Futuristic [LORE] SAIL THE STARS : SPECKS AND SPELLS History Database

[RandomBlobMan]

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The year is 3212.

The Status Quo
War wages on various sections of the known part of the Milky Way. Notorious Shavrin Empire seeks to rule all under themselves, cultists of eldritch power seek to massacre innocents for their own strength, and many more threats cause conflicts. There are ruffians, and there are heroes. It is a time of chaos.


The Whimsical Powers
Magic is a very broad thing in this universe. It can ignore rules of physics to do the scientifically impossible, when guided by the use of an intellectual being. It comes in many forms.
-A form of energy generated around intellectual species
-Natural energy formed by some planets, with no clear standards known yet.
-Generally exists around the universe like background radiation.
Many forms of life discover and utilize magic in their own way,


The Currency
Ever since multiple species came into contact with each other in space, they all agreed to unite their currency systems to ease trading between different kinds. The Currency, while not having one name spoken throughout people, is just called The Currency no matter the language.(If there isn't the word currency in the language, then they refer to it as something that has the most similar meaning to that). Humans often refer to it as Credit too. Even factions that oppose most of any others than itself still use this currency to trade with the few that are willing to do deals.


Quick Human Lore
Humanity prospered on Earth for a long time, until the growth of population was too much to cover with the lacking resources that remained on the planet. Tensions grew among the nations as it seemed that they were pressured to die with the planet. Then something happened. The intense density of intellectual beings started what was essentially a "magic crisis"-making Earth a magic nightmare. Magic energy overflowed the world and caused a disaster.
With newfound powers, people waged war against each other in hopes of scavenging what was left of the natural resources for themselves. The war ended up depleting what's left of the resources in the process, and only made things worse. The war ended when each nation announced their defeat stating the depletion of their resources-at the same time.
With what's left, survivors of the war figured their struggle was all for nothing and managed to leave Earth in search for a new home. The evacuation was rushed and unorganized, and they ended up leaving many behind.

Human side of magic evolved more for battle, more precisely war, and is therefore hardly used among the citizens. Arts of magic is mostly reserved for soldiers that fought at the frontline of wars they fight. Settlements that are built/populated mostly by humans rely on technology, and hardly use magic. Some humans never even know the existence of magic until their death, mostly believing it to be a common myth.
While many of the arts of Magic people discovered during the war on Earth was lost for many reasons, human magic has one thing in common(minus a few exceptions): they use pieces of technology as a catalyst to ease the casting of the magic. While the magic can be done without using these catalysts, they lessen the pressure on the user when used, and sometimes add their own twist in the magic(such as an actual assault rifle round flying with the magic projectile).
Examples include using ammunition to cast offensive projectile spells, or using medical supplies(mostly chemical fluids that are applied to aid in the healing) to cast first aid spells. Most of these magic are built to be used in combat, and have only evolved further with their contact with the Shavrin Empire and more enemies in space.

Chain of Command:
United Government of Humanity (U-Gov) -> Local Government of Humanity (Lo-Gov) -> Planetary Council of Humanity (PlaCo) -> modern nations' size governments and so on.

"Elves":
The descendants of a few rich humans who genetically modified themselves to resemble the appearance of the generic elves portrayed in the media. They have long, pointy ears. While they are humans in legal terms, most prefer to differentiate themselves from the non-pointy folks. Their physical capabilities hardly differ from the humans, and the only way one can distinguish them is the appearance of the ears. Half elves do not exist, as a child between an elf and a human always has a non-pointy ordinary human ears.


Interstellar Corporations:
These corporations are ones that have influence over more than one planet, and maybe even across the known area of the Milky Way. In times of hardship, many gain profit by manufacturing and selling their own product lines of weapons of war. Of course, there are some who do not manufacture anything that are outright harmful, but those are a rarer kind.
Here are a few examples with short descriptions:
-Riverton Corporation:
Well known for their infantry firearms and combat vehicles. One of the most widespread human based corporation- and as widespread as it is, the reputation of the company differs from region to region as the local heads each prefer different business strategies. Riverton is one of the oldest companies in humanity, as many died out during the last struggle in Earth.

-Waltz Co.:
Well known for their recreation of old human historical designs, Waltz Co. manufacture "modernized" firearms that were originally manufactured during and before the era of WW2. Examples include lever action rifles and even muskets. The company generally focuses on bringing back vintage culture of humanity and reintroducing them to the world.

-Clairvoyance Cataclysm:
A company that concentrates on developing custom A.I.'s for all purposes. While it is a human based corporation, many of its employees are Artificial Intelligence that passed the test to be legally accepted as a citizen.

-Cynthian Riptide:
Cynthian Riptide concentrates on manufacturing energy based firearms and battery charged protective shield systems. While many other corporations(including Riverton for example) produce energy shields, Cynthian Riptide is the first among humanity to start manufacturing them for military purposes and is still the leader of the market. Ever after coming into contact with other species, the company has been aggressively jumping into their markets and hiring their people. While Riverton is the most well known among humans, Cynthian Riptide is most well known generally among other intellectual species.
It is also one of the most magic-friendly corporations of humanity, introducing experimental magic devices for common people to use rather than to manufacture military exclusive gadgets.

-Hwasubun:
A corporation that mainly focuses on medicine and food products. It is one of the rare ones that never produce any war related product, minus the medical supplies(though those are always required be it war or not). They have Aid Teams that travel to areas in need to provide support should they request any. While most companies tend to have a scandal or two due to the size and the inability to completely prevent illegal activities of its members, Hwasubun so far has been clean, promising only the intention of the betterment of life. The corporation has recently been contacting corporations of other species in hopes of helping the manufacturing of medical supplies for other kinds.
Hwasubun has also succeeded on restoring a long forgotten art of magic created by humans long time ago that help the healing of wounds and disease.

 

[RandomBlobMan]

Energy Weaponry

Energy weapons, along with battery charged shields, opened up new options for weapons of war. As they require more cooling capabilities and more room for technical devices to stabilize the weapon's energy projectiles before they are fired, energy weapons, no matter the manufacturer, tend to be bigger in size compared to their lead firing counterparts in terms of similar projectile size.
Though the power of each shot depends on what type of energy is used and how it is fired, energy weapons tend to be more effective than lead projectiles against non shielded targets as they fire balls of energy(usually heat) rather than just a delivery of physical energy. But the use of more electronics means they are susceptible to EMP attacks and may not operate as well in some conditions where electronics may be interfered. Not to mention the price for manufacturing each-compared to a simple rifle without any special functions, an energy weapon, even a handgun sized one, requires more resources and money to make.
The strength and presentation an energy weapon brings is well worth the price, but along comes an equally formidable disadvantage. As such, many special forces tend to prefer traditional firearms in extreme environments.

Battery charged shields are technology based protection gear. Using the energy created by the battery it is connected to, the shield system detects incoming projectiles in deadly velocity and form a protective layer of energy around the user to minimize the damage. The first experimental prototypes were used on small spacecrafts, and once the technology was confirmed to be viable, soon researches were made to make these systems for various shapes and sizes. Now there are products from toddler size to giant spacecraft size shield systems in the market, for whoever needs it.

 

[RandomBlobMan]

Shavrin

The Shavrins originate from a planet named Shavriniof, and were born to an environment full of friendly magic energy. They learned from this atmosphere the art that made perfect harmony with their everyday life. Instead of relying purely on technology, they use magic as an aid to the small time things they do. Cooking, cleaning, hobby activities, it is harder to find something that does not involve the art of magic in it. Naturally, it gave them more room of improvement free of the thought of physics-their advancement of science was naturally slow compared to other species, but that did not mean they were inferior.
An intellectual species from another planet raided their home, but was taken by surprise with the local disease and Shavrins' use of magic as if it was breathing. They were conquered, and subdued as the Shavrins' slaves. It was a species that concentrated on science and hardly knew the existence of magic. Their technology was passed over, and Shavrins started developing much faster with newly found power. Seeing the "crude and savage" life that their invaders lived, many of the Shavrins believed they must teach others the right way to live. Thus, the Shavrin Empire was born.
The Shavrin Empire, using the newly acquired high velocity travel technology, spread around their galaxy. More intellectual species were discovered, and to their dismay, failed to satisfy the long and outrageous checklist they made for themselves(which they firmly believed the Shavrins qualified to all of the requirements). Many tried to resist, and failed. Many planets were colonized, and used to the Shavrins' will. Their empire was meeting a golden age. But they wanted more. The good words had to be spread. The notorious power soon turned its eye to another galaxy they could see from afar.
A giant gateway was built to send their bravest warriors to the other side in Good Intentions. They arrived in Milky Way. And they don't really like the people around here.

The Shavrins are mammals, with skins a bit thicker than a human's. Their skin is usually a shade of dark grey. They have a small bump at the back of their hips, a sign of a once present tail that disappeared through their evolution. They have horizontal pupils, the eyes stationed a bit to the sides compared to humans and thus giving them more field of view. While they do have hair similar to humans, they do not grow facial hair, only on the head.
The average height of a fully grown Shavrin is around 185cm, average weight being 100kg. They usually appear as slender humanoid figures, and are more flexible and agile compared to humans.
They live 60~70 years usually, around 80 if they live a healthy life.
Their culture has an elitist atmosphere, considering themselves the highest beings in the universe while others must fulfill the standards they have created.
Due to the wide use of magic, they have traditions concentrating on tranquility of one's mind-teas, breathing techniques, and mostly serene art style. They deem the loud and flashy a low and worthless culture.

The Shavrins have harmonized magic into their everyday life. Most of the household items they operate manually can be powered with magic to make the chores easier. But they also rely too much on magic, meaning lack of magic would require more work than using a regular household item. In terms of combat, they hardly utilize magic. Their warriors are armed with pieces of high technology, and tend to refrain from using magic as outright offensive methods. Only a few are educated to use aggressive and destructive magic. Exception would be the other species under their control-they are used in whatever way they can be in combat.

 

[Verena]

Named by humans: Gehenna (Meaning “Hell”, named by the first human explorers that were unable to cope with the living conditions)

Original name: Aorastra

Capital: Vlofstin

Spoiler: Planet

The planet Gehenna is tidally locked to its star Kimsra, a red dwarf. What this means is that the planet’s orbital period is the same as its rotational so that the same side is always facing the star. As it is with most red dwarfs, the star releases flares every once in a while, during which it undergoes unpredictable dramatic increases in brightness for a few minutes.

Temperatures of the star-ward side exceed 100 degrees C, while on the dark side they fall below -100 C. The majority of the water on the star-ward side evaporates and is carried by the wind to the dark side where it condenses into ice. Water that is left on the hot side is in a vapour form.

There is a circulation of atmosphere thanks to the air on the star-ward side being constantly heated, expanding and creating a vacuum that sucks in the expanding hot air from the other side, which leads to distributing the heat across the planet, equalizing the temperatures.

In this state, a circular belt between the two sides, a sort of twilight zone, is the only place where life can evolve and flourish. In this dusk band around the planet, the star is permanently hanging low near the horizon with an ever-colourful red and yellow sky due to scattered light, resembling a never-ending sunset. Time as we know it is, in this sense, nonexistent for the planet’s inhabitants. Time is measured not in hours but the time between solar flares or the time between harvest of the Amdrakk trees (more below).

There is a constant flow of water from the night side to the dayside – a series of rivers and streams, all flowing in the same direction. The erosion these rivers has caused over the decades has created enormous caves and canyons, now used by the inhabitants to construct small and large settlements. A great deal of the water that evaporates on the star-ward side comes down in the form of rain in the twilight zone, further contributing to plant growth, before reaching the cold side where it freezes.

Gehenna is an eyeball planet:

Spoiler: Flora and fauna

Flora and fauna vary according to region. Plantlife has adapted to the constant winds that blow unpredictably from both directions of the planet, as well as the solar flares, for example by anchoring securely into the soil, similar to weeds, and sprouting flexible branches that can withstand even the strongest of winds. During solar flares, many plants retract into underground bulbs. Other wither and grow anew.

The prevailing vegetation consists of different types of grasses, bushes, shrubs and small trees. Underwater, vast blooms of photosynthetic plankton and bioluminescent algae support the life of fish, amphibians and invertebrates. Underground, bioluminescent fungi spread as quickly as moss and give off a dim blueish green light that increases in brightness upon touch.

The tail of the amphibian Krus mimics its head to fool predators:


Lush forests of Amdrakk trees similar to mangroves dot the underground systems. Their false trunks are made up of many intertwined roots that spread quickly and deeply. Oftentimes, entire forests consist of a single organism. Once a year, each root sprouts branches bearing multiple sweet and nourishing fruits similar to an Annona. Once ripe, they fall to the ground and shoot roots. Gehennians harvest them and use them to prepare various dishes.

A stream passes through an Amdrakk forest, nourishing the fruiting trees:

Bosrakk are bat-like creatures with eight limbs that keep the fruit of the Amdrakk trees free from pests:

The trees are also home to the Kreksi, creatures as big as hawks that closely resemble dragons from human legends:


Both animals and Gehennians mostly occupy the huge and complex underground cave systems, as well as natural tunnels carved into the canyons. In between flares, many creatures leave the caves to graze or hunt on the surface. There are both tiny and enormous animals – some are as small as fleas, while others, such as the ramkski, are as big as African elephants. All of them are covered either in scales or thick skin but feathers or fur are nonexistant. There are no mammals. Only hours from hatching or birth, animals are able to run and fend for themselves.

Ramski are among the largest beasts on the planet:


Daideroni are the apex predators of Gehenna. They are both elegant and powerful, as large as horses, travel and hunt in packs. Daideroni possess a personality close to that of wolves and extraordinary intelligence, able to understand keywords or whole phrases in Gehennian. Few individuals are able to tame, ride and hunt with them. If the hunt was successful, they gain a friend and ally for life.

Daideroni are not to be trifled with:


P.S.: These are only a small fraction of all the species found on Gehenna. More will be added if you decide to visit.

Spoiler: Abilities

All creatures of Gehenna possess a heightened sense of sight, smell and hearing. Their eyes are protected from the dust and debris found underground by a nictitating membrane. They are able to see in complete darkness as well as humans during the daytime. However, their vision is much more sensitive to UV light. During a typical sunny day on Earth, creatures of Gehenna see as well as us during the night. Overall, a huge weakness of these heightened senses is all sorts of extremes – bright lights, high frequency sounds and strong smells.

Spoiler: Gehennians/Aorastri

Gehennians have slit pupils similar to those of vipers with irises ranging in colour. Their entire bodies are covered in mostly dark-coloured, extremely sharp scales of various shapes and sizes. These protect them from the harsh climate on their home planet but also act as natural armour, to an extend. Fully developed individuals shed their entire skin once a year, children and teens that are still growing do so more often. Gehennians are unable to wear most types of normal attire and armour due to their sharp and protruding scales. They instead opt for loose cloths made of durable materials such as leather or fine chainmail.

They possess long prehensile tails used both for balance and grasping objects. Gehennians are bipedal and walk on digitigrade legs. Their padded hands and feet both have five fingers/toes each and end in long, curved claws that enable them to easily slice through flesh and climb even the steepest of rocks.
Their animalistic legs, combined with their tail, allow them to run faster, jump higher and fall further than humans. However, they sacrifice endurance. A human can outrun a Gehennian on a long-distance jog.

Both males and females possess a pair of uniquely shaped horns that are sometimes a different colour than the rest of the body. They can be used to carry burdens but also during combat. Gehennians often decorate and paint their horns to represent a variety of symbolic meanings. They grow as the Gehennian matures and ages.

Gehennians are polyphyodonts, meaning that their teeth are continually replaced. They are predominantly carnivores but are also able to digest some plant matter. A healthy, well-nourished individual can survive for 3 months without food. Due to the different nutritional value of foods outside of Gehenna, they need to change their diet or take supplements in order for their bodies to function properly. For example, because meat from animals in their homeworld is higher in calcium, Gehennians need to eat more calcium-rich foods outside of it to prevent their scales from becoming brittle.

Gehennians form a lifelong bond with a partner and give birth to a single child that reaches adulthood at around 10 years. They have an average lifespan of 70-100 years. Children are given an initial name by their parents but may choose to change it later in life. Families don’t use traditional surnames, although warriors, craftsmen, scholars or priests may use their profession as a surname. The dead are decorated, then left on the surface of the planet to be consumed by the flames of a solar flare, returning them to the earth.

Despite modern technology, many Gehennians still prefer using primitive weapons such as bows and spears:

Spoiler: Way of life

Aside from a few large multicultural settlements, mostly their capital Vlofstin, Gehennians prefer smaller, tight-knit communities. They build their housing by carving rooms and furniture directly out of the stone using tools and also their claws. Decorations are handcrafted from natural materials such as clay, bones, wood, shells etc. Bioluminescent moss and fungi are planted on the walls and used for lighting. Gehennians sleep on smoothly carved stone beds, rolling up into a scaly ball. Fresh air is delivered through cleverly and carefully drilled vents in the ceiling. Stream channelled into fountains provide a constant supply of drinkable groundwater. Many keep various smaller animal species as pets, some more successfully than others.

The soil on Gehenna is rich in precious metals and stones. Natives are exceptional craftsmen and architects but aren’t technologically advanced due to the lack of electricity. Music played on instruments similar to lithophones, aeolian harps and handpan drums play a big part in their culture. Gehennians don’t form tribes, don’t have a military and don’t wage wars with each other. They have no currency and instead use barter to trade.

Gehennians follow a religion that by human standards can be identified as a combination of Shamanism and Animism. Children and animals born with albinism are believed to be linked spiritually to their main deity, their star, and be able to predict solar flares among other natural disasters. They are also believed to possess a variety of magical powers, ranging from healing powers to communicating by telepathy through dreams. These rare individuals are treated with great honour and serve as leaders.

Although all races are welcome on Gehenna, few are able to adapt to the extreme living conditions of the planet. Due to their similarity to various reptiles on Earth, their lack of advanced technology and science, Gehennians are oftentimes viewed as beastly and uncivilized. Enslavement, exploitation and illegal mining operations are huge issues that remain unsolved. However, rebellions are brewing that might change the course of history.

Spoiler: Kasorrite

A relatively lightweight but incredibly strong and flexible metal that can be used to make everything from medical prosthetics to armoured exosuits or decorations. It’s immediately recognisable by its striking iridescent properties. In its raw form, Kasorrite resembles Bornite. It’s highly valued, both for its characteristics and visual appearance. Since its discovery, Gehenna has become a magnet for illegal mining operations.

Houses in the Saiin cave are carved entirely out of huge plant bulbs:


The ancient temple of the sun is located in the capital and serves as a throne room for the high priestess. It stands around 50 meters tall, can be seen from all parts of Vlofstin and is intricately handcrafted entirely out of Kasorrite. During solar flares, channels flood the structure with light, causing it to illuminate the entire city.

 

[RandomBlobMan]

Machine with a Heart

The introduction of AI's that could think like an intellectual species and communicate with one smoothly, caused the long awaited question to finally rise up without sounding like a madman's delusion. Does an Artificial Intelligence have civil rights? The problem remained unresolved for centuries with various controversies when finally a solution rose up. A test was suggested, which judged not the mathematical calculating capabilities but the "heart" of the program. Taking inspiration from many psychological tests and AI experiments, the Sentience Examination Test aka SET was applied galaxy-wide(excluding a few exceptions, such as the Shavrin Empire and some others that were regarded as "hostile" by others). All AI's are given the right to take the SET and should they pass it they are granted full citizenship in any area that the SET has power in.

 

[RandomBlobMan]

Here's your Spellbook (..and a three mile long list of limits)

Magic in this world is loose in terms of its form. It could be a talent that one gets naturally, a supernatural capability. It could be an acquired skill, passed down through generations of people who mastered those arts. Either ways, the art of magic allows its user to use the power of their mind to do the impossible. There is one thing in common-magic is powered by the minds of an intellectual species. While there have been cases of magic "energy" being rich in some areas or natural resources that boost one's magic capabilities, the doing of impossible cannot be done without a mind's work.


And while its form does not have much limits, its execution has plenty...

Magic itself is very mind consuming. It depletes one's mental power. Using past your limits will bring severe consequences, such as insanity and similar lasting symptoms. For AI's that are capable of casting magic, they may experience more evident symptoms such as software corruption.
Without the power of an intellectual mind in place, magic cannot be cast. While the unexplainable energy that boosts/powers magic can be found in rich quantities in some places, and natural resources that help the user boost their magic capabilities do exist, the act of impossible being done cannot exist without the presence of an intellectual mind nearby.
Magic becomes more exhausting the more complicated and/or strong it is. Thus, arts that tip to the area of more complication such as healing injuries or raising the dead tend to be more inefficient compared to the more simpler, destructive variants. As such, healing magic that takes immediate and visual effects are mainly at the level of first aid, as any that can practically heal severe wounds would be too consuming for the caster. Healing magic therefore are usually cast long term or with multiple casters working together, making it not so different from the traditional medical surgeries, only lacking the need of various equipment. Not to mention spells that cover a wide area.


In a nutshell...

-Magic can either be an innate power or an acquired skill.
-Magic is powered by intellectual species' minds.
-While magic energy or magic boosting material can exist in nature, the execution of magic itself cannot exist without the work of an intellectual mind.
-The stronger the magic is, more exhausting it is to cast.

 

[ChasmOfOrganicMatter]

The Vrexul​

Enormous arthropod-like creatures, the vrexul are a species once relegated to the fringes of Shavrin and Human space but who have made concerning progress inwards into their territories. Monstrously large, being around 6''11 to 10''2 on average, they appear to be skinless in their carapace-covered and many-limbed appearance. Their faces are best described as mask like and locked in rigidly, possessing dome-like ocular structures (with smaller eye clusters visible between up to around eight larger ones) and complex interlocking mouthparts. Many of their limbs seem to end in pincer like and many-fingered claws but often the former can split into the latter. Only a few smaller sub-species have wings and if lacking in biomodification, are capable of gliding or hovering at best. The sight of their bodies is often associated with the colour patterns of decomposing organic litter on old forest floors. While sexual dimorphism is common in some less augmented individuals, these technologies have made it very hard for even other vrexul on occasion to differentiate their own sexes.

The vrexul were initially a series of starfaring nomadic peoples and planetary states drawn together thanks to heavy raids and invasions from external forces. Eventually they would manage to become an empire of sorts though one that grew conflicted in the aftermath of this period of defensive conflict. They would come into contact with the Shavrin Empire during a time of expansion towards fringe human colonies. Initially first contact did not appear to be hostile and it would lead to small alliances with both various human settlements and the Shavrin who they agreed to work with as auxiliary armies in exchange for economic cooperation and growth. Inevitably, those who had come to value humanity grew very skeptical of those who had come to see the shavrin as allies - they had spent so many years resisting imperialism and now they were going to embrace it? True conflict did not break out but there was a philosophical line drawn in the sand, one that all parties did try to resolve amidst the rising tensions of possible civil war. While the particulars of what lead to the great scattering of the vrexul are not 100% clear due to the loss of much of the data, it is known a joint project by all sides involving a sort of living magical supercomputer was in the works but something went very, very wrong during the testing. This was also during a period where small proxy conflicts and black ops were taking place so sabotage of some sort is suspected.

Regardless, where their home worlds once lay has been deemed too dangeorus to enter, awash in spectral radiation and inhabited by eldrtich lifeforms summoned by whatever unearthly forces were involved in the supercomputer's creation. The vrexul tend to exist in nomadic fleets or settled onto smaller worlds, with many of them having moved in with their human allies. A not significant number are serving as mercenaries, commandos, and shock troopers for the Shavrin Empire. One should not think them naturally predisposed to being friendly with humanity. During their migrations, a great many ran afoul of corporate-owned spaces and the planetary governments aligned with them. Stories of vrexul terrorists and extremists compete with those of mass evictions and seizure of their territories in the outer worlds where these arthropods typically dwell, lending an air of ambiguity to the brutal insurgencies one can often find them in. They may not fight alone with various other species often by their side but they are often the public face of these wars. The hulking form of a veteran vrexul guerilla is a hard one to forget. Slinging whole squads' worth of munitions belts over repurposed light vehicle armor bolted onto their carapace and wielding scavenged 14.5 MM machine guns as if they were rifles, they always do well on front page news and clickbait videos.

In spite of a reputation as being naturally inclined to intransigence and barbarity, the vrexul are becoming increasingly better and deservedly known for their self-augmentation technology. While this is not necessarily without some degree of fear due to the disturbing nature how it manifests, it is cause for interest among many scientific communities. It is exeedingly rare to encounter vrexul who are not some bizarre hodgepodge of biological, cybernetic, and even magical implants, attachments, grafted limbs, integrated organs, and so on. This extends from a species that as a whole, lacks a concept of the "natural" and "artificial" with a common saying among their own being "the body is not a temple but a pathway." This is to the extent they are known to "encode" equipment and weaponry into their bodies through some sort of arcane cybernetic or biomagical methods. How exactly it works is difficult to explain but "encoded" objects within them can be literally formed out of their own biomass, often in a grotesque manner involving carapace, veins, limbs and so on splitting open and "reformating" themselves. This is not something every vrexul has access to, requiring some fairly advanced equipment. The majority of thems imply have their gear built into their bodies often in a modular fashion.

Due to the current state of their kind, vrexul are associated with being very distant to others, incredibly stalwart in their beliefs, vicious and warlike, or invigoratingly charismatic. The culture of the nomads, those who have settled with humanity, and those who serve the shavrin are all very different from and in some cases, stubbornly opposed to one another. Many of the nomadic and settled ones are known to be extremely skeptical of corporate power and only cynially appreciative of Earth's many governments. Those who have had to deal with them more directly scorn them the same way they would the Shavrin Empire, seeing them as little different beyond their lesser size. Some might find them to have marxist or socialist leanings though in their culture (or rather their subset of their culture), a collectivist mindset comes naturally. There is a coldness to their philosophy; they do not have much belief if any individualism (as opposed to individuality), believing the self to merely be the amalgamated echoes of its predecessors and the individual as a fragment of larger systems of interlocking cause and effect. Thus in spite of being a species that lack the concept of family, they tend to act in groups (increasingly not even exclusively vrexul) and subsequently can have a very loose sense of hierarchy.

This looseness can be traced to the fact that many communities are built around the previously described supercomputer as its core decision making unit. Known as Gnosis Vortexes, these take on a practically religious/mystical significance in some communities but functionally are treated as the "leaders" of many of them. Maybe "decision making system" is better as these computers, created to serve the vrexul entirely and lacking any "will" that beyond that, have no real political power but simply plot out courses of action and let the vrexul modify, follow or ignore them as they please. They are known to also assist in combat; in some cases smaller vrexul fleets are guarded by enormous, monstrous living clouds of constantly morphing biological, cybernetic, and eldritch matter. In others, they infest the bodies of those slain in battle, bringing their cadavers back as grotesque undead juggernauts hell-bent on annihilating any threats to the community. Sometimes Gnosis Vortexes for some reason have entered another dimension entirely, communing with the vrexul from beyond and in some cases believed to be divine in nature.

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Alchemical Magic
excerpt from Rowley Morg's "A Galaxy of Magic"​

Part magic, part cooking, part science Alchemical Magic or simply Alchemy is one of the most interesting magic disciplines out there i have discovered in my travels across the known galaxy. It truly blurs the line between science and magic and I believe it can reveal many mysteries of the universe. Yet it is also one of the least known despite cropping up in some form or another in the records and legends of many races over the years.

The reason for this appears to is the most difficult to produce in an already difficult list of magical disciplines. Even when one knows the recipes for individual spells as the ingredients used are very delicate so the infusion of magic is needed if you don't want to destroy it. The measurements as well for each ingredients have to he precise as well otherwise the results can be unpleasant to say the least. Also walking around with vials of dangerous magic in your pocket is hardly safe either. All these risks combined with the power of the resulting spell less can be less powerful than from equivalents in other dislikes. It is sadly no surprise this form of magic is not popular.

The only race who appears to have any significant knowledge of Alchemy are the Plantoids. There connection to nature being sentient plants themselves seemed to have provided them an instinctual knowledge that was helpful with Alchemy. In their guerilla war against their creators with resources limited, alchemy was one of the only way they could level the playing field. Yet the Plantoids have lost the war and are not close to extinction and have taken their knowledge with them.

What is known the ingredients for Alchemy are often plants and minerals. It is theorised that there is an active substance within the ingredients that provide these effects as they are often substitution that can be made depending on which planet you source the ingredients. Often enough the ingredients descide the effect, eg one plant for fire, one stone for cold and so on. The amount of the ingredients controls the potency while factor like whether the ingredient is infused before or after creation of the spell, whether it is put into a solution, mixed with other ingredients even where it is stored can have wide effect on on the resulting spells.

So far three types of alchemical mixtures identified, though there a lot of overlaps between them and the distinctions between them is blured:

Grenades: the fun one! Dry or liquid mixtures which are stored fragile containers. Impact or the exposure to air activates the spell. Often are associated with combative alchemy
Potions: This type often has ingredients dissolved into a solution. This has the wide variety of spells with various activation methods, include consumption of the mixture, pouring the mixture on the desired surface or just applying magic.
Topical mixtures: dry ingredients crushed and mixed together before being applied on an object than infused with magic. Often associated with medicinal Alchemy.

 

[Verena]

New Finland: The planet has a subarctic climate, not unlike the original. It was discovered and settled by none other but the remaining Finnish, Swedish, Norwegen, Danish and Icelandic colonists who felt right at home on the foreign, yet strangely familiar new world. Lush taiga covers the planet’s warmer latitudes, with tundra and enormous glaciers near the poles. Each summer, hundreds of thousands of vibrant blue meltwater lakes dot the surface, turning the stark winter landscape into a blossoming fairytale. Only the hardiest of crops and the hardiest of creatures survive on New Finland, toughened by the extreme temperatures.

New Finland is a popular tourist destination during the few summer months when the temperatures reach the 20s (70s f). The planet offers nice views of greenery and its magnificent turquoise lakes.

The residents of New Finland adore potatoes, beets and other root vegetables, which they brought from Earth to the new land. Surprisingly, many of these plants flourished here and rewarded their efforts with plentiful harvest. While this made the people of New Finland incredibly happy at first, they soon found themselves overrun with potatoes and thus started putting them in everything – salads, main courses, bread and even desserts. They also started selling them to neighbouring planets and soon, New Finland had become one of the fastest-growing potato exporters in the universe. Their potatoes of various shapes, sizes and even colors ranging from gold to deep purple made them famous almost overnight. The simple but versatile and nourishing root vegetable not only attracted buyers but also tourists from all corners of the world, all wanting to taste traditional dishes.

Capital: Pioneer Station is the largest and most hospitable settlement on the otherwise rocky world, situated on a cliffside overlooking a huge flatland. During summer, a small crystal clear stream passes through the Station and forms a waterfall.



Averus: The planet is home to the Averi – a race of avian, bird-like bipedal humanoids. They have lightweight, hollow bones, which allow them to take flight but also make them more fragile than other humanoids. Averi differ significantly from one another and oftentimes resemble bird species traditionally only found on Earth. Science is yet to confirm a genetic correlation.

Their society is based on semi-migratory nomadic clans that rarely stay in one place for a long time. Therefore, Averus has no formal capital city. The planet itself is mostly rocky, with enormous river canyons spanning thousands of kilometres that would be extremely difficult to traverse on foot. Due to the presence of drinkable water, these canyons are rich in flora and fauna.

 

[Vagabond Spectre]

Eden-62f
[Formally known as Kepler 62F]​

An Exoplanet that is 1.41 times the radius size of Planet Earth and is about 1200 lightyears away. Found in the Lyra constellation orbiting around a K-type star known as Kepler-62. This super earth became one of the many habitable planets where the species race is 67% Humans because of its weather conditions and goldilocks zone is similar to Earth's albeit not perfect as it is cold as the planet Mars. The terrestrial planet consists of ravines, mega mountains, and tunneling caves that breathe through the Earth. Dry sandy soil upon touchdown, nothing but soil for miles. Humans have settled in this planet after the war on Earth. It was a race towards the planet to establish lands first hence, the division of lands. It doesn't help that most of the surface land on 62F is interconnected like an early Pangea, There's often a battle of lands, local raiders, and large prominent cities built in the middle of nowhere all at the same time. U-Gov has been taking control of this wild planet and minimize the chaos. The surface is mostly used as an exploration, Mushroom agriculture and battlegrounds. There is more to the surface as beneath the fungal Earth lying beautiful cities and caves of wonders that can span a thousand miles. These were most of the people live, more specifically the lower social classes while the top gets the sun kissing their faces. There are borders among the veins of the caves to show where the nations are divided much of that like above. The oceans remained unexplored as mysterious sea creatures roams these turquoise waters, creatures large as mountains as their early marine evolutions put their massive size to any advantage. An ocean larger than it was on Earth, what lies beneath the waters is a mystery. Only 58% of 62F has been fully explored and understood.