Darksea Glossary

Arbiter

The enigmatic leaders of the Jarusaad. Arbiters are powerful psions and skilled martial warriors. They are feared and respected throughout Darksea. Often wearing protective robes of adaptive nanofiber and wielding jaruss blades, Arbiters are consummate warriors. Most Arbiters cover thier faces with metallic masks, adding to the mystery and fear surrounding them.

Ascension

The state of being able to translate one's entire being into pure thought energy. It is considered the ultimate state of existence and the primary goal of all sentient species. Only a handful of species have ever achieved Ascension, including the Amathae and Mordath. Ascended beings typically inhabit a separate layer of reality, the Ascended Realm. Only the Amathae and Mordath typically interact with mortal races.

Essence

The most fundamental and primordial force in the universe, Essence is the source of Ascendant and psionic ability. Of all the forces of nature, Essence can be considered the origin source, the result of directed thought. Essence has the power to manipulate the fluctuations in all the various fields of the universe, allowing for nearly unlimited potential to create, alter, or destroy physical reality. Aside from the directed thought of psions or Ascended beings, only Ascension technology, such as that used by the Amathae, can make use of Essence.

Hyperconduit

A form of faster than light travel gifted to the races of Darksea by the Amathae. It allows any vessel equipped with the appropriate drive to open an extra-dimensional tunnel through space time similar to an artificial wormhole. Ships traveling along a hyperconduit can travel at approximately four times the speed of light, suitable for efficient interplanetary travel, but less suitable for interstellar distances.

Jaruss blade

The namesake weapon of the Jarusaad, jaruss blades use Amathaean nanotechnology to create an ultra-strong and ultra-sharp martial weapon. The blade is psionically and biologically attuned to a specific user. A jaruss blade has three forms: retracted, short, and full. In its retracted form it looks like a small pair of metal dumbbells for efficient carry and storage. The short form extends a blade roughly 60 centimeters in length for use as a sword. The full form extends to a long-handled glaive roughly two meters in length with a 30-centimeter blade at one end. All Jarusaad warriors, Talons, and Arbiters carry jaruss blades.

Mindlink

The act of creating a powerful, full psionic connection to anther being. A mindlink is much more intimate than passive telepathy of mindreading and allows the full sharing of thoughts and emotions between the two participants. Most mindlinks must be mutual, but certain very powerful psions or Ascended beings can force a mindlink with an unwilling participant.

Mindways

The name for the realm of psychic energy that lies between the physical world and the Ascended Realm. The Mindways is a place where physical reality and thought collide, drawing from pieces of both. Ascended Beings can only access the physical world by passing through the Mindways, and their power is significantly diminished within it.

PSInav

PSInavs are artificially created psions that possess little natural psionic ability. Instead, they are the product of biological engineering, cybernetic implantation, and extensive training. A PSInav is suitable for only a single purpose: the piloting of ships though voidspace. Outside of this role, PSInavs can manifest few if any other psionic abilities.

Psion

The name given to any being that possesses supernatural mental ability, or psionics. While psionic ability can arise naturally as a species nears Ascension, psions in Darksea are the artificial creations of the Amathae. The Amathae used Ascension knowledge to genetically modify Alastrans to create the first psions for use as weapons against the Mordath. Since that time the ability has grown and evolved far beyond what the Amathae intended. Modern psions can have widely varying levels of ability from basic telepathy to awesome displays of supernatural power.

Thought Spark

The fundamental core of any sentient being, synonymous with the idea of soul, a thought spark is a fluctuation in the Essence field. A thought spark may manifest in many forms throughout the universe and represents the eternal part of a person, separate from their physical form. The thought sparks of all mortal creatures are in a dynamic state, constantly growing and shifting with each new life and death. Only in the purity of Ascension does a thought spark reach its final state.

Translation

The act of a ship entering voidspace as a means of faster than light travel. Voidspace translation is immensely superior to travel by hyperconduit, allowing voyages across hundreds of lightyears to take mere days. Voidspace translation is also significantly more dangerous and difficult, requiring large ships with specialized translation engines and PSI shields. The use of skilled PSInavs is also necessary to prevent the ship from being lost in voidspace, and even then, there is always a risk. Voidspace travel was also provided by the Amathae to the races of Darksea so that their growing interstellar empires could be properly connected. Without the use of voidspace, long range spaceflight is prohibitive, and the maintaining of vast empires such as those of the Alastrans would be impossible.

Voidspace

The semi physical layer of reality that allows specially equipped vessels to enter for short periods of time, voidspace is entirely separate from regular spacetime, allowing a vessel to enter at one point in real space and exit at an entirely different point with no regard to the distance between the two. Voidspace travel is incredibly dangerous and complex, requiring enormous power, specialized engines and shields, and the use of specially trained psionic navigators. Voidspace contains no stars or planets and is an endless emptiness filled only with chaotic currents of psionic energy. A vessel in voidspace is completely at the mercy of its psionic navigator to determine the correct course and exit point back into real space. Conventional sensors and engines are useless in voidspace.