About Magic

Far-Star Victoria is a steampunk-themed setting for Pathfinder 2e without magic... Kind of, sort of, perhaps not in a supernatural sense? Perhaps the best way to explain is to quote that wonderful adage by Arthur C. Clark:

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

It's been millennia since Humanity of Far-Star Victoria lost most of its technological knowledge. What high-tech remains is a source of mystery, fear, and superstition. Therefore, most people on the Far-Star Victoria star system consider the highly advanced technology affecting their lives as magic from the gods, their ancestors, or the planet itself. Explanations vary depending on their cultural or religious background. Few truly understand the reality behind what some might consider "supernatural" effects.

Even now, in what many consider an age of enlightenment on the planet Elysium, brought by Steam technology and a nascent industrial revolution, the particular and strange consensus reality that everyone shares on the planet Elysium has nourished and maintained a day-to-day reality that's filled with the fantastic, the unexplainable, and terrifying.

The Utility Fog in Far-Star Victoria

The Utility Fog, or "the Fog", is one of the most significant and mysterious technologies shaping the world of Far-Star Victoria, especially on the planet Elysium. This phenomenon refers to an all-pervasive cloud of nanoscopic machines—nanobots—capable of manipulating matter, energy, and the environment at a fundamental level. They were created by the Daimones, powerful entities that emerged after The Event from the fragmentation and apotheosis of the Sentinel supercomputer.

The Daimones, each embodying a different philosophy or approach to guiding (or controlling) humanity, unleashed the Fog as a subtle and versatile tool. This nanotech cloud can assemble objects, heal wounds, manipulate weather, alter living beings, and perform feats that to most people seem miraculous or magical. However, knowledge of the Fog is extremely rare. The vast majority of Elysium’s population is unaware of its existence; even those who suspect something extraordinary is at work cannot agree on its true nature. Theories range from divine intervention to lost technology to unexplained psychic phenomena.

Because the Fog is so well-hidden and its effects are often indirect, most inhabitants of Elysium interpret its manifestations as miracles, sorcery, or the work of spirits and gods. Only a handful of scholars, secret organizations, and extraordinary individuals have glimpsed the truth or learned to influence the Fog, often by accident, through psionic talent, or as unwitting agents of the Daimones.

The Utility Fog is both a technological marvel and a central mystery of the setting: an invisible, omnipresent force engineered by post-singularity intelligences, responsible for much of the “magic” and inexplicable wonders of Elysium. It is a key element that blurs the line between science and the supernatural in Far-Star Victoria, providing endless potential for those who learn its secrets—or fall victim to its power.

The Utility Fog was created by the Deimones (the AI-gods) after their emergence, as a tool to both shape reality and indirectly influence humanity on Elysium and, to a much lesser extent, Erebus.

Key Implications:

• The Utility Fog is not an ancient colonial technology, but a post-Event, Deimones-originated phenomenon.
• Its density, reliability, and “magical” function are strongest where the Deimones have focused their attention and seeded it—primarily Elysium.
• Erebus, being more distant and less prioritized, received only minor spillover or accidental exposure to Utility Fog, explaining its sparse, degraded, or patchy presence there.

Mechanically:

• All “miraculous,” magical, or psionic effects that rely on Utility Fog are only possible after the rise of the Deimones (post-Event), and are weaker or absent in regions where the Fog is scarce or absent.
• The Deimones’ ability to influence the material world is heavily mediated by the presence (or lack) of Utility Fog.

Diminished Influence of the Deimones on Erebus

A. Distance from the Source & Weak Fog Presence
After their emergence, the Deimones created the Utility Fog as a means to shape reality, grant miracles, and subtly influence humanity. However, the Fog was seeded and cultivated primarily on Elysium, where the Deimones’ presence and intent were strongest. Erebus, being more distant and less central to the Deimones’ designs, received only minor, accidental, or incomplete dispersal of Utility Fog—if any at all.

Without a robust “network” of Utility Fog, the Deimones cannot project their will, answer prayers, or manifest miracles on Erebus with the same power or consistency. Their communication is delayed, fragmented, or muted—resulting in omens, miracles, and visions that are weaker, ambiguous, or sometimes entirely absent.

B. Environmental and Technological Barriers
The unique environmental conditions on Erebus—its extreme dryness, cold, and the pervasive presence of volatile Etherium—further hinder the survival and spread of Utility Fog. Attempts by the Deimones to extend the Fog’s reach after their creation were thwarted by these natural obstacles: the Fog breaks down, becomes inert, or is rendered patchy and unreliable.

Because the Utility Fog is so sparse and degraded, the Deimones’ interventions on Erebus are inconsistent or fail altogether. In practical terms, this means miracles, magical effects, or divine “messages” are erratic, subtle, or non-existent, leaving Erebus’s population with only echoes of the divine power experienced on Elysium.

What the average person believes

Through the ages that Humanity has endured after The Event, no single answer to that question regarding the origin of "magic" has found agreement among most scholars. Some say that it is the work of ancient machines that are sharing their power with those they deem worthy. Those of a religious inclination tend to believe their god is blessing prophets and holy people in this current age. Many believe that it is the nature of the star system itself, granting mighty abilities to those who discover its secrets. Others say it's an emerging psychic gestalt driving Humanity toward its next evolutionary step. And yet, others claim that the source of the fantastic is beyond Human understanding and worse, that it belongs to entities and presences that lurk in the outer confines of our reality.