25,000 years ago the half insect, half reptilian dominant species on the planet Vrozlyd formed their first cities and civilization. From day one this was a worldwide culture with no division of class, race or sex. The Vrozlydians cared for their children and elderly communally, never had any reason to wage war and dedicated themselves to scientific pursuits which would make life more comfortable and enjoyable while living in harmony with nature.

Like Earth, which has a similar size and atmospheric makeup, Vrozlyd has millions of species of animal life. However, Vrozlyd has no mammals. Fish are in abundance and grow to enormous size in the many large oceans. Insects and reptiles of all shapes and sizes live in the planets vast jungles but require nothing from the Vrozlydian men and woman, so they keep their distance. By leaving the animals of the planet alone, and adapting technology to create food from laboratories that can be stored in immense metal containers underground, pests have never been a source of disease or even a nuisance to everyday living. The climate is warm and humid. There are frequent minor rain storms but almost none of serious severity in a 100 year period.

40 foot tall insects dominated Vrozlyd in prehistoric times. The planet is 7 billion years old and these insects walked the land for 4 billion years eating smaller insects for sustenance. A plague arrived upon the planet when an alien space craft of unknown origin containing toxic bacterial organisms crashed 1 billion years ago. The craft was found 2,000 years ago during building excavation and is now free of plague. It is housed in The Museum of Ancient Life in the capitol city, Zorv, directly adjacent to the Imperial Palace. Slowly life came back out of the ocean and it is theorized that a snake mated with a 2 foot long insect to create the ancient ancestors of the modern dominant race. Both the snake, Vroz, and the insect, Lyd, still exist to this day and give the planet its name.

Vrozlydians prefer to live exactly 500 years. It is a custom that started 12,000 years ago. When a Vrozlydian wishes to die they summon their family for six days to say goodbye and voluntarily stop their organs by means of intense meditation. A cast of the individuals body is made into a statue and taken to the Mountain of the Ancestors. They are never worshiped or venerated, but these statues are cared for by encasing them in impenetrable glass.

The Vrozlydians are slightly smaller than humans but much stronger. They have tales and beaks, large eyes, ten digit claws, tentacles and exoskeletons. The claws and tentacles can both be used to grasp equipment or manipulate machinery when working. Vrozlydians mate once, give birth to two children, always one male and one female, and maintain virtually zero growth or decline in population doing so. The current population of the planet is 800 Million. They have religion. but it is personal, a form of inner singing that comes to them in caves during adolescence. The Inner Song is used during meditation when willingly ending life. They have never created alcohol or drugs and view intoxication as a sickness meant for hospitalization.

When the human Emperor Zebulon Kosted took control centuries ago through manipulation and treachery little changed for the majority of Vrozlydians. The most curious and adventurous joined his armies but relied so heavily on robots first, then lab created bio-mechanical creatures which were first enslaved but later freed and called Synthetics, for engaging in warfare that very few every lost their lives in the line of duty. Those who did pass away in this manner are not seen as heroes but are treated much like the factory worker who loses his or her life by accident, which is also a rare occurrence.

Vrozlydians who show a particular talent for governance and legal application are given jobs within the Zone of Economic Imperium. His majesty does not lie about trade being the foundation of empire, even if he does lie about many other things, including Earth being a dangerous planet to be avoided at all costs. Themis, the hidden moon of Saturn, was the least desirable mining outpost to be stationed at. Now it is used as a base for spies and a scientific research facility is housed there for the creation of secret weapons. Saying the word Themis aloud is considered rude and dangerous.

King Utryn and the former slave race, the Synthetics, living on Planet Synthos are now seen as a fascinating oddity more than a menace by most Vrozlydians. The attitude towards the Emperor has changed during the centuries he has remained on the throne. No Vrozlydian living remembers the day he took power, so none of them knew what it was like without him. Some scholars have been quietly researching what life was like before the rule of Zebulon Kosted and have been whispering these secrets to those who will listen. There is no rebellion on the horizon, but there is a historical awakening taking place...