The Victusverse
Alright homos we’re gonna try making this thing look official. So, what is “The Victusverse”? Well handily, I have a whole summary of it (technically a summary of the book itself but you’ll get the gist of it from that, Space Rome bullshit yadda yadda), and I’m gonna be putting a growing glossary/index/whatever for the setting under a readmore here in a second. Um. Oh right! I am slowly filling out some website called world anvil with both in and out of universe articles and shit, which I will have a link for as well when that’s more ready for public viewing. Additionally, I’m going to be linking to a masterpost of things I’ve already posted in this setting, to make reading them much easier, especially for posts that are part of a larger narrative or whatever (like my beloved Siege of Tremaine). Other than that, not really much else for me to add here. Hi.
Victusverse Glossary
Aberinian: a species of large, ursine humanoids originally hailing from the world Turush, with a society structured around large, multi-system clans. Aberinian culture is notable for being centered around a member’s chosen occupation, and Aberinians are not considered fully matured until they have chosen one of several life paths, though these may be changed out throughout an Aberinian’s life.
AB-27 Pilum: Primary armament of Legionary infantry, the Autoballista-27 is a rugged, compact weapon, utilizing a series of electromagnets running the length of the barrel to accelerate a tungsten penetrator to over 4,000 meters per second in ideal conditions. The rifle is linked to a Legionary’s CIS, allowing the onboard targeting systems to provide accurate telemetry and even, with suit AI assistance, adjust a Legionary’s aim in real time. Ammunition can be manufactured on-site by Legionary combat engineers, who are equipped with portable minifacturing printers.
Admiralty Board: High command of the Imperial Navy, there are 24 seats, with each of the 12 Fleets having two representatives, known as Lord High Admirals. Appointment to the Board must be unanimous.
Alistair Saint-James (2345-2417): Legendary “Father of the Imperial Navy”, and the first Lord High Admiral. Laid out the foundation of the modern Navy in the aftermath of the 1st Aberinian War.
Aetian Dynasty: Line of emperors and empresses that began in 454 CE with the Roman general Flavius Aëtius, who reformed the Roman Empire into the Imperium Europum. The line technically ended with Empress Iustina in 1643, though by tradition all emperors are considered members of it.
Astronavigation: The complex process of computing flight paths through both Realm- and real-space, using highly advanced supercomputers.
AV-14 Combat Armature: Igorian-made powered infantry suit, designed to counter Imperial Legionaries. Standing at 14 tall and armed with twin underslung assault cannons, they are a fearsome battlefield presence.
Ava’Cumish: homeworld of the Igorian species. Referred to as Saurus Prime by Imperial soldiery, it is a hot, humid world wracked by radiation.
Benden Military States: a collection of mercenary fiefdoms, minor warlord kingdoms, and military juntas that have banded together to offer their services across the galaxy. A key Imperial ally.
Berakth Clan: one of the five Aberinian Great Clans, and the first to reach space over 15,000 years ago. A frequent military opponent of the Imperium.
Drop Assault Legion: Specialized legionary formations trained to drop onto enemy positions from low orbit. Their Combat Infantry Suits are equipped with advanced grav-foils to arrest descent, and reinforced servomotors in the legs to absorb the impact.
Emperor Gaius Valerius (2262-Present): Current imperator of the Imperium Humanum. Elected in 2303, he was initially somewhat unpopular, seen as quiet and reserved and largely uninspiring. It would be his adopted son who improved his public image, and he has remained exceedingly popular with the Imperial citizenry ever since.
Flavius Aëtius: General of Rome, sent to defeat Attila the Hun. Upon his return to Ravenna, Emperor Valentinian III attempted to kill him, but was struck down, and Aëtius assumed the throne. Instituted a series of sweeping reforms that ended slavery, expanded food production and social support, and rebuilt much of the Empire’s decaying infrastructure.
Harbinger Ships: Colloquial name for the three alien megaships that appeared in orbit over Terra during Herius Victus’ coronation. One of them, named the Invictus, is significantly larger than the others, measuring 43.7 kilometers in length. While Victus’ stole that ship, the other two remain in Imperial possession, with one reserved as the personal flagship of the emperor, known as the Humanitas Aeterna, and the other is permanently anchored over Terra as the flagship of the 1st Fleet, known as the Fraternitas Aeterna. They have been studied extensively, with most Imperial warships being reverse-engineered from them, though they remain poorly understood still.
Herius Iolanthus Victus (2314-Present): Adopted son of Emperor Gaius Valerius, and current heir of the Valerian Dynasty. Declared exiled the day of his coronation, when he stole the alien Harbinger ship Invictus and left for deep space. Now the self-styled Lord High Admiral of the “Black” 13th Fleet, he operates from far beyond Imperial space, stepping in during moments of crisis to save the Imperium, most recently near the end of the Unity Wars when he personally lifted the Siege of Tremaine. His small fleet is composed of stolen or defected Imperial warships and crews, and he is famed for his hands-on approach in mentoring promising junior officers.
Igorian: An amphibian species most closely resembling Terran salamanders (though usually incorrectly referred to as reptiles by Imperial citizens), the Igorians are one of the older spacefaring species in the galaxy. Their origins as a prey species on their homeworld Ava’Cumish has left an indelible mark on the species’ psychology, and combined with a minor shared consciousness in large groups, Igorians are dangerously prone to groupthink and paranoia, which has led to the dozens of civil wars and secessionist movements that have plagued most attempts at establishing central Igorian governments.
Igorian Federal Republic: Igorian government formed 2565 in the ashes of the 92nd Igorian Civil War, the IFR took extreme steps to prevent the instability that typically plagued Igorian governments. In 2671, the IFR would attack the Imperial worlds of Solsthone, Magna Imurius, Laerono’s World, and Segaestus, beginning the galactic conflict that would come to be known as the Unity/Unification War (either term is accurate), which lead to the IFR’s dissolution. It would be replaced by the Igorian People’s Republic, now a client state of the Horagint Confederacy.
Imperium Humanum: Successor state of the Roman Empire, previously known as the Imperium Europa and Imperium Terra. Post-scarcity socialist state with robust social services and the single largest nation in the galaxy, at over 4000 member planets and 13 trillion citizens, both human and alien. While usually only referring to space under the direct control of the Imperial government, there are also hundreds of minor independent members who enjoy Imperial protection and limited autonomy under the aegis of the Social Accords. The Imperium considers itself the primary representative of the human species, along with its longtime ally, the Pan-African Coalition.
Imperial Systems Patrol: Predecessor to the modern Imperial Navy, the ISP was predominately composed of light starships armed with close defense weapons only. When the 1st Aberinian War broke out, they were quickly devastated.
Imperial Navy: The current iteration of the Imperium’s space-based military forces. Divided up into 12 Fleets, each assigned to specific sections of the Imperium. Each Fleet is commanded by two Lord High Admirals.
Imperial Legions: A portion of the Imperium’s ground-based forces, and their frontline units. Legions are composed of thousands of genetically enhanced soldiers wearing Combat Infantry Suits, advanced suits of powered armor. Recruits are drawn from veteran volunteers in the Imperial Auxilia.
Imperial Legionary: Elite infantry who undergo intensive genehancement regimens and demanding training. Created during the 1st Aberinian War as the Imperium quickly realized unaltered human troops were woefully unprepared to face hostile alien species like the powerful Aberinians. Each Legionary is equipped with a Combat Infantry Suit (with specialized Suits for different combat specializations), they are mass produced supersoldiers unlike anything the galaxy has seen before.
Imperial Auxilia: Rank and file troops that make up the bulk of the Imperium’s ground-based military forces. Deployed exclusively to low-intensity combat zones and garrison duties.
Imperial Household Guard: Personal bodyguards of the Emperor. Never numbering more than 100 members, and led by a Captain-General elected from within the Guard. Members are expected to be skilled in many disciplines, ranging from personal combat to security to diplomacy, as they are also called upon to represent the Emperor in matters of diplomacy and statecraft. There is also a small Naval contingent.
Imperial Diplomatic Service: Governmental body in charge of interstellar diplomacy, representing the Imperium in diplomatic talks and in the Union of Independent Interstellar States. The IDS also offers free representation for minor states and independent planets.
Imperial Galactic Broadcast Network: Government agency that oversees interstellar communication networks, and provides support for both government and independent media organizations. Notable for freely carrying anti-Imperial broadcasts, and maintains communications networks in independent and neutral states free of charge.
Imperial Astronavigation Commission: Government agency that maintains updated star charts and Realm-space mapping, and maintains a galactic network of automated navigational outposts. Imperial charting services are free to access, and the IAC also provides transportation and disaster relief services.
Imperial Senate (Senatoris Populi): Center of Imperial government. 416 Senators meet for 1 month every quarter on Ravenna for legislative sessions. Each Imperial province has 1 senatorial representative, though provinces have their own representative councils as well. The Senate primarily oversees long term strategic planning and overarching legislation, while the matter of day-to-day government is left to each province’s citizen councils.
Invictus: Massive alien warship personally commanded by the rogue prince Herius Victus. Measuring 43.7 kilometers in length and possessing capabilities far beyond any other ship in existence, it is a singular weapon, though one that even Victus doesn’t fully understand.
Kilaurus Clan: Another of the five Great Clans of Aberinian society, and humanity’s first contact. Humanity encountered them when Kilaurus warships destroyed the remote colony on Miranda, a planet considered holy to the living Aberinian god Halla Syn-Taythis, starting the 1st Aberinian War. Impressed by human tenacity and the Imperium’s capacity to regroup and keep fighting, at war’s end Clan Kilaurus would become a close associate of the Imperium, a relationship that would be formalized after the Unification War and the signing of the Var’Namen Treaty. Today, Kilaurus stands as humanity’s closest ally. Currently, the Clan is governed by Kira Kilaurus, Warchief and personal friend of Herius Victus.
Kira Kilaurus: Kar’Kira tey Ni’Kira ad Bel’Nama (lit. translated: Kira born of Ni’Kira and Bel’Nama), known by the war name “The Thread That Weaves Fate”, is the current Warchief of Clan Kilaurus. A poet originally, Kira found his true calling on the battlefield when a diplomatic mission he was assigned to turned disastrous, and saw him relegated to the Kilaurus Territorial Defense Fleet. Unfortunately for the young Kira, he would be assigned to the Fleet right as hostilities broke out with the Igorian Federal Republic at the onset of the Unification War. Kira would rapidly make a name for himself, operating as part of a naval raider unit far behind enemy lines for the duration of the war. His career, and life, almost ended during a poorly planned ambush, but the timely intervention of Herius Victus and his fleet saved the burgeoing voidpoet, and a friendship with Victus would see him enter the world of politics and high command. A boisterous, fun-loving eccentric, Kira has built a name as a daring, controversial, and provocative leader, in a clan known mostly for conservatism.
The Realm: Colloquial name for a pocket dimension used by galactic society for faster-than-light travel. By harnessing complex matter-antimatter reactions, ships can tunnel into the Realm, and shorten interstellar journeys from years down to weeks. The Imperium possesses the unique technology to turn exotic Realm particles into energy, giving them near-limitless energy production.
Union of Independent Interstellar States: Supranational body created in the wake of the Unity Wars. Principal signatories include the Imperium Humanum, Aberinian Kilaurus Clan, Horagint Confederacy, Zentilluss System-states, and Igorian People’s Republic, along with dozens of minor members. UIIS declarations are considered binding for all members, though the close resemblance to Imperial policy (namely the Social Accords) and over representation by Imperial officials has led some other states to accuse the Union of being a vehicle for Imperial soft power. The Imperial 12th Fleet is permanently seconded to the Union’s peacekeeping forces.
Warship: Standard term for any interstellar military vessel, even unarmed ones.
Zentilluss System-states: A loose confederation of highly developed independent systems originally settled by the ancient Zentilluss species. Now a multi-species confederacy, the ZSS leverages its reputation and knowledge as a galactic mediator. They were the first interstellar state to formalize ties with the Imperium.
