Aylathiya
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Aylathiya is one of Cosmoria's three major arms, in conjunction with Zalanthium and Florathel. Aylathiya has three major civilizations within it, Martial Space, Sedrua, and the Payotari. These powerful civilizations, save for the Payotari, are made up of dozens of sovereign states. For most of history, these nations have squabbled over territory, access to trade routes, and resources. Today, Aylathiya entered a period of international cooperation where international organizations, such as the Greater Martial Consilium and Commonwealth of Aggregate Aylathiya, dominate politics.
The old order of Overlords, whether immensely powerful Magi or system-spanning artificial intelligences, collided with a modern order where states, who can mobilize billions of soldiers, stood up to them. The friction between these two ways of doing things is responsible for much of the region's history, like a fault line in the political order from which all kinds of energy are released.
Most of Aylathiya is highly developed, with Hyperlanes allowing for quick travel to most stars. The current population is 32.4 trillion, a fraction of the population of the past. Consequently, the economy of the region peaked in the 8000s CE, only a handful of times approaching this historical maximum. Currently, its economy is about three-fourths of its maximum.
Prehistory
Life first came into existence in Aylathiya not on its planets but in the vast ocean of space. This life, analogous to the ocean-dwelling life forms most common in the universe, has evidence for its existence dating back at least 4.5 billion years. Since time immemorial, Aylathiya supported a stunning array of life since well before the first planets cooled enough to entertain seas of liquid water.
It would come to a handful of other planets, but the number of abiogenesis events is about seven, three of which happening in space. This is a small number compared to the dozens of life-bearing worlds across Aylathiya. While some life is descended from spaceborne life that settled certain worlds, the majority of habitable worlds were not born but built. The builder was Ma'eau, a force of creation responsible for most of Aylathiya's life. A naturally occurring algorithm of sorts, Ma'eau unconsciously influenced life across Aylathiya to terraform worlds. The center of this network was Velevev, which became the host of planet-spanning brains responsible for coordinating the life of Aylathiya.
Aylathiya's quiet childhood erupted into chaos upon the emergence of the High Warlock. The entity gracefully swam across space, throwing stars, worlds, and anything else it could get its hands on deep in its deformed maw. Rather than waste time on the old and polluted stars of Aylathiya, their high metallicity seemingly distasteful to the being, the Warlock flew to the children of Cosmoria, its satellites. From there, the Warlock voraciously fed until nearly 1.2 billion years ago, when the fabled Cerulean Kings defeated the entity in a legendary battle only for it to crawl into the embrace of its finest meal, Cosmoria's final satellite of Sinister.
The Warlock's appetite would earn it the disdain of potentially Aylathiya's first civilization. Looking up from a nameless world, the population united in fear and rage as much of their home was destroyed. Forming into a singular collectivized being, the new "Bastard Son" vowed to bring down the High Warlock by any means necessary.
Initial Epoch
The first civilizations of Aylathiya emerged as the life forged by Ma'eau began to evolve. The first species to "win" Darwin's game of life were the Hyperians, who emerged in about 600,000 BCE. By the time they were leaving their home world to venture to the stars, Florathel's Lareas Alliance had marked their star as part of their sovereign territory. The Lareas Alliance supervised the species as they advanced, forming the state of Hyperion in about 50,000 BCE. This state was officially a vassal of the Alliance and used to stage further expansion into the rest of Aylathiya.
Civilization, however, did not last long. Just as quickly as it emerged was it extinguished by the Andvaris Swarm, a swarm of self-replicating probes. Every major government, supply chain, and space station would eventually be destroyed, locking nearly all life in Aylathiya on their home worlds. The exception was Ma'eau, who was not registered as a nation but as a force of nature by the swarm. It repaired the ecosystems of Aylathiya but purged most of the species intelligent enough to potentially evolve sapience. Ma'eau did not want to risk another attack.
The next civilization to form was again in Martial Space. The remnants of Hyperion formed the Cosmic Commonwealth of Mages, a civilization of mage-nobility where single individuals ruled billions. They were quickly replaced by the Oberherr League, an even more extreme example of oligarchy. Instead of Mages, it was ruled by so-called "Overlords," individuals capable of operating on planetary scales. These powerful beings, mostly artificial intelligences and Noosphereic Disturbances, ruled for 900 years before collapsing into infighting.
Angelic Epoch
Zaphenim & the Humans
The next civilization, again in Martial Space, formed not from native life or an association of powerful individuals, but from the rule of a single unquestionable authority, Zaphenim. The being, spontaneously manifesting within the Lux Aeterna, had unparalleled power so far within Cosmoria. His first order of business was the destruction of the Overlords, a seemingly impossible task for all but this powerful Angel. After centuries of fighting, the last isolated drones were destroyed, and the last planet was conquered, Thalsiedeln.
Zaphenim was the representation of a new way of life; Thaumaturgy, the practice of magic. With his potent abilities, Zaphenim molded a new people in his image, the Humans, who would serve as the populace over which he would rule. This was the beginning of the First Aeternal Society. Using his sublime abilities, the Aeterna Crystals were forged, advanced devices capable of granting Thaumic abilities to the Humans. As magic spread through society, it would forever cement itself as not only a quirk of intelligent life or just another field of scientific study but as a lifestyle for all in Aylathiya. By the end of his days, Zaphenim manifested the billions of "Cores" that exist in the Aeterna Today.
Sachitel & the High Warlock
As Zaphenim's time in Aylathiya reached its end, an heir would take his place. This heir, the second Angel, would be known as Mother Sachitel, her authority over Zaphenim's domain equally potent. Even though Zaphenim's domain had fractured into thousands of organizations and nations by the time Sachitel entered the scene, she quickly united it in a quick but bloody series of conquests. This marked the beginning of the Second Aeternal Society.
Sachitel, her heart aching for her newly acquired people, set her mind on creating wonders such as the Hedonist Worlds, her primary goal being the abolishing of suffering in her subjects. As she neared her goal, however, Sachitel simply left her domain, leaving it to the Cherubic Sentry, another of her creations. Wandering Cosmoria, Sachitel eventually discovered the High Warlock. She formed a pact with the being and connected to its mind. Consequently, her magical ability increased dramatically at the cost of her sanity. Sachitel became an "Icon" for the Warlock. Armed with a new directive, Sachitel revitalized her already prospering worlds, warping them for better or worse. Saying her last final goodbyes to an unrecognizable populous, she disappeared and left the civilization to its own devices.
After her departure, the Cherubic Sentry attempted to maintain order, only for the various Hedonist worlds to fracture into independent planet-states. There was little reason for conflict in the ashes of Sachitel's realm, however. The people were content with remaining on their wondrous worlds.
Rinayo & Isayo
As the deeds of Zaphenim and Sachitel became lost to history, the self-proclaimed brothers Rinayo and Isayo shook Aylathiya's new order. While their predecessors entered into a Cosmoria where none existed that could realistically mount an effective counter to their power, the brothers emerged in 2929 CE, a time of emergence for Aylathiya's first naturally-evolved civilizations.
As arbiters of their sense of justice, they began a nearly genocidal conquest across Aylathiya. All creatures, wriggling monsters, and other living things they believed were their rightful subjects. Not only did they enact their wrath on anyone who did not submit immediately, but they also relished conquest. Every civilization called out in horror or glee upon their arrival. During their crusade, all were either eliminated for blasphemy or gifted for meeting their expectations. The destruction of entire species was little more than a game to these two.
They attacked the now-sapient Ma'eau, the only individual in the universe whose power could be comparable. Even so, these two possessed Thaumaturgy whereas Ma'eau could only attack via conventional means. For centuries they warred against the being, eventually causing it to fraction into dozens of disparate minds, each one only managing the ecosystem of one planet. Ironically, their meddling caused an explosion of intelligence across Aylathiya, as Ma'eau lost its ability to keep intelligent life in check. It is for this reason that intelligent species in Aylathiya emerged recently.
Sinful Children
Most Angelic legacies fade with time. Civilizations shatter; Hedonist Worlds decay. Like weeds, the era of Overlords returned, spearheaded by the dozens of fragments of Ma'eau that now dominated Aylathiyan politics. The next Overlord to form was the Resonant Divinity, which shocked the universe by besting fragment of Ma'eau in its system, Thanatos. While it was unable to expand much beyond this system, it cemented that Ma'eau was a shadow of its former glory.
Others to form during this time was the artificial super-intelligence DELYATU, whose untranslatable acronym of a name would become widely known across all of Aylathiya and even beyond. Leviathan possessed a similar level of notoriety.
Ohko's Civilization
Banishing the overlords once again was another Angel, named Mother Ohko. It was no small task destroying the Overlords. Ohko was no Zaphenim; she was unable to create her empire without cooperation. Unlike previous angelic civilizations, hers operated similarly to the more ancient Cosmic Commonwealth. Power had to be decentralized since she could not personally respond to every threat, necessitating large armies. She trained thousands of Magi who themselves would fulfill the roles of generals as they too trained others to resist the constant external threats.
Her civilization expanded to over twenty stars, usually signing treaties with the local remnants of Ma'eau to allow for settlement. Her civilization became something of a police force to keep the various high-powered beings in line, the only one refusing to submit being the Resonant Divinity. It continually resisted every incursion into its system, even resisting several of the Overlords who were paid to attack it.
Holos
Holos was no regular Overlord. Spontaneously manifesting in about 2000 BCE, the being began making a name for itself by exterminating all life in the Tryvya system. It was similar to the incorporeal beings that controlled the Oberherr League, but far more esoteric. Ohko herself often spied on it, each time coming away with more questions than answers. Sometimes it behaved like a machine, other times like the monsters she had been fighting, and still other times it behaved like Ma'eau. The being created the Administrivia, machines whose name greatly underestimates their abilities.
In 3851 CE, history is said to have begun as Holos inflicted itself upon Aylathiya, capturing Ohko and destroying her civilization. The seemingly indomitable being would have likely destroyed everything in the universe were it not for the Ekrosian Guardians, an uncountable hoard of protectors created by Eve to shield Aylathiya from Holos's grasp. Hal Drusus, Ohko's second-highest ranking subordinate, did much to delay Holos' advances while Eve crafted the Guardians. Hal Drusus ultimately died for his efforts, while Eve lived on to effectively become an Overlord, who ruled most of Eos.
Return of Civilization
Eve did her best to maintain Ohko's empire, but it collapsed, unable to sustain an absolute monarchy. She remained ruling a portion of Martial Space, but her civilization was a shell of her forbear's. The Dotsk formed their space-faring civilization around this time as did the Arkhosians, who formed Dotskensk and the United Provinces respectively. Furthermore, the Ror Units had begun their nomadic lifestyles in space.
Perhaps the most important player in this era was Ma'eau, who brutally suppressed the formation of new Overlords, allowing for these primitive civilizations to flourish in the backdrop of a serene region. Since there were no highly technological civilizations occupying worlds, dozens of new civilizations could spring up, occupying worlds such as Civestadt,
Sedrua
Formulative Period
A new civilization, the Triumvirate Civilization roared onto the interstellar stage by the 8000s. Its meteoric rise to prominence was a source of anxiety for the waning Sedrua. A conflict over the planet Hathia became the casus belli for the massive Sedrua-Triumvirate War in 6087 CE. While the Triumvirate was much younger than Sedrua, it soon became apparent that invasion of either party would be impossible. Sedrua would lose the conflict and a significant amount of territory in 61,138 CE.
What followed was an era in which the Triumvirate was the sole superpower in Aylathiya. While other nations such as the QPA were formidable, truly they could not hold a candle to the first Martial State. Sedrua's blisteringly fast decline after the Sedrua-Triumvirate War caused it to shed valuable territory such as Avolast and vast tracts of space that would go on to form the Core Worlds Alliance. Vurilia Jutopati would seize power and guide Sedrua to a more isolationist phase. Several thousand years later, a coup took place, installing Thonde Yutira as the leader of Sedrua.
Upon observing the Triumvirate become increasingly unstable, the Commonwealth grew wary of a potential lashing out. The defense was made against the Triumvirate in the following years. While Sedrua remained isolationist for many centuries more, the Commonwealth thought it was best to defend itself from them as well. In the following millennia, the political climate was stable enough to allow for regular expansion and trade. The Commonwealth began to evolve, changing from a type of alliance to a confederacy.
Common Epoch
Expansion Era
Contemporary History
Map
Ecology
Main Article: Ecology of Aylathiya
The ecology of Aylathiya is diverse and highly influenced by both the natural and artificial species that populate the region's wild areas. While many places have life common across their wild areas, Aylathiya is strange in having a robust space-based ecosystem. Most star systems have been at least partially colonized by space-based life.
Natural Flora and Fauna
Aylathiya has a large number of natural flora and fauna known as the "Noirae." Noirae, singular Noirum, are a domain of life that presumably have a single common ancestor given their use of the same genetic material. Noirae are most commonly space-based organisms; however, numerous planets have become hosts to naturally forming ecosystems featuring Noirae through panspermia.
Common Noirum species include The Pestilence and Maledicta. Outside of these prolific species, most other species are heavily localized to a particular system or region. There exists a small subset of the Noirae that are capable of producing warp bubbles, often for faster-than-light travel. These warp bubbles, operating on ludicrously small amounts of energy, still elude scientific understanding. Many scientists hypothesize that this subgroup, known as the Celiratids, has an artificial origin.
Artificial Ecosystem
Artificia are a form of life common to Aylathiya that rival the Noirae. Artificia are space-based forms of life descended from the ancient self-replicating probes. Some Artificia have origins so far back in time that the civilization that created them is entirely unknown. Over one thousand of these craft are thought to have evolved into Artificia. Twelve models of extant self-replicating craft have not diverged enough to be considered Artificia.
Most objects in space break down after only a century. However, reproducing craft can persist for millions of years. The same rules of natural selection apply to artificial life. As such, Aylathiya is filled with dozens of species originating from a handful of probes. Common classifications of Artificia are "Yggdrasil," "Sora," "Raqia," "Antero," "Avid," and "Celestio." Each classification relates to the model that "species" within the class evolved from. The most ancient of the Artificia is the Yggdrasil at over 10 million years old. The newest is "Celestio," having only recently formed due to the unstable nature of some of the Celestial Plague.
Anomalous Ecosystem
There is space-based life whose origins are neither "natural" nor "artificial" but a third category, "anomalous." Creatures within this category are by far the most diverse and also the most dangerous. Commonly, anomalies emerge through the manipulation of the environment by natural agents in unexplainable ways. Put differently, anomalies do not emerge through abiogenesis and do not diversify through evolution, they simply exist in their current forms.
Examples of anomalous forms of space-based life include The Ekrosian Guardians and the precursors to the Naidaran species. They exhibit strange qualities that cannot be reproduced naturally or artificially within the realms of known science. The most common anomalies are the Ekrosian Guardians, a species that forms when cosmic dust spontaneously arranges itself into a form of life.
Whether they are inclined to use Thaumic abilities or are made of magical energy, anomalous life has a grasp on some kind of Thaumic power. The most threatening anomalous life forms are Spirits. They typically arise from anomalies in the Lux Aeterna but can also arise from Noospheric Disturbances. The Angels are the most notorious spirits.
While Angels are intelligent, the vast majority are simple. Core Spirits and Pylon Spirits are the most common, and they roam around Aylathiya without a will.
Pylon Spirits are a rarer, more dangerous relative to Core Spirits. Rather than a Core, they are made out of mutated Pylons, which take the form of ghastly, hyper-intelligent creatures. Across history, Pylon Spirits have become crises on their own, thrashing entire planets like toys. The Pylon War used these beings to attack other nations directly. Such was also a side-effect of the Wane of Reality, where a Pylon Spirit named Her Sorcerer led an army of thousands.
Abiotic Ecosystem
Abiotic elements of the ecosystem, excluding von Neumann probes which are considered artificial life, are simply known as "Abiotics." Trillions of self-repairing spacecraft sometimes roam space for millions of years. They usually remain in wild areas, often destroying each other or life forms for the resources to self-repair. Most of them are military craft but many automated harvesters continue to gather resources to this day. Many nomads raid these crafts for resources to resell them.
Many modern ships, whether manned or unmanned, also become unwitting participants in the ecosystem. Ships not built to be in combat, ships that cannot out-maneuver predatory life forms or ships that accidentally enter the territory of aggressive organisms will almost invariably end up destroyed. Most ships flying through unclaimed regions need military escorts to ensure safety. Even though the risk is well-known, millions of ships, usually from border worlds, end up destroyed every year.