Voidfarers: Dusk of a Solar Empire

The Solar Empire is expanding its borders past the Outer Rim, pushing the Lunar Nomads towards the great, Swirling Maw. But you have little time for the squabbling of kingdoms when every moment could be your last here in the arena. No, your eyes are set on the stars, escape… freedom. In Voidfarers, create your character from the Empire’s scraps: the forlorn raider, rakish chronicler, high-strung astromancer, and clockwork assassin. Board a voidship, set sail for distant planets, and forge alliances in this vivid game that brings swords and magic to the cold black of deep space. In a galactic realm where every choice you make impacts the lives of yourself and your crew, do you have what it takes to enter the void?

Key Events

• Dawn: the star Pyr ignites into existence and the planets form.
• Dance of the Cosmic Wanderers: Civilizations discover void travel.
• Contact Wars: The Silent War, Metal Uprising, Crusade of Frost and Flame, and The War Against the Waves occur.
• Dawn of the Solar Empire: Through an aggressive expansion campaign, the Kingdom of the Sun becomes an empire.
• The Sundering: The Hammerkin and Frostshields fall to the Solar Empire after the World Eater Saga.
• Enter the Maw: The Lunar Nomads’ way of life decays as they feverishly devote themselves to the Rite of Ascension.
• Day of the Shattered Sun: Pyr’s flame dies, sending the realm into chaos.
• Dusk: the present day; the game starts as you plan your escape from the gladiator arena on Hearth.

History of the World

Dawn: the Creation of Pyr

Voyager Song activates the Star Forge, sacrificing the godhood of the Voyagers to stave off the Endless Hunger and form the star Pyr. As Voyagers die off, new planets form:

Tear: The ocean world of Tear or The God’s Tear is the birthplace of the Lunar Nomads.

• The Wavecaller performs the first Moonwater ceremony, paving the way for ocean magic and eventually, astromancy.

Golden Reaches: The amber plains of this grass world are where the Kingdom of the Sun takes its first steps.

• The Temple of Endless Light casts its first rays.
• The prophesied King Sol is crowned after banishing the Shadelings.

Frosthaven: The hulking warriors of the Frostraider tribes name this world home, settling the base of the Daggerfang mountain range.

• Kor discovers rune magic, binding her life essence to the World Stone.
• Kor’s daughters discover secret magic hidden in the fissures of the World Stone. They split into different tribes based on each runic form: Bear, Raven, Wolf, and Stag.
• Warring Tribes Era: Frosthaven tribes battle for control of the frozen throne.
• The Long Night: Shadelings are discovered on Frosthaven; they massacre children and the elderly before being slain by Tofa the Shieldmaiden. The Field of Rust is formed to commemorate the lives lost during the Long Night.
• The first tribal moot unites the tribes under the banner of Tofa Frostshield.

Stonemantle: In the hallowed halls carved deep within this crater world live the Hammerkin and the Forged.

Dance of the Cosmic Wanderers

Luna Oceancaller discovers astromancy, allowing Nomad ships to travel into the void. They become the first Starcallers.

• Early Nomads use their ocean magics to make the Harvest and Huntress moons viable for stay.
• Tidus Waverunner uses the Voyager ruins on Huntress to create the Cosmic Tide.

The Hammerkin blasts one of their Forged into space. Upon realizing that the Forged survived, the Hammerkin discover void travel.

Frostshields discover astromancy through their runesmiths, allowing their raven-craft to ascend into the heavens.

• Tofa claims the planet Titan in the name of the Frostshields.

Contact Wars

Lunar Nomads make first contact with the Kingdom of the Sun.

• The Lunar Nomads exchange astromancy breakthroughs, granting the Kingdom of the Sun void travel (this is a bad idea).

The Kingdom of the Sun uses its newfound void travel technology to banish the Wretched Prince.

Frostshields battle the Forged in the Silent War.

Peace is achieved once the Frostshields meet the Hammerkin as kindred spirits.

• The Metal Uprising begins as the Forged rebel against their makers.
• Winning their independence, The Forged set forth to find their own home, forming the Clockwork Enclave.
• The Kingdom of the Sun claims the planets Hearth and Lightskeep, becoming the Solar Empire.
• The Solar Empire makes contact with the Frostshields.

The Crusade of Frost and Flame: when the Empire hears that the Frostshields have had their own experiences with the shadelings, they accuse them of heresy. Though the Frostshields have better warriors, the Empire has better mages. Neither side claims victory and an uneasy peace is achieved.

• The War Against the Waves between the Solar Empire and the Lunar Nomads ends as quickly as it begins.
• Some Endless Light missionaries stay after the war and begin integrating into the Lunar Nomads, sowing the seeds for the Rite of Ascension.

The Sundering

The Solar Empire expands into the Lunar ring.

The World Eater Saga:

• The World Eater devours the planets of Frosthaven and Stonemantle.
• After experiencing the loss of two planets through their astromancy, the Lunar Nomads use their Cosmic Tide to confuse the creature, granting the Frostshields and Hammerkin time to rally.
• The Frostshields and Hammerkin call the Solar Empire for aid.
• With the combined strength of the three nations, Bjorn Ironhelm vanquishes the World Eater.
• The Soulblight Academy is sent to study the remains of the World Eater.

The Solar Empire assimilates the weakened HammerkinEmperor Sloane leads an assault on the planet Titan, razing it to stardust.

• The Frostshields splinter into the Void Raider Fleets.

Enter the Maw

Pyr’s spark dims for the first time since Creation.

Fall of the Lunar Nomads:

• Starcaller Yor attempts the first Rite of Ascension, sacrificing himself in order to sustain Pyr’s light.
• The Cosmic Tide dries up.
• Knowledge of void travel fades into myth as the Great Settling occurs.
• More Nomad worlds fall under Empire rule.

The Day of Shattered Sun

• Pyr becomes consumed by the Swirling Maw, along with the first desert worlds.

Dusk

• Present day
• Unrest and resistance are teeming through the Solar Empire.
• The Temple of Endless Light tightens its control on the Empire's citizens in Emperor Sloane’s absence.

Whether you believe in the Hammerkin’s world anvil myth or the Empire’s flame keeper, the secrets of the galaxy’s true origin are scattered and buried deep in the myths of its people. However, the Nomads’ tale comes the closest. The Voyagers who came before us fled their native lands to escape an endless hunger lurking in the void. In their final act to stave off the hunger, they sacrificed their godhood to make Pyr, our brightest star. The light blasted the hunger back into the dark corners of the void. As the Voyagers died off, their bodies became the planets we call home. But fires dwindle, no matter how many gods you toss into the flames, and eventually Pyr grew cold and hungry. Whatever once sustained the star is no more—whether it was weakened by its own accord, stolen by a jealous god, or simply died off remains to be seen.

Overview of Main Setting

Voidfarers takes place in the former solar system of Pyr, a place of turmoil and strife. Explore the dense forest world of Timberwind, deep oceanic spheres, and the floating remains of a great and terrible wyrm. Navigate the bustling Imperial cities of Light’s Keep and the Golden Reaches while flying under the radar of imperial law.

Locations

The Swirling Maw: Formerly Pyr, the center of the galactic realm.

The Lunar Ring: The last worlds of the Lunar Nomads.

Tear: Nomad homeworld, an ocean planet with a smattering of islands. Because land was scarce, traveling the seas was the Nomads’  way of life. They developed ocean magic to capture fish and steer their ships, which would later evolve into astromancy. The Nomads currently live their lives on ruined voidships floating the seas.

Lifegiver Moons:

1. Harvest: Before the Great Settling, Nomads who sacrificed their journey among the stars to harvest food were regarded with high esteem, sustaining their void-faring siblings before they eventually became one with the Voyager. Now the moon is turning barren, and its people grow more aimless, standing stiller than they ever were searching the stars.
2. Huntress: the forest moon of the Cycled Hunt. Nomads would travel to this moon, watch one of its beasts, and learn about the cycle before journeying into the void.

Cosmic Tide: a series of defunct void gates that facilitated Nomad travel.

The Empire’s Expanse

Golden Reaches: the birthplace of the Kingdom of the Sun.

Cathedral of Endless Light: here is the seat of the Empire’s religion. It is their duty to spread the word that Pyr’s flame did not burn out, it simply transcended into the bodies of the Empire’s people when its star’s light dimmed.

• Soar: The mobile fortress, city, and capital of the Solar Empire.

The Throne: Alabaster, Steward of Sol, sits on the throne in the Emperor’s absence.

• Hearth: The heart and soul of the Empire, a paradise world filled with countless vices.

Red Sun Arena: Sate your bloodlust here in the arena. Each match is based on a historical battle. In the arena, gladiators fight to the death so that imperial citizens can brush up on the triumphs of the Solar Empire.

• Fallhammer: the production world of the Empire. Most Hammerkin have been relocated to this overcrowded city-planet.

The Kiln: the Anvil of the Empire. Hold any solar weapon and odds are you’ll feel the mark of Fallhammer carved into the handle.

• Light’s Keep: The greatest minds of the Empire are located in Light’s Keep.

Soulblight Academy: As much a fortress as a place of learning, Soulblight Academy is a prestigious school, and many of the Empire’s top innovators started their careers in the academy.

The Outer Rim

Dust Fields of Titan

• Yor’s Teeth: when the Empire destroyed Titan, its core crystallized and shattered into great big pieces among the dust fields of Titan.

Timberwind: a forest world.

• Greyspark Hull: the remains of a Raider voidship, large enough to provide shelter for the Imperial Logging Company.

Remains of the World Eater: the grave site of one of the most terrifying creatures to ever exist in Pyr. So massive is its body that voidships can enter the remains with little effort. Interstellar life forms can be seen feeding on the free-floating viscera, creating a new ecosystem in the void.

Main Crew: The members of your party are a rich tapestry of Pyr's diversity. Naturally, they hold different belief systems and customs, and while the promise of freedom helped them board your ship, they’ll need more incentive to stay, let alone fight by your side. During your journey you will broker peace, listen to their stories, and forge bonds that will last lifetimes.

• Brynn the Breaker (Raider, She/Her): Raiders are rage-filled seekers of battle, and Brynn is no different. She has long red hair, woven into braids. As a member of the Stag Line, she has an antlered helm that she uses more as a weapon. Vibrant, blue tattoos crisscross her skin, telling the story of her conquests and failures. Her right hand is always clad in hulking steel armor. Though she is confident in battle, she can appear reserved, almost timid when traveling among the stars. You can tell that in those quiet moments, there is grief beneath her rage. Brynn is in the arena because she was betrayed by her warchief.
• Aegis Soul (Astromancer, Imperial, He/Him): Aegis had once been very sure of his life’s trajectory: attend the Soulbright Academy, make some modest discoveries, and rise through the ranks of Imperial nobility. It appears, however, that the discovery of a lifetime has marked him for death. Even so, he’s still very loyal to the Empire. Aegis is a gaunt man with haunting eyes. He turns to the arena to hire some muscle.
• Calamitous Rex (Chronicler, Imperial, They/Them): The Life of the party. Calamitous Rex is a hedonistic Imperial clad in comfortable silks and armed with a sharp quill. They are beautiful and outspoken, capable of great wit and hubris. They’re in the Arena because they’re bored.
• Gage (Assassin, Forged, He/They): cold and calculating, Gage is a Forged assassin with a slim, needle-like frame covered in a tattered cloak. Gage is quiet and only speaks when it is necessary. They don’t know how to handle Torg’s attempts at bonding. They have been tasked with the assassination of Aegis Soul for crimes committed against the Empire.
• Torg of Fallhammer (Engineseer, Hammerkin, Any): Torg is a gentle soul who sees the Voidship as their child. They are scruffy, stout, good with their hands and above all, honorable. Torg has suffered great sadness, so they spend their life uplifting others. Though their people created the Forged, Torg can’t help but feel responsible for their treatment at the hands of the Hammerkin. Torg came with the ship that the crew steals to escape the arena.
• Val Starcaller (Starcaller, Lunar Nomad, She/They): Val is burdened with great purpose: they are a Starcaller, capable of mastering the magics of Pyr. Unfortunately, they want nothing to do with that. Val is tall and toned, with tendrils for hair. They use their magic only to survive. They are in the arena because they slept with the wrong Nobleman’s daughter.

Supporting:

Imperial (Present):

• Emperor Sloane (Imperial, He/Him): descended from King Sol, Sloane is the keeper of the Endless Light and ruler of the Solar Empire. His mission is to attain godhood.
• Admiral Raysight (Imperial, She/Her): Commander of the Golden Fleet, Raysight has seen civilizations rise and fall. She is a master of battle, both hand-to-hand and among the stars.
• Alabaster, Steward of Soul (He/They): Alabaster is a self-driven bureaucrat who sits on the throne in the emperor’s absence. He has little interest in actually improving the lives of the Empire’s citizens.
• Flawless Vi (Imperial/Raider, She/They): Master of Games, Flawless was once a gladiator. She bought her freedom and eventually won the rights to the arena.
• Warchief Volkarl (Raider, He/Him): Volkarl is the warchief of the Void Raiders, but only in name. He was once a mighty warrior, but he betrayed his bannermen, sending them to slaughter against an Imperial colony; Brynn led the vanguard.
• Foreman Rust (Forged, He/They): Forged resource collector for the Empire. Rust seems to alway be in some form of misfortune every time the crew find him. When his crew is mining crystals, they’re attacked by trolls. When he switches to logging, the forest spores infect his crew.
• Petra Soul (Imperial, She/Her): Aegis’ sister. A student of the Soulblight Academy, Petra was bright and cheery before her schooling. Now, not so much.
• Lady Abacus (Forged, She/They): A bank teller who eventually became Imperial nobility once her maker granted her freedom.

Raider (Present):

• Boda (She/Her): Boda is part of the Bear line, but because she was born with brittle bones, she is barred from battle. Boda is an accomplished rune carver for someone so young, but in her heart of hearts, she longs to fight side-by-side with her siblings.

Misc. (Present):

• Hyde (Shadeling, none): Hyde is a shadeling that snuck aboard the crew’s ship. The crew are divided on whether to keep Hyde.

Voyagers (Past):
The ones who came before. The Voyagers fled their home to escape the Endless Hunger. Their sacrifice is the only reason Pyr is lit and the only thing keeping the Hunger from returning.

• Voyager Song: Song’s dark sacrifice was taken by the Star Forge and remade into the blinding star of Pyr.
• Voyager Tear: The storyteller of the Voyagers. Tear etched the story of their journey on her body. These would become the ruins of Tear.
• Voyager Reach: Reach was known for their ambition and ferocity in battle.
• Voyager Haven: Haven was known for their kind heart and strategic mind.
• Voyager Mantle: The crafter of the Voyagers and creator of the Star Forge.

Kingdom of the Sun (Past):

• King Sol (He/Him): The fabled banisher of the Shadelings. The entirety of the temple of the Endless Light’s teachings revolve around this bygone king.
• Pious Fry (He/Him): Founder of the Temple of Endless Light.
• The Wretched Prince (He/Him): Long ago, the prince once questioned the legend of King Sol. He was banished from the empire, sentenced to drift for the rest of his life. It is said that he was swallowed by a great beast, never to return.

Lunar Nomads (Past):

• The Wavecaller (They/Them): Diviner behind the Moonwater Ritual and ocean magics.
• Tidus Waverunner (He/They): Creator of the Cosmic Tide.
• Luna Oceancaller (She/They): A Lunar Nomad who refined the ancient ocean magics into the Nomad’s form of astromancy.

Frostshields (Past):

• Tofa Frostshield (She/Her): A legendary figure known as the Survivor of the Long Night, Uniter of the Frostraider Tribes.
• Bjorn Ironhelm (He/Him): Vanquisher of the Devourer Wyrm.
• Kor and her Daughters (She/They): Shapers of Frostraider magic.
• Yor, Thane of the Frostfangs (He/They): Yor led the charge against the Empire on Titan, and the shattered pieces of its core are named after him.

Hammerkin (Past):

• Flyn the Maker: Creator of the Forged.
• Brann the Demolitionist: The Hammerkin discoverer of Void Travel.

Forged (Past):

• Cog (They/Them): The leader of the Metal Uprising.

Items of Significance

• Sun Shards: Believed to be the fabled pieces of Pyr, sun shards imbue their wielder with godlike powers.
• Astromancy Orb: The secrets of the cosmos are held within this orb. It functions as a navigational charm at first, but a cunning astromancer can use it to bend the stars to their will. Astromancy Orbs conform to the user, and each civilization has developed its own unique way to create orbs, whether they consist of the oceans of the nomad worlds, the fires of the Empire, or the frost of runes long past.
• The Artifact: an ancient puzzle box predating the Solar Empire. When unlocked, it becomes the doorway to a near-infinite phantasmal library that answers the questions of the wielder… but at a price.
• Voidships: The main form of travel when venturing in Pyr; every civilization has a different approach to void travel.
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• Holoscrolls: the main form of writing in Pyr are these holographic sheets of light trapped in sturdy metal tubes.
• The Arm: A twisting amalgam of forbidden Shadeling research and Hammerkin metal work. Replacing your arm with this gauntlet will grant you great physical strength. A word of caution: the Hand hungers, and it will not stop at your arm.

Resources

• Crystals: Currency, fuel, and magical potential all rolled into one, crystal structure.
• Light: With Pyr extinguished, each civilization has come up with a temporary solution to ensure their crops and people still have a means of light and warmth. Key word: temporary.
• Moonwater: Lunar Nomads channel their ancestors by using moonwater to simulate the oceans of Tear.
• Spirit: A being’s ability to use magic. The greater the spirit, the more magic they can cast and more forms they can learn.

Flora and Fauna

• Fungal beasts: in the Timberwood, the line between flora and fauna can blur. Such is the case with the fungal beasts that reside in the wood.
• Crystal trolls: Within the mirrored caverns of Yor’s Teeth lie the Crystal trolls, jagged creatures made of shard and stone. Though the Empire has classified these beings as fauna, some scholars (at least, those lucky enough to return…) have noticed the first signs of culture.
• Terrapin Towns: Massive turtles that roam the oceans of Tear. The nomads have built settlements on their shells and their relationship with the turtles is symbiotic.
• Stellar Whales: It is believed that the Lunar Nomads followed these gentle giants in the early days of void travel. When a sun shard is left to drift in space, it accumulates enough debris that it becomes a stellar whale.
• Shadelings: In their most basic form, shadelings are remnants of the Endless Hunger. They are small, humanoid creatures possessed by a single thought: to feed.
• Devourer Wyrm: When enough Shadelings manifest in a given spot, they coalesce into a great and terrible wyrm, capable of devouring planets.

Systems of Government

The Solar Empire: An amalgam of planets brought to heel under the theocratic rule of Emperor Sloane.

• The Temple of Endless Light: The Empire’s religious leaders, though they ultimately defer to the emperor, the Keepers of the Endless Light hold great sway over the comings and goings in the Empire.
• The Golden Fleet: The sword of the Empire, the Golden Fleet is both the host of the Empire’s finest warriors and its peacekeeping force, ensuring balance in the system of Pyr.
• Hammerkin Unions: Formerly titans of industry, the once-heralded ‘kingdom of craftsmen’ have been assimilated into the Solar Empire.
• Soulblight Academy: the researchers of Soulblight Academy are unhinged archeologists and astromancers. They will not rest until the entire system of Pyr can be explained and categorized. The Solar Empire would still be in the dark ages of the Contact Wars had it not been for the Academy.

Watchers of Ascension: All that remains of the proud Lunar Nomads. Their way of life is dying, and they are no longer capable of traveling the stars. Each Rite of Ascension drains their people’s magic, for it takes a civilization to raise a god.

Void Raider Fleets: Scavengers descended from a long line of storied warriors. They travel in different fleets under broken banners. Those who don’t swear fealty to the warchief have turned into mercenaries.

Clockwork Enclave: By the end of the Metal Uprising, the Forged were no longer semi-sentient or crudely built. These new clockwork citizens stay mostly to themselves, drifting in their mechanized fleets and only dealing with humanoids when they need resources.

Brynn the Broken: Brynn was betrayed by her former warchief and sent to rot among the gladiators. Her rage threatens to consume her. Choose whether to reforge the broken pieces of her sword or cast them aside.

Cast the sword aside

1. Help Brynn seek vengeance.
2. Track down and eliminate Volkarl.
3. The Arm consumes her.

Reforge the Sword

1. Convince Brynn that vengeance is not worth it.
2. Help her track down the remnants of her former tribe.
3. Brynn places the helmet on her father’s floating grave.

The Artifact: Aegis has stumbled upon a relic predating the formation of the Empire. Help him wrestle with forbidden knowledge that may one day hold the secret to unraveling Emperor Sloane’s rule.

• Aegis unlocks the Artifact; it answers questions in return for the years it would take to research them on his own.
• As he uses the Artifact to search for proof of the theorem that expelled him from the academy, it ages him at an accelerated rate.
• Aegis learns of a way to use the Artifact without the price of aging with the help of the long-forgotten Sun Shards.
• The reason Aegis was expelled from the academy was because Emperor Sloane knew of the Sun Shards, hoarding them within the Temples of Endless Light so that he can perform a Soulfire Rite of Ascension, in which he sacrifices the souls of his empire instead of himself.

Secrets of Soulblight Academy: when Aegis escaped from the Light’s Keep, he left his sister behind. He intends to rescue her from her stay at the academy, with your help, of course. Warning: this place of learning is built like a fortress.

Worthy of Song: Calamitous is suffering from boredom. They require a muse, someone to catapult them into the annals of history as a storyteller worthy of song.

Complete Rex’s trials to become a legend.

1. Ride a stellar whale.
2. Survive a night of drinking with a Hammerkin.
3. Go to the Huntress Moon and wrestle a tree.

Convince Calamitous that they are worthy of song, and that trials and acclaim won’t change that.

Meet Your Maker: Gage has had centuries of killing targets, but none of them have ever made them question their purpose like you. Gage must find a new purpose, preferably one where their skills are transferable.

Track down the Clockwork Enclave in search of learning modules that best suit Gage’s new lease on life.

1. Guide Gage down a pursuit that will suit your crew's needs (cook).
2. Let Gage choose their own path.
3. Lie to Gage about the learning modules and suggest they return to assassinations.

Track down Gage’s maker, discover why they were made, and help Gage process this information.

Do Gods Bleed?: Val Starcaller was chosen by their people for the Rite of Ascension, but they are reluctant to fulfill their duties. Either push Val towards their destiny or help them dismantle these traditions.

Ascend: whether you convince them to fulfill their destiny or convince them that they can decide their fate before completing the Rite, you help Val better themselves as a Starcaller.

1. Val begins their Rite by traveling to different worlds and learning the different forms of astromancy.
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2. As you help Val, you discover that the Rite of Ascension was a product of the empire created after they unearthed ancient voyager tech.
3. It is revealed that Emperor Sloane has been using the Nomads, watching them perform the Rite of Ascension in the hopes to find a way to attain godlike power without the need to sacrifice himself.

Tales of Old: Torg is homesick, and for all the good the poor engineseer does, you find it in your heart to scrounge up some old Hammerkin tales and give the tinkerer a good old-fashioned campfire night on a remote forest world.

• Brave desolate Valen’s Belt to recover lost holoscrolls.
• Gather ancient snack recipes.
• Avoid Torg discovering the surprise.

Devourer: an Imperial noble has enlisted your help. You are charged with entering the remains of the great Word Eater in the hopes of extracting enriching materials… its eggs.

Finish the job

Give Lady Abacus the eggs, and you are rewarded handsomely. Hopefully you won’t hear of any more disappearing planets any time soon.

Destroy the eggs

Destroy the eggs and unlock a new enemy, one with contacts and wealth.

Can We Keep It?: A Shadeling has made its way aboard your vessel. But unlike other Shadelings, this one is not hungry. Your crew are at odds with what to do with it. Aegis wants to keep it for study and send the results to the academy in the hopes of a pardon. Torg and Calamitous want to keep it as a pet. Brynn wants it destroyed. Val wants nothing to do with it. And Gage could care less.

Keep it

1. Through your actions, you realize that Hyde is capable of eating other Shadelings.
2. The longer you keep Hyde, the bigger Hyde grows, evolving into a Devourer Wyrm that swallows darkness.

Space it

1. Drop it off on some remote planet, then leave.
2. Shadeling sightings drop, but no one knows why.

Study it

1. Aegis dissects the creature and sends the remains to the Academy.
2. The academy might issue a request for a pardon or hire another assassin—one less moral than Gage—to find Aegis, depending on how you sway his allegiance.

They Want an Encore!: Flawless Vi tracks down your crew, but instead of turning your crew in, she wants you to come back to the arena under a new contract to entertain the masses for crystals.

For fame and glory!

Sign the contract, participate in the fights, and win prizes.

Set them free!

Go to the arena and free the remaining gladiators.

In Pyr, magic is derived from ancient technologies used by the Voyagers. After their demise, the greater scientific understanding of how their technology worked faded into legend, only to be rediscovered centuries later, once early civilizations began to form.

Enhancement Magic: any type of magic that improves a being physically or mentally. Voyager Haven wished to instill their inhabitants with the strengths of creatures long extinct.

Rune Magic: Rune magic involves the application of mythic symbols carved into stone. The stones allow you to push your body’s limits by invoking one of the four aspects of the World Stone. The carved stones can also be applied to inanimate objects like weapons, armor, and voidships. A capable runesmith can mix and match runes to attain different abilities.

• Stag: Runes involving the Stag symbolize leadership, agility, and regeneration. Your weapons will be quicker, your armor will be lighter, and your people will listen to you.
• Bear: Courage, strength, and toughness. Bear runes are hardy runes worn by the fiercest warriors.
• Wolf: Protection, stealth, and the perfect strike. Wolf runes work best in pairs. They grant protection to others, but not the carrier of the rune.
• Raven: Wisdom, Flight, and Swiftness. The heavier Raven runes give flight to raider ships.

Calling Magic: Magic that calls upon an elemental force to do your bidding, whether it is the sun, the waves, or song. When you call upon an element, that element must judge you worthy, whether that means your spark burns bright enough to wield the sun’s rays or you’re fluid enough to flow with the ocean’s tides. Once judged worthy, you may use the element’s forces to your liking, but do so with caution and respect.

Astromancy: Perfected by the Lunar Nomads, this magic is used to guide voidships through the cosmic sea.

• Ocean: Astromancy derived from ocean magic is natural and fluid, working with the cosmic forces to advantage users. Water calling: Freeze your enemies and soothe your wounds.
• Solar: Astromancy that has its roots in solar magic is strong and willful; the strength of calls is based on the strength of the user. Light bursts: Blind, burn, and blaze your opponents.
• Earth: Developed by the Hammerkin, this form of astromancy revolves around sensing heavenly bodies and using them to guide your way through the stars. Shard Sense: Use crystals to power vehicles and impale foes.

Forging: The Hammerkin magic of invention. When you create swords or automatons in this way, you impart pieces of yourself into your creation.

• Smithing: The more physical aspect of forging, this art is what brought the Forged to life. The Armored suits the Hammerkin wear for excavating tunnels and extracting crystals are made possible with this magic.
• Chronicling: Those who don’t understand chronicle magic fear it the most. This art bends reality to your will through the power of words. Witty barbs cause physical damage, render you invisible, or catapult you into the hearts and minds of civilization. Empires have risen and fallen because of chroniclers.

Taking: The art of consumption. This is a dark, primal force of magic. Users of this type of magic become stronger at the expense of others.

• Shade: The terrible echoes of the Endless Hunger are deafening in this form of magic. This magic brought about the end of the Voyagers, and because of this, pursuing this form of magic is frowned upon. Shade magic blends the different classes of magic with terrifying results. You can enhance yourself by consuming the life force of others and call shadelings to do your bidding.

Though Pyr contains multiple walks of life, these are the most prevalent races you’ll encounter as you traverse the Swirling Maw.

Lunar Nomads

Lunar nomads can trace their beginning to the aquatic species that roam deep within the waters of Tear. They are a kind and gentle people who only use lethal force when absolutely necessary.

Physical Description: Nomads are husky humanoids, with varying skin tones based on how deep their original species once swam in Tear’s waters. They breathe through their gills and wear ceremonial neckwear that allows them to breathe in waterless environments.

• Journeymen: These are the more commonly experienced Nomads one encounters within the system. They wear long, robe-like clothes and are armed with nonlethal weapons that take inspiration from their days of using wooden oars.
• Depth Dwellers: Before the Dance of the Cosmic Wanderers, a select few chose not to partake in the journey. These Nomads stayed below the ocean waves, developing features that stray from their humanoid forms. Though they may possess tentacles and fins, they are still Nomads at heart and are still welcome in Nomad circles. It is the Depth Dwellers that inspired the settling of the Lifegiving Moons.

Beliefs: Life among the waves of Tear was harsh for those who floated alone. This is why Nomads are quick to help other species and normally stick together.

The Journey: The ruins of Tear have helped shape much of the Nomads' understanding of the universe. Because of their knowledge of the Voyagers, they believe that they too must wander, traveling the oceans and then the stars.

The Ascension: An almost cult-like following that has taken over most nomad circles. In order to bring light back to Pyr, a Starcaller must study the magics of the system and attain godhood so that they can follow in the footsteps of the Voyagers and sacrifice themselves for the good of the system.

Magic: Nomad magic is about fluidity and requires being able to flow with the tides and work with the waves. Nomads view the void as one cosmic ocean, and their astromancy allows them to see the hidden ‘tides’ moving the planets and stars.

Settlements: Nomad living communities are built on the backs of the gigantic turtles that live on Tear. Before the Great Settling, these communities were more temporary, with Nomads coming and going based on what part of their journey they were on. Now these cities are overcrowded, with hovels built on top of each other. Their buildings are shell-like and harmless tothe great beast that provides them with shelter.

Void Raiders

A wounded and honorable people. At the heart of every Raider tale, there is a monster that is vanquished or an enemy that is slain. Now, their enemies are invisible: laws and policies carried out by an uncaring empire.

Physical Description: Raiders are tall and thick-muscled, clad in steel armor and rugged furs.

• Stag: Stags possess a noble visage with large ears and in some cases, antlers. They make capable chargers, favoring spear weaponry.
• Bear: These are the largest of the Raiders, with grizzled appearances and almost fur-like hair. They are the tanks, carrying large two-handed weapons.
• Wolf: Wolves are agile and swift. They have fangs and claws and wield swords and shields. Wolves are known for sticking together.
• Raven: Ravens are quick-witted and wise. It is because of the Ravens that Raiders are able to travel the stars. Ravens use bows and staves.

Beliefs: The Raiders believe that Pyr was the result of a grand battle between two siblings, one composed of matter and the other of antimatter. Pyr was lit when the first sword strikes clashed, igniting the star. It is said that the siblings are still fighting, and their ensuing battle is what makes life possible. While the mythical beasts were all companions from the sibling who was everything, the one who was nothing is said to have had one mythical companion, a giant wyrm.

Magic: Each Raider is descended from one of the four different lines of Rune Sisters. A Raider’s line shows you what kind of runes they’re able to use most effectively. Over time, the Raider’s line will manifest itself through the continued use of Runes, granting them certain physical characteristics that the mythical beasts once carried. The spellwork of runes shows how adaptable Raiders can be, but it’s not unusual to find Raiders with a particular bias towards the runes they use.

Settlements: Raiders live on great voidships that house hundreds of tribe members at a time. These long, massive, metal ships are all they have left of their home-world. Their ships prioritize form over function, with smiths to make weapons and armor. Raiders don’t stay planet-side for too long.

Hammerkin

The Hammerkin are a resolute and industrious people. They are hardy and resilient. Because of this, most Hammerkin technology is hazardous and downright dangerous to the other, “softer” races.

Physical Description: Hammerkin are small and stocky, using their mechanized suits of armor to appear taller. Their skin texture is a mesh of skin and stone, with crystalline protrusions that function like hair and beards.

Beliefs: Hammerkin believe that Pyr was created when the Great Forgemaster struck his hammer against the Anvil of Eternity to make the first star. They believe that it is their duty to create and innovate.

Magic: Hammerkin magic involves hammers, forges, fires, and explosions. Their creations are built to last and weather the centuries in a tireless fashion. Their spellwork is blunt and efficient.

Settlements: The Hammerkin are more accustomed to living in earthen, tunnel-cities. Since their assimilation into the Empire, they’ve had to adapt to their assigned living stations, sprawling, prefabricated structures that provide only the basest of necessities. It is not uncommon for the Hammerkin to create tunnels in these empire-made establishments. In this way, they preserve their culture, underground and out of the sight of Imperial patrols.

Forged

The Forged of the Clockwork Enclave generally keep to themselves. As a people, they are still trying to forge their own identity. They are truthful and generally well-meaning, though they do see things in a different light than their organic creators.

Physical Description: Forged vary drastically based on their original assigned duty. Some were once heavy brick-laying machines, while others were refined speakers and eloquent servers. No matter their assignment, they are mostly humanoid in shape, covered in metallic plates that safeguard the magic, pulsating crystal that gives them life.

Beliefs: Forged believe that before they were made, they existed as spirits, swirling around the ether. They are then harvested from the ether and bound to a physical shell by the will of their maker.

Magic: Forged do not possess any grand magical capabilities, but they are able to navigate the stars because of n the latent magical abilities that are housed within their crystals.

Settlements: The Clockwork Enclave is a fleet of ships that contain the Forged that separated from their creators during the Metal Uprising. Their ships have no oxygen and no windows and are composed of massive, clockwork structures.

Imperials

Imperials are a people of utility. The majority of Imperials are fiercely loyal to their nation as a whole and staunch believers in the Endless Light. But there are some Imperials, those further away from the capital, who look at the emperor’s will with a critical eye.

Physical Description: Imperials are lithe and long-limbed, possessing sharp, angled features, pointed ears, and fanged teeth. Their clothing is bright and ostentatious and in some cases, blinding.

Beliefs: In the center of the universe lives a creature of Endless Light. Its rays spread out into the dark, giving the planets their shape and the people their form. But the Shadow grew jealous of the Endless Light and struck its blade into the solar creature. As the creature lay dying, the first flame keeper rose his chalice to the creature's wounds, gathering precious starlight. The flame keeper ran, far away from the center of the universe, and found the Golden Reaches. It is there that he poured the chalice of starlight and gave birth to the star of Pyr. The people of the Golden Reaches possess the blood of stars and light, signifying their divine right to rule. The emperor is the being in Pyr who is spiritually closest to the light.

Magic: To the Empire, magic and faith are intertwined. The strength of your faith determines the strength of your solar magics. The more powerful the solar magic, the closer one is to the light, making the emperor the strongest solar magic user in existence.

Settlements: Imperials live on massive city-structures that dominate the landscape. Their architecture is lavish and utilizes columns; marble and gold are common materials used in their construction. Motifs include the sun, the emperor’s visage, and fire.