A great and prosperous people with a culture and technologies so great that even their lowest of dregs could not be left wanting; The Precursors are a long-desiccated race of ancient and powerful technocrats responsible for much of the greatest technologies ever conceived in the Calliope Star Cluster to the point that even the most modern nations of today have only been able to create pale imitations of their great works.

For untold millennia the Precursors expanded throughout the entirety of the star cluster and even beyond before suddenly disappearing around the same time that Hadals Chasm was speculated to have breached into our plane of existence.

What is speculated to be the closest known insight into the Precursors before the emergence of Hadals Chasm is that they were a powerful nation of technocrats able to blur the divide between magic, psionics, and technologies. Their empire was spread across hundreds if not thousands of worlds in the Calliope Star Cluster, and had even begun to expand out beyond it into other galaxies. The Precursors were the creators and builders of many significant technologies, including the gates as well as numerous lesser artifacts and technologies that even after many millennia since their disappearance has bled into the technologies of the star cluster to this day such as most modern types of FTL and starships.

The Precursors had taken up a role as guardians and shepherds of the cluster and would pass on much of the common knowledge known conveniently by most races of the cluster such as a commonly shared language, similar cultures, efficient types of governance, commerce, and effectively guiding many races both alongside and from afar into the stars to join them in their great empire.

It is unknown exactly when the first encounters with the others¹⁾; But as the Precursors began to expand their gate network outside of the Calliope Star Cluster and into other galaxies it was inevitable that they would come into contact with other, equally powerful, forces.

Regardless of how first contact may have gone, or how long the two forces were aware of or in any contact with each other, the Precursors found themselves at odds with a powerful and mysterious force that was able to match their technology and might, and even push back the Precursors to their strongholds in this newest galaxy.

It is not known how, but the corrupting influence of these entities was even able to corrupt the very gate network and spread not only into other galaxies; Cutting off and snuffing out not only the Precursors there but also the vulnerable and uncorrupted life in these places, but even gain a stronghold in the Calliope Star Cluster in the very heart of the Precursor civilization.

Even managing to only trickle into the star cluster the others' corruption and power were able to begin to overwhelm the Precursors and even begin to invade and overtake the very homeworld of the Precursors.

In desperation, the precursors sabotaged their own Gate network and isolated themselves from the rest of the cluster in an attempt to quarantine the invaders. But due to the corrupting nature of the others, even the Precursors were not immune and many Fallen precursors arose and began to seek out and corrupt their former comrades as they hid in statis or on fall-flung outposts who hoped to outlast the corruption; Starving it from what only they knew sustained it.

It is not known who, how, or even why. But when all hope for the precursors seemed lost their very homeworld and surrounding systems were engulfed by the formation of an extremely turbulent nebula that began to expand at an outstanding and terrible rate until the entire Precursor empire was engulfed.

For many years the Chasm continued to expand, leaving no clue as to the fate of the Precursors or their enemy. And eventually, the races and nations of the star cluster forgot about them in almost their entirety with the exception of myths and legends.

The fate of the Precursors and their enemy can only be found inside the chasm, alongside technology, treasures, and discoveries beyond the wildest dreams of the burgeoning nations of the star cluster.

But it is not just the remnants of the Precursors' technologies and history that dwell in the Chasm. As the corruption of the others still extends its tendrils; Seeking to expand once more.

It only needs a catalyst…

The precursors, as a rule, are/were the most powerful entity in the Calliope Star Sector (and even sometimes beyond). They are intended to be a setting element that falls into the category of Setting Canon, as such the Precursors are intended to be a backseat element to the setting and not ever the direct focus, intent, or to be used openly or actively in the setting. As such there are a few rules intended for the setting and community at large that should be followed and are not up for debate.

Though because it's human nature to always want what you cant have, contact the loremaster char first about creating or using anything precursor related first and other members of staff for permission.

• Due to the collapse of their society and empire, there are few of them and far between. Any surviving Precursors not in some form of stasis should be dead, dying, outright distrustful, or outright hostile²⁾.
• Precursors will never join or settle in any Nation, player-owned or created location, etc.
  • They will never create, give, lend, or lead any player or Nation to any of their technology the same way you would not trust a child with a loaded firearm.
    • Killing or looting a precursor is not an acceptable way to steal their technology.
• Precursor technology is too complex for anyone to truly understand or use. There is never anything as simple as a button or trigger and is beyond the means of just magic or technology.
  • Precursors will never teach you to use their tech. You need to study it if encountered and even then it is intended to only lead to insights to create inspired copies and never retrofit or accurately copy the original.
• No Precursor characters may be created (Jack Pines 'Maya' is the sole intended exception and Jack has sworn not to abuse that. You cant use him as an excuse as to why you should have one too!).
  • The children of Precursors and PC/NPCs are not an exception to this rule.
  • Having anyone related to a Precursor is not an excuse to have them advance a Nation or locations tech level. You need to make your own achievements, not have easy excuses to skip to the head of the line…
• Precursor ships can not be captured or taken by PC/NPCs or Nations. You cant have one, not even a little one.
• Precursors may still yet live and be active within Hadals' Chasm, But are mythically unheard of outside of it.
• Ancient Precursor sites dug up or discovered are not intended to be caches of precursor technology, weapons, etc. Anything there should be broken, in disrepair, or beyond one's understanding.
• Just having precursor artifacts is enough for any nation to go to war over, and are extremely dangerous to own.

The general rule of thumb is that the Precursors are to be intended as a background setting element and in no way Should they ever enter RP as an excuse for power creep, metagaming, expanding a nation's technology or power level, etc.

Make your own characters and have them their own stories, have them make their own inventions, and perform great things. You can't have a precursor, their tech, etc.

The concept of the precursors was created by a combined effort of Char, Jack Pine, Arieg, Wolf, and many others!

• Player char created this on 2021/10/28 12:34.

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