Ternus began as a colony founded by refugees fleeing from their legendary home world, Ancient Terra. They landed on a lush world, three millennia ago. Ternus has had the same government that entire time, a ruthless dictatorship passed from ruler to ruler.
Succession has become an art form, where waves of assassinations overtake the capital for several weeks following the death of a Governor. When the dust settles, a vote is taken in the senate, and a new Governor appointed. After that vote, the senate is relegated to bureaucracy and administration, and the Governor has absolute power.
Under most Governors the average citizen is well cared for, and has a number of basic rights. However, the state can and will crush them whenever needed, or even convenient. This has earned Ternus a dire reputation among the Shayans, and the grudging respect of the Inurans.
Ternus has no catalyst, and their people are often suspicious of magic. Their catchphrase has become ‘magic is simply technology we don’t yet understand.’ Their might comes from technology. The Ternus shipyards produce the finest starships in the Confederacy, and their weapons and armor are used by every significant power in the sector.
The Ternus have no love for the Shayans, whom they find to be arrogant mystics lording their secrets over others. The Inurans are considered useful, and Ternus respects the Consortium.
Ternus prides herself on her military, and has the largest in the sector. Their use of magic, however, is very limited. This leaves them dependent on foreign mages, a fact that badly rankles the Governor.
This hasn’t stopped them from dramatically expanding over recent decades. Ternus now has eleven colonies, up from nine just a few years ago. This expansion is seen as threatening by the Shayans, and as an opportunity by the Inurans.