The Lazax was a race of people who had control of the galaxy for Millennia after defeating the Mahact Kings.
They founded the Galactic council upon Mecatol Rex to rule over and maintain peace throughout the galaxy.
The fall of the Lazax Empire is an integral component of the history of Twilight Imperium and the Setting for which the game takes place.
Lore[]
It is told that the Lazax Emperors arose from the ashes of the Mahact kings. Little is known of their early ascension, but it is impossible to deny that the Lazax must have been a profoundly intelligent, benevolent, and wise people. After their rise to power, we know that the Lazax chose the central planet of Mecatol Rex as their home world. The year the Lazax first arrived on Mecatol Rex is recorded in the Imperial Chronicle as “first” and marks the beginning of my account.
For ages, the borders of the Lazax Empire expanded outward. As inhabited systems were discovered and annexed into the Empire, the Lazax allowed these newfound civilizations to join the Galactic Council: the governing body that represented the needs and voices of the Empire’s people. The Great Races: Xxcha, Hacan, Letnev, Hylar, Human, and N’orr were all represented in the council, as were hundreds of lesser civilizations and independent systems
Yet, as the years passed, discoveries of new civilizations and planetary systems slowed. Little by little, the mood of the Empire changed as technological and intellectual growth abated. Craving constant advancement, the Great Races began to look to the power of the Lazax and the resources of their neighbors. Greed and ambition grew in the hearts of statesmen and councilors. The once-noble spirit of the Empire turned suspicious and fearful. It is during this time that the first conflicts between the Great Races are recorded in the Imperial Chronicle. The Galactic Council became a seedbed of intrigue, and the turmoil ushered in a time of spies and assassins. First in secret, and later in public, the Great Races began to build their fleets and armies. Many embarked on territorial expansion that extended beyond their original charter. Border strife and resource disputes proliferated, gnawing at the very foundations of the Empire. This was a time of growing darkness known now as the Age of Dusk.
Throughout most of this age, the Lazax still held authority without question. Except for a few minor and unsuccessful rebellions, few dared to openly challenge the Emperors. Blinded by millennia of unchallenged rule, the Lazax could not perceive the mounting ambition and discontent that grew around them. As centuries passed, tensions between the Great Races grew deeper, and so did their desire for power and control. In the end, hatred was their only common ground: hatred for the Lazax, Imperial rule, and for the benevolent arrogance of the emperors.
A small affair near the Quann Wormhole was the spark that would set the galaxy aflame.
Protesting Imperial trade oversight, the Baron of Letnev began a blockade of traffic through the Quann Wormhole. Because the prickly Letnev had often been troublesome, an unconcerned and unhurried Emperor sought to solve the conflict through the Galactic Council.
However, the blockade obstructed significant Sol trading activities and prevented vital supplies from reaching a handful of Sol colonies that soon were struck by famine and disease. After nearly eight months of fruitless debate in the Galactic Council, the patience of the Sol Federation ran dry. Without warning, the blockading Letnev ships were attacked and annihilated by a Sol task force acting without Imperial mandate, and the Quann Passage was reopened.
Angered by the unilateral militancy of both Letnev and Sol, the Emperor attempted to consolidate his control by issuing the Maandu Edict: a rule which would place all warships under direct Imperial supervision.
The Maandu Edict was the stone that shattered the brittle Empire. The Letnev, Sol, and Jol-Nar civilizations announced their immediate withdrawal from the Council, drawing the galaxy into civil war. The Quann Conflict marks the beginning of the Age of Twilight.
As civilization fought civilization—as a thousand territorial disputes erupted over a few years—the Lazax desperately sought to hold together their crumbling Empire. Imperial fleets fought across the galaxy, but their power was ultimately stretched too thin. In the seventy-third year of the war, an alliance of Sol, Jol-Nar, and Hacan launched a surprise attack on Mecatol Rex itself. The last Lazax Emperor and his entire family were killed during the first Sol bombardments, and no successor was named.
Of all the planets in the galaxy, no planet was more war-torn than Mecatol Rex. Over the course of only a few years, the planet’s ecology was ravaged by bombardments, its population nearly wiped out, and its green fields blasted into a toxic wasteland.
After the death of the Emperor and the loss of the throne-world, Imperial control collapsed. The Lazax became hunted across the galaxy in the vengeful wave of murder that is known now as the Great Scourge. Lasting only twenty years, the scourge resulted in the near-complete annihilation of the Lazax race. Until recently, no Lazax had been seen in the galaxy for more than three thousand years.
The Twilight Wars continued for centuries, but no race was powerful enough to seize the throne and risk suffering a similar fate as the Emperor. Slowly, the strength of great civilizations failed as their economies crumbled and as knowledge and technology was lost in the destruction and strain of long war.
And so the Age of Twilight ended in a slow whisper. The time that followed, now known as the Dark Years, was a period of economic, cultural, and intellectual collapse. The Great Races retreated into their own small, safe areas of space, abandoning what they could no longer hold by force. After several millennia, the Dark Years came to an end, and a calm but uncertain period of rebuilding began.
As I write this, the Great Races of the galaxy have regained elements of their former strength. Here on Mecatol Rex, the Galactic Council is growing in influence once more, while civilizations new and old, are re-colonizing the neighboring systems abandoned during the Dark Years.
Signs of great change are everywhere. This year, as if walking out of ancient prophecy, the Lazax returned from the darkness of history in a foreboding cybernetic form. To me, their coming is like the first wind of a terrible storm. I feel as if the galaxy is waking—as if an ancient beast stirs from slumber in a dark cave.
The day will soon come when a new Empire will rise. For the sake of all, may the new Emperor have not only the power to seize the throne, but the strength to conquer the peace. If not, I fear that a sea of desolation will drown us all.
- Mahthom Iq Seerva, Winnaran keeper of the Custodian Chronicle
(Introduction to Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition)
Fall of the Empire Scenario[]
In the Shards of the Throne Expansion for Twilight Imperium Third Edition, a special scenario was released called the "Fall of the Empire". This scenario allowed players to play through the historical era in which the Lazax empire fell (as detailed in the lore above). In this scenario, the Lazax was a playable faction.
Faction Abilities[]
- During setup, you may place any of your starting units (except your Space Dock) in systems adjacent to your Home System
- You start the game with one extra Command Counter in your Strategy Allocation area
- You receive -5 votes when voting
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