// FACTIONS

The Ashveld

"What we choose to become matters more than what we were designed to be."

The reform faction. The Ashveld believe that the Keth obsession with genetic purity is itself a Varath inheritance - a way of thinking that keeps the Keth defining themselves by their origin rather than their choices. They want alliances, trade, and a relationship with Meridian scholars who have technology that could potentially correct the lifespan problem.

The Ashveld are not soft. They are Keth - they fight when fighting is required and they don't apologize for it. But they look at the Vrael threat and see something the Praxar cannot: a problem that no amount of Keth genetic superiority is equipped to solve alone. They have been making quiet contact with Meridian Wayfarers for three years. The Praxar consider this treasonous. The Meridian consider it promising.

Space: Void's Edge and the Redwatch corridor. Frontier installations in less fortified but more economically active territory.

What they want: A Keth that outlasts the coming war. Trade relationships with Meridian and limited partnerships with Varath. Access to the memory technologies that might explain the lifespan problem.

Starting standing: Keth: +200 | Varath: +50 | Meridian: +100

Missions: Diplomatic escort, survey work in Meridian-adjacent sectors, trade route development, defense of Ashveld-aligned installations against Praxar provocateurs.

Exalted perk: Ashveld reform commission - access to Meridian-sourced components at Keth stations; reduced hostility radius with Meridian factions.