Topics

The
Galaxy

The Arda Galaxy, is comprised of  4 Spiral Arms. 
The majority of worlds sit near the core with the 3 Home Worlds of the
leading factions sitting near the Black hole at the heart of the galaxy.

The Spiral arms are – Tirumv, Nevru,
Fellis, Dalphi

The inner core worlds are more developed,
utilizing technology and magic to create cities that either float in the air,
sit under the oceans, or grow through the stone, leaving as little impact on
nature as possible. 

The Orc and Dwarven worlds utilize
crystalline tunneling technology to create vast underground structures. 

The Elemental worlds utilize more magic
than technology.

The human/Halfling/gnome worlds have a
mixture of sky cities and land cities, incorporate many elven world
technologies to live in symbiosis with nature. 

The Elven worlds utilize a hybrid
magic/technological ability to create synthetic forests to serve as their
homes.  The techno forests grow tall,
some reaching into the heavens, and provide for all their needs. 

The
3 governing bodies

As far back as living memory, the Galaxy
has been at peace. Kept at peace by a tenuous alliance between 3 major
powers. 

The
Royal Court

The Royal court rule the populations of
Arda, subdividing the spiral arms into outer and inner regions, and enforce a
standing military that keeps the peace. 
There is no segregation in the Royal Court, all races are treated
equally, and all have equal say.  Even
though it is called the royal court, there is no King or Queen, there is
instead an Archon, who is elected every galactic cycle from one of the Royal
houses.  The Archon is given a power
similar to that of a President, though he can make no new laws, he can veto,
and leverage political clout to push agendas. 
The Court itself is comprised of representatives from every
civilization.  Left to govern themselves,
each planet or federation within Arda elects, or inherits (depending on its own
political structure) representatives to the court. 

The Courts power comes from its standing
army who enforce its laws at the highest levels and ensure peace among the
individual planets under it.  The court
however, has no Jurisdiction within each of the nations unless a breach of the
Galactic constitution is alleged.  

The
Technic Federation

The Technic federation is an alliance that
spans the galaxy.  At it’s core, the
Federation was created to preserve the technological knowledge of the past, and
create new technologies for the betterment of Arda.  There are rumors that the Federation has
experimented with dangerous technologies, however none of these rumors have
ever been substantiated.

Though the basic population may have some
idea of how technology works, only the Technic Federation truly comprehend its
function.  Universities throughout Arda
are controlled by the Technic Federation, ensuring that all knowledge stays
within the Federation. 

The Federation’s governing body is the
Board.  Long ago, it was rumored that the
Federation originated as a ruthless corporation bent on acquiring the secrets
of technology to put a stop to the Arcanium’s monopoly on magic.  It succeeded, and has since turned into
something more, however at its core it is still run very much like a
corporation relying heavily on profits to further it’s R&D projects. 

The
Arcanium

The Arcanium is an ancient and powerful race
of beings who’s mastery over magic is second to none.  The Arcanium have magic schools throughout
Arda, recruiting anyone with a semblance of magical incline.  As a race, the Arcanium are rulled by queen
Alexandria, the most beautiful and benevolent creature in Arda.  The Queen sits at the head of a counsel, with
12 members below her.  The Arcanium are
an immortal race, they steward and teach the younger races how to utilize magic,
and pass that knowledge on to future generations of the younger races. 

The least guarded secrets of the Arcanium,
is that their population is static, never increasing or declining.  For every Arcanium death, there is a single
birth. 

Recently there has been rumors that the
queen has sequestered herself (for the past 18 years), and that no one has been
able to breach an impenetrable magical force field that surrounds her
sanctum.  This has left the Council to
rule in her absence.

The
Outlands

The outer spiral edges of the galaxy, are a
no mans land.  When the nothing invaded,
it destroyed a vast majority of habitable worlds, and left others a mere shadow
of their former selves.  Many souls,
severed too quickly from their bodies, remain haunting the outland worlds.  As such many demons, devils, necromancers and
host of other planer beings roam these lands. 

Before living memory, so far back that only
a single being, queen Alexandria, can remember, there were Gods.  In a war that time forgot, on a world which
history has erased, the Arcanium stood against the God’s and said no more.  Channeling magic that the god’s themselves
could not withstand, the Arcanium shattered the planes, evaporating the astral
sea, collapsing the elemental plateaus and destroying the demonic abyss.  The gods had no choice but leave their realms
and enter Arda, the elementals seeking refuge on worlds that mirrored their
planner existence, while the hosts of heaven and hell took root on
planets.  The Arcanium, then continued
their crusade until every God was defeated, or chained and buried so far out of
reach, that no mortal could ever unearth them. 

The Outlands play host to the servants of
the ancient God’s, unearthed when the nothing released enough souls to fuel
them, and driven made by the eons without the masters both angel and demon
alike attack without provocation.  The
more intelligent have discovered the power of willing souls, and do their best
to trick mortals into giving up their precious light. 

The
Inner Worlds

The inner worlds represent a Utopia of
sorts, held in place by the disparate federations and the will of the Technic
Federation and Arcanium. In these worlds, power is currency, political clout,
knowledge of technology, or mastery of magic, drive the economies.  Food, land, heating and warmth are all staples
that magic and technology have given the Galaxy.  One could live without ever needing
currency. 

Money

The standard global currency is the
intonium isotope, a rare elemental that cannot be synthesized or magically
duplicated.  The particle is immune to
magic and technology, and is imbedded in copper, silver, gold and platinum
coins to varying amounts (copper has 1 intonium atom, silver has 10, gold has
100, Platinum has 1000, and various crystals contain various amounts of atoms
providing value to very common materials)). 
Due to its electrostatic field, intonium is very easy to count
monetarily. 

Starfall
(and the Keros cluster)

Starfall is one of the few civilized cities
in the Outlands.  Situated on the planet
Keros 143 in the Fellis arm, approximately 201 light years from the wardstone
fields. 

Starfall was established a relatively short
1400 years ago, constructed on the planet Plinth 721 as part of a joint venture
between the Zeal Monarchy (a royal state consisting of over 100 worlds) and the
Technic Federation.  It was translocated
to Keros 143 by the Arcanium, as part of an arrangement to establish a foothold
in the Outlands and stem the ravages of the undead.  Starfall is the main port of call for all
travel to the outlands, and plays hosts to over a thousand active portals
linking every currently or previously colonized world.  Many of the portals are off limits, however

Starfall has a population of over 2 million
inhabitants and is comprised of two quarters, the upper and lower
quarters.  The upper quarter consists of
the original city, manufactured on Plinth, and floats above the lower quarters
that were established many years later to house the lower working class, nomads
and adventurers seeking fortunes.   There
is a strict separation of classes in Starfall, the lower quarters are only
permitted access to the upper quarters under invitation from a resident of the
upper quarter.  Portals to the outlands
are situated in the upper quarter

The Keros cluster has over 700 worlds, half
of which were destroyed by the nothing, the other half of which played host to
some of the most brutal battles between the Arcanium and Gods.  It is therefore rich with magical artifacts,
hidden tombs, and secrets that make would be adventurers extremely rich. 

There are also rumors that the Technic
Federation have been experimenting with all manner of very powerful and highly
illegal technologies (including the sampling and capture of the nothing from
beyond the wardstone field). 

What
to Expect in the Keros Cluster

Adventurers must walk a fine line between
bureaucracy and anarchy in the Keros cluster. 
Any settlement sufficiently large enough (5000+) can only survive with
sponsorship from one of the Royal houses. 
Settlements of such size are also only ever built upon ruins that would
provide sufficient magical or strategic intrigue to warrant the massive expense
of sustaining such settlements.  As such,
all these settlements will have guards and be massively fortified.  Adventurers passing through will find the
cost of lodging, transportation and protection quite hefty. 

Smaller townships are established by
singular worlds, or major corporations, and are always based atop valuable
mines, or ruins, usually minor when compared to the larger settlements.  The smaller townships are often lawless
(Though many corporations have absolute control over their settlements and
adhere to no strict planetary laws).