Relative: -1,100,000 to -100,000
OC: -1,000,000 to -100,000
This is the collective title for the "prehistoric" age of the known
spheres. Little or no written records of this age exist, and even
artifacts are few and far between. It is assumed that life evolved
(or was planted) on approximately a dozen worlds in as many spheres
throughout what is now known as the Trulian Ring. This stands to
reason, because for reasons described below, this is where the
known spheres came from.
Whatever the case, for close to a million years space appears to have been devoid of any travellers. One should note the implications of this: for more that 90% of the universe's history, the beings that eventually evolved into the space faring races of today were, at best, nomadic tribes restricted to a handful of worlds.
The Breaking of the First Sphere
Relative: -1,100,000 assumed
OC: -1,000,000 assumed
Almost all cultures have a story dealing with the creation (or
rebirth) of the known universe. There is physical evidence that at
some point in the distant past (the above dates are approximate),
the crystal sphere that once resided at the center of what is now
the Trulian Ring, literally exploded. When one visits the Trulian
Ring today, the remains of this sphere still float in the phlogisin
inside the ring. Considering the positions of the spheres in the
Trulian ring, and the locations of other known spheres in relation
to that ring, it is assumed that this sphere, upon breaking,
released all of the other spheres into the flow. The spheres
traveled away from the explosion, and eventually settled in their
current locations.
Note that one should not confuse this First Sphere with the broken sphere that is the assumed origin of the Spelljammer. That sphere, while also dwelling within the Trulian Ring, is a different entity.
Oddly, all of the known spheres reside on roughly the same plane, where the phlogiston is thickest. As to why the spheres traveled and settled on the same plane, the most accepted explanation is the existence of an emmence gravity plane which is holding the spheres in place, as well as the phlogisin material that travels between them. Some travel logs state that the pholgisin eventually tapers out, several trillion miles from the Trulian Ring and becomes so thin that it is nearly impossible to use it for travel. If the theory of a massive gravity plane holds true, then where the phlogisin tapers out to nothing is the end of this gravity plane. The phenomenon is similar to that of the atmosphere of a disk world: the atmosphere ceases as soon as the gravity plane is left behind.
This collective of crystal spheres and phlogisin is often referred to as a "galaxy." The "galaxy" that contains the Radiant Triangle and the other spheres known to all space travellers appears to be disk-shaped, like a flat world. Some theorize that it slowly spins around it's center (the Trulian Ring), like an enormous top. If this is true, then the spheres within the galaxy would collectively create the image of a whirlpool, or spiral. However, since no one has ever traveled out of the galaxy to take a look, this remains to be proven.
It is alarming to note that while no one has ever traveled out of our galaxy, at least four other galaxies are supposed to exist. No one knows if it is possible to reach them, or how long it would take. But then again, no one has ever tried. The most noteworthy researcher on this is the gnommish astronomer Hub-El, who developed a massive, magical telescope for viewing objects outside and beyond the galaxy. While his works are frequently viewed as gnommish gibberish, many more respected researchers are beginning to put stock in Hub-El's research.
