Here is what I have thus far. Still a WIP.

[hider=The Dwarmar Empire]

[center][b][h1]The Dwarmar Empire[/h1][/b]
[h3]The Stone Imperium[/h3][/center]

[h2][b]General Information[/b][/h2]

[h3]Major Belligerent[/h3]

[h3][b]Overview[/b][/h3]

[h3][b]History[/b][/h3]
The Dwarmar species began on the planet of Darmoor, a resource-rich planet with one single large continent and some scattered islands. As civilization developed, the continent eventually became divided into five major kingdom, who fought each other in the occasional stalemated war. 

But technology became more advanced, and soon these wars saw higher body counts. One particularly intense war left four of the five major nations exhausted, and their economies would take years to recover. This allowed the fifth nation, the Kingdom of Romar, to pull ahead in technology and become the dominant power. They researched space travel, and began to establish colonies on Darmoor's moons. With the natural resources of Darmoor already becoming scarce, this benefited them greatly.

The other powers did not turn a blind eye to this, however. Eventually, through their combined efforts as well as a bit of espionage against their rival, they managed to catch up in technology, and start their own colonies on the moons. But Romar had too much of a headstart, and had already settled the best locations.

War broke out again: the four lesser powers against Romar. Skirmishes raged on the moons and in space, but even combined the four powers could not match Romar in spacial dominance, and so their colonies and their ships were lost.

The war would have to be settled on land... but alas, the Romarians had recently finished and installed orbital missile platforms on their stations. It proved a simple enough matter to bombard various armies and military bases from above, weakening their armies and destroying their ability to coordinate. The King of Romar, Joric Stonefist, then made his demands known: yield to his authority, allow the planet to become unified under one power, and he would share with them the bounty of the stars.

Initially the other four Kings refused. But their people were hungry, lacking the necessities and luxuries they had come to rely on, and bitter about the fact that it was their own rulers which started this pointless war in the first place. So they rose up, and although these rebellions were dealt with, the Kings saw the sense in surrender.

The Kingdoms and the Kings could continue to exist, but they now swore fealty to Joric Stonefist, first of his name, Emperor of Darmoor and King of Romar, and answered to his laws.

With Darmoor finally unified, planetary expansion and technological development continued to accelerate. They found a planet capable of supporting life, which they named New Darmoor, and promptly settled it. Dozens of other planets, moons, and outposts soon followed. They encountered two other species, which they convinced to join the Empire peacefully. The Dwarmar Empire became one of the foremost powers in the universe. Rival powers which tried to halt their advance or seize their colonies quickly regretted it.

Unfortunately, it did not go off without a hitch. Their home planet, Darmoor, became overpopulated and overpolluted. It soon began apparent that within a decade, the planet would become unsuitable to life.

And so began the worst crisis in Dwarmar history.

Mass panicking ensued throughout Darmoor. Riots began to break out. The dwarven government, meanwhile, was stuck the burden of transferring their administration and their people to other colonies and planets. Those planets, in turn, would need to prepare themselves to receive a sudden influx of refugees and immigrants - which they were none too happy about.

Some particularly ambitious colonies even went so far as to declare independence. They refused to pay taxes, contribute resources, or accept refugees. The Emperor, with much of his forces already tied up keeping order in Darmoor and transporting its people elsewhere, could not afford to fight a war of independence on multiple fronts. More colonies throughout the empire began to follow suit, and many already began to believe that the Emperor's authority had collapsed.

Then the Ashtar arrived.

They 'pushed' the rebellious colonies into rejoining the fold. They used their own ships to transport or escort the Darmoor refugees to other worlds. It was their intervention which kept the Empire together, and allowed a smooth transition of power from Old Darmoor to New Darmoor. Without the Ashtar, billions of Dwarmar would be dead, and the Empire would not exist.

Of course, if you say this to any Dwarmar, they will simply scoff and assure you that no help was needed. They would have worked it out eventually.

Nonetheless, the dwarven leaders who came after the crisis tended to be the Ashtar's most staunch supporters. The Fall of Old Darmoor had highlighted a number of flaws in their government, military, and general resource management, and the peace that the Ashtar enforced gave them the perfect opportunity to correct it. The military and government became more centralized, while their colonies began to turn to less destructive forms of fuel and energy in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes. With the guidance of the Ashtar, the Dwarmar Empire entered a new age of peace and prosperity.

Then the Ashtar disappeared.

The threats the dwarves faced were not internal. One hundred years had been enough to iron out most of the kinks in their system, and keep their colonies mostly content, while maintaining enough force to suppress those who weren't. 

No, the threats that the Dwarmar faced were external: rival nations. These aggressors had come to believe that the Dwarmar were dependent on Ashtar authority. That with the Ashtar gone, the Dwarmar Emperor's authority would surely collapse in the face of the first major crisis.

They were wrong.

The Emperor endured. The Dwarves fought back, and drove the invaders from their territory. After that they went on the offensive, intent on seeking retribution, but instead the wars ground into a stalemate. With some reluctance they bit their tongue and agreed to the treaty. 

But as the years passed, the dwarves continue to expand their navy and army in whatever way they could, without breaking the agreement. Then the Ashtar sent a message, urging the people of the galaxy to come to Argdemmer and take up the mantle of the Ashtar. Emperor Joric III made the rather naive decision to attend personally. Though he brought a well-equipped fleet with him, led by the competent High Admiral Gorm Goldbeard, he did not truly believe violence would break out.

But when the Emperor Joric's fleet arrived, they found that they had stumbled across a warzone... and they were in the crossfire. Although most of the Dwarmar managed to take evasive maneuvers and escape, the flagship took a series of heavy hits, resulting in the deaths of Emperor Joric and High Admiral Gorm. 

Vice Admiral Ivar Ironhand took command of the fleet, reorganized his ships, and led them back into the fray to avenge the Emperor's death. The two exhausted forces were driven off, and Ivar sent a message home to inform them of the Emperor's death, along with a request reinforcements.

Prince Duran Stonefist ascended to the throne, and throughout the empire there was a cry for vengeance. Ivar was given his reinforcements, as well as a promotion to High Admiral to boot. Duran personally ripped the Treaty of Detente in two before a cheering crowd, and in his mind he knew what needed to be done. The secrets of the Ashtar were not fit to be shared. Most of the other nations were unworthy, and even the ones who [i]were[/i] worthy would never agree on its use. No, only one nation could claim it.

And it would be the Dwarmar.

[h3][b]Major Holdings[/b][/h3]
[list]
[*]New Darmoor. The second planet to be colonized by the dwarves, and now the capital. The bulk of the population of Old Darmoor was moved here before most of the planet became uninhabitable. The Dwarves have learned their lesson, and although much of the planet bears the scars of pollution, for the most part things are sustainable.
[*] Old Darmoor. The Dwarven homeworld. Resources are scarce, the air quality is poor, and much of the land is barren. Despite this, a stubborn few remain, mainly in small fortified cities and towns that have somehow managed to scratch out a living. Beyond those cities, post-apocalyptic tribes roam the wastelands. Dozens of space stations hang in orbit, but most have been scrapped, salvaged, and abandoned; only a few remain occupied to monitor the situation.
[*] Lunmoor. One of the moons of Old Darmoor. Its climate and terrain was remarkably similar to Old Darmoor before it was polluted, and thus it was fully capable of supporting life, but it possessed few mineral resources. The soil, however, is incredibly fertile, and the moon is an agricultural powerhouse.
[*] Darmoon. The second moon of Darmoor. Darmoon is everything that Lunmoor is not. It is barren and possesses no oxygen, but it is incredibly rich in minerals and oils. Even after more than a thousand years, the planet still has an abundance of metals.
[*] Arctus. Home of the Jotnar, it possesses a cold climate, yet strangely enough it has a number of edible plants and animals that actually grow best in the cold. Officially, they are the Dwarmar Empire's ally, but due to the sheer imbalance of power, 'vassal' might be more accurate. The Dwarmar don't interfere [i]too much[/i] in their laws or politics, however, so most Jotnar overlook this.
[/list]

[h2][b]Demographics[/b][/h2]

[h3][b]Population[/b][/h3]
The Dwarmar, also known as Dwarves, are a humanoid species. Stout and clever, they average between four and five feet in height. They are a proud and stubborn people, unyielding in both battle and diplomacy. While they can be standoffish toward outsiders and strangers, once a Dwarmar's trust is earned, their distrustful looks will quickly fade into warm eyes and welcoming grins. Dwarves are exceptional engineers, inventors, craftsmen, and pilots.

The Jotnar, also known as Frost Giants, are also humanoid. They are tall, ranging between eight and ten feet in height, with skin as white as snow and cold blue blood. They are friendly, laid back people, but don't let that fool you: they are aggressive and fearless fighters when provoked. Perhaps unsurprisingly the Frost Giants prefer cold climates, and warships need to be kept cool to accommodate them.

The Avianese. Another humanoid species, the Avians closely resemble humans, but they have beaks for mouths, talons for feet, and wings on their back. They average around seven feet in height. While they have excellent speed and reflexes, their bones are light and weak; they cannot take much in the way of direct punishment. They are a shrewd and pragmatic people.

[h3][b]Society[/b][/h3]
The Dwarmar are a proud, traditionalist people. They respect their elders, and are fiercely loyal to their families. They carry a firm belief in the wisdom and leadership of the Noble Clans. They do not respond well to insults, and they can be quick to hold grudges against species other than their own. But despite these conservative tendencies, they are still an upbeat and free-spirited people, always open to acts of revelry or celebration. Additionally, dwarves are an extremely technologically savby people. A dwarf who is incapable of performing basic household repairs is a disgrace to his family. Engineers, Inventors, and Builders are all held in high regard.

The Dwarven Religion is centered around a God known as the Allfather, who is credited for the creation of their planet and their species. Originally he was believed to have created the entire universe, but with the encounter of new species and cultures with their own distinct religion, this was gradually reformed. All gods exist, but any claims that those gods created any planets beyond where their worship originates is seen by the Dwarmar as nothing more than zealous arrogance.

The Jotnar worship a small pantheon of four gods, tied to the various elements. These gods are known simply as the Fire-Father, the Air-Father, the Earth-Mother, the Water-Mother, and the Cold-Father.

The Avianese had several different opposing religions, but with the introduction of space travel they quickly grew disillusioned with these faiths. A few converted to the Dwarmar faith, but most became agnostic or atheist.

[h3][b]Economy[/b][/h3]
The Dwarmar are primarily an industrial powerhouse, with enough agriculturally rich planets to remain mostly self-sufficient, but they still depend on trade during lean times.

[h3][b]Government[/b][/h3]
The Dwarmar Empire is a hereditary dictatorship, united under the Emperor (or Empress.) Serving directly under the Emperor is a Council of Elders; various ministers responsible for different departments who give the Emperor advice. Once upon a time these positions were hereditary, but that has been rectified.

On the planetary scale, each planet is divided into a series of provinces, led by a Governor, who are tasked with administering the regions. These Governors are overseen by the planet's Chancellor, who serves as the Emperor's representative and is responsible for appointing and revoking the Governors, as well as sending reports back to the Emperor, but little else. The Emperor appoints the Chancellor, and has the right to overrule the Chancellor's appointments. This is not a usual occurrence, however; the Emperor simply cannot pay close attention to dozens of planets, and so it may take years for a corrupt or incompetent Chancellor to be revealed, and months for the damage to be undone.

To help rectify this, the Empire maintains a vast intelligence network - the Imperial Watcher Agency. The "Watchers" essentially keep tabs on the current Governors and Chancellors, as well as military officers and other high ranking officials. They do have connections in foreign nations, but most of their attention is focused on the Empire's home territory. Their chief concern is to unveil plots against the Emperor, cases of corruption, or foreign attempts at Espionage. 

[h2][b]Technological Information[/b][/h2]

[h3][b]Major Techs[/b][/h3]

[i]Production Facilities:[/i] The dwarves have highly efficient resource extraction and production facilities, capable of mining ore or building ships and weapons at impressive speeds.

[i]Mecha:[/i] The dwarves are fond of mecha, perhaps to compensate for their short stature, and make ample use of them in both ground and space operations.

[i]Ships:[/i] Dwarmar ships are generally built to be resilient and heavy-hitting rather than fast. That isn't to say all their ships are slow; they do have some fast ships for scouting or skirmishing purposes, but their naval doctrine does not revolve around it. Their ships tend to be armed with heavy railguns, plasma cannons, and guided missles.

[i]FTL:[/i] Their FTL drives are not the swiftest in the galaxy, but they rarely encounter issues.

[i]Weapons:[/i] Dwarmar infantry weapons tend to fire plasma or high caliber bullets (usually incendiary or explosive.) The Jotnar have also invented weapons capable of freezing targets solid.

[i]Space Stations:[/i] The Dwarmar have built space stations throughout their territory to serve as military outposts, shipyards, refueling centers, resource extraction facilities, and orbital defense platforms.

[h2][b]Military Information[/b][/h2]

[h3][b]Military Overview[/b][/h3]

[h3][b]Fleet/Navy[/b][/h3]

Dreadnoughts: The Dwarmar have a few new dreadnoughts. Against the treaty, you say? No, they are only recently constructed. How did this come about? Essentially, a previous Emperor built facilities throughout the Empire which constructed [i]pieces[/i] of Dreadnoughts. A cockpit here, an engine there. Now that the Treaty of Detente has been rendered null and void, these Dreadnoughts have been brought together and assembled. While they are essentially brand new, the downside is that most of their crews have no experience operating a ship of that size. The Jotnar also built a single Dreadnought of their own in secret, at great cost, with the aid of the Imperial Watcher Agency.

Battleships:

Battlecruisers:

Cruisers:

Destroyers:

Frigates:

Corvettes: 

Strike craft:

[h3][b]Army/Planetary forces[/b][/h3]

[h3][b]Hyperdread[/b][/h3]

[/hider]