By most indices of sheer. power, the Shgaroth Varanyi - the Varanyi Empire - is the predominant state in the Milky Way Galaxy. Large, technologically advanced, rich, and ruled by some of the Galaxy's most powerful psionics, it poses a threat not only to nearby states, but to the Terran Empire and other distant realms.
House Al'gari, the most powerful psionics in a psionic species, has ruled the Varanyi Empire (and its nation-state predecessors) for ten thou sand years. Chegath, Unquestioned Master of the Crested Ones, Shining Light of the Varanyi, has ruled as Shgarothayn, or Emperor, for the past twenty-four years, and due to his relatively young age and excellent health seems likely to retain his throne for several more decades. He resides in the vast and impregnable palace Voum Vathcersajz in the capital city Bvarog on Varan.
The Emperor holds absolute power; his word is law. However, the Varanyi emperors long ago realized no one person could singlehandedly rule such a vast empire. Over the centuries they created a large aristocracy to help them govern. They chose nobles from the four-crested Varanyi and gave them power over a defined region... subject, of course, to their continuing loyalty and obedience. A noble may, in turn, appoint others to help him, creating a feudalistic system that functions efficiently because Varanyi mental powers make truth-reading and long-distance communication easy.
An advisory council, the Uthiriom Vaan, or "House of Notables;' provides the Emperor with sound advice on matters of policy. Any Varanyi other than a Ks'lch can become a member through Imperial appointment or election by the current Notables. The Uthiriom usually advises the Emperor adequately, but its Byzantine rules hamper it, and feuds, vendettas, and even assassination often mar its internal relations.
Only males of House AI'gari can become Emperor, but all other positions in the Imperial government remain open to both genders. Sometimes, the Empress wields more influence and power than her husband (though not during Chegath's reign).
The Varanyi Empire has no allies. Centuries of aggressive and arrogant behavior have made them feared but not liked. Even distant states like the Terran Empire suspect the Varanyis' every move, and nearby states take whatever measures they can in anticipation of a Varanyi invasion. (One neighbor, the Velarian Confederation, formed primarily as a defensive alliance against the Varanyi.) Over the past two centuries, this general level of Galactic paranoia has hindered Varanyi trade, leading to some economic malaise within the Empire and resulting social unrest. To counter this problem, the Emperor has deployed part of his military to potential "hot spots" - and with so many troops on garrison duty, the Empire has not continued expanding at its former rate.
The Empire takes the most interest in other psionic species. They have conquered several planets which were home to life with advanced psi potential, with the intent of ensuring no other species can have powers equaling theirs. The Varanyi believe that by maintaining a "monopoly" on powerful psionic abilities, they guarantee their ultimate triumph over other states.
The Varanyi divide their military into two branches: the Planetary Force and the Interplanetary Force. Planetary corresponds to the Terran Imperial Army - land, air, sea, and low-orbit forces. Interplanetary, the space arm, resembles the Terran Imperial Navy.
Of the two, the Interplanetary Force is by far the largest, most powerful, and most feared. A single mighty g'u'radic, or "Star Galleon" - a large warship designed for long-term independent operation - is more than a match for a Terran superdreadnought. They carry troops, conduct exploration, and defend Varanyi space. Even the smaller, less capable Varanyi vessels present a problem for comparably-sized starships fielded by other species.
The Interplanetary Force includes a group of elite spaceborne troops - the Hrewinth H'vaar, or "Thrice-Blessed Space Commandos." All members are three-crested Varanyi trained in a wide variety of combat arts; they also wear battlesuits and carry powerful assault blasters. Supposedly a squad of Space Commandos can fight its way through an entire division of enemy soldiers and emerge unscathed.
The Varanyi intelligence services relies heavily on its members' psi powers. The main spy agency, the Vashyyl V'hanic ("Noble Gatherers of Knowledge"), consists almost entirely of three- and four-crested Varanyi who gather intelligence information via telepathy, mind-control interrogation of captured enemies, and clairvoyance.
While psionics makes many espionage-related chores easily, the downside is that Varanyi spies have relatively poor tradecraft compared to other species - since they don't usually need mundane intelligence-gathering skills, they receive little training in them. When they confront psi-shielded enemies, their conduct often borders on the amateurish. Furthermore, since the Noble Gatherers can only recruit from the upper castes, it lacks the size and diversity it often needs.
The Varanyi rule hundreds of planets, ranging from old colony worlds to newly-conquered alien civilizations. Some of the more important or signifi cant among them include:
A Varanyi colony world settled over 400 years ago, Barsan has recently experienced an upswelling of social discontent. A charismatic Ks'lch named Mrunar Fhaath has rallied significant support for his doctrine that all Varanyi should have equal rights under the law. Eager to crush this sort of dissent, the Emperor and House of Notables has assigned a large military force to keep the Barsanian peace, forcing Mrunar into hiding.
Another problem world for the Varanyi, Goloba is a chilly planet with a surface 83 percent ocean. Its single land mass, a large arctic continent covered by icecap, tundra, and vast cold swamps, nevertheless gave rise to a sentient species, the Golo - small, emaciated-looking humanoids with webbed hands and feet.
Goloba presents a problem due to an unintended side effect of the Varanyi conquest. When the Varanyi first took over Goloba, it possessed very little technology (ATRI 2 to 3) and had a balkanized government (dozens of petty kingdoms, all constantly squabbling with their neighbors). The Golo branded anyone exhibiting psionic powers a witch and killed him. The Varanyi put a stop to the persecution of psionics - and then discovered the Golo may have an even larger proportion of natural psionics than they do. Moreover, the most powerful Golo could possibly outmatch an Al'gari. The Varanyi don't know what to do - they fear if they integrate Goloba into their empire it may become the Golo Empire instead, but at the same time they cant bear to throw away or destroy such a source of psionic might.
One of the earliest Varanyi conquests, this huge desert planet has a gravity of 1.4 G and oceans covering less than 20 percent of the surface. The native Kadilians have no psionic abilities whatsoever, but possess great physical power, toughness, and fortitude. The Varanyi use Kadilians as labor on dozens of planets, and consider them naturally servile and inferior.
Although Varan itself remains the true heart of Yindrism, the Varanyi's monotheistic faith, T'granash has become the center of the clergy. A colony settled almost entirely by priests and monks (including the Gyuki-ani sect of ascetics), it possesses some of the most magnificent religious architecture in the Galaxy. The Great Temple of Yinda'r in Red'ashqa Len, the planet's capital, covers dozens of acres and can seat twenty thousand worshippers for a single service. The Htas'lur (the "chief archbishop" who wields most of the ultimate religious authority in the church) visits T'granash frequently.