Empyrean

Visible from the skies of most of the core worlds is the Dark, a massive cloud of gas and radiation that hugs a portion of the galactic core. The Dark is a particularly thick and choking nebula, no mere twinkling of interstellar gases. Within its swirling swarm of clouds dwell the enigmatic Empyrean, their enclaves carved into the corpses of planets and wayward asteroids, orbital debris left over from the chaotic creation of the galaxy. Each of these dwellings is balanced in the calm between the gravity of the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy and the rush of the aetherstream that emanates from it.

The Empyrean are an ancient species, perhaps the most ancient of them all. It is theorized that the Empyrean have been sailing the stars since before the invention of faster-than- light (FTL) travel. Their history is gathered only in fragments of records deep inside the Mecatol archives, and it remains a mystery to all but themselves.

Xenobiologists have confirmed that at some point in their unfathomably long past, the Empyrean biologically manipulated their physiology to thrive in the most hostile environment of all: pure vacuum. Individual Empyrean have no visible sensory organs or orifices; they possess a featureless face; a tall, lithe frame; and leathery wings, which they use to absorb distant starlight. Empyrean can transmit radio waves, which they use as a means to communicate silently among themselves, and their lifespan is so long that no record exists of an Empyrean dying of old age.

Befitting their lifespan, the Empyrean have engaged in significant long-term projects, including the creation of the Erebian Void in their distant past. This massive expanse is nothing but empty space, painstakingly cleared over millennia. This is the heart of the Dark and the source of Empyrean infrastructure and energy generation. The lack of gravitational bodies allows them to tap into dark-energy reserves far more efficiently than any planetbound species could hope to do.

Surrounding the Erebian Void are the rest of Empyrean society, their zero-gravity ship moorings, their clusters of habitats, and other structures whose purposes remain unknown to outside observers. Empyrean ships coast outward from the Dark on the gravitational aetherstream, using a unique form of superluminal drive to harness its currents. Within their ships, the Empyrean are exposed to the vacuum of space and cosmic radiation, their leathery wings soaking up the light of distant stars.

Most Empyrean encountered outside of the Dark could be politely categorized as “observers.” They lurk on the edges of star systems, spending millennia inspecting and studying other species, with a particular focus on civilizations that have established colonies beyond their home systems. Whether they are historians, record keepers, or simply indulging a native curiosity, none are able to say.

The Empyrean have long been a subject of fascinated study by anthropologists and an exercise in frustration for diplomats attempting to establish agreements. Individual Empyrean can be infuriating to communicate with, pondering responses to questions for hours or even days—if they answer at all. They are quite noncommunicative on the subjects of themselves, their civilization, and their purpose in observing others. When hailed, Empyrean ships tend not to respond; when fired upon, they simply retreat, using their superior aetherstream technology to outrun their pursuers.

Whether as individuals or as a species, the Empyrean act slowly, deliberately, and purposefully. Perhaps this is a consequence of subsisting on the meager solar energy of stars, or perhaps their extremely long lifespan gives them a languid lack of urgency. Whatever the cause, it can make relations with other species difficult, effectively granting the Empyrean permanent outsider status—a designation most would probably be quite comfortable with.

Despite this reputation, the Empyrean appear to make large concessions to the cultures they interact with. Empyrean who commonly deal with other sentients make an effort to copy their dress, mannerisms, and cultural cues, fashioning clothes remarkably accurate to the encountered culture and performing all the little rituals and social graces that smooth out interactions. These observances are of course the result of their long-term observation of every known species, including taking note of the theory that their native culture is simply a mishmash of borrowed cultural practices. Galactic anthropologists have been trying to unravel this particular knot for a long time, leading to long arguments over the meaning of culture itself, a conversation to which the Empyrean do not often have much to contribute.

The Empyrean Today

Unhelpfully, Empyrean society appears to operate on a form of communal anarchy. Decisions are made based on the consensus of all currently present Empyrean, plus the opinions of Empyrean who are within radio range—and given the time taken to arrive at consensus, this number can rapidly grow. While this method is perfectly fine for negotiations at a low level, many an ambassador has run into the wall of no individual Empyrean being able to speak for all of its people, as they have no central governing body.

In recent times, however, Empyrean claiming to represent a large faction within their society have established communication with the Galactic Council, warning of a coming galactic tragedy to rival the Twilight Wars. Whether the Empyrean can be trusted, and whether these warnings are unsourced premonitions, hypotheses made after studying millennia of data, or naked attempts to manipulate the Council for their own ends, none can say.

All that is known is that they did not move from neutral observer to active participant in galactic society during the times of the Mahact, the Twilight Wars, or even the establishment of the Council. Only now, after the events at the Acheron Gate, are the Empyrean playing their hand.

Goals of the Empyrean

The Empyrean have long been grappling with species-wide crises of existence, and this has recently come to a head. Each Empyrean spends its incredibly long life in the pursuit of knowledge— observing and reflecting, ordering and cataloging, learning and understanding. But recently the Empyrean have been grappling with the growing sense that they have come up against an inevitable truth: that life is incompatible with order, that the galaxy is chaos by its very nature, and that searching for meaning in such infinite improbability is, ultimately, absurd. Thus, a collective of the Empyrean have argued that to pursue understanding, they need to impose order on the wider galaxy.

This has driven some of the Empyrean to seek a place on the Galactic Council; to begin assembling ships of war; and even to begin employing members of other species as observers, representatives, spies, and assassins. The Empyrean have never been engaged in active conflict, but that may be about to change.