Pillar

Circle's Centre
The Pillar region is the beating heart of the Rasalum Nebula. A crossroads of commerce, politics and culture, the greatest rulers and lowliest smugglers endlessly seek to predict the power games, trade deals and even fashions of the Nebula Capital, as everything that is struck in Pillar reverberates throughout Rasalum. Pillar is also perhaps the most populated region in the galaxy, in large thanks to Circle, the federation of species that own most of the systems. With over a dozen members, Circle is one of the major galactic powers, and its influence reaches across Rasalum. Circle's main chambers are located within Enosis station, the capital of Circle's dominion and the centre for trade and politics in Rasalum as a whole.

Bottom of the Pillar
'''You receiving this? Good. Alright if you're going to push neurostims in Pillar there's a few things you need to know my friend. First off, Pillar is the most secure region in the galaxy. Every gate is watched, be it by Circle ships, Ulossi, or whoever else got guard duty. Here's the catch, most of the time they don't search ships at the gates, too much traffic. Instead they search them at the stations. That's where you come in. Get the neurostims through the gates, then fly to the Port Poroq in Or. You won't be able to get onto Or itself, too much security, but Poroq has always been a bit of a smuggler's den. Look for a Klinvol who goes by Uzuk Varal, he'll get you and the goods onto Enosis. I've worked with this guy a long time. He's brutal as they come, but somehow he always gets through security, I doubt you want to know the details. Once you're in meet me at the Blacklight Lounge. ''

And don't try and flog the goods out in the Islands, I'll coffin you as quick as anyone else who crossed me'

- Recording found in the wreckage of the Velsp, an unregistered frigate destroyed by Circle Security forces in Aarto after refusing to be searched.

Enosis
Enosis is the centre of Pillar, and the seat of Circle. With an incomprehensible amount of traffic travelling to and from Enosis Station and other population centres in the system, Enosis is the system that typifies the exchange and blending of so many different cultures, species and interests.

Or
The home system of the Orvaq Republic, Or is one of the major systems in the region, and often the first destination for Orvaq returning from the outer regions.

Vosk
The home system of the Klinvol, Vosk is economically and politically relatively minor in Pillar. Nonetheless, it is the centre of the Klinvol Synod and the spiritual home of many Klinvol.

Gardor
The system with the greatest Ulossi presence, Gardor is a heavily fortified civilian and military outpost that guards the vital stargate linking Pillar to the Ulossi's native region.

Aarto
While officially Council Space, the stargate at Aarto technically falls under Klinvol jurisdiction. Generally lax and open to travelers, Aarto links Pillar to the western regions of Rasalum.

Osa
Osa links Pillar to the Islands region, a vast sector of space dotted with profitable colonies and isolated settlements. Also home to the Kovian and Mantos species, the Islands have become a major outlet for investment and emigration.

A Brief History of Pillar
"by Falessi Dor, Observer historian."For a complete timeline of Rasalum, see here

A Dormant Nexus
Although the central point of the stargate network, Pillar was not inhabited by any galactic power for centuries, if not milennia. Although home to several races including Humans, Orvaq and Klinvol, these races were initially isolated and scattered or primitive, and thus unable to utilise the stargate network and spread beyond the region. This would all change upon the invasion of the Ulossi in 34 BP, but before that tumultous event it is worth discussing what came before.

The Orvaq Ascendancy
Despite the presence of isolated Human colonies and populations on several worlds in Pillar, truly the first interstellar species to arise out of the region were the Orvaq. Spreading from their home system of Or, the Orvaq quickly claimed the surrounding systems, founding mining colonies and scientific outposts and other ventures of a newly interstellar species. Crucially for Pillar's history, Or was not located near any of the stargates in the region, which meant that it would be centuries before Orvaq ships detected the dormant gates, and the species would never unlock the technology behind them before the Ulossi invasion.

A race enslaved
When the Orvaq encountered the Klinvol, a name they would later give the species, they saw a solution to a serious problem of manpower that had plagued their early expansion. The Klinvol had at that time yet to master advanced metallurgy, let alone electricity. Abducted and enslaved by their tens of thousands, Klinvol were set to work across Orvaq territories, often tasked with dangerous jobs in appalling conditions. The species' long lifespan was rarely ever enjoyed as Klinvol endured the harsh rule of their enslavers.

Orvaq Supremacy
As centuries passed, the Orvaq spread over the majority of the important systems in Pillar, becoming the singular nation in the region and reigning completely unopposed. By 150 BP contact with Humans had occurred in several different systems, leading to great debate in both the political and scientific arenas of Or. How could one race exist simultaneously at several different technological stages in vastly different and distant systems? The Humans themselves had no answer, as they rarely do to questions of their species' knack for wandering, but the decision was reached in Or to leave the humans un-enslaved. This however did not mean much for Human's quality of life, as their worlds were often seized and their populations displaced.

The Ulossi Invasion
In 34 BP Ulossi exploratory ships erupted through the dormant stargate in the Gardor system, immediately encountering the Orvaq research station. Although the details of that fateful hour are lost, the consequences are well known - the station was destroyed after signaling an attack and many of the Exploratory ships were obliterated. Thus began the Orvaq-Ulossi war, a war which saw terrible losses on both sides as Ulossi fleets spread from Gardor outwards, claiming more systems and stargates while the Orvaq scrambled a defense.

Commander Sohal
After 34 years of war the Pillar region was in flames. The Ulossi had made great gains but the Orvaq defence had calcified, leading to a bloody stalemate. Skirmishes raged across the region, often threatening civilian centres on both sides. In the midst of this chaos an Ulossi commander known forevermore as Sohal took command of the dreadnought class Ulossi vessel Tallar and led his fleet on a daring run through Orvaq lines. Moving far past the lines of supply and communication, and far beyond his briefing, Sohal weaved his way around, between and even through Orvaq defensive blockades, taking great sweeping arcs through Orvaq space to hide his true destination: the system of Or itself. Over a series of weeks Sohal's diminishing fleet was dogged through Orvaq space until at last he broke through to the Or system, his dreadnought's FTL systems crashing to a halt in low orbit above the Orvaq homeworld. It is from this vantage point that Sohal dictated the terms of peace to the Orvaq, threatening to obliterate their cities and crash his ship into the heart of their nation if he did not receive their immediate surrender. To the rage of Orvaq military officials, the civilian government agreed.

After Peace (AP)
Sohal's terms were harsh. The immediate surrender of the Orvaq nation, the granting of key star systems to the Ulossi, but most painful of all, the emancipation of the Klinvol race and the cession of 40% of Orvaq systems to the Klinvol. Sohal hoped that by elevating the Klinvol to a major power in Pillar, he could gain an ally for the Ulossi in the region while simultaneously guaranteeing no further aggression from the Orvaq. The years following this treaty would thus be known as After Peace, as no further conflict ever again scarred the pillar region, despite the influx of many new races and groups.

Formation Of Circle
Shortly after the peace treaty, the inter-species organisation known as Circle was formed. Originally consisting of just the Klinvol, Orvaq and Ulossi, Circle's main goal was to maintain peace and foster co-operation between the species, especially in areas of economics and technology. Circle's mission statement quickly bloated however, and the organisation grew into the leviathan it is now due to the ever increasing amount of responsibility member species placed on it. From the Klinvol initiative to create Circle-owned space to the influx of the entire Enisar species in 417 AP, Circle's role in Pillar has grown to eclipse the interests of any one body or species in the region, much to the chagrin of the Orvaq Republic.