Ma’ehmaq

Ma’ehmaq is the name of a relatively primitive world claimed by Ginungagap, as well as the name of the temple in which he lives there.

[Important note - if you don’t know Ginungagap or the Anzat species he belongs to, they consume the life force of sentients. There are references here to consuming people - he’s not eating their bodies, just their minds and Force power.]

## History

### Discovery by Ginungagap

Ginungagap found the planet he later dubbed Ma’ehmaq around 13,000 BBY / 8,347 BTC. He navigated the unknown regions largely by Force intuition and felt a compelling urge to enter the coordinates that brought him to his future home. On arriving at the planet, he could feel a world rich in the Force in a way that only an untamed wilderness could be.

He found that the planet was inhabited by some 14 million sentients, scattered across its three huge continents. Touching down near a cluster of villages, he was approached by Force-sensitive village elders who lost their lives and minds to his void. Having demoralized the village by killing or driving into madness their most respected and powerful members without a touch, Ginungagap soon became the object of worship. He led the entire village in a procession to all the nearby villages, commanding their allegiance and consuming the life essence of any who opposed him. Having recruited a sizable workforce, he set them to work building him a temple in the relative center of the region atop a plateau in the jungle the villagers relied on. On its completion, he dubbed it Temple Ma’ehmaq and named the planet after it.

He lived there for several centuries, enslaving several generations of the native people and using them as assistants in his Force explorations, sacrifices, food, defense, and labor. His relative agelessness cemented his godhood in the eyes of the natives, and their devotion became ever more zealous.

After 700 years, he had learned all he could by remaining in one place. He informed his devotees that he would be leaving them for a time, but that he would always return and they should look forward to and fear this event. They maintained his temple the best they could, though without his direction some of it inevitably fell into disrepair.

### Millennia Later

Over the next 8,000 years, Ginungagap used Ma’ehmaq as a launching point for his explorations into the Unknown Regions, Wild Space, and the Outer Rim, ensuring that his home’s location was a closely-guarded secret. He also discouraged research into interstellar technology by the planet's inhabitants and stunted their scientific development in order to ensure their loyalty and seclusion.

Around 2,000 years after he made his home there, Ginungagap found himself in need of more assistants to conduct his experiments. He experimented with forcing a population boom among his followers, but was unable to control the rapidly growing village and when its inhabitants rebelled, he gave up the experiment, slaughtering his people until the population became manageable again. Up to the point of the rebellion, the people of Ma'ehmaq worshiped Ginungagap as a god. During the uprising, he was confronted by the rebels and told to admit he wasn't divine - and he gladly confirmed, explaining that he was far worse. After putting down the rebellion, he ensured his followers knew of his true nature and purpose. As a result, the zealots of Ma'ehmaq came to worship the concept of emptiness and viewed Ginungagap as the personification of this idea.

In this period of time, the entire planet’s growing population soon learned of Ginungagap and his cult. After several unsuccessful attempts to save or destroy the zealots, the rest of the population accepted their presence and gave the area a wide berth. The zealots would sometimes travel in order to trade or find recruits (and more often sacrifices), but they were not harmed. Everyone knew that the Ariva Ofek, or “Sunset Horizon” in the local tongues, would render swift judgement on anyone who harmed his followers. While Ginungagap wasn’t emotionally attached to those who praised him, he defended them as one might a valuable ship or farm.

The planet’s population grew over these 8,000 years to some 240 million sentients.

## Native Species

Ma’ehmaq was a lush and wild world with untamed jungles, forests, grasslands and mountains. A wide variety of creatures called these regions home, and two distinct sentient species were present in scattered societies.