expanded Imperial territory, pushing deep numerous Xeno territory, most notably the Orion Republic, and introduced new reforms that guarantee the safety for all pyskers, those who are capable of wielding the warp, within the Imperium, whether they be human or Xeno.

Additionally, he invested many resources trying to convince Xenos to accept the superiority of human culture and show to them the Mother of Mother's divine embrace. According to Franz, humanity is defined by its culture and devotion to the Mother of Mothers. He organised his opinions, values, and ideals into the Imperial Truths, a philosophy that continues to dictate the political and societal functions of the modern-day Imperium. He is also known for passing a number of laws, aptly known as the Reforms of Karl Franz.

His reign, however, was remembered mostly for its participation in the Gothic Revolts, a large-scale rebellion against the emperor himself by a group of extremists in the Senatorum Imperialis known as the Illuminati.

Death
The true cause of Karl Franz's death is uncertain, however, some speculate that the High Marshall, and his compliances within the Senatorum Imperialis, assassinated the emperor after they found out that he plans to open the Imperial borders to all Xeno races—a move that could have been catastrophic for the Imperium. Nevertheless, his untimely death has left the Imperium without an heir. Even with the presence of his siblings, the Emperor left behind no trace of evidence that would suggest the continuation of his dynasty as the ruling dynasty of the Imperium.

Territories
Due to the monolithic scale of the Imperium, the nation is divided into four segmentae, with each segmentum containing smaller provinces known as sectors. They are led by a marshall who is responsible for maintaining the Imperium's rule over their respective domains. The Imperium spans 50,000 lightyears across, presiding over an estimated number of ten million planets.

More information can be found in the page Segmentum.

Administration
Although the emperor is considered the ultimate authority of the Imperium, there are many bodies that help the emperor govern the vast territories of the Imperium. Upon close inspection, the Imperium shares many resemblances to a feudal system. Due to the unreliable nature of the warp, it is difficult for the Senatorum to maintain the integrity of the Imperium. Thus, every Imperial planet must pay a tithe to the Imperium in the form of manpower, resources, technology, and loyalty.

The Imperium is still ruled nominally under the Empress's name, but ever since her disappearance at the end of Galatan's Rebellion, the governance of the Imperium falls to the hands of the Emperor and his Senatorum. The Senatorum is composed of the most powerful individuals in the Imperial bureaucracy. Since its reorganisation by Yarrick Franz in M12 A.D., the Senatorum has expanded significantly as more bodies are added into the Imperial bureaucracy. These bodies fall under the overarching name of the Adeptus Terra—a name given to the Imperial bureaucracy.

Information is tightly regulated by both the Inquisition and the Imperium Libraricus so as to prevent any dissidents from emerging. Countless textbooks have been banned by the Inquisition due to containing literature that 'opposes' the word of the Empress. Meanwhile, the Libraricus serves as the Imperium's largest publication firm, proofreading millions of books each year.

However, the Imperium has seen a number of changes since the crowning of Karl Franz as the Emperor of the Imperium. Firstly, he granted more autonomy to the Royal Houses of Andarra, allowing them to participate in the Senatorum Imperialis. Secondly, he removed some of the members representing their respective adepta so as to prevent the Senatorum from being too crowded. Finally, he saw the centralisation of the Imperial government around him by adding a clause in the Sanctum Imperialis Act which states that the Emperor is the only one who can choose the next Emperor.

The Imperial Creed
The Imperium of Andarra worships the Mother of Mothers, Genetrix, as the one true God of the cosmos. Its devotion to the God-Empress is known across the galaxy, and has garnered a significant following even outside its borders. It is the official state religion of the Imperium, and and all teachings that contradict with the Imperial Creed are deemed heretical by the priests of the Ecclesiarchy, as well as agents from the Inquisition.

Cult Mechanicum
The Cult Mechanicum is the religion practiced by members of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It is barely tolerated by the Imperial government as many in the Senatorum, especially the Ecclesiarchy and the Inquisition, view the Cult Mechanicum the religion with reluctant tolerance, for it barely aligns itself with the teachings of the Imperial Creed. They worship the Machine God, an artificial construct that is believed to have been present even before man's first flight into the cosmos. Needless to say, the Imperial government's relationship with the Mechanicum of Mars is tenuous, at best.

Aether Undivided
One of the newer religions to be approved by the Imperium, the Aether Undivided is a religion practiced by the various Aether Orders across the galaxy.