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Introductory lore to AGE of the DOWN's Universe
🕑 Added 2022-09-17 21:37:54 +0000 UTCThe main events of AGE of the DOWN take place in our Universe, in a distant galaxy known as the Arnainskiy Cross.
At some point Arnainskiy Cross and Milky Way were in contact and supported friendly relations, which included trading and relocation programs for humans who were in search of a better life. Unfortunately, such relations for the Arnainskiy Cross resulted in a boom in piracy, smuggling, and slave trade. Those times were the heyday of the black market.
After T'ergra's Union terminated relations with the Milky Way, new special units were created within T'egra's Fleet to take care of the newly strengthened underbelly of society.
One of such units later included SA typed (mix of Sivalaary's and Ancient's technologies) assault spaceship, - Aslargion, - whose name, when translated from Sivalaarian, meant Undefeated or Knowing of no defeat - depending on the translation, where "aslar" stands for "don't know", and "gion" - "defeat" - , and whose captain was, and still is, a young Sivalaary known as Ketara Ator.
Most of the territory of the Arnainskiy Cross is divided between four Unions, which include:
• T'egra's Union, which also includes a military branch called T'egra's Fleet. This Union is responsible for the peace and prosperity within the galaxy and its borders. The beating heart of T'egra's Union is binary star system Assa, home to the Great Council of T'egra's headquarters - Central Orbital Station "Asidaran two zeros one" of Associated Union of T'egra (for short: COS "Asidaran 00-1" AUT), situated on Sitan's orbit - Sivalaary's chosen home planet. The T'egra's Union is home to over a thousand different races, and her doors are always open to welcome more people, whoever they may be, - trust comes first to everyone equally, until proven otherwise.
• Armanarat is the smallest and most isolated of all the Unions nowadays. The dominant race is the Grotases, followed by the subservient remains of the Gastars, who separated and formed their own union of Sarach around three thousand years ago. The reason why Armanarat consists but of two species is that Grotases immune system has weakened to the point where the smallest infection can kill an entire colony. It's almost impossible to get in direct contact with them without an extensive medical examination, and even then one would be required to wear a quarantine suit in case if their skin holds microscopical parasites which can fall within a sterile environment along with a shedding skin. The only exception is Gastars with their unique immunity system, who cannot transfer anything to their masters.
• Sarach is the only monoracial Union which became a new home to all Gastars and their separate colonies. After a few thousand years of separate life it consists of more than ten races of Gastars.
• Logras - a Union without a union. Captured neutral zones. One should never cross her borders without permission. Punishable by death. Main species are Ksedases and Arrach-Ray.
Sitan is the fourth planet of the binary star system Assa, which is situated within Digela's Arm of Arnainskiy Cross galaxy.
Binary star's names are: Asnatar (the larger one) and Savaradan (twice smaller).
System has seven planets in total (from closest to furthest from Asnatar): Oga, Di, Granderon, Sitan, Tladas (moon: Noma), Veylus (with three small moons) and the Gas Giant (with one moon of the size of the planet Di).
In the past, during intense explosions on Asnatar's and Savaradan's surfaces, the first four planets of the Assa system were scorched almost to the ashes. By a favorable combination of circumstances Sitan hid behind himself fifth planet - Tladas - so it, and the rest two planets, survived the explosions.
Sitan positions itself as metal planet, and the main resource for Sivalaary is Antaritan - a unique metal, which can be found (within the known Universe) only on this planet. This metal is widely used in construction of spaceships, orbital stations, weapons and armor for the Fleet. Although the planet's surface looks dead, it still keeps life within ravines and tectonic ruptures. There you still may find water from the Grand Ocean, which existed before the scorch.
And where is water - there is life.
While Sitan is called Sivalaary's home planet, in reality their place of origin is the Matrix World - another dimension, - one of pure, bottomless and boundless energy to which matrix orbs have access to and create a neural-like hubs on the other side; generally described as clusters of purple cubes of various sizes floating within river-like streams of energy which, to a human eye, can be perceived as being of mother of pearl colors, shining and glittering from each others' light.
Sivalaary are a materialized energy from that world.
When Ancients were still experimenting on improving their before-matrix technology, there was a massive explosion involving a substance which, in the future, will become the matrix orb's core as we know it today. That substance was able to tore a passage between our dimension and the Matrix World, releasing vast amounts of energy in the process. That mass was sentient. It observed. It grew as it wandered the Universe. It seen many beings of flesh and blood. It learned. Before it was able to harness their powers it found a suitable place, - a lush, flourishing world with no other sentient beings on its surface. As they landed as a thick fog, shapes were starting to appear. As if people were walking out of the blue mist they took tall shapes of living, bipedal creatures with six arms, and protrusions on their heads which looked like horns to one who had seen the later before. They will call this land Sitan. Their first home in this world.
First Sivalaary's bodies were uneven, one might say "deformed", - limbs of various length, protrusions. In the future they will be defined as Siaya - ones who first turned their energy into tangible matter, and ones whose time of living in our world will span for hundred thousands of years. Till our time. And beyond.
Early Sivalaary's culture was quite "green" and consisted of things they seen as they traveled the Universe as intangible energy, from planet to planet. Some of those planets were harsh deserts with no life, some - moderate with sentient beings barely surviving in most suitable regions, while some were quite advance, possessing technology Sivalaary could not understand nor imitate at their current stage, thus ending in them living a tribal-like life for some time in the beginning.
Everything ended when explosions on Asnatar and Savaradan reached its peak - scorching closest four planets, - resulting in massive destruction of life on Sitan as they knew it. Only after that Sivalaary were able to find their own way, their culture - one based on support and hard work, and on metal. Melted surface of Sitan revealed large deposits of unique metal - Antaritan - which will propel Sivalaarian society into a new era - the era of space exploration.
While they still can turn themselves into immaterial, energy, form and leave Sitan's atmosphere to travel the space - they cannot take anything with themselves, which resulted in them heavily focusing on development of the first spacecrafts.
At the same time, after the scorch took place, many Sivalaary lost their lifeforce in flames that raged on Sitan's surface, before they were able to find cover or take the immaterial form. Between those who were the first ones to take cover was T'egra - she was a Siaya who proposed many things - from gardening to ways of healing the local wildlife with their own energy, to uniting the society by introducing a foreign to them, at that time, concept of music - as Sivalaary are telepaths, producing audible sounds to them was counterintuitive at the beginning, yet they grew to enjoy it and many choruses were formed, along with songs written and various musical instruments invented.
One would call T'egra kindest of them all.
Using her very own energy in hopes to restore ones who lost theirs, an unexpected phenomenon was discovered - by uniting two different energy flows, two independent Sivalaary in immaterial form, a third will be formed. The later will poses less energy than their procreators, yet their material form will look more refined, one would say - improved, while their procreators' initial energy pool will be slightly, yet permanently, reduced. At the other hand, to such improvement, another thing will be discovered much later in the future - their mortality. To be more precise, Sivalaary's energy is finite, and as time goes by it uses up, thus reducing time they have in our world, - which also can be tracked by reduction of "horns" on their heads, - at the end of it they will not die, but a fraction of their energy that is holding memory, experience, will be pulled back by the Matrix World and soon after will be dissolved between its eternal energy flows, leaving no personality left.
As she shared all of her energy between Siaya who were affected by the scorch, another phenomenon was discovered - her material body started to slightly glow and then more and more, turning from yellow to mother of pearl colors and becoming transparent in the process. She disappeared in a flash of white light, leaving no traces behind, but her clothes and accessories she wore. At that time no one knew that she was returned to the Matrix World, yet the legacy - the children - she created will become the first generation of Sivalaary to be born within our Universe.
To honor one who sacrificed her all a union was formed - the T'egra's Union - they will swore to help others who are in need, and just like her - with love, devotion, self-sacrifice if the cause is just.
Later, as they reach outer space and a need for self defense will arise, a new branch will be formed - the T'egra's Fleet - just as the other side of the coin, the Fleet will be carrying out punishment to ones who betrays Union's trust, and the one who will stay vigilant and defend ones who are in need.
The T'egra's symbol will be chosen after the plant which, against all odds, has survived on Sitan's open, once melted, and now covered with sand, plains. It's name is Ellara - from sivalaarian tongue - the unbroken one.
Its name was given to it by the properties of plant's outer shell - as the single seed within two tightly sealed petals matures, it's almost impossible to pry it open by normal, or even extreme, means. Because of that the plant has survived the raging fires and emerged victorious to colonize Sitan's surface once again.
First contacts with extraterrestrial beings were quite turbulent, and sivalaary had to adapt. From forming T'egra's Fleet to forging, at that time, still fragile alliances, as they were discovering all the intricate nuances of diplomacy along the way.
As the time went by sivalaary established themselves as a non-violent, trustworthy race on the space arena. This development led to forming trade relations with their neighbors and a need for a more convenient hub had arose.
It was the time when building of the Central Orbital Station "Asidaran two zeros one" of Associated Union of T'egra has begun.
First, a large quarry was dug on Sitan's surface, - opening an access to a vast, underground, Antaritan deposit. After the metal was extracted, it was divided between all of the planet's metallurgical plants to be processed. Each plant had it's own task to fulfill. At the same time the quarry had been made into a giant facility, which will house and collect all the parts of the future orbital station inside of it.
From an idea to assembly it took around six thousand human years of non stop production. To sivalaary, whose life spans at that time counted in hundreds of thousands human years, time was not of essence.
The day has come. All the preparations had been completed. Massive, dome-like, retractive roof had partially revealed what has been hidden underneath. It looked like a second dome, yet much more refined, with barely visible slits suggesting that something hid underneath.
The countdown has begun. Under billions of stares it rose into the air, taking its forever place on Sitan's orbit.
The station has: a civilian city, military docks (largest in the Union), civilian docks, old (sealed) docks, T'egra's headquarters, gardens under the civ. city, aquariums under the gardens, military city above the civilian city, repair-constructing facilities between the docks, engine rooms above military city and under aquariums/water and storage hubs.
Launch of COS "Asidaran 00-1" AUT has not been unnoticed.
The Ancients. The Gkhalarer. They followed the energy trail that sivalaary left behind in space; long after Ancients' predecessors caused an interdimensional explosion, which tore a passage between the two realities. Our. And the Matrix World.
It happened after Ancient's home planet - Reagkhay - was destroyed during the war with Ragas. What was left of the Ancients' civilization was set adrift. Escaping Ragas' Armada they picked up a familiar energy trail that belonged to an unfamiliar source and followed it. It led them beyond their home galaxy, to a new, uncharted worlds.
They checked every planet along the path, yet none held an answer to their question. None had the matrix technology, which alone could leave those marks in space. Until... they found it. The source. It was no technology, but living beings. The surprise was immense.
Envoys were sent. Minimum questions were asked by their hosts, as Ancients were able to land on an orbital station of a desert-looking planet. As they would later know, it was a custom, - the place counted as a trade hub and a neutral zone. Quite welcoming to the outsiders. Of course, for the exception of pirates and raiders that is.
That was the beginning of a new era. Era, which laid the foundation for new discoveries, and for a new technology type. Merging sivalaarian sturdy antaritan skeletons with Ancients' frame threads resulted in spaceships being able to operate both on matrices, fuel, and power cells. This way no matter how far the ship travels - it will always have an energy source which will take it home. To Assa system.
Sivalaary will refer to that time as the Matrix Era. And the Great Disappearance. The later will refer to the day when Ancients left Arnainskiy Cross to never be seen again (except one occasion, which transpires in the comic "The Last Chance").
While their ships and Ancients themselves were gone, they left to sivalaary plenty of gifts - matrix technology, including their mixes. From minor matrices and frame threads for armor and weapons, to space trains, ships and Matrix Cities. The later ones are especially valuable, as they hold leviathan class matrices. Those matrices are capable of lifting hundreds of thousands tons of frame threads and sivalaarian constructions above from planets' surfaces, as well as carrying them through space and the Matrix World itself.
For sivalaary's sake, the last option was advised to never be used again. The Ancients already paid too big of a price for that luxury in the past (upd: overuse of the MW resulted in Ancients' bodies and minds degrading over time. It led to the point when their ways became rigid, and thinking - stiff. Mistakes became more shameful than death).
As for the SA-typed trains, - there are four of them in T'egra's disposal. Three are being used in the Assa system for mining and cargo transportation; and the last one is coursing within T'egra's Union's borders, fulfilling assorted tasks.
Despite sivalaary losing their direct support from the Ancients, it was during that period that T'egra's Union enveloped the largest part of her modern territory.
During that time another alliance was formed. After much negotiation Armanarat became a second home to sivalaary. Back then grotases' immune system wasn't as fragile as it is today. Joined forces explored Arnainskiy Cross, and even fought off invasions from Arrach-Ray's and Ksedases' side.
Albeit, it was at the sunset of grotases' era, as they retreated to their borders, tightly sealing their welcoming doors to everyone. For the exception of a new race rising on the horizon. The race of Gastars.
Gastars were a young civilization that proved to be great for molding. Molding of slaves for the grotases.
While in the beginning dynamic of their relations reminded more of a teacher and a pupil, later it turned into a master and a servant kind. That resulted in gastars turning from free, nature loving folk to drilled soldiers, workers. Slaves, who were ready to serve their hosts no matter what was at stakes.
Too many generations have gone by. Too much of the old history was lost during that time. It but recently that gastars were able to return their freedom - mere three thousand years before events of our time.
They will never be the same. They will never serve another master. The monoracial Union of Sarach is a living proof of it.
Gastars' initial home planet is Vasmara, - a lush, flourishing world.
After splitting from Armanarat the most populated and new, additional, home planets became Ramuna and Calax. The former has a hot climate, - harsh land rich with metal and fossil resources; while the later is a cold climate world, with a large underground oceans rich with animal, plant life and crystals. Both were inhabited during initial space explorations along with grotases.
It took a few fatal stands to convince their former masters to give up on them.
Gastars' colonies number in thousands. Their Union is the second largest in the galaxy. They keep their fleet separate and hidden, while they export and trade a lot of resources with the T'egra's Union. At the same time, it's a rare sight to see gastars out of Sarach's borders. The past still needs time to heal.
As grotases retreated to their borders, T'egra's Union was left to fight off invasions from ksedases' side on her own.
Ksedases are a race that has to wear suits made out of Acmirazidium in order to interact with the outer world. Without their metal suits they can be described as amorphous, jelly-like beings. Back then ksedases still had their home planet - Kassad - which's star system was situated at outskirts of the Arnainskiy Cross galaxy - in Digela's Arm.
Kassad was a lush and ever-growing - quite literally - world. Its surface expanded and retracted, grew, like a living being. Appendages rose from the ground - healed mined land and then flattened themselves out, - seeping gases out of its ruptured cysts. Its atmosphere was thick with various gases, plasma, and, if compared to human's norms - suffocating. You could never see stars from the surface. And yet they knew that there was something beyond.
Before development of their outer shells, ksedases shared a collective consciousness between their hives, - which later became their equivalent of cities. After the development of their technology, they were able to share their consciousness by volition. Meaning, they were able to form an individuality. That individuality is exactly what will come to bite them back.
As ksedases are shapeless without armor, their suits were made to mimic other organic beings. The suits were improved many times, and consist of many different species - their mechanics - that ksedases had studied in the past. They can be called collectors of sorts, as they capture and study organic life forms. Be them sentient, or not. They use acquired knowledge to improve their own technology. Their suits. Spaceships. Weapons.
Ksedases were the first ones to discover and utilize the power of singularity. They weave it as a thread. A thread that will save one life. And the thread that will destroy another.
Ksedases were a fierce foe, and that exact cruelty, - hunger to consume, use innocent lives for their own gain, - was in the heart of the conflict. The first time they came T'egra's forces were late by a margin, and that was enough to spark a full out war between Kassadian Empire and T'egra's Union.
While refugees from occupied planets fled further into T'egra's territory, another conflict was festering on the inside. A series of sabotages rolled across the frontline, allowing Ksedases to push forward.
At that time the Great Council Of T'egra consisted of five Siaya Councilors:
- Archein, who was, and still is, responsible for cultural growth and preservation of the old traditions, old history and recording the new one as it unfolds; civilian wellbeing;
- Deistre, - they were the latest addition to the Council, taking responsibility for managing everything Matrix World-related during and after the Matrix Era. That included Sivalaary and Siaya themselves, - their connection with the Matrix World through and without matrix orbs and side effects, which also included cases of life energy being sucked by the matrices and cases of contamination of the Matrix World itself. Creation of the Great Gates and Cleansing Order in the future, and their upkeep to the present day;
- Kaydren - long before the Matrix Era he was the one who took the responsibility for creation and upkeep of the military branch, - the T'egra's Fleet itself. Back then and during the conflict with Ksedases he was working in conjunction with Councilor Soverin, who also was a close friend of his. Kaydren's research facilities are responsible not only for inventing military-aimed technology, but also divide into civilian-aimed products. The later ones include everything from land vehicles, farming equipment, to space travels and heavy duty equipment, especially useful for mining in the most inhospitable environments;
- Mearilla - she was, and still is, responsible for diplomacy, trade agreements, and overseeing of Union's financial affairs. Besides inter-union relations she is also responsible for the quality of consumable items that are being circulated - from food produce, medicine, toiletry, to wearables, cartridges, power cells, fuel, and everything in between;
- Soverin - they were the force which first propelled Sivalaarian society beyond Sitan's atmosphere, reaching the stars in silvery ships out of Antaritan. They were responsible for research in scientific field, and closely worked with Councilor Kaydren for creation of prototypes and models before they were mass produced, or scrapped. Their passion to explore, invent, - protect, - was the power which represented the Great Council, - the T'egra's Union herself - as a whole, living being, whose heart they became uniting Councilors in a way a close family be. Their strong sense of justice made them be among the first ones to join the battlefield during invasion from Ksedases' side. It was during that time that they disappeared.
Transcendence - that is the name of the mission, under which Soverin swore to uncover traitors within the ranks of T'egra's Union.
The Councilor has been last seen taking their personal spaceship, - Axeraxelion, - to a breach in the frontline, fighting their way to a supposed defector from Ksedases' side.
At that time the sector it has been happening in was under a heavy fire. Multiple, unmarked, Thread Weavers entered the area, covering it with a deadly singularity grid, erasing both Kassadian and T'egra's Fleets from the face of the Universe. Only debris remained, later on gathered by recovery crews from both sides
Civil war has erupted within Kassadian Empire, bringing an abrupt end to all external conflicts. Ksedases withdrew their ships from the majority of occupied territories, while claiming the rest as victory spoils and a guarantee that they shall not trespass T'egra's borders ever again.
Kassad was engulfed in flames of the revolution. Split into three warring factions, Ksedases fought for their dying world. It seemed to be the end of the Kassadian Empire. Thousands of Thread Weavers held immovable singularity grids, shielding their planet from tireless missiles, which still were hitting both them, and the battered surface, while the main battle was raging in the near outer space.
Explosions caused chain reactions, plummeting Thread Weavers rained like a deadly hail onto the surface of Kassad. Burning pieces flew through a dense fog, smashing living peaks, falling into plasmatic oceans. Yet the most destructive were ones that, through crevices in the surface, were reaching and crushing the Flowers of Life - the ultimate life source of the planet.
It was too late for Kassad. The core gave up, and magmatic geysers blasted out of the cracks, burning everything on its way, including the Flowers, which once were feeding themselves on the core's life-giving heat. The last hope has sunk into eternity with billions of innocent lives.
The war was over. Remaining pieces of Kassad were collected by motherload ships in attempts of saving microscopic flora and fauna of a deceased planet.
Abided by new laws and regulations, the Kassadian Fleet has been united once again. It was during that time, that rumors have reached them of a failure in the Arrach-Ray's genetic code.
While Ksedases annihilated one another, their allies, - Arrach-Ray, - faced a threat from an unknown enemy.
[will be added to with time]
