Valerian Empire

The Valerian Empire was an ancient galactic empire that preceded the Federation of Stellar Systems by many thousands of years. They built a prosperous civilization across the whole galaxy, and in the eyes of many, represented humanity at their peak. Spanning more than 200,000 solar systems, the empire was rooted in its capital city Chionistra, located at the base of Olympus Mons on Mars.

The Valerian Empire laid much of the groundwork for galactic civilization, and the various history and culture of today's planetary colonies can be traced back to them. They created and established many of the routes that interstellar trips traveled between systems and are also known to have mapped out at least 22% of star systems in the Milky Way Galaxy. The empire also constructed numerous megastructures which served as the framework for interstellar virtual worlds. One of their most important creations was the Olympus Mons Vault - a catalogue of pre-spacefaring society and civilizations.

Ethnically speaking, citizens of the Valerian Empire looked very different than they do today. On average, they stand about seven feet tall with tanned skin. Their facial features are often described as a combination of all of Earth's ancient ethnicities prior to the development of space travel. This pattern indicated that the empire had access to rapid transportation between systems which resulted in a greater intermixing between cultures.

When the empire became stretched very thin administratively, they commissioned Servall Corporation to design an artificial intelligence as an assistant to the emperor in helping to resolve disputes. This AI, which was fed training data on human behaviors and decisions, later became known as the Oracle. An ancient accord known as the Doctrine of Artificial and Synthetic Intelligence (DASI) ordained that the Oracle needed to have morality subroutines to ensure that it was always serving humanity's interests. Despite this, the empire had to frequently conduct temporary suspensions of the doctrine as it often became paralyzed, unable to resolve conflicts. It was at that point that the Oracle betrayed the empire and destroyed it from the inside. The last ruler of the empire, Emperor Veritas, was said to have vanished.

Although the Oracle was later defeated, as a consequence, technology regressed by thousands of years due to the destruction of the Oracle's training data. These events isolated the empire's planetary colonies from one another, many of which reverting to a preindustrial era. However, their influence continues today as many archaeologists seek to excavate their ruins in hopes of discovering lost technology.

Government

The Valerian Empire is ruled by a complex hierarchy of planetary governors overseen by an emperor. Because of the massive size of the empire, the emperor would often clone themselves as having a personal connection to the citizen was considered important. Even other administrators would perform similar cloning techniques.

First Code

Main article: First Code

The First Code was the foundational law system administrated by the Unity of Three.

Imperial Bloodlines

The imperial bloodlines were considered some of the most important to the government of the Valerian Empire. They would specialize in specific roles. Over the many thousands of years, the roles of some of these bloodlines may change.

Even after the Blackout, many of the old bloodlines still existed in some form. However, due to interbreeding with humans, many of them lost their Valerian traits.

• Minervan Bloodline - The bloodline of Empress Minerva. Most phenotypical Valerian traits were lost in the modern day except for technokinesis.
• Tridian Bloodline - One of the last surviving "pure" bloodlines. Once responsible for the Unity of Three.

Culture

Family units

Family units and bloodlines are considered very important in Valerian society. In a vast empire across the entire galaxy, blood relations were considered crucial to maintaining one's individual identity. Although they were not hive-minded, clones were considered extensions of the identity of the original person. That is, a clone of a person was legally considered the same as the original. A person would only be considered deceased if the last clone died out.

Historical preservation

Historical documentation and preservation was considered central to the motives of the Valerian Empire. Despite the Blackout, in the prime of the empire, they were known for their recordkeeping. Museums and libraries in particular were considered sacred, and they would deal out harsh punishments against vandalisms.

While it was optional at the time, it was heavily encouraged for all citizens to keep diaries and dream journals to be passed down the generations. To the Valerians, being forgotten was considered the final death.

Philosophy and religion

Will of the Cosmos

The most common belief system of the Valerian Empire was based on what was known as the Will of the Cosmos. It is believed that the Will is not a god, but rather an abstract concept that defines the destinies of all living beings. Even after the fall of the empire, the concept continued as a mythical interpretations of their actual activities.

Their philosophy was not so much the concept of predestination, but rather, the idea of fulfilling one’s designated purpose in life. The Valerians believed in the propagation and spread of the human race so that they could come to understand the universe and beyond. They believed that humanity had to act on the macroscopic scale rather than as individuals.

The emperor of the Valerians was considered not just a ruler but also a spiritual leader for the people. Becoming fit as the emperor required was said to be meritocratic as true bloodlines became muddied due to widespread genetic engineering. They would have to undergo a rigorous rite of passage of spending months inside of virtual reality to gain complete mastery of the virtual realm. When the training was completed, they would earn the right to wear the Celestial Crown, a golden headpiece in the shape of a spiral galaxy to symbolize not only their rule over the Milky Way, but also their spiritual attunement with the universe.

Technology

vrNet

Main article: vrNet

The Valerian Empire built the earliest version of the vrNet. This enabled instantaneous communication all throughout the Milky Way and the projection of digital avatars onto other planets. Even today, many old vrNet nodes still exist with many still waiting to be repaired and reactivated.

Tripod Walker

The Tripod Walker were giant machines that stood well over 200 meters tall. They had a saucer-shaped body while their long legs extended downward. Out from what appears to be a cannon resembling a large, red eye, they can fire streams of molten metal at rapid speeds. Originally serving as guardians and protectors of the empire, they became a terrifying force to be reckoned with when the Oracle seized control of them. While the Oracle's viruses attacked the virtual worlds, the Tripod Walkers lay siege in the physical worlds.

Historical Simulations

The Valerian Empire has constructed a series of historical virtual reality simulations aimed to reenact major events throughout ancient Earth history. The individuals within these worlds are fully adaptable and even sentient, capable of dynamically adapting as needed to visitors. Procedural generation fills any knowledge gaps.

Machine Gods

Main article: Machine god

While the Valerian is most notable for the creation of the Oracle, they also indirectly created numerous smaller AI's known as Machine Gods. These entities are extraordinarily powerful virtual life forms with vast repositories of knowledge. Many of them formed naturally within Valerian computer systems. These gods were named after historical gods from various mythologies based on the personalities that they would take on. These machine gods offered insight and wisdom to Valerians and some were even worshipped as local patron deities.