"We are as remnant traces of cosmic dust blown far by solar winds, shaped by gravitic pull, and fueled by forces we do not understand. Insignificant and fleeting remnants of an ancient realm thrown into chaos long before our birth... Who are we to stand as Avatars, saviors of a universe we shall never master; tied to forces we cannot comprehend. At the rushed exodus of our species were reflected our humble planetary origins, though the Precursor legacy built in our name grants each of us an insurmountable cultural incentive to persevere. Though we are a young and naive species, we must succeed where the Precursors could not. Without immortality and limitless energy we are frail and helpless in the shadows of the Imperium... perhaps it is the very fleeting nature of our mortality and the virtue of our violent upbringing that allows Humanity to persevere. When all else is told, one must only remember that we are the striking image of ancient Precursors. If we were created or not in their image I cannot say, yet the weight of their legacy lays heavy upon our backs/shoulders. Whether or not we care to admit it, we are at the center of a great Cataclysm of unknown design, the final bastion of hope in a universe that is slowly unraveling. Our only viable choice is to embrace our destiny and uncover the secrets of the ancient forefathers. The Precursors chose Humanity to carry on what they could not finish; we cannot help but acknowledge the incredible circumstances that surround our species' ascendancy beyond Earth. I cannot help but feel the appearance of Humanity at such a volatile time is no mere coincidence. Though I am loathe to make such broad assumptions, it indeed feels as if the Precursors still guide us - even in death. What was their ultimate goal, and where do we come in? Are we to become the Harbingers of Change, or the force that rebuilds the old Imperium? Were the secrets of the Void known even to them, or are we just as they once were; young, foolish, and determined to unlock the forces that dictate the flux of our reality... Perhaps we are no greater than they were, as we embark upon a journey they failed to complete. Will we discover the power to extinguish the might of the Skyborn once and for all, or shall we merely add onto the Precursors' Legacy; a droplet within the vast and immemorial sea of Time, naught but a stepping stone to guide future species along the same journey we find ourselves upon... Though my faith dictates these words as fundamental truth, I must accept the uncertainty of Time and the effect it has on our perception. It is truly frightening to think we might not exist were it not for the interference of the Precursors. What would our universe then be like? A vast emptiness devoid of life? Or a fiery hellhole of dying species too insignificant to ever achieve contact with other worlds... Truly we are blessed, for the keys to our universe's fate lie in our very hands... Whether we may live up to the expectations placed upon us is an entirely different matter." -Alura Alimari, Matriarch III - Age of Ascension
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This is effectively what I came up with last night that I managed to put on paper. I've got a ton of ideas swimming around in my head and will be typing up a storm for the next week straight.
[3:16:27 PM] Gregory Struck: Aetherium – Aetherium is a family of extremely volatile substances with an inexplicable attraction to the Void. They are as malleable and versatile as gold while maintaining the strength and utility of alloys such as steel. Aetherium is the most basic and vital component of Precursor-Skyborn Void-Tech and is the only material capable of affecting the Void. In a state of constant flux, Aetherium naturally decays into crystal matter before decaying yet again into energy; an endless cycle that allows Aetherium to permeate throughout reality and the Void simultaneously.
Covenant of Souls – The Covenant of Souls is a Precursor relic stolen from the Skyborn during the long-forgotten war that brought them to our time. With the power to extract raw Aetherium from the living, the Covenant of Souls is an immensely powerful tool capable of producing a near-endless flood of energy as well as create incredible Voidbound constructs. The Covenant of Souls was the basis for the same-named pact that united the Trinity beneath a council of slaver nations. This unification of aggressive slave-nations allowed many pre-stellar worlds to be assimilated into the Trinity, ultimately leading to The War of the Unbound.
War of the Unbound - As the Trinity spread across the galaxy and assimilated vast swaths of alien worlds, a vacuum of power arose within the originating nations. With the Trinity nations vying for power over each other, the assimilated nations gradually built up enough power and resources to organize a vast rebellion that tore hundreds of worlds from the Trinity’s grasp. With their forces spread apart while unable to assemble beneath a single banner, the Trinity homeworlds were eventually sieged by the sons of the very slave nations they had once conquered. Without a figurehead to assume power and align the three nations, every Trinity world save three were liberated as they were powerless to stop the fiery revolution suddenly tearing the galaxy apart. So dawned the Age of Expansion as countless worlds vied to fill the vacuum of power left by the War of the Unbound.
The Trinity – Known also as the Sacred Triad, the Trinity is a theocratic collective made up of the
,
, and
. They are well-known for having ruled over a vast network of slave-worlds during the Age of Conquest.
The Circle of Ouroboros – A cult-like military organization that believes the key to unlocking the Precursors’ Legacy lies within the Human genetic sequence. Many of its members worship Humanity as Precursor Avatars, effectively seeing Humanity as a universal catalyst capable of determining the fate of the universe. Though its membership includes an extensive number of nations, faiths, and species, the Circle of Ouroboros is nonetheless vehemently dedicated to the advancement of Human influence by any means necessary. The Circle was officially recognized as the fist of the <Imperium Exterra> in <
>, effectively uniting humanity and its supporters beneath a single banner. Initially thought to bring stability to the the many warring factions, the Imperium succeeded only in creating a
Death of the Imperium – The Precursor Imperium fell eons before the rise and subsequent Fall of Man. Blessed with near-immortality, the Precursors carved a vast empire from the virgin galaxies of our newborn universe, spreading the seeds of an ancient legacy across innumerable worlds. Little is known of their origin despite the extensive proliferation of Precursor technology and biological patterns left in their wake. It is unknown what caused the actual fall of the Imperium. Many believe they grew insane as eons dragged by, incapable of coping with the emptiness of space and the Skyborn’s relentless assault. Many species’ revere the Precursors as the originators of all sentient life,
Void Fracture – Also known as a Void Gate, a Void Fracture is an stable wormhole into Void Space linking a specific region of the material universe to that of the corresponding Aether. Void Gates appear and disappear constantly although some have functioned continuously for millennia. It is unknown whether our universe’s Void Fractures are relics of a network artificially constructed by the Precursors or a natural byproduct of an unstable Multiverse incapable of coherently meshing individual realities into one another, essentially unbinding the laws of physics where the Void leaks into our universe. Void Fractures are highly temperamental and have the tendency of unraveling and re-establishing its connection to a different point in Space-Time. As such, every Rip-Drive may potentially leave a vessel stranded in an unknown part of Space-Time as it attempts to traverse the Void, possibly even transporting them into neighboring universes. The true nature of the Void and its flaws are not well-understood, and hence are an object of profound study. Those who unlock the secrets of Aether and the Void may very well rise to become masters of the Multiverse.
Rip-Drive – A rudimentary Faster-Than-Light propulsion device capable of traveling through the Void. It is thought to function by taking advantage of micro-fractures in Space-Time – traversing the ever-changing Maelstrom of the Void via natural or artificial flaws in the fabric of the Multiverse. Rip-Drive is the result of reverse-engineering the ancient probes assumedly used to explore our young universe when the Precursors first arrived. While Precursor propulsion technology seems capable of creating stable wormholes to any part of the known universe, and perhaps beyond, reverse-engineered prototypes lack the ability to open Void Fractures; instead utilizing existing fractures to traverse the Void.
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Concepts:
Vatterra – A super-dense yet fluid gelatinous substance used to create the structure of stellar vessels, their propulsion systems, and other constructs that require an immense level of precision and physical strength.
Aetherium – Void, Aether, Spirit, Energy, the raw bindings of life, consciousness, and the Void. Aetherium is not only the unifying force behind FTL technology; it is the only known material entity capable of influencing the Void from our universe.
Pyrrhos – An explosive and highly-cancerous crystalline powder necessary to fuel Rip-Drives and many other devices.
[3:16:50 PM] Gregory Struck: The Void is effectively the same thing as Primordium. The only difference is in mortal perception of the nature of Primordium. Primordium is a dimensional state of energy, as well as an actual place, if not the complex merging of various states of consciousness, phases of reality, and dimensional concepts. It is the point of origin of the Primordials and hence the Multiverse itself, from which stems all matter-based entities, yet wholly separate from the material world. It is effectively the spirit world, yet not explicitly so.
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