Mr Cyanide's Worldbuilding Project

An Introduction to a Teeming Galaxy

The Pre-Manifest Galaxy

The Milky Way Galaxy. For millenia the galaxy has played host to many species of life. Both large and small in scale and impact, it was only natural that some would go beyond and explore other worlds in this massive galaxy. After many had tried and failed, a few stood above the rest as champions of the physical world. These three races divided the galaxy amongst themselves in vast empires the likes of which had never been seen before or since. These three so-called 'Elder Races' (named the Veldowe, Aetherian, and Dagar) eventually reached a state of power in which the only enemy left was each-other.

But it was not to last...

Simultaneously, two foes had arrived. One from within and one from without. From the depths of a radiation-blasted world arose a terrifying mutagenic parasite that bent all life to its whim. The name given to it by the Elder Races has since been lost to history, but later civilizations would come to know it as The Ferris Plague. Two of the Elder Races were nearly driven to extinction from the Ferris Plague, but one had found that its natural gifts proved successful in countering it... but the Ferris Plague was not the only threat to arise. In the middle of one of this surviving race's vast empire, a rift between dimensions opened. From this rift arose a civilization more advanced than even the combined forces of all three Elder Races. Along with their advanced technology, these invaders also made use of genetically modified abominations which they used to combat their foes. The final remnants of the Elder Races, facing imminent destruction, decided to convene together and devise a final effort to safeguard life in the galaxy. The combined might of the Rift Invaders and the Ferris Plague overwhelmed them, and the only way to combat them was to begin again. They devised a cataclysm, combining all of their genius to create a superweapon the likes of which had never been created before. After much deliberation, they gave a final goodbye to the milky way... and activated the weapon. 

The Rift Invaders were not entirely destroyed, but having seen all life in the galaxy wiped out in an instant, decided to retreat to their home dimension and close the rift. The Ferris Plague had disappeared for a time. It is unknown if the existing infections had been destroyed or simply forced to migrate back to the irradiated planet they came from, but in the grand scheme of the galaxy, it does not matter. The Elder Races, having been destroyed by their own super-weapon had established a network of AI to reseed the galaxy with life in their absence. Life in the galaxy was once again ready to begin again. The Veldowe, Aetherian, and Dagar were sent back to their respective homeworlds, though these new versions of themselves would never reach the heights that their forefathers did. Instead, they would have to create their own destinies... and share it with new races vying for power among the stars as well. 

The Post-Manifest Galaxy

In the Year 2238 on the Earth Standard Calendar, human scientists from their homeworld of Earth had developed Warp Drive Navigation. This method of navigation allowed for ships to travel speeds at relativistic ftl speeds. Shortly after, the Alpha Centauri system, that closest to the Sol system, had been charted and claimed by Earth. This claiming of Alpha Centauri marked the creation of the Human Commonwealth. This new faction began to rapidly expand its territory throughout the Orion Arm of the galaxy. Eventually, after much expansion, first contact with an interstellar empire had finally been made. This contact was with a loose confederation of various races known collectively as the Elementals. These eight races were in fact all evolutionarily descended from the Aetherians and possessed similar powers. These eight races were known as Elementals because each race possessed the ability to control one of the eight 'elements' that being Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Nature, Metal and Ice. Though conflict would occasionally flare up on border worlds, the Commonwealth and Elementals maintained a healthy trade relationship in the early years. 

Not all humans wished to be a part of the Commonwealth, however. A disgraced military commander from the Commonwealth had fled legal prosecution into the far regions of unknown space, taking with him his most loyal soldiers along with their families. They had eventually reached a habitable world named Vaulea and established a new homeworld under a military commissariat. Once they had established a self-sufficient society, this new faction much like the Commonwealth began to rapidly expand. These new militant humans became known as the Deka Warriors. In fact, at the height of their expansion, they had even outgrown the size of the Commonwealth from which they initially fled.

On the other side of the galaxy is the Saeris. They are a race of merchants who had actually arose as a stellar society before humanity. Unlike humanity, who ruled through power, the Saeris ruled through trade and mercantilism. Don't let that fool you, however, because when an enemy of the Saeris Empire arises, the Imperial Navy will answer the call to arms. 

In the early days of the Galaxy, it would be these four factions that rise to power. However, once the centuries pass and the 26th is upon them. New factions had arose to contest their hegemony. Long since passed are the days of the Elemental balance of power and the Commonwealth's tight grip on human trade. Now, new faces have emerged, and new shall greet the old either in the halls of commerce or the field of battle.