History & Origins

*The past is a complicated subject and this is more true for the peoples of Humanity than for most other races. Having endured numerous cataclysmic events throughout their storied history, much of that knowledge has become forever lost to the slow passage of eons. What exist now is little more than myth and legend being passed down from one generation to the next in a feeble attempt to hold onto some semblance of what they once were. Most do not even attempt this, simply allowing all memory of a past which no longer matters to quietly slip away. However, even in these chaotic times, some records of the forgotten ages which shaped Humanity still exist in one form or another. Though few in number such relics may be, they are all that remains to tell the story of a once great empire.*

## *A Forgotten Past*

*Many millennia ago in a near mythical age no longer remembered, the young race that would come to be known as Humanity once ruled over countless worlds. Having managed to conquer a near galaxy spanning empire for themselves over the course of many centuries. Reigning relatively unopposed for 10,000 years until an unforeseen catastrophe began to unfold. Without explanation dozens of human controlled star systems suddenly fell silent. Expecting nothing more than rebellion by the local colonists, a small wing of the immense imperial fleet was sent to restore order, but no status reports were ever received and the battle group would be assumed lost. Soon afterwards Humanity lost contact with countless more colonized star systems, and while its internal intelligence officers and military leadership deliberated on their response to what could only be the result of the dishonorable scheming of contemptible traitors, several more star systems went completely dark, including the venerable Human homeworld.*

*The rate of expansion of this unknown enemy was truly astonishing, far exceeding even that of the entire Imperial Fleet. As a last resort, the Imperial Fleet brought the bulk of their forces back from the expansionary frontier for a blind assault on whatever was eating its way out of the empire‘s core worlds. None could have predicted what would happen next. When a single, heavily damaged warship from this vast assault force appeared in orbit of a planet on the empire‘s perimeter, the inhabitants decided to board the ship. What they found were the remains of a once battle-hardened, veteran crew driven completely insane with fear. In a rare act of autonomy, what remained of Imperial leadership made the decision to evacuate as many people as possible to systems outside of the Imperial Core.*

*It would prove to be the last time they would ever see their homeworlds. For the next 600 years the massive human refugee fleet traveled from system to system, dropping warning beacons in their path, spending barely enough time to replenish their necessary resources and continuing to evacuate what human populations they could before moving onward. However, no matter how far the human fleet traveled, their warning beacons fell silent; their unknown adversary continuing its march toward their extermination. None could discern what exactly this unknown enemy wanted. Other than the fact that it sought to kill every man, woman and child out there, Humanity knew nothing about this terrible threat. Realizing that their foe would never stop, eventually the remnants of the human race were forced to flee their own galaxy in terrified desperation and venture out into the desolate void which exist between galaxies.*

## *Rise & Fall of An Empire*

*The survivors of Humanities long journey would eventually emerge from that endless void into a new and unexplored galaxy, their mysterious ancient enemy seemingly having been evaded... for a time at least. What remained of Humanity would arrive aboard hundreds of immense star-ships, each more similar to a self contained nation than a simple vessel, containing not only millions of people but also various cultures as well. These massive city-ships would later be broken down and used as materials for new settlements. Over the course of 10,000 years the peoples of Humanity would eventually create a safe haven of countless worlds, all making up what would come to be remembered as the "Old Empire". Beginning at the galactic core, the empire expanded uniformly, and brought hundreds of planets under its control. While most worlds Humanity encountered were inhabited by primitive species and easily colonized, more advanced civilizations were harshly driven back. During this time many aliens would be broken and scattered forever.*

*After establishing themselves within their new home region of the galactic core, now called "Near Space", Humanity experienced an extraordinary Golden Age of cultural resurgence, technological advancement and galactic exploration. Terraforming hundreds of star systems and allowing their population to skyrocket into unprecedented numbers of people, all inhabiting a diverse range of planets. Recorded in what few records still remain only vaguely as the absolute pinnacle of Humanity's scientific knowledge and technological achievements within what has currently come to be known to all as the "Apocalypsa Galaxy". This ancient Golden Age would last for some 10,000 years, becoming the birth period for many of Humanity's numerous magnificent achievements. Such as Power Armor and the mastery of genetic engineering.*

*However, at some unknown point in time Humanity would manage to draw upon an endless dimension of extraordinarily potent energy that allowed Humanity to advance much further and construct exponentially more powerful technologies. Unknown to all this strange new power were arcane energies leaking into their reality, changing it in ways Humanity didn't yet understand. Being a technologically advanced society that excelled in engineering, they used their prowess to construct the God Machines. These devices allowed them to make thought into reality and terraform whole planetary systems, recreating them in their image. In their eyes the power of the gods was now theirs to wield.*

*It was at this time that the society of Humanity became arrogant. This arrogance would lead to a disaster remembered as "The Great Calamity", and brought an end to the Golden Age of human advancement. The exact events leading up to the destructive collapse of the Old Empire have been forgotten. Most knowledge of this time period is now incredibly sparse and many "facts" about the Golden Age are no more than legend. However it is widely believed that Humanity utilized a mysterious magically enhanced arcane-device, known as the Relic, to rip open a chasm in space and time. Unwittingly connecting the physical Mortal Realm to that of the unknowable horrors within the Astral Realm. And thus plunging the entirety of humanity into the depths of a terrible period of carnage and desolation.*

## *The Great Calamity*

*The various races of Mankind would find that the worst was yet to come. Soon after this event had occurred a massive, chaotic, monster-bearing storm erupted forth without warning and began rapidly expanding in every direction, savagely consuming whole planetary systems and all those within them like a ravenous beast that could never be satisfied. The unfortunate star systems enveloped by this storm became unable to communicate with the wider galaxy and thus could not call for aid. Many planets were forced to face this horror completely alone. Over the course of hundreds of years the human race would be assaulted from all sides, with billions being ripped apart in screaming, brutal agony.*

*Even so, Humanity would not go silently into the night. They had been forced to flee once before and would not do so again. All were born screaming into this world at birth, how could they possibly leave it without a fight? The Old Empire began to engage this abominable onslaught of monsters in multiple theaters of war, utilizing any weapons they could and devising increasingly more bizarre war-machines, all fueled by their ever increasingly more insane zeal. Over the course of several long, bloody centuries, Humanity fought the demons from system to system, world to world, and city to city. If necessary, whole colonies were sacrificed and abandoned to their hated enemy; while the demons concentrated on consuming the inhabitants of those colonies, Humanity had time to reorganize.*

*However, this strategy would eventually become extremely costly, forever depriving the remaining Human worlds of whatever infrastructure and manpower they had given up. Where once there existed a vast, glorious stellar empire, a shining beacon of civilization among the boundless darkness of the void-sea, now only a relative handful of besieged and desperate defenders still remained to hold back their Ancient Enemy. Continuing their fanatical and yet hopeless campaign in the face of ever more insurmountable odds and battling terrifying demonic monstrosities ancient beyond comprehension. Determined to drag as many of the foul abominations into oblivion along with them as possible.*

*Unknown to many during this time and after, it was the Imperial Conquistadors of the Old Empire whom had discovered and disturbed the ancient Relic. There exist very little in the way of historical records and information on the Relic or its exact nature. All that can be known for certain is that the Imperial Conquistadors, whether intentionally or not, played a part in the unleashing of the insatiable forces of the Astral Realm onto the realms of mankind. However, this cannot be seen as an accident, this was no chance discovery. Besides the natural curiosity of man there was something more at work, an invisible force pulling upon the Conquistadors like the lure of a serpent.*

*When that first doomed Conquistador touched the Relic it was like the toiling of a mighty bell, a resonance going out into the Aethyrium but it was also a sign, an omen declaring that the fruit of man’s soul was ripe. Swollen by greed, ambition and betrayal the human race had finally proven itself to be worthy sacrifices to the monstrous forces that lay in waiting for time immemorial. Their wills subverted, the Conquistadors became the original humans to be consumed by the Ancient Enemy. A fight for survival had begun. The savage hordes spread throughout our reality warping it to their purpose and rendering a large part of human technology so maliciously unreliable that to use it was to court disaster. The night was growing darker for the peoples of Mankind and extinction in the face of such endless horrors seemed unavoidable.*

*Even so, the nightmare had only just begun. Worst things still were bidding their time and eagerly awaiting their chance to make prey of the peoples of the Mortal Realm. Malevolent beasts that made even the titanic world killers tremble in both awe and fear. This was only the vanguard, the precursor of the arrival of the god-like Elder Demons themselves. In much the same way as humankind terrformed entire worlds to accommodate their presence, so too did the diabolical onslaught work upon the reality of humankind to accommodate the presence of their abhorrent masters. The people of the vanishing Old Empire lived in a state of perpetual, apocalyptic warfare and used any weaponry at their disposal to fight off their relentless, numberless adversary. From guns and swords to missiles and bombs.*

*By utilizing their last remaining God Machines, converting them into a singular doomsday weapon capable of warping the fabric of reality itself, Humanity was able to defeat or banish most of the demons back into their own twisted dimension. However, Humanity was unable to completely seal off their own Mortal Realm from that of the accursed Astral Realm, and henceforth, allowing a never ending stream of aberrant, otherworldly energies to continue flowing into the Mortal Realm and additionally allowing continued, relatively small scale, demonic incursions. Along with plaguing swaths of the Apocalypsa Galaxy with otherworldly anomalies that would later come to be known by the remnants of the Old Empire as the Chaos Stars. Their esoteric energy would warp and twist countless worlds throughout the galaxy, creating landscapes of unimaginable beauty and nightmarish horrors. Most would deem these worlds to be "cursed" while others would be drawn to such planets as moths to a flame and would be forever changed, for better and for worse.*

*Soon after the wars end, the surviving humans were unexpectedly plunged into a cataclysmic epoch of galactic rebirth that would come to last tens of thousands of years. Countless millennia of natural disasters, famine, and plagues would mercilessly purge human worlds across the galaxy, extinguishing billions of lives and continuing to erode what few strings of unity that yet still remained among what were now the scattered and disorganized remnants of the Old Empire. Still, even in the face of such hardship, Humanity would endure and adapt as they had always done. They had not faced down creatures from beyond the fabric of reality to fall in the wake of their victory.*

## *After The Fall*

*What remained of humanity's governmental leadership utilized administrative and military efforts to keep their remaining population safe and were successful, but only through use of the most extreme measures and implementation of radical new technologies. In order to accomplish this astronomical task, mountainous spherical spacefaring complexes, known as Stasis Worlds, were constructed with the selfish intention of saving the best and brightest Humanity had to offer. The brightest and greatest were spirited away and spared from the destructive aftermath of the apocalyptic conflict with the demonic horde. When the inhabitants were awakened, they would provide humanity with the hope of beginning again after the destruction that inevitably would result from the rampaging otherworldly energies.*

*This plan, however, would abandon countless billions of people spread across many tens of thousands of isolated worlds to either survive on their own or be destroyed. In the eyes of those relative few chosen to begin their civilization anew, this was considered a worthy sacrifice for the greater good of the whole species. However, this would also come to be a decision which many of their number would soon regret upon awakening from a millennia long slumber. For their less fortunate cousins left to fend for themselves for countless thousand of years would persevere and even evolve under these new conditions. Some for the better and others for the worst. Adapting to life within an increasingly more hostile universe, filled with ever more terrible threats. Their time of dominance was now over, replaced with an age of simply surviving. The Golden Age of Humankind had now long since faded into ruin and would never come again.*

*This anarchic time period would thus serve to foster the creation of various uniquely dangerous and formidable enemies throughout the realms of Humankind for these slumbering Old Ones. Each of them a powerful obstacle to their objective of someday reestablishing the galactic Old Empire of ages past when that time arrived. And that is if this dream is even possible anymore. Control of the remnants of the ruined Old Empire would shift constantly between numerous disparate factions that had managed to maintain extremely powerful warmachines and battle hardened armies in the aftermath of the ancient conflict's conclusion. However, practically all remnants of the previously advanced interstellar civilization they had been in ages gone by would be swallowed up by the slow passage of eons and forgotten; instead, tech-barbarians and tyrannical monarchs battled one another over the scraps of the ancient human interstellar society that remained.*

*The Chaotic Millennium as it would come to be known was an age of galactic upheaval, war, anarchy, bloodshed and stagnation, lasting thousands of years. In their isolation, embattled human worlds would regress to the level of savage barbarity. Over the intervening centuries, hundreds of undefended smaller settlements would be exterminated, leaving only those possessing great willpower and determination in the face of unimaginable strife to weather this tumultuous period and steadily begin to regain their lost technology. Some of these pockets of human civilization had managed to survive and even thrive; primarily those worlds and star systems which were, or had managed to become, completely self-sufficient in crucial aspects. However, despite all that they had lost, interstellar travel was still possible, with some star systems managing to maintain several colonies to trade with and share resources among themselves. Many such fortunate worlds which were located near one another would later come to form their own empires and major factions.*

## *A Changed People*

*When this millennia long period of near-apocalyptic crisis had ended, the remnants of the Old Empire that had been left behind emerged a changed race. Over the long period of isolation small pockets of humans began to evolve, adapting to suit their new environment, becoming the Demihuman and Star Spawn races. The many new "breeds" of humanity were able to use Old One technology and their fledgling understanding of "magic" to better adapt and flourish in the new, and oftentimes more dangerous, galactic arena. However, over thousands of years the peoples of baseline Humanity had fractured into hundreds of competing space faring empires and nations, all utilizing a combination of arcane enhanced technology for various purposes. Some of these civilizations being little more than massive barbaric demon worshiping cults while others are honorable warrior sects dedicated to protecting the galaxy from demonic incursions.*

*During this time the substantial majority of peoples had remained within the familiar boundaries of the Old Empire. A considerable number, however, did not. Countless humans departed the regions of space colonized by the forgotten human empire for uncharted space, never to return. For thousands of years, humanity explored the uncharted realms of their galaxy beyond the boundaries of the Old Empire. Inevitably new groups and cultures would evolve. Over a thousand different "factions" currently exist and many no longer speak the same languages nor practice the same cultures as their distant ancestors. Most having willingly chosen to forsaken such ties to a past that holds only memories of torment.*

*The great interstellar civilization humanity once inhabited is now a barely remembered dream and in its place, a twisted mockery of all that was once familiar. Almost everything of ancestral importance had been cast aside in that frantic race for survival. The desperate survivors were forced to rely on nothing more than their own ingenuity and a fierce sense of determination to survive against appalling odds. Every faction is unique in its culture and way of functioning as a whole, some are aristocratic governments ruling over millions of serfs, whilst others are fearsome warriorhoods born of an ancient purpose. Not every culture gets along peacefully and especially so in the aftermath of the Great Calamity.*

*Unsurprisingly, on many occasions during the 70,000 years since the collapse of the Old Empire, the various competing cultures and people that have developed from the survivors have marched to war against one another over various concerns and reasons. The Apocalypsa Galaxy is a place of near constant conflict, plagued with roving gangs and piratic warbands, most being part of a larger faction. All vying for territories and resources, waging campaigns of apocalyptic destruction against not only the more civilized factions but also battle tirelessly against marauding armies of techno-barbarians, mutants, each other and even worse in a battle for survival against countless merciless foes.*

*Being forced to inhabit an increasingly more perilous and chaotic galactic arena, people have continued developing arcane-powered technology to oppose the overwhelming despair. Within the relative safety of massive walled cities, the city rulers have to manage both the inhabitants and the aging infrastructure the citizens live in. Such leaders tactical skills face challenges, frequently questioning morality and the basic foundation of what humanity once considered an organized society. Here optimization and resource management often clash with empathy and thoughtful decision-making. Under such conditions, unforgiving caste systems and slavery are abundant.*

*While it is undeniably true that most have completely forgotten the past Golden Age, now referring to their predecessors as the Old Ones and a multitude of other names, this is not entirely the case for every human dominated planetary system or forgotten outpost. With some human factions whom had managed to hold onto scattered caches of knowledge having begun to deifying their ancestors and maintaining ancient technological relics as some sort of spiritual inheritance to be revered by everyone. This leading to them becoming technology-hoarding theocracies. For thousand of years the descendants of the Old Empire struggled onward in the face of impossible odds and unimaginable horrors.*

*Slowly over untold millennia massive empires would be forged and expeditions sent to colonize new worlds. Some of these expeditions were lost in the raging tides of the Aethyrium Sea or died on faraway worlds. Others succeeded in establishing new settlements loyal to a specific major faction. The full scope of human population in the galaxy cannot be known with absolute certainty, but it is estimated that the combined population of all of humanity's descendants in their varied forms numbers some 700 trillion strong and are spread out across many tens of thousands of planets. Many of these young colony worlds were first founded after the end of humanity's Golden Age.*

*Most often by those factions who still had the knowledge to maintain or even manufacture the technology needed to accomplish this great feat. Despite the harshness of their current situation and all that they had endured, the desire of humankind to spread and discover hasn't entirely waned. Though humans are no longer so naive as to not prepare themselves for confrontations with numerous dangers that may be lurking within the unexplored regions of the galaxy. New colonization ships are now always dispatched with a sizable military escort.*

## *Aftermath*

*The human race dwells in a world of darkness. A galactic dark age propped up by sorcery and science. The survivors barely made it through the horrors which preceded this age. Their numbers totally insignificant in comparison to the many monsters which preyed upon them, they shunned the galaxy outside of the regions their ancestors had already mapped and exploration came to a halt. The centuries of ceaseless war with eldritch horrors had taken its toll on the worlds of humanity as well. Weapons of incalculable destruction were deployed without a thought to the cost of future generations, their ancestors simply wishing to drag as many of their hated foes into the abyss along side them as possible. Humans living upon the most terribly effected planets shunned the surface world and its toxic atmosphere, being left with no choice but to seek shelter in underground complexes and vast fortress cities protected by fortified domes for the next few centuries. When they finally returned to the surface, their mechanized civilization was in ruins.*

*With no way of contacting survivors in other distant planets and systems, any thoughts these isolated pockets of humanity might have had of things returning to the way they'd been before the destruction, or even of rebuilding to the point where it could be called a civilization, were flights of fantasy, and nothing more. With generation after generation striving merely to survive, memories of the past grew dim. Though the birthrate of humanity and its ability to adapt being what it is, the population increased steadily after a thousand years, but civilization itself plunged back to the level of the Middle Ages. Dreading the mutant creatures spawned by radiation and cosmic rays, the humans formed more militant civilizations and continued to further fortify what their settlements. Slowly over the years forest and plains had gradually returned to verdure on many worlds where such sights were previously just a distant memory, enabling the survivors to further expand and grow in numbers.*

*In their struggles with the cruel environment, at times they had to kill their newborn babies to keep what little food they had. Other times the infants went toward filling their parents' empty bellies. That was the time. In that pitch-black, superstitious world they appeared. It was during this time that Humanity first encountered the races of the Star Spawn whom they would come to battle against relentless for generations to come. How the Star Spawn maintained high levels of technology and lived on in the chaotic maelstrom of the Aethyrium-Sea was unclear. All that is known is when the many Star Spawn returned to their ancestral home of Near Space, they brought only carnage, destruction and war. As when the fox hears the rabbit's scream, he comes quickly... but he doesn't come to help. Most prominent among these assailants were the vampiric Sanguinarians, who quickly became known for stealing away entire settlements, leaving none signs of life.*

*These creatures would quickly become legend among the many superstitions races of mankind, the sources of countless myths and stories meant to frighten. However, even in this pathetic state, humanity would continue to resist these foes and fight bitterly to survive. From the end of the fourth millennia A.D., the Sanguinarian civilizations as a whole started to show a phenomenal decline in energy, and that brought on the start of mankind's great rebellion. Weakened by one great uprising after another, the Sanguinarians entered dozens of armistices with the humans, each of which maintained the peace for short periods. Ultimately they scattered before mankind's pursuit. Many of these mysterious races retreating back to their native region of Phyrr Space. In their bloodlust fueled ignorance, the humanes would pursue the Sanguinarians and other less well documented Star Spawn warbands into the realms of Savage Space, this initiating contact between the techno-barbarian Demihumans.*

*Unfortunately, Humanity would see their distant cousins as no different from the Star Spawn whom had preyed upon them for so long and attack the Demihuman civilizations as well. Tribal and warlike due to their own even more harsh environment, the Demihumans responded in kind, cementing distrust and prejudice between the two for millennia to come. The damage had been done as humanity fostered legends about these enemies of mankind that persist to the modern day. Though most humans remain unaware that they had merely fought off raiding parties and warbands, the true devastating spender of the Star Spawn civilizations remaining a mystery to them. During these years of near constant raids from Phyrr Space, these vicious Star Spawn barbarians being nearly indestructible themselves, weren't so eager to exterminate the mutant creatures humanity feared so much. Quite the contrary, the Star Spawn loved the vicious beasts, nurtured them, and even created others like them with their own hands.*

*The Star Spawn unleashed one legendary monster after another into the world of man. Though their creators were forced out of human dominated space, the creatures they had spawned still ran rampant on countless worlds that had been victimized. The humans studied the nature of these artificial monstrosities for generations, learning their powers and their weaknesses. In time, some people came to work exclusively on weapons and ways to kill these things. Of those people, some specialized in producing more effective weaponry, while those of surpassing strength and agility trained themselves to use those weapons. These exceptional warriors are the origin of the earliest Quaarymen. As time went by, Quarrymen became more narrowly focused, specializing in killing Orogs or a specific breed of Star Spawn. The Quarrymen were a product of the people's fear. Universally recognized as possessing strength and intellect beyond the rest of humanity, as well as an ironclad will impervious to the fear their inhuman enemies inspired in others.*

*By the time of the present age, the vast majority of humans believes that the Star Spawn, Demihumans and other monsters serve no purpose beyond terrorizing Humanity. For the children of Mankind, the Apocalypsa Galaxy is a post-apocalyptic wasteland inhabited by humans, mutants, demons and various other strange creatures. The worlds within its confines are as diverse as its inhabitants, including small farming communities which dwell inside walled enclaves, weapons and warrior training citadels, mobile city-szided fishing communities that remain at sea and many remnants from the Great Calamity such as the techno barbarians and techno cults. The Apocalypsa has many descriptions some conflicting about its scope. What is not conflicting is that it is mainly broken up into 6 main regions. Near Space, Wyld Space, Savage Space, Phyrr Space, Faar Space and Kursed Space.*

## *Present-Day*

*The present-day Apocalypsa Galaxy is a truly remarkable and also perilous place to behold, holding as many terrors as it does wonders. It is a desolate and war torn galaxy where humanities golden age has crumbled and the survivors now find themselves left to survive as a series of fledgling civilizations living in the bones of a dead empire. Humanity having scattered across the unfathomable expanse of the Aethyrium-Sea is not what it once was, with most, if not all, of the myriad descendants of the Old Empire having been unavoidably changed by the near constant stream of otherworldly energies saturating the galaxy. Humans are classified primarily by the planet they inhabit. Most peoples, which dwell on very mild planets can generally be compared to the humans of Old Empire with very few obvious deviations. However, those that settled on much harsher planets, such as those found within the largely unstable regions of Savage Space and Phyrr Space, have evolved very unique characteristics absent in other renditions of humanity across the galaxy.*

*Those peoples located particularly close to the galactic anomalies known as the "Chaos Stars" are much more noticeably changed than those who stayed within the existing boundaries of the old human empire. Developing many strange mutations, abilities and technologies, and also having a much closer affinity to magic than their human cousins. Although all of humanity has been effected to some degree, it is undeniably more apparent among those peoples inhabiting worlds positioned nearer the Chaos Stars or more perilously located closer to the Threshold, also known as the Gods Eye Gate, itself. It is thus far the only known gate way into the terrifying region of the galaxy called Phyrr Space, which was the original location where the first demonic onslaught had be birthed upon the Mortal Realms of mankind and is easily the most obviously changed by their otherworldly presence. The Gods Eye leads to a place that has been overrun with warped races of Mankind no longer recognizable as human, ancient leviathans, demonic monsters, alien super weapons and so much worse.*

*Very few mortal explorers have entered into this mysterious passage way and returned to tell of what terrible wonders they may have witnessed. Those few who have seen it and lived describe it as surrounded by unfathomable tidal forces of celestial power and otherworldly energies, treacherous to navigate near, but exotically beautiful none the less. It is a cursed place where the barbaric human inhabitants have turned to worshiping strange and terrifying gods, brutal sacrifices and executions are carried out, and unnatural plagues are prevalent. No sane man or woman would venture into this accursed realm without good reason. The fear the Gods Eye provokes is enough to dissuade all but the most fanatically determined of adventurers from seeking it out. Most of these fools blinded by dreams of glory are never seen again and those who return are changed forever. Either being driven completely mad from what they have seen beyond the Gods Eye or having converted to the religions of the peoples who inhabit the accursed worlds within its light and seek to spread their faith.*

*Many of the peoples who live upon these cursed worlds have even taken to worshiping the Gods Eye as a deity, making savage sacrifices to it in hopes of receiving its favor or going so far as to make pilgrimages beyond the Threshold. The light of the Gods Eye itself enshrouds the area and makes vague the reality and dreams of those who foolishly venture near. And according to those who have seen them, there are also times when "things" that should not naturally exist often appear. Humanity as a whole has become more superstitious and distrustful because of the horrors perpetrated in the aftermath of The Great Calamity, something which the the various governments and political entities which dominate most of Human inhabited territories go to great lengths to encourage. In short, the often technologically stagnant, isolated, despotic and authoritarian realms of Mankind possesses their unique cultural characteristics in large part as a reaction to many millennia of untold suffering endured by all of humanity since the collapse of the Old Empire.*

*Chaos, stagnation and ceaseless war reigns throughout the known galaxy. The Mortal Realms are sundered, corrupted by howling, blood-madden beasts; it is a time of morbid horror and absolute madness. The murderous champions of the Demonic Hordes fight furiously to extinguish the last lights of hope. Since the fall of the Old Empire so many tens of thousands of years ago, the realms of mankind have become a roaring mayhem of carnage, death and war. The surfaces of countless planets have been swept clean by the primeval onslaught of storming hordes. Humanity must wage war on an unprecedented scale with enemies near and far. Heavily armed and armored warriors battle genetically engineered abominations created to live out their entire lives encased within nigh impenetrable powered armor suits, terrifying alien threats invading from the darkest corners of the galaxy to devour Mankind, and tech-barbarian warbands warped into a multitude of bizarre forms by rampaging mutagenic energies.*

*Muscular beyond belief and foaming with primal rage, these warrior-bands descend upon their enemies screaming and leave nothing alive. While deep behind the towering walls of their enormous bastion-cities, heretics devoted to the destruction of humankind stalk the dark backstreets and gloomy alleyways spreading their teachings of greed, jealousy and treachery. As human civilization remains fragmented and suspicious of one another, countless malicious alien horrors have emerged from the darkness to plunder unprotected worlds and enslave their populations. Hundreds of human dominated settlements have been sacked and ravaged, their populations slaughtered, subjugated or stolen away. Demonic possession, widespread ignorance and isolation have fostered inter-human conflict, anarchy and the stagnation amongst the majority of human civilizations that still remain within the galaxy. After the devastation of the Great Calamity all that remains are wastelands and desolation.*

*It is dog eat dog, where the survivors fight for a meager life within fortified strongholds and the road ways between them. You only survive if you join a gang and even then, whole gangs are wiped out on a regular basis. Those gangs with supplies prosper and those without are roadkill. Constant mechanical carnage ensues between hundreds of feudal gangs as they viciously battle over the ever dwindling vital resources necessary for survival. And to make a deteriorating situation that much worse, the arcane powers of the Astral Realm which constantly stream unchecked into the Mortal Realm through the Chaos Stars prevents computers, "thinking engines", and other electronic devices from functioning reliably, if at all, and initially this caused complete disorder, and then a forced adaptation of the technology used by mankind. For centuries, humans searched for ways to combine magic and technology so that they may both function in conjunction with one another.*

*However, despite untold centuries of truly exhausting research and toiling, some forms of technology simply cannot work as they once had and so have reluctantly been abandoned. If this abundance of misfortunes assailing Humankind were not enough, the numerous malevolent entities of the Astral Realm continue to spread plague, lies, distrust and war among Human populations. It cannot be known how many worlds have been devastated or swallowed whole by brutal demonic incursions. Only through the adaptability and tenacity of humankind in the face of overwhelming odds have the disparate factions which inhabit the galaxy been able to survive for so many millennia. However, isolated and beset by internal strife, famine and plague, under incessant attack by aliens and facing the peril of demonic incursions, the human descendants that have survived are pitiable shadows of what they had once been in an age when Mankind's dead far outnumbered its living.*

*Humanity now stands on the brink of total annihilation. This final conflict will change everything, not least of all the entirety of Humanity as a whole. Hooked on a dangerous cocktail of adrenaline, rage and madness, the human race marches ever closer to its own destruction.*

## *Timeline*

***The Dawn Age -** When humans first arrived in the Apocalypsa Galaxy. The human empire had not yet been formed and many nations competed with one another for resources, such as fertile worlds to call their own, and political influence. This was also the age wherein humanity first made contact with native intelligent alien life. This contact lead to the formation of an alliance among humanity that would lay the frame work for what would become the Old Empire.*

***The Golden Age -** The height of interstellar human dominance, and colonization of hundreds of thousand of worlds. It is an age of unprecedented discovery, scientific advancement and unity for mankind as a whole. The birth of a singular interstellar human empire that would span ten thousand years and encompass countless billions of people. A golden age of prosperity and trade prospered with thousands of starships ferrying goods between planets across the empire.*

***The Great Calamity -** The destruction of the human empire due to their own arrogance, having unwittingly aided in the arrival of demons into real space from the Astral Realm. This leads to thousands of years of war before finally defeating the monsters but only after the loss of countless lives, and hundreds of worlds. This ultimately sends the once invincible human empire into a chaotic free fall lasting many centuries, leaving them as a mere shadow of their former glory.*

***The Great Shattering -** The end of humanity as a singularly unified peoples or nation, the Old Empire having ceased to exist as a cohesive whole. The majority of humanity now cut off from each other have begun to forge new cultures and plant the seeds of new civilizations, some of which are the first to relearn the use of magic. It was during this age that the first "tech-magus" would come into existence, combining magical power with technology for various purposes.*

***The Chaotic Millennium -** Thousands of years of war, famine, and hardship. It was defined by a millennium-long conflict that destroyed many civilizations and wiped out millions of lives. This age almost led the Human race to total destruction due to the extreme conditions it wrought upon them. However, it was also a time of great change for much of humanity as a whole due to the rising tides of majic in real space and the creation of the mysterious Chaos Stars.*

***The Age of Ascendancy -** This age in humanities history was defined by the unintentional summoning by early magus of a god like entity known as a Demon Prince. The demonic beast would rampage across hundreds of inhabited worlds for centuries until finally being defeated and banished at the hands of a mighty Apostle, a chosen champion of the godly entities which inhabit the Astral Realm. In the aftermath of the conflict, many humans began worshiping these beings.*

***The Age of Rebirth -** The Age of Rebirth saw the development of a new cultural, social, and intellectual renaissance for the majority of Humanity, with the advancement of the arts, scientific endeavors, and many other cultural pursuits being key social priorities. Human culture also became increasingly demilitarized, as people's energies were channeled more towards improving quality of life and the resolution of past conflicts, leaving no need for large armies to be maintained.*

***The Damned Age -** An age marked with the invasion of human worlds by the mysterious Saphirons and enslavement of countless billions of people across the galaxy. Only ended by the seconding coming of the demonic hordes which had shattered the Old Empire and now were once again waging total war on a galactic scale against the descendants of humanity, the Saphirons, and other races not seen before but now facing extinction at the hands of a common enemy.*

***The Red Millennium -** Beginning after the defeat of the demonic races and their banishment back into their own realm. The descendants of Humanity have forged new empires and civilizations, all vying for dominance over one another. A time of endless war, conquest, superstition and distrust among Humanity's descendants. This is the age in which the remaining Old Ones, who had previously been hibernating in stasis for nearly 70 thousand years, had awoken into.*

***The Age of Destiny -**The founding of the second interstellar human empire, brought about by the return of the Primus, formerly known as the Old Ones, and beginning of an age of reunification as the Primus attempt to reestablish the Old Empire. Still a time of intercine warfare and distrust as the Primus continue to expand their sphere of influence among their descendants, encompass peoples, and topple oppressive regimes which fight bitterly to maintain the status quo.*

***The Age of Mankind -** This is a speculative period for Humanity that has not yet come to pass. It is an age wherein Humanity will have discarded the dark age divisions which now plague them and work toward the greater good of all. A time of renewed Human domination of the galaxy. Wherein petty differences no longer hold sway. Bringing about this age is the ultimate goal of the Primus* *who wish for a return to the Golden Age of their ancient past, no matter the cost.*