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The Graveyard of the Gods Sphere

Overview

The Graveyard of the Gods is a desolate, shattered shell of a once-glorious crystal sphere, cracked wide from a forgotten cataclysm said to have obliterated every living soul and even the deities themselves. Its wildspace is littered with fragments of sundered planets and the fossilized corpses of deities—some still clad in divine armor, others fused with celestial thrones or half-consumed by alien fungus. All illumination comes from the molten remnants of its former sun, now dimmed to a smoldering ember orbited by debris. Astrologers speak of a final battle among pantheons so vast that its echoes still warp gravity and divine magic within the sphere. It is avoided by most—but prized by the desperate and the damned.

Today, this sphere is infamous as a haven for pirates, smugglers, mercenaries, and fortune-seekers. No relic remains from the Antæran era, and there are no permanent divine structures left in wildspace. All current strongholds, shipyards, and sanctuaries are makeshift or salvaged—erected from debris and husk—constructed by the pirates and mercenary factions who now dominate the region. The most powerful of these factions are the Githyanki, who use the Graveyard as a hidden base of operations for their far-reaching raids. Traveling through unknown routes and uncharted crossings, they strike merchant convoys in neighboring spheres, looting spelljammers and vanishing before retribution can follow. Few outsiders ever see the Graveyard and live to speak of it.

Most inhabitants respect a fragile code of neutrality on the tomb world of Austerion, the only intact planet, which serves as neutral ground. Though scorched and lifeless, its crater cities and reclaimed crypts host pirate councils, black markets, and mercenary brokers. No known charts mark its location, and only the pirates and mercenaries who live within its bounds know how to reach the Graveyard.

Austerion itself is not truly lifeless. Its surface is populated by the undead remnants of its ancient population—raised and controlled by powerful necromancers who now rule the planet's interior. These necromancers have entrenched themselves within its collapsed temples and crypt cities, creating fortified districts animated by skeletal sentries and spectral laborers. All of them worship a single deity: Helus, the God of Death. Though Helus never manifests and exerts no visible will, his presence is undeniable. The necromancers serve as his silent priesthood, and clerics devoted to him draw divine power through their worship. They act as the planet's arbiters, overseeing its black markets, levying taxes on pirate business, and maintaining the dead neutrality of Austerion through fear and faith.

The shell of the crystal sphere has been shattered wide open, and phlogiston has spilled inward, saturating the wildspace within. The gas is ever-present, clinging in thin, invisible layers that drift across ship decks and station hulls. While not explosively volatile under normal conditions, a single spark can still ignite a localized conflagration capable of destroying a vessel, venting an outpost, or causing considerable loss of life. As a result, open flame is strictly regulated, and fire-based magic is discouraged or banned outright in many strongholds. Most inhabitants have learned to rely on alternatives—bioluminescence, alchemical light, and radiant energy—rather than risk the Graveyard’s wrath.

Planetology & Astrology

  • Type of Sphere: Shattered
  • Primary Body:
    • Name: Emberheart
    • Type: Fire Body (Collapsed Star Remnant)

Inner Track

  • Austerion
    • Distance: 94 million miles
    • Size: F
    • Type: Tomb World
    • Shape: Spherical
    • Other Notes: Austerion is a scorched, gray-brown world pocked with vast, sunken necropolises and deep impact craters. Once a holy planet, its surface is now covered in cracked statues, shattered temples, and sunbaked bones. The surface is populated entirely by undead citizens, remnants of its ancient civilization, animated and ruled by a cabal of necromancers. These deathlords worship Helus, the God of Death, and draw divine magic from him despite his silence. They serve as neutral arbiters and powerbrokers, hosting black markets and mediating pirate disputes in exchange for offerings and tribute. Austerion has one small moon, Cinderfell, a jagged red-gray sphere used as a weapons depot and vault complex, riddled with hangars and excavation pits.

Goldilocks Zone

  • Collar of Helus
    • Distance: 211 million miles
    • Size: H
    • Type: Asteroid Belt
    • Shape: Fragmented
    • Other Notes: The Collar of Helus is a vast, drifting field of shattered divine debris and planetary ruin. It contains the broken bones of ancient deities, crystalline sarcophagi, severed wings, and fossilized remnants of astral titans. Interspersed among these ruins are pirate fortresses and mercenary dens—constructed from wreckage or carved directly into godbone. The Githyanki are the dominant force here, using the belt as a hidden base for their raids across other spheres. Their strongholds are mobile or shrouded, and most are surrounded by captured ships and salvaged spelljammers. Life here is dangerous but profitable, and all know to honor the truce enforced by Austerion's necromancers.

Outer Track

  • (Empty)

Recognized Pantheon

Greater Deities

  • Helus, God of Death (NE)