Alycine Galaxy

The Alycine Galaxy is the largest member and namesake of the Alycine Group, a grouping of 24 galaxies and 2 nebulas.
Estimated to contain 70–300 billion stars and roughly 560-910 billion planets, Alycine has a higher planet-star ratio than its celestial neighbors. The stars in the innermost core are compact and extremely close compared to those further off towards the outer rim. Once reaching the farthermost regions of the outer core, expanses between systems average out and continue until the very edges of the outer rim. The galactic core is a supermassive black hole possessing millions of solar masses, emitting powerful radio waves across itself and the universe. Various gases and the conjectural mass of "dark matter" fills the majority of space. Strong currents brought about by the core pull everything within the galactic borders into a rotational period, circling the core at around 198 million years per complete rotation.
The only known galaxy with life still present, it acts as the setting of nearly every single event that has ever transpired in the presence of a living entity.
== Mapping ==
Per the Alycine Accord, the galaxy is mapped into 14 sectors. Each sector was designed and named for various reasons and details. The Inner & Outer Cores were mapped in circles surrounding the two defining regions of the galactic core. Scar's Heart was named after the Saegon leader Scar, as their empire controls the majority of its territory. The Bustle houses more cultures and peoples than any other sector and is considered the "loudest" part of the galaxy. And Karael's Abode was named for the angel Karael, a prominent messenger and hero in the Spodist faith who is particularly adored in this region.
# Inner Core
# Outer Core
# Karael's Abode
# The Roaring Oasis
# Scar's Heart
# The Starry Isles
# The Silent Veil
# Quiet Cove
# Loring Bay
# Alycine South
# The Gaze
# The Shining District
# The Bustle
# The Wharf
There are sections of the galaxy absent of any designation, not containing any notable objects. Should something of note be discovered in these unlabeled areas, they'd be moved into a nearby sector, expanding the respective zone to include it.
== Government ==
Alycine hosts thousands of independent kingdoms, empires, republics, theocracies, and various other governments. Most spacefaring civilizations control 32-50 planets across 8-12 star systems. The larger, more significant factions might control anywhere from a hundred planets across dozens of systems, to tens of thousands of worlds in thousands of systems.
There also lie various emerging civilizations ranging from tribal societies to early spaceflight. These worlds are usually ignored and left to their own devices until "modern" space travel is discovered, considered irrelevant by the galaxy at large before this point.
As for a galactic government, the closest example would be the Alycine Confederation. Not actually a governmental body, the AC is a council of the largest and most powerful players in the galaxy. With the exception of a few key rules, members are left to act and manage their realms as they see fit. Membership is exclusive to the few influential superpowers present, and together make the Alycine Confederacy the most significant hyperpower in the known universe.
=== Notable Factions ===
* The Areterra Kingdom
* The Ba'gan Cooperative
* The Core Republic
* The Ecaiton Republic
* The Free Commonwealth of Monkruts-eks
* The Groajoren Empire
* The Interstellar Union
* The Phantom Concordat
* The Republic of Aridova
* The Royrn United Commonwealth
* The Saegon Galactic Federal Republic
* The Sicuria Empire
*The Sicuria Republic
*The Traders Union
* The Tubren Scientific Union
*Tulira Dryads
* The V'lan Collective
*Whoosians (Choralorafax)
==== Notable Former Factions ====
* The Gorron Empire
* The Grox Empire
* The United Tribune
== Economy ==
The heart of the galactic economy resides in two key ingredients: The Sporebuck, and Spice.
=== Sporebuck ===
Sporebucks are the galactic currency, accepted by virtually every spacefaring civilization. When a species reaches a point where space travel is relatively inexpensive, they are persuaded to adopt the Sporebuck by several factors. The biggest reason to adopt the galactic currency would be that not only is the Sporebuck the most common currency in use, but it is also the sole currency for the vast majority of sapient species. The other large motivator would be most foreign powers will not bother trading with non-Sporebuck nations, severely limiting growth in all sectors.
Sporebucks have physical variants, sometimes as "paper" dollars and other times as gold or silver coins. But for the most part, Sporebucks are found on digital wallets only, an individual using something such as a plastic/metal card or personal device such as a communicator to transfer funds. The decision to utilize physical currency is up to individual governments, with most having gone with full digitalization.
=== Spice ===
Spice is varying types of natural byproducts of natural occurrences in the cores and mantels of nearly every planet in the galaxy. Most commonly found sprouting from geysers on the surface and under large bodies of water, both called Spice Geysers, these deposits can be tapped into for essentially unlimited sources of spice.
Spice is valued by its color, rarity, and corresponding uses. Red is the most used form of spice found, but is also the most common and thus cheapest. Purple is more limited in its capacities, but extremely rare and therefore the costliest.
All spices, except white, are considered edible by most species and have been used in cooking for millennia. However, a trend of slowly dropping their culinary uses in favor of more readily available ingredients starts once a nation reaches a certain point of expansion and development. Exceptions to this trend are red, yellow, and pink spice.
The galaxy trades hundreds of quintillions of Sporebucks every day, and spice is hardly the only resource making up that number. Nonetheless, spice is considered a universal commodity and both directly and indirectly fuels this shared economy.
The types of spice are listed here by rarity:
==== Red ====
Despite only being found on worlds orbiting red stars, red spice is by far the cheapest and most common spice type in the galaxy, making up a large portion of the spice market. Red spice has been used by countless species in the development of their nations. Used as a flavoring agent in spicy (the taste kind) foods, a dye, a building material, and so much more. Red spice can be used to make ammunition for ballistic and laser weaponry, powering many empires' armies. Red spice is found in everyday products, like soaps or clothing. Perhaps most notably, red spice has been called "the fuel of the terrestrials" for its prominent usage as a fuel in vehicles and energy production for homebound and early spaceflight societies, similar to users of petroleum on other worlds.
==== Yellow ====
Found around red and yellow stars, yellow spice is a common type used as a food additive, medical component, and manufacturing resource. It can be found in medicines due to its naturally high amount of Vitamin C, supporting immune systems in most carbon-based lifeforms.
Another popular use is its sour taste, making it prevalent in tart drinks and candies.
==== Blue ====
Blue spice is a valued commodity in the galaxy. After red and yellow spice, blue is the most common type but is still considered rare by galactic standards, only found orbiting blue stars. Blue spice was first widely used on the galactic stage as a sleeping agent, both for civilian use in their homes and to tranquilize fauna. Today, uses include powering laser weaponry, both small arms and ship-based, and more stable versions of traditional nuclear reactors. Refining the element can also create a powerful stimulant capable of increasing blood flow and oxygen (or other air types) intake, granting the user a level of agility and strength not normally reachable even with "adrenaline rushes". These modern capabilities have made blue spice the favored spice of many militaries.
==== Green ====
Green spice is unique (along with pink) in that it has been found orbiting every type of star. Green spice is extremely useful as a fertilizer, and as such highly valued by farming worlds. Other uses can be found in the science and medical field, along with limited but enjoyable culinary applications, having a flavor profile akin to mint.
A scattering of military utilizations exists, green spice having found its way into even the most destructive explosives like the Saegon IPDB.
==== Pink ====
Pink spice, like green, is found around every star type, although seldom anything other than a blue star. Despite its rarity, pink spice doesn't have many uses outside industrial practices. As the favorite of the manufacturing field (outside of the defense and pharmaceutical industry), pink spice can be found in beauty products and cleaning or waxing agents. Although only popular in certain sectors of space, pink spice is the sweetest of all spices and may find itself as a sugar substitute.
==== Purple ====
Purple spice is the rarest (in practice) of all spice types. Found most commonly in the outer orbits of blue stars, purple spice is a powerful substance. Uses range from medicine, to weaponry, to terraforming stabilizers. Early civilizations native to purple worlds, which is an extremely rare occurrence, can be seen using purple spice in less developed fashions; purple spice is edible and sweet and can be used as a flavoring in foods or as an element in rituals.
==== White ====
White spice is without question the rarest type in the known universe, with only a handful of worlds being found to contain it. The science behind a white spice world is unknown. Some of the worlds are barren rocks, while others are capable of sustaining life. Two confirmed cases of gas giants producing white spice have also been documented.
Despite their rarity, white spice has little to no value. It is extremely toxic to handle and offers no industrial or scientific benefits, at least none not already provided by other more common spices. Outside of collectors and the occasional research group, white spice receives no attention from the galactic community and is even considered a bad omen by the more superstitious.
==== Black ====
Black spice is a hypothetical substance that has yet to be documented by any known civilization. Ancient peoples across the galaxy have written and painted art describing/detailing black spice. Archeologists have debated the existence of black spice for centuries, most notable researchers concluding it to be either tainted spices of other colors or a non-spice simply referred to as such, possibly charcoal dust or volcanic ash. Treasure hunters throughout the galaxy have searched for black spice on tens of thousands of worlds, but none have found success.
Fabled uses for the substance range from a healing agent to a gift from the gods capable of granting eternal life.
== Trivia ==
* Pronounced either AL-I-SEEN or AL-I-SIGN
* Alycine is slightly smaller than The Milky Way, but may contain more stars and planets.
* This is the main setting of the Alycine Continuity