Astral
The astral is an alternate dimension which most species use to travel between star systems. Astral has an incredible amount of magic, and the laws of physics are different inside it. It takes the form of seemingly endless skies, reefs of mountains larger than star systems, strange nebula, and more. The astral has an atmosphere of its own that any species can breathe, but is also very cold, to the point that most species will freeze to death within twelve hours. Some creatures live there, including strange things like living suns, astral wyrms, and other dangerous beings. Many species also fortify the area around their star systems in the astral as a primary line of defense.
An odd mystical property of the astral allows anyone to breathe and have the appropriate pressure in its atmosphere without issue, no matter the species. For this reason, a few people actually choose to live in the astral.
The known galaxy is within a relatively calm region of the astral, which has been sheltered by massive mountains and the weather patterns of the astral for thousands of years. This makes it relatively safe to travel through, as opposed to the space beyond, where the weather can destroy almost any ship when it becomes turbulent.
The main reason the astral is used for travel is because distances are much shorter there than in the prime plane. Traveling between nearby star systems takes hours or days in the astral, where it would take years or more in the prime plane. While the standard measurement of distance in the astral is the astral unit (AU), there is no consistent conversion between an AU and a light year, making precise distances difficult to judge. A standard cluster of stars is considered to be a 100 AU sphere, as 50 AU is the maximum distance that FTL nodes can communicate in a single jump.
Most ships in the universe can travel between 5 and 7 AU every 24 hours. Some ships can move faster, with the fastest known courier ships traveling at 10 AU per day, while some freighters can only manage 1 or 2 AU per day. This speed limit, while incredibly fast by the standards of the prime plane, has led to the ascendance of the draconic clans due to their wyrmgates, which allow ships to travel up to 100 AU in a matter of minutes.
An odd mystical property of the astral allows anyone to breathe and have the appropriate pressure in its atmosphere without issue, no matter the species. For this reason, a few people actually choose to live in the astral.
The known galaxy is within a relatively calm region of the astral, which has been sheltered by massive mountains and the weather patterns of the astral for thousands of years. This makes it relatively safe to travel through, as opposed to the space beyond, where the weather can destroy almost any ship when it becomes turbulent.
The main reason the astral is used for travel is because distances are much shorter there than in the prime plane. Traveling between nearby star systems takes hours or days in the astral, where it would take years or more in the prime plane. While the standard measurement of distance in the astral is the astral unit (AU), there is no consistent conversion between an AU and a light year, making precise distances difficult to judge. A standard cluster of stars is considered to be a 100 AU sphere, as 50 AU is the maximum distance that FTL nodes can communicate in a single jump.
Most ships in the universe can travel between 5 and 7 AU every 24 hours. Some ships can move faster, with the fastest known courier ships traveling at 10 AU per day, while some freighters can only manage 1 or 2 AU per day. This speed limit, while incredibly fast by the standards of the prime plane, has led to the ascendance of the draconic clans due to their wyrmgates, which allow ships to travel up to 100 AU in a matter of minutes.
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