Necrophage Lore

This is the official lore of the Necrophage universe. It will detail certain key aspects in the novels and provide insight.

NOTE: This is a work in progress, so changes are to be expected.

The Exodus
It is the 26th century. Mankind is locked in a never-ending war against deadly machines. A new breed of enemy, one that is driven by hatred, cruelty, and nihilism, has desecrated the Milky Way galaxy and its trade industry. All that remain are fourteen species in the galaxy, as all others have been wiped out by the genocidal machines, and other external forces. But when there is constant war, there is always hope. Humanity came together to face down their foe, with the help from the rest of the galaxy in one final effort to drive the invaders out.

Unfortunately, fate had already been sealed. Many of the aliens had betrayed humanity to destroy and annihilate them in the name of bloodthirsty gods, or their own desires. Driven by a fanatical hatred for aliens, mankind annihilated the xenos that betrayed them. Even those who were once allies to humanity were quickly snuffed out in the void of space.

This is the violent and pessimistic 26th century, where there is no peace, and no forgiveness. There is only war and contempt in this universe. All that had once been good was now erased from existence. There is no scientific or social progress; only stagnation as the galaxy unfolds into a war that could last for eternity.

Five-hundred and thirty-eight years ago, humanity achieved spaceflight in 2040. They explored the stars in search of a new place to call home. Terra had rapidly advanced in the coming years. Two years after the invention of sub-light travel, Terra would fall into constant contamination and corruption; key political figures became puppets to large megacorporations.

This wealth and power caused a major urban sprawl, and many cities turned into concrete jungles forming vast networks of unregulated slums; overpopulated, polluted, and crime-ridden. These places became the most hazardous places to live on the planet.

This was no problem for many of the large tech conglomerates. In 2057, the Geneva Convention was abolished, causing a worldwide humanitarian crisis. The largest civilian casualties were in North America, Asia, and Europe.

The true evil of corporate greed was at full throttle, as the United Nations sought to put an end to this economic inequality. Turbulent politics had led to the deregulation of antitrust laws, allowing large megacorporations to expand larger than ever before. The rest of Terra is now in constant conflict after most had broken away from the planet’s global order.

For six decades, corruption was rampant, with governments and corporations placing themselves on top priority over everyone else. This inequality caused a major loss of life for civilians and military alike. As the executives spend billions of money into business, the citizen is little more than a malnourished and pale worker hardly making a livable wage.

This horrific event was known as the Corporate Corruption. As the United Nations returned, democracy stood victorious against the ruthless capitalists. The money was now spent on government projects to re-educate and re-evaluate citizens, as well as technological advancement and space travel. Humanity now entered the 22nd century. The year was 2102, and for the first time in history, humanity’s centuries-long question has finally been answered. They found extraterrestrial life in space; they were highly advanced compared to mankind.

These aliens came in peace, identifying themselves as the Republic of Tercrota. Just like the United Nations, the Tercrotan government was democratic, and believed the galaxy belongs to everyone and not to one nation. The UN and the Republic of Tercrota came to an agreement to form diplomatic meetings on Terra. The serpentine reptilians arrived at the UN embassy located in North America. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse. As the Tercrotan envoy left the North American embassy, she was assassinated by a Terran ultranationalist.

The assassination sparked outrage, and the United Nations Security Council launched a global investigation into the assassination. It took almost half a year, and they found the man they were looking for; colonel Vladimir Ivanov of the Colonial State of Mars. Colonel Ivanov heard the news of the aliens when they were first encountered. He was driven by suspicion and a desire to exterminate the xeno rather than welcoming it to Terra. After being detained and arrested by the United Nations police, he confessed after he was interrogated through inhumane methods. Vladimir was finally given the death penalty for hate crimes against the United Nations. His rank was stripped, and was executed by a firing squad.

Vladimir wasn’t working alone however; he had help from the outside. Mars, the UN’s first colony to settle on, was colluding with Vladimir to assassinate the Tercrotan envoy on Terra. The Colonial State of Mars had declared independence from the United Nations, inciting a civil war that would occur if the xeno threat remained on Terra. It was led by a ruthless dictator named Nikolay Turgenev, a neurotic psychopath and a xenophobic extremist. He was a strong believer of supremacy and nationalism. As a totalitarian, Turgenev had a single goal; the extermination of the xeno threat on Terra. If the UN objected to their goal, it would spark a colonial civil war. Turgenev did not care for negotiation or diplomacy; he only cared for supremacy and the purification of the human race.

Several years later, an atrocity was committed by Turgenev’s supremacist regime known as the Purification Act of 2114. An entire species of mammalians, known as the Porcarians, was nearly driven to extinction by the Colonial State of Mars. Many survivors were either enslaved or outright executed for existing within the colony. The United Nations and the Republic of Tercrota were not pleased. Two years after the attempted genocide, the UN and the Republic declared war on the Colonial State of Mars, thus starting the Separatist Wars. This war lasted for four-hundred and six years. It was the longest war mankind ever fought in. The survivors of the Porcarian species had fled from the Sol system and returned to their home planet.

As the war continued, the UN encountered more species along the way: The titanic mollusk Phaetians from the islander planet of Phaetia Prime; the green-skinned insectoid Theaxians from the desert world of Theaxia Prime; the plantlike Albacae from the tropical world of Albac; the avian Ghanossi from the jungle world of Ghanoss; and finally the Charonites and its Golem counterparts from the arctic planet known as the “Charonite Depository.” Some of these species came in peace, while others sought to exploit humanity to their own advantage or sickly desires.

The year is now 2520. The Separatist Wars are nearing its end. The UN attempted to colonize Titan as part of their Ulysses Initiative. This shook up the dictator Turgenev and the leadership of the Colonial State of Mars. In one final effort to crush the United Nations, Mars launched a genocidal campaign on Terra, causing over two billion civilian casualties and fifty-thousand military casualties; the specific targets were aliens. This became known in the darkest history as the Martian-Terran Massacre. In response, the United Nations and its allies launch a counterassault against the Martian fleet and take the fight to dictator Nikolay Turgenev himself. The United Nations, the Republic, the Porcarian Confederacy, the Federation of Albac, and the Charonite Commonwealth came together to form a federation; the Union of Democratic Powers.

A fleet was assembled to counter the Martian purge fleet, dubbed Operation THUNDERCLAP by the United Nations Security Council. From there, the five nations combined their technology with one another, creating incredibly powerful starships for the fleet. The UDP had named its fleet the Eden Fleet, composed of the most powerful warships. It was Tuesday, November 6th, 6:47 AM, human standard time, and Operation THUNDERCLAP was underway. The Eden Fleet launched its assault against the Colonial State of Mars. The mission was to finally dismantle the hierarchy on Mars and end the tyranny from the source of it all; Nikolay Turgenev, who had used capacity boosters to extend his life and rule Mars as the undisputed and supreme leader. This battle would determine the very freedom of mankind and its extraterrestrial allies. The dictator’s time was about to end.

The Eden Fleet arrives at Titan as the purge fleet makes its way there. From here, the Eden Fleet engaged the Martian fleet with devastating firepower from the combined might of human, Tercrotan, Porcarian, Albacan and Charonite technology. The Martian purge fleet was annihilated within minutes, as the Eden Fleet progressed towards Mars to launch an invasion against the dictatorial colony. Phase one of Operation THUNDERCLAP was complete, and now the Eden Fleet commenced phase two of the operation. The next phase was an all-out invasion on Mars to eliminate the Martian Separatists. The Theaxian Tribes on the other hand were attempting to attack the Eden Fleet as the savage tribesmen had sent a fleet to purge the Union’s vessels.

As the Eden Fleet was escaping the ensuing battle from the Theaxian Tribe fleet, a second Martian fleet had arrived. They engaged the Theaxian fleet, buying the Eden Fleet some time to head to Mars to end the hierarchy, engaging their warp drives and making their way to the Colonial State of Mars. Once arriving there, the Eden Fleet launched an orbital bombardment, targeting military installations to minimize civilian casualties. Once the defenses were neutralized on Mars, the Eden Fleet deployed transports to Mars to commence phase three of Operation THUNDERCLAP. At this phase, the fight will be taken to Turgenev himself, and finally end this dictatorship for good. But they couldn’t get to him without fighting their way through his elite guards first.

The fight lasted for days on all fronts across Mars, with both sides suffering major losses. Finally, on November 12th, 2520, 1:52 AM, human standard time, the death of Nikolay Turgenev was announced to the entire colony. Turgenev refused to admit defeat, and had committed suicide after losing this desperate battle on Mars. Unwilling to be taken by the United Nations, Turgenev shot himself with a pistol, ending his own life. At long last, the dictator of Mars was dead for good. The UDP celebrated on Terra for their victory in the Separatist Wars. Mars had been liberated, but not without a slight cost.

It was soon too late for the UN to realize that the Ulysses Initiative was hijacked by Martian admiral Sebastian Markov. Markov and his crew had killed off the United Nations loyalists as retaliation for the defeat of Mars. Vengeance was achieved on his own ends, for he will soon lead the Martian colonists to glory and purity. Soon enough, the Martian Separatist Insurgency will be made manifest. One of the colony ships disappeared from the Oort Cloud near an unstable wormhole. The colony ship was never heard from again as the vessel was engulfed by the wormhole. It soon vanished afterwards, never to be seen again…

But this was the beginning of something far worse.

The Energy Strike Incident
Even after the Separatist Wars’ end, the United Nations was still on the road of recovery; on April 20th, 2577, the United Nations Security Council had reported anomalous readings coming from the galactic southern regions of the Milky Way. It was a distress signal from a United Nations colony ship near the planet Odin Prime. Twenty-six hours later, all contact with the colony ship was lost. The United Nations Security Council had dismissed the incident as an accident with the colony ship itself, refusing to investigate. This was a grave mistake on their part, for it was something far worse.

From this point, the United Nations was a shell of its former self; a dictatorship, the very enemy the UN was destined to destroy. They cared nothing for death any longer. The Tercrotans, growing fearful of what was to come, had conducted their own investigation. They discovered evidence that it was, in fact, not an accident. The destruction was intentional by an unseen, mysterious force. The United Nations Security Council had condemned the Republic of Tercrota following the investigation, sparking even more outrage from the Republic of Tercrota’s Council.

On August 19th of the same year, another distress signal was detected several lightyears from Odin Prime. It was a full audio distress signal that cited extragalactic hostiles of unknown origin attacking the colony ship heading for the planet Atlantis. This time an investigation was conducted by the United Nations Security Council. Upon reaching the destination, the colony ship was nowhere to be found, but there were traces of metal debris where Atlantis is orbiting; the remains of the colony ship itself. No one survived. As soon as they returned, they once again reported it as an accident. By the time since then, the United Nations Security Council refused to investigate any more distress calls. Corruption in the United Nations was rampant as the Security Council was responsible for a multitude of atrocities.

On May 26th, 2578, multiple distress calls were sent out in every region of the Milky Way, starting from the galactic south, to the galactic west. Soon after, Terra was under siege by an unstoppable force of deadly machines; the Cektre Dynasties. Even after the UN’s attempts to thwart the invasion, the Cektre proved impervious to conventional weaponry. In many reports, the Cektre have proven to be capable of withstanding .75 caliber rounds. They proved to be near-invincible killing machines; they are unstoppable and they never yield. The most terrifying aspect of the Cektre machines is their inability to be destroyed by any means; even if they are reduced to molten slag. Their bodies, made of living metal, are simply reconstructed within their gargantuan Monoliths; large, towering structures that were ejected by Cektre warships into the Terra’s crust.

Two hours during the invasion, the Cektre managed to take over the Middle East, spreading out in Europe and Asia. From this point on, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention had announced an incurable, lethal bioweapon was spreading across Terra. This bioweapon was labelled as the Necrophage bioweapon. The bioweapon spreads through radiation, which was made worse by the nuclear crisis in the Middle Eastern regions. As the bioweapon spreads, Terra’s inhabitants become cybernetic killing machines, eventually becoming a member of the Cektre themselves. Those who become infected are known as Thralls. Thralls are hyper-aggressive, self-destructive, and deadly in large numbers. The Thralls are used by the Cektre Dynasties as cannon fodder, potentially to overwhelm the enemy. Those who transform fully into a Cektre soldier are nicknamed Legionaries. Unlike Thralls, Legionaries possess intelligence unparalleled to any other species in the galaxy.

The Cektre developed highly advanced technology to the point where they became a K6 civilization on the Kardashev scale. Their origins are yet to be known, for they appear to be an extradimensional bio-robotic force. They are merciless and genocidal in nature, caring only for themselves and seeking out the blood of organic life. Despite their self-proclaimed immortality, the Cektre are still considered mortals. If sufficient damage is sustained, the Cektre Legionary or Thrall will cease to function, eventually deactivating as their consciousness is transferred to the many Monoliths on Terra. They proved to be nearly invincible against conventional weapons, even the highly advanced Tercrotans couldn’t match them.

The entire galaxy was engulfed in war. The Cektre had committed atrocities in the Milky Way, responsible for the mass killings and genocides of other species that are now rendered extinct. Those who survived fled on starships to escape the ensuing terror, only to be lost in unmapped regions of the Milky Way. Tercrota was under siege yet again, as the Cektre proceeds to continue their plotted genocide.

Finally, the Tercrotans had discovered a weakness; dismembering body parts or firing at the head is the only way to fully kill a Cektre. This proved difficult due to the nearly indestructible properties of the living metal designated as Necrium by the Tercrotans. Necrium proved to be resistant to conventional damage and was able to “rebuild” itself after sustaining severe damage in a short timeframe. Later inspection reveals that Necrium alloys themselves are actually billions upon billions of highly advanced, nanoscopic machines. But now that this weakness is exposed, humanity was able to fight back against the invaders. But even that proved to be fruitless in the coming hours.

Humanity came to the realization that the United Nations Security Council was conspiring and colluding with the Cektre to aid them in the invasion by exposing the flaws of human technology. They were Proxies to serve the terrible cause of the Undying Machines. Humanity was just betrayed by their own government. They had become puppets to serve the Cektre for as long as they lived. This came to light four hours during the invasion, at which the United Nations pledged loyalty to their new masters on public broadcasts. All hope had been lost now, and humanity was losing the war. Their allies could do nothing but watch as Terra was engulfed in flames.

Finally, in seven hours, the United Nations military forces surrendered to the Cektre Dynasties. The unstoppable machines had proved victorious. They managed to wipe out the orbital defense grid in the first hour of the invasion. As the UN fleets scrambled to defend Terra, they were instantaneously annihilated by antimatter weaponry. They were relentless, and pursued their goals no matter the cost. Humanity had lost a desperate war. All hope had been lost, as the Union of Democratic Powers was dismantled by the Cektre and officially declared Terra as annexed territory. From here, the Cektre enforced an edict preventing the technological advancement of humanity as a whole. This meant that any form of advanced technology, including energy weapons, was stripped away from humanity as a whole. They were back to square one from where they started in the 21st century.

The Cektre would construct large megacities called “Districts.” These large cities were built around the Monoliths they forced into Terra’s crust. The most notable is District 17 in Europe, District 31 in New Michigan, and District 14 in Asia. The Cektre ruled these Districts with a tight grip and an iron fist, as rebels faced persecution at the hands of the oppressive Civil Protection; human conscripts who are essentially the Cektre Dynasties’ police force. Their brains are hardwired with Cektre technology, stripping them of empathy and emotions. These so-called “CPs” are mind-controlled by the Cektre imperial state.

But under these Districts are underground movements dedicated to destroying these Monoliths and liberating humanity from the clutches of the Cektre Dynasties on Terra. They were armed to the teeth, and fought tooth and nail against the Cektre oppressors. They became known as the United Terran Coalition; humanity’s last, best hope for the galaxy. Many of the UN’s allies had joined the Coalition in a last and final effort to drive the invaders away, but their goal can’t be finished alone. They need help from the outside to stop them. And so, they turned to the Tercrotans who spoke of an ancient civilization; a nation built in the name of all life in the galaxy. They were known as the T’darsi; ancient, elven humanoids who were believed to be driven to extinction by the Cektre over sixty million years ago. Legend says that before their extinction, they left behind ancient caches only two descendants of their race can open; one is a human, and the other a Tercrotan.

These caches contain highly advanced technology capable of permanently dismantling the Cektre invaders; weapons akin to that of the Cektre, with a slight difference in design. If the Coalition can acquire such weapons, they can finally retake Terra and overthrow the machines. But this will come at the cost of a handful of the human species, even for the fact that the Separatists still remain at large. Sacrifices were needed to achieve success in a galaxy teeming with hostile lifeforms. Humanity needed all the help they could get, so they turned to their allies; the Tercrotans, Porcarians, Albacae, and Charonites.

A new ally has also joined the fight; the Atlanteans. These aquatic aliens are native to Atlantis, which was mistaken to be uninhabited. Although their government follows a traditional hierarchy where a king and queen rule the state, the Atlanteans do not possess any authoritarian intentions for the Kingdom of Atlantis. Instead, the king and queen are bound by a code of honor to ensure the safety of the Kingdom and the citizens within it.

But as the galaxy is consumed by war, humanity and its allies needed an army; one of high technological advancement, firepower, and numbers. The Cektre live by the transfinite numbers, but if humanity were to convince its old enemies to join the fight against the Cektre Dynasties, perhaps then would victory would be achieved.

As the Energy Strike Incident came to close, Terra was dominated by the Cektre. The Phaetians and Theaxians had declared war on humanity to expand their twisted visions. But there is something far worse than this; a whole new dimension was discovered that the Tercrotans feared so much. A whole new realm where time and reality were nonexistent. There was intrigue at first, but now there was panic and terror as mankind realized their grave mistake.

The Ether
One of Tercrota’s closely guarded secrets is a dimension slinking its way into reality; the Ether. The Ether is the source of all psionic power, granting its users supernatural senses and abilities. Whenever there’s psionic power, the source is always the Ether, and with that power the Tercrotans did wondrous things. However, this power comes with great responsibility, for there is a dark secret lurking within the Ether; beings of pure insanity and demonic influence.

Anyone who ever dared to stare into the void of the Ether was driven mad. Their souls and energy taken away by the beings who take residence in this horrifying dimension. The victims of these incidents become worshippers and servants to four deities who reside within the Ether. They are the source of all evil. The dark gods, whose names strike fear even to the iron-willed, act in malicious ways that change the course of the galaxy for eternity. The Tercrotans were forced into civil war to combat these insanity-driven servants and forever banish them from Tercrota in the name of their one true goddess.

However, not all four gods agree with one another, and often fight each other over different beliefs and philosophies. However, all aspects of the four gods represent the major evils that harbor in everyone’s hearts and minds. With the four gods fighting over one goal after another, it’s safe to say that the cultists are even in conflict with themselves.

The first of the four gods is Vhalomlaotl, the Eater of Worlds. He is the god of anger, resentment, and arrogance. A worshiper of Vhalomlaotl is consumed with rage and hate to the point where it drives them mad. Vhalomlaotl’s worshippers often sport melee weapons, shedding blood and taking skulls in his name. He is the oldest of the four gods. His rival god is Edomlao.

The second god is Ithomliggda, the Composer of Strands. He is the god of sorrow, regret, self-pity, guilt, and inferiority. Worshippers of Ithomliggda seek to find a cure for every disease in the galaxy, and view non-organic technology as abhorrent. Unbeknownst to the worshippers, Ithomliggda has infected his servants with the very diseases they seek to cure, infested with decay and pestilence. His rival god is Gherheletl.

The third god is Gherheletl, the Whispers of the Void. Gherheletl is the god of doubt, lies, superiority, and ego. Worshippers of Gherheletl often seek great knowledge, and use powerful psionic abilities in combat. However, the knowledge they seek to obtain is one such that is forbidden to an average mind, driving the worshippers to madness if they even try to conceive it. Gherheletl is genderless, as its form constantly changes and shifts from one form to another. Gherheletl’s rival god is Ithomliggda.

The final god is Edomlao, the Instrument of Desire. Edomlao is the youngest of the four gods. She is the goddess of envy, greed, jealousy, and false pride. Her worshippers are often pleasure seekers or perfectionists, seeking to obtain perfection in every aspect of their life. As they dive deeper into their darkest and perverted desires, Edomlao has consumed the worshipper’s soul. Her rival god is Vhalomlaotl.

Whenever an individual dies, their soul is trapped in the Ether, as the dark gods laugh away to consume their soul for their sins. If one is not a sinner, then perhaps their souls are safeguarded by whatever god or goddess they worship. There is another divine being residing within the Ether; one that is the source of good. her power is unmatched even by the dark gods, where she protects her life creations against the forces of evil.

Her name is Enarath, the goddess of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, forgiveness, truth, compassion and faith. According to ancient texts, Enarath was once a Tercrotan with an unnatural gift: Eternal life. As kingdoms rose and fell on Tercrota, Enarath sacrificed herself to protect her people from tyrants, and gave her people one last gift: Her knowledge of the Ether and its dangers lurking within. As Tercrotan society advanced, many had remembered this, but a small handful forgot her great warning. Enarath’s words were to be taken seriously, for she disliked the power-hungry cultists in the Ethereal Dominion, the very sinners that Tercrotans avoided so much.

Today, Enarath’s remains are hidden deep within a secret chamber just below the palace at which the Republic’s revered elder resides. Many who entered her chamber claim to hear voices within the large cobalt chamber, most notably from Enarath herself. Those who witness Enarath in her secret chamber describe seeing a skeletal corpse rotting away on a throne made of pure blue Tercrotium. Near the throne are several devices connected to the body, which appears to be giving her life. With each innocent soul sent to the Ether, Enarath gains more willpower to live, and strength to keep the horrors of the Ether away. If there is no innocent soul to embrace Enarath’s warmth, then her barrier would collapse.

In some cases, those who sinned become servants to the Ethereal Dominion. Their bodies are horrifically mutated and deformed, barely making them recognizable as the person they once were before. The denizens of the Ether are referred to by Tercrotans as “Ethereals.”

Ethereals come in many forms, and many of which come from the four cults. Those who become possessed by an Ethereal are transformed into a horrific being of unbelievable power. These entities, who are victims of possession, are called “Hosts.” Hosts were once mortals who became victims of Ethereal possession, and had lost their souls in the process. The Hosts are without mercy or compassion, and once they are possessed by an Ethereal, there is no way to reverse the process; the only cure is death.

Ethereals can enter reality at any time, provided they have the favor of a worshipper who calls upon them. Only a handful of species are immune to the possession of an Ethereal; in this case, the Cektre. However, Tercrota devised a solution for travelling in the Ether: Reality Bubbles. Reality Bubbles are devices that generate a psionic barrier that protects its user from Ethereal possession or attack. Reality Bubbles utilize the energies of reality and are contained in a psionic sphere to protect its user and keep them sane.

Reality Bubbles also use the psionic energy of its user to remain active, even if such potential is dormant in their soul or mind. At this time of age, Reality Bubbles are common defenses against the denizens of the Ether. As the Ether and its inhabitants prey upon the weak, the discovery of the Ether has driven the Tercrotans in panic. Humanity dwelled into the dimension for the very first time, and its exploration team was corrupted by the dark gods’ influence. The source of psionic power just became the galaxy’s worst nightmare. Hosts and Ethereals began to emerge from worlds at increasingly threatening numbers. The Cektre are bad enough, but with the Ethereal entities emerging into reality, the Energy Strike wars got even more complicated.

The awakening of Vhalomlaotl has driven the Theaxians to celebrate their god. Violence has increased on Theaxia Prime at an alarming rate, as the violent Theaxian Tribes began to commit murder in the name of the Eater of Worlds. The Theaxians are violent and barbaric in nature, disregarding diplomacy and resorting to slaughtering outsiders. This came to no surprise for the Coalition or anyone else for that matter. Those who differed with Vhalomlaotl were brutally murdered by the Theaxian Tribes in the name of their god. The Theaxian Tribes cared nothing for civilian casualties. They sought out the blood for humanity as an entire species to satisfy their patron god.

The Phaetians on the other hand began to worship Edomlao. They do not care or worship Edomlao out of envy; they only care about remaining at the top of the food chain. The Phaetians were once a species of predators dwelling in the oceans of Phaetia Prime. They were the leviathans of the planet, larger than Terra’s elephant. They had two extra heads, and a spiked club on their tails. But as they evolved, the Phaetians entered a completely totalitarian society, where all species were categorized and the Phaetians as the superior race. They are peaceful, but they are unforgiving. The one thing the Phaetians fear the most is losing their place at the top of the food chain. They will do anything to maintain it, hence their damnation to Edomlao. The Phaetian government seeks perfection in every aspect, deluded to their own selves by their beliefs that they are the top of everything.

As the galaxy is consumed by war, the dark gods are making their next move. The all-knowing and all-seeing Gherheletl devised a great scheme for the gods to conquer the galaxy and rule as the undisputed rulers. Soon enough they laid out their deck of cards; their grand scheme was to corrupt every living being with a soul in the Milky Way galaxy to grow a massive army and dominate it for themselves. In order to do so, they would have to destroy the ancient caches and prevent the two chosen descendants of the T’darsi to succeed.

Chaos began to spread like wildfire and consumed many galactic regions. The galactic west would suffer at the hands of sorcerers. Colonies in the galactic east suffered from pandemics of unnatural diseases. Planets in the galactic south had fallen to hedonism. And the worlds in the galactic north are grounds for slaughter. As the Ethereal Dominion form into being, humanity now has a new enemy to face, and the Republic of Tercrota has officially broken away from the Coalition due to mankind’s intrusion in the Ether.

Humanity was just betrayed by their greatest ally, and this is a dark moment in the history of what remains of mankind as a whole. Now it is up to humanity to rebuild their alliance, and end the division and constant bickering. Mankind needed allies to finish this war, once and for all. The galaxy needed a hero, and there were some who were willing to rise to the challenge and defeat their greatest adversary. They needed a new hero who would take on the machines and drive them back to the dark corners of space.

The Ancient Ones
Sixty million years ago, there was an ancient civilization of elven humanoids who ruled the galaxy in a single nation. They were known as the T’darsi, and possessed long lifespans, seconded to that of their greatest creation; the Tercrotans. For millennia, the T’darsi ruled in a peaceful and prosperous society of democracy and coexistence. They were long-lived, humble, and possessed great psionic powers.

The T’darsi focused on peaceful interaction with the galaxy. They lived in a highly advanced technological society, where no manual labor was required. They lived on Gaia, known as the paradise planet. It looked as if Gaia was a paradise world made specifically for the T’darsi. But as years went by, there was a crisis on the T’darsi home world; hedonistic cults began to form around the planet, turning their utopia into a dark religious circle. Eventually, this excessive hedonism caused an “Ether Storm” to form around the planet. As Edomlao arrived on Gaia, many had lost their souls to her. The T’darsi and its remnant allies had fled on continent-sized starships and escaped into the void as the Ether Storm consumed their paradise planet.

With no home to go to, the T’darsi now live on their continent-sized starships. They waited for centuries until the Ether Storm finally cleared out. Their world was not as it was before. It was twisted and dark; the paradise was turned into a horrifying place. Those who remained on Gaia became known as “Dark T'darsi.” These T’darsi are servants to Edomlao, forming large “Cabals” on Gaia. Unlike the T’darsi, Dark T'darsi discern the use of psionic powers, for they believe it will only draw the attention of the Instrument of Desire.

The T’darsi were now locked into civil war, and already they were losing their desperate fight. Many of their allies were below their level of technology, giving little chance of fighting back against the Dark T'darsi. Those who were not corrupted by the Instrument of Desire devised a plan to end the Dark T'darsi occupation on their paradise world; they began to construct machines designed for combat and warfare, made entirely of bone-like metal. The prototypes proved to be successful in their purpose. They were soon deployed, and the results were more complex than expected. The T’darsi remnants were beginning to finally make ground against the Cabals of the Dark T'darsi.

The T’darsi now experimented with their brand new technology, creating a metal alloy made entirely of nanomachines. Invisible to the naked eye, these nanomachines were designed to create more advanced war machines. The Dark T'darsi were now being pushed back, as they began their retreat into the Ether. Though Gaia still remains corrupted, the T’darsi know that they will persevere against the dark forces. Soon enough, many of the Cabals had retreated, as the T’darsi stood victorious on their desolated home planet. But things took a turn for the worse.

The T’darsi Farseer, Falatira, ordered the evacuation of the T’darsi residents still on Gaia as the machines turned against them. They are now known as the Cektre; they were responsible for the attempted genocide of the T’darsi people. Soon enough, the T’darsi fled on their continent-sized flagships once again, fleeing as far as they could and reaching the galactic eastern regions of the Milky Way galaxy. Falatira, filled with grief, had turned to her loyal researchers, biologists, and scientists to commence an experiment that would save the galaxy from total annihilation. They created ancient caches hidden from the Cektre in the event they reach out to the galaxy, containing weapons that can dismantle the rogue machines. In addition, the caches were rigged to open only when a specific DNA sequence was accepted. Falatira and her team of scientists created “Soul Gems.” These special gemstones contained a soul of an individual of any race, and the T’darsi created two special ones.

The first belonged to Terra. He is of optimism, intelligence, and compassion. This Soul Gem was planted within England, hidden underground so that the Cektre could not find it. Soon enough, the T’darsi god of war, Karba the Great, would create the human with this Soul Gem. He is destined to be born on the 27th of August, 2551. This man would become a soldier, a survivor of the great war that was soon to come. Karba had gifted this human with the genetic code to open the ancient caches. But he would not be alone, for he would have a companion by his side.

The second belonged to Tercrota. She is of courage, honor, and charisma. This Soul Gem was planted within the Maghal Mountains, hidden within Enarath’s secret laboratories inside the mountains itself. Enarath will use this soul to create the ultimate warrior; a Seraph. She will be born with the iron will matched by Enarath herself. This Tercrotan is gifted with the genetic code to open the caches. This Seraph will become Tercrota’s greatest hero, gifted with incredible psionic power, along with superhuman strength and speed. She will fight alongside her human companion against the machines. The Seraph is destined to be born on June 28th, 2015.

But the Ethereal Dominion had other plans. The dark gods had facilitated a plan to corrupt these two souls. Their grand scheme: To convert the two gifted souls to the Ether for their sick and twisted goals. Karba and Enarath refused to give their precious creations to the dark gods, and a battle above the stars had started. This came to be known in T’darsi legend for many years as the War for Balance. According to legend, the gods fought over the Soul Gems. As time went on, Karba and Enarath protected the Soul Gems and kept them away from the clutches of the dark gods within the Ether.

When the final blow came, Enarath and Karba sealed the Ether away, forming a strong barrier to protect reality from the onslaught of madness. And finally, the two Soul Gems were granted the wards and protections from Ethereal corruption.

The gifts from the two gods had arrived. Falatira ordered the starship carrying the two Soul Gems to the destined locations. The first location for the Soul Gem was Tercrota, in Enarath’s secret laboratories in the Maghal Mountains. Here, the T’darsi place the Soul Gem near a gestation capsule.

They now moved to Terra, where the vessel became under attack by the Cektre. They launched an emergency pod, carrying Falatira and the Soul Gem with her and crash-landed in England. Falatira took a moment to gather her surroundings. She eventually made her way to the ancient burial grounds where the T’darsi are laid to rest. She sets the Soul Gem atop her own grave, as Falatira meditates in an effort to seek atonement. The Soul Gem’s energies eventually caused the gem itself to float away to safety into an old church. She was soon discovered by Cektre ground forces, and viciously murdered. Despite the destruction of the vessel, the T’darsi had succeeded in their task. The Cektre could not find the Soul Gems anywhere, nor could they find the caches of T’darsi technology.

A human soldier and a Tercrotan Seraph; together as one, they will become the greatest legends of the galaxy. They will rise to the challenge, and defeat the machines. They will be of sheer willpower and perseverance. They will not rest until the Cektre are driven out from the galaxy. They will become the greatest heroes, the avengers of the T’darsi and their legacy. They will be untouched by the influence of the dark gods, for they will end this corruption. In this violent and pessimistic future of the 26th century, there will always be hope.