Genre:

Steampunk, Space Opera, Galactic Adventure, Gothic Fantasy, Military Science Fiction, Sky Pirates, Political Drama

Core Concept:

Humanity never abandoned the steam engine; instead, it propelled it into space. Across thousands of worlds, enormous brass starships sail through the Aether, powered by boilers, crystal reactors, clockwork computers and ancient gravitational technology. Kings rule planets, emperors command fleets and knights wield weapons forged from condensed starlight. Pirates raid interplanetary trade routes, while beneath it all flows an ancient energy known as:

THE AETHER

Some call it magic, others science. The oldest civilisations referred to it as:

The Breath Between Stars.

1. THE GALAXY:

The galaxy is divided into thousands of worlds connected by Aether currents. Instead of conventional hyperspace, ships traverse enormous invisible energy rivers known as:

AETHERWAYS

Navigators use specialised instruments to locate these currents, allowing ships to cross vast distances in days. However, a ship without a proper navigator might emerge:

Millions of kilometres off course, decades in the future, inside a star, or somewhere entirely uncharted.

2. THE TECHNOLOGY:

This technology blends Victorian engineering with advanced space travel. Common technologies include:

Steam engines, mechanical computers, brass automatons, pneumatic tubes, crystal batteries, clockwork prosthetics, airships, plasma weapons, energy shields, mechanical exosuits, orbital elevators, artificial gravity and Aether reactors. Everything is built to look mechanical, with nothing sleek. A spaceship is a cathedral-sized machine brimming with pistons, pipes, gears, gauges, boilers, cables, rotating machinery.

3. STARSHIPS:

Spacecraft resemble enormous Victorian warships. Their hulls are clad in brass plating, iron reinforcement, observation windows, smokestacks, antenna towers and rotating gun turrets. Some ships boast enormous sails made from Aether-reactive fabric.􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷􀮷