The known universe is a complicated place indeed, filled with exotic locations, strange creatures, ancient lore, and a diverse array of people and cultures. For someone of the distant twenty-first century, this can be overwhelming, so this overview has been organized by Archivist
Mnemosyne to help orient timelost wayfarers to the universe as it is in the modern day.
Life
The galaxy -or at least this small patch of it which is known to our civilization- houses a vast number of independent biospheres, some of which have evolved sapient species. The sophonts of known space have greatly differing biologies, physiologies, psychologies, and sociologies, and even the different species of
human now present among the stars vary considerably.
Humans
If a being is humanoid and looks mostly like a human with some extra bits, they're probably a human of some flavor. Several thousand years of genetic tailoring and evolution on alien worlds have splintered humanity’s legacy into a vast array of posthumans. Populations of Homo sapiens still exist on many worlds —including old Earth— and are pretty common, but you will see all kinds of traits in posthuman species, from altered proportions to animal traits.
Xenosophonts
There are easily
dozens of sapient species native to dozens of planets scattered across the Orion-Cygnus Arm. From
aerakocra to zinshaiyet, sophonts come in all colors, patterns, sizes, and shapes —emphasis on "shapes." They range from the strikingly human-like
Klex to the shambling, fungal
Myconids, and each species has a unique perspective to offer. Several of these species —the Klex in particular— even have a similar degree of artificial genetic variation as humanity.
Terran Uplifts
Name a species from the planet Earth, and there is probably an uplifted strain of them running around some corner of space. ("Uplifted" is shorthand for "genetically modified to have sapience.") From a household pets to whales to bee colonies, Terra's critters now have a say in their own futures.
Xenofauna Uplifts
Much like humans did with their fellow creatures of the Earth, several other species in the cosmos opted to build-a-buddy from familiar fauna. Xenofauna uplifts can sometimes be hard to distinguish from just another naturally-evolved alien being, but they'll often make their heritage quite clear if you ask.
Artilects
There are uncountable kinds of physical and virtual machines across the Orion-Cygnus arm, and such uncountability leads to unaccountability on the part of manufacturers. If it can run code, chances are good there's a unit or two of that model that crossed the sapience threshold somehow –usually by voiding the warranty.
Fundamental differences between the starfaring species can sometimes make interaction between them challenging. Nonetheless,
our civilization exists peacefully -or at least
peaceably- with the other starfaring powers that neighbor us. Amid these interstellar nations are many smaller factions and a multitude of cultures, making the starlanes vibrant and teeming with trade, tradition… and sometimes treachery.
The Universe
Currently a semi-placeholder for a more detailed version of the known galaxy. Compass shows the orientation of the map based on constellations relative to Sol: Orion is "fadeward" (toward the edge of the galaxy), Sagittarius is "coreward" (toward the center of the galaxy), Cygnus is "spinward" (in the direction of the galactic rotation), Vela is "trailward" (retrograde relative to the galactic rotation), Cetus is the direction being observed toward ("away"), Coma Berenices is the direction being observed from ("toward"), and the other two directions are hyperspatial (“ana” and “kata”).
According to all major astrographic databases, “known space” encompasses a roughly spherical volume 1200 or so light years in radius, approximately centered on the ancient human home system of Sol. The modern frontier lies, broadly, at the edges of three major nebulae: the Barnard Loop complex, the Cygnus Veil, and the Pillars of Creation. Within this expansive bubble of galactic space lie over twelve million stars, the majority of which are charted and a great many of which are inhabited, and a number of smaller nebulae.
Navigation between these far-flung stars is afforded by the utilization of
hyperspace, a higher dimension that enables starships and information signals to cross interstellar space at speeds vastly greater than light. However, every advancement comes with drawbacks, and
hyperdrives are no exception: too much exposure to the mind-bending reality of hyperspace can lead to a form of madness known as
voidthrall.
And Everything
There is so much to experience in the galaxy as we know it, and even more beyond the edges of our maps and knowledge. This is why this database has been compiled: to help everyone to understand the vast cosmos, and invite those of adventurous spirit to add even more to our understanding. Take your time to pore over the pages contained within this guide, and ask questions if you feel unclear on a subject. The stars are yours to explore!
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