Shadows of Imperium is a tabletop RPG and novel series

What’s in a name? Imperium specifically refers to the projection of authority and power. There is no empire here. These stories, and those who move through them, operate within the shadow of the great institutions which have long held humanity together.

Imperium takes place in 185-232 PC (Pax Concordia). The setting is reminiscent of a retro-futuristic late 20th and early 21st century. Technology, people, cultures, and institutions may be similar on the surface, but can uncanny upon closer inspection.

The balance of power arches across a multitude of governments, corporations, pan-human religions, numerous smaller factions, and alien species. These powers are constantly maneuvering against each other, triggering proxy wars, espionage, and political upheavals.

Regardless of these great powers, there is potential to reshape local events and resist those who would use you to their own ends. Conversely, bringing down delicate alliances and causing havoc at scale is also possible.

Despite the appearance of stability in the modern age, humanity had clawed itself from the brink of oblivion ~2400 years prior. This reconstruction was not without its share of troubles. Despite tremendous effort to rebuild what was once lost, the current level of technology and expansion pales by comparison to the pre-collapse remnants found throughout the galaxy.

The Anthropic Span (human-occupied space) encompasses a swath of the Perseus Arm and the Lower Orion Spur. Hundreds-to-thousands of worlds have been recolonized since the collapse. The Core World powers maintain their sphere of influence around humanity’s new home systems, but other groups have broken away or formed their own independent regions. Far beyond the frontiers, there are more worlds lurking in the dark, potentially holding secrets and technology of the past.

The universe is much more than what it would seem on the surface. There are deeper realms within reality. One of those, known as Hubspace, has made interstellar travel possible. The interaction between the energies of the deep realms and reality has awakened strange mutations, powers, and even immortality among a segment of humanity.

We would do well to remember that there are other entities lurking within those primordial realms, and they are not passive. They too have agendas and needs which may periodically spill out into our own universe.

Humanity shares the galaxy with several other alien species and various forms of altered humans.

  • The Lacir are an ancient warlike species locked in perpetual tension with their former masters. They have been enigmatic allies of humanity since long before recorded history. Their emissaries are welcomed, but sometimes bring ill tidings from regions outside human space.
  • The Kyserians are one of the oldest known species in the galaxy. They created the Lacir in ages past, and uplifted the Morocaschics. Their entire civilization goes through eras of torpor that span eons. However, they have awakened and are on the move once more.
  • The Morocaschics are a scattered species, existing throughout human space and beyond. They are natural shapeshifters and have infiltrated many worlds by imitating their local inhabitants. They were once enemies of humanity, but now their dwindling numbers have caused them to reevaluate their hostilities.