Legends of Midgard

Imagine.

Imagine an ocean of stars, stretching as far as the mind can fathom.

Imagine.

Imagine worlds of ice and fire, of sand and ash, of earth and water, forever churning in the depths of space.

Imagine.

Imagine empires and civilizations spanning billions upon billions of worlds, locked in cycles of war and peace.

Imagine.

Imagine capricious gods and ambitious sorcerers, cruel monsters and valiant heroes, wise scientists and hardened criminals, all dancing the dance of chaos and order.

Now stop.

Imagine no more, for this is no feverish conjuration of the mind. This is no illusion brought about by madness. This is no outlandish dream built by Oneiroi.¹ This is a place as real as you and me.

This is Midgard, the world at the heart of Yggdrasil, the core of the Tree of Life.

This is a realm of peril and adventure.

This is a plane of science and technology.

This is a Universe of magic and miracles.

This is a world of wonder.

Welcome, fellow Wanderer.

Tread the Ways lightly, and always move forward.

– Ulak the Drifter

The Tales

Chronicle of Ulak the Drifter

Here, there is no space unknown; there is no path untravelled; for Ulak the Drifter, there is only the miracle of reality.

Tales from the Immortal Empire

Conspiracies and powerplays.

Tales from the Galactic Underworld

High tech, low life.

Tales from The Book of Idolaters

Madness made manifest.

Tales from the desk of Duke Gathers

Adventures in drugs and decay.

Tales from The Journal of the Walk

We tread on stranger forests.

Tales of the Mundane and the Divine

Gods and devils walk amongst us.

Tales from Rela

The stars have long been extinguished.

Other Tales

Lost stories for lost Wanderers.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN PATH

The Universe

THE IMMORTAL EMPIRE

Overview

The oldest, largest and most powerful member of the Galactic Triumvirate, the Immortal Empire is the posterchild of progress and prosperity. Its territory extends from Andromeda to Triangulum to the Milky Way, making it not only the vastest empire in the Triumvirate, but in the whole of galactic history. Nearly a trillion species and cultures coexist in peace under its leadership, and many more actively seek to join them. The Empire must be careful that this peace does not degenerate into stagnation, for hubris and complacency have always been the death of civilization.

History

The Immortal Empire's name does not come lightly. It has existed for as long as anyone can remember, albeit most of its ancient history was lost in the fires of a civil war that almost shattered its unity, a period known as the Age of Tribulation which marked the end of the Time Before Time. From then on, the Empire abandoned its warlike ways, only partaking in violence when left with no other options.

When the Krolovar invaded the Twelve Galaxies, the Empire escaped war mostly unscathed. After the war's conclusion, the Immortal Empire sought to continue its ways of peaceful assimilation, restoring entire worlds and species to their former glory in exchange for their unfaltering loyalty. The Empire healed ecosystems, restored cultural and historical landmarks and artifacts, and saved every new member species from the brink of extinction. Within a few cycles, the Empire had successfully absorbed around a hundred thousand worlds, becoming the largest and most diverse power in the known Universe.

People and Culture

The Immortal Empire has been privy on making diplomacy, mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence its ruling principles. For this reason, no signs of instability, civil unrest or separatism have arisen ever since the Time Before Time, despite the wide variety of cultures that comprise the Empire. Most citizens live a nearly utopian life, with only the most pedestrian of troubles to preoccupy them.²

Magic is a vital component of Imperial culture, despite only 20% of the total population practicing it.³ Many innately magical races have joined the Empire through the ages, thus making it the mightiest civilization in terms of magical knowledge and practices.

Politics

The Empire is ruled by a single individual deemed Emperor. The Emperor's power is not absolute: The Imperial Parliament⁴ exists to approve laws and vote on matters of internal and foreign policy, thus representing the will of Imperial citizens.⁵

The Imperial Army is mostly made up of clone soldiers and robotic units, though some regular mortals are also amongst its ranks.⁶ In times of peace, the military remains vigilant of the Empire's borders and combats space pirates and crime syndicates, all the while training in case war looms on the horizon.⁷

Locations of Interest

Idhai: The city-planet of Idhai, capital of the Immortal Empire, is the largest hub of culture and knowledge in the known Universe. It is home to many museums and libraries, amongst them the Sacred Library of Idhai, the largest building of its kind in the Empire. Visitors will also enjoy the sights of the Imperial Garden, which holds the Emperor's Palace at its very center.

Earth: A recent Imperial acquisition, Earth has gained a place of renown in the Universe for its wide variety of ecosystems, flora and fauna. The many races and cultures that populate Earth have erected great cities and monuments throughout their homeworld, making every single step on this planet an opportunity for wonder.

Panspermia: The ISS Panspermia is a space station the size of a gas giant which holds the largest collection of flora and fauna from across the Universe. It is also employed as a facility for the resurrection and reintroduction of species driven into extinction by the folly of sapient beings, and as a safe haven to keep and study millions of prehistoric species from every planet under Imperial thrall.

THE EMERALD HEGEMONY

Overview

The Emerald Hegemony is technology. The Emerald Hegemony is might. The Emerald Hegemony is cold, brutal logic. The only civilization capable of rivaling the Immortal Empire in terms of technological prowess, the Emerald Hegemony is the product of a single hive mind linking four different species, thanks to centuries of genetic engineering and selective breeding. No one is sure of how many worlds are under their control, as the Hegemony is secretive about its expansion through Midgard. Nevertheless, despite this territorial hermeticism, the Hegemony, as a member of the Galactic Triumvirate, has been active on the galactic scene for quite a long time… very active.

History

The Emerald Hegemony originated somewhere in the Alterion Cluster, in the farthest reaches of the Antlia Dwarf Galaxy. Originally, their nature and intent were to explore and discover, their civilization constructed entirely on the idea that science and progress are innately beneficial.

However, somewhere along the way their civilization took a turn for the extreme. Though the Hegemony has purged most records detailing this period of their history, one thing is clear: at some point the four races that made up the Emerald Hegemony subjected themselves to widespread genetic reconfiguration, selective breeding programs and outright genocide in an attempt to become "one with knowledge." The result of these eugenic procedures is what the Hegemony is today: a collective of clones and genetically engineered beings that can think as fast as supercomputers, yet lack any empathy or moral compass.

People and Culture

It is truly difficult to ascertain whether the Emerald Hegemony has anything resembling a culture, for they could very well pass for ambulating biological supercomputers.⁸ They have no interest in other cultures and societies beyond a cold scientific curiosity, lack any sort of arts or entertainment and are apathetic towards activities they deem "illogical." Concepts like emotion, faith and religion are utterly alien and incomprehensible to the Emerald Hegemony, and they remain distrustful of magic and its users.

The Emerald Hegemony possesses a well-established caste system that permeates the whole of its society.⁹ Born in breeding tanks and artificial wombs, its four races¹⁰ could be classified as follows: the Mkeun, the strongest, least intelligent species, are mainly used as manual labor and grunt work, while also composing most of the Hegemony's military forces; the Yhranc, slim, spindly hunchback beings, undertake most engineering and piloting duties, being the backbone of the Hegemony's fleet; the Uthraan, small, polyp-like creatures, serve as biological supercomputers and are responsible for most strategic and scientific decisions; finally, the Xevion, a breed somewhere in-between cephalopods and amphibians, represent the Hegemony's ruling caste and take charge of political and diplomatic activities.

Politics

The Hegemony's government is controlled in its entirety by the Hegemon Supreme, a Xevion individual chosen for their intellect and genetic makeup to be a mouthpiece for the Hegemon hive mind. The Hegemon Supreme is nigh-omniscient, being able to sense and, in extreme cases, control the minds and bodies of its underlings. Thus, it is said the Hegemon never tell lies amongst themselves: it would serve no purpose, for the Hegemon Supreme knows the truth of all minds.

The Emerald Hegemony is second to none in biological warfare. Their arsenal varies from tiny viruses and pathogens capable of ravaging entire species to skyscraper-sized bioengineered monstrosities able to raze cities to the ground. Even their fleet is a product of biotechnology: colossal bioships wait hidden on Hegemon worlds, their organic cannons ready to spread devastation to any who oppose their masters' designs.

Locations of Interest

G-98A: Orbiting a world near the edge of Hegemon territory, this space station is the main observation hub for a series of spectacular military exercises, for the planet below it has been completely terraformed into a testing ground for bioengineered war creatures. Mountains crumble and oceans form as beings the size of skyscrapers fight to the death, their performances analyzed by the ever-calculating brains of their creators.

The Bhekor: Bhekor, also known as the Hegemons' Feast, are a collective of planet-sized biomass, used to produce the food paste the Hegemony relies on for nutrition. It is said that these artificially created celestial objects are in fact alive, having been bioengineered in such a way that their lifecycle requires farming by the Hegemons to properly continue. The Emerald Hegemony is highly protective of these strange, organic masses, up to the point of workers feeding themselves to the Bhekor to increase their food paste output in times of need.

THE SOLAR DOMINION

Overview

The youngest of the powers that comprise the Galactic Triumvirate, the Solar Dominion has no fleet: it is a fleet. A nomadic civilization, the entirety of the Dominion's population, government and military navigate the ocean of stars in massive space habitats and motherships. They are expert survivalists and warriors whose ways are those of conquest and plunder. As such, they are sometimes seen as barbarians and savages by the rest of the Galactic Community, though none will dare say so in front of them: if there is something ill-advised in this Universe, it is to invoke the wrath of the Solar Dominion.

History

Once a member of the Ji-N'ohre tribes, the Solar Dominion abandoned the peaceful ways of its fellow nomads and made war upon them, eventually conquering all but a handful of straggler clans.¹¹ They began raiding and plundering worlds and fleets throughout the Universe, terrorizing the League of Ten Kingdoms for nearly a millennium.

When the Krolovar Imperium invaded the Twelve Galaxies, the Dominion's unorthodox way of life was key in their defeat. Without worlds to conquer and absolute mastery over faster-than-light means of travel, the Solar Dominion proved an impossible target for the Krolovar, who were woefully unprepared to face an enemy using hit-and-run tactics. After the Krolovar's annihilation at the hands of the Empire and the Hegemony, the Dominion claimed vast areas of unexplored space. Because of their might, they were allowed to join the Galactic Triumvirate provided that they mitigate their violent ways. To this day, this accord has been maintained, but most of the Universe agrees that the Dominion are a time bomb: it is only a matter of time until they renounce their vows and once more paint the stars with blood.

People and Culture

Though they are first and foremost a warrior civilization, the Solar Dominion is not void of other forms of culture. Its citizens are expert crafters and artisans, making fine ceramics and textiles with traditional methods.¹² Their artists carve and paint complex works on canvases as unlikely as asteroids, comets and even planetoids. The Dominion also gives great importance to agriculture and animal husbandry, and their cuisine is renowned as one of the most savory in the Universe.

Like its predecessors, the Solar Dominion is composed of independent tribes and clans, each one operating on their own terms. Territory conquered by a clan, however, belongs to the whole of the Dominion, though the more a clan conquers, the higher its status amongst its peers.

Politics

The Solar Dominion is ruled by a Council of Elders: warriors and thinkers who have shown great prowess in the fields of battle and philosophy. Each clan possesses a representative at this council and, in times of war, these representatives choose a single Star Son¹³ to lead them in battle.

The Dominion are the largest, mightiest fleet in recorded history, each starship armed with enough weapons to lay waste to a planet. Their pilots and naval commanders are the finest there could ever be, able to exploit their surroundings and local resources to outmanoeuver and decimate their enemies. Their fleet's crown jewel, the massive flagship known as the Sun Sunderer, is as legendary as it is dreaded: its sole presence in battle is enough to make most enemies surrender.

Locations of Interest

The Solar Dominion lacks any worlds to their name, but they have laid claim to much of the Krolovar's former interstellar space. This means that vast swaths of potential hyperspace routes are currently in their power, making it impossible for any other civilization to explore or colonize further into these territories without their permission.

THE BLACK NEBULA

Overview

The Black Nebula is the mightiest crime syndicate to ever terrorize the stars. Like a cancer, their influence has spread through the Immortal Empire's territories, where they now control the entirety of illegal and immoral businesses. With a fleet capable of leveling a solar system and an army of underlings worthy of a small empire, the Black Nebula has strongarmed every other mafia, gang or cartel into swearing them fealty, becoming the single rulers of organized crime in the Galactic Underworld. Though their power has gone unquestioned for the better part of five centuries, they may yet face a mighty rival in the form of the Zahn Society.

Organization

Ruled by the individual known as The One on the High Seat,¹⁴ the Black Nebula coordinates most of its activities through the appropriately named Conclave of Shadows. This faceless council's members carefully conduct and administer every single deed of the syndicate, from accounting to arms trafficking.

The Nebula has strong ties with the Guild of Assassins, often hiring Guild operatives to carry out hits while retaining plausible deniability. Over time, the Guild and the Nebula have become nearly indistinguishable in the eyes of the public, for their alliance borders on symbiosis. However, the Nebula must not forget that the Guild's only fealty is to money, and the rise of a rival like the Zahn Society poses a threat unlike any other.

Notable Activities

Assassinations. Gambling. Prostitution. Weapons. Narcotics. Demonarcotics. The Black Nebula holds a monopolistic grasp on all these activities and more, though their single most lucrative activity remains the taxing of the other syndicates under their hold. A generous share of the profits goes to line the Conclave's pockets, and to further their hold on the Galactic Underworld.

Throughout its territories, the Black Nebula keeps regular crime in check with ruthless efficiency in exchange for the authorities leaving their greater-scope interests unmolested. This has resulted in an uneasy peace with the Immortal Empire, allowing the Black Nebula to position themselves as the fifth most powerful player in the Universe, behind the members of the Triumvirate and the Coalition of Merchant Kingdoms.¹⁵

THE ZAHN SOCIETY

Overview

Sometimes, the worst enemy is one who has already tasted defeat. A young but formidable crime syndicate, the Zahn Society rose from the ashes of the Star Runners, a gang once ground into dust by the Black Nebula. Their crime? Refusing to yield their independence. Now that they have reformed under the banner of Dietrich Zahn,¹⁶ the once crushed cartel has become a latent menace to the Nebula's hold on the Galactic Underworld, and the tension between the two crime syndicates threatens to spark into open war, a war capable tearing the Universe apart.

Organization

Unlike the Black Nebula, the Zahn Society has no fleet or army to speak of. Instead, they have chosen to forgo quantity for quality. All Society operatives are highly trained in the areas needed to keep a hi-tech crime syndicate running, from assassinations to espionage to hacking. Operating from the hyper-technological world of New Gomorrah, the Society delves deeply into cybernetic and bioengineered augmentations: most of its agents have renounced their humanity in exchange for physical and mental abilities far beyond those of common mortals.

The Society's members have no qualms on allying themselves with other despicable individuals, from religious extremists to interdimensional war criminals. Much of their funding comes from performing dirty jobs for other parties, as well as the high risk robberies they often perform against the New Gomorran corporate elite. This habit, however, may be their downfall, for the corporations that run New Gomorrah might soon see their dominance threatened, just like the Black Nebula. And what makes better allies than a common enemy?

Notable Activities

The Zahn Society deals mostly in the paratech trafficking business: gadgets, weapons, augmentations… if they don't have it, no one else does. Since their settling on New Gomorrah, their market has grown exponentially: every corporation wants to know what its competitors are all about, and the Society, when it is not robbing them blind, is more than happy to lend its help to the largest bidder.

Society operatives also perform risky operations on Zeitgeist, the New Gomorran cyberspace. Their cybernetically augmented brains, in tandem with their mighty martial skills, make them lethal both in the real world and in the network.

THE COALITION OF MERCHANT KINGDOMS

Overview

If greed had a civilization of its own, it would undoubtedly be the Coalition of Merchant Kingdoms. Though they only have a handful of systems under their thrall, it is widely known through Midgard that no one can compete with the Coalition in terms of sheer economic power. They control whole industries and trades, hold monopolies on entire planets worth of natural resources and care not for politics or powerplays… as long as they always get their cut.

History

The Coalition of Merchant Kingdoms is old, perhaps the only civilization as ancient as the Immortal Empire. Their cause has always been the same: money for its own sake. After the Krolovar Invasion, most of the surviving powers became highly indebted to the Coalition, which became the main moneylender for the remnants of the League of Ten Kingdoms. To this day, many smaller kingdoms still wear the shackles of debt, forced to pay the Coalition with what little they can.

The only wars the Coalition has ever fought are those necessary to collect the debts they are owed, and they have only ever intervened in major galactic affairs in times of dire need. For this reason, they are considered a mostly neutral party, though this is rarely an advantage: the Coalition will always side with the highest bidder.

People and Culture

Money and trade are the only words most Coalition citizens will pay attention to. This has been their way for as long as anyone can tell. Life, death, freedom, faith, ethics… all these and more ideas are only as valuable as the market deems them to be. For the Coalition, there is no such thing as being "outside of commerce." Everything and everyone has a price; one just needs to find it.

The Coalition of Merchant Kingdoms is one of the few places in the Universe where slavery is still legally practiced or even morally acceptable: some of Midgard's largest slave markets are located on Coalition worlds, and indebted or disgraced merchants are known to sell themselves and their families in order to pay off their debtors. Thus, some have deemed them a slaver empire, a connotation the Coalition does not find the least bit offensive: why would they feel ashamed of their single most profitable enterprise?

Politics

The Coalition of Merchant Kingdoms is an oligarchy ruled by the Lord Merchant and the Viceroys of Thuol, a council of the richest, most influential merchants of the worlds under their dominion. They control everything from taxes to prohibitions to the opening of new trading routes. In truth, most political and economic power has its seat in their palaces and private resorts, rather than in any official government building.

Though reluctant to engage in open hostilities, the Coalition has never doubted to provoke the financial ruin of those who get on their bad side, as the survivors of the Parau Market Crash can woefully testify. In case collection of a debt is necessary, the Coalition, despite lacking a fleet, has the best corsairs and mercenaries on their payroll, thus making them a formidable force to be feared and respected.

Locations of Interest

Thuol: Thuol is the Coalition's capital world, perhaps the richest, most lavish planet in the entire Cosmos. Its palaces, restaurants, temples and banks are all the stuff of legend, both for their magnificent architecture and their exclusivity. Access to this planet requires paying a hefty entrance fee, while settling here is possible only to those able to pay the Lord Merchant's monthly tax. Thus, acquiring a residence on Thuol has become the greatest symbol of status in the entire Universe, for only the wealthiest, the most influential, may bask in its opulence.

Niek-Tav: Niek-Tav, the world-market, is a world far more accessible than Thuol. Anyone can visit it, as long as they have money to spend on the impossibly diverse goods and services sold and offered here. The entire planet has been converted into a trading outpost, its surface perpetually crawling with merchants and buyers from everywhere across the stars. From cheap materials to rare and luxurious merchandise, Niek-Tav has it all. Buyer beware, for the market's guards are there more to ensure everyone pays what is due than to dissuade pickpockets from stealing.

THE ALLIANCE OF FREE WORLDS

Overview

Midgard's lonely bastion of freedom. Democracy's last hope. Liberty's final stand. All these titles are claimed by the Alliance of Free Worlds, however much the rest of the Universe considers them little more than propaganda to hide their leaders' inefficacy. Formed from whatever remnants of the League of Ten Kingdoms the Empire and the Hegemony did not absorb, the Alliance is technically the third largest power in terms of territory, though they rank much lower in terms of actual strength. Nonetheless, their status as an external party and lack of ambitions make them, unlike the Coalition of Merchant Kingdoms, a perfectly neutral mediator for disputes amongst other powers in the Universe.

History

The Alliance of Free Worlds formed in the aftermath of the Krolovar invasion. Most of its worlds once belonged to larger, mightier empires which crumbled during or immediately after the war. In the chaos that followed the Krolovar's defeat, these orphaned planets and star systems chose to remain independent from the surviving powers and joined together in order to survive.

Thus, the Alliance was born from the ashes of the League of Ten Kingdoms, and has strived to stay away from major powerplays and interplanetary machinations. They remain relatively isolated from the other powers, whom they view as a threat, though this has not stopped them from occasionally establishing trade agreements with them.

People and Culture

Though there are at least two dozen different species in the Alliance of Free Worlds, they remain mostly confined to their own cultures and practices, without ever intruding on their allies' ways. All that truly joins the Alliance is their desire to remain free from the grasp of Midgard's major players.

One element common to all Alliance members, however, is the democratic way of government by which they conduct themselves. In the eyes of the Alliance's citizens, this is a most sacred ideal, one to which a civilization must aspire: freedom to guide the destiny of one's culture and people, all while respecting each individual's own decisions.

Politics

The Alliance of Free Worlds has no permanent capital: instead, the title of capital is rotated between Alliance worlds every fifty solar cycles, with every member civilization being host before the cycle is renewed once again. This way, the Alliance attempts to procure equality amongst its members, despite their many evident social and economic disparities.

Although they hold the title of Alliance, the Free Worlds do not have strong ties beyond their desire to remain independent. This fact has not gone unnoticed by critics, who perceive the Alliance to be weak and fragmented, barely holding together in the face of the other empires' expansion through Midgard. Fear of losing one's autonomy has kept Alliance worlds from forming true bonds of friendship or loyalty, making their peace and prosperity all the more feeble.

Locations of Interest

Qar: Qar is possibly the most important location in the Alliance of Free Worlds, for it holds the Temple of Peace, an impressive structure constructed entirely out of marble and crystal. Its delicateness is meant to be symbolic of the Alliance's own power and independence: it may only survive as long as all members do their part to keep and protect it.

Atu: The Atu system is colloquially known as the star cemetery, for here, in the void of space, float the remains of the League of Ten Kingdoms' once glorious fleet. The Alliance has long scrapped their metallic husks for parts: most of them are melted down and turned into new ships for patrolling the Alliance's borders and to keep pirates and smugglers at bay.

+Translations

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Other

The Wanderers' Library

Fiction from another world.

The Tales

Chronicle of Ulak the Drifter

Here, there is no space unknown; there is no path untravelled; for Ulak the Drifter, there is only the miracle of reality.

Tales from the Immortal Empire

Conspiracies and powerplays.

Tales from the Galactic Underworld

High tech, low life.

Tales from The Book of Idolaters

Madness made manifest.

Tales from the desk of Duke Gathers

Adventures in drugs and decay.

Tales from The Journal of the Walk

We tread on stranger forests.

Tales of the Mundane and the Divine

Gods and devils walk amongst us.

Tales from Rela

The stars have long been extinguished.

Other Tales

Lost stories for lost Wanderers.

Chronology of Events

The Universe

THE IMMORTAL EMPIRE

Overview

History

People and Culture

Politics

Locations of Interest

THE EMERALD HEGEMONY

Overview

History

People and Culture

Politics

Locations of Interest

THE SOLAR DOMINION

Overview

History

People and Culture

Politics

Locations of Interest

THE BLACK NEBULA

Overview

Organization

Notable Activities

THE ZAHN SOCIETY

Overview

Organization

Notable Activities

THE COALITION OF MERCHANT KINGDOMS

Overview

History

People and Culture

Politics

Locations of Interest

THE ALLIANCE OF FREE WORLDS

Overview

History

People and Culture

Politics

Locations of Interest