Background: Eriadu, it’s said, was a Core World in all
things except geography. But while the planet was
inarguably in the Outer Rim, it sat squarely at the most
prestigious, economically vital, and strategic spot in the
entire region: the intersection of the Hydian Way an the
Rimma Trade Route (not to mention two lesser but still
important routes, the Lipsec Run and the Yankirk
Route).
Eriadu was a badly polluted factory world of rugged
landmasses and shallow seas. For years, it was known
more for its delicate shellwork jewelry than for its
economic might – but that all changed under the
guidance of the Quintad, five power, ambitious, Corulag
families who emigrated to Eriadu around 900 years ago.
The Quintad – the most famous branch of which is the
Tarkin clan – remade Eriadu into a manufacturing giant
with prestigious shipyards, seeking to turn their world
into “the Coruscant of the Outer Rim.” They largely
succeeded. Few mention Eriaduan shellwork anymore.
(And just as well – the Eriaduan flow-mollusks are
extinct, the victims of increased ocean acidity that
dissolved their shells.)
Eriadu was a flashpoint during the Clone Wars. A
Republic bastion amid Separatist sectors, it served as
the headquarters for the Greater Seswenna’s Sector
Army, overseen by Wilhuff Tarkin. After Palpatine’s
ascension to Emperor, the Greater Seswenna was
reorganized into Oversector Outer, making Tarkin the
most powerful man in the Outer Rim.