The authority of the Citadel Council ends at the Attican Traverse.
Beyond, there exists a lawless region of petty despots, tyrants, and criminal syndicates
whose constant wars and chaos have been a blight on the galaxy for millenia.
The refusal of these outer territories to acknowledge the Citadel Conventions has its
advantages, commodities that would be illegal anywhere else can be found in abundance.
The opportunities that exist here have led to the creation of entrepot colonies, border
planets that exist in a shade of grey.
Illium is one such world, a gateway between the Terminus Systems and the Asari Republics.
Befitting its location on the edge of interstellar civilization, Illium is not an official Asari
colony but instead one settled and now governed by Asari corporate interests.
This gives the planet a degree of legal latitude typically afforded to research enclaves or
frontier settlements.
Operating outside of the stringent customs laws enforced within Citadel Space, regulations
affecting proscribed materials, arms shipments, sapient trafficking, and private military
corporations are largely non-existent.
Companies specializing in pharmaceuticals, biotics, and weapons manufacturing have found
particular success here, most notably the Dantius Corporation: a rising star in the
galactic markets.
Illium’s unique legal status has made it one of the wealthiest colonies in the region
and an interstellar center for Asari commerce.
It has grown renowned for its glamor and luxury, both a favored tourist destination and a preferred
getaway for countless celebrities, who maintain palatial estates in Nos Astra, the planet’s
largest city and capital.
While a functional port, Nos Astra is famous for its spectacular and elegant architecture.
Its glittering skyscrapers and rooftop plazas host a prodigious nightlife and ceaseless
bustling markets.
Illium as a whole has developed a reputation for its provincial arrogance, born of “new
money” while local media glorifies “sexiest CEOs” and “top ten richest residents”
lists.
Despite its outward appearance as a cosmopolitan and sophisticated world, the equal of any
in the Asari Republics, the influence of the Terminus Systems is widespread and profound.
Nearly everything short of murder is sanctioned on Illium, and any kind of drug, weapon, technology,
or even legally indentured servants can be found here.
While this level of economic freedom is necessary to keep Illium competitive with the rest of
the Terminus Systems, it remains an Asari world and far from lawless.
An extensive bureaucracy and security apparatus maintains an unparalleled level of safety,
enforced by near constant surveillance.
It is a testament to Asari ingenuity that Illium is anything more than another savage
world on the edge of the Terminus Systems.
The planet itself is hot and massive, with ground settlements only possible at higher
polar latitudes.
Despite these shortcomings, its cities display the same grace and beauty of any Asari garden
world, but all its extravagance is meant to distract from an ugly truth.
Illium is cruel and dangerous, a place that no one should wander alone.
In Atlas, the Templin Institute investigates the most storied places from across alternate worlds.
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