The Known Spheres
Traveler's Note on the Known Spheres
The crystal spheres represented here use the names given to them by the common people. Their true names lie in the currently untranslated language of the Ancient Antærans who came before and are noted as being the very first spelljammers to have ever traveled the Antæran Constellations (hence the name of the center-most constellation). No one truly knows what happened to this forerunner civilization, only that they have left ancient and alien relics in their wake. Scholars are conflicted in their theories: whether these forerunners simply moved on to greener pastures, so to speak, or if they somehow were all wiped out simultaneously by some cataclysmic event. In either event, the relics they left behind remain as the single biggest mystery of the Known Constellations.
The names for the constellations refer to the planes they most closely resemble and their proximity to each other. The Antæran Constellation is the central-most constellation that houses the most diverse selection of mortal races, with the most similarities to each other than any other plane. This constellation is noted as being the origin point of the Ancient Antæran civilization by archeologists over centuries of study. The Inner Constellation comprises spheres with strong influences from one of the Elemental Planes. The denizens of these planes tend to be elementals or other creatures with strong elemental resistances that can survive in these extreme and harsh environments. The Outer Constellation is mainly named for the types of denizens that eventually colonized them, tending to be creatures and peoples that hail from the many outer planes, having settled there as footholds in the material plane.
Derelict spheres may be included here over time as they are discovered. Knowledge of their whereabouts and the phlogiston flows that connect them is typically considered a commodity as they are far less traveled than the Known Spheres and consequently contain more resources. However, spelljamming to these spheres contains a risk, as most of them are not spelljamming aware. First contact with the civilizations herein should be handled with caution and care, as accidentally "uplifting" a civilization is considered taboo or illegal, depending on the severity. Uplifting is defined as introducing advanced technology or magics to a primitive civilization, which typically alters the natural course of the civilization's development.
The Abyssal Realms are derelict spheres that exist outside of the standard channels and routes and are technically derelict spheres. However, these are spheres that have fallen to corruption and destruction out in the vastness of wildspace. Refugees who have emerged fom these places have reported their worlds being Tainted due to the interplanar incursions of demons from the Abyss (hence the name). These realms have been deemed too dangerous for expedition or redemption by spelljamming scholars, and offer no help to any who dare venture to these dread places.
The Outer Constellation
Derelict Spheres
The Abyssal Realms
