Aethermin
The Aethermin are a civilization living in the Ophelia System, mostly on Ophelia III and Ophelia VIII, although traders and diplomats live on and visit the 'Dust Zone of Ophelia VII. They are members of the Abhuman strain popularly known as Squats (who call themselves Kin) but are not aligned with the Leagues of Votann.
The Aethermin are gas miners on Ophelia III and VIII, extracting valuable materials from the atmospheres of the gas giants and selling them to the Adeptus Mechanicus of the Ophelia VII 'Dust Zone and others. Granted exclusive mineral rights to the planets in exchange for exorbitant leases paid to the Adeptus Ministorum, the Aethermin have become very wealthy while at the same time enriching the Cabinet-Chancery of Ophelia VII and saving them from the mundane management of prospectors, miners and refineries.
The Aethermin live in levitating citadels, floating on the upper atmosphere of the gas giants, dangling long lines into the body of the planet to allow miners to descend and extract minerals from rich veins in the banded atmosphere and body of the planets. Some citadels are permanently anchored while others - smaller and less well-established - rove over the planet seeking new veins to exploit.
The Aethermin are divided into families, clans and tribes - and genealogy is important to them with a great reverence being given to their ancestors. They are rich and display their wealth with fine decoration, embellishment and the use of precious or imported materials on their homes, ships and persons. The poorest of them has no need to worry about day-to-day expenses and is very well-off by the standards of the wider Imperium. Imported foodstuffs are a common way of showing wealth and power, and the Aethermin are often regarded as gourmands - albeit with a palette unusual to baseline human sensibilities.
The Aethermin are very fine craftsmen (and often chefs) - although not as skilled engineers or scientists as the Kin of the Leagues of Votann. Most of their artistic skill is focused on beautifying their own dwellings, but - for an exorbitant price - they have been known to create pieces of art, furniture or other luxuries for outsiders.
The Aethermin travel through using dirigibles filled with gas acted upon by generators whose operation is not understood by the Adeptus Mechanicus and whose secrets the Aethermin guard jealously. These dirigibles ply the atmosphere of their home planets, but can also travel at relativistic speeds through intra-system space and are capable of flight in the atmospheres of the telluric planets of the Ophelia system. It is not known if they are capable of interstellar travel - the Aethermin are tight-lipped on the subject but they are not seen outside of the Ophelia system.
