Table of Contents

Introduction...2-3
Arkworlds...4-6
Flags of the Arkworld Colonists...7
Fellow Travelers...8-9
Scapeworlds...10-11
Orbital Stations...12-14
Wondrous Locations...15
Who's Doomed...16-18
Recovered Devices...19
Languages...20-21
Beyond the Screaming Stars...22-25
Foes, Dangers, & Hazards...26-29
Setting Inspirations...30
Credits...31

1
 Introduction
Over me, about me, closing in on me, embracing me ever
nearer, was the Eternal, that which was before the
beginning and that which triumphs over the end; that
enormous void in which all light and life and being is but
the thin and vanishing splendour of a falling star, the cold,
the stillness, the silence, - the infinite and final Night of
space.
H. G. Wells, The First Men in the Moon

Escape from the terrestrial realm was but an idle

daydream for most, until an alien etherfleet crashed
down upon the World Between, scattering unheralded
bits of advanced technology among an unwitting
populace. Although much of the alien technology
remains mysterious, some bright coves from the
various nations began to get the hang of how some of
it worked and even managed to put the debris
together in new and inventive ways. Several
kingdoms (and even some secret societies) were able
to reverse-engineer craft that were capable of
traversing the Etherseawhat we might refer to as
outer spacevia phlogiston-powered engines. The
largest of these craft were dubbed arkworlds, for they
were big enough to house a population of travelers,
explorers, and expatriates willing to take them into the
furthest reaches of the unknown Ethersea in search of
new worlds that could be colonized.

Currently, the arkworlds have converged at the

Scapeworldsa solar system in the Ethersea
containing at least five inhabitable coreworlds. Each

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arkworld is attempting to claim the planets of the
Scape for their own, but competition between the
arkworlds' ethernauts and resistance from the
planetary natives troubles the very notion of the
imperial adventure. The Great Game is afoot!

What is it?
The Colonial Ethersea is a place of retro-futuristic sci-
fantasy adventure.

What lies beneath?

The conventions of steampunk and Victorian science
fiction: moustache twirling villains, impossible and
antiquated technology, re-purposed Gothic tropes,
imperial colonial adventure, and fighting for Queen
and Country; encounters with mysterious alien races
and exotic predators; delving into abandoned
etherhulks and derelict orbital stations; salvage crews
and bounty hunters, colonists and outlaws,
swashbucklers and privateers; travel by ethercraft, hot
air balloon, sky galleon, and dirigible; the influence of
Miyazaki, 19th century imperialism, and
screampunk mash-ups.

What does it feel like?

A hot blast of steam amid the chill of the endless ether,
the taste of whiskey and dust in your mouth, the
sound of whirring machinery as you are carried along
to the uncharted places of the Scapeworlds.

3
 Arkworlds
Each Arkworld has the size and population of a small
city. Although Arkworlds are capable of traversing the
Ethersea, they largely serve as colonial outposts from
which smaller craft are launched to and from the
colonies of the Scapeworlds.

Cathedra Glorium
The Ulverlandian arkworld is a place of fanatical
religious devotion. The priesthood of the Lady of the
White Way controls the craft and operates it as a
theocracy; religious officials govern nearly all facets of
its citizens' existence. Cathedra Glorium's colonial
endeavor is to spread the worship of the Lady to the
heathens and unbelievers in the Scape. Whether their
religion is spread by good deeds or the sword is of
little consequencemost firmly believe that the ends
justify the means.

Nihilus Cthul
A Midianese cult devoted to the dark worship of
demons built their own small arkworld in secret. This
secret cabal has now taken to the Ethersea aboard the
Nihilus Cthul in order to find the last of the 13
Sanguinary Folios; the 13 Sanguinary Folios are a set
of grimoires detailing forbidden rites of diabolism,
and the occult explorers of Nihil believe that the last
volume is to be found somewhere in the ethereal
expanse.

4
The Dardensphere
The residents of the Dardensphere are jaded
decadents from Morgundy who have left their
homeland in search of new pleasures to excite their
ennui-tortured souls. As the ethercraft was being built,
the Morgundians were approached directly by the
undead knight Lady Selene. Selene insisted upon
being part of the ship's expedition and that she be
given her own private section of the craft as her
keep. While most figure that Lady Selene simply
wished to escape from the unpleasant reminders of
her accursed life, few realize that she hears the voice
of a long-lost love calling to her from a place beyond
the stars. The Dardensphere was named in Selene's
honor after her fortress, Darden Keep.

The Nightgaunt
This arkworld was constructed by agents of the Baron
of Falkonara in the Iron Principalities, who fused
technology scavenged from the crash of the alien fleet
with the carcass of an enormous black dragon. The
colonial mission of the Nightgaunt's explorers is to
impose their brutal culture of violence, oppression,
and fatalism on their subaltern subjectswhom they
tend to regard as savages. Rumors of the Nightgaunt's
expeditionary force dining among the impaled corpses
of those who resist colonization aren't entirely
unfounded.

The Lemarchenko Union

According to their propaganda, this steam-powered
arkworld funded by the Lemarchenko family of
Frostreave is a socialist paradise where all are equal

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and all are given what they need. Behind the smiling
facade of a worker's utopia lies a darker truth: the
plenty of the Lemarchenko Union is maintained
through the enslavement of colonized natives who are
forced to work as agrarian laborers. The colonial
endeavor of the Lemarchenko Union is to spread this
curious brand of freedom to other races by adding
their worlds to its hoped-for galactic empire.

Mechanikus Prime
Mechanikus Prime was crafted by golems of the secret
cabal the Unfinished Sons at the behest of Akmed
Minaz. Before Minaz's soul was bound to his current
iron body, he was a ranger and explorer; now that he
has been cursed with an inhuman body, he plans on
exploring places too hazardous for earthly races to
investigate and document. Minaz and his golem
cohort hope to find a world that they can inhabit in
peace, far from the claims of their mortal creators.

Starship Mortifactum
Tired of his wearisome existence in Harrowfaust,
Mircea von Karlok was quick to use all the resources
at his disposal to create an arkworld that would allow
him (plus a few vampiric thralls of his choosing, his
gypsy allies, and enough Harrowfaustians to serve
and feed them on the journey) to venture into the
Ethersea with a fleet of fearsome bloodwing fighter
craft at his back. Von Karlok's goal is a simple one: he
has a thirst to sample the new types of blood he will
encounter among the strange peoples that inhabit the
Ethersea.

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 Flags of the Arkworld
Colonists

Each arkworld uses a standardized flag to identify its

ethercraft and to mark its colonies, stations, and
settlements.

The flag used by Cathedra Glorium is the standard

flag of Ulverland: a black wolf rampant upon a gray
field.

The flag used by Nihilus Cthul is a variation on the

flag of Midian. Midian's flag is a pair of crossed
dueling swords on a field of gold; the swords in the
version used by Nihilus Cthul drip blue blood.

The flag used by the Dardensphere is the same as the

flag of Morgundy: three green toads on a field of
azure.

The flag used by the Nightgaunt is a crowned skull in

black upon a white field.

The flag used by the Lemarchenko Union is a red

sickle upon a yellow field.

The flag used by Mechanikus Prime is a brass gear

upon a scarlet field.

The flag used by Starship Mortifactum is as the flag of

Harrowfaust: bat wings in white upon a black field.

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 Fellow Travelers
Aside from the massive Arkworlds, other smaller
ships and fleets have also made their way to the
Scapeworlds in the name of exploration, intrigue, and
profit.

Starfleet Solanaceae
Starfleet Solanaceae is a mercantile flotilla launched
from the Iron Principalities. Though the fleet counts
ships built by many of the Principalities' wealthy
families among its contingent, its expedition to the
Scapeworlds was mostly funded by the Vorgio family.
The ethercraft of Starfleet Solanaceae are protected by
soldiers armed with advanced technological weapons
and armor who are loyal to the Scarnolli clan.

Aurum
Aurum is a craft-fortress built by the oppressed
Eldmen of Caligari. Aurum is ostensibly an ether-
faring mining expedition, but some believe that the
secretive residents of the craft search for something
older than the galaxy itself among the stars.

Blackfleet Alpha
It was a dread day for the travelers of the Ethersea
when the pirates of the Ghael Isles managed to build
their own fleet of ethercraft. These buccaneers now
prey upon the ships cruising the Scapeworlds; their
bloodthirstiness is legendary. One craft of Blackfleet
Alpha is said to be crewed entirely by beast-men
created by a mad vivisectionist.

8
The Solar Abbey
The Solar Abbey is a ether-going shrine to the Lady of
the White Way. The priests who direct the craft believe
that they have been given a holy mission by their
goddess to bring the light of the Lady even unto the
darkest depths of the Ethersea.

The Jotund Armada

Against all odds, the savage, viking-like Frostreavers
of the northern lands managed to construct their own
craft from the remains of the alien ships that crashed
upon their cold and inhospitable lands. These
Frostreavers have taken their notorious trade to the
Ethersea; their Jotund Armada exists purely to find
battle and plunder. Where the craft of the Jotund
Armada arrive, death is sure to follow.

Misericorde
The inventors and engineers working with technology
retrieved from alien crash sites around the perimeter
of the Ruinous Scar in the Scavenger Lands met with
strange fates: they all disappeared in the night, and
their technological marvels vanished along with them.
In truth, they were abducted by the dark fey of the
Ruinous Scar. Pulled down into that strange and wild
place, they were forced to craft an ethership so that the
fey might travel to the Scapeworlds for unknown
purposes. The Misericorde, as the fey ship is called,
counts a bevy of powerful fey creatures among its
expeditionary force. Thus far, the Misericorde has sent
redcap emissaries to Elsinore (they are particularly
interested in the ettercaps there), as well as sending
envoys to Oberon and Hecate.

9
 Scapeworlds
Elsinore
Elsinore is a planet mostly inhabited by ettercaps and
thri-kreen. Although they live in a state of primitive
barbarism, the ettercaps are heirs to a vast empire of
technological wonderswhich, in their current state
of degeneracy, they have largely forgotten how to use.
Buildings and permanent structures on Elsinore tend
to be made from layers of hardened webbing.

Oberon
Oberon is a water-starved goblin homeworld. Once
beautiful and wise creatures, a horrific virus has since
twisted the goblin folk into diminutive and devious
caricatures of their formal selves. Due to the goblins'
now-cowardly natures, they accept colonial

10
governance without much resistance. However,
imperial settlers should be wary of secretive goblin
uprisings.

Iago
This gas-planet is home to genies and other elemental
beings. The planet is ruled in the loosest sense by
the terrors known as the Vortex Princes. Iago has
proved to be very resistant to colonial expeditions sent
by the various arkworlds.

Hecate
Hecate is a diverse world of fey creatures governed by
hag queens. No colony has survived for long on
Hecate due to the magical might wielded by the hags.
Indeed, since few exploration voyages have returned
from Hecate very little is known about its even its
basic geography. There are rumors that Cathedra
Glorium plans a large-scale extermination crusade on
Hecate.

Sycorax
Sycorax is a jungle-planet on which tribes of
lizardfolk, bullywugs, yuan-ti, and troglodytes make
continual war against each other. The planet is also
home to massive dinosaurs, some of which are used as
beasts of burden by the lizardfolk. The lush vegetation
of Sycorax has made it an ideal place to establish
imperial outposts, but the danger posed by marauding
natives demands constant vigilance.

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 Orbital Stations
Brasschapel
The Church of the Brass Messiah is a natural
development of the teleological watchmaker argument
that holds that the world's meticulous design implies
an intelligent designer. Members of this church's
congregation believe that the world was created and
set in motion by a pair of divinities: The Mother of
Invention and Grandfather Clock.

Adherents of this religion have founded a heavily-

fortified orbital enclave known as Brasschapel that
drifts above Oberon. Outsiders are permitted to enter
the station, but only if they seem to express a genuine
interest in joining the Church of the Brass Messiah.
Those who are deemed spies or heretics are forcibly
ejectedsome say worseby the Boilermen,

12
automatons who function as the church's private
security force.

New Thairos
Named for the capital city of Mord-Stavian, New
Thairos is a station orbiting Hecate. Mining
expeditions from New Thairos land upon the planet's
surface, harvest resources, and return with them to the
etherstation. (These mining parties are largely
composed of undead drones controlled by malevolent
sorcerer-priests.) What those resources are used for is
currently unknown.

The Pleasure Dome of Absha Azad

Absha Azad was the heir in line to the throne of
Khalbhey in the Spicelands until Ulverlandian
colonists annexed the city-state and installed their
own governors. Instead of languishing in exile, the
princess Absha Azad used her family's vast fortunes to
build an etherstation that orbits Iago.

The Pleasure Dome has quickly gained a reputation as

a hedonistic paradise; any decadent indulgence can be
had there for a price. Azad's agents are particularly
adept at dispensing new intoxicants discovered on the
Scapeworld planets. The new intoxicating delicacies
on offer include opiate tentacles, hallucinogenic runes,
oniric ichor, and elder-god ale.

Twilight Hanzuka
Although the Island of Jade Mysteries has no
arkworld of its own, several high-ranking samurai
families of the nation's capital, Kyonkyu, have banded

13
together to create this orbital station near Sycorax.
Twilight Hanzuka serves a dual function: it operates
as a school of swordsmanship and as a barracks for
well-trained and fearless soldiers who can be hired as
mercenary men-at-arms. Aside from these two well-
known purposes of the station, it is rumored that
Twilight Hanzuka also houses a sect of mystical
assassins known as the Radiant Darkness Clan who
can infiltrate any location and neutralize targets using
their shadow-magic.

Waterfall
Waterfall, a shrine-station launched from the Kathai
capital of Ling-Tae, orbits Elsinore. Ostensibly,
Waterfall is a place of serene ethergardens in which
visitors are meant to contemplate the mysteries of
universe and make offerings of incense and gold to
their ancestors; however, as some astute observers
have pointed out, Waterfall's exterior seems to be
festooned with a number of transmitter antennae that
indicate that the orbital station may serve another,
undisclosed purpose. The orange-robed monks of
Waterfall may have nefarious schemes, but as they
have all taken vows of silence they aren't likely to
divulge their secrets.

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 Wondrous Locations

Places to go and, perhaps, to die.

Big Fun Steven's Floating House of Joy

Big Fun Steven's Floating House of Joy is a traveling
etherstation that caters to children. It is essentially a
playground for the children of the elite; young scions
are deposited here for a day's enjoyment while their
parents broker earth-shaking deals away from their
shrieking progeny. Since the children of important
personages are the usual clientele here, the Floating
House of Joy is well-guarded to prevent kidnapping
attempts; nevertheless, the security rota in use at the
Floating House was recently stolenand proprietor
Big Fun Steven has yet to realize this fatal fact.

The Maelstrom Gaze

The Maelstrom Gaze is an area of perpetual storm on
Iago. Violently-colored winds pick up sand and silt,
buffeting anyone who dares to enter the Gaze. Some
believe that the Maelstrom Gaze is not a natural
phenomena; instead, the Maelstrom Gaze could be an
artificial hazard created to safeguard some mysterious
site that sits at the center of the protective storm.

15
 Who's Doomed

Sybil le Croix
A poet from Morgundy, Sybil le Croix has taken to the
Ethersea to write verse inspired by the colonial
struggle. Her writings are highly popular among the
intelligentsia. However, it is worth noting that many
of her ancestors were burned at the stake as witches
the legacy of those dark days still hangs heavy over
the name of the Le Croix family.

Adem Gallas
This powerful moneylender operates The House of
Gallas, a banking firm backed by Relmeenosian gold,
from within a ship of Starfleet Solanaceae. Since ready
currency is in short-supply in the Ethersea,
promissory notes issued by Gallas are one of the few
ways of safely conducting large-scale transactions.

16
The Hegemony of Harmony
The Hegemony of Harmony is a heretical cult who
believe that they have been called to the Scapeworlds
to serve a being they call the Inmost Light. This
cosmic, celestial being whispers to them in their sleep,
entreating them to collect a strange form of life-energy
called Vril on its behalf in preparation for an event
they refer to only as the Arrival.

The Questioner
Always veiled, the Questioner only appears when a
person faces dire straits. He will ask the imperilled
person a questionif they answer truthfully, he
records their reply and will save their lives. If they
refuse to answer or lie, he leaves them to their fate.

Witchfinder Lelan Ryman

Lelan Ryman, a Shaean of great faith, leads an
inquisition against the fey of the Scapeworlds, as well
as those colonists who may have brought heretical
beliefs and practices into the Ethersea. Ryman believes
that once his purge is complete the Scapeworlds will
emerge as an edenic paradise. He is, however,
tormented by cruel desires for the very beings he
wishes to exterminate.

Elena Morikov, the Tigress

Originally a hunter from Frostreave, Elena Morikov
grew bored with the game available on her
homeworld. Sensing that the Scapeworlds would offer
her new and exotic beasts to hunt and slay, she joined
her fellow explorers in search of big game. Her
nickname, the Tigress, refers to both her deadliness

17
and her marked lack of human compassion.

Lysius
Lysius, sometimes referred to as the Mad Monk of
the Ether, is a traveling penitent who hears the
confessions of anyone who wishes to seek his
absolution. What few realize is that each confession he
hears gives him power over the confessor.

Lady Oleander Rathchilde

Lady Rathchilde has a mania for perfecting her human
formshe believes that by incorporating advanced
technology into her body, she will become more
human than human. She pursues this goal to free
herself from the constraints of mortality.

18
 Recovered Devices
A number of advanced technologies have been
recovered from etherhulksabandoned crafts once
used by ancient ether-faring cultures. These are but a
selection of the items to be discovered in the depths of
those dungeon-like (and sometimes haunted) craft:

Chainblade
A chainblade is a sword-like weapon that, when
activated, has a whirling, saw-like cutting surface that
circles the perimeter of its blade.

Midnight Goggles
These lens enable their wearer to see perfectly in the
dark of the Ethersea or in any place of poor or non-
existent lighting.

Sorrowsoul Crystal
Sorrowsoul crystals are gem-like devices used to trap
the souls of sentient beings. Users proficient in their
use can utilize a sorrowsoul crystal to either siphon
the consciousness from a creature to entrap it in the
device or to replay the events of an entrapped
creature's life. It is unknown whether a soul trapped
within a sorrowsoul crystal can be restored to a
functional body.

Wrist Grapnel
This bracer-like device can shoot out a small grappling
hook attached to a length of strong wire. The grapnel
can be used to traverse walls and obstructions, as well
as an entangling weapon.

19
 Languages
These are the languages from the World Between in
use upon the Ethersea:

Greentongue Lilting and colorful, Greentongue is

the language of the Shae tribes. It is also understood
by the fey and used to record rituals of white
witchcraft.

Kathanese Mournful and solemn, Kathanese is the

language of the Scavenger Lands, Kathai, and the
Island of Jade Mysteries.

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Mujadem Phlegmatic and poetic, Mujadem is the
language of the Martyrlands and Mord-Stavian. Many
exotic books of magic, particularly those about
necromancy, are written in this language.

Polari Polari is a coded language used by thieves,

gypsies, sailors, and members of secret sects.

Reaverspeech Violent and percussive,

Reaverspeech is the language of Harrowfaust,
Frostreave, and the Relmeenos Empire.

Queentongue Queentongue is the ancient language

of the Iron Empire. Many classical works of literature,
philosophy, and history are recorded in this language.
It is also the language in which the rites of the Church
of the White Way are performed, as well as the
language used most often to convey magical formula
in grimoires..

Varadosian Florid and emotive, Varadosian's many

dialects are used in Morgundy, the Iron Principalities,
and Midian.

Wolftongue Guttaral and harsh, Wolftongue was

language used by the barbarian tribes who settled in
the regions of Ulverland and Caligari.

21
 Beyond the Screaming
Stars
Adventurers and travelers of the Ethersea have
reported contact with a number of strange beings who
claim to come from beyond the screaming stars.
These beings each have an agenda to further, and
promise great power to those who are willing to bind
themselves to servitude.

Hakhan
Appears to disciples as a muscular, scale-
covered fiend with a vicious tail
Desires disciples to foment war and military
conflict

Zzorch
Appears to disciples as a squat, frog-like
monstrosity with a massive head and mouth
Desires disciples to disseminate corrupting
literature and forbidden lore

Dol-Garath
Appears to disciples as a rune-inscribed sword
that radiates a chilling aura
Desires disciples to destroy the Le Croix family
of Morgundy

Eldran Thuul
Appears to disciples as a mass of writhing
brain tissue accompanied by a droning
pulsation of sound and nightmarish images

22
 that flash across the mind
Desires disciples to spread madness and aid
the mind devourers in their conquest of the
Ethersea

Slithian Vor
Appears to disciples as a beautiful young girl
with massive wings and burning eyes
Desires disciples to tempt married men into
infidelity and coax them to sacrifice their wives
or lovers to Slithian Vor

Astariax
Appears to disciples as an ivory-skinned child
wearing a faded, blood-stained ballerina
costume and a black iron crown
Desires disciples to tempt others into taking
actions they will later regret or wrack them
with guilt

Charlak the Imprisoned

Appears to disciples as a mass of impenetrable
darkness from which projects hooves, talons,
tentacles, and thirteen-fingered hands
Desires disciples to find a way to release him
from the Baroque Gate so that he might enter
the cosmos fully

She of the Crooked Moon

Appears to disciples as a witch-woman
wearing a crown of antlers and horns
Desires disciples to protect nature and minister
to the ill and dying

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Junox
Appears to disciples as a howling void
Desires disciples to explore the hollow interior
of planets and to collect hidden and obscure
lore

The Gaunt Gent

Appears to disciples as an intellectual
gentlemen wearing a tailored suit and monocle
Desires disciples to inspire frustration and
feelings of inadequacy

The Carrion Marquis

Appears to disciples as a mutilated man with
the head of a jackal
Desires disciples to thwart the plans of the
vampiric Von Karlok family and to pervert
contracts in general

The Mocking Prince

Appears to disciples as a tall, gaunt man with
silver hair dressed as a dandy courtier
Desires disciples to discover a way to resurrect
his father, the Emerald King, and to collect the
regalia of Aramus the Defiant

Merrihel
Appears to disciples as an albino woman with
pale hair and alluring amber eyes
Desires disciples to entrap the universe in a
state of perpetual winter

24
Hulmora
Appears to disciples as a a beautiful dryad clad
in leaves and light
Desires disciples to preserve life, protect the
natural world, and destroy the undead

Kumo-Thlis
Appears to disciples as a powerful, red-
skinned man whose lower half is that of a
massive serpent
Desires disciples to inflict traumas that will
haunt their victims

Skaylex
Appears to disciples as a dark-skinned,
leathery, and hunch-backed witch clad in
animal pelts
Desires disciples to spread fear, distrust, and
apprehension

Sluurge
Appears to disciples as a mysterious figure
shrouded in tattered robes, his form crawling
with spiders
Desires disciples to destroy love and beauty

25
 Foes, Dangers, & Hazards
Ashborn
The ashborn are a race of beings who inhabit one of
the moons of Elsinore; they are a protean race able to
assume a variety of formsthey are even capable of
convincingly emulating specific individuals. Ashborn
agents are considered to be the ultimate spies of the
Ethersea. They are not, however, assassins; the
ashborn refuse to kill, but they will incapacitate their
foes if necessary.

Butcher Lizard
Butcher lizards are large, eight-legged lizards used as
mounts by the lizardfolk, bullywugs, and troglodytes
of Sycorax. Butcher lizards are difficult to tame, but
once they have come to accept a rider they become
psychically linked to their owner.

26
Devilfin
Devilfin are ether-bound fish-like creatures that have
the appearance of a manta ray-great white shark
hybrid. They avoid troubling larger ethercraft, but will
certainly prey upon those lost adrift on the Ethersea.

Ether Leviathan
Ether leviathans are massive, squid-like beasts who
roam the Ethersea. They have been known to attack
ethercraft in order to eat the sentient beings within.
Some ether leviathans are able to communicate their
emotions telepathically, but their minds tend to project
feelings of hatred and hunger almost exclusively;
nevertheless, it is possible to convince an ether
leviathan to fulfill a specific task as long as there is the
promise of an enormous feast as a reward.

Faceless Men
The faceless men are homunculi created by a now-
extinct ancient race to act as their stormtroopers. Even
though their masters are deceased, the faceless men
still fight an endless war against all other sentient
creatures of the Ethersea. Faceless men are physically
imposing; they are tall, muscular, and gray-skinned.
They possess no facial features or apparent sensory
apparatus. They do not communicate with those not
of their kind; the only expression that can be expected
of them is mindless violence.

Fungal Ferox
Fungal ferox are sentient, four-legged, mushroom-like
creatures who live upon Kharm, one of the moons of
Oberon. The fungal ferox hunt and consume

27
mammalian lifeforms; they have hardened teeth-like
protrusions that appear to be made of calcified yeast.
Some Ethersea adventurers hunt the fungal ferox,
despite the obvious risks in such a venture, because
the flesh of these creatures acts as a powerful and
prophetic hallucinogen.

Lightman's Company
Lightman's Company is a host of specters that haunts
the Ethersea. In life, Lightman's Company was a
regiment of colonial soldiers from Cathedra Glorium
that led the charge in an ill-fated invasion of Hecate.
In death, they exist to kill the living until their remains
are recovered and given proper military honors; only
that will remove the curse of undeath from them.

Mind Devourers
The mind devourers are a race of large psionic
mollusks who scheme to conquer the other races of
the Ethersea. They feed off of strong emotions, but
particularly savor fear and depressed resignation.
Their homeworld is unknown, but they sail the
Ethersea aboard vessels that seem to be made of some
sort of living coral-like substance.

Mournfield Locusts
The mournfield is a treacherous belt of asteroids
located in an oft-avoided sector of the Ethersea.
Within the asteroids of the mournfield live and breed
a species of large, ether-faring locusts. Swarms of
these mournfield locusts emerge from the asteroid
belt, take flight on the Ethersea, and feed upon any
animate or inanimate matter they encounter. The

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destruction wrought by mournfield locusts is
legendary; all sane creatures flee before their
devastating advance.

Sorrowsoul Cultists
The sorrowsoul are a race of Ethersea interlopers who
have never actually been seen, though their influence
has certainly been felt. The sorrowsoul employ
brainwashed cultists of many species to collect the
souls of their fellow sentient creatures within special
gem-like devices known as sorrowsoul crystals. (See
Recovered Devices for more information.)

Unbound Emanation
Though rare, the emanations of black energy that
sometimes escape from black holes becomes self-
aware. These rogue emanations resemble nothing so
much as patch of moving darkness or clouds of utter
voidspace. Their motivations are currently unknown,
but they are not always immediately hostile to those
who encounter them. They will, however, retaliate
against those who attack them by pulling aggressors
into their core of darkness, wherein their foes cease to
exist.

War Golem
Left over from a war fought upon the Ethersea in ages
long past, these titanic war machines could be an
untold menace if they were to fall into the wrong
hands. Legends say that some war golems awaken
and act under their own power, but this has not yet
been documented or verified.

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 Setting Inspirations

Literature
H. G. Wells's The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds,
and The First Men in the Moon; Jules Verne's Journey to
the Center of the Earth and Around the World in Eighty
Days; William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's The
Difference Engine; China Miville's Perdido Street
Station; Jay Lake's Mainspring; Scott Westerfeld's
Leviathan series; Philip Reeve's Larklight series; James
Blaylock's Narbondo series; Cherie Priest's Boneshaker;
Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series; K. W. Jeter's
Morlock Night; Stephen Hunt's Jackelian series; Jeff and
Ann VanderMeer's Steampunk anthologies.

Film & Television

Castle in the Sky; Howl's Moving Castle; The City of Lost
Children; 9; Samurai 7; Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water;
Tin Man; Perfect Creature; Atlantis: The Lost Empire;
Steamboy; Casshern; Last Exile; Sakura Wars; Mutant
Chronicles; Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

Comics
Fullmetal Alchemist; Trigun; The League of Extraordinary
Gentlemen; Luther Arkwright; Lady Mechanika; Girl
Genius; East of West; Hellboy; Iron West; The Amazing
Screw-On Head; FreakAngels.

Music
Abney Park; Vernian Process; Unwoman; Psyche
Corporation; Thomas Dolby; Unextraordinary
Gentlemen; Sunday Driver; HUMANWINE; Ghostfire.

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 Credits
All text and setting ideas by Jack W. Shear

All illustrations by Albert Robida

Fonts usedPalatino Linotype, Libre Baskerville, and

Deutsch Gothic

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