Phlogiston

Outside and between the crystal spheres is a turbulent, rainbow ocean of flammable ether called the phlogiston, also known as the Flow,. The multicolored sea that is the phlogiston is a transitive plane which float the various crystal spheres (and their systems within), which are alternate prime material planes with a finite dimension that are vast in size. (Not all prime material planes are finite nor are they connected to the phlogiston). The term phlogiston is applied equally to both the multicolored medium and to the entire region surrounding the crystal spheres.
Phlogiston has varying thickness in space and forms dense rivers between the planet-sized objects (such as the spheres themselves). Voyagers moving along these paths of concentrated phlogiston discover that the greater the density of the flow, the faster the ship can move. A ship can speed up and slow down by penetrating deeper into or raising itself out of these phlogiston rivers. Stellar distances can be covered quickly in such areas. Further, the speed of the ship is at least partially dependent on the surface area it presents to the flow, so many ships carry sails to increase their speed in the interstellar ocean.

Properties

Material Characteristics

The Phlogiston is made up of a gaseous substance that is also called phlogiston. This unique substance is unlike any of the four elements (air, earth, fire and water). It is similar in appearance to a radiant gas, emitting brilliant, chaotic and ever changing colors. It is odorless, and non-toxic, but does not provide oxygen and is non-breathable. This substance apparently cannot exist in Wildspace (ie, inside a Crystal Sphere), so even bottled phlogiston will fade away as soon as it passes through the wall of a Sphere.
Finally, phlogiston is dangerously flammable, much like oil-soaked cotton, which poses its own problems. Any flame exposed to phlogiston causes the surrounding area (including the phlogiston laden air envelope of the ship) to burst into flame, it is for this reason that bombards, arquebus, and any other weapons, which rely on a spark or the flame, are not used in the phlogiston.

Type

Metaphysical