Aetherium: The Sundered Isles

  • I. The Setting & Cataclysm

    The Great Shattering and Raw Aether

    The world is composed of the Sundered Isles, fragments of a former continent suspended in a vast atmospheric void. The cataclysm, the Great Shattering, was a colossal technological and energetic failure—not a magical one. The ancient Architects overloaded their planetary energy grid, causing a kinetic explosion that fractured the landmasses and launched them into the void.

    The islands are kept aloft by Raw Aether: a residual, highly unstable, radioactive energy signature. This Aether provides the only localized, breathable atmosphere, but refining it is intensely dangerous. Converting it into usable Lumin-Cores for ship engines carries the constant risk of lethal radiation and explosive containment failure. Riggers Guild refineries produce the stable, azure-glowing Lumin-Core Shards, which are the only safe power source for sensitive ship systems and atmospheric regulators. Conversely, the hazardous, fissure-laced Unstable Lumin-Core Shards are a sign of failure and a radiation risk, often scavenged from wrecks or produced from hurried, dangerous refinement processes.

    Humanity's Survival and Skyfarer Life

    Survival depends entirely on Sky Ships, massive vessels of steel and canvas powered by precision steam dynamics and Lumin-Cores. Every resource is scarce, and every flight is a risk. Mastery of machinery is the key to existence. Navigational instruments that can track the elusive Aether currents, like the delicate Void Compass, are essential for charting courses and anticipating atmospheric hazards. The Riggers Guild provides the core expertise in engineering, maintenance, steam dynamics, and ballistics, keeping the broken world literally afloat.

    The Riggers operate under the solemn Rigger's Oath: “The Engine Holds the Line—Above All Else.” This code dictates that they must maintain the safety and function of all necessary Sky Ships, regardless of the owner's faction, preserving their neutral status despite their close ties to the IPC.

    II. The Sky-Blight: Mechanical Corruption

    The Sky-Blight is the greatest threat. It is not a curse, but an aggressive, rapidly-propagating nanomechanical crystalline life form spawned from over-concentrations of unstable Raw Aether. It is the long-term, toxic waste product of the Architects' engineering failure.

    Mechanical Contamination: The Blight infiltrates wiring and gears, forming hard, abrasive crystals that seize engines and override automated systems, creating dangerous, unpredictable Blighted Automatons. The erratic energy of an Unstable Lumin-Core Shard is known to attract and accelerate this contamination, acting as a minor Blight catalyst.

    Biological Mutation: In organic hosts, it consumes biological energy and replaces cellular structure with rigid, crystalline filaments, twisting life into painful, hardened monstrosities like the Aether Serpents. This is extreme, rapid cellular and mechanical contamination.

    The Defense: The battle is purely technological, relying on high-heat Purge-Fire to shatter crystals and heavily shielded Aether-Dampers to stabilize volatile energy pockets.

    III. The Skyfarer's Life: Economy and Hazards

    Standardized Trade & Currency

    The common medium of exchange across the Sundered Isles is based on precious metals, valued for their scarcity, stability, and use in high-tolerance components:

    • Currency: Standardized Gold, Silver, and Copper coins are used for all trade, salaries, and commerce.

    • The Buoyancy Tax: The IPC enforces a mandatory "Buoyancy Tax" on all non-IPC vessels operating near Central Citadel. This tax, payable in Silver, is required to cover the refinement and stabilization costs of Lumin-Cores, particularly the reliable Lumin-Core Shards, creating a lucrative revenue stream for the IPC and a major source of resentment for the SCC and independent Skyfarers.

    Specific Hazards of the Void

    • Blight Scars: Survivors of intense Blight contamination often carry Blight Scars—permanent, crystalline growths that are biologically inert but must be constantly filed and lubricated, creating a persistent, uncomfortable affliction.

    • Aether Radiation: Constant exposure to high concentrations of Raw Aether or the erratic field around an Unstable Lumin-Core Shard can cause temporary maladies known as Minor Aether Sickness, marked by mental fog and physical fatigue.

    • Aether Storms: Sudden, unpredictable atmospheric disturbances caused by chaotic Raw Aether surges. They can instantly disable unshielded Sky Ships. These storms are primarily tracked and predicted using the proprietary data derived from specialized Void Compasses.

    • Architects' Echoes: Rumors persist that the Blight sometimes emits complex, fragmented binary code or fractured pre-Shattering language, suggesting automated systems or even remnants of the Architects' consciousness are struggling within the corruption. These "Echoes" are the target of many ASV expeditions.

    • Ancient Defenses: Automated, pre-Shattering defensive platforms still exist on random, remote islands. They periodically activate due to unstable Aether surges, becoming temporary environmental hazards that all Skyfarers must avoid or neutralize to prevent devastating laser fire.

    External Threat: The Sky-Pirate Clans

    In addition to the factional wars, numerous unaligned Sky-Pirate Clans operate outside the control of the five major groups. They are purely interested in plunder, loot, and scrap. They are an indiscriminate nuisance to the IPC, SCC, and Heartlanders alike, often preying on isolated trade vessels.

    IV. The Five Factions: The Sociopolitical Landscape

    FactionPrimary FocusCore Lore and Motivation🛡️ Ironclad Patrol Corps (IPC)Law enforcement, anti-piracy, and securing Lumin-Core trade routes. (The Sentinels)The highly disciplined enforcement arm, backed by the Riggers Guild. They view the Blight as a consequence of criminal instability and carelessness. They enforce absolute order through superior, standardized naval might, fueled by stable Lumin-Core Shards.

    💰 Shadow Current Cartel (SCC)Organized smuggling, market manipulation, and illegal Hot-Charge engine modifications.The powerful criminal network. They trade in unregulated, unrefined Raw Aether (cheaper, but highly Blight-prone). They leverage knowledge of hidden Aether currents to evade the IPC, viewing the Blight as a manageable risk for immense profit, often relying on Unstable Lumin-Core Shards for their highly volatile "Hot-Charge" engine boosts and utilizing stolen or black-market Void Compasses to navigate hidden, high-speed routes.

    📜 Archival Scriveners (ASV)Cataloging Pre-Shattering history, deciphering language, retrieving Architect blueprints.The neutral intellectual hub. They see the Blight as a long-term symptom of engineering hubris. They seek to understand the initial Architects' failure through salvaged data-cores to find a permanent, scientific solution.

    🔭 Eye of the Void ProphetsMonitoring Aetheric flow, Storm-Tide Prediction, psychological defense against radiation. (The Wind-Walkers)A fringe group of dedicated data-analysts and pilots. Their core technology revolves around the creation and use of the Void Compass and other highly sensitive Aether-tracking devices. Their 'prophecies' are derived from advanced Aether-Flow Monitors and are necessary to combat the paranoia and delusion caused by constant Aether radiation exposure.

    🏡 Heartlander's AnchorCommunity survival, neutral trade, hydroponic food production, and maintaining Safe Haven stations.The moral center, specializing in reclamation engineering and closed-loop systems. They provide the essential, non-metal resources: Clean Water and Stabilized Food Rations, which are vital to all factions. They act as a neutral trade zone.

    V. Core Map Features and Conflict Zones

    Map FeatureLore SignificanceFaction DynamicsAnchor's Edge Outpost (Starting Area)A satellite settlement on the edge of the Farmland Isles, functioning as a neutral waypoint and first line of defense.The player starts here as an independent Rigger or crew member with a disabled ship. It serves as an immediate introduction to the Heartlander's Anchor faction and the threats of the SCC and Sky-Blight.Central Citadel

    The capital island, home to the IPC's Iron Barracks and the main Lumin-Core Refinery.The IPC enforces martial law on the surface; the SCC controls the Black Market Docks below, running illicit trade and engine modification rings, often involving unstable Hot-Charge components.Black Spire IslandShattered Architects' Control Nexus—the epicenter of the Great Shattering.

    The prime site for the ASV to retrieve ancient Architect Blueprints. It is heavily guarded by Blight-corrupted Aether-Powered Constructs.Aether Crystal IslandThe purest source of Raw Aether, and the most volatile catalyst for the Sky-Blight.High-risk mining zone.

    The SCC attempts to use illegal charges here to destabilize the Aether and draw the Blight toward rival IPC operations, leading to an abundance of Unstable Lumin-Core Shards being created. Severe Radiation Damage is guaranteed.Farmland Isles (General)Geologically stable islands vital for Clean Water and Food Rations.Strictly overseen by the Heartlander's Anchor. Requires constant defense against Blight contamination and SCC resource raids. This is the source for vital consumables and community-focused quests.