The Umbra

The Umbra is a vast frontier of space that runs along the edge of the galaxy and ends just before the mid-rim. Null Energy density in this sector is seven times higher than anywhere else in Spectra, though no one is quite sure why. As a result, most of the flora and fauna of this region have adapted to incorporate Null Energy into their physiology; effects on living creatures vary wildly with the unstable energy, and can range from anything like simple bioluminescence to lure in prey, to abilities like temporary spatial displacement to ambush smaller creatures.

More ships, including ones filled with entire potential colonies, have gone missing in the Umbra than every other region of Spectra combined. On top of that, the worlds within are almost all barren and dead, and what little life does exist in the Umbra is always hostile and quite lethal. As a result, the sector has earned a reputation for being a death trap and most governments have been civilians from traveling to or through it. This doesn’t stop everyone, however, and a few ships and merchants, pirates, or individuals looking for a thrill inevitably go missing or are killed by the native life every year.

There is also a rumor of something … unnatural that lives in the Umbra. No one can confirm any claims as exploration is forbidden, but there are a few tales here and there passed down through the centuries that speak of crew members losing their minds, having their wills completely suppressed and overwritten so they can obey the whims of some … thing. There have never been any conclusive or validated pieces of evidence that can prove these stories, and most treat them as cautionary legends told by captains and freelancers looking to impress others.