The Dominion of the Black, also called the Dominions of the Black and the Black Truth, is an organization, religion, or coalition consisting of numerous alien races, many created by the Dominion itself. Its true motivations and structure are unclear to outsiders, but it is indisputably a grave threat to most other forms of life. It has some sort of association with the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods, though the relationship is not known in detail and may be adversarial in nature.
Structure[]
The Dominion has a loose structure, spanning across multiple galaxies with no central homeworld or headquarters. Their front lines consist of an assortment of custom-made servitor creatures. The higher ranks are occupied by a mixture of created species and (apparently) unmodified ones, and yet other races hold positions of unclear nature. Toward the top of the hierarchy sit unique, eldritch entities of immense power and malice. What power or creed the Dominion ultimately serves is unclear.
The Dominion appears to have some theocratic or religious elements to it, although details are vague. They appear to worship entropy and the void as concepts, and practice a ritual of large-scale blood sacrifice called the Banquet. In this ceremony, large numbers of slaves, as well as some of their own living ships, are launched into black holes. However, the majority of the Dominion is secular.
Technology[]
Much of the Dominion's technology revolves around the melding of biology and machinery. On conquered planets, entire species are enslaved in nation-sized fleshfarms, where they are systematically melted down and remade into servitor races. Many creatures associated with the Dominion are deliberately designed and created to fulfill specific functions.
The Dominion's ships are enormous, shipmind-piloted cyborgs, some the size of moons. The largest of these ships are able to manufacture or grow smaller spacecraft. Dominion ships are generally incapable of lifting off from a planet once they have landed - the Dominion does not retreat - and instead rot where they land, polluting the surrounding landscape and freeing their metal components for other use.
Notes[]
- When references to the Dominion of the Black first appeared in Pathfinder, it was indistinct from the Cthulhu Mythos-inspired Elder Mythos of the game, as the creative team had not fully fleshed out the differences.