Aegyn (Cosmoria)

"This is the home-world of our species? This derelict world with hardly any inhabitants? Frankly, it is embarrassing for the species that our home world remains in such a condition. Craters from constant shelling, a sea floor littered with ruins, and the remainder of the once-great structures overgrowing with plants not even native to this world. I cannot think of a world less fit to serve as a symbolic capital." -Chancellor Eris Sailem (89,217 CE)

Aegyn is the fourth world in the Helyar System located in the Martial Space region of Aylathiya. It is a temperate ecumenopolis and one of the oldest worlds hosting Humans. It is home to 1 billion individuals living directly on the surface and a further 4 billion individuals living in orbit of it or the barycenter in which it is a part. It is accompanied by a temperate binary planet known as Olaris. Once the center of Aylathiyan politics, Aegyn has since fallen by the wayside. Today it is a mostly derelict world still plagued with damage from wars taking place thousands of years prior to the present day.

Humans first colonized the planet in about 1,500 CE. From there, they remained stagnant as technological development slowed to a crawl even under the First Aeternal Society. After the civilization collapsed in 7,500, Aegyn remained a backwater only reachable by Magi. Sedrua discovered the planet in 54,752 CE and granted its inhabitants minor technological advancement in exchange for loyalty. After the Sedrua-Triumvirate War, Aegyn would come under the control of the Triumvirate Civilization. Aegyn would go on to become the center of galactic politics, its massive population, production capabilities, and its potent Magi population cemented it as the center of a vast trade network connecting the entirety of the galaxy to the markets on Aegyn.

With the collapse of the Triumvirate, Aegyn still managed to maintain its high status. In 84,417 CE, it became the capital of Erstes Konsortium, a nation created by Human merchants, organizations, and governments to protect their interests. Aegyn would remain the capital of Erstes Konsortium until it was sacked by the Neo-Terran Party in 87,840. From there it fell into disrepair as refugees fled the planet in large number. By 90,000 CE, less than one billion people called the planet home. It wasn't until a recolonization program initiated by the Confederacy of Borealis that the population began rising again in 99,056. It has consistently remained in the background since then, only receiving enough outside support to maintain profitable tourist areas.

History

Prehistoric Era

The planet first formed 4.9 Gya and first hosted life 4.0 Gya. The life remained as simple bacteria and archaea until 1.2 Gya when the first complex cells emerged. From there, life exploded into a large variety of organisms from plants to complex animals. It would never quite make it onto land as various impacts consistently reset life's tentative presence beyond the oceans.

176 million years before the present day, Ma'eau came across the world only to discover that it hosted a locally-evolved ecosystem filled mostly with single-celled life. Wasting no time, Ma'eau spread this life across much of Martial Space, preserving it. Ma'eau integrated the unique solutions this life found to problems, causing it to begin using phosphorous instead of arsenic across its life. Where phosphorous proved rare, it would import the substance instead, such were the gains in efficiency that this element presented.

Father Zaphenim created Humans on Olaris, their first target for colonization the planet of Aegyn whose fertile soil, unparalleled oxygen concentration, and vast seas made the world more desirable than their home. By 1,000 CE, several million lived on Aegyn and a smaller more loyal number resided on Olaris. Aegyn at this time had very little in the way of industry, economic output, or even anything beyond a subsistence economy. These early humans were potent users of Thaumaturgy, meaning they had no need for technology to advance. Even after Zaphenim's civilization collapsed, Humans remained on Aegyn for thousands of years.

In about 38,700 CE, thousands of Humans would land on the world and begin rapidly altering it. This group, called the Svartálfar people, originated on Eos and possessed not only powerful magi, but the technology to make Thaumaturgy far more useful. They introduced millions of engineered land species onto the already-oxygenated world, they were able to make it habitable for themselves within a handful of centuries. They referred to the natives as the Dökkálfar, a term that was originally a mark of respect, this people being far closer to the, at this point, mythological Zaphenim.

With time, the line between the two peoples would disappear, both forgetting their heritage amongst the stars of Aylathiya and instead worshiping the twin suns of Aegyn, spirits, ancestors, or any other conceivable deity. Their technology was useless without Thaumaturgy and the art had long since fallen into obscurity after large-scale suppression by the ruling class rendered it infeasible. Over centuries, the practice was replaced with other far less effective means of channeling magic, such as astrology or geomancy. Over several more centuries, the population began rapidly falling as global cooling greatly reduced the carrying capacity of the ecosystem. Ma'eau had no reason to maintain the previous temperate conditions on Aegyn.

Pre-Space Civilizations

Civilization reemerged on the continent Yoasobi in about 54,099 CE. These civilizations started as fairly small city-states surrounded by farmland. Throughout the centuries, they became sprawling empires complete with writing systems, an advanced grasp on mathematics, and territory taking up the entirety of their continent. Around this time, they began spreading out from their home-continent in the first vessels they built capable of long-distance oceanic travel. They first colonized the continent Aimer, a northerly continent cooler than Yoasobi. They went on to get the other 4 major land masses of Rin, Ninelie, Oxt, and Ayaka. These landmasses, more accurately described as large islands, were accompanied by well over one million smaller islands who were finally colonized dozens of millennia after civilization began.

These civilizations remained fairly primitive for the next one thousand years, those living on Yoasobi rediscovering iron in about 55,000 BCE. Around this time, a probe from Sedrua encountered mankind. Wasting no time, it signaled home and began using its language algorithms to figure out how Humans communicated. Fortunately, it was the easy-to-decode sound-based languages, allowing for a message to be quickly sent. The 20 most influential governments on Aegyn, all of which located on Yoasobi, would be contacted in their dominant language. While it took quite a lot of explaining to get them to understand their place as the new subjects of a galactic empire as well as their standing as the descendants of it, they would eventually accept.

Legend has it that one leader refused unless Sedrua proved who they were by granting their wish. Their wish was to have "unlimited material to finish their monuments." Sedrua secured an asteroid for the planet, processed it, and placed it into orbit around Aegyn. Each of the governments were given a set allotment of resources that would fall from the sky periodically. Convinced by Sedrua's true dominance over the universe, every nation obliged. The flag of Sedrua flew over the capitols of each nation as per the deal. Their religions abandoned, Aegyn's nations entered into a peaceful yet stagnant time period. Most of the populace converted to Aeternalism at this time.

Rise of Anthrovia

After the 20 civilizations achieved peace, prosperity, and unlimited resources, they would dominate their regions with their monopoly on resources. Every conceivable resource became common. Gold lost all value, food became plentiful as rock phosphates fertilized fields, and there was no shortage of labor. Immense megastructures composed of what were then considered exotic materials, namely steel and aluminum, dotted the surface. Vast temples, palaces, cities, and complexes sprung up throughout Aegyn. With an infinite supply of material came an infinite lust for growth.

The 20 civilizations would eventually blend together, creating a continent-spanning empire called "Anthrovia" meaning "land of the Humans." This sprawling nation had a single king and dozens of lesser lords beneath them. Beyond the largest continent, the so-called "barbarians" ruled. Shipping technology was poor, allowing for the smaller continents to remain free. Despite their best efforts, they would never receive resources from Sedrua, forcing them to mine for their own. These barbarians would remain technologically on par with the main continent however, any advancement made there flowing out to all Humans on Aegyn within a decade.

In 61,138 CE, the Triumvirate Civilization created a large number of probes to monitor primitive races throughout the territory they gained during the Sedrua-Triumvirate War. The probes would eventually detect and destroy Sedrua's probes in orbit of Aegyn. As they noticed the populace loyal to Sedrua on the ground, they nearly obliterated Anthrovia until a signal from the home world disabled the probes.

The Triumvirate drafted a treaty in which humans would gain sovereignty over a vast tract of space in exchange for loyalty. Even though the Humans had no way to travel through space or understand the world around them, they signed the treaty out of fear of losing their resources. Anthrovia would become a province within the Triumvirate.

Era of Magocracy

The birth of Moonmoon began a new era on Aegyn. Within the next few centuries, the practice of Thaumaturgy became common on Aegyn, much to the delight of their new rulers. While most civilizations gain access to Thaumaturgy well after having the science to explain it, the Humans had no ability to parse this strange new phenomenon. Moonmoon's new religion, giving glory to a being called Silverstar, would rapidly gain popularity within the vacuum that was created by the abandonment of their ancient religions. With Thaumaturgy came a new class of people, the Magi, who would easily replace the original ruling class.

The Magi would soon conquer Aegyn, imposing their rule not only over Yoasobi but over the entire planet. Given their vast magical power, subjugating the free societies across the world became a simple task. Olaris, Aegyn's binary twin with a similarly breathable atmosphere, would become a penal colony. The Magi would transport commoners to to mine its easily accessible resources as the supply within the small asteroid dwindled. Thaumaturgy, originally a source of wonder, became a source for contempt as the people grew to hate its once revolutionary powers.

Moonmoon, being the immortal being that he was, bore witness to this corruption of Thaumaturgy. Distressed by the totalitarian global empire that it created, Moonmoon began a new school of study within Thaumaturgy, Esoteric Thaumaturgy. This field of study would remain fairly fringe, allowing for it to remain under the direct supervision of Moonmoon to prevent it from falling into the hands of those who would abuse its power.

As more time passed, the Magi would realize that flying to other planets, and even stars, was relatively easy. The first Thaumic Ships created by Humans were crude pressure vessels containing colonists bound for new worlds. The first Humans to stand on a planet outside of Helyar's system were Magi who landed on the nominally habitable planet of Albedo in 61,204 CE. This world with its 15% oxygen content, while hypothetically habitable, killed the vast majority of the commoners forced to settle it. Those that could adapt would be put to work turning the planet into an outpost for further exploration. Petra and Thalsiedeln were the next planets colonized.

Around this time, Esoteric Thaumaturgy became increasingly common amongst those living on the remote islands of Aegyn. As it did, Silverstar himself would protect its practitioners from the Magi ruling class. Silverstar, not using any of the more classical thaumaturgy, would go undetected by the Triumvirate, enforcing the freedom for his worshipers in secret.

Anthrovian Civil War

Main Article: Anthrovian Civil War

Humans developed the scientific method around 61,450 CE as Humans from across the Esoteric-dominated world began a sort of enlightenment period. Technological development erupted from there and within one thousand years, it became advanced enough to deliver power across Aegyn. The Magi ruling class hated technology and did their best to disrupt its advancement, but the Triumvirate usually stepped in to make sure its subjects advanced. By 61,600 CE, common Humans brought nuclear power to all of its colonies, shed the need for Magi in most areas, and had begun encroaching on the dominance of the ruling class.

The moment Silverstar was sealed and prevented from interacting with the normal universe, the Magi organized an interstellar movement to crush this threat to their power. Coinciding with a rebellion against the Triumvirate by nearly all of its provinces, the Magi were left undisturbed, free to attack their rivals. This caused the Anthrovian Civil War, an interstellar conflict lasting over fifty years.

The conflict began as the former ruling class unleashed their exceptional abilities onto the populace, causing vast numbers of casualties within the opening hours. The esoteric magi soon struck back, buying the commoners enough time to organize effective defenses against the superhuman magi. Paladins, a type of Magi deriving their power through faith in a specific cause or deity, devoted to the philosophy of Alkanism struck back, a bloody affair which leveled entire cities. Both sides, the esoteric magi and paladins that protected technology and the magi who scorned it, manipulated the citizenry into fighting much of their battles. Not just a war of power but of propaganda, the two sides remained locked in seemingly endless conflict until the bombing of Ongak, the then capital of Aegyn. Decapitated, the Magi were slowly pushed back as soldiers from the Great Intendancy, the Triumvirate's police force, landed on Aegyn. It was secured and peace was enforced several years later.

Post War

The Triumvirate placed a large number of resources into Aegyn after the war. The vast cities and megastructures continued expanding as they were repaired, slowly creating a planet-wide city simply called "Anthrov City." Aegyn's populated leveled out several years after the war at 43 billion, with the total population of Anthrovia becoming nearly 100 billion. After advances in medicine raised the average lifespan to nearly 200 years, Aegyn's population exploded as death became far less common. This sudden increase lead to large numbers of colonists leaving the planet as it became increasingly crowded. Space habitats greatly increased in number during this time. Even Eos was not safe from human colonization, with large numbers moving to that world.

Until the beginning of the common era, the status quo remained unchanged. The planet had become an ecumenopolis following explosive population growth brought about by the deposing of the Magocracy. With over one trillion people living on the planet by 70,000 CE, Aegyn saw a period of sustained growth culminating with almost 2 trillion souls occupying the planet. Such a large population lived in massive cities and orbital habitats artificially lit by fusion reactors. Large numbers of humans migrated from Aegyn to surrounding star systems.

As the Triumvirate rocketed towards collapse, Aegyn would enjoy steady economic growth and a vast productive capability. Even as the civilization collapsed, Aegyn's prosperity remained.

Post-Collapse Era

In 84,417 CE, Erstes Konsortium emerged as Human organizations from across the Triumvirate banded together to preserve their interests. Aegyn would be the capital of this new nation. The new order was quite different however. The leader of Erstes Konsortium, called the Kaiser, would allow for relatively tolerable organizations to manage order across Erstes Konsortium in exchange for joint sovereignty over the territory. Since the Kaiser directly controlled the population centers, this would result in a mutually beneficial deal for worlds across the Kaiser's domain. Normalcy soon returned as Aegyn continued receiving large volumes of trade now from other nations such as the Commonwealth of Aggregate Aylathiya.

Aegyn remained under the control of the Kaiser until 88,752 CE when the Neo-Terran Party shelled the planet, killing the Kaiser. Aegyn's status as the center of Erstes Konsortium was removed as the Neo-Terrans moved the capital to Albedo. While the planet still received large amounts of trade, the Party would soon ban trading with the world to starve out the loyalists occupying the planet's vast cities. As vast numbers of people fled the planet to nearby systems, the Party would eventually open up trade, but by then it was too late, the planet was decimated.

Several centuries later, the Confederacy of Borealis would occupy the planet and turn it into a minor production hub before the Great Empyreal Crusade rendered the planet all but uninhabitable. To this day, few call this planet home. Even though there are restoration efforts underway, Humanity has largely moved on from their home world. Once an economic powerhouse, Aegyn has been reduced to an irradiated wasteland.

Geography

Aegyn's oceans occupy over 80% of the planet's surface. In the past, the figure was much lower at 65% before the Great Empyreal Crusade in which the planet was attacked dozens of times. The planet's original continents of Yoasobi, Aimer, Rin, Ninelie, Oxt, and Ayaka have all since been buried by the remains of the once great ecumenopolis covering the planet. Most of its great buildings have fallen into the seas, their weight sinking the continents.

When Aegyn began falling into disrepair, various sections of the continental shelf had sunk below sea level, flooding many of the cities. Unchecked plant-growth began overtaking much of its infrastructure. By the time Martial Space recovered from the Great Empyreal Crusade, most of the planet was uninhabitable. The regular bombardment served to almost completely flatten all but the sturdiest of buildings as well as greatly increase the amount of water on the planet. The original continents have all flooded, leaving only artificial structures poking out of the waves. The bombardment killed most native life to the point that few of the original species remain extant.

What remains of the "land" is mostly sandbars made up of smoothed shards of metal, plastic, rock, and other common substances. The largest of these islands manage to house limited ecosystems made mostly of genetically modified or foreign species. Few animals live in these environments. Aegyn's oceans are devoid of multicellular life, the large amounts of pollutants in the water killed most complex life. Most of the ocean's inhabitants are bacteria which managed to adapt to the polluted seas or genetically modified algae which maintain Aegyn's atmosphere. Several newly-created artificial islands also exist on the planet which serve to house the newest wave of colonists.

Civilization

Aegyn is notoriously hard to govern given its nature. Many criminals and organizations reside in the vast underground catacombs carved by ancient Anthrovia. Anywhere from deeply-bored tunnels reaching well into the mantle to the ruins of space stations orbiting the planet, one can find dangerous criminals, rogue machines, and all other manner of unsavory individuals the government would rather do without. During the late War of the Ancients, the Confederacy of Borealis would release war criminals, deserters, and certain prisoners of war onto Aegyn. This practice continued well beyond the War of the Ancients until the early 99,000's CE. Aegyn's isolated position and lack of resources made it the natural choice for disposing of inconvenient individuals without outright killing them.

By the time the program ended, Aegyn was already teeming with a large number of underground organizations and dangerous individuals. The local government of the region decided to cull the population of the planet by subjugating Aegyn to punishing levels of radiation, only serving to drive the populace deeper underground. When the latest recolonization effort began in the early 99,000's, the colonists had to contend with limited funds, hostile natives descended from deportees, and a dangerous atmosphere. Despite being the home-world of humanity, only a relative handful of individuals volunteered for recolonization. These individuals exclusively live in one walled city, Tshenst. Tschenst is the one place on the planet which can be considered habitable by legal standards. Everywhere else on the planet, especially underground, is a hostile environment foreign to most living in post-scarcity civilizations.