Ascension

The **Ascension Plane** is a mystical realm, which co-exists with the Palioxis Starfield. Most of it is composed of an endless sea of azure mist and superheated plasma suspended in an eternal void. The nature of this mist is unclear at this time. Regardless, various theories have been offered about its nature and genesis. According to one interpretation, the mist is Halycon which has leaked into the Ascension Plane in the distant past. The blue mist has proven to have some of the key properties of Halycon, though has been altered when traversing through the interdimensional void to the Ascension Plane. As of now, this is the most reasonable explanation, albeit it, like the others, has yet to be verified. Diverse cosmic behemoths lurk in this blue mist, certain of which appear to be malevolent. The Ascension Plane is similar to an ocean in that the deeper one goes, the more exotic the creatures become.

The Ascension Plane is one of the more important alternate planes to the Starfield's community and civilization, in the sense that it is used to power the most advanced method of faster-than-light travel ever discovered. Since the Ascension Plane and the Starfield coexist, the coordinates of the two planes are equal. When combined with the fact that the Ascension Plane is far smaller than the Starfield, it enables for extraordinarily rapid superluminal transit if any ship ventures there. The Quantum Shift Drive, the most technologically advanced method of superluminal travel, has achieved this milestone. The Class of the Quantum Shift Drive has a significant impact on the speed with which ships travel in the Ascension Plane. What's essential is how deep the spaceship travels in the Ascension Plane, because the deeper one travels, the faster one travels. Altogether, ships can travel at rates of up to two light-years per second.

## **Nature**

   The Ascension Plane is a Plane of superheated plasma and clouds of azure mist. Since the Ascension Plane is far denser than the Starfield, the gasses in the alternate plane heat up, resulting in the superheated plasma. The azure-colored mist, which has several alien qualities, is a significantly more intriguing aspect of the Ascension Plane. This mist is said to be Halycon, which entered the Ascension Plane via a small rift during the Blessing of Halycon. The mist's qualities strongly corroborate the aforementioned viewpoint.

Surprisingly, the Ascension Plane behaves similarly to a vast ocean. The Ascension Plane is a thousand and two hundred light-years in depth. As one ventures farther into the Ascension Plane, the light begins to wane, the mist gets thicker, and absolute blackness prevails, much as it would in an ocean. Scientists are not sure what the source of light for the Ascension Plane is, although it's thought to be an otherworldly beacon which radiates photons. The speed of an object in the Ascension Plane, on the other hand, begins to rise in modest increments relative to the depth. For every twenty-five light-years increased in depth, an object's speed normally rises by a percent. As a result, a starship with a Class 1 Quantum Shift Drive enhances its speed by two light-years per second when travelling at the lowest depths.

Surprisingly, the Ascension Plane parallels the Starfield in several aspects. The reason for this is that a point in the Ascension Plane and a point in the Starfield are identical. In the Ascension Plane, this results in mass shadows of existing objects. If a spaceship approaches too closely, mass shadows can block the Ascension Plane jumps and potentially drag a ship out of the Ascension Plane. Mass shadows, by their very nature, can put a ship in danger of colliding. Navigational computers integrated with Quantum Shift Drives are designed to compute paths that purposefully avoid such occurrences. Natural mass shadows are created by the gravity wells of massive celestial bodies like planets, stars, and gas giants. Smaller bodies, such as comets, might potentially be to blame, albeit they appear to have little influence on the ship.

The Ascension Plane is a deadly environment for all living beings beyond the confines of a ship's protection. Absolutely any living organism subjected to the environment of the Ascension Plane would start suffocating and freezing, from the lack of air and no sources of heat. Even with protection, the Ascension Plane possesses numerous dangers, as one will begin to show signs of various mental issues such as extreme schizophrenia, when being in the Ascension Plane for many hours at a time. An individual could survive in an the Ascension Plane-ejected escape pod, but reentry to Palioxis Starfield would be impossible if the capsule lacks its own Quantum Shift Drive. Matter from Palioxis Starfield will also start to deteriorate after extended stays of over two hours in the Ascension Plane, thus complicating travel with the Quantum Shift Drive.

### **Ecology**

   The abundance of celestial beasts roaming amongst the azure fog is one of the Ascension Plane's more unusual features. The majority of these species have been seen to resemble typical marine organisms such as whales, rays, and fish. The creatures of the Ascension Plane occasionally take on more exotic and strange characteristics. The depth of their environment has a significant impact on the appearance and behavior of these species, as creatures from the lower depths are usually more hostile and malformed. The majority of these organisms lack intellect, whilst also a small number of species have achieved rudimentary sentience. Despite this, no race has yet figured out how to use technology for their benefit.

For millennia, scientists have been perplexed by the origins of these beasts. As a result, a slew of theories have arisen, none of which have been validated. The most well-known of these claims is that the Ascension Plane's ecosystem arose from basic microscopic creatures introduced into the alternate plane by an unidentified individual. These organisms began rapidly advancing into creatures adapted to the odd environment of the Ascension Plane due to the inherent qualities of the azure mist that floods the alternate plane. After the alternate plane's first inhabitants were created, they began to spread almost everywhere, prompting mutations to emerge to cope with the new surroundings. The organisms fully developed to their modern-day state over millions, if not billions, of years.