Vernarca Nebula
User:The Minmus Derp (30/12/2024)
User:TheLostProbe (original, 22/05/2020)
User:The Minmus Derp (remastered, 30/12/2024)
Seed Cluster
24x24x17 ly
~10,000 ly3
~2,000 Stellar Masses
~2.5%
Low
~3000 stars
4-5
Uncountable
- Alorath
- Ancient Builders (extinct)
- Adelphans (extinct)
- Alvel
- Azani
- Bahnags
- Bronze Thelsa
- Eanai
- Edrons (extinct)
- Enolians (critically endangered)
- Falaci
- Gilded Thelsa
- Ilvin
- Iron Thelsa
- Kaegans
- Kesstra
- Krask
- Kuna'uashi
- Lrenn
- Moco
- Nerbahisn (refugee population)
- Oro Dalaka
- Pahvo
- Pr'rana
- Qat'hertha
- Q'Mau
- Ra'al
- Ravoryl
- Saladi (critically endangered)
- Seyerin
- Silik (extinct)
- Tarasze
- Terakela
- Titoalu (refugee population)
- Urann
- Verna
- Vilir
- Xelhas (refugee population)
- Yhroranh (refugee population)
- Zemim
huge variety
Kaegan Soveregnty claiming everything in the universe
The Vernarca Nebula. sometimes called the Vernarka Nebula, Hearth Nebula, or Hadauk Nebula, is a large seed cluster within the Ervo Sector of the outer ring of the Silky Way galaxy. Within its bounds, a vast diversity of worlds, species, nations, and cultures can be found, from the Alorath to the Zemim. From an astropolitical standpoint, the Vernarca Nebula is dominated by the Vernarcan Federation, a multicultural federation of many species and nations spanning much of the seed cluster.
Although the Vernarca Nebula is physically a fairly standard seed cluster and stellar nursery, its inhabitants have had an outsized effect on the galaxy at large, most notably through massive events like the destruction of the Void which threatened the entire Silky Way, and through all the seemingly minor effects brought by the voyage of the FSS Kareland.
The Vernarca Nebula takes its name from the binary wolf-rayet star Vernarca, among the most violent and luminous stars in the known galaxy. This star system is found within the territory of the Vernarcan Federation, specifically the Tyran Free State, and has been utilized for both war and peace to great effect throughout history. Vernarca is surrounded by a wide variety of other massive stars, including Kerillis, Alanas, Irga, Veltoris, Narsekil, Ivor, and more, found both within the Federation and in other states such as the Falacian Dominion, Krask Hegemony, Marakat, Voyorras, and the Thelsan Assembly
Astropolitical Climate
The Vernarca Nebula is populated by a wide variety of nations, from the societally calcified Thelsan Assembly to the utterly lawless warlord realms of Marakat. However, a large fraction of the nebula's stars lie within the borders of the Vernarcan Federation, a powerful federation of various partially self-governing states with a society broadly welcoming to alien species. In the past, the Falacian Dominion was a credible threat to the Federation during the Falacian Cold War, but since its collapse into civil war and sectionalism, has ceased to be so.
Other nations within the Nebula not part of the Federation include the Thelsan Assembly, a nation governed on the basis of what its semi-mythical founders would have wanted, and the Kaegan Sovereignty, a fiercely theocratic and xenophobic nation which claims everything in the universe and considers other species to be soulless puppets of the Devil.
The much-diminished Falacian Dominion is also surrounded by several breakaway states, including the Falacian High Rule, ruled by a dynasty with about as much claim to the Ruby Throne as that of the Dominion, United Planets, a tight-knit alliance of former Falacian provinces, and the Imperial Falacian State, a theocratic nation believing itself to be the rightful rulers of all of Falacian space due to their "pure" society and beliefs.
Most other nations within the Vernarca Nebula are minor powers controlling a fairly small number of systems. The oldest continuous state in the nebula, the First Federation, has existed for the better part of a million years, based around the survivors of the depradations of the Edrons and hidden within the natural objects of the Thasarus System. The Clans of Azan form a chaotic alliance of semi-feudal clans which fight against each other as much as they fight together against outside powers, only qualifying as a nation on a technicality. Marakat is a completely failed state with everything above Vistari's atmosphere controlled by either militant rebel groups or petty warlords, and the former province of Burumal has been the only functional state in Marakat territory for the past century until its official independence in 137. Once a beacon of democracy after escaping from the clutches of the Tyran Empire, Voyorras fell to the rule of a corrupt tinpot dictatorship, and has gone through almost a dozen dictators with no material change since. The Federate of Varaltin-Zartha has stood alone as a strictly neutral nation since the Falacian Dominion's fall into chaos, and the miniscule fascist state of Etuernia is largely ignored by its surrounding nations as the people slowly get fed up with its government.
The discovery of the Szalana Wormhole in 123 AC led to an inextricable connection with the peoples of the Apple Nebula, although they resided almost ninety thousand light-years away in the Hinthorn Sector. Many populations native to both regions of space have found themselves in the other, and cultural mixing is continuing. After the close of the War of the Broken Bow, the detente between the Hinthorn Sector-based Alliance of Five nations and those of the Yazera Pact created to fight the Void has thus far held with no immediate concern of renewed hostilities. We all hope that it remains so into the future.
Abridged History
Formation
The Vernarca Nebula coalesced closer to the midpoint of the galactic ring around 2.5 billion years ago, as a hopelessly uninhabitable region of space irradiated by a massive number of oversized stars. The modern Stelzer Nebula in the Regorum Sector is at a similar stage in its life cycle, and the Kareland's survey of the region brought many insights into the Vernarca Nebula's past.
As the first stars of the Nebula formed and died, the environment of the region gradually cooled and gave the next generation of stars the opportunity to form life on their worlds. This happened in short order, with worlds like Teralla, Varbudos, Kyx, and Verri all developing their own ecosystems ~1.8 billion years before the present day.
Ancient History
Around a billion years ago and 55,000 light-years distant from the Nebula, the Qomarat Empire began to expand from the innermost galactic core. As it spread through the galaxy, it left its mark on almost every star, extinguishing uncountable lives and even entire civilizations to fuel their infinite growth. Meanwhile, the mysterious Ancient Builders began to rise from their homeworld of Nalaren in the Kalpen System, taking full advantage of the more desolate era to colonize large portions of the Vernarca Nebula. They built numerous great works across the nebula, from vast megastructures to new ecosystems to eternal archives in deep space, but the legendary Obilehem Intelligence numbers among the greatest. This construct continues to function even in the modern day, and has itself colonized much of the Algor Cluster for the end of determining the "Task at Hand".
Elsewhere, the Ancient Builders seeded many planets, resulting in much more numerous forms of life everywhere in the nebula even today. Most impressively, the previously sterile planet of Earen, doomed to remain so for the rest of time by geological happenstance, was transformed into a garden world filled with numerous species of all kinds.
The Earen experiment was in progress when the Qomarat Empire finally reached the nebula's position on their conquests.The Qomarat cared little for diversity or any form of ilfe that was not their own, seeing all else as merely tools or materials to use to advance themselves. They had attained such power that most who fought back were swept aside as if nothing, but the Ancient Builders had long since conquered the entire nebula and mastered much of the sciences. WIP
Edronian Era
Pre-Federation Era
Modern Era
Astrography
The Vernarca Nebula, as one of the larger seed clusters known to its civilizations, possesses a number of smaller substructures. These are largely in the form of nebular complexes, star clusters, or other defined regions of space, and are often the basis of treaty boundaries. The nations of the nebula divide the Vernarca Nebula into eleven regions, as follows.
Hadauk Cluster
The largest cluster of newborn massive stars within the Vernarca Nebula, the Hadauk Cluster can be found near the center of the seed cluster. It is clearly visible in the skies of every world nearby, and is home to the supermassive stars of Vernarca A and B from which the nebula takes its modern name. Also found here are Hadra, the Hadeos System, Sardak and Gagibah, as well as much of the territory of the Tyran Free State. Being home to as many dangerous stars as it is, very few species make their home here, including the critically endangered Saladi and immigrant Tarasze. The Sardak Clouds, home to various protostar formations, can be found on the outskirts of the cluster as well.
Notable stars within the Hadauk Cluster include:
Parallelogram Cluster
The other major active star-forming hotspot (compared to the already-high rate of the Nebula as a whole) is the Parallelogram Cluster, a region of space controlled largely by breakaway states from the Tyran Empire. It is home to such major stars as Bakino, the Deferna System, Kerillis, Terith, Olorat, and more, as well as the nations of Marakat, Voyorras, Burumal, and a small part of the rim-most Vernarcan Federation. The Ilvin, Enolian, Iron Thelsa, and possibly Terakela species originated in this region of space. A notable region of the cluster exists in the form of the Ilidarian Clouds, a large collection of Bok Globules largely in the territory of Marakat and thus almost entirely unexploited.
Notable stars within this region include:
Traken Drift
The Traken Drift is a large region of space occupying much of the coreward lobe of the Vernarca Nebula, dominated by the territories of the Falacian Dominion and its various breakaway states. The region borders Istrin's Cloud, Keuremaske's Labyrinth, the Verda Stellar Neighborhood, and the Hadauk Cluster. As a rule, it has a comparatively lower rate of star formation than the likes of the Parallelogram, Hadauk, and Tarangul Clusters. Stars such as Anjai, Kurlobak, Ilinar, and Qqaba are clearly visible across the entire nebula, and have long been ceters of civilization due to their high power outputs. The Traken Drift includes the territories of the Falacian Dominion, Falacian High Rule, and parts of the Imperial Falacian State and United Planets.
Notable stars within the Traken Drift include:
Telkron Expanse
A relatively small region abutting the edge of the nebula, largely defined by not being in other regions, the Telkron Expanse is arguably the most desolate part of the nebula itself. With just one (conjectured) native species, the expanse is home almost entirely to resource-poor worlds and dying stars. The Expanse includes the territory of the Krask Hegemony, the completely reclusive Verteron Consortium, and small parts of the Vernarcan Federation and Falacian High Rule.
Notable stars within the Telkron Expanse include:
Verda Stellar Neighborhood
The Verda Stellar Neighborhood, while not anywhere near as desolate as the Telkron Expanse, is much generally calmer than the star-forming clusters popping off around it. The occasional supermassive star does form here, but they are much rarer compared to the more habitable stars which largely populate this region. The Verda Stellar Neighborhood is the heartland of the Vernarcan Federation and the home of all five of its founding members. The vast majority of the VSN is controlled by the Vernarcan Federation and its member states, but the ancient First Federation, the Talarian Union, Etuernia, and parts of the Kaegan Sovereignty are also found here. Only a few supermassive stars can be found in this region, including Kiel, Irga and Zalidor.
Stars within the Verda Stellar Neighborhood include:
Tarangul Cluster
Located at the far rimward end of the Vernarca Nebula, the Tarangul Cluster home to a number of species including the Bronze and Gilded Thelsa, the Pr'rana, and others. The cluster is split between a number of states, but dominated by the deeply conservative and calcified Thelsan Assembly. The cluster is centered upon a set of massive stars and the impressive Eyeni Nebula, a region of space which has long been populated. Some of the territories of the Clans of Azan and the Unity of Fass Karan can be found here as well.
Stars within the Tarangul Cluster include:
Algor Cluster
One of the most enigmatic regions of the Vernarca Nebula, the Algor Cluster is largely controlled by the unfathomably ancient Obilehem Intelligence. In its billion-year tenure within the cluster, almost every object has been encased in massive megastructures of various kinds with the rare exceptions of stars with native life in their systems. One of the few civilizations outside of the Intelligence is the Communities of Siron and Khoasin, a single-system civilization within the ailing Ters System inhabited by the Qat'hertha species. The CSK, with its near-singleminded focus on preventing Ters' departure from the main sequence, has little interest in international politics, and the Intelligence held even less prior to contact with the Void. Interestingly, the Algor Cluster's stars hold wildly different proper motions to the rest of the Vernarca Nebula, indicating that the cluster may be an entirely independent seed cluster which happens to be passing through.
Stars within the Algor Cluster include:
- Ekai A and B
Caracal-Zagrade Association
A fairly small region shrouded in dust expelled by the larger star-forming zones, the Caracal-Zagrade Association is found between the Parallelogram Cluster and the Tarangul Cluster. It is primarily under the control of the Clans of Azan, the Thelsan Assembly, the Enolian Coalition, and Kesstra Asendancy. Several notably large stars exist in the region, including the binaries of the Thalos and Teleas systems, the LBV Inielus, the wolf-rayet stars of the Apizar System, and the red supergiant Spokerdeser. Notably, the region affected by the Vovos Psychophager can be found at the coreward edge of the association.
Stars within the Caracal-Zagrade Association include:
Pillars of Dawn
A large region dominated by the nebular structures of the same name, the Pillars of Dawn form a part of the spinward edge of the Vernarca Nebula and hold a distinctive look visible even from elsewhere in the galaxy. The region is largely controlled by the Talarian Union and Kaegan Sovereignty, and includes territory of the Vernarcan Federation, Thelsan Assembly, and the miniscule Etuernia. The Pillars are dominated and shaped by a number of supermassive stars, including Kweji, Skadi, and Loques/Kolus, as well as the wolf-rayet of Surias.
Istrin's Cloud
Istrin's Cloud forms the farthest coreward end of the Vernarca Nebula, beyond most of Falacian space. Straddling the border between the United Planets and Imperial Falacian State, it contains a number of massive stars including the eclipsing binary of Thetalix and Harlak and the chaotic five-part Orios System. The notable worlds of Vuhl and Tekarani can be found here, the last outposts of civilization before a traveler enters the void beyond the nebula.
Stars within Istrin's Cloud include
Keuremaske's Labyrinth
By far the smallest region represented here, Keuremaske's Labyrinth is a densely packed, dangerous region of space found within the coreward lobe of the Vernarca Nebula. It also holds the secondary name of "Maze of the Gods". The Labyrinth is found near the borders of the Falacian Dominion, Falacian High Rule, Krask Hegemony, and Vernarcan Federation, and separates the Telkron Expanse from the rest of the nebula. Away from the densely packed forming stars, the region is thick with dust and gases, constantly being pushed around by the newborn stellar winds to create dangerous plasma storms which can easily destroy unprotected craft. The vast majority of the Labyrinth's minuscule population resides in small oases created by young stars like Kirimo and Ix, or by destructive interference between the waves of stellar wind.
Stars within Keuremaske's Labyrinth include:
Notable Worlds
Civilizations
The Vernarca Nebula is filled with hundreds of different civilizations, filling every star with life. The nebula is largely at peace following the close of the War of the Broken Bow on 13.10, 150 AC, beyond minor conflicts like the Falacian Civil War and the constant warlord slapfights of Marakat. At present, the Vernarcan Federation is the dominant power of the nebula, as many of its member states are arguably superpowers in their own right.
Species and Homeworlds
The population of the Vernarca Nebula is large and rapidly growing in the new era of peace, and a large number of species can be found originating within its borders. With the discovery of the Szalana Wormhole in 123 AC and the return of the FSS Kareland in 149, many species from beyond the bounds of the nebula can also be found here, something which is not at all common in the widely separated seed clusters of the Silky Way. A list of the most prominent groups of people of the Vernarca Nebula can be found below:
- Alorath –
- Ancient Builders –
- Adelphans –
- Alvel (Varnak Falaci) –
- Azani –
- Bahnag –
- Bronze Thelsa –
- Eanai –
- Edrons –
- Enolians –
- Falaci –
- Gilded Thelsa –
- Ilvin –
- Iron Thelsa –
- Kaegans –
- Kesstra –
- Krask –
- Kuna'uashi –
- Lrenn –
- Moco –
- Nerbahisn (refugee population)
- Oro Dalaka (Pasynea Falaci) –
- Pahvo (Neeia Falaci) –
- Pr'rana –
- Qat'hertha –
- Q'Mau –
- Ra'al –
- Ravoryl –
- Saladi –
- Seyerin (Hikrai Falaci) –
- Silik –
- Tarasze – Gaharey, Dithi System, Devore Cluster, Hinthorn Sector
- Terakela – Unknown Origin
- Titoalu – Tanalor's Ring, Hesteral Cluster, Brenari Sector
- Urann –
- Verna –
- Vilir –
- Xelhas (refugee population)
- Yhroranh (refugee population)
- Zemim –
A list of stars in the Vernarca Nebula can be found here.