Community The Agaran Menace

I mentioned that along with some others. Razey liked the post.

 

Happy Easter guys! I have something very... interesting... to show you today. I am a space hopper, I jump from planet to planet gathering resources, that is. And today I found an interesting sight, several abandoned Apex science facilities(labs, if you wish).
That might not sound too weird on it's own, but there's more. I also found TONS of Apex facilities overrun with Agarans and other fungi:


And these:


I know, and the next things are even weirder! see that Apex in the Agaran pod? Well then I found these:


My first impression was that they were a new species, but then I compared what they said with the other evidence I found...
Here are some of the things they said:




They also said things like: My fur, it's so colorful! And: I feel like everything has changed overnight. Then I was led to a horrifying conclusion; the Agarans are infecting the Apex and possibly other species with their spores to create Agaran-Apex hybrids! This means the Agarans are more a threat to the universe than we thought... I hope you take caution whilst lingering with the Agarans from now on, or risk becoming one of these.

(The coords are: X -65851624 Y 20659476 Alpha Albireo 75 I)

 

http://community.playstarbound.com/index.php?threads/the-agaran-menace.68061/

 

This is like saying that Florans are just animals infected by a plant parasite made by the Apex. There is little evidence relating the two species. The Colorful Apex came loooong before any negative Agaran content was released, and anything about them lore-wise is all inferences. We already discovered that the Colorful Apex are an evolved species of space eels created in the stomach of a plasma whale.

 

This is just my theory, and it can't be proved lore-wise or else. I just was making connections. And there isn't much lore for the Agarans, so we have to make our own theories.

(Nice bit about the colorful Apex and the plasma whales)

 

I'd ship it.

 

I ship Hikari and Charlton.

 

Zebe made this huge post a few dozen pages back that reasons through facts, rumors, and clues about the Agarans and culminates in a very interesting grand theory that ties together almost everything, from Greenfinger and the Agaran connection with Florans, to Big Ape and the Apex experiments, to the seeming involvement of the Hylotl and Thornwing and the Avians. I missed that one on my first read of this thread. I suspect Zebe may be pretty close to the truth.

Anyway, I think Zebe's theories fit rather nicely with the observations and theories legomaster211 posted. In particular, I think the following line should not be overlooked:

Think about that a moment. To me, that sounds like the poor guy was brainwashed. Obviously, he was writing in his sleep. Who knows what else he does in his sleep? It reminds me of Zebe's theory that someone (probably Big Ape or maybe Thornwing) is literally controlling them.

 

Actually, it was a coincidence they were so close.

 

Owl! Cloud! I can't hold Darklight off much longer in the Charlton Says Hello thread! Help! *end transmission*

 

Since you wanted this elsewhere. And apex pods note that those Apex personally choose to enter those pods. In which case they've no one to blame save themselves.

And i've never stated they were either harmless or benevolent. I merely challenged your notion that they are inherently detrimental. At least any more detrimental than every other race.

 

Did that choice come uninfluenced though. I doubt it.

How about you don't promote the derailing of a thread next time. I thought it was odd how you guys were coming out of the woodwork there

 

Influenced by who? Cause you certainly won't find anything suggesting Agarans have influenced anything.

 

No one in their right mind would look at one of those pods and go "Oh yea that totally looks like the most comfortable bed ever." there's foul play involved and just as there is no proof in that regard, there is no proof that it IS NOT the case.

 

You say that like the apes that appear in those pods aren't the freaks of experimentation.

 

Hmmm...The problem with these threads is that we have no real information because we would think of a question, debate about it and then go onto the next one without answering the previous question and because of this we now have about 60 unanswered questions, there's plenty of theories, but they all contradict each other and all of them have large flaws, so before discussing their relations with other species, and their motives, actually discus the Agaran civilization, if we can answer these questions then the others will become much easier.




Question organization

What are Agarans?=Sapient fungi

Where are they?=Commonly found in overgrown Apex laboratories, guarding pods on the planets surface, constructed crude shroom villages on the forest/grassland biomes, (lore only) mushroom caves.

Constructs?=Has their own mushroom styled architecture as well as overgrown Apex facilities, pod platforms and their prison like constructs constructed entirely from plant matter. They also have similarities to the Floran as they use drysap dispensers and Floran furniture in their prisons, although this could simply be there to comfort/calm imprisoned Florans.

How do they acquire energy/nutrition(digestion, photosynthesis ETC..)?=[Unknown]
Theories

• Saprophytes=Feed on dead or decaying matter and are decomposeres = most likely due to them being fungi.
• Parasitic=Feed on organisms known as hosts (in this case Florans and others..) and nourishes itself at the expense of the hosts health.
• Heterotrophic= Feed on and digests living organisms.

Transport?=[Unknown]
Notes of interest=Although they are quickly colonizing the galaxy, there is no evidence of technology anywhere near advanced enough for space travel although, there have been several mentions of spores and being Fungi, it is widely accepted that they spread this way but they would still need to get the spores into space.
Theories

• Spores are capable of surviving vacuum and ascend to the exosphere of planets and drift into space
• Evidence=No technology capable of space travel, explains their random colonization patterns.
  
• Counter argument=would take centuries to drift to a different solar-system.
  
• Spores attach to explores and their ships and detach on different planets
• Evidence=Would explain why they are not hostile and why they let you carry weapons.
• Counter argument=Would rely solemnly on random explorers and would spread at a much slower rate than they are currently.
• someone/something is spreading these spores around the galaxy for personal gain
• Evidence=Dr.Lax codex suggests she mutated and wants revenge on the 4 that betrayed her and would explain the note requesting the player to kill the Agarans from the (presumably) big 4 if this was a plot for Lax's revenge, Thornwing wants to manipulate them.
• Counter argument=Would spread much slower due to there being only one person at a time spreading them and its possible that person would have been noticed especially on already colonized planets.
• Spores are launched into space by the vase like construction
• Evidence=Provides a purpose to the construct, allows rapid colonization
• Counter argument=Lack of viable evidence, construct has no mechanism.

Behavior?=Relatively peaceful in game and have only attacked in self defence, even allowing the player to enter their villages armed although in the lore they have been told to have killed Hylotl missionaries unprovoked and have been seen holding Florans in prison like containers, usually above lava or underwater, also they have been known to growl at Hylotl (see the McVicar comic).

Hierarchy?=There is no official system of government mentioned however, 3 Agaran mutations have been identified.
1.Notably smaller and more primitive than their sword wielding counterparts, little is known whether they are pets or offspring.
2.Green and brown in colour, are commonly seen in the villages and guarding pods.
3.Red and white in colour, are commonly seen in overgrown Apex laboratories and guarding pods
4.[Unconfirmed] (lore only) similar to Agaran 2. except notably much larger and portrayed more aggressively.

Belief system?=[Unknown]
Notes of interest=Lore states that they have been seen doing rituals and the smell of blood and fire lingering in the air , the Agarans attacked the Hylotl missionaries shortly after witnessing this event, shortly before attacking it was stated=The Agarans stared at them, then began to jabber in that strange, unknown language. Then, seemingly as if commanded by a silent voice, they began to attack. whether this was because their religion is secretive or that they sacrifice victims is unknown.

Life cycle?/Creation=[Unknown]
Theories

• Spores infect Floran, spores grow and infect the brain causing the Floran to cocoon its self, Agaran emerges from the pod
• Evidence=Floran prisoners, Floran pod design, Florans fear of Agarans, Agarans attraction to Florans, Agarans fear?/hatred of Hylotl, fungus thrives in warm moist environments so being above lava and in water would significantly increase the rate of infection
• Counter argument=Mutant Apex came put of the pod suggesting that it was put into the pod and didn't cocoon itself as Apex cant, does not explain how there are radically different mutations if they are all infected Florans.
• After initial transformation, go into metamorphosis and reemerge as the the normal Agaran, the red capped ones and eventually the gigafungi
• Evidence=Explains the different generations of Agaran, explains the different sized pods, means that the most recently infected are the smaller Agarans thus giving them a purpose.
  
• Counter argument=The pods are Floran meaning the Agarans would have to recreate a much larger version of the pods as no Floran would ever grow as big although this also explains the differences in the pods (roots and the veins) so this could also be evidence.
  
• Spores infect host, spores grow and infect the brain allowing the Agarans to cocoon the host, Agaran emerges from the pod
• Evidence=Explains how the Apex mutant got in the pod.
  
• Counter argument=Only Floran prisoners, Floran pod design.
• Spores grow into the large red mushrooms you see in their villages
• Evidence=Glitch spectating them quotes "these are cleverly disguised Agarans", spores are secreted by those mushrooms and not the mobile Agarans (McVicar video), Agarans appear peaceful
  
• Counter evidence=Floran fear of Agarans, if this was true, pods would have no reproductive purpose, Apex mutant emerging from pod, there are no green-brown mushrooms, the warning to kill them (wear the bag on head one), .....
• Agarans are apeflu that unwillingly spread to the Floran population and adapted radically (to long to describe fully)
• Evidence=Apex involvement, the apex-mutant, Florans fear, hatred of Hylotl, sudden appearance, explains the attacks on labs, Greenfinger first encountered them, the reason behind the warning (Agaran face-bag note), Floran imprisonment, the basins, same armour
  
• Counter argument=Apeflu suggests a virus and not a fungus, no hard evidence, based on mostly assumptions=Generally unreliable
• Florans are infected or genetically manipulated Agarans
• Evidence=Floran technology is flawed, much more aggressive than their fungus counterpart, Agarans capturing Florans, hatred of Hylotl, explains how their pods are almost replicas of the Florans, the Floran secret, same furniture, same armour
  
• Counter argument=Agarans are fungus while Florans are plant based, they are new to the galaxy (the Florans where first).
• Agarans are infected Florans=oaken soldiers
• Evidence=The drysap lore, drysap in Floran holds, friendly to travelers (those exposed are sickened by their previously aggressive lifestyle), fear of Hylotl, Floran fear them, same furniture, same armour
  
• Counter argument=do not appear oaken, Greenfinger would have identified them (unless hes keeping it a secret), Agarans are fungus while Florans are plant based.
• Agarans are a failed bio-weapon created by the Hylotl
  
• Evidence=Floran/Hylotl war, Floran fear of Agarans, Agarans imprisoning Florans, sudden appearence.
  
• Counter argument= Against Hylotl beliefs, would not have sent peace missionaries to them if they had known they were designed to be a weapon, Greenfinger first discovered them.
• Hiraki Corale unintentionally released them
• Evidence=Its Chucklefish, she is shown to be extremely lucky and skillful yet has no regard of the consequences of anything and has unintentionally, killed Apex rebels, butchered USCM ships, offered herself as a sacrifice, insulted Glitch villages, driven a tomb guard to madness and most recently detonated an Agaran cave.
  
• Counter argument=Relies on someone else creating and studying the Agarans which is itself a theory.

• There are a lot more theories on this but these are the most probable/interesting

 

Something to note, which I literally just realized when taking a closer look at the Agaran armor that's being worn in a screenshot (I have no idea if this has been said before), but they're wearing the Tier 2 Floran armor, sans the helmet. Food for thought.

 

Shoot, dude. Keep track of this so when I'm feeling less lazy I can transcribe some of this to my google drive thing.