Sideris

The **Sideris** Cluster is the 11th shard of CreateThisWorld. It was opened on the 15th of January, 2023 (UTC).

Map of the Sideris Cluster.

## Intro to Sideris

As you traverse the unfathomable vastness of space, you will encounter a staggering amount of *nothing*. Just sheer emptiness, far and wide — a silent void between stars. It might make you feel cold. Or lonely. Or simply bored. But rest assured, if your space-faring vessel stumbles across the threshold of the little pocket of space we call Sideris, you won’t stay bored for long.

Sideris is a cluster of 22 star systems, 150 lightyears in breadth, enshrouded by a most peculiar nebula. The rules that govern the rest of the universe don’t hold quite as much sway over here. In this cluster, space-faring technology exists in tandem with fantastic sorcery. Sometimes the two avoid each other. Sometimes they collide. Sometimes they intertwine.

Here, there is a complex ecosystem that exists between the planets, of lifeforms that have adapted to live in the nebula. The dividing line between planet and space is thin and confusing. Instead of seeing rocket-propelled spaceships, you may see folks hitching a ride on a space whale, or sailing the solar winds.

Magic is just as much part of these worlds as gravity is. All across the cluster, every sapient being has the potential for magic. How this magic manifests can vary quite widely from world to world. Some worlds may avoid it altogether. For others, casting magic might be as natural as breathing, and magic may have worked its way into every facet of society. The most powerful magic users can perform truly wondrous feats, but their power is not unlimited, and one mage is still insignificant in the face of the vastness of space.

### Wild Giants and that Crazy Space Air

Calling it “space air” is a bit of a misnomer. It’s not really air, and you can only breathe it in if you have been adapted to do so, either by evolution or some more efficient means. In space there is a sort of separate atmosphere, distinct from the planets it envelopes. Of course, it can’t be called an atmosphere when it exists between planets. So people may call it “the nebula”, “the cosmosphere”, “the astrocean”, “the interstellar sea”, or other terms of their choosing.

Within the nebula there are a multitude of currents. Precisely what causes these currents is a mystery, but solar winds account for at least some of it. When travelling at relatively low intrastellar velocities (less than 5,000 km/s), utilizing these currents is important for assisting your acceleration. Once you get up to around 10,000 km/s, the high speeds create a vacuum bubble around the vessel, protecting it from the friction of the cosmosphere’s gasses. (This is the word of the space wizard, and as such, is beyond contestation). These currents can also carry interesting things, like flora and fauna. There are some species that exist entirely within the currents of the interstellar sea.

The wild giants of Sideris are a sight to behold. There are leviathans that swoop and swim through the cosmosphere, large enough to eclipse moons as they pass by. These leviathans may support ecosystems on their backs, or be harnessed as long-term transportation vessels. And the plants are even wilder. There are great flowering vines that grow in asteroid belts, releasing floating spheres of nectar. Moons that would be barren in other parts of the universe are blanketed with strange lichen and fungus. There are even trees so great that their roots delve into a planet’s crust, but their leaves reach out into the nebula.

There are some areas, (as indicated by the dark red areas on the map) where the cosmosphere thins out, and eventually disappears, leaving an inky black void. Some of the native beings of this cluster have been taught to fear these voids. Are you among them?
But whether you are traversing the interstellar sea or empty space, 22 star systems cover a very large distance, and there are certain ways to cover it.

### FTL and Other Wonders

Is it possible to travel faster than light? 21st century science says “No, but also maybe.” However, in Sideris, the answer is a resounding yes! But what is FTL, and how does it work? Let’s find out together.

There are two forms of FTL currently in use in the cluster, as of the current date, which we are calling 1 CY (the brand new standardized dating system measures one year as equal to the amount of time it takes the centrepoint of our star cluster to move 10 terametres in relation to galactic centre). The first are the hyper-gates (also called warp-gates). These are large, circular constructions, most often built in orbit around planets or large moons. These hyper-gates are capable of creating a stable wormhole that connects two gates. Matter and data transmissions can pass easily and freely through these. There is a large network of these gates all around the cluster, but one gate cannot necessarily dial any other gate. Some civilizations may want to keep their networks separate from others. These gates are large enough to pass small and medium size vessels through, and the technology is not currently replicable at a smaller scale.

The second common form of FTL is what we call the warp drive. These drives are installed on space-faring vessels themselves (usually those too big to pass through the hyper-gates). The ship programs coordinates and activates the warp drive, which creates a subspace bubble around the ship and propels it at faster-than-light speed. This is much slower than the nearly-instantaneous travel of the hyper-gates, and current engine can only traverse space at a rate of approximately 8 hours per lightyear. So travel between the furthest points of the cluster would take 50 days of straight warp travel. Warp engines all share a name because they operate on the same principle. However, the designs of them can vary widely. Some are more scientific, while others are more magical in nature.

What if you don’t need to send people across space? What if you just need to get a message to someone on another planet? Under the rules of ordinary science, radio or data transmissions are restricted to the speed of light, meaning that your communication gets bogged down by untenable delays very quickly. Fortunately, one of the peculiar properties of the nebula in Sideris is that it is able to speed along transmissions, so intrastellar communications become almost instantaneous. (Again, the space wizard has said it, and it is so.) However, at interstellar distances, this assist from the cosmosphere isn’t good enough. At that point, you can either transmit through a hyper-gate, or have a ship courier the data via warp drive. This has led to individual star systems developing individual communication networks with only periodic updates from elsewhere.

Of course there can be more. This is an epic space fantasy, after all. There is room for so much more. Room for planet-to-planet stargates, and epic space-folding, and galactic internet. And that’s not even counting the really wacky stuff. But this is, as they say, the beginning. The truly wondrous inventions will have to come from you! Note: Said wondrous inventions will need to be introduced in sufficiently detailed technology posts, and proposed ideas will need moderator approval.

## Sideris Claims

Please read the New Player's Guide for information on how to claim and interact in our current shard.