Sky River

'In Ages past, the Cosmic Tide had no centre. Now, the Sky River is the closest thing the universe has to one.'

When Taekni first manifested within the Voidsea, it represented a fundamental shift in the very workings of reality itself that no sentient Kinde could have predicted. It was only with the passing of time that those who were baring witness to it began to fathom the degree to which their entire existence had been irrevocably altered.

One such change was that before, the Cosmic Tide did not have have a centre. With the emergence of the Arcane, it received one - That being the Sky River.

Characterized by it's truly gargantuan size, densely populated regions, and it's high abundance of astronomical phenomena, the Sky River is perhaps one of the most chaotic, dangerous, and mystical places in all existence. It is a Cluster Gyre, and the largest one known, by far, making it possibly the largest celestial body in existence. It is orbited by three major celestial bodies - The Twins of Time, two lone galaxies known as Fyrrirum and Ørlogrum, along with the Sky Shore, another, far smaller Cluster Gyre, which it is connected to via many wormholes and manmade technological wonders, both ancient and recent. The space between these two Cluster Gyres is also filled with stars and worlds, and is known as the Ginnungagap Corridor.

The Sky River was formed due to the Confluence, as the rest of the universe began to converge upon the Thalweg. The result of this was scattered worlds, historical Void Islands being thrown into regions they had no connection to, half-truths and misunderstandings of cultures from one end of the Sky River to the other. Factions broken apart that are still attempting to reconnect themselves.

Processes like evolution, which had previously taken millions, or tens of millions of years, are now often supercharged, taking only a fraction of that time. As ground zero of the emergence of the Arcane, and in permanent close proximity to it, the Sky River has seen Kinde evolve at exceptionally rapid rates. The emergence of Seidr Worlds, warped by the sheer abundance of Taeknikinetic energy they absorb, created even new biomes, environments, and forms of life, unique entirely to those worlds.

It is a place where stability and certainty have long since become myths, and the only certainty is uncertainty. To ask anyone within it though, no matter how much they may agree that it is a place of conflict and strife, it will equally be argued to be a place of immense beauty.

The ruins of many civilizations, ancient and recent, are scattered across every star, dense and rich in history that helped to shape the Valhallan Age That history manifests itself in as many different ways as there are civilizations - In the form of long abandoned or destroyed Void-stations, to Void Islands, transformed to support their own civilizations, worlds left as art pieces or scientific experiments, and much more.

It's absolute, and isolated centre, is the Abyssreach, and is the birthplace of the Broadwave, and is surrounded by both the Weaveway, and the Fae Rest. It is from this single point that the Technopocalypse began, and expanded in every direction, while also attracting nearly all of the Voidsea towards it. Perhaps one day, all of existence shall be pulled into it, in a singular, enormous mass. But until that day comes, the Sky River stands as perhaps the single most unique celestial entity known to grace the stars.

Structural Information

Description

A region is utterly gargantuan proportions, though in spite of it's name, the Sky River is not actually a singular object.

In actuality, it is a collection of many different Gyres, all either in close orbit, collision, or in the process of merging. Gravity and Taekni pulls them all in radically different directions, creating strange and bizarre formations, that were physically impossible before the emergence of Taekni. This process is called the Convergence, and is still on-going process.

Some Gyres have already entirely merged, forming new ones, which now orbit the Core Trench. Some have fully dissipated, torn apart by the increase in gravitational forces. Others have been held together by Taekni. There are also regions that are part of the Sky River that not physically connected to the larger body at all, but are separated by, in some areas, mere hundreds of light years, visible to one another, and can be traversed across, and thus, are considered to be part of the Sky River as a whole.

Due to the chaotic formation of the Sky River, huge numbers of Void Islands were knocked from their regular orbits, and thrown deep into the Voidsea. This has resulted on an untold number of Rouge Void Islands scattered across the Sky River. Plenty more have been thrown outside its boundaries, into the surrounding border regions of the Shoalless Abyss. These regions are still considered to be part of the Sky River, remaining close by, but still distant and mysterious.

Formation

Before Taekni, the Sky River didn't exist - It was a collection of dozens of Gyres, separated by the vastness of the Cosmic Tide. Once Taekni came into existence however, everything began to change. Matter found itself attracted to the Abyssreach, and acted accordingly, moving at speeds previously thought impossible. When they got closer to one another, they began to merge, and intersect. This even is known as the Convergence, and had lead to the Sky River as it exists today.

These regions are distinct from a collection of orbiting Gyres known as the Sky Shore.

It is currently uncertain exactly how many Gyres are part of the Sky River directly. It is speculated that at least 27 have become part of the Sky River. this includes ones which have fully merged with other, larger Gyres, and no longer exist on their own.

On a more individual level, events were significantly more chaotic. Void Islands and entire archipelagos were scattered out, seemingly at random, torn from their natural orbits by competing forces, pulling them in a variety of directions. Some were outright torn apart, creating interstellar hazards that caused issues for other worlds. Many were thrown into other Gyres, and were caught in new orbits. Some remain Rouge Worlds. Others are even more mysterious, seeming to have come out of nowhere.

Be it a result of the Convergence, undiscovered oddities being pulled out of their hiding places, or Taekni's influence upon reality, the Sky River has also become home to a wide variety of phenomenon. From wormholes that reach distant Gyres or nowhere at all, to other Universes, to Black Whirlpools glowing in the darkness, and being gateways to isolated pocket worlds, an explosion of Voidsea based life, and many other unexplained phenomena.

The effects of the Convergence are still felt, as it is still, by every known metric, an ongoing process - As such, it is impossible to fully rely upon the stability of the Sky River.

Sections

For the purposes of Voidsea Geopolitics, the Sky River is split up into a variety of sections. These sections are usually named after the Gyre that makes up that particular region.

Vetrarsaer

Also known as the Winter Sea, or the Core Trench, Vetrarsaer is the term used to describe the central Galaxy of the Sky River. It is here that Taekni is first thought to have originated, deep within the Abyssreach. Many Galaxies find themselves pulled towards it, while others maintain respectable orbits.

It is within this region that the Kin originate. They have spread life from their homeworld of Verdrasil to countless other Void Islands across Vetrarsaer.

Vibrant Lake

A Gyre that formerly used to be a neighbour of the Core Trench, the Vibrant Lake is a visually vibrant region, full of stars. It was apparently hypothesized by Void Age scientists that both the Core Trench and the Vibrant Lake were on a collision course, and that the Convergence merely sped up a likely event.

Tempest Expanse

The Tempest Expanse is a section of the Sky River noted for having particularly violent storms, Skerrys, Reefs, and other interstellar debris. Traversing throughout the Voidsea in this region is often a dangerous task.