Quintessence

The Quintessence also known as the Aether or the Ebora is a sentient living energy.

Biology
The Quintessence are a force of creation that are actually a host of pure cognitive energy where a billion minds work as one.

Originally when they first transcended into a for of sentient energy they took the form of ethereal moths and were able to escape the confines of their world to travel to other planets by their own power. With the galaxy open to them the Quintessence merged their energy with the biospheres of the worlds they visited becoming part of the geology, air and even seas.

History
When the stars were young the Quintessence were not much different from organic life. They went through the same cultural developments such as war, famine, and prejudice but managing to persevere through these obstacles.

Over the millions of years they outgrew their old ways and evolved into pure energy beings. After leaving their world, they decided to use their power to good use, by seeking out worlds to bring life to.

While some members of the Quintessence merged with their world's environments becoming part of it, others that would be called Ebora chose to merge its essence with the inhabitants.

Around 8.3 million years ago Ebora came to the world of the Nine Realms where it used its power to uplift the Stone People and Dryads and soon the other races. Millennia passed and the world gave rise to a medieval culture of magical races. Due to their unique connection with the Quintessence they were able to manifest the energy as magic.

Unfortunately another race known as the Thorn learned to harness the Quintessence, by harvesting it like a mineral, bleeding worlds dry of the Quintessence. Ignorant or uncaring of its true nature the Thorn used their science to extract the Quintessence to power their ships and technology building the Corporate Corpus. The Quintessence were helpless against these harvests as their merging with their chosen worlds meant that they were unable to interact with the physical world.

Eventually the Thorn came to the Nine Worlds conquering it. The reigning Thorn leader in charge of the extraction of resources, Duke Eschatus discovered the unique properties of the inhabitants and their magical abilities. He sought to use them to build an army to eventually elate him to become Chairman of the Corporate Corpus. His plan though required to bleed the world dry of every drop of magical energy. Ebora who was the very spirt of the world was able to somewhat defend itself as he could act through the inhabitants touched by his energy and selected a young ork named Crixus to be his Messiah to save the Nine Worlds from the Thorn's tyranny and hopefully draw a line in the sand to stop his kind's culling.

However hopes for a peaceful resolution were dashed away when Ichnar the Wraith King reemerged to attempt to take control over Crixus. However having failed that the Wraith King sought another host in the form of Duke Eschatus. The undead spirit having taken control of the Thorn leader then began to launch an all out assault on the Nine Realms to claim the Ebora to use in his plans to create his own stellar empire.

Culture
According to the Quintessence themselves they do not consider themselves to be gods but merely a force of creation that bring life to worlds.

Additionally given Quintessence's representative, the Ebora's usage of illusions depicting modern day human society and nomenclature, it's hinted that the Quintessence may in fact be evolved humanity in the distant future.