The Imperium is a
gigantic, human controlled interstellar empire, encompassing, in whole or in
part, 28 sectors and about eleven thousands of worlds.
It is the third such empire to encompass that portion of space; the Pax
Vilanica, Ziru Sirka, or First Imperium being ruled by the
Vilani, and the
Second Imperium, sometimes called the Rule of Man or the Ramshackle Empire,
being ruled by Solomani after conquering the Vilani.
The Third Imperium arose from the ashes of the first two about 1800 years
after the Second Imperium collapsed into the Long
Night.
It
is governed by a loose feudal society, with the Emperor ruling through nobles
throughout the Imperium from Barons to Dukes and ArchDukes. The Imperium is essentially a trade protectorate that
controls the space between the stars and allows most worlds to govern
themselves.