The Dark: Empyreal Dominion
A massive nebula visible from the skies of most of the core worlds, the Dark’s thick clouds of gas and radiation obscure the domain of the Empyrean. Ancient stories from across the galaxy link this nebula to tales of faceless creatures descending on leathery wings from the heavens. The natural current of the aetherstream, a subtle gravitational wave front that originates at the galactic core and permeates the galaxy, flows strongly throughout the entirety of the nebula.
Within the swirling gases float countless enclaves of the Empyrean. Carved from asteroids and planetary debris fragments, these outposts each host on average a few thousand Empyrean. Skeletal scaffolds jut out from them in every direction, offering zero-gravity mooring for starships, while unpressurized living spaces include open-vacuum bazaars where information is considered as valuable as the rarest treasure.
Erebian Void
At the heart of darkness lies a sight unseen by all but a handful of non-Empyrean eyes. The Erebian Void, a massive expanse cleared of all planets, forms the heart of the nebula known as the Dark.
The Empyrean cleared the Erebian Void long ago with a purpose. While most other species generate power by destructive, exhaustible means, the Empyrean rely on an infinite supply of dark energy. An intrinsic part of the fabric of space, dark energy occurs everywhere throughout the universe.
However, the Empyrean discovered that dark-energy output radically increases in the absence of gravitational bodies. Despite being within the dense galactic core, the Dark was mostly free of large planetary bodies even before the Empyrean arrived. Now, Empyrean engineers carefully tend to this expanse, ensuring no rogue planets or stars disturb the delicate balance of habitats and dark-energy taps.
When they first cleared the Erebian Void, the Empyrean constructed millions of orbiting habitats by disassembling the rogue planets and wayward asteroids that once chaotically danced through the nebula. Each of these constructions floats freely from the others and is unrestrained by any gravity well. This symphony of independent spaceborn structures is known as Erebis.
Each station is of unique design, bespoke to the collective standards of the Empyrean who built it. Some stations are wholly manufactured habitats, while others are built into the fragments of a dismantled terrestrial planet. Owing to the unique physiology of the Empyrean, most provide perches from which inhabitants soak in the background radiation found throughout the Dark.
The Gate of Night
At the exact center of the Dark, deep within the Erebian Void, stands the Gate of Night. A stone temple held stationary by perfectly balanced aethersails, this structure hangs just above a twisted nexus of the aetherstream that generates a roaring font of dark energy. Here, venerable conservators, reaching the end of their exceptionally long lives, prepare themselves for their final duty.
First, the conservator performs a ritualized recitation of their knowledge to another Empyrean. Second, the conservator discards all belongings. Finally, the conservator embarks upon a small, aethersail-powered starship and descends into the nexus.
Once at the nexus, the conservator can use the unique convergence of the aetherstream and the intense dark-energy flow to propel themself beyond the galactic rim and into the intergalactic void. None have ever returned from this journey, but the remaining conservators believe this ritual provides a chance that their knowledge will survive any calamity that might befall the galaxy proper.
Star Name and Type
none, nebula
Population Status
homeworld, contantly fluctuates (100% Empyrean)
Government
consultative collective
Major Imports
information, alien artifacts
Major Exports
heavy industrial goods, high-tech components, aethersalls
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