How do you find the world?

[Lord Bane]

Introduction to the World of the Pale Void

In the far reaches of an unfinished galaxy, reality itself is fragile. The material world is separated from the mystical realm known as the Pale Void by a thin veil, a barrier once constructed by an ancient being whose work was mysteriously interrupted. The Pale Void, a dimension of dreams, spirits, and nightmares, seeps into reality through chaotic breaches, known as Fade Storms, that warp entire regions of space. As Fade Storms tear through the galaxy, they bring with them nightmarish creatures, strange magic, and an unsettling sense that time and space are malleable, making the universe an unpredictable and dangerous place.
At the heart of this fractured cosmos lies the Solis Imperia, a sprawling magocratic republic that governs much of the galaxy. Born from an ancient faith in the Starborn Gods, the Solis Imperia combines arcane magic with forgotten technology, maintaining its dominance through a network of mage-lords, known as Archons. The Assembly of Archons, the ruling body of the Imperia, is a battleground of political intrigue, where magic and technology intersect with religious devotion and corruption. Despite its democratic structure, the Imperia is rife with backstabbing and ambition, as factions within and without vie for power.
But the Solis Imperia is not the only force shaping the galaxy. Other races—each with their own histories, cultures, and ambitions—play their part in the ever-evolving struggle for survival. From the shadow-walking Umbrakai, to the aquatic rebels of the Helarion, the galaxy is a patchwork of civilizations, each navigating the dangers posed by the unpredictable Fade Storms and the relentless pursuit of power.
This is a universe where the lines between magic, faith, and science blur, where entire worlds can be consumed by the Pale Void, and where ancient secrets, both technological and mystical, hold the key to either salvation or destruction.

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A Natural Flow of History

The Ancient's Unfinished Work

Long ago, before the rise of the Solis Imperia, the galaxy was whole but perilously linked to the Pale Void. The Ancient, a figure of mystery, undertook the colossal task of severing this connection, attempting to create a stable, ordered universe. His work was left incomplete, however, and the galaxy remains a patchwork of stable regions and chaotic Fade-ravaged zones. Fade Storms—torrential breaches of the Pale Void into the material world—are a constant threat, distorting reality and unleashing terrifying forces into the galaxy.
Though his name has been forgotten, the Ancient's influence endures. Many scholars, mages, and politicians seek to understand and complete his work, while others see the Pale Void as an opportunity, a source of untapped power.

The Rise of the Solis Imperia

In the aftermath of the Ancient's failed endeavor, the galaxy descended into chaos. As Fade Storms ravaged worlds, the need for order and stability gave rise to the Solis Imperia. Originally a federation of powerful mage-clans, the Imperia united under the banner of the Faith of the Celestial Throne, which venerates the Starborn Gods, beings said to have emerged from the stars to guide mortal races through their tribulations.
At its core, the Solis Imperia is a magocracy, a system of governance where power is held by those who excel in both arcane magic and the understanding of ancient technologies, called Arcteks. The Imperia is democratic in theory, with representatives from each faction—mage-clans, guilds, and noble houses—forming the Assembly of Archons, where decisions about governance, defense, and the exploration of the Pale Void are made.
In practice, however, the Assembly is a hotbed of political intrigue. The Ordo Astralis, the religious arm of the Imperia, holds significant power, influencing appointments, controlling access to ancient artifacts, and keeping the faith of the masses. Corruption is rife, with many Archons more interested in their personal power than the good of the galaxy. Despite this, the Solis Imperia remains the most dominant political force in the galaxy, though its influence is constantly tested by external factions and the unpredictable nature of the Pale Void.

The Fading Balance

While the Imperia is powerful, it is not omnipotent. Fade breaches have increased over the centuries, and some suspect that the Imperia's own dabbling with the Void has worsened the problem. Bleed Zones, regions permanently affected by Fade incursions, have become a normal part of life in many parts of the galaxy, and the Imperia's military arm, the Bleed Legions, are tasked with maintaining order and containing the worst outbreaks.
The Pale Void, however, is not merely a force of destruction. Some factions have learned to harness its power, such as the Umbrakai, shadow-walking humanoids who draw their magic from the Void itself. They live in the fringes of the galaxy, worshiping the Lords of Night, spirits from the Pale Void that grant them power in exchange for servitude. The Imperia tolerates the Umbrakai out of necessity, but many see them as harbingers of darkness.
Meanwhile, the Helarion, an aquatic race descended from ancient oceanic rulers, have waged a centuries-long rebellion against the Imperia. After their worlds were ravaged by the Imperia's exploitation of their seas and Fade-altered technology, the Helarion launched an ongoing guerrilla campaign, using the galaxy's water-covered worlds as their battlegrounds. The Freehold Alliance, of which the Helarion are a leading faction, stands as a bastion of resistance against the Imperia's control.
Then there are the Skeltari, an insectoid race driven by survival and expansion. Their hive-like organization allows them to colonize new worlds rapidly, and while they have brokered uneasy alliances with the Imperia in the past, they remain fiercely independent, using their adaptive biology to thrive in regions torn by Fade Storms.
Finally, the Astromorphs, ethereal beings existing on the edge of both reality and the Pale Void, are the wild card in this delicate balance. They drift between dimensions, offering cryptic guidance and glimpses of forgotten knowledge, but their motives remain unknown. Some see them as agents of the Ancient, trying to finish what he started; others believe they are merely opportunistic observers, waiting to see how the galaxy unfolds.

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The Present Conflict

In this galaxy of magic, faith, and ancient technology, the Solis Imperia is crumbling under its own weight. As Fade Storms grow more frequent and powerful, the Imperia is forced to rely more on its arcane technology and the Ordo Astralis to maintain control. Factions within the Assembly of Archons are split on how to respond—some advocate for completing the Ancient's work and fully severing the Pale Void, while others seek to exploit the power it holds.
Meanwhile, the Freehold Alliance grows bolder, with the Helarion and other oppressed races pushing back against the Imperia's dominance. The Bleed Legions fight a losing battle as they try to contain the ever-expanding Bleed Zones, and the galaxy teeters on the edge of collapse, where reality itself might unravel if the mysteries of the Ancient cannot be deciphered.
In this volatile universe, individuals and factions alike must navigate the fragile balance between power, faith, and the Pale Void, as the galaxy's fate hangs by a thread. Whether through politics, war, or ancient magic, each group strives to shape the future in a galaxy where nothing is certain and everything can change in the blink of an eye.

The Story of the Ancient
Long before the rise of the Solis Imperia, before the galaxy fractured under the weight of political intrigue and Fade Storms, there was the Ancient, the first and most powerful of the Starborn Gods. Born with a natural and profound connection to the cosmos, the Ancient had a unique understanding of both the material world and the Pale Void, the strange, chaotic dimension from which dreams, spirits, and nightmares emanate.

Unlike the other Starborn, who reveled in their godlike powers and sought dominion over the lesser races, the Ancient was kind and compassionate. He watched as the Pale Void tortured mortals, corrupting their minds and bodies, tearing at the fabric of reality with its chaotic influence. Moved by the suffering of these beings, he undertook a monumental task: to separate the material world from the Pale Void, creating a barrier between the two realms so that the galaxy could prosper free of the Void's corruption.

For centuries, the Ancient toiled in secret, weaving together spells of immense power, drawing upon ancient technologies, and crafting great arcane machines that would stabilize the galaxy. His work was slow and deliberate, for it required an intricate balance to prevent the complete collapse of either realm. Yet, as the Pale Void's grip loosened, the other Starborn grew restless.

The Betrayal
The Ancient's kin—the Starborn Gods—were not pleased with his efforts. To them, the Pale Void was a source of unlimited power, a place where they could manipulate reality to suit their desires, where they could experiment on the lesser races with impunity. They saw the Ancient's actions as a threat to their dominance. And so, they plotted against him.

In a move of calculated treachery, the Starborn turned on the Ancient. They waited until he was at his weakest, when his energies were focused on sealing the final threads between the two realms. Then, they struck, stabbing him in the back—literally and figuratively. As he lay dying, betrayed by the very beings he had once considered his kin, the Ancient realized that his work would remain incomplete. The galaxy would never be fully safe from the Pale Void, and his dream of peace was shattered.

But even in his final moments, the Ancient was not without power. With his last breath, he uttered an incantation of banishment, a spell so powerful it would rid the galaxy of the Starborn forever. The Starborn felt the pull of the spell, and they realized too late what he had done. One by one, they were torn from the material world, banished to the deepest, darkest corners of the Pale Void, where they would be bound in chains, unable to return.

The Unfinished Work
Yet, time is a fickle thing. The banishment did not happen all at once. It took longer than the Ancient had anticipated, and in that time, the surviving Starborn waged a terrible, galaxy-spanning war. Driven by desperation, they sought to undo the Ancient's work, ripping open the barriers he had placed between the worlds and unleashing horrors beyond imagination upon the galaxy. They experimented on the lesser races, twisting their forms and minds, creating abominations that served their dark purposes. Some races were used as test beds for unspeakable atrocities, while others were forced to fight in their grand wars of dominion.

This period became known as the Era of Starborn War, a dark chapter in galactic history. Entire star systems were consumed by the Pale Void, mutated beyond recognition by the Starborn's experiments. New and horrific species were created, and ancient races were enslaved or annihilated in the Starborn's quest for ultimate control. The scars of this era are still seen in the strange, twisted lifeforms and Bleed Zones that dot the galaxy to this day.

But the banishment spell was relentless. Slowly but surely, the Starborn felt the chains of the Pale Void tighten around them. In their final days, they threw everything they had into the war, trying to find a way to break the spell, but it was too late. One by one, they vanished, their empires crumbling, their experiments left unfinished, and their horrors left to roam the galaxy without their masters.

Now, the Starborn are trapped in the Deep Void, a place even deeper and darker than the Pale Void itself. There, they are chained, locked away from the material world for eternity—or so the galaxy hopes. Some say that the chains are not unbreakable, and that the Starborn are merely waiting for the day when they can return to finish what they started.

The Legacy of the Ancient
The Ancient's unfinished work still holds the galaxy together, though just barely. The barriers between the material realm and the Pale Void are fragile, and Fade Storms—violent breaches where the two realms overlap—continue to ravage parts of the galaxy. Entire regions, known as Bleed Zones, have been permanently altered by these storms, where the laws of reality no longer hold, and creatures from the Pale Void roam freely.

In the Solis Imperia, the faith in the Starborn Gods persists, though it has evolved. The Ordo Astralis, the religious order that holds great influence in the Imperia, teaches that the Ancient's work must be completed, that the Pale Void must be fully sealed to protect the galaxy. They also believe that the Starborn may one day return, and that the Imperia must be prepared to face them when that time comes.

There are also those who believe that the Ancient's legacy holds the key to unlocking great power. These Seekers of the Lost Star, as they are called, scour the galaxy for remnants of the Ancient's technology and magic, hoping to harness the same forces that once shaped the galaxy. Some do so for noble purposes, believing they can finish the Ancient's work. Others seek to exploit this power for their own gain, hoping to achieve the same godlike status as the Starborn.

Meanwhile, the horrors left behind by the Starborn's experiments continue to plague the galaxy. These Voidborn creatures, twisted amalgamations of life and Pale Void magic, still roam the Bleed Zones, and new ones are created whenever a Fade Storm erupts. They are a reminder of the terrible price the galaxy paid during the Era of Starborn War—and of the fragile peace that now holds the universe together.

In this unfinished galaxy, where the boundaries of reality are constantly threatened by the Pale Void, the memory of the Ancient looms large. His betrayal, his sacrifice, and his banishment of the Starborn continue to shape the fate of the galaxy. Whether his work will ever be completed—and whether the Starborn will return—remains a question that haunts the dreams of all who live in this perilous universe.




In the depths of galactic history, the Starborn War remains an event of legend, spoken of in fragmented myths and tales. The true nature of the Starborn Gods and their terrible conflict has been largely lost to time. To most, they are little more than vague, half-remembered deities or cosmic beings whose motives remain a mystery. The sheer devastation caused by their war obliterated much of the knowledge of that era, leaving only the oldest races with an inkling of what truly transpired.

The Starborn were once revered as godlike figures, shaping the destiny of the galaxy, but the war they waged left such deep scars on the universe that entire civilizations collapsed, and countless records were erased. In the aftermath, new generations arose with only distorted memories, each culture interpreting the Starborn in its own way—some as divine saviors, others as malevolent forces.

The most ancient of species, those who survived the Starborn War or endured through its aftermath, hold scattered pieces of the truth. They know that the Starborn were not just distant gods but powerful beings who sought control over the galaxy through cruelty, manipulation, and unimaginable power. They also know of the betrayal that occurred among the Starborn themselves, though the details are veiled in secrecy and ancient oaths.

In this forgotten history lies the story of the Ancient, the one who tried to stop the war and separate the realms. But his legacy is obscured, even among those who hold fragments of the truth. His final act of banishing the Starborn into the Deep Void has become an enigma, its true significance hidden in esoteric texts or oral traditions passed down through millennia.

For the galaxy at large, the Fade Storms and Bleed Zones are simply unexplained phenomena—regions where the fabric of reality becomes unstable, where horrors emerge, and where the laws of the material world are bent or broken. To most, these are merely consequences of a universe haunted by past cataclysms. Few suspect that they are remnants of the Starborn's war against the very nature of existence, and fewer still know that they are connected to an ancient, forgotten figure whose final, unfinished work still holds the Galaxy together.

Edit: Ideas and discussion are welcome this is a rough draft and i want to see how you find it and what you would add even Storys and all.