Malis Atmosphere
The Malis Atmosphere is not a planetary atmosphere in the traditional sense but a metaphysical contamination—a persistent psionic miasma originating from the extraplanar rift of Gozog'nok. This corruption leaks from the imprisonment of the fallen deity Malis, once known as Elidrê'el, the First Defiant. As the Essence seeps through spacetime, it infects entire planetary systems across the Kôthar Galaxy, transmuting air, soil, and mind alike.
Origin
Following Malis’s banishment to Gozog'nok, a rift formed between the spiritual and material planes — a wound in reality where the boundaries of creation thin. The imprisoned god’s decaying essence condensed into a semi-physical vapor, later identified by the Grand Archive Division of Exotheology as Corruptive Essence of Malis (CEM). From this rift, subatomic entropy fields radiate outward through the Kôthar sector, embedding themselves in atmospheres of otherwise stable worlds such as Gokolok, Varnith, and Drulon. Each world manifests the contamination differently, yet all share one common trait: *the air itself hungers.*
Chemical and Psionic Behavior
The CEM acts as a binding catalyst between psionic and material states. When it mingles with typical atmospheric gases (chiefly Nitrogen and Oxygen), it catalyzes a chain reaction where entropy becomes self-replicating. Atoms begin to “forget” their structure — molecules drift between phases without losing mass. Living organisms exposed to Malis-tainted air display progressive loss of identity and purpose, as if reality itself were tiring of holding their form.
Trace Contradictium in the corrupted air stabilizes the paradox temporarily, allowing measurable persistence of the contamination, but also introduces phase mirroring — regions where reflection and object are briefly indistinguishable.
Manifestations Across the Kôthar Sector
- Gokolok — The most heavily affected world, where the The Malismorâ resides. The air carries a permanent metallic odor and a crimson haze under starlight. Residents exhibit cognitive resonance disorders and memory bleed.
- Varnith — Displays luminous shadow auroras at night, a sign of psionic inversion within the ionosphere.
- Drulon — Hosts “ashen monsoons,” where rainwater evaporates before reaching the ground, leaving trails of black condensation suspended in the air.
Environmental Characteristics
- Pressure: Varies by planet; average 0.9–1.6 atm.
- Temperature: 270–330 K (maintains thermal coherence despite entropy fields).
- Visuals: Hazy crimson or black-violet glow during nocturnal cycles.
- Olfactory: Metallic-sulfuric tang; taste described as “blood and ozone.”
- Auditory: Subsonic tones detected in 7–12 Hz range; believed to be psionic resonance from Gozog'nok.
Phenomena
- Essence Drift: Free-floating motes of condensed CEM visible under ultraviolet light; disintegrate into inert dust after exposure to divine radiation.
- Entropy Pulse: Periodic psionic storms propagating from the rift, temporarily intensifying atmospheric decay.
- Cognitive Shear: Temporary loss of identity coherence among higher lifeforms within affected zones.
Interactions
Malis-tainted atmospheres are lethal to baseline biological life but can support hybrid entities such as the Malisik and entropy-adapted war forms of The Malismorâ. Psionic shielding can slow corruption but never fully prevent it. Exposure gradually aligns neural patterns toward Malis’s own consciousness, effectively transforming victims into extensions of the Bound One’s will.
Exotheological Notes
The Grand Archive of Exotheology classifies the Malis Atmosphere as a “Tier-Ω Divine Residuum,” marking it as one of the few known instances where theological phenomena produce measurable chemical outcomes. Worshippers of the Malisik regard the red mist of CEM as the “breath of deliverance,” believing that each molecule carries a fragment of Malis’s eternal rebellion.
Associated Gases
Corruptive Essence of Malis • Contradictium • Sulfur Dioxide • Methane