About Nebulon

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Masters of the aether, older than time - these mysterious, serpentine entities travel the darkest reaches of the aether, gathering knowledge and experience for unknowable ends. 

 

Nebulon are rare and powerful beings, with long lives divided into distinct phases. They master many magics and serve as teachers and advisors for some of mortalkind’s mightiest rulers and heroes. Their key power is held in a pair of metallic, conductive horns that concentrate aether into a powerful singularity called a ‘microstar’ above their heads. Wielding this microstar, nebulon may conjure intense bursts of hot or cold concentrated aether, with enough power to tear open aethergates - rifts in the fabric of reality - to instantly teleport themselves.

 

Once per hundred years, nebulon instinctively gather in aether-rich regions called ‘nurseries’ where they spawn clutches of eggs. These eggs are raised in a mutualistic relation with Feroxan Sylori, where their children’s long lives begin.

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Nebulon Life Cycles

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The Neona phase lasts for the first fifty years. With developing powers and speech skills, baby nebulon are bound to their serpentine forms and learn to tame the destructive nature of their powers. When they have learned to take mortal shapes, they are considered grown.

 

The Aetheria phase follows for the next 300 years. Nebulon in this phase are adventurous, youthful, and deeply inquisitive beings, keen on seeking out new experiences and gaining insight into the ways of mortalkind. They make many friends and learn much of life and death.

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The Gratia phase lasts for the next 500 years, in which nebulon seek to find a home for themselves, often settling down with one society and building relationships with its people. They may begin lairing behavior as well - and at the end of this phase, the first whispers of a dark condition called the “Hunger” begin to disturb their thoughts. The Hunger is a primal calling to the Void, and a feeling of longing for it that invades a nebulon’s mind.

 

The Erudita phase lasts for the next 800 or so years, in which elder nebulon often become more solitary and reclusive, spending more and more time in their meticulously-curated lairs. They shun most mortal connections in favor of their secretive goals, and the Hunger’s callings become more and more irresistible - and difficult to bear. Mortals often seek nebulon’s knowledge at this phase, and some nebulon may reciprocate, either in exchange for treasures and secrets or in the form of riddles or quests.

 

The final phase, Arcania, continues after this point. Not much is known of nebulon who survive long enough to watch the passing of eras - only that their knowledge is as vast as an ancient kingdom’s libraries. At this point, most nebulon succumb to the Hunger in some way. Some may resist it to the point of destroying themselves. But others simply vanish. This usually involves gathering enough power to make a final teleportation leap - this time across the Verge and into the Void beyond, never to be seen again. No Arcania has returned from this final voyage.

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Nebulon in Society

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Nebulon do not possess a civilization or culture of their own, instead tending to integrate as solitary oddities or in small groups within mortalkind's cities and civilizations. They are a very rare species, made even moreso by their ability to camouflage in humanoid forms. They may either fully transform into a mortal such as a manu, keeping only their small secondary pair of eyes, or may take the form of tall, lanky humanoids with nebulon horns, fins, and tails.

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Nebulon Naming Conventions

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Nebulon prefer single, 'unique' sounding names for themselves, which may be a name, title, or moniker given by themselves or others. They enjoy ethereal, powerful sounding names such as 'Nocturne', 'Mordian', and 'Ophiuchian'. However their naming conventions are as diverse as their life experiences and the societies they feel influenced by. Many also prefer to keep their real names private and prefer going by titles influenced by their reputation, such as 'the Elder Sage' or 'the Wandering Scholar'.