The Darkness

The Darkness is an eldritch force present in the Milky Way Galaxy and beyond. It is believed to be a direct physical manifestation of a concept known as the Sword Logic. After Earth's disappearance, the Darkness's fleet of Pyramids reactivated across the galaxy, and it is largely believed that the two events are synonymous.

## Overview

The Darkness as a concept and The Darkness as a collection of entities are two radically differing things, and it is speculated that each has their own goals and desires: The Darkness as a concept is the belief in the Sword Logic made manifest as a cosmic power. The Sword Logic, in its' simplest form, is the belief akin to natural selection, or the belief that only the strong will survive. The Sword Logic takes things a step further, outlining the belief in a "Final Shape" or the idea that one species will become chief among all others, and eventually become the only existing sentient life.

The Darkness in the form of a group of entities is effectively a large force of individuals under the command of an entity which has unlocked the deepest secrets of the Darkness, and became known as The Witness. This individual created a vast fleet of Pyramid-shaped vessels known, unsurprisingly, as Darkness Pyramids.

### The Darkness Pyramids

Paramount among The Witness's multiverse-spanning assets are Darkness Pyramids: Paracausal vessels of unknown purpose. Before Earth's disappearance, Darkness vessels were largely scattered across the universe in a deactivated state. However, upon their reactivation post-Earth's disappearance, they began to absorb large sections of space in void-like cosmic clouds, creating a starless and untravellable expanse. These "Galactic Dead Zones" became largely avoided by the remaining species around the galaxy. Little is known of what a Pyramid's inner workings look like, however a few of the more derelict vessels have been salvaged and torn apart, revealing largely hollow interiors with winding corridors at the center.

### Manifestation of Darkness: The Taken

Comprised of anomalous extradimensional matter is The Taken; beings whose very souls have been corrupted by The Darkness, and placed under the servitude of a Disciple of the Witness. Taken were created en masse when the Dead Zones appeared across the galaxy, as the former denizens of the effected star systems became Taken and spread out to raid surviving star systems.

### Guardians of the Pyramids: Tormentors

Tormentors are biomechanical constructs created by The Witness to serve as enforcers a step below Disciples. Like Taken, they have no personal will, and simply enact the malicious will of The Witness. They are commonly deployed as elite auxiliary forces during ground invasions or raids of enemy star systems.

### Figurehead of the Dark: The Witness

As horrifying a concept as it is mysterious, The Witness is a singular being of unimaginable power which is the physical embodiment of The Darkness.

### Elite enforcers: The Disciples of the Witness

Beings of higher power are generally not Taken by the Darkness, but rather coaxed to their side and made brutal generals and singular enforcers known as Disciples. These Disciples are placed in command of a singular Pyramid force and a private legion of Taken and Tormentors, and unleashed upon the Galaxy to destroy life until they find a species worth of being the Final Shape.

## Current activity across the galaxy

Presently, The Darkness's forces are concentrated in the dozens of massive "Dead Zones" across the Milky Way Galaxy and beyond. However, Pyramids will frequently stray beyond the Zones to raid singular Star Systems, commonly Taking the systems' biological residents and corrupting the planets it attacks. There is no known method of counter-offensive to Pyramids, as all conventional kinetic, energy, and hard light-based armaments have failed to so much as penetrate its' external shield systems.