Villains (A to Z Challenge, V)

Villains

Who are the villains of the Sea of Stars?  It depends on how you define villain, wikitonary defines one as:

1. A vile, wicked person.
   1. An extremely depraved person, or one capable or guilty of great crimes.
   2. A deliberate scoundrel.
2. The bad person in a work of fiction; often the main antagonist of the hero.

The dragons are, or could be, the bad persons / main antagonist of a campaign but they do not have to be.  Only a clawfull of dragons, such as Ba’ai’ai, are actively and deliberately evil.  Most dragons are just self-centered and ambitious, they are certainly excellent antagonists but they do not seek to be wicked or vile, they just want what they want and they are powerful enough they people who get in their way, get hurt when they are pushed out of the way.

The Empress take great pride in minimizing collateral damage, which is why she took the War with the Gods to the Heavens (and Hells) rather than fighting on the planet itself, even though the gods would have been weaker there.  That is not to say that innocents were not hurt but that was not the Empress’ intention.  The cynical would say it was because she wished to rule over them but, after the dragons’ victory, she gave even those who had served the Gods a chance to renounce their allegiance and not become her enemy.  So, mercy or greed?  Only the Empress can answer that question.

Beside the dragons, there are the Sen’tek, who sought to overthrow the dragons and take their place as rulers and would try again given the chance.  A variety of militant states seek new conquests and to expand at the expense of their neighbors.  Wizards and sorcerers seek lost secrets and powerful artifacts from before the Sundering to increase their ability to wield magic.  Cults are willing to cross any boundary to restore their gods to the world.  The Dwarves seek wealth and knowledge to prepare and finance their defense against the dragons, what lengths would you go to in order to keep your people safe?

There are no end of people likely to be at odds with venturers on the Sea of Stars.  Which will you cross paths with?

Notes: Dragons are the obvious villains of the piece but far from the only ones that exist.