The Eriaduan Empire, named for its capital world, was the interstellar government in the Outer Rim, encompassing what was formerly Oversector Outer of the Galactic Empire, established c. 130 ABY. It was a break away faction of the resurgent Galactic Empire that came to power shortly after the New Sith Order replaced the Fel Dynasty as its leaders.
History[]
Following the Sith-Imperial War and the Attack on Emperor Fel, there were certain factions within the Empire that refused to submit to the incumbent Emperor Darth Krayt and his new Sith Order. Led by Antonio de Borgia, who proclaimed himself Emperor of Eriadu, which he had been serving as governor of, the disaffected Imperials broke away from the now-Sith controlled Empire and formed their own sovereignty in the Outer Rim.
The Ascension Wars[]
Some time after the breakaway, the Eriaduan Empire allied itself with the Rosen Kreuz Orden, an extremist group that was a fierce opponent to the Sith Order and as such the Sith-controlled Empire. Though Darth Krayt saw this secession as little more than a nuisance he knew that with the Empire’s fragile state and the threat of rebellion on his hands, he could not afford to allow them to build up enough power to become am actual threat. Borgia, with his great charisma and a little coercion from the Rosen Kreuz, was able to entice many Outer Rim worlds to join his Empire. Their ultimate goal: to gain a foothold in the Outer Rim Territories and gain recognition by the Empire as a sovereign power.
The Ascension Wars officially broke out in late 130 ABY, which eventually led to the Eriaduan Empire taking over most of the sectors and regions in the Outer Rim, including the entire Seswenna Sector and the former Velcar Free Commerce Zone. Most of the surviving forces of the Sith-controlled Empire either defected or were forcibly absorbed into the Eriaduan Empire. Though there were some minor skirmishes near the Imperial-Eriaduan border, the Eriaduan Empire had essentially won the war and as such were eventually recognized by Darth Krayt, albeit reluctantly, as a sovereign power. Shortly after the war began, with the spread of Eriaduan influence came a rise in crime and regional conflicts. To reduce the amount of time required by the judicial process, a military court was established, this being the origin of the Order of Judges. The Order of Judges were a special order of “knights” under the Eriaduan Ministry of Law.
The Rise of the Orden[]
After the establishment of the Eriaduan Empire as both a political and military presence in the Outer Rim and the Korriban incident, the Rosen Kreuz, under the direction of their leader Cain Knightlord, decided to seize control of the Eriaduan Empire. Their legions of Death Hunters, reanimated cadavers with superhuman strength, assaulted the Emperor’s Palace in Eriadu City. With the palace secure, the Order’s bloody coup was complete.
Well thats what happens to those who break the things I desire.
—Cain Knightlord
Though utterly confused and demoralized by the betrayal, the Judges, having pledged their allegiance to the office of the Eriaduan Emperor, had no choice but to submit to their new Emperor. However, the Orden’s victory was not a complete one, for Emperor Borgia, escorted by a cadre of the remaining Eriaduan Executors, escaped the Order’s Death Hunters. A grievous blunder Cain feared, for he was fully aware of the charisma that Borgia possessed and the level of support he could garner from the Judges, the military, and even the forces of his former ruler, Emperor Roan Fel, should he be allowed to live.
Resistance[]
Not all of the Eriaduan Empire recognized the Orden’s authority. Over the years, forces loyal to Borgia gathered on Eriadu, awaiting the return of their true Emperor. With EX leader Caterina Sforza and the Imperial Guard commander Captain Mary Spencer at his side, Borgia and the Resistance Army retook control of the planet in 140 ABY, catching the Rosen Kreuz completely off guard, forcing them to withdraw from the planet.
With the recapturing of the Eriadu, the line had been drawn. The Eriaduan Empire was now divided in two: the Contra Mundi's faction, now based on Hollow Bastion, and the loyalist faction under the true Emperor, Borgia, on Eriadu.
Eriaduan Empire to the Galactic Imperium[]
Other than some minor skirmishes, after Borgia’s faction recaptured Eriadu the Eriaduan Empire remained contested due to the fact that neither faction leader wanted to risk a costly attack on the other’s capital world, which would be the only move that would cause any substantial shift in power. It was around this time that Darth Krayt’s rejuvenated Sith-Imperial forces began to stir. In the interests of the Empire that they both had put a lot of stock into forging, Borgia and the Contra Mundi were forced into reconciliation.
After some brief infighting the Eriaduan Empire was once again united, under the auspices of eliminating Darth Krayt once and for all. Due to his unwillingness to accept the loss of the Outer Rim Territories, Darth Krayt was still a major threat to Borgia’s Empire. Though he had no desire to rule the Galaxy, he, along with the Contra Mundi, realized that he’d have no choice but to eliminate Darth Krayt’s Empire completely.
Forging an alliance with Roan Fel, the two Eriaduan leaders and the former-Galactic Emperor combined their collective forces and territories and formed a Triumvirate, renaming their collective territories and forces the Galactic Imperium (even though no renaming of internal organizations took place, i.e. the Eriaduan Secret Police were still the Eriaduan Secret Police, however the commonality of the usage of the word Eriaduan was lessened).
With this new alliance, the former Eriaduan Empire had become more than a match for Darth Krayt’s forces, even in their rejuvenated state. Borgia, the Contra Mundi, and Fel gathered a large combined fleet and moved on the capital of Krayt’s Empire, Coruscant. Surrounded with little chance of withstanding an assault by the combined forces of the triumvirs with the chaotic state of the Sith-Imperial High Command, Darth Krayt and his forces withdrew from Coruscant, leaving the planet almost completely defenseless. The Imperium forces easily took the huge ecumenoplis and it effectively became the new capital of the Imperium.
Government and politics[]
The Eriaduan Empire was ruled by an Emperor, yet the Judges held considerable power as chief enforcers and arbiters of Eriaduan law, and they acted as advisors to the Emperor. They managed both the Eriaduan Military and Eriaduan Secret Police.
The Commandant could, however, “federate” and command all Imperial military assets, including fleets, during times of emergency or at the Commandant’s discretion. The authority of the Commandant to federate the Judges’ regional units was the only explicitly demonstrated political check to the Order of Judges’ powers.
Astrography[]
The Eriaduan Empire contained most of the sectors and regions in the Outer Rim, including Seswenna Sector and the Velcar Free Commerce Zone.