The Galaxy entwined
For one hundred millennia humankind has held the stars,
and reshaped the galaxy into a realm of boundless wonders.
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Innumerable worlds were gifted life,
and systems saturated by Von Neumann's Technosphere.
Dark and Golden Ages gave rise to many powers,
none greater than the twin hypercivilizations of
the Terran Empire and the Mechanist Union.
Both were born of the One Celestial,
Sibly to the Union, Queen of the Empire.
As one they hold onto Her Light,
onto order in a cosmos of ever encroaching darkness,
where fell gods dream beyond all comprehension.
This is a universe of ancients,
of a million worlds and unsung histories,
of realms brought low and peoples ascendant,
of perpetual change
as the great wheel ever turns,
keeping oblivion at bay.
About this Universe
In a galaxy it has settled for one hundred thousand years, humanity is one of the elder powers. Scattered across innumerable worlds, its cultures and peoples have grown plentiful, distant and even alien to one another.
From the old cradle Earth to the fringes of known space span the twin civilizations, two branches of humankind entwined on their distinct paths towards ascension. The Terran Empire rules by way of Psionic Providence, shaping cosmic laws and spirits to its devices. The Mechanist Union conjures Gods from their machines.
The Twin Civilizations of humankind are ever-entwined, inseparable in their eternal struggle, united above all in their vigilance against all that lies beyond the shared light they uphold.
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About Gondwana
GONDWANA is one of countless sectors on the fringe, a place where the two hypercivilizations struggle against one another and that which lies beyond.
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For centuries now, these worlds were gripped by one cosmic winter, which isolated from the Galaxy at large and one another. Now that the ice is receding, the twin civilizations of Gondwana awaken and make ready to claim those old suns and planets as their own.
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In this re-awakening, the Empire and Union re-kindle old friendships and feuds, even wars with one another. But outside the space which they now hold, there are other threats awaiting. Splinters of humanity, entropic machine minds and the truly alien, powers beyond human reckoning would soon sweep across all of Gondwana, if the Empire and Union don't find strength in one another.
About this Project
GONDWANA is an original animation- and worldbuilding-project by Martechi.
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The goal is to explore a vast and ancient space opera through stories and impressions from the namesake Sector Gondwana, as a window into the wider world. Scenes of places, factions and events, stories and lore are collected here and in the videos to showcase different aspects of the setting.
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An early iteration of this project was the Warhammer 40k homebrew Brass and Iron and 40k continues to be an inspiration. Others include Metabarons, Space Battleship Yamato, Larry Niven's Ringworld, the Hyperion Cantos, Humanity Lost, and many more.