Aetherspace is that which separates the multitudinous planes of existence. The aetherways is that part of aetherspace that can be traveled by aether beings, including the extradiminsional algontherine (also known as aetherships). Occasionally, bubbles of reality form within aetherspace itself, each containing separate realities unto themselves. The most well-known aether bubble within aetherspace is the Facility, homeworld to the gnomes, whose expertise in planar travel remains unparalleled. They harvest and sell algontherine eggs, out of which grow the minds of aetherships, as well as constructing modules for aetherships and the extremely valuable diamonut artifacts.
The vastness of aetherspace should not be underestimated.
Map Key
| Aetherspace Environments | |
| XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX |
Barrier/Shoals. These locations could represent the boundaries of reality on aetherspace, and cannot be traversed. Some speculate instead that these represent reefs or shoals of certain mountain ranges that project into aetherspace. |
| ????????? | Drifting upon the aether flux. Soft pastel clouds spread out in pinks, yellows and greens, as the aethership gently drifts among the meandering currents here. Occasionally, beautiful bursts of energy lazily unfold like glittering flowers. |
| ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ | Sliding through the slipstream. Wisps of aetheric ribbons whip smoothly through space here, as the aethership easily sails along the wakes they leave. Trails of colourful light swiftly streak across the emptiness, and just as quickly fade away. |
| ????????? | Fighting the temporal storms. Howling streaks of colour buffet the aethership, as it struggles to maintain balance amidst the temporal storms that whip dangerously around its hull. Small islands of stillness are few and far away in this tempestuous roiling mass of energy. |
| ????????? | Meandering the ethereal. Strange shadowy figures swim within the emerald clouds that glitter throughout the space here. As the aethership skims near each cloud, occasionally the silhouettes come into focus as trees, flowers, and even dancing fae. |
| ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ | Cruising in the Celestial Realms. Bright golden light suffuses everything around the aethership, as small twinkling stars cluster nearby. The thick hull cannot completely keep out the angelic voices of a disembodied choir. |
| ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ | Trespassing in Nil Space. Though the space here is pitch dark, a thick, tainted miasma clings to the sides of the aethership. Even through the thick hull, a sweltering heat invades the air within. |
| ????????? | Lurching through dimensional shifts. As the dimensional walls between worlds thin, the aetheric currents here continuously solidify and dissolve as competing realities assert themselves. The aetherspace itself is cloudy and viscous, making aethership movement slow and cumbersome. |
| ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ | Floating in aetherspace near the Void. Though darkness spans in all directions around the aethership, occasionally bursts of energy flare up in the distance. There is an almost tangible and weighty coldness to the emptiness that presses against the hull. |
| God Realm Environments | |
| --------- | Blown about by argent winds. (Lisaera's Influence, Silver Weald) The aether clumps and roils here to strange aetheric winds gleaming with mysterious flashes. Streaks of dark blue and bright silver spiral slowly in the forceful winds, coursing through the clouds on aimless paths. At times the winds carve strange shapes in the aether: here a glimpse of a swirling crescent, there a bright panoply of argent stars. The ever-changing clouds harbour a latent energy that is most prominent in the darkness away from the silver streaks, which pulses with somnolent potential like the dimmest moment before waking. |
| --------- | A burgeoning rift. (Maylea's Influence, Kiunid Vruna) The aether gathers suddenly into sporadic patterns formed as a spray of colours plays against each other. Warm and cool tones fall apart and come together in some eternal game. From afar, it seems most like a rift cleft through the sky, blues and greens swirling along one side while vivid red and yellow laces in jagged lines on the other. Between, the churning colours become black or white by turns, somehow fathomless and endless. Closer, ephemeral images form where the colours dare to mix, as diverse or narrow as the imagination and the perspective viewing them. |
| --------- | Amidst violent scenes. (Shikari's Influence, Proving Grounds) The very atmosphere seethes with an unfathomable power as the bizarre clouds here shift into shapes depicting scenes of bloodshed, sparks of electricity sizzling between them and occasionally bursting and causing the area to seemingly contract. A thrumming rift dominates the view here, sucking in the clouds and spitting them back out in a different colour. Occasionally a chilling roar pierces the air, its source unknown. |
| --------- | Within a spiraling nebula. (Viravain's Influence, Web of Darkness) Dark mauve clouds of an unknown gas cluster together to form this nebula. Spiralling along unseen lines, they spin their paths at varying speeds in a hypnotic pattern. At its centre, a shadowy vortex looms, beckoning all towards its cold embrace. Bright flashes of light emits intermittenly as the clouds dissappear into the empty void, throwing weird images of varying ruins, gardens and forests against the surface of the nebula. |
| --------- | Through a seething maelstrom. (Raezon's Influence, Forbidden Reach) Rivers of bright, argent energy streaked with veins of seething blue flame stream along the aether, dancing in chaotic eddies against a dark void. All around you, the streams intersect and flux randomly, meeting and parting in whirlwinds of intensity as huge streaks of blue lightning flash between them. The chaos and flashing light make navigation difficult, even as a building maelstrom of intersecting currents flows over you, entombing you within a world of seething energy and flame. |
| --------- | A squall of crimson clouds. (Fain's Influence, Blood Fist) A raging aether-tempest of churning crimson mists swirls and crashes in ferocious waves of untempered belligerence. Electricity sparks between the warring clouds in stacatto blasts of burning energy. With thunderous crashes, unseen winds and currents rip apart and thrust together the roiling aether in a unending cycle of creation and destruction. |
| --------- | Soaring through golden clouds. (Eventru's Influence, Blessed Isle) Tufts of cosmic energy manifest in the form of vast golden clouds, sparkling and shimmering as currents of power shift and flow about and through them, causing them to manifest in strange shapes and ever changing sizes. A strange luminescence paints the whole of the aether with its soft, golden yellow light, offering a comforting warmth to all who gaze upon it. Ivory ribbons of currents of cosmic energy drift through the clouds, lazily winding their way eternally, drawing out massive whorls as they go. |
| --------- | Diverging emerald trails. (Charune's Influence, Hunter's Woods) The aether roils and moves in twisted layers across the vastness of space, glowing a vivid emerald as it parts and draws itself seamlessly back together. The green forms trails through the storm that lead randomly off into various directions and provide tantalising glimpses of what might be around the next bend. Each path opens and closes of its own accord, shifting the landscape into a new configuration with each passing moment. There is an aetherways dock here connected to beneath a canopy of tall trees. |
| --------- | Within a twilight maelstrom. (Elostian's Influence, Twilight Maelstrom) Streaks of churning nebula twist in everchanging patterns around a central core that lights up deep within the confines of aetherspace. Reality itself appears malleable here, a mere plaything of the gargantuan maelstrom that pulls all towards its central core. Arcs of ice-blue lightning jump between the coils of nebulae and reality that churn past in a vortex of movement. Glimpses of strange bodies are periodically visible, drawn past at incredible speeds. In the distance, the axis of the maelstrom can be seen, the centre around which all near reality seems to turn. |
Anything with a cross in it (that looks pink or black on the small version) is a solid wall.
Aetherspace Creatures
Creatures of aetherspace are drawn to the wake of aetherships as they travel, and can also be attracted by siphoning power from an aetherspace vortex. Like the animals found throughout the rest of Lusternia, they have a certain amount of health that can be decreased towards death by blasts from an algontherine turret. When these creatures die, they explode into dust that can be collected if the ship is equipped with an aetherhold. All creatures are able to track the presence of nearby algontherine and are slowly drawn towards them, unless the Aethercraft skill of Resonance is active. The Aethercraft skill of Spiral also prevents any creature from being able to harm the ship while it is active.
When a beast attacks an algontherine, it generally will use one of three types of attacks:
- A ripping attack that does moderate damage to the hull of the ship, as well as causes light damage to a few modules;
- A shredding attack that does heavy (2x) damage to the hull of the ship; and
- A shearing attack that does light (1/3) damage to the hull of the ship, as well as causes extensive damage to multiple modules.
Some of the known beasts of aetherspace include:
- Gorgog Swarms
- Burning Pyrinnes
- Flux Serpents
- Scorpion-like Slanikk
- Gaseous Cloiers
- Spiked Hydrians
- Horrifying Lixin
- Forestal Gargantuans
- Razor-clawed Gruuls
- Glittering Starbeasts
- Ominous Shadows
- Six-headed Scylli
- Black Dragons
- Tendrils of Kethuru
Some beasts are found only near to particular Godrealms, perhaps influenced by the thought of an Elder God or Goddess:
- Luminescent Ufanqs near Lisaera's realm
- White Hamsas near Maylea's realm
- Dragonfly-like Mulotoques near Viravain's realm
- Smoldering Mannarasts near Fain's realm
- Ivory Guardians near Eventru's realm
Aetherbubbles
See Also
- The Aethercraft skillset
- Aetherspace Glossary