Pearl of Maerlandayr

"The Pearl bends the Galaxy to its will, devouring it one bit at a time. One day, it will be all that is left of Maerlandayr."

- Astrographicon

The Pearl of Maerlandayr, widely called The Pearl, is the supermassive blackhole located at the centre of the Maerlandayr Galaxy. The Pearl is susrrounded by a large accretion disk and a multitude of stars orbiting it in close proximity. The Pearl is the gravitational centre of the Galaxy and the single most massive object in Maerlandayr Galaxy.

Historically, The Pearl is closely related to the Heart of Maerlandayr, which stood in its place before it was destroyed in the Battle of the Cindered Lair by the Firstborn. Unfortunately, it is not known whether the Heart itself was a quasi-star and contained The Pearl at its centre or whether the supermassive black hole formed some time after the Heart was annihilated.

Expeditions to the Core
The first successful expedition to the Pearl of Maerlandayr took begun in 31 738 EE. The fleet led by Captain Isse Erein arrived at The Pearl 3 years later and installed an autonomous station in the black hole's orbit called Horizon. This station is operational up to this day and is the largest man-made object in the Oron region of the Galaxy.

The Pearl is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Galaxy. Every year it is visited by over 3 billion people, thanks to the establishment of permament stations in the black hole's far orbit. These stations serve primarily as scientific outposts, researching the object in an otherwise unaccessible detail.