More than six decades after the start of the new age, there remained no single force with
the power or will to claim dominance over the galaxy.
Instead, entire nations were slowly ensnared within an intricate web of interstellar politics.
Competing alliances and federations had formed, wars and conflicts had upended entire star
systems, and utopian ideals had been cast aside when presented with far more tangible
pragmatic opportunities.
To many however, the united powers of the 5th Interstellar seemed on the precipice of
becoming the first true superpower.
Together the Union of Supreme Synthetic Republics, the Sozialistische Räterepublik, the Cooperative
Commune of Crustacean Planets and the Asphodel Anarchist Collective represented the most
powerful economic and military force within the galaxy, but divisions within their coalition
had already begun to form.
Fierce ideological debates erupted and soon turned violent.
When it was realized the divide between synthetics and organics might never be bridged, the USSR
renounced their obligations to the 5th Interstellar and were declared class traitors by its remaining
members.
As the galaxy reeled from this upheaval, the Termitoidae Collective saw a chance to regain
what they had lost.
Their hive mind declared war upon the weakened 5th Interstellar and in the Battle of Mother’s
Lament, retook the world of Wegmore, and with it, the primitive Zaacplot people.
Reluctant to engage in a full scale war so soon after the near collapse of their coalition,
the SRR and CCCP agreed to an armistice after a series of indecisive engagements.
As more of the galaxy descended into chaos, The Holy Valtun Kingdom celebrated the discovery
of a world unrivaled in its beauty.
Seen as proof of the divine, they began to colonize its surface.
Yet the Holy Valtun Kingdom was not the only power in the galaxy to consider this world
a spiritual place.
The Sinrath Guardians revered its surface as hallowed ground and declared a holy war
on the Valtun people.
An ancient power that commanded the destiny of the galaxy far before the arrival of the
younger races, the Sinrath Guardians was a nation against which the Holy Valtun Kingdom
could not compete.
With no other choice, they surrendered.
Their leadership was executed and their Kingdom was left humiliated and humbled, but spared.
Spiritually broken, the Valtun Kingdom declared their god to be one of malice and not worthy
of their devotion.
All across the galaxy, the delicate peace that had endured began to unravel.
The UNG and its federation’s progress against the Dredge was halted.
Once within striking distance of the Dredges homeworld, the conflict had deteriorated into
a war of attrition neither side was willing to endure.
The peace that followed left resentment on both sides and the Cupitor Technocracy withdrew
from the UNG’s federation in disgust.
Meanwhile, once again The Way declared their own holy war against the Omni Codex, assisted
in battle by the fleets and armies of Rephlex Inc.
In a stunning victory, the allies prevailed and the Omni Codex was dismantled.
Their worlds were divided between the victors and the Omni Codex reduced to a memory.
The rivalry and conflict that had defined their region of the galaxy was finally over.
The USSR, now free of the restraining hand of the 5th Interstellar, put into motion its
own plans to extend its will.
No longer fully capable of differentiating various organic species however, it declared
war on the Cupitor Technocracy and Cyber Equestrian Collective while simultaneously proclaiming
its intentions to liberate the UNG.
This programming error left thousands dead and the Synthetic Republics were able to claim
two systems from the Cupitor before they realized they had declared war on the wrong species.
Such events were mere trivialities to the Cyber Equestrian Collective.
In both war and peace they remained fixated on the guiding wisdom of the Worm, which had
finally arrived deep within the Collective’s space.
To the rest of the galaxy however, the Union of Supreme Synthetic Republics represented
a clear and present danger.
Even without its former allies, it remained one of the most powerful nations in the galaxy,
while its erratic behavior worried its neighbors.
In an unprecedented act, direct talks began between the UNG Federation and the 5th Interstellar,
both now committed to restraining the actions of the Synthetic Republics.
As the first century of the new age drew to a close, the 5th Interstellar declared war
on the Synthetic Republics and their new allies, the increasingly cybernetic Equestrian Collective.
The initial attacks launched by the Asphodel Anarchist Collective were largely ineffective,
and even the entry of the Valtun Kingdom was not enough to turn the tide.
The Valtun Kingdom quickly ended its role in the conflict, exchanging two star systems
in return for peace.
The 5th Interstellar fought on alone.
Yet bright spots in the galaxy remained.
Within the borders of the Terkardian Utopia, a project of immense scale began.
An artificial habitat, one large enough to surround an entire star system, was slowly
put into place.
This would be the defining element of the so called “Utopia Declaration”, with the
Terkardians proclaiming their commitment to the peace and happiness of their citizenry.
The crimelords known as The Family, meanwhile, continued to spread their influence to every
corner of the galaxy, even as far as the distant worlds of The Way.
Where the Family arrived, corruption followed and even the most brutal attempts to remove
their influence achieved only partial success.
Faced with an entire galaxy filled with what they considered heathens and deviants, The
Way proclaimed a new federation, formed with two nations that until now had remained on
the sidelines of galactic politics.
The Flaarghl Star Gazers, a civilization dedicated to awaiting the return of their messiah, Flag'hashi
Haahrgl, known as “The Veiled One”, together with the Beau'Psionian Brotherhood, a species
gifted with seemingly supernatural psionic powers, now stood together as the Council
of Seekers.
Above all, they abhorred the machine empires of the universe and dedicated the new alliance
to their complete destruction.
Their hatred was perhaps justified.
Across the galaxy, the 5th Interstellar had made precious little progress against the
USSR or the Cyber Equestrian Collective.
But in a single daring attack, all that changed.
Utilizing a natural pathway through spacetime known, perhaps somewhat ironically, as a wormhole,
the SRR mounted a surprise attack against the Cyber-Equestrians.
Numerous systems were seized and both sides agreed to a ceasefire.
With the war over, the Asphodel Anarchist Collective now dedicated itself to the construction
of a true ecumenopolis, utterly transforming the surface of their homeworld.
They were not alone.
The worlds of the USSR had likewise been converted, not into gleaming planet-wide cities, but
cold machine grids within which countless synthetic drones endlessly toiled.
With few nations willing to oppose them, and those that did unable to contain their spread,
the Synthetic Republics now rose to a position of prominence above all others in the galaxy.
But it was in a remote corner of the galaxy from which the greatest threat in recent memory
would arise.
The Pelx-Cradonian Freeholders, a loose collection of warbands and warring factions, were now
united under the guile, charisma, and military genius of a single Great Khan.
Now calling themselves the Pelx-Cradonian Horde, they moved to expand their borders
in numbers never before imagined.
The worlds of the Beau'Psionian Brotherhood were the first to fall, wholly unprepared
for an assault of this magnitude.
The Council of Seekers massed for a counter-attack, but even their combined forces were hardly
a match for Khan.
To the Valtun Kingdom, the rise of the Great Khan was further proof that god was cruel.
As the fleets of the Horde encroached on their borders, the Kingdom surrendered.
They pledged their support to bolster the Khan’s war machine, and delivered to him
unopposed passage across their space.
The first great challenge of the New Age has arrived.
To some, it represents the greatest threat of their brief existence, to others, salvation
from the cruel realities of the universe.
To others however, the Great Khan is merely an opportunity from which to upend the established
order and bring about unfathomable change.
There are forces across the galaxy that have yet to make their move, and their time might
finally have arrived.
Thanks to Paradox Interactive for allowing us at The Templin Institute to investigate
and document the many empires in their intense and unpredictable Dev Clash series.
We’ll be providing a summary of the events of their streams every few weeks but if you
would like to watch the Dev Clash live streams as they happen or stay up to date with the
latest news on Stellaris and its upcoming MegaCorp expansion, follow them on Twitch
& YouTube.
There’s a link in the description.