Ascension Era

In the Ascension Era, Namu orbits a white dwarf star at approximately 0.01 AU with a period of 38 hours. It is tidally locked; one side perpetually faces the star while the other remains in eternal darkness. 

The white dwarf itself is part of a binary system, orbiting a stellar-mass black hole (~3-5 solar masses) at approximately 9 AU every 10 Earth years. Each of these revolutions around the black hole is referred to as a Cycle. The black hole is invisible to the naked eye, but can create subtle gravitational lensing; background stars might appear distorted in its direction. 

The star is referred to as Ky'rasa, or abstractly described as "spirit-of-our-light" for umin who do not use language, and the black hole is referred to as Volkir, or "eternal void." 

Namu has the following other characteristics:

• Axial Tilt: Minimal (~2-3 degrees), resulting in negligible seasonal variation.

• Natural Satellites: Three moons of varying sizes, visible from different regions of the planet.

• Atmosphere: Trace noble gases (primarily argon) with negligible atmospheric pressure; however, residual magical essence from the Cocoon era forms a metaphysical "atmosphere" that creates unique phenomena.

Due to being tidally locked, half of the planet is in eternal day and the other half is in eternal night, with a twilight band in the middle. The three moons take turns crossing the sky, sometimes all being present in day or night at once, though they can only be seen easily on the night side or the twilight band. 

The day side of Namu is a landscape of almost unbearable extremes. The white dwarf star hangs in the sky as an intensely bright point of blue-white light. The sky itself is not blue but the pure black of space, scattered with stars visible even in full "daylight."

The surface glitters with countless facets of kor, refracting the star's light into prismatic rainbows. Despite the lack of a true atmosphere, distant features can appear faded or blurred due to the metaphysical "atmosphere." The temperature of kor exposed to the light is extremely hot, yet the surface appears deceptively serene. 

The night side exists in eternal darkness, illuminated only by the soft glow of kor crystals. Without the star's overwhelming light, the true colors of the kor emerge—countless hues painting the landscape. The moons cast shifting patterns across the crystalline surface amongst crisp, bright stars. 

Between eternal day and endless night lies a narrow band of perpetual twilight. Some umin find this region particularly comfortable, as it offers light without the day side's searing heat or the night side's profound cold.

Though Namu possesses no substantial physical atmosphere, the residual magical essence from the Cocoon era has diffused into what might be called a metaphysical atmosphere, thickest near major kor clusters and thinnest in the regions most depleted during the Cataclysm. This manifests in effects such as:

• Aurora Krysalis: The term given to the aurora-like bands of light visible in both day and night. They follow no predictable pattern tied to stellar activity, instead responding to fluctuations in the planet's magical field. They may appear to be any color, typically reflecting the color of kor on the surface below. 

• Temporal Distortions: Localized zones where time flows at different rates, consistent and mappable. These zones are most pronounced deeper within the planet. Near the core, a day experienced might equal a year on the surface. The surface itself maintains relatively normal temporal flow, synchronized with the rest of the universe. Umin have learned to navigate these zones deliberately, choosing "fast zones" for brief subjective waits while external time advances or "slow zones" to experience more subjective time.

• Shimmer: Visual distortions of various sorts, including heat haze-like wavering, floating lights, lens flare-like glints, a faded appearance similar to that caused by atmospheric light diffusion, and more. 

Pre-Cocoon Era

In the era before the black hole's arrival, Namu orbited its Sun-like star at approximately 1.2 AU with an orbital period of roughly 480 days. The planet rotated with a day length of approximately 26 hours and maintained an axial tilt of ~18 degrees, creating moderate seasonal variations across its surface.

The star, which would later be known as Ky'rasa after its transformation, provided stable conditions for Namu's rich biosphere. The planet possessed a substantial atmosphere composed primarily of nitrogen and oxygen, with the unique addition of gaseous magical essence that permeated all levels of the atmosphere. This essence gave the sky subtle iridescent qualities, particularly at dawn and dusk. Aurora krysalis was also present in this era, though it was only visible at night and it was present closer to the planet's surface, sometimes touching the ground at high altitudes. 

Namu's three moons already orbited the planet, their gravitational influence creating modest tidal effects in Namu's oceans and contributing to the circulation of magical essence through the atmosphere.

Following the gravitational capture by Volkir, Namu's orbital characteristics began to shift. The binary system's complex dynamics introduced variations in stellar radiation and gravitational stresses that slowly destabilized the climate. The orbital period around Ky'rasa began to vary slightly due to perturbations from the black hole's influence, creating increasingly erratic seasonal patterns.

As Ky'rasa aged prematurely under the black hole's gravitational stress, its luminosity began to increase and its color shifted slightly toward blue-white. The planet's atmosphere retained its composition, but the gaseous magical essence began showing unusual behaviors—concentrating in certain regions, occasionally crystallizing in the upper atmosphere before sublimating again.

During this transitional period, which lasted millions of years, the umiae and other species adapted to increasingly unstable conditions.

While many umin do not keep track of time, especially given the time distortions on Namu, Fei'in has established a calendar system for ease of record-keeping: 

• "Years" in the calendar are referred to as Cycles and are counted as revolutions of Namu and its white dwarf around the black hole, with 1 year = 10 Earth years. 

• PC = prior to Cocoon, counting backwards like BC/BCE.

• IC = interval of the Cocoon, ranging from 1 to 20509, lasting 205,090 Earth years externally. Time within the Cocoon flowed far faster, however—eons of subjective experience compressed by temporal distortion. 

• AE = ascension era, counting forwards from 1 AE, the year Ki'raki ascended. 

Present day can be considered matching with the second-to-last digit of our real-world year: 2025 = 1002 AE; 2038 = 1003 AE.

Most umin do not bother with measuring time, especially considering the time distortions on Namu and its tidally-locked day and night. However, should one wish to know, they can ask Fei'in, who is able to identify the year regardless of where or when they have traveled to using their magic. 

Namu was once a natural world with vast biodiversity; its most unique characteristic was its natural magical essence, which took on a gaseous form. All life on Namu lived and breathed this essence, though many also ate flora or other fauna. The umiae (singular: umius) were the ancient ancestors of umin; they were typically around the size of the big cats of Earth and were omnivores, sometimes consuming flora and sometimes hunting. 

At this time, Namu orbited a Sun-like star within its habitable zone. Then, it drew close to a stellar-mass black hole, the ancient remnant of a supernova that occurred light-years away eons prior. Through gravitational capture, it bound Namu's star into a binary orbit.

The Cataclysm

The true cause of the Cataclysm remains shrouded in mystery, even to those few umin who study such ancient history. What is known is that the catastrophe struck with devastating simultaneity: Namu's core collapsed as its star began a premature and violent death.

Some theorize it was the black hole's influence reaching a critical threshold, accelerating the star towards death. Others speak of traces in the deepest kor suggesting something passed through—a metaphysical predator, perhaps, or a tear in reality itself. Still others point to the convergence of multiple factors: the binary orbit, dimensional instabilities, exotic radiation from the black hole, and forces beyond current understanding.

Whatever the cause, the effect was undeniable. Over the course of mere years as Namu's core collapsed, its magical essence rushed inward, rushing to the core of the planet to fill the void. This essence crystallized into the earliest rudimentary form of kor. However, the surface ecosystem was completely destroyed; the rush of magic to the core led to natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, and the lack of ambient magical energy meant that the flora and fauna that lived and breathed the essence rapidly withered in health before perishing. 

There was a mass extinction of many species, but the umiae, who already had a fair bit of resilience but not to the current state of umin, were able to retreat deep underground where there was still some ambient magical essence. More importantly, the crystals there were relatively fragile compared to those at the core and at present, and the umin ancestors tried to eat the crystals. Luckily, the crystals were so concentrated in magical essence that the umiae could survive despite losing their original food sources. Over the years following the catastrophe, most other species perished, as did the umiae who could not handle the stress of transitioning to magical sustainment alone, leading to a strong selection of those who could. 

The Cocoon

Over time, more of the magic crystallized, and it became more dense and difficult to break. Umiae who were able to break the crystals to eat them were able to survive, and those who consumed denser crystals were stronger, more long-lived, and healthier. They went deeper into the planet, where there was greater metaphysical and physical pressure, leading to their resilience developing further. Over time, the entire planet crystallized, locking the umiae underground, as if they were in a crystalline cocoon. 

Due to the magical properties of the kor and environment, no external beings were able to enter, and the umiae, as they became umin, could not leave or sense anything beyond the cocoon. Additionally, increasing gravitational and metaphysical pressures led to time distortion, with time within the cocoon progressing faster than beyond it. Throughout this period, all other species of Namu—including microbes—perished within the cocoon. 

For millions of years, umiae continued to evolve, becoming the umin of the present day, intertwined with the kor of Namu. The immense pressures and dangerous terrain of crystalline caverns led to their resilience developing further. The lack of pressures for aggression, reproductive competition, and hunting led to them becoming increasingly mild-mannered as a species. 

Outside the Cocoon, the star finally collapsed in a rapidly accelerated process, shedding its outer layers in a planetary nebula and leaving behind a white dwarf core. Protected by the Cocoon, Namu survived the intense radiation and the orbital chaos that followed. As the star's mass decreased dramatically, Namu's orbit destabilized, and the planet spiraled inward, eventually settling into a close, tidally-locked configuration around the white dwarf.

The Ascension

One day, there was a particularly powerful umin that became curious about the realm beyond Namu. They were seen as strange to those who had known the crystalline world as their entire understanding of existence, but this umin decided to ascend anyway, going as far as they could through crystalline caverns until they could see light filtering through the facets of kor. Without hesitation, they summoned all the power they had and managed to break through the crystalline wall. 

That umin disappeared—perhaps after exploring the surface, they leapt to the stars. Slowly, other umin also ascended, though some stayed within the crystalline depths. Many were unsure of what to do, having known only the crystal caverns for their entire life. Then, another powerful umin appeared, their very body a reflection of the expanse of space. 

I will guide you, they said to all the umin of Namu. I will teach you what we are capable of, speak of where we can go. There is more to explore and more to learn; if you wish to explore the stars, I will show how to take the first steps towards where you want to go. 

Among the umin who had no proper language as of yet, that umin earned the meaning-name of "The Wayfarer." Not all umin sought their teachings, but for those who did, the Wayfarer showed them how to traverse the stars and enter other dimensions. They told of different worlds they had seen, both within their universe and in other universes, and would show the way to those who were drawn to a particular one. They spoke of the way that all umin were still connected to Namu, and that one day, some way or another, they would reunite within the essence of kor. If they become lost, the Wayfarer will guide them back.

In this way, the Wayfarer paved the way for umin to explore beyond Namu, knowing that they would return in death, if not life. Over the following generations, many umin taught and guided their own children to explore, but the Wayfarer was always around for those who sought guidance on a longer journey.