Welcome to The Expanse
The Expanse is a vast stretch of astral emptiness, in which there are nebulas, solar systems, stars, planets, moons, and most recently humanoid-build satellites and vessels which allow travel between these locations.
The Expanse is a hostile environment, and cannot be survived without appropriate equipment, the lack of air and extreme cold mean those exposed to such environments last as long as they can hold their breath, before succumbing to either asphyxiation or even freezing to death.
To avoid this, Trans-Expansial Vessels or TEVs have been created to allow the safe and efficient transport of materials and living creatures. And a universal agreed currency known as Chits(ยค). Chits are used to buy and sell goods and services, some planets still use their own local currencies despite this.
The Expanse is of course, not a united place, several factions divide up clusters of star systems:
- The Celestials are the oldest, consisting of the angelic and fiendish types, along with the birdfolk of Squall who served as the messengers from the Gods when they still spoke to the mortals.
- The Amalgamate has the largest hold of the galaxy, and is a council made up of Dwarves, Elves Gnomes, Halflings, Humans. The diplomatic council rules from The Omphalos - a planet-sized satellite, created by a precusor race who have now all died out.
- The Amalgamate are currently at war with the Dakar Sector, and have blockaded that sector.
- The Oceanic Sector is a protected area of space, isolated on the far edge of Amalgamate space, and monitored by the Dwarves of Mond. The acquatic races of the planet Agwa have recently developed Expansial Travel, and negotiations for their joining of the Amalgamate are still being discussed.
- The Draconids are ruled by the tyrannical ancient dragons of Thaczil, and are made up of lesser Dragons, Dragonborn, Kobolds and Lizardfolk. In their sector they protect the planet of Zoic, where Gnolls and Tabaxi - still early in their development and yet to discover Expansial Travel. Their hold of space has cut off the Celestials from the Amalgamate. But their relations with the Celestials are positive, but they view the rapid expanse of the Amalgamate as a threat and are not on the best of terms.