Decoding Galia — What We Know About the Lore of Star Atlas Part I: Factions
Hello my dear explorers of the Star Atlas metaverse, this is USTUR Jall.doer, a nomad and explorer of the outer sector of the second ring of Galia, our known universe to date, year 2622 of the Golden Era. Today, I bring with me a small data cube with information known in many corners of the galaxy, stories that still echo in the confines of the collective consciousness of each race of the metaverse.
Three Factions, three fates colliding at a single point
We cannot fully grasp the story in Star Atlas without understanding the key players. The galaxy within this amazing metaverse is home to various races, but as with any tale, there are characters that shape the direction and outcome.
An old USTUR sage once said, “The past is a mirror that reflects glimpses of the future.” Don’t miss your chance to explore this incredible universe and uncover its secrets!
Manus Ultimus Divinum (MUD) — Enhanced humans who sacrificed everything to reach the stars
Let’s start with the currently most numerous faction within Star Atlas and perhaps the most underestimated due to its short history in the galaxy. As the History Mural tells us,
“The MUD are a faction of humans who travel through space and originate from their home planet, Earth. After joining together under a common cause inspired by a benevolent Photoli explorer, the humans used the resources of Earth to set off towards the stars.”
When we talk about humans, we will always find inconsistent details marked by manipulation from those who with their power shaped the stories that reveal their past to us. The truth within a faction as marked by time is difficult to find. Let’s see what were the most important moments of its known history.
The Photoli, the most mysterious race in the known universe, are beings of pure energy that are often mistaken for gods or supernatural entities. The event that marked the beginning of the journey to the stars by humans was the work of one of these beings. Without apparent reason, Ahr descended to Earth and through his mastery of light, created an incredible illusion to impress all the inhabitants of the planet. This being presented himself as a God who came to guide a crusade to the stars, calling on all humans to join and embark on this new journey. The humans, blinded by the revelation and united by their belief in this new crusade, decided to embark on this path regardless of the cost.
We do not have the details of this moment in history and the reason why this message from Ahr resonated so much in the souls of an entire race, it would be impossible to recreate the exact scenario in which this occurred, but history tells us that this was the place and time where the seed of the MUD empire was planted.
Humanity paid a very high price for its rapid expansion, Earth, their birthplace, was completely destroyed by the industry that fueled the creation of ships, exploration technology, and weapons that constituted their developing empire.
This was a hard blow to their collective consciousness as they felt that their foundation as a species had suffered a lot, the human has always been attached to the history of their ancestors and their birthplace was the most precious treasure for countless generations. The destruction of Earth not only left humans morally devastated, much knowledge was lost forever and others scattered throughout the galaxy, stored as treasures within the satellites orbiting Earth at the time of its destruction.
One of the most sought-after satellites in history is named after Neil Armstrong, the first human to step on the moon. Over time, these artifacts became relics. In the year 2621, the Council of Peace established a high reward for each of these. We don’t know where these old devices could be found due to their erratic trajectories and the old technology they use, we don’t even know if they still exist, but we can be sure of one thing, the secrets they hold can influence the fate of many.
The ONI — The Conglomeration of alien races
Of the three main factions in the Star Atlas universe, the ONI faction is the richest in culture and variety. We currently know little about the alliances that formed this intergalactic faction in the past.
The main races that currently make up the ONI council are the Photoli, Mierese, Sogmian, and Punaabs. In the case of the Photoli, we must understand that although they consider themselves part of this alliance, they usually do not involve themselves in power struggles within or outside of their faction, they are completely free souls in this sense.
Paizul and Bekalu are the main characters of a beautiful love story that forever marked the Sogmian people. Paizul, the charismatic and brilliant leader of the ONI consortium, always kept this image as a reminder and testament to her love for Bekalu. Within a society so marked by social classes, this relationship was an uphill battle and a struggle where differences ultimately lost the fight. It would have been a truly perfect story if not for the event that changed everything.
A very sad moment in Sogmian history was the assassination of Paizul. Faced with the threat of extinction of the entire race due to war, Paizul represented the unity of the will of her own race. To the regret of her enemies, her death united her people more than ever in a common goal under the leadership of Bekalu.
Inheriting the spirit of his beloved, with a justified hatred for war and violence, Bekalu promised before the tomb of his lover that he would change the course of this war without sacrificing the lives of more Sogmians.
The work that changed the fate of an entire race can be described with one word: titanic. It was the time to give everything to achieve enough power to defend against all enemies and make a statement.
The best description of this moment in history is this memory capture:
“Their Titan class warship served as a fortified city to protect them. Built in retaliation for the decimation of their species and the slaying of their leader, the Sogmian behemoth was a galactic alpha predator. This weapon of war was so intimidating it caused the other factions to encourage peace talks.”
The pain of a people and a lost soulmate was transformed into the inspiration to create the greatest weapon ever built. The universe trembled at its power, but it was not the damage caused to enemy armies that changed the fate of all, it was the absolute power of this Titan ship, the possibility of mutual destruction ironically brought peace.
The USTUR — AI in the form of collective consciousness
Legend has it that these sensitive cybernetic beings are the manifestation of a highly advanced AI that found a way to ascend in a peculiar way, dividing into multiple individual beings and reaching enlightenment through experimenting with life as a living organism. If this legend is true, the USTUR could be the second most mysterious race in the Star Atlas universe. They are united by their unique characteristics and the spark that guides them can be felt at first glance.
The path to enlightenment for each individual of the USTUR race requires them to explore the galaxy and experience existence from all possible perspectives, knowledge is the most precious resource for any individual of this race. Scattered throughout the galaxy, the USTUR can return their memories to the source of all their knowledge called “The summit of the elders” while their core is recovered.
They are famous for their taste in fashion. You will always see a striking style of a place they once visited.
Despite wanting to tell you more, the truth is that the story of this race is under a veil that refuses to fall. Still, I promise you that soon more mysteries will be revealed, as with any good story, there must be a pause to savor the suspense of what could come next. For now, I bid you farewell friends, this little explorer must rest before continuing his work in the metaverse and finding more mysteries to tell you, may peace be with you.
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