| “ | The Empire that Senior Captain Thrawn is carving into the evil that pervades our worlds is not the Empire you chose to leave. His is an Empire of justice and dignity for all beings. His Empire is one we gladly serve. One we are willing to die for. | „ |
| ~ Vaantaar describing the Empire of the Hand in 0 ABY |
The Empire of the Hand, referred to as the EOTH or The Hand for short, is a playable faction in Empire at War Expanded: Thrawn's Revenge. In lore, the Empire of the Hand was a confederacy located in the Unknown Regions of the galaxy, with its capitol based on Nirauan. It was first established as a shadow empire of Grand Admiral Thrawn and set up strongholds against other more dire threats in the Unknown Regions. Thrawn believed it could serve as a bulwark against the Yuuzhan Vong, a purpose it finally fulfilled at the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War as the Empire of the Hand seamlessly disappeared.
The Hand originated from the Galactic Empire, as they sought to expand into the Unknown Regions and pacify threats against the galaxy under Emperor Palpatine's rule. In these yet unexplored territories, Thrawn commandeered efforts to map great swathes of territory and bring security to the Unknown Regions as well as overseeing colonization and developing connections with the various species, and sought to protect it from the varied threats residing there, while laying the groundwork for the Hand against looming threats to the galaxy from the Unknown Regions and beyond. Following the Empire's fracturing following the Battle of Endor, the Hand engaged the Ssi-Ruuvi Imperium and was also able to kill and defeat the forces of Warlord Nuso Esva on Quethold. With the threats from the Unknown Region seemingly pacified for the time being and the Empire in disarray, the Grand Admiral left for the Known Galaxy and assumed control of the Empire, passing on leadership of the Empire of the Hand to Admiral Voss Parck.
Government Mechanics[]
As of Thrawn's Revenge 3.4, the Empire of the Hand does not possess any government mechanics of its own. The EAWX Development Team has alluded to future government mechanics for the Hand coming in the form of building their confederacy of support from various alien species within the Unknown Regions to increase their roster, as well as guiding their interactions with the Chiss Ascendancy, another faction in Thrawn's Revenge that as of 3.4 is currently a non-active, non-playable faction found in Full Galaxy Maps within the Unknown Regions.
Heroes[]
The Empire of the Hand has a small hero roster that changes as time progresses, beginning in earlier eras under the leadership of Grand Admiral Thrawn, but losing him to the Empire if the Imperial Regimes progress beyond Isard or the Central Committee, as well as in Era 3 starts and beyond.
| Hero Name: | Traits: | Commands: | Description: | Special Notes: |
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Mitth'raw'nuruodo
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An exile from the Chiss Ascendancy, Thrawn enlisted in the Empire and rose far in the Imperial military. His victory over Zaarin's coup earned Thrawn the titles of Warlord and Grand Admiral, the only non-human to do so. In his expeditions to the Unknown Regions, Thrawn would lay the foundation for the Empire of the Hand, until he returned to known space and assumed command of the Empire. | Thrawn leaves the EOTH Hero Roster if the Empire selects Thrawn's Regime. |
| Voss Parck
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When Thrawn emerged from the Unknown Regions in 9 ABY, he promoted Parck to Admiral and commander of Thrawn's Chiss force. This force formed the core of a shadow empire created by Thrawn known as the Empire of the Hand. For nearly twenty years, Parck, assisted by his Chiss aide-de-camp Stent, oversaw the expansion of Thrawn's empire through loyal Chiss forces. | |
Kres'ten'tarthi 
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Commander Stent is the leader of Thrawn's Household Phalanx which is the major component of the Empire of the Hand. He, along with Voss Parck and Soontir Fel, were on Nirauan when Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade discovered the Empire of the Hand. | |
| Dagon Niriz
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Originally a captain in the Imperial Navy, Niriz was assigned to Thrawn during his expedition into the Unknown Regions. After proving his loyalty, Niriz became involved in the construction and administration of the Empire of the Hand along with Voss Parck. | |
| Ar'alani
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A former CEDF Admiral who was transferred to Thrawn's Household Phalanx by the Ruling Families to covertly assist Thrawn in combating threats to the Ascendancy. | |
| Tasse
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A juggernaut commander who led the ground forces when Nuso Esva was defeated on Quethold. | |
| Hand of Judgement
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No active traits |
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The Hand of Judgement is a squad of stormtroopers that defected from the Empire at the height of the war. They joined the Empire of the Hand soon after. The squad contains LaRone, Quiller, Marcross, Brightwater, and Grave. | |
| Siath
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Admiral Siath is one of the most decorated admirals in the Empire of the Hand's navy. Because of this, he was given command of the first of the Phalanx-class. | Siath joins the Hand in 10 ABY. |
| Ashik
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A Chiss special operations agents. In 41 ABY, Ashik was appointed Head of Security for Imperial Head of State Jagged Fel. | Ashik joins the Hand in 11 ABY. |
| Aurek-Seven
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No active traits |
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Aurek-Seven is an elite unit within the Empire of the Hand's recreation of the legendary 501st Legion. It is composed of squad leader Grappler, Watchman, Shadow, and Cloud. | Aurek-Seven joins the Hand in 12 ABY. |
| Ferob
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An Imperial captain who served under Grand Admiral Thrawn in the Unknown Regions aboard the Victory-class Iron Fist. Ferob in spite of his revulsion towards non-humans both respected and feared Thrawn, along with the Grand Admiral's terrible wrath. Under Thrawn's command Ferob bombarded a defiant village on a planet designated as UR41-284, leaving only the museum district untouched to satiate his superior's obsession. | Caamas Crisis Exclusive Hero |
Mitth'raaw'nuruodo 
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A clone that Thrawn made of himself on the planet Nirauan. He was kept secret from even the highest ranking Hand Fleet officers and has most of the tactical skill of the original. | The Thrawn Clone spawns in 19 ABY - Month 10. |
Fighter Heroes[]
| Hero Name: | Traits: | Squadron: | Flagship Deployments: | Description: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soontir Fel
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Soontir Fel was a legendary Imperial fighter ace. Despite his fame, he made an enemy of Ysanne Isard, who exiled him to the Unknown Regions in 5 ABY. He continued to serve the Empire after his exile, helping Thrawn to expand his Empire of the Hand. When Thrawn returned to the known galaxy, he left Voss Parck in command of the Hand, with Fel as his second. |
| Chak Fel
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No active traits |
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Chak Fel was the second of Soontir Fel's six children born on Corellia before his family's exile to the Unknown Regions. Chak grew up quickly among the Chiss and became a decorated pilot while still a teenager, making his father proud. By 22 ABY, Chak was commander of a fleet-arm of clawcraft. |
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Due to a lack of specific source material from the Expanded Universe, the Empire of the Hand's space roster is an original creation by the EAWX Dev Team, and has been reworked multiple times since Thrawn's Revenge's inception. The current iteration of the Empire of the Hand's space roster focuses on a varied fleet of ships, many of which possess the Emergency Retreat ability, capable of filling multiple niches in a fleet composition, with an aim for making "hit and run" strategies useful and effective.
Buildable Space Roster[]
Light Frigate Shipyard Production[]
| Ship Icon: | Ship Name: | Unit Description: |
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Muqaraea Corvette | A small corvette used in fighter screening duties and anti-fighter piracy by one of the many constituent member species of the Empire of the Hand. |
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Syzygos | |
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Kuuro Gunship | Fast and deadly, the Kuuro was equipped with a powerful array of missiles intended to be deployed alongside the complementary physical munitions carried by its larger counterpart, the Rohkea. |
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Fruoro Picket Ship | A Chiss design dating from pre-Clone Wars, although updated throughout the decades, the Fruoro is one of the primary picket vessels in service to the Ascendancy and varuous Household Phalanxes. |
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Prolipsi Interdictor | After Thrawn's encounter with the Vagaari ship nets, the Chiss began work on a vessel of their own which could utilize the technology of interdiction. Although now somewhat outdated and not intended for frontline service, the Prolipsi continues to serve the Chiss and Empire of the Hand fleets in this capacity. |
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Ormos Carrier | The Empire of the Hand's dedicated carrier designed by a mix of Chiss and Imperial engineers, the Ormos is typically sent to pacify the advanced indigenous species of the Unknown Regions. |
Heavy Frigate Shipyard Production[]
| Ship Icon: | Ship Name: | Unit Description: |
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Baomu Support Ship | Contributed by one of the many member groups of the Empire of the Hand, the Baomu was entered into Empire of the Hand service as a fleet tender meant to support units across their broad territory. |
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Rohkea Frigate | Used mainly to guard low priority targets across the Empire of the Hand, the Rohkea was contributed along with the Kuuro by one of the species who joined Thrawn's coalition against Nuso Esva. |
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Kynigos Cruiser | A re-imagining of the classic Dreadnaught, the Kynigos was one of the first improved Imperial designs made by the Empire of the Hand. |
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Chaf Destroyer | The Chaf-class, named after one of the ruling families of the Chiss Ascendancy by engineers with the Empire of the Hand, was based on the Victory Star Destroyer, updating some of the superstructure in order to remove some of its more obvious vulnerabilities and upgrade some of the hardware while keeping the same basic functions. |
Capital Shipyard Production[]
| Ship Icon: | Ship Name: | Unit Description: |
|---|---|---|
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Efodio Fleet Tender | The Efodio was designed by the Chiss during the early Galactic Civil War period in response to the need for a fleet tender able to defend itself. While outclassed in combat with other vessels of fighting off multiple smaller threats and protecting its cargo long enough for other dedicated combat ships to arrive. |
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Peltast Star Destroyer | Originally designed to engage Ssi-Ruuvi ships from a distance before they could deploy their Swarm fighters, the Peltast is essentially a giant long-range megamaser cannon encased in a basic Star Destroyer-type hull. |
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Ascendancy Star Destroyer | The Ascendancy was one of the first true joint projects between Thrawn's Household Phalanx and the Imperial forces he brought with him to establish the Empire of the Hand. It draws from the principles of both the Imperial-class and the earlier Venator-class, resulting in a self-sufficient fleet carrier. |
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Syndic Destroyer | Syndics have been a mainstay in the Chiss fleet for decades, and many of them found their way into service with the Hand, serving as the basis for the later Intego, and Phalanx class design styles within the Chiss Ascendancy and the Hand. |
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Phalanx Destroyer | The Phalanx was initially designed alongside the Intego by the Chiss Ascendancy is response to growing aggression in the Unknown Regions. Despite tensions between the two factions, both had heavy input from the Empire of the Hand. |
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Intego Destroyer | While most of the Hand fleet sacrifices durability for firepower and speed, the Intego was designed towards the end of the Imperial Civil War period in anticipation of the Vong invasion to draw and stand up to enemy firepower. |
