Introduction
Within the Lystran Empire, there are 5 Noble Houses who govern planets in the name of the Emperor and his House, House Lystra. Each House consists of around 200 Nobles who are each Preserved and have individual wealth and status. Of those, a few dozen are important enough to be allowed to govern one or more of the 40 or so planets of various types controlled by the House. Nobles are expected to be the pinnacle of Honour but often eschew the religious beliefs of the commoners they live with. This along with the proliferation of different religious groups among planets of the Empire means that religion is not a dominant political force.
In most Houses, Nobility is a virtue of a person's birth and as such there are often a few important families within a House. House Truniss is the most extreme example of this with only the one bloodline preserved, whilst in Karpeer the ties are much looser with members of a Noble's family not necessarily Noble themselves.
A Noble is not necessarily a member of a Noble House - the Independent Guilds of Technologists and Chirurgeons are each so important that their members are given this title to allow them to have equal stature in the eyes of the common people. This status is not hereditary, however. The PCs in Legacy will each be Nobles who have been invited to the biannual Imperial Court Meetings, which take place aboard the Imperial City Ship.
The titular Legacy is the immense amount of technology seemingly abandoned by the Forerunners which the Empire has been quick to exploit to its own ends. Understanding the great Autofactories and Spaceships is no easy matter however - the knowledge of the workings of the devices, and even the language of the instructions, is long lost. The Empire has developed its own technology to complement the immense expense of most Legacy devices, but these are still primitive by comparison. The understanding of the Legacy is the preserve of the Independent Guild of Technologists who are one of the most important organisations in the Empire, but still not as powerful as a Noble House.
Preservation is one of the most important Legacy technologies and its discovery aboard the City Ships sparked a revolution when the Emperor decreed it to be the preserve of his House alone. Simply put, the devices make it impossible for a Preserved individual to die from unnatural means. Their body is simply regrown in tubes aboard the Ships and their memory is intact apart from their final day. This meant that Court intrigue shifted overnight from ever more ingenious ways to kill an enemy to ways to dishonour them, for through great dishonour the Emperor or their House would be forced to cast them out in shame. The Preservation devices were of such great import that control of them was put in the hands of another group sworn to maintain them for the good of all: the Independent Guild of Chirurgeons.
Psychics are playing an increasingly large role in the Empire. Their scarcity means that they are each valued by the Noble Houses for their unique talents. The School of Psychic Study takes any and all promising pupils to hone their talents and ensures that all can control their power by the time they are allowed to leave and take up their place in society.
The Lystran Empire is not alone in the galaxy - indeed the human Hollann Empire and the alien Triquetra sit ever at their borders, with varying intentions. So far, the Triquetra have proved peaceful, but the same cannot be said for the Hollann Empire, who possess an immensely powerful Legacy Battleship. The warships of the Lystran Empire are no match for this menace individually as they do not have Legacy weaponary, just cannon and lasers that have been added after construction.