The mage-noble empire of the Bright Core. Colour gold. Founded in year 812, when the great mage houses crowned the first Regent. Seat on Aurica and the Crown Spire station.
The Regent. The ruler of the Dominion. The great mage houses choose and crown each Regent.
The Council of Houses. The heads of the great noble houses. They advise the Regent and argue with each other.
The Admirals of Ormond. They command the navy and want the war.
The Treasurers of Lucrece. They control the vaults and the Dominion's money.
The Masters of the Sky Academy. They train mages and decide who may learn magic.
Aurica, Belvair, Ormond, Lucrece and Ivoire. The station Crown Spire holds the Regent's orbital court, the customs hall and the helm licence vaults.
Keep magic in noble hands.
Keep control of crystal refining and ship licences.
Take the crystal mines of Tarrow and Oldmark.
Stop rune engines from spreading, or take them over.
Sells a licence for every ship and fines ships without one.
Controls crystal refining on Belvair.
Keeps the largest navy in the galaxy, trained on Ormond.
Uses money, loans and marriages between houses to win allies.
Recruits or arrests unlicensed Scions and mages.
Iron Union. The main rival. The Dominion calls its leaders rebels.
Free Drift Compact. Pirates who raid Dominion ships.
Vesper Syndicate. Officially an enemy. Some nobles buy Rush from it in secret.
Order of the Last Light. Not an enemy. The Dominion thinks the Order worries too much and gives it little help.
Be born into a noble house.
Win a place at the Sky Academy on Aurica.
Enlist in the navy at Ormond.
Work for a noble house as a guard, agent or ship captain.
Some houses want the Regent's seat.
Labourers in debt on Belvair talk about revolt.
An unknown member of the Council may belong to the Unbound.