Overview of the Silver River

The Silver River Arm, commonly known simply as simply 'The Silver River' or colloquially 'the Arm,' is one of the many arms of the Ethereal Dust Sea Galaxy. It is a outer spiral arm of said galaxy spanning roughly 3,500 light-years in width and roughly 10,000 light-years across, containing an estimated twenty billion star systems. However, generally, when denizens refer to the Silver River, they are not referring to the spiral arm as a whole. Instead, they are referring to the roughly 10,000 system wide area known as, among other things, 'Known Space,' 'the Civilized Sectors,' and 'the Explored Reaches.' This is not to say the remainder of the spiral arm is either uninhabited, nor that expansion is undesired by those within this region of space. But instead, this represents the current efforts by explorers over a roughly thirty millennia of expansion and colonization.

Regardless, the region is very populous with well over three thousand sapient species distributed throughout the region of space. Many of these species have unified into various major and minor political entities that have laid claim to well over 6,000 of these star systems, with the remainder being either uninhabited as of yet, inhabited by one or more pre-spaceflight species, or stripped of the majority of its resources before being abandoned. Whilst dozens of small interstellar factions dot the stellar region, the Silver River is primarily controlled by two factions: the Stellar Confederation and the Penrith Aldwylsar. Though the two sides are bordered in all directions by neutral worlds, the two remain heated enemies with occasional skirmishes in these so-called 'Border Worlds.' While there have been numerous attempts to repair the deep seated rift between the two governments, all have ended in failure as a result of in-fighting, deliberate sabotage, or simple accidents.

Regardless, as a result of this divide, neutral political entities usually go out of their way to avoid helping or hindering either government, lest they either be attacked or forcibly absorbed by their larger militaries. These neutral entities range from small collectives of species aboard neutral Free Trade Port space stations, small species empires who have managed to stave off angering either group, and various underworld entities hiding in unclaimed space to run their various operations. Generally, they trade with others as needed and avoid claiming additional territory to avoid running afoul of the Confederates or the Penriths. That being said, small border conflicts between certain neutral groupings flair up on occasion. Often these are a result of culture clashes, or piracy in the case of underworld entities. Generally these conflicts are ignored by the larger factions, or used as justification to intervene to increase their influence on one or more of the groups involved.

Whilst there has not been exploration beyond the currently mapped 10,000 systems, travels from beyond these barriers do occasionally venture into Known Space. Most often these are simply individual explorers from as of yet undiscovered interstellar empires, but occasionally there have been waves of refuges from whole wars or catastrophes that bring new species into the area. Largely, these groups are absorbed into the Confederation as a Client Protectorate, though a few have become neutral factions or even been allowed temporary sanctuary in the territory of the Aldwylsar, though none as of yet have been incorporated into it or become adherents of the Penrith faith. Most, at best, maintain a distant friendly relationship following the encounter.