Nations of Eden: The Dromidae

Posted: October 4, 2009 | Author: Dennis N. Santana | Filed under: Campaigns, D&D, D&D 4e, Fluff/Inspiration, RPG, Spirits Of Eden |Leave a comment »

The Dromidae race has existed for around 1500 years by their count, which would make them older than the current Eden by a couple hundred years. However, their own beginnings were so chaotic that they themselves cannot answer many of the questions the people of Adel have about their world and the Cataclysm which shook it. Dromidae felt none of this in the Forlorn Void above creation, no more than they felt the excruciating pain of their former existence.

Dromidae believe to have evolved from a race of primitive organisms existing off the meager essence in the Forlorn Void. The void’s energies spur mutations in subjects exposed to them for too long. The ancient Dromidae were wormlike, coil-bodied creatures that floated feebly in space, scurrying through bits of meteoric debris. Remnants of their ancient form can be seen in their innards, which are alien to any anatomist in Eden who has seen any other humanoid organ mass before.

The Dromidae theorize that Essence, the energy which permeates all of the universe, even the Void, and which is the lifeblood of the Spirits in Eden, will force evolution into a humanoid form given time to act. This would explain the vast amount of spirits in Eden with at least vague humanoid characteristics, and the ones that are completely humanoid in appearance. It is this catalyst that gave the Dromidae the humanoid bodies they now possess, which serve to encase their coil-bodied worm-like innards from the harsh void and give them the ability to interact with other races.

Dromidae civilization began when enough evolved Dromidae began forming communities in large enough asteroids or other such rock debris. Their native magical ability allowed them to slowly carve themselves a living within the void. The first Dromidae cultures used tools made of rock and astral steel (which is now exceedingly rare and valuable to those on Adel). But later the Dromidae discovered some of their more sinister abilities.

Mutation

The Dromidae had vast psychic power, an analog to the magic power used in Eden. An Eden Wizard could cast a Fireball by some methodology that he has found to manipulate the essence around him – he might mix components and shape them with words; he might invoke numerology and speak a secret algorithm; or more. Magic in Eden requires a focus of willpower, a bit of external influence, and a methodology to focus these into a rote form. The Dromidae perfected another way of arcane magic, which is if not now exclusive to them (as they have taught it to the Adelians), still most widely practiced by them.

Dromidae psychically will magic to occur. They train their minds with the wisdom and knowledge of what sorts of thoughts and sensations provoke magic effects to occur, and induce false emotions to create their spells when necessary. Dromidae can adopt other means of Arcane magic, and many now practice Divine magic via the power of spirit worship (though their spirits are quite different, as we will soon see), but their chief way of making magic is psychically. Kinesis of many forms, telepathic mental assault, psychic illusions, all are forms in which they manipulate essence.

Gradually the Dromidae began to shy away from inadequate steel and rock implements that their bodies were clearly not made to handle. They lacked the physical strength of other creatures and felt they clearly were not meant for brute work. Instead, they began to use those other creatures for their own purposes. Many of these creatures, once free-roaming alien beings, examples of the undeveloped life crawling about the empty space, are now extinct save for the forms the Dromidae use them in.

Dubbing this art “Fleshcraft”, Dromidae turned animals into tools. Fusing bone and flesh with steel and rock, they created their first weapons. Firebreathing lances, acid-spitting crossbows, swords with blades that snapped open and bit the enemy. They took docile creatures and induced in them psychic suggestions that made them mindless, submissive killing machines over many generations of interbreeding.

They bred out out of these beasts worthless habits such as eating or producing waste – from the moment a Shubboth or other Dromidae slave is born, the monster does not eat, not because it can’t, but because it does not instinctually know that eating is necessary or possible. To it, its mouth is a weapon or tool for its master. It will eventually die of starvation, only to be recycled into a new beast or into a fleshcraft tool. This contemptible art is the pillar upon which rests Dromidae civilization.

This is one of the chief disconnects between Adelian and Dromidae society, perhaps one that will never be overcome.

The most important of those experiments came when Dromidae “repurposed” larger beings as what are now known as “World-Ships.” Unknown to the Dromidae, their world-ships were actually part plant, and could, through the rays of the sun quite visible from their positions, produce oxygen for them.

As they began to breathe in this once-useless substance, they began to require more of it. This was part of their continuing evolution towards humanity – their distancing themselves from the cold, painful atmosphere of the Void through their monstrous shelters allowed them greater clarity of mind, and the emotionless calm that is now commonly associated with their demeanor.

Eventually the Dromidae became more and more interested in the world below them, the massive planet with the single continent of Adel. The bottom half of it was shrouded in darkness that not even Dromidae could penetrate, and the upper half had only a vast ocean and a single continent. Their curiosity led them to discover and adopt many principles of science “discovered” first by Adelians, such as the scientific classifications of all of their creatures (whether they were actually animals, or really plants or fungi), and cultural arts such as literature and music.

The Present

Though repulsed by Dromidae crafts, Adel’s nations and the Dromidae have peaceful relations. Mainly because a war between them is almost impossible. The Dromidae control the void, as far as it can be controlled, but cannot do much to harm the Adelians from above; the Adelians control the planet, but there is little they can do to harm the Dromidae from below. To fight they would have to invade each other’s territories, which would not be worth the effort. Adelians fear that the Dromidae, who control the outer world even beyond Adel’s heavens, could bombard them with poison from the sky or make it rain fire. Dromidae have no such capability, but they do not let this fact become known.

Dromidae are also valuable war-time allies, though they have only become involved in one conflict. Andaliel asked them for minor aid in the conflict between Vedaria and Selvage, to which the Dromidae obliged by sending “peace-keeping” troops on Adel’s behalf. In all truth, the Outer Dromidae currently in Selvage are only there to slaughter anything that isn’t themselves, elven, Andalian or Periteriman. They care not for the tribal people of Selvage, only the chance to explore the Fey Jungles and find any lost artifacts of the ancient Adelians, or perhaps even temples of the dark aberrant gods from before the Cataclysm.

The Dromidae Empire

All data based on reports from notable Dromidae such as Exarse Gaul or Kyllia Shuriz (universally accepted, but universally considered to be untrustworthy). Updated around 1171 A.C. Expected update in 1175 A.C. Update is expected to be untrustworthy.

Population: Approximately 5 billion Dromidae, servants, immigrants. (Numbers skewed due to fleshcraft mass production.)
Political System: Monarchy
Key Political Figure: Queen Dalyan Exarse Matriz IV
Capital: Hive Center
Major Areas: Location #15, Hive Center, The Black Hole, The Dark Area
Climate: Artificially Regulated
National Symbol: A Dromidae face with large, blank eyes, no mouth, sharp, curving antennae and 8 tentacle-arms stretching from behind it and forming a rib-cage shape just around it.
National Colors: Purple, grey, red

Introduction

The Dromidae Empire is a series of world-ships and bubble locations in the space surrounding the planet of “Eden” (which could also refer to the whole universe, but which Dromidae use only to refer to the planet) holding the Adelian continent. World-ships are like disfigured, lumbering mushroom caps trailing massive tentacles. The brown, boil-laden, seemingly burnt mass of the cap itself holds within a Dromidae city. Lately, locations of meteor steel and magic-wrought stone, such as Location #15, have been built to help enhance trade with Adelians, who may be uncomfortable in World Ships. There are 10 Worldships, the largest of which is Hive Center. They are distributed haphazardly surrounding Eden, with Hive Center located directly above Adel in space.

The one word that can be used to describe the empire is “efficient.” People work and toil like bees in a hive and think nothing of it. They do their assigned labors with diligence and responsibility unparalleled. To Adelians, Dromidae Society is almost maddening. The Dromidae, by all appearances, could seem like the most miserable, joyless race of creatures in the universe. If a person manages to remain long enough they might begin to understand how Dromidae society really functions, though likely they will never fully immerse themselves in it as a Dromidae can.

With its artificial climate, a World-Ship is “just right” most of the time. At certain scheduled times of the year, rain, cold weather, even snow, or even weather too hot to bear, is introduced in order to keep the climate more natural. Adelians would find the Dromidae’s definition of natural to be extremely lose, and some may even consider what the Dromidae do with the weather to be population-wide torture and abuse. After all, if they can control the weather, why subject themselves to painful freezes or scorching heat that could potentially kill citizens? The irony is that they do so to mimic and accommodate Adelian ways of life.

Dromidae are all educated and for the most part thoroughly complacent. They don’t question their leadership too often. They mostly get along quite politely and pleasantly with each other, even if slighting or cheating each other (which is possible). Often the most problematic Dromidae tend to be Adelian-born Dromidae who visit the Empire looking to find their roots. They are welcome without prejudice, as long as they do not disrupt anything.

Geography

The interior of a World-Ship is both like living in a cavern, living in a city and living within a creature’s throat. The World-Ship is a series of tunnels connecting to larger areas. The tunnels are brown and ridged like the interior of some massive creature’s throat – which they practically are. Alien anemone grow from the ground and walls, lighting up the passages. The ground is stable for the most part, but at times a noticeable shuddering returns the impression that one is navigating a living being.

There are no doors – sphincters open and shut areas of a World-Ship. These fleshy holes open and shut at the command of a native Dromidae and are some of the most frightening pieces of fleshcraft for Adelians. Dromidae buildings are made of a perfectly white, pristine bone-like structure, smooth to the touch. A Dromidae community within the ship is built on layers, with some tunnels leading straight up to other levels.

The design zig-zags horizontally across the ship, with numerous “city quarters” around. Dromidae buildings tend to be built in stacks that hug the walls, like a beehive. The eerie glow of anemonae, the artificial light from above that dims to show the passage of time, the natural darkness of the void that can be felt palpably in areas with little or no light, all tend to make a Dromidae city nothing short of a nightmarescape for the unprepared.

Politics and Government

We may use the term “iron fist” to refer to Queen Matriz’s rule of the Dromidae, but it would be grossly inaccurate. All Dromidae love the Queen like a mother and follow her rules strictly. The Dromidae are ruled by a Queen who is descended from a long, unbroken line of Queen Dromidae. This is not a political position as we know it – it is a biological fact. Queen Dromidae are different from other Dromidae.

They tend to be taller, slightly fuller (their curvature is more noticeable than the typically slender and svelte female dromidae) and with longer antennae. A Queen has the ability to psychically control any Dromidae that falls out of line, and her aura calms Dromidae, even the most “insane” and reckless of them. They feel completely comfortable around her, something they don’t feel often. This feeling is the reason why Dromidae are so loving and protecting of their Queen.

The Queen Dromidae is first born as a “princess” Dromidae that grows into her queen-like abilities (including the ability to reproduce) for some 40 or 50 years. Only one princess is ever born at a time, and if she falls ill, then another one might be born. A Queen only rules for as long as her princess offspring takes to come of age.

Transition of power is always smooth, except for the princess – her mother often dies of old age by the time she is ready to rule, which can be traumatic. A princess’ aura of calm does not affect her own self. After her mother dies, she will never again be able to bask in that comforting presence. Dromidae do not usually mourn, at least not overtly, but a Princess Dromidae will almost always break down in some way when her mother dies.

This is incidentally the only way for Dromidae to produce “bad” rulers. A princess ascending to the throne could be so unhinged by her mother’s death that she becomes a bloody monarch. But in such an instance there is a little known law that might be invoked if anyone can remember it (once in the past, it was an Adelian, oddly enough, that declared it). If declared, it is allowed for 10 Blood Priestesses to psionically destroy the Queen’s mind, rendering her docile and servile until she can give birth.

The Queen and Princess are always tended to by Blood Priestesses, one step down the political ladder from the Queen. The Blood Priestesses are women and girls born with a specific talent for psychically manipulating the body processes of the World Ships and also inducing mutation in the flesh and blood of creatures.

Their greater talent for fleshcraft is rarely put to use – for the most part they are symbolic, and if they ever give orders or do any dirty work it is because of a delegated order (or rarely, their own secret initiatives). Their main task is to serve the Queen, to be a visible presence in Dromidae communities, and to service the World Ships. They are the ones who set the climate, for example.

All other Dromidae are considered to be “nobles”. Hard labor is done by their mutated servants. There is no peasant class. Other Dromidae positions are all administrative to some extent. They may teach Dromidae young, conduct research, supervise the servant’s labor, oversee the creation of fleshcraft items, help birth and raise servants, or have warfare positions. These are not all the jobs available to Dromidae, but they are the most common.

It is possible for illegitimate Queen Dromidae to be born in Adel via the union of a Dromidae and a non-Dromidae race. It is unknown why this happens and it is extremely rare. Such creatures are detested by Imperial citizens, and they’ll capture, torture, study and ultimately kill any Illegitimate Queens they discover immigrating from Adel.

Technology

Fleshcraft is the backbone upon which the Dromidae society relies on to keep itself upright. The closest thing to traditional labor that a Dromidae Noble is meant to do is produce servants for other Dromidae to use. Breeding Chambers in the World-Ships are nightmarish and would scar any rational person from Adel to see.

Bulbous sacks of flesh growing like pus-filled boils on the walls incubate dozens of malformed fetuses, like cancerous masses floating in embryonic fluid. Anemonae-like servitors collect the fetuses for the Dromidae and tear away the excess bio-mass, feeding on it and recycling it back into the “system” of the breeding chamber. From there, Dromidae psychics bombard the creature with suggestions and dampeners, controlling its biological growth through direct orders to the brain.

Dromidae ritualists then begin whatever other processes are necessary. Metal or hard bio-mass is woven into the product for durability. Rubber or elastic bio-mass is added if flexibility is necessary. If the end result will be a weapon or armor, the non-living shell is constructed, which the base creature is then woven into.

Dromidae Eye Robes, Acidstaves, Adamant Jaws (a type of Dromidae sword) are all living creatures twisted into the shape of tools by powerful magic and tough “skeletal” molds that they are fused into. Their eyes move, their mouths (if any) snap, their bodies (in this case, the clothing or tool) shiver or shudder, but their efficiency at their work is unparalleled.

The most horrific part of the process is that the creatures’ small, finite mentality is focused entirely upon the Dromidae wielding them. These tormented beasts are completely devoted and know no pleasure but servitude. People who have studied these processes have gone on to become the most staunch critics of the Dromidae and some even hate the entirety of the race, declaring them the most gross violators of life in this universe and should be exterminated.

Dromidae ships are like a cross between a sea urchin and a sea cucumber. Long, spiny, dessicated-looking masses, they lumber in space. They move by means of ritual magic, bypassing the Second Sky of Eden and teleporting to Adel. Planetary travel in this way takes more resources that the use of a gate or circle, so the ships are seldom used. They are used instead more for travel between different World-Ships in the Forlorn Void. They are armed vessels, capable of firing acid and magic energy.

Society And Culture

Apart from the Breeding Chambers, World-Ships are divided into quarters (not true quarters as in 1/4 of the ship, but small specific areas) which serve distinct purposes.

Recreation areas are green, orange and blue “forests” of stalks of flesh from which grow glowing bulb fruit that is actually edible and has a distinctly sweet taste. These forests exude pheromones that help relax Dromidae. Here, philosophical discussions are held, news is passed around, meals are had in peace and quiet, and the Dromidae “seem almost like people” from an outsider’s perspective. They rest, talk about trivial things and even play sports, usually with magic. They read, or even write stories. The most popular subject of Dromidae art is Adel and its strange people.

The Breeding Chambers are a Labor Area. Other Labor Areas include Central Administration, a hive-like structure where Dromidae use Memory Nodes and Scrying Nerves (both Fleshcraft devices) along with paper and ink libraries to track, sort and research topics.

Another labor area are the temples of the Blood Priestesses, massive structures of bone and hard mushroom-like bio-mass in confusing non-euclidean shape, as though organically grown from the walls of the World-Ship. Sensitive areas of the World-Ship’s bodies, such as the heart, are conglomerated in the temples. They are protected, nurtured and helped to grow by the Blood Priestesses.

A hybrid area is Scholarship, which is a Labor Area for teachers and a learning center for students. Any Dromidae can appear at any time for a lesson, or a refresh of concepts. Scholarship areas resemble series of flesh and bone platforms, some of which hover, others held connected by tendons or bone. Upon each platform, different subjects are given. Climbing them requires use of muscle-powered elevators, powered by a twitch reflex induced upon the World-Ship by Dromidae magic.

Feeding is a Labor Area for the most part. Dromidae do not tend to think of eating as a pleasure except in such occasions where they willingly go for a snack or meal. During the day, however, there are three scheduled meals which all Dromidae must participate in. The Queen gives a small address and sometimes even reads stories or recounts strange dreams she has had during this time. She is projected to the Dromidae by a Scrying Node, a massive eyeball-like object.

The Queen has control of all the Scrying Nodes (not to be confused with Scrying Nerves) and thus she can project to the entire Empire at once. The Feeding Times are the cornerstone around which the Dromidae schedule comes, and divide the Dromidae work day into Dawn Hours, Day Hours and Dusk Hours.

Dromidae celebrate Adel’s holidays, though stripped of whatever meaning they had. They call them generic “Recreation Days” instead and merely use them to rest.

Dromidae culture and entertainment is mostly intellectual, though a few games, such as chess and cards, and certain sports, mostly anything with a large ball, are common recreation. Dromidae do not stage plays, but they do hold concerts. Songs are given off magically, using psychic frequencies that Dromidae pick up with their antennae. Visitors are given fleshcraft antennae which bore into their foreheads and give them some of the Dromidae’s senses in order for them to experience such things.

Dromidae games are highly magical, with small psychic thumps being favored to throws or grabs at the object. Dromidae don’t have many resources to waste on such activities, so they developed fleshcrafts that can produce the psychic power needed to play, without the Dromidae expending its own.

Dromidae romance is bizarre to most. Dromidae who feel lustful of each other can simply choose, as friends, to sate such desires one night (or a few a month) and maintain a normal relationship. Dromidae who truly love each other know this almost spontaneously. It’s as if something clicks – a specific psychic frequency perhaps, Adelian scholarship knows not what it truly is – and the Dromidae choose to spend their lives together.

One can tell Dromidae who are truly in love because their antennae are wrapped together at the tips as they walk side-by-side or as they rest or eat together. Dromidae can attempt to resist this urge, but doing so causes them a lot of turmoil. Dromidae society is very open and accommodating to sating love or lust, because rejecting urges leads to later inefficiency.

As a Matriarchal culture, the Dromidae worship femininity. The Queen is the highest authority and below her are the Blood Priestesses, all females holding the top positions. From there, the bureaucracy is equal-opportunity.

All Dromidae appear feminine, even the men. The most gorgeous Dromidae female you have ever seen could just as well be male, and this holds true both in their faces and figures and in behavior. Both sexes are “allowed” to wear eye and lip makeup, though females and males still dress somewhat distinctively. Males tend to have shoulder-clasps with capes and wear shorter robes than females, who instead of capes wear scarves. However, nothing prevents them from “cross-dressing” (nor is it really taboo).

Pregnant women are held with highest respect in the culture, because they bring new life. Despite this, Dromidae have no stigma of homosexuality, as long as it is done for recreation or friendly purposes. Dromidae cannot “love” their same sex – two male Dromidae or two female Dromidae never “click” together and fall in love.

However, it is distinctly possible for them to fall in love traditionally with someone of the same sex who isn’t a Dromidae. Despite this, they may still wish to find a female mate to bear children with. This makes them feel more comfortable with themselves and more at ease in same-sex relationships.

If Dromidae worship Life, likewise they dread disease. When a Dromidae dies, its body is fed to the World-Ship where it was born. If a Dromidae is infected with a disease, it cannot be fed to any ship and must be burnt to ashes instead. Dromidae hives and ships are extremely pristine and they are almost phobic of filth.

Dromidae are appalled by necromancy and will clean any Inaw or other undead who travel to their ships very thoroughly before allowing them in. They also refuse to practice with the creation of undead – Fleshcraft is the power of Life, Necromancy is merely filth in comparison.

Foreign Relations

To the Dromidae, Adel is Adel. Despite being divided into the Seven Nations, the Dromidae see it as one large group of people who aren’t them. If they make a treaty with one area, they’ve made a treaty “with Adel.” This tends to vex the Nations greatly, especially Nations like Andaliel and Vedaria which are in competition with other areas.

Dromidae do not think much of the boundaries between different areas of Adel. By and large, nobody can change their minds on this – Adel has no leverage with which to threaten the Dromidae, and they fear being bombarded from space, so the Dromidae largely do whatever they want politically. They trade with whoever has what they need, for whatever is wanted in return.

Foreigners from Adel are accepted without much fanfare and allowed to stay however long they want. Dromidae have adopted the metal currency of Adel, which they can easily make out of meteor ores found floating in the twisted, aberrant rocks and ruins of the void. However they rarely charge “correct” prices for anything. Usually they trade money for the novelty of trading money, so foreigners can live quite richly in the Empire. As well, the Dromidae tend to reject any orders to extradite criminals to be punished back in Adel, though they do allow Adelians to send people to collect such criminals.

As such, it can be said that the foreign relations of the Dromidae Empire are quite good for them.

Hive Central

The heart of the Dromidae Empire, Hive Central floats directly above Adel and is the seat of Dromidae power. It is the largest of the World Ships and the oldest. It is said that Hive Central is itself the “mother” of the other World Ships. It is the largest and most venerable, its outer skin hardening into black rock, its boils having long since drained of liquid, floating like a city of stoneflesh in the Forlorn Void.

The most important location within Hive Central is the massive palace and temple complex of Queen Matriz IV and her daughter, young Dantal Exarse Matriz II. It is akin to a strange, skeletal structure with a massive, half osseous and half flesh heart-shaped structure in its midst. This heart, which does at times beat, is the royal “dome” where the Queen resides.

It is like a small manor inside and filled with art, instruments and trinkets from Adel, which the current Queen considers very charming. Even things as simple as a violin are priceless keepsakes for her. The princess herself enjoys books from Adel and is said to be very well-read.

The rest of the structure is a series of odd towers, false plateaus and underground chambers where the High Blood Priestesses, themselves rulers over other Priestesses, reside and labor, and from where they can go to any part of the World Ship. They are not only the ones who maintain the Hive Central Ship, they also serve as bodyguard, entertainers and concubines to the Queen.

Hive Central Hooks

•An extremist political exile from Adel gets the Queen’s ear and uses her love of all things Adelian to try to worm his way into her court and cult. Fearing what may result (such as the Dromidae changing their currently lenient mercantile and diplomatic policies), a group of mercenaries are sent to murder him.

•Queen Matriz is thought to die and princess Dantal rises to the throne, but her psionic signature becomes quite strange and she exhibits terrifying behavior and calls for sweeping societal changes to the Dromidae. Adelians on the ship at the time are the only recourse for resistance.

Location #15

The name means almost nothing, but Location #15 is an important part of the Dromidae Empire for the Adelians. It is a fortress hewn out of meteor steel and ensorcelled stone, built around a focal point of void essence that allows for easier planar travel to the Dromidae Empire. Location #15 is in all respects nothing like a Dromidae city and indeed, it is more populated by traveling Adelians who find novelty in it.

Travel to Location #15 is very simple and even peasants might be able to do it, if they travel far enough to a large city (such as Oomash in Andaliel or Sialsol in Periterim) and are able to pay the small tax on the operation of teleportation circles. It’s not a journey many peasants even know they can take.

Location #15 is modeled after Adelian cities and encased within a cubic shape. This is an oddity in the Empire, as most of their architecture is organic and asymmetrical. It is modeled after the great cities of Adel, with sweeping market and residential areas of gothic or baroque structures of such flamboyant detail they seem almost a mockery of what they represent.

It is a hub in which even common people can experience exotic things. Due to the Dromidae’s ineptitude for mercantilism, things can often be bought at odd prices. A dromidae might sell a low level magic item at a price of 222 gold because of the novelty of the number, despite it being much cheaper than it should be. It might even trade such a thing for a trinket from Adel, again for its novelty. It is not hard to get lucky in Location #15, and many merchants down on their luck try heading there for a shot at riches.

Adelian merchants who go to Location #15 are wise to the goings on, and tend to like ripping off the Dromidae there. It is also a place where criminals from Adel can hide while the heat blows over, or even establish new enterprises in a place mostly unaware (or perhaps apathetic to) their presence.

Location #15 Hooks

•Requiring a rare magical and expensive magical herb to save an important patron, the PCs travel to Location #15, where it is said that anything can be bought and sold by anyone, to try to find someone who can give them what they need. Little do they know that more violent groups are after the same medicine – to keep it away from their hands.

•The Dromidae authorities enlist the help of the PCs in tracking down and ending a ring of extortionists and conmen that have taken over and made a hideout out of lesser frequented areas of Location #15. Being unused to such activities, the authorities are almost helpless to track down and stop the criminals, while the thugs enrich themselves more each day.

•An insane scholar or noble goes into exile to Location #15 to continue his or her maddening and inhuman experiments, and even gets a blessing from the authorities to do so. The PCs face not only the mage’s horrible creations, but the Dromidae authorities who see it as a legitimate venture so long as no Dromidae are harmed.

The Dark Area

Though it can be said that the whole of the Forlorn Void is a dark area, the Dromidae use this moniker to refer to a series of odd ruins carved into space rock and meteoric debris floating near Adel’s moon. The Dark Area is named as such because it is in the shadow of the moon nearly at all times, and as such shielded from sunlight. The rocks have their own strange gravity and atmosphere, so it is possible to breathe, to walk, but also to jump rather high, as though one always had a running jump, and even to fall slowly. They are habitable up to a certain distance away, at which point the influence of the void begins to take hold a new.

The Dark Area is mined for materials to trade with Adel for their food and novelties. Dromidae metals are not like the earthen metals in Noshiki. They are tough to use and shaped best by magic, so they’re not as popular as Noshiki in the mineral and ore export business. However, Dromdae gold is worth just as much as the gold found in Adel, and there is believed to be a lot more there than there is in Adel. Networks of tunnels are constantly dug into each of the many asteroids in the Dark Area for material.

Dromidae do not spawn Demons like they do their servants. Demons reside in the Dark Area and are said to be born from the unknown depths of the asteroids. They are crazed, ravenous spirits of violence and insanity, and why they seem to spawn exclusively in the Dark Area, and why they have large enough numbers to constantly be a threat, are all mysteries the Dromidae wish to solve. Skirmishes in the Dark Area are common. The deeper one goes, the stronger the demons that are awakened.

Often, Dromidae can become lucky and manage to psionically crush the mind of a Demon in collaboration with other Dromidae. Whenever this happens, the demon becomes an inexorably loyal soldier to the Dromidae, and is shipped elsewhere. Demons are much stronger than the Dromidae’s fleshcraft servants, and are highly valued and maintained as soldiers. Studies of the demons have already produced some results, such as new rituals, armor and clothing that allow Dromidae to breathe and survive in the void for a certain amount of time.

The vast, overwhelming majority of the Adelian world does not know of the Dark Area or its riches, but they do know that the Dromidae mine things from somewhere and always have gold and metal to trade.

The Dark Area has its secrets even among the Dromidae. They don’t talk about the Dromidae that go missing in the Dark Area and end up coming back, leading demons and brainwashed Adelians to attack. They don’t talk about the possibility that there might be cults of demons within the asteroids, building up some strange force under stranger leadership. No, they merely destroy whatever comes out of there, don’t think about it too much, and keep mining things to give to the Adelians for trinkets.

In fact, perhaps the scariest thing is that it doesn’t seem to bother the Dromidae at all. Perhaps because there’s something more frightening to them than the chaos within these Asteroids.

Dark Area Hooks

•Secretly, many Adelian nations (and many factions criminal and not with enough power) pitch in soldiers and miners to excursions to the Dark Area, vetted by the Dromidae. These excursions are infrequent and often brief, dangerous but pay off well. The people sent are carefully chosen and one of most important criteria is how disposable the person is.

•Some scholars, by their own curiosity, seek parties to help them reach the depths of the Dark Area. They may discover horrible secrets there, such as portals allowing demons to enter Adel itself, or even that The Dark Area might have once been a chunk of the earthen mass that Adel resides upon, from before the cataclysm.

•Demons may infrequently appear in Adel. It is said that all dark places are connected by their shadows – demons from the Dark Area may appear in Septinum and therefore find their way to Adel. This may prompt parties from Adel to plumb the depths of the Dark Area for a way to stop the demon incursion…and for the creature or person that may be behind it.

•The demonic cults may spread to Adel, with some very small factions performing some mild mayhem in scattered, far-off areas of the world. But due to their insane, chaotic nature, they would be very obvious and easily smothered, unless their philosophy appeals to something greater – such as the goblins, orcs and other savages waiting for a shot at Adel.

The Black Hole

The Dromidae’s best kept secret from Adel, the Black Hole is an area quite a ways from what the Adelians normally see in the Empire. Without its coordinates, it becomes impossible to travel to it. The Black Hole is thought by Dromidae to be what will bring the end of the universe. It is, as its name suggest, a black hole – an area of massive inward gravity. However, the Hole seems to have some sentience, as its gravity seems to be selective and it can choose to exert less strength. The most horrific thing about the hole is that it connects to some place, twisted creatures seem to escape from it. A half-grown World Ship, fairly new, with a terrifying view of the Black Hole, helps to supply the troops and bridge the gap between the Empire and this warzone.

Much of the Dromidae military power is situated around the Black Hole. It is constantly bombarded with energy attacks and Gran Armas missiles, a Dromidae invention that creates an explosion of crunching gravity, and is able to reduce the size of the hole. This non-stop war on the Hole and its inhabitants has gone on for over 100 years, and will continue to go on.

It is a horrifying sight, a corner of space desolate save for the monsters and the orifice from which they spawn, lit only by the constant barrage of magic and missiles flung its way. When Hole activity is at its highest, enough monsters swarm out of it that some force their way into Dromidae ships and must be fought face to face. The Dromidae developed insect-like suits of armor that they can wear to stand outside the ship in the void and survive, so they can lead their servitor creatures and demons into direct combat with the monsters before they can break into vessels. When all the monsters have killed, the hole is peppered with missiles to reduce its size back to a manageable level, and all bio-matter in the area is gathered and studied.

So far, the hole is under control. It will stay under control perhaps for eternity. But the Black Hole can exist beyond eternity, and the Dromidae know themselves to be transient. They will not be able to fight it forever.

The Dromidae’s interest in Adel is almost entirely because of the Black Hole. They believe the key to closing it, or perhaps a weapon that can destroy it entirely, lies buried with the secrets of past worlds in Adel. Recently, Dromidae have designed smaller ships with invisibility capabilities to fly down to Adel and conduct covert operations to seize its aberrant secrets.

Dromidae citizens don’t like to think about the Black Hole. And most of them don’t do so. Even the Queen isn’t bothered by it. This is to her credit. Matriz IV has an incredible willpower, and she manages to dampen, psionically, every worry about the Black Hole that is in the mind of any Dromidae within the Empire.

This includes her own, and it perhaps is a dangerous enterprise, as even her most potent generals are confident in their chances to destroy the Hole and unperturbed by its continued existence. The Dromidae calculate they have the resources to fight the Black Hole for eternity. They are correct – but is it any way to live?

Should Matriz IV die, it is up in the air whether Dantal II can keep the secret of the Black Hole as well as her mother could.

Black Hole Hooks

While it is difficult to have Adelian PCs involved with the Black Hole, a campaign entirely around Dromidae life can have it and its spawn as the main source of conflict for a set of military PCs. An intrigue campaign set in Hive Central may have Adelian PCs discovering the Black Hole as well, but it wouldn’t involve that area directly. It is even possible that the PCs may be able to close the Black Hole using the aberrant ruins in Adel in a long campaign, perhaps ending with an extraplanar, epic final battle against an aberrant god drawn from the Hole itself. But will their sanity survive the whole process intact?

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