FACTION OVERVIEW

   Naev has a large universe in which many factions have established themselves. This is a rough overview of how the faction system works and how they are split up.
   See also: https://github.com/naev/naev/wiki/History and faction pages.

   EMPIRE

       Centuries ago, the Empire was born out of the re-assembled, war-torn pieces of humanity. It uses a House-based faction system. The important players in galactic politics are the Great Houses, an honorific title assigned by the Emperor himself.

   EMPEROR

      Ruler of the Empire. The Emperor is a hereditary title that infers great power. All the Houses always respond to the Emperor, who has absolute power.

      GREAT HOUSES

         The Great Houses control vast extensions of systems and have immense power. These form the main part of the Empire. They are an established aristocracy.

         DVAERED

            The worlds that make up the Dvaered House are primarily based in mining and other heavy industries. Among the Great Houses, they are the least refined, and known for their short tempers and warlike nature. Their military makes up for its technological inadequacies through brute force and numbers. When blood must be shed, the Emperor often turns to the Dvaered for assistance.

         ZA'LEK

            The technological Great House. Reserved and withdrawn in their political  dealings. While its power isn't known by any of the other Houses, or the Emperor himself, Za'lek is theorized to be decades ahead of the other Houses technologically, leading to a fearful reverence of its rarely-deployed military.

         SIRIUS

             The Sirius believe in the Divinity of the Emperor. They are known for their cult-like behaviour and intense indoctrination practices. Few Sirius citizens deviate from their fanatical belief systems.

         PROTERON

            Since the Incident nothing has been heard of the Proteron. No one has been able to traverse the Sol Nebulae to find out if they still exist.

      MINOR HOUSES

         The Minor Houses tend to control one or two systems. They are officially independent but usually have close ties with at least one Great House to ensure their survival.

         GODDARD

            Famous for their Goddard-class cruisers. The Goddard system being a trade hub, they enjoy good relations with many factions, though they have an especially close alliance with the Dvaereds, who favour their ships.

   FRONTIER

      The Frontier worlds are not strictly a part of the Empire but are treated as such. The first of them were colonized during humanity's first sublight expansion. In the decades that passed before they were re-contacted, they fell behind technologically and became politically irrelevant.

      While the original settlers were some of humanity's elite, they have never regained substantial political clout, becoming heavily marginalized and resentful of the new Empire.

      They are closely controlled by the Emperor who sends his Dvaered troops to patrol their systems and ensure compliance.

   FRONTIER LIBERATION FRONT

      A terrorist organization that demands freedom for the Frontier worlds. Their hit-and-run tactics have cost many Dvaered lives, but none doubt that many Frontier citizens tacitly approve of their actions.

   SPACE TRADERS

       An ancient organization approved by the Emperor which devotes itself to trading and supplying the Empire. They have a strict ranking system and their rigorous initiation process leads to only the most savvy independent traders joining their ranks

   GALACTIC PIRATES

      While piracy was non-existent in the early days of the Empire, as corruption crept in, as did disorganized piracy. In time, the more prominent pirates banded together, forming the lawless colony of Haven.

      When Haven became a true threat to galactic order, it was annihilated by a massive Empire task force. In the time since, the pirate threat has again grown, though it's unknown where their latest stronghold lies.

   COLLECTIVE

      A highly-dangerous faction of self-replicating, seemingly autonomous drones. No one knows where they originated, nor what their intent is. The Collective appeared shortly after the Incident, though it's unknown whether they're in any way related to it.
