Void
Utter Lightlessness
A horizon of darkness, a void is a dangerous place for anything to remain in for long. Whether it be through aphyxiation, deprivation, starvation, dehydration or insanity- the empty spaces between the strands of Aether are known as abysses, where even the light cannot seem to cross without difficulty.
Geography
The void is characterized by it's complete lack of characterization. They are vast expanses of nothingness between the places where the multiverse exists. Impossibly large, the voids between sections of the multiverse are places where the layers of existence mingle together, drawn to each other in equal measure across dimensional lines. This attraction contrasts with a equal force of dispersion towards matter and the Aether. Repelling things born of Aether, voids naturally drag listlessly floating things back to the boundaries of the Aether over time, pushing and shoving things into place and perpetuating gaps in creation.
As such, the boundaries between the Aether and the Void are stark, and delineate a tight conspicuous border around the area. As regions, they have stirred the curiosities of explorers and scholars as exploration often leads more questions than answers. As a region that swallows the light of surrounding hexes and bodies, there are infrequent patches suspended within the void. Anchored and obscured, exploration yields maps of vaulted places filled with undead, automatons and elementals. Ruins of places built with the express purpose of never being found, black site laboratories, watch posts and military bases from empires long dead haunt the silent stretches of darkness like a cat waiting to pounce on the first living thing that gets too close.
In the folds of dimensional space, voids attract other strange bedfellows- dead and dying worlds stripped to their hexagonal cores. In the early years of void exploration, the first void ships found these conglomerations in a folded pocket of a nearby abyss in all of their grim countenance. A graveyard of worlds it would seem, drawn to each other and to the abyss- stripped of life, soil and air and their eerie faded crystalline cores exposed to the dying light around them. As one might dissect a creature in death, to plump the mysteries of its existence and their own- the same could be done to shards in such a place. Barren and seemingly lifeless, these areas are antithetical to sustaining life and many explorer has found an early grave in these spaces choking for air.
Description: Large-scale model projection showing regions of void dispersed throughout aether in the Nebula
Traveling the Void
Travel to and from the void is incredibly arduous and requires one to bring absolutely everything one needs to survive- sealed within their traveling environment. If exposed to the void, living creatures will be cast to all corners of the multiverse and worst of all, experience the vacuum of a place without air, water and solid ground. However, due to this and the repulsive effects of the region it is incredibly difficult to simply wander into the void- deliberate and methodical approaches must be used to approach this doom.
To breach the expanses of the void, one must have a voidship. Containing engines of magical or technological cunning, matter is created or recycled to sustain propulsion and life within the vessel. Great lengths are made to hermetically seal it from the void outside- creating a feeling of insurmountable claustrophobia as it putters through the beyond. Navigation as such, is equally difficult, as the light of the shards becomes dimmer and dimmer as one tumbles through the space- requiring some form of divination or technological navigation device to traverse the void without going in circles. All travelers who enter the void, in time do escape it's reaches- ships cannot stay without a significant anchor to moor at and ghost ships careening out of the many voids are not a too uncommon event. In the event of the crew becoming hopelessly lost or dying, dead navigation.
Running Adventures in the Void
To run an adventure in the void, as you may suspect, please refer to the rules laid out in Starfinder 2e. For moving to locations between places inside the void, use in system times for Standard Navigation and Astrogation. While travel across the void takes only a couple of days, combing through the regions that exist within it takes more time and can require much strenuous navigation than simply reaching the other end of it.
The void has many hazards, including suffocation which occurs when unprotected creatures are exposed to the vacuum outside of their voidships at a rate of 1d6 void damage per round. Despite this, creatures that are immune to this type of damage are not incredibly plentiful, hosting a habitat for only a couple of monsters that can truly thrive there, reach titanic proportions.
Abandoned old war weapons, black site facilities and bunkers are all great places to explore within the void. Leaving behind particularly dangerous, immortal prisoners or weapons from the past- the rewards can prove to be tantalizingly esoteric. Uninhabited for possibly thousands of years without the wear and tear of life, friction, light, water or heat, the hazards left behind can be just as effect as when they were left behind.
For a troupe of adventurers, the challenges should be around at least 10 CR well into 15 CR. Rewards should be strange and non-sequitor to the regions around it, as should the monsters within. Lore and theming within the dungeon should peel back centuries or millenia of modernity and expose truly alien conflicts to players. It is highly suggested to try Starfinder challenges, treasure or creatures- much in the manner of the "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks". It should be costly to get there, rewarding to explore and threatening for the players to never see the light again.
Themes in the Void
It might be a bit tempting to host a whole science fiction space opera within a singular void, however compared to the whole of the Nebula, these regions do not represent a majority of the travel within it. Journeys within the void are a bit (literally) darker. They are the backwaters of the multiverse where only the strangest flotsam and jetsam remain- suspended in time and space or sometimes anchored away from prying eyes for eternity. The trek across the void is quite literally a darker experience, and just as dangerous as unprepared travel across the Aether. To better suit the themes of dark space adventures, try consuming media with a dark science fiction theme like "Interstellar", "Pandorum", and "Event Horizon".
Exploring the void is as looking for a needle in a haystack, and in the shadows of space finding some wreck or abandoned place is a rarity. It should be a good side distraction, or the place of rest for something forbidden, it may contain an important artifact or entity vital to your quest- if you are running a party style campaign.
Ecosystem
The void is home to some incredibly small populations of Kaiju/ Titanic size creatures, mindless undead and mindless automatons. It may have homes for exiled monitors and esoteric elementals and dragons seeking the ultimate solitude. The worlds in the darkness of these places are commonly dead entirely, with no chance of them being able to bounce back- though they might still have living populations left, dwindling as they are.
The furthest extremes of the multiverse
Extending limitlessly outside of the multiverse is the largest contiguous void, it known by many names but is known as the final destination for the endlessly churning material from inside the Nebula. The Gloom devours matter created along the Aetherial Plates that grow off of shards. Drifting and pushing, aetherial strings inevitably reach the outside shell of the Nebula, being ripped apart, and being torn asunder by the vacuum of nothingness into their smallest constitutional pieces. This chaotic and never ending storm blots out any possible light that may reach the Nebula from outside of it's locality- if there was any. Like any void, once the Gloom is breached all that awaits travelers is an empty ink colored abyss that consumes light in all directions. If great distance was to be made, the Nebula would remain as a single jewel, a mote of light across a blackened horizon.
No artificer or scholar has made the trek beyond even this point- alive or dead. Through some property inherent to nothingness and the void, all things are repelled back towards the Nebula in due time and away from the heart of the void- making reentry into the storm around the gloom incredibly dangerous. The places anchored here are exceptionally secret and dangerous, although passers-by, exceptionally brave and foolish smugglers, traders, and never-do-wells have made special note of such stellar fortresses while riding the gloom of The Rim. As a passageway, the Gloom makes for quick travel for those that can navigate around hurdling debris- filling the space with cover, it has become a great way for outlaws to escape the grips of the law.
Illustration by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
Void Naming Conventions
Named after a prominent scholar, local dark god or dead empire. Called abysses, trenches, spans, reaches, depths, or shadows.
Example: Kuthon's Abyss, Lordron's Shadow, Primini's Depths, Marzinian's Reach
Location Trends
Smaller voids exist between Stellar Neighborhoods, reaching tendrils into the aether between shards. Sometimes these are used as highways and bypasses. Enormous voids line the spaces between quadrants, sometimes tracing the outline of small strands of aether connecting quadrants together.
Traveling across the void
To travel into a void region in the Nebula, you must first have access to it. Only highly developed settlements can support a voidmooring. From there an adventuring party can explore into the void. Like other forms of transportation offered at a settlement, the distances and limitations of the transport are listed with the feature- although typically any settlement with a voidmooring can connect to any other settlement in proximity to a void.
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