ETHYRIA

THREE FACTIONS AT WAR

Ethyrium is an incredibly efficient resource born out of a spatial anomaly. This mysterious mineral is the life-blood of modern civilization. The variety of refinement applications has been said to be infinite. The mystical Malinke people refer to it as "the tears of the gods." Ethyrium is used to fuel modern technology; military, terraforming, biotechnology, etc. It has also been used to develop some of the most terrifyingly advanced weaponry in galactic history.

...Years ago, cataclysm struck the Ophiuchus galaxy...

Ophiuchus is host to all of the Ethyrium supply in the known settle universe. Consequently, it is the most important and powerful of galactic territories. However, where Ophiuchus was once a unified cooperative, the tides of conflict have driven the galaxy into tri-partite rule. It is these three factions that now vie for control of the main source of Ethyrium, a large spatial anomaly at the very heart of Ophiuchus. It is the Paschal-Tetsuna Corporate State that has maintained its grasp on this Ethyrium core, and has thus enjoyed its self-imposed isolation. At some point, however, a chain of mysterious events lead to a cataclysm that utterly decimated their numbers. It is here, upon the rubble of a once-great kingdom, that a war is being fought over control of Ethyrium; for control over the universe.

 

Paschal-Tetsuna

The sector of the Ophiuchus galaxy ruled by the Paschal-Tetsuna Corporate State, however, contains an exponentially more abundant supply of Ethyrium than those sectors ruled by the other two factions. This is due largely to the presence of a large-body spatial anomaly, an Ethyrium-core, from which it is believed all Ethyrium in the Ophiuchus galaxy was derived. Due almost entirely to their super-lucrative, and highly available resource, the Tetsuna’s serve an irreplaceably crucial role in the intergalactic community. Furthermore, their financial success, combined with the high availability of Ethyrium in their sector has allowed them to tap the resource to a greater extent than any other governing body in the universe. They boast highly advanced technology, including weaponry, medicine, communication & transportation radically ahead of the rest of the universe.

All of these elements combined have allowed the Paschal-Tetsuna Corporate State to completely dictate their own modus operandi. Theirs is a highly progressed and elitist society, governing one extensive but clearly discernable demarcated territory. Their laws prohibit immigration, or any activity whatsoever within their territory by a foreign party.Tetsuna citizens are born, live, and die within Tetsuna territory, and do not venture outside the borders. There is no recorded interaction between Tetsunans and outsiders in the history of the corporation. Paschal-Tetsuna distributes its payloads via automated courier ships, and communiqués between client-governments and their own is limited strictly to audio (highly androgynous, presumably synthesized, possibly AI). And so continued the role of the most isolated and powerful organized body in the universe.Their technology also requires a constant supply of a particular type of refined Ethyrium whose methods of production are completely unknown to the other governmental bodies in the universe. Thus, any Tetsunan technology managed to be sneaked out of the sector would be useless within a very short time.

The Malinke

The Malinke people are a dogmatic race, ruled by a single dominant religious tradition, Naschdenk. There are no gods, no deities worshipped in any capacity in the Nashdenk tradition. The central focus is on Ethyrium itself. The religion goes back as far as the early fragmentation of the Ophiuchus empire. The early Ophiuchan puritans believed that Ethyrium was itself the substance of the heavens. This radical element of the early empire made frequent point to stand between the ruling governmental council at the time and their ability to tap and synthesize Ethyrium to "impure ends." What those ends were is unclear, and has been buried in history. What is clear, however, is the puritans' eventual expulsion from the empire, and their subsequent settlement of what would become the Malinke sector. Like The House Symachus, the Malinke have a limited access to Ethyrium in their own sector as well. While they also refine and use the resource for productivity, the Nashdenk integrate sanctuaries into each Ethryium "quarry," whether it be a moon or an asteroid field. These gigantic "sanctuary" compounds are where the true research into radical new Ethryium-based technologies is held. None but the highest tiers of Naschdenk officials are allowed inside.

The House Symachus

The House Symachus is a society steeped in culture and tradition. Their pomp & regalia is a defining element of their culture, as is their elitist attitude toward foreigners. They claim to be a society “bonded by blood,” descended directly from the “Parishers,” the earliest settlers of the Ophiuchus galaxy. Earlier in the Ophiuchus galaxy’s history, this may have been true, but through a series of political unifications, as well as their inability to effectively control their borders, a highly eclectic mix of peoples now occupies their territory. The territory became highly attractive to new immigrants largely because of its proximity to the Paschal-Tetsuna sector, as well as the Symachans’ own direct (albeit limited) access to Ethyrium.

Earlier in its history, during a huge influx of immigration from the outer systems (and even other galaxies), the House Symachus was rife with interior conflict. The original “pure-blooded” inhabitants of the sector found themselves at odds with the newcoming interlopers. Tension was mutual, but was short-lived, as conflict soon erupted between The House of Symachus and the Malinke, rulers of the only other major sector in Ophiuchus besides Paschal-Tetsuna. The Symachan nativists and immigrants temporarily shelved their differences in order to defend what had become their mutual territory. Upon discover of the cataclysm, the House Symachus followed quickly on the trail of the Malinke, their now-sworn enemies, once again at war.