Ethereals

Ethereals are astral travelers who ply the dimensions in pursuit of coin, treasure, and adventure. They are most renowned for being excellent traders, strong diplomats, and exceptionally skilled mercenaries. Ethereals are a highly technological society, driven almost entirely by advanced understandings of arcane magic and engineering. They use this technology to facilitate trade across their many holdings, spread across the various realms and dimensions of the cosmos.

Overview
Ethereals are less of a species and more of a collection of various entities who have undergone disaffection in part due to prolonged exposure to the Shadowkar. The Shadowkar was originally created by the titan Taran'Dir to serve as a jail for unwanted elements of the Vulgaris. Initially it was only used to imprison vicious beasts, failed experiments, and unwanted or deactivated constructs. Over the millennia however, the Shadowkar has become home demons, daegoth, elementals, humanoids and nonhumanoids, as well as various other sentient creatures.

As the mortal population of the Shadowkar grew, the realm slowly turned into a battleground as demons fought elementals, and daegoth fought automatons. The realm had become battle-scarred, pockmarked by corpses, craters, and magical storms. For a long time the realm was little more than a hunting ground; purgatory for the unwanted.

Those that managed to survive however, even band together in this harsh landscape, began to undergo a bizarre process known as 'disaffection'. Non-native creatures who spent too long in the Shadowkar would eventually experience a loss of the physical body. As the physical body degrades, the soul attempts to escape the rapidly dwindling casing, often with an explosive result. What remained was the unstable pattern of energy that was their soul, unable to escape the Shadowkar and travel back to Aemidium.

The first of the souls to band together were from an insectoid race known only as the Arakeen. Mustapha-El, the most powerful mage among the Arakeen trapped in the Shadowkar, quickly set to work exploring the limits of their newfound physical state. As a mage, he was able to temporarily solidify his body when he performed spells. Mustapha-El used this fact to create magical wrappings known as ghi to give form to their unstable patterns. Mustapha-El reorganized his fellow Arakeen into the first of the Ethereals.

The changes the ethereals experienced were staggering. Without a physical form they were no longer burdened by fatigue or the need to sleep. As they explored their newfound state of being, they began to discover that they did experience hunger and thirst. Their hunger manifested in the need to consume precious minerals, such as rubies or amethysts. Their thirst came in the form of mana

Better equipped to deal with their environment, the ethereals immediately moved to snatch up new arrivals. Each new recruit they gained added to their strength and served to legitimize them as the new rulers of the Shadowkar. Forts and outposts were built to secure territory. As their population grew, so too did towns and villages, eventually turning into cities.

The need for administration quickly became apparent, as new to be continued...

Technology
Etherealite technology is supremely advanced and completely otherworldly. Their technology is almost entirely powered by the arcane, requiring mana crystals to function properly.

Etherals do not trade their technology, only sell access to it, and it is almost always accompanied by a techmagister; an ethereal who oversees proper use of the technology. Some of the more advanced technologies remain in the hands the ethereals, but some times make their way into the hands of unscrupulous characters (generally through murder and theft). Some common technologies are:
 * Star Portal: These ring-shaped devices crackle with unstable energies. Still, they are the most reliable method of site-to-site transportation. When activated (typically with a nearby control console) they can be dialed to virtually any active Star Portal in the universe. They are most often used by the ethereals to transport goods, dignitaries, and in the rare instance armies. They are largely responsible for facilitating trade across vasts distances, that would otherwise be difficult to cross.
 * Mana-Domes: An expedition deep into previously held Arakeen space led to the discovery of Mana-Domes. When activated, these structures can be used to create a tangible force field of pure mana over a given area. Most of the time they are used for defensive purposes; erected around fortifications or to block passage of unwanted elements. Most recently however, a group of Shuraad Ai have began to use the domes to act as bio preserves on dead worlds.
 * Bio-Dome: These function largely similar to Mana-Domes, only with the intent of sustaining an artificial biome within its confines. Typically they are used on the surfaces of barren planets to cultivate specific flora, or farmland to be sold. As larger bio-domes are created, ethereals have taken to building colonies beneath their purple skies, abandoning the Shadowkar altogether.
 * Trans-Communication Pattern Buffer (TCOM): This device is a circular platform that when calibrated properly, allows you to communicate across vast distances. This is done by standing within the platform, at which point an image of you is transmitted instantaneously to another communication buffer. This has allowed the ethereals to conduct business deals and spread information across immense distances, without having to leave the comfort of their homes.
 * Mana Forge: The smallest of these machines are the size of small towns, while the largest Mana Forges stretch on for hundreds of miles. Each serve the same purpose: the automatic collection and refinement of raw mana into usable mana crystals. Mana cannot be used to power ethereal technology while in its raw state, which necessitates the use of refined mana crystals. Mana Forges gather ambient mana from the local environment and condense it down into crystal form. The efficiency of the forge largely depends on the amount of mana in the air. Planets located within the Prismatic Dark, for example, are extremely valuable as they are swimming in mana. A planet who's ley lines have been drained or otherwise possess weak ley lines, may ultimately cost more than it creates. Due to the complexity of the machines and the sheer size of them, they require near constant maintenance. Who performs this maintenance is largely determined by the ethereal in charge. Some ethereals use slave labor, others use paid workers. The effectiveness of one or the other is still debated.

Physiology
Ethereals exist as beings of pure purple energy. They are able to manipulate this form to take whatever shape they desire, as long as they remain in the Shadowkar. When they cross the Veil into the Physical Realms (and other dimensions), they require the use of ghi, magical wrappings which contain their unstable forms.

Ethereals do seemingly require food and drink when living outside of the Shadowkar; a fact that confused a great many of them the first time around. Ethereals consume precious gems and metals for sustenance, rather than plant or animal stuffs. Additionally, they also brew their own mana-enriched beer called ethereale.

Ethereals do not require sleep, nor do they age or succumb to disease.

Trade
Ethereals are renowned as great traders. They have their hand in virtually every industry known, from smithing to farming to livestock, to even drug running. Their society is dominated by trade consortiums, each led by a union-prince who acts as sole leader of the consortium.