The Sanctum

The Primeval Universe of the Sanctified (Tress: Mina i Saet), commonly referred to as The Sanctum (Tress: Min) is a unique government of sentient aquatic and amphibious lifeforms scattered across space, characterized by the nomadic movement of large nations known as Pilgrimages into the deep unknown and back to a central hub known as the Hydrous Core. 
The Sanctum constitutes an extremely vast volume of space, and even with the Sanctum's powerful hyperdrive engines (the fastest ones of any civilization), it takes approximately 4,000 years to travel from a frontier of the Sanctum to Hydrous Core.  
== Pilgrimages ==
Pilgrimages consist of billions of lifeforms. There are two cycles (known in Tress as eaA) which repeat over the course of around 4,000-5,000 years. During the first cycle, Pilgrimages set out from Hydrous Core into deep space to chart the unknown and aquaform new worlds. Of course hundreds of generations pass before the Pilgrimage may reach its destination. Upon arrival, the Pilgrimage will establish a local capital or base of operations as it spends the remaining years of the eaA studying and engineering planets in the vicinity. When the cycle is complete, the Pilgrimage will begin the millenia-long journey homeward to Hydrous Core. Any facilities or computers will be left behind for future Pilgrimages who return to the area in order to study the progress of life. For the remainder of this cycle, the Pilgrimage will stay at Hydrous Core and embrace the collective knowledge and success of the Sanctum. 
During these long journeys, Pilgrimages live aboard gigantic vessels known as semaA. The head of the Pilgrimage is an elected official known as the Master. The vessels are controlled by titanic creatures resembling whales known as semaAi. Life aboard semaA is normal as children are born, mature, pursue a career, grow old and have their own offspring, and pass away. Near the destination, the semaA split up into smaller (but still huge) ships known as motherships. Each semaA form a large fleet of motherships, and several semaA comprise a Pilgrimage. Eventually, upon arrival, the head mothership (led by the Master) will find a local habitable planet with suitable oceans, or aquaform one, in order to establish a capital. Many motherships will be dismantled and cities built from their parts, and the Pilgrimage begin to search out for more planets to aquaform and research. Communication with the Hydrous Core is possible as high-tech communication devices are integrated into hydrous, allowing for contact over extreme distances. However, Pilgrimages are not permitted to contact other Pilgrimages unless in the case of dire emergency; even then, help from another Pilgrimage could only arrive in centuries or even millennia depending on the frontier.   
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