Starbound Lore

So, I have way too much time on my hands and transferred all the codexes to a text file, and figured I'd share with everyone. Now I realize currently some of the codexes are out of place without the context of their title, but I'll be updating this list to try and make it more organized. Also, the list is currently only organized by who or what race it pertains to, but I'm hoping to further organize it chronologically. There is a very interesting tie in of events if you read the whole thing, I'm hoping to make it more of a story book if you will. Anyway, there's about 36 pages of stuff, so I'll be using heavy spoilers for this. There's a chance no one is interested in any of this, but if anyone is let me know what you would like added.

*Disclaimer: All the codexes are here word for word from the game files (excluding the starter codexes), but the orginization of them into groups is being done subjectively by me. There are certain codexes in which I have pieced a story together on assumption and everything in here may not be 100% accurate.

I've seperated the lore into the following categories:

Origin Stories

"From as far back as Apex history can be traced, all that is known is the rule of the majestic Big Ape and his benevolent Miniknog. Of course, Apex history only reaches back about one hundred years, due to a series of accidental fires, explosions and rogue mech accidents which destroyed all of the archives ever. Big Ape assures the populace, however, that he has been in charge since the dawn of time, and will continue to be in charge until the last star supernovas. Any Apex who steps out of line, says the wrong thing, eats the wrong banana or looks at one of the many hidden cameras in a funny way will be subjected to Miniknog Therapy, designed to improve the species. In fact, all Apex should volunteer for this. Sign up now."

"For centuries, the Avians soared through the skies, borne on wings of feather and flesh. They were a proud, peaceful species, respectful of their traditions and gods. So respectful, in fact, that when their gods - the Sunborn - spoke to them, they listened. They listened and obeyed as one god, Kluex, the last of the Sunborn, commanded their elders to clip the wings of the lower-caste Avians. They obeyed even as the Flightless became ostracised, oppressed, living only to serve Kluex. They obeyed as their elders erected tall towers, from which the Ascendants - the chosen Flightless - were to leap. They obeyed as one by one, the Ascendants hit the ground, never to fly again. Kluex, they were told, was pleased."

"Floran forget. At night, Floran dream of oaken sssoldiers, of ssslimy demons, burning hot fire. In dry grass, beneath crashing waves, memories hazy. Do Floran forget, or remember? Floran do know hunt. Kill or be killed. Fight, sssurvive, destroy. Floran not remember much. Greenfinger help. But Floran know one thing. Ssstab ssstab ssstab."

"Statement. Created by a mysterious race, the Glitch were designed to serve a single purpose; a race controlled by a single hivemind, tireless workers who could build and create. Critical. the Glitch were left to expand and evolve, eventually deconstructing themselves to discover that they were artificial. Glitch understanding of the world led to the realization that an artificial species must have a creator. Sceptical. This discovery triggered self-awareness in the Glitch. Some accepted their role in the universe, others began to question it. Melancholy. This caused much civil turmoil, which lasted hundreds of years. As such, the Glitch failed to evolve beyond basic construction abilities. Regret. The Glitch experiment was abandoned and the species was left to fend for itself."

"Humanity was a flourishing species with a high evolution rate and extremely hardy in terms of healing, recovery and endurance. they were the first race to engage in space travel, both for science and entertainment, but their limitations restricted them to their own solar system. Eventually they began to war amongst themselves more frequently, and with Earth's resources depleting, returned to the space race as each of the world's superpowers attempted to claim and colonise new planets. While in the midst of a particularly lengthy struggle to claim Mars, the humans observed a Beast From Beyond The Stars crash land on Earth. World leaders were heard to exclaim 'it's like something out of a sci-fi movie' and 'we'd better run for it' and 'maybe it's friendly, let's not be hasty'. (This person was later fired.)"

"The Hylotl, a proud amphibious species, were concerned with beauty. It's what drove them, the pursuit of perfection. Through years of living under the ocean, they developed empathy towards all other species, with a strong desire to reach out and save all living things. As such, they were pacifists and herbivores, content to simply live in peace until one day they were forced out of their homes, and off-world entirely, by the dreaded Floran menace."

Boss Stories

Dreadwing

"Gather round, and let us speak of Dreadwing the pirate. This vile bird once posed as a Glitch king, went toe to toe with a Floran, outwrestled an Apex, outflew an Avian, outdrank a human, and outpatronised a Hylotl. He's the self-confessed scourge of the galaxy, and cannot wait for the day when the rest of the universe notices. His latest plan is as fiendish as it is simple. Distress beacons. Curious explorers and pesky do-gooders can't resist the call for help. Then, as soon as they make contact, he's there, in one of his many custom UFOs, an army of angry penguins in tow. Nobody really knows what Dreadwing gains from these attacks. Analysts estimate that the destruction of UFOs must be costing Dreadwing hundreds of thousands of pixels. And yet, he persists, smashing his way through settlements and blowing up camps until eventually he's chased off, tail-feathers between his legs. Fun Dreadwing fact: Dreadwing's early UFO design did not allow him to destroy terrain, thus leaving him vulnerable to adventurers who hid themselves below ground."

Fatal Circuit

"The outcast Glitch, desperate to strengthen their numbers, came up with a plan. Outcast leader Platinum Ace approached a particularly volatile Glitch scientist, and together they drew up blueprints for a new form of Glitch; a better, more powerful being. Thus, the first Fatal Circuit was born. Initially, everything was okay. Then two seconds passed and Fatal Circuit malfunctioned, trying to kill every living being in the immediate area. After a lengthy chase, Platinum smashed Fatal Circuit with a handy nearby hammer, and inspected the wreckage. She was horrified to discover that the scientist had transplanted a monster brain into the robot, thus rendering it uncontrollably murderous. Deciding Fatal Circuit should never be recreated, Platinum buried the plans in a landfill in the desert, but recent sightings have suggested that someone has found and duplicated the Fatal Circuit blueprint. Fun Fatal Circuit Fact: Big Ape and Greenfinger once tried to improve the design by using a Floran brain, but for some reason the robot was just as savage and uncontrollable."

Bonedragon

"Dragons aren't real. That's the story told across all species. Even the Florans, the hunters of great prey, dismiss the idea of dragons as mere folly. Possibly because if they encounter one, they're too busy killing it to notice what it is. But dragons were real, once, at least if this reanimated bonedragon is to be believed. Lay down the right bait and the creature swoops in from the skies, scorching all in its path. Mindless, murderous, and completely lacking in flesh, it's a sight to behold. Where does it come from? Nobody knows. Even Greenfinger of the Floran is stumped. Perhaps it is the work of those strange, winged demons sighted on distant planets. Or maybe the unusual Agarans, the mushroom people who till the earth? Or perhaps it is the work of those mysterious, hooded figures adventurers have spoken of. Those cultists, who claim to possess a dark, necromantic magic, and whose hidden master has yet to play their hand... Fun Bone Dragon Fact: The only person to successfully tame a bonedragon is Hiraki Corale, who grew bored and released the creature minutes later. When asked, she claimed she had forgotten how she befriended the beast."

Jelly

"Jelly. A staple at children's parties. A tasty, wobbly snack. A fun food for all the family. At least, that is, until it sprouts eyes and tentacles and tries to slaughter you. No amount of ice-cream will make up for being eaten by a ravenous, gelatinous blob. This horrifying mockery of a dessert descends from the skies, wibbling and wobbling, its little jelly shot sidekicks ready to provide backup. It was your fault, of course. You laid that peanut butter trap. Everyone knows peanut butter attracts jelly. The worst part is, this jelly doesn't even taste nice. Nobody knows where it came from, what its goal is, or what flavour it might be. A Floran once claimed it tasted like chicken, but nobody is sure if a Floran really knows what chicken tastes like. Plus, chicken jelly? Let's not make this any worse. The only way to deal with this jelly is to stick a fork in it and declare it done. And by fork, we mean sword, axe or spear. Or shoot it. Or fire arrows at it. Or blow it up. Anything that results in the jelly exploding into horrifying, sticky globules counts as a win. Fun Jelly Fact: After the humans' first encounter with this creature, a fight broke out in the USCM barracks when some of the soldiers referred to it as jelly, and others referred to it as jam. In the end, the commanding officer decided it was called Brian."

Tentacomet

"Rocks can't hurt you, right? Wrong. They could fall on your head, or roll over you, or they could be harbouring a dangerous, ravenous tentacle beast just waiting to tear you apart. Lucky you, the latter roams the Starbound universe. Once lured in, the creature gazes upon its prey with its numerous eyes, shielded by its rocky outer casing, tentacles whipping and whirling around as it attempts to eat anything and everything in its path. But what is this unknown beast? Some say it's an octopus in a comet. Others insist it shares certain similarities with the tentacled behemoth that destroyed Earth. Perhaps, if some renegade adventurer hadn't cut it down, it would have grown to the size of a planet. Perhaps. Fun Tentacomet Fact: Greenfinger of the Floran was presented with a sample of the creature for study, but it mysteriously went missing. So did the next sample, and the sample after that."

Apex

“"Big Ape, Big Ape
He's big and he's an ape
He's glorious, a leader
And everyone obeys him.
He's handsome and he's tough
Through the smooth and through the rough
Glory to our leader
We serve him with a smile!"

"Try Big Ape's patented Miniknog Bananas! 100% Mind Control-free, guaranteed! Absolutely no risk of death, or your money back! Eat one today! Not to be consumed while operating vehicles."

"When Big Ape was just a little ape, his home village was attacked by creeping horrors from beyond the stars. These vile penguins set everything to the torch, and Big Ape was forced to watch as his village burned. Big Ape swore revenge, and revenge he got. As the penguins were leaving in their space pirate ship, he fired a grappling hook at them and pulled the ship down to earth, using nothing but his strength. After that, penguins never burned his village down again."

"Core Resistance cell captured - Big Ape triumphs again"

"[On the poster, Big Ape - here depicted as a buff gorilla - is doing the thumbs-up sign. Below the picture, the text reads 'Bigger IS Better - Big Ape is watching.']"

“Not only do we have to deal with sightings of a hulking figure on the streets at night, but now the Resistance has set up shop in our little town, as well. Why can't they just let us do our jobs? All Big Ape wants is total and absolute control, is that so much to ask? We have a platoon of armed guards just waiting to descend on their hideout should we find it. Free-thinking, free-spirited Apex are not welcome here. If we don't find them soon, we'll have to poison the water supply again, and then EVERYONE suffers."

"There once was an ape called Big Ape
Whose brain was the size of a grape
He swung through the trees
And got riddled with fleas
And GLORY TO BIG APE OUR GLORIOUS LEADER. HAIL THE MINIKNOG. DO NOT RESIST."

Apex of importance:

-Big Ape

"How am I meant to further the Apex species when our labs get attacked? And by a member of the Ring of Thorns, no less. That Thornwing will get an earful next time we have cocktails. I sent my elite Miniknog guards to clean up the mess. Doctor Lax's body was gone. What kind of lunatic kidnaps a body! Oh well. Probably eaten by Florans. Managed to recover some of the notes and that, so I've hired another doctor to carry on with the research. On the plus side, my Miniknog spies were able to track down that annoying blogger who kept posting NDA-protected information. He's hiding out in a human prison, of all places. Might place a call to Thornwing to deal with him, I guess." [My best guess is this is from the Big Ape]

"Participants: Big Ape, Greenfinger, Thornwing, [Redacted]
Big Ape: So, let's get started then. We have important things to discuss.
Greenfinger: [Redacted]
Thornwing: [Redacted]
[Redacted]: Are you serious?
Big Ape: [Redacted]
Big Ape: [Redacted]
Big Ape: [Redacted]
Big Ape: And that's why you should never date a Hylotl.
Thornwing: Kluex save us.
Greenfinger: [Redacted]"

-Anonymous on floran planet

"Big Ape protect me. I never thought I'd say that. Never thought I'd miss the Miniknog. Never thought I'd want to go home. These creatures, they're... ruthless, evil killing machines. It's like the forest has come to life around me. All they do is jeer and prance and yell 'stab' over and over. They're hunting me. 'Big Ape is watching'? Well why aren't you watching me now? Save me from these living nightmares. They will haunt me for the rest of my days. They would look rather nice in flowerpots on my windowsill, though. Hmm."

"I've finally done it. I've caught one of these abominable creatures. It hisses and screeches at me, but I think I can make out some words. They must have a rudimentary language. This creature will make the perfect gift for Big Ape, allow me to return to his good graces, and undo my sins against the Miniknog. Now I just have to get out of this forest with my prey. A few more days. I can do this."

"I have found myself warming to my Floran companion. It seems we are even managing to communicate. Perhaps it is wrong to enslave this creature for show. It seems to possess an intelligence and, dare I say it, empathy, that I had previously discounted. I'd almost think... I'd almost think we are becoming friends."

"My captive looks at me so pityingly. I can't bear it. We have a bond, an understanding. I cannot do this. I will set it free. I sense no danger from it. Perhaps this will be the first step in securing Floran-Apex relations. [The rest of the note is torn and stained, with what appears to be the word 'stab' written in clumsy, bloody scrawl]"

-Dr. Lax

"Memories black. Feel... pain. Changes. I was... I was... I feel the formulas. Remember who did this. Remember. Florans. Thorns. Big Ape. All crush. All crush."

"Day One. The inmates are doing well. There had been some in-fighting, but this was quickly tempered with some short blasts of cold water. Observing the chatter, it is surprisingly how quickly the Miniknog soldiers are adapting to life behind bars. The Apex citizens are not adopting their guard roles quite so easily. They are hesitant, unsure of themselves, and unwilling to assert their authority over the prisoners. This is interesting, as my original hypothesis predicted that the citizens would quickly turn on the Miniknog. Perhaps current Miniknog methods are fully effective in conditioning the citizens to obey. Perhaps Big Ape is wrong to be concerned. But still, this is only day one of the experiment, and a lot could change."

"The Miniknog are beginning to gain control of the experiment. Despite having taken on the role of prisoners, the dynamic is very clear. They do what they want, and in some cases even tell the citizens - the guards - what to do. It is very interesting to observe. Earlier, I visited the common room to find the Miniknog playing ball games, and the citizens locked in the cells. The self-styled leader of the Miniknog prisoners, Hairbiter McVey, informed me that they'd requested some 'chill-out time'. I will have to talk to the citizens, explain to them that to become prison guards, they must be more assertive. Years of Miniknog oppression has left them timid shells. While this was good for our original purposes, it now leaves us with an army of Apex who are incapable of serving us."

"The citizens are beginning to assert themselves. The Miniknog prisoners had overturned a vending machine and were stripping it of bananas and the like. The citizens approached and very politely asked them to stop. The Miniknog ignored them, and the citizens sheepishly left, but still, it's progress. I suggested to them that perhaps grovelling and begging is not the best way to show authority, but they just looked confused."

"It has become clear to me that Big Ape has created an army of useless Apex. Our Glorious Leader may be the most powerful being in the universe, but here he has been somewhat short-sighted. Thankfully I am the one tasked with fixing this. My first step must be to come up with a method of making the citizens more proactive, while still remaining in the thrall of the Miniknog. As such, I have scrapped the current experiment and converted the prison into a gladiatorial arena. Perhaps this shall yield better results."

"The first fights went down today. The Apex citizens versus a bunch of monsters we captured. This went pretty well. Only one casualty, and the Apex were perfectly capable of fending for themselves. The Miniknog helped by cheering them on and commanding them to fight. Turns out the Apex citizens are still formidable fighters when it comes down to it. Monster parts everywhere. Even the Miniknog seemed impressed. Big Ape watched via video link, of course, and expressed his concerns about the Apex being too competent, but he hasn't seen the thrall in which the Miniknog still hold them."

"Recently, I contacted my old friend Greenfinger. As usual, he came through for me, and provided me with what I asked for. Ten angry, rabid Florans, out for a fight. I questioned him as to whether they were prisoners, and he said no, they were just bored. I attempted to brief the Florans on how the battle should go down, but I don't think I got through to them. In fact, I narrowly avoided being impaled by a rogue Floran spear. Greenfinger did warn me, I suppose. Tomorrow, they shall fight my Apex."

"Well that's that experiment over for now. Nine Florans remain, and no Apex. And I don't just mean the citizens either, the Miniknog guards fell afoul of the Floran menace too. I tried to stop them, but Big Ape commanded me to let it play out. I admit, it was interesting to watch. The Apex may possess great physical strength, but the Floran outmatch them in all areas. Big Ape is plotting something. He told me to wait before restarting the experiment. I, in the meantime, have to herd nine angry Florans back into their quarters."

"Big Ape has tasked me with finding a way to ensure our Apex soldiers are capable of taking down a Floran with ease. I thought about the long, hard, gruelling training regimen this would involve. Even if we just focused on the Miniknog soldiers, it would take forever. No, something better is required. We need a breed of Apex who is stronger, better, faster than the rest. Front-line soldiers who are capable of leading the charge, and dealing the brunt of the damage. I've put in another call to Greenfinger. I know that Floran DNA is very malleable, and can be spliced rather easily. I need his permission to experiment on the Florans he sent, and knowing Greenfinger, he'll happily grant it."

"Unusually, Greenfinger had stipulations in regards to my experiments. I could do what I wished, as long as he was in attendance. He arrived at my lab moments after receiving my agreement, almost as if he'd been here the whole time. Being in the presence of Greenfinger is, as usual, disconcerting. Every time I turn around and see him, I am forced to ensure I don't recoil in alarm. Not that Greenfinger is the sensitive sort. He is a brilliant, brilliant scientist however. I feel like a child fumbling in the dark in comparison. Within half a day, he had perfected a theoretical gene-splice between the Florans and the Apex, and constructed a plan for slow-burning experimentation."

"Greenfinger entered the lab early this morning to find me working away diligently. I was attempting to deconstruct the Floran DNA strands in the hope I could find an even quicker solution to the DNA merge. Greenfinger lost his temper. I have never seen my friend behave this way. At one stage, I almost feared for my life. He smashed equipment, shouted and screamed. I began to suspect he was scared. This, in turn, scared me. Finally I calmed my friend down. He apologised, and I asked him to explain. And explain he did. His explanation shocked me to the very core. The secret he has been hiding for all these years... it could change everything."

"Greenfinger finally left, today. The experiment - following his plan, of course - is set to go ahead. I think he was hesitant to make an exit, after imparting certain knowledge upon me. He swore me to secrecy, of course. I am a respected scientist, and he knows that I value my oaths above all else. And yet... this information I have come to possess, the value it holds, is astronomical. I will keep quiet for Greenfinger, though. I shall say nothing. And he will never know what it means to me to have been brought into his trust, to share the burden of his secret, a burden he has carried alone for centuries. We will get through this, old friend."

-Dr. Lax's Asssistant

"Yesterday I was prodding and poking at tiny monster corpses, working out how they tick. Today, I'm assistant to the most brilliant Apex mind in history (aside from Big Ape, of course), working on a top secret, important project. It's funny how your life can change! I never thought my talent would be noticed, and yet here I am. Doctor Lax is a stern, serious woman. She's very focused on work. This suits me fine. Already, the lab workers who slack off have been let go."

"The experiments we are doing make me somewhat uncomfortable. Remember Randy, the guy I often complained about who never took the work seriously? Well, apparently he 'volunteered' as a test subject today. I've never seen a volunteer seem so resistant. We strapped him down, and began pumping him full of some kind of chemical or other. Thankfully, whatever it was seemed to have no effect on him, as he was back in the mess hall joking around that night."

"Last night, a calamity occurred. An intruder broke into our lab and trashed the place. Doctor Lax was incredibly edgy about it all. She spent hours looking to see if anything had been taken. It did not seem to have been. Randy was missing, though. Didn't show up for the second phase of his trials, not that they could go ahead. Doctor Lax put in a number of calls, and soon we were being transported off-world, to a secret location. It all happened so fast."

"Turns out, the plan is to keep our lab mobile, never staying in one place for too long. I asked Doctor Lax how this benefits the experiment, but she screamed angrily at me and told me to mind my own business. I am beginning to suspect that this change has nothing to do with our experiment, and everything to do with Doctor Lax. Just what is it she's running from? Am I in danger myself? Find out in the next exciting instalment of my blog!"

"Test subjects are coming in thick and fast now. They're divided into three groups, and then their treatment begins. There's the control group, obviously, then a group who are treated with Formula H and Formula F. I'm working on the Formula F test group. I'd love to share details on the experiment here, but even I can't risk that. It's very exciting though. However, it makes me uncomfortable realising that our test subjects aren't volunteers. Some are impoverished Apex citizens, but some are Resistance soldiers, captured. Of course, I should have no sympathy for them, but..."

"We came into the lab today to find all of the Formula H test subjects dead. Their bodies had just shut down. Doctor Lax treated it as if it was expected. Maybe it was. She's acting strange lately. I don't like it. Lax has her own experimental chamber, and there's definitely something in there. I hear noises. I'm often the last one in the lab, and I won't lie, it creeps me out. I hear growling, and banging on the doors, and sometimes even low sobbing. One day, I'm going to be brave enough to take a look. Just a quick peek. I've seen the access code Lax enters. I could get in. I just... I'm nervous. The test chamber is marked with so many 'danger' signs that I feel hesitant."

"We are to be visited by Big Ape himself. This is unprecedented. The atmosphere in the lab is one of excitement and terror. None of us have ever seen Big Ape in the flesh before! I have to admit, I get a fanboy shiver every time I think about it. In other news, Doctor Lax has become more withdrawn, working away in her experiment chamber at all hours of the day and night. I've had no opportunity to take a look. I'm almost relieved."

"The Formula F test subjects are producing great results. At least, that's what I'm told. I like to think I have a great understanding of my work, but even then, I can't fathom exactly what's going on here. It doesn't help that half the results are redacted. I feel like my role here is to press buttons and flip switches, and nothing more. Doctor Lax, when she bothers to emerge from her test chamber at all, simply snatches the results from my hand and stalks off. It's all very disconcerting. Lax has been especially jumpy lately, too. She's surrounding herself with Miniknog guards, even having them search us each day as we enter the lab. It's no longer an enjoyable working environment. Still, at least we have Big Ape's visit to look forward to."

"I'm writing this from beneath a desk. I'm hiding. If I don't make it out of here, spread my story. Make sure the universe knows what happened. I can hear gunfire, and screams, and a terrible, pained roaring sound. Big Ape arrived. Just knocked on the door and announced he was here. Of course, I threw it open excitedly. Doctor Lax, stepping out of her chamber, screamed for me to stop, but it was too late. A figure stood there, wearing an ill-fitting ape costume. Tearing off the costume, the creature tossed me aside. I've never seen a beast like it. It was sentient; it spoke to Doctor Lax, told her that her time was up, that the Ring of Thorns had found her. It began to chase her through the compound, as I cowered beneath my desk."

"The sounds of fighting had died down. I saw the creature, the assassin, stalking out of the building, seemingly content with its work. I waited, then cautiously made my way out, towards the test chamber, the door ajar. I peered inside, unsure of what I'd find. There, Doctor Lax lay slumped inside a large capsule, a syringe stuck in her neck, pumping what appeared to be a combination of Formula F and H into her veins. She was dead, of course. Whatever had been inside the test chamber originally was long gone. But Doctor Lax's notes remained. This... this changes everything. What we've been doing, what we've been working towards, it's an abomination. How could Big Ape condone this? My next blog post will blow this whole thing wide open. I'm going into hiding. I need to make sure I'm safe, and then I'm blowing the whistle on all of this. The Miniknog - Big Ape himself - must be stopped."

Avians

"Almighty Sunborn
We spread our wings and fly
Guide us as we soar
Deliver us from turbulence
And save us from the ground.
May your wisdom guide us
May your augurs watch us
May your glory enlighten us
Almighty Sunborn
Carry us on golden wings."

"While it is the case that I may have escaped for my own self-preservation, it is important I do not forget my larger mission also. Kluex is not real. I will prove it. If I can do this, I can free my people. I have heard of other species whose gods are celestial. Kluex, however, is flesh and blood. And yet, he has not been seen for many, many years. I will discover why. I will uncover the secret behind the Kluex deception. But also flee for my life."

"There is a species, in the far corners of the universe, which many are aware of. Small Avian-like creatures, waddling beasts with beaks and flightless wings. They operate as space pirates, rogues and renegades. Legend tells that they are the children of Kluex himself, cast out due to their wicked ways; the first Flightless. Kluex laments the loss of his children, and their spiral into darkness. But they will not embrace him, will not return to the fold. And thus, it is any good Avian's duty to report a space pirate penguin sighting to the nearest authorities."

"We walk the earth, our wings trailing dust, no longer do we fly. We do this out of love and devotion. Kluex guides us, Kluex begs us. We ask not for answers; the wisdom of the Sunborn is absolute. And yet, Kluex grants us answers. As our population grew, so did our impact on the skies. Too close we flew to the sun, too close to our gods. They grew weak, tired, from watching over us. They could no longer protect us. And so we make this sacrifice; our wings stay clipped, in the knowledge that one day our species will strengthen, and Kluex will allow us to fly once more."

"We reject the teachings of Kluex. We deny the existence of the Sunborn. We defy the rule of the Clipped Council. We will tar the Stargazers. We will burn down the Celestial Stairways. We will free the Ascendants, and liberate the Flightless. We are the Grounded, and we shall rise."

"Thou shall not fly, for fear of angering the celestial entities.
Thou shall not eat seeds from the pussplum plant.
Thou shall aspire to greatness; to become a Sunborn.
Thou shall serve Kluex, in this life and the next.
Thou shall keep thy feathers clean.
Thou shall outcast any Avian such as would deny Kluex.
Thou shall not worship false idols, such as penguins.
Thou shall never take dinner with a Floran.
Thou shall not steal."

"PART 3

Human Translator's note: our most accurate translation of the Avian word \"lusty\" ( which is, of course, pronounced with an audible 'squawk') approximates, in our language, to \"flatulent\". This stage reading is the best example we have of the budding Avian performance culture, which seems to only have started after first contact with ours. However, it is important to note that this transliteration is from a damaged document, so large parts are missing.

SCENE: Ext., Avian temple suicide tower. Grants-You-Wings, an Avian priestess, is lecturing a group of young Avians on the afterlife.
Grants-You-Wings: \"…and as you hit the ground, your soul will ascend into the Aether, to be judged by Kluex himself.\"
First Student: \"But what if we don't die when we hit the ground? \"
Grants-You-Wings: \"Then you have been chosen to stay on our mortal plane to serve Kluex and Rahe.\"
First Student: \"That makes sense- hey, what's that smell..? \"
OFF-STAGE: An ominous rumbling/fluttering sound shakes the stage.
Grants-You-Wings: \"My apologies. I have been very lusty recently.\""

"Almighty Kluex
Last of the Sunborn
Soar above us
Watch over us
Bless us with your glory.
We the flightless
Turn our heads heavenwards
To you, oh Kluex
Last of the Sunborn
Our star in the sky.
Bless the Ascendants
Who peck at the earth
Waiting for your call
May they one day soar
Into Kluex's loving embrace."

"I've returned to the temple. I don't know why. The sight of Kluex, our false god, makes me sick. The priests of the Clipped Council posture and preen, preaching their lies, and all I want to do is tear down this entire place, climb atop the rubble, and scream. My denial of Kluex is not an act of rebellion. It is an act of liberation. I am a starship pilot who got curious. I had to know. I discovered the truth. Klue (the note ends here)."

"Aeons ago, before Kluex, there were many Sunborn - kind, benevolent gods who ruled over the Avians. These gods were not simply ascended, chosen Avians. They were born from the sun itself; celestial entities who shone with the brightest fire and flew through the skies like angels. They gave our species life, and in return we gave them our unending devotion. But like all lights, the Sunborn eventually went out..."

“Florans live in trees
Hylotl swim the seas
But we are the Avians
And the air is where we'll be!
Our wings they work no more
But in our ships we soar
And if the Council come aboard
We'll toss them to the floor!
We'll sail across the skies
Shoot down our elders' lies
Cos when you face the Grounded
We will take you by surprise!
Our ships don't make a sound
Our feet don't touch the ground
We'll fly our boats right into space
We're going to be starbound!"

"From the Heavens, silence. The Sunborn spoke no more. Where had they gone? Had their light simply extinguished? Had they fallen from the sky, become grounded? One Avian, a hero, Kluex of the Goldentips, sought answers. He trained, and trained, until eventually he was able to fly high enough to reach the thrones of the Sunborn, beyond our skies, in the far reaches of space. And there, in the Sanctuary of the Sunborn, Kluex was blessed with the power of our rulers; they live vicariously through him, his word is the law. Praise Kluex, the glorious Sunborn who will redeem us all."

"Do not stand at my grave and weep
Get me out of here you fools
I was merely asleep."

"Larbeak: KIA
Jumpeck: Withdrew
Skydiver: KIA
Crimsonwing: DQ (successful jump, but landed in bale of hay)
Freefeather: Withdrew
Corale: DQ (Ascendant performed a successful jump, but was discovered to be a Hylotl)
Thornwing: MIA"

"A Prayer to Kluex
by Anonymous
Dear Kluex, save us from the storm.
Our wings are gone, our feathers torn.
We walk the earth, but long to soar,
We cannot take off any more.
Oh Kluex, with your glorious might,
Come bless us now and give us flight.
We serve you as you make your plans,
Oh, let us fly to promised lands."

Avians of importance:

-K'arn Hallowbeak

"Those who serve Kluex with passion and dedication in this life are said to regain their wings in the next. It is the Avians' ultimate goal; to regain the power of flight, and join our gods in the afterlife."

"There are many forms of Avian burial, and the method often comes from the last will and testament of the deceased. Some Avians choose to float off attached to large balloons, while others favour cremation. Many simply opt for burial, but it is only the most important Avians who end up interred in tombs. Our tombs are vast and many, and the Sunborn through the ages are said to rest in many of them. Of course, the locations of the Sunborn's corpses have never been disclosed due to potential looters, but any tomb one steps in could hold the body of a god. ",

"It is strange to think that our deities lie entombed amongst mortals. Strange to think of our gods dying, and yet all that remains is Kluex. May he live forever."

"Avian theology has changed much over time. The Clipped Council and the Stargazers have done their best to shed old customs, and many records have been lost in time. But some still exist, charting the history of our species, back to the days of the original Sunborn. To understand modern Avian life is to understand Avian history, and although my attempts to convince the Council of this fall on deaf ears, it is my belief that our history should be chronicled. We have but one god; Kluex, the almighty Sunborn. He who touched the stars. But before Kluex came many more, and none more important than the Sunborn Children, our seven original gods."

"Tomb Guards are regarded by other Avians as weird or creepy. The reason for this is because they willingly volunteer to live in a tomb for ten years. What others don't realise, though, is that being a Tomb Guard gives one plenty of time to reflect, to create, to plan. Some of my best works were prepared during my tenure as Tomb Guard. Tomb Guards also have to possess exceptional physical and mental skill. While it's never been documented in Avian history, it's entirely possible that a large armed group could descend upon a tomb, set on stripping it of its riches. As such, we spend many years reading up on how to deal with such a situation, until we feel we're ready for anything."

"It is common for some of the richest Avians to be buried with their worldly possessions. I have always found this a strange practise, but it transpires that many other species do the same. As a historian, it seems a shame to me to seal away sometimes-unique items, but I do also see the romanticism in being able to take your treasured things into the afterlife. However, because of this trend, Avian tombs are often the targets of robbery, hence the employment of Tombkeepers, individuals who dedicate their lives to living in the tombs for a period of no less than ten years."

“The Clipped Council serve as the bridge between the Flightless and the Stargazers. These martyred Avians were amongst the select few who retained the ability to fly, yet allowed Kluex to clip their wings so as to be able to empathise with his subjects. The Stargazers rule them, and ferry messages between the council and Kluex through their own powers of flight. Many regard the Clipped Council as the true heroes of Avian society. Willingly sacrificing everything for the good of our species, it is truly a noble pursuit. The Grounded, however, seem to have a particular aversion to the council, regarding them as corrupt old has-beens, perpetuating some kind of deception. Such paranoia is baseless and damaging."

“For as long as we can remember, our temples have contained sacrificial altars. Our god, Kluex, is merciful and just, and rarely demands sacrifice. But when he does, we comply. The blessed spilled blood fertilises the earth, allowing its power to transfer into the sky, keeping our Heavens alive. Many of the sacrifices are devout Avians, willing to give their lives for the cause. Some, however, are Grounded, or even on occasion other species. If the sacrifice resists, there is a method of sedation which we employ, a cocktail of nectar, sugar and pussplum juice. It serves to pacify and calm the sacrifice, leaving them ready to embrace Kluex."

“One of our species' most proud achievements, the Power Crystals we harness can be used in all manner of ways, from machinery to lighting to cooking. These crystals are in high demand across the universe, of course, but the Avians keep them close to their chest. It is a worry, albeit an unavoidable one, that the Grounded have such ready access to the crystals. What worries me even more is that, despite using these miraculous minerals, they still deny the power of Kluex. Who else could create such wonders, if not a god?"

“After the dawn of FTL space travel, when many species began to co-habit, or engage with one another, the scope for studying theology grew exponentially. It is endlessly fascinating to learn about other species' approaches to spirituality, and how they vary. The Apex, for instance, worship no god, with their leader Big Ape having all but achieved deification through demand and control. The Hylotl worship Nature in all its facets, their gods lacking anthropomorphism and instead being very much conceptual. The Glitch speak of their Creator Species, an unknown progenitor race who the robots regard with awe. The Florans seem to worship no god, but make reference to a Light Lord, a being who came from the stars that enlightened them. This, perhaps, is the closest to our Kluex. Then there are the humans. Humans worship many gods, and often this method of worship brings the species into conflict with one another. An outsider can see the similarities between the factions, but the humans seemingly cannot. What is also unusual about human belief is that their gods seem to exist based on supposition and rumour, rather than any factual evidence. To worship beings so removed, so speculative, seems entirely alien to me."

“It is with pride that I look upon the Avian holy texts, after exploring other species' religions. Many of their holy books are dubious, their origins undocumented, their words 'channelled'. Ours are penned by Kluex himself, the handwriting able to be matched to historical documents written by the mortal before he became a god. This proof, I feel, is intrinsically linked to the strength of Avian faith. We do not have to blindly believe in our God, because we know he exists. Some of our number, the Stargazers, even visit him in person. This makes it all the more inexplicable that there are some amongst the Grounded who deny Kluex's existence altogether."

-Roger Seabird

“Billed as 'the great Floran novel' by its Glitch publishers, Floran Peace had a lot to live up to. It does, of course, fail on all accounts. The savage plant-species may be skilled hunters, but this skill does not translate to the page. The novel is a mess of plot ideas that go nowhere, with everything being resolved via stabbing. Character development is nonexistent, and it's impossible to warm to any of the protagonists given their propensity for murder. The middle section, particularly puzzling, is simply a fifty thousand word diatribe against the Hylotl. Despite the old adage, it seems that for the author Florstab, the sword is in fact mightier than the pen."

-Rochard Hawkwings

“While the Flightless blindly follow the teachings of the Clipped Council, those of us who are enlightened - grounded, if you will - question it. Many of us, in fact, are of the opinion that Kluex does not even exist. What evidence is there? What SCIENTIFIC evidence? Proof. That's what the universe revolves around. There is little proof that Kluex exists, other than people who claim to have seen him. There's also his space station, of course, floating just outside of orbit. A lonely, desolate place. Fit for a god? I do not believe so. If you ask me, that space station is a spy satellite. Watching us. Recording our personal data. Sending reports to the Council about what we do, think, eat, drink. They're watching us all."

“Prayer. Something the Clipped Council extol the virtues of. But how, I ask, can Kluex hear our prayers? Even according to the mythology, he is a simple Avian who ascended to Godhood through the power of flight. Flight! Not super-hearing. But you know what DOES have super-hearing? A SPY SATELLITE. That's right. Every time you pray, that spy satellite records your words, documents them, and saves them for use against you. Maybe the Council has been taking tips from the Apex. That makes a lot of sense. I will get to the bottom of this."

“I have discovered some startling similarities between Kluex and Big Ape, the ruler of the Apex. They are both mysterious figures, and they both rule. Having researched Avian history, I came to the conclusion that it's entirely possible the Clipped Council met with Big Ape in the past. Perhaps this is where the idea for Kluex came from. Perhaps Kluex's space station is simply filled with Miniknog technology, reading our every thought. I will reach out to Big Ape himself, for comment."

“I received a reply from Apex leader Big Ape, which I shall reprint in the pages of this book:
'Sup,
Big Ape, here. Kluex, you say? A god? An Avian god? Big Ape is not familiar with this individual. But Big Ape will be happy to challenge your god Kluex to a no-holds-barred cage match, to prove ape superiority once and for all. Any time, any place, anything goes. The Miniknog are always ready.
Love,
Glorious Leader Big Ape'
It remains to be seen whether Kluex will accept this offer."

“I was visited by the Stargazers themselves. They have heard of me, of my work. And so, too, has Kluex. I was summoned. Let me just say I was wrong. I have been wrong this whole time. I am a fool and a rogue. Glory to Kluex. I have gazed upon our Sunborn lord with my own eyes, and I know now the truth. Grounded, it is not too late! Repent, come back to the flock. Kluex will forgive you. Do not doubt his power. Now, I need to deal with that whole Big Ape thing I may have kicked off. My Apex contacts report that he's been training exceptionally hard for some kind of boxing match..."

-Las'la Crimsonwing

"Conflicted. I left my home; I came here, to this Grounded commune, because of love. I have - had - love for Kluex, there's no denying that. But the love I hold for my wife is immeasurable. I love her more than our God. She is a dedicated Grounded, denying Kluex's very existence entirely. I hide my belief from her, of course. I nod along when she preaches about our false messiah, I attend all the meetings, I join her in burning the idols. And yet... somewhere, at the back of my mind, I still feel Kluex's presence, his guiding light. But it's fading, more every day. I wonder if I'll notice when it's gone."

"Fear. I have received word from the home village. My parents - devout Flightless - retain elicit contact with me. It's a risk, and I appreciate it. My brother has been training as an Ascendant for many years. He is the fastest, the strongest, the best in his unit. Now the time has come that we all feared. My dear brother Shir'en has been selected to make the journey up the Celestial Stairway, to dive from the tower. Fly or Die, the Grounded call it. If my brother soars, he will take his place as a Sunborn, a god. But if he falls... Kluex save him. For the first time in years, I pray that you are real."

"Tragedy. My brother. My dear, dear brother. We could not stop him. He climbed the Celestial Stairway and leaped. He spread his wings, but did not fly. He fell, fell, fell like so many Flightless, headlong towards the ground. He would not become a god this day. Kluex, you have failed me. You have failed us all. If it wasn't for the pile of hay positioned by chance below the tower, my brother would be dead. But a concussion is pretty bad news, too. Curse you, Kluex. I defy you. I accept the Grounded ways. Tonight, I begin reading my wife's copy of The Kluex Delusion."

-Kah'se Seedpecker

“The Grounded cause grows in strength. Whether it be those who defy Kluex, or those who deny Kluex, our villages are flourishing. We reach out across the universe, spreading our atheist teachings far and wide. Other species are beginning to learn of Kluex's deception. Many years ago, someone asked me 'how do you kill a god?'. I've learned the answer. You make sure people don't believe. With this knowledge, the power lies with the Grounded. We will fly again."

-Ironwing

"Working on an airship is one step closer to my dream. I wanna be part of a starship crew - of course, who doesn't - but these airships are the next best thing. Keeping everything top notch, in working order, this is my calling. It's hard work, but no harder than living in the thrall of Kluex. Here, I'm liberated. I often think back to my days training as an Ascendant. At night I dream of the Celestial Tower, of those steps leading up to the heavens, and the descent that would have awaited me at the top. All told, I prefer a deck beneath my feet."

"I've been fooling around with the Power Crystals that keep this ship afloat, and I've come to the conclusion that I need to get my hands on some for a personal project. I miss tinkering in my workshop, creating all manner of fun contraptions. Getting a hold of power crystals won't be easy, though. They are - quite understandably - regulated. It wouldn't do for just anyone to have access to them, after all! But I'm a certified PC Engineer, I should be able to pull a few strings."

"Unable to acquire power crystals through official channels, I was able to procure some from another airship who docked with us to trade. They had an unusually large number of spare crystals in their hold, and the villagers were being somewhat cagey when I asked about this. After some digging, I discovered the crystals were being traded to a certain Floran leader, in exchange for a batch of one of his experimental concoctions. I struck a deal with the captain; my silence, for a few of her crystals. A reasonable trade."

"I've been tinkering in my workshop deep in the bowels of the ship, and created something rather remarkable. For a while now, I've been fascinated by the Glitch; those robot men who crop up every now and then. I decided to make my own. My little robot is powered by a crystal, and can perform menial tasks on command. It doesn't appear to have sentience, thankfully, but it makes up for that in enthusiasm and a willingness to serve. If my experiments pan out, I could have created the ideal worker."

"I had to destroy my robot today. Some meddling Hylotl found her way to my workshop, and for some reason this turned my companion hostile. It proceeded to patrol around the ship, menacing Avians, until I was able to shut it down a few hours later. After retrieving the power crystal, I threw my robot overboard. I plan to make a larger, more powerful robot, but it's going to require more power crystals. Perhaps with the right amount, I can give it enough intelligence to stop it attacking people on sight. Luckily the smuggler ship will be docking with us again later this evening, and I can make another request."

"My attempts at blackmail have backfired. I'm here, trapped on the smuggler's ship, in the cargo hold. Kluex knows where they're taking me. Maybe they'll hand me over to this Floran I keep hearing about. There are rumblings of live experiments. I have no choice but to escape. I'll have to get creative. All I have is a bunch of smuggled power crystals, my soldering iron, and my robot, which for some reason the smugglers seem to have retrieved and attempted to fix. Naturally, they've broken it even more. I think I can salvage it, though. Perhaps in a different manner. I have an idea. I need a means of escaping myself, not simply a way of taking down the smugglers. Inspiration is building up inside me."

“"I did it. I can fly. Fly like an Avian, like a Sunborn. I once again have wings. Well, jet-boots, but nonetheless, it is flight. I crafted this armour to escape from my captors, but now I shall adopt it always. I will fight for truth, justice and freedom. Right now, I'm looking for a sidekick and a plan. And a cause, maybe. I hear those Apex could use a little help. Or maybe the humans. I will crusade for justice throughout the galaxy, and it will be glorious." [This second sentence is duplicated by two different people in the codexes for some reason]

-Mallard Reynolds

"This Greenfinger is becoming demanding. What does he want with all these power crystals, anyway? I don't trust a client who won't meet me in person. Always sends his creepy plant people to get the deliveries. Still, that Drysap gets a high price on the black market, so can't complain. That mechanic from last month wound me up no end, though. I don't respond well to blackmail. I mention this as we're docking with the ship he works on again tonight. I hope he has the good sense to leave things be. If not, we're prepared this time..."

-Tombkeeper

"Today, my job begins. A job that many Avians do not know exists. I am the keeper of a tomb - a very special tomb - and it almost feels sacrilegious to write down why. But this journal is for my eyes only; within this tomb resides Harspex, one of the Sunborn. I have seen her tomb, once, when I was given the tour by a member of the Council. It is hidden deep within the bowels of this place, down hidden passageways and behind secret doors. I am not sure I will ever find it again, as is the intention."

"I've scoured this tomb from top to bottom, read every inscription, inspected every jar, opened every sarcophagus. I have nothing left to do. I've been here a week. I wish I'd brought a book."

"I caught an intruder today. A young Apex, dressed in black, creeping his way through the tunnels and corridors until I put a stop to that. I knocked the apeman unconscious and searched him. His clothing bore the insignia of the Miniknog. What could the Miniknog be after in an Avian tomb? Talk says that Big Ape is the richest being in the universe, so what could they possibly want to steal? I attempted to question the Apex, but before I could react he ate a poisoned banana he'd stowed in his sleeve, and was lost to me. I stored his body in a sarcophagus. I hope nobody notices."

"I heard noises today, deep within the tomb. I followed the sounds through darkened corridors, my torch flickering shadows on the wall, but I could not trace the source. I wondered, for a while, if another Miniknog agent had infiltrated my sanctuary. But the noise was different; not something trying to get in, but something trying to get out. I began to pull the lids off the sarcophagi, disturbing the bodies within, searching for one who may have been buried alive. Of course, the crumbling bones were unmoving. Yet still the sound persisted. A scraping, scrabbling sound. I will investigate further."

"I am losing my mind. I search and search but the sound continues. But no longer do I search for the source; I search for the entrance to the Sunborn tomb, for I know it is from there the sound originates. I believe one of our gods has awakened, and longs for release. I'll tear this place apart if I must."

-Thornwing

"Finally, the day has come. I have been chosen. Chosen to begin my training, to become what I have always aspired to be. Strangers and friends have walked this path before me, and they have all failed. I will not. I've prepared for this. All my life I've prepared. My body is at its peak; I can endure the Ascendant training, I can display glory and honour, and I can please Kluex. I know it. My family supports me, my friends support me, the only thing left is to get my head down and do this."

"Physical training began today. Myself and five other Avian youths. Obstacle courses, races, all manner of challenges. At the end of the day, we were awarded a score. I came top of my class! I was so proud. As expected, my peers accepted their loss graciously, and we all retired to the mess hall for dinner. It was a pleasant feast; a reward for our first day of the trials, perhaps. I feel so at home here, amongst likeminded Flightless, no talk of the Grounded, just devotion to Kluex."

"Last night I lay awake in my bunk. Suddenly, rough hands grabbed me. A hand pressed to my mouth. 'Stop making us look bad,' a voice whispered. It was too dark to see my antagonists. I tried to fight back, but they held me down. The next day I woke up and all my clothes had been shredded. Clearly I was mistaken to trust my peers. Their facade is just that; a false friendship masking severe competitiveness. Well, if that's how they're going to play it, I can play rough too. I was not going to fall back on my family's money, but needs must..."

"Our Clipped Council liaison came by today, and a well-placed bribe ensured I won't have to be sharing a room with the others. No more worrying about late-night visits. Next, I sent word to my man outside the village; he is to deliver a message of great importance. Then, our mental training began. I outclassed the others with ease, as I knew I would. My mind is the sharpest it has ever been. I could see them staring at me, angrily, just willing me to succeed, planning what they'd do to me when I did. They're going to have a rude awakening."

"Finally, my contraband package arrived. Delivered in the dead of night by my manservant. It did not disappoint. Greenfinger of the Floran truly is a master when it comes to alchemical formulas. I took one sip and already I could feel my strength boosting, my body hardening. Tomorrow, we begin sparring practise. I pity the foolish Avians who will get in my way. They're going to experience a side of me they've never seen before. A dark, angry side. And it will be glorious."

"Never before have I felt so powerful, so unstoppable. We took to the gladiatorial arena, and I threw down against opponent after opponent. When I was done, my entire class lay sprawled on the floor around me, groaning, looking at me with malice in their eyes. They are weak, pathetic. My joy was short-lived, however. I returned to the dorms to find my secret stash disturbed, my bottles of precious enhancement gone. A red feather sat in their place. An accident or a defiant message? I knew who was responsible. Larbeaks, perhaps the strongest Avian in the class besides me. She's been gunning for me since day one."

"To become a Sunborn, one must be cunning as well as strong. Without my formula, Larbeaks has an edge over me. Perhaps she will take it herself. I cannot risk this. My manservant has been sent off-world, to make contact with a certain Helion. Dealing with Helions is always risky business. My mother would often hire one of these creatures to keep political rivals in their place, but this is my first time. I admit, I feel something of a thrill."

"My manservant returned. Well, my manservant WAS returned. Thankfully, none of my peers saw me take delivery of the crate, or dispose of the remains. I was expecting this, of course; Helions are known to shoot the messenger. It proves that we the clients are committed, knowing we are sending a trusted employee to their doom. Barbaric but necessary. So my contract was accepted, and now I have to wait. Helions are known for their promptness. The assassin could be here any day. Maybe they already are. Their stealth capabilities are unrivalled. It's somewhat disconcerting. Larbeaks will regret messing with me, during her split-second realisation. I've told the Helion to ensure she knows where the hit came from. I will not be trifled with."

"It is done. Larbeaks is no more. Nobody suspects a thing. And yet I am shaken, concerned. You see, the Helion visited me after the kill. This is unheard of. Almost never do the Helion reveal themselves to their clients. And yet, I woke up in the night to feel a hand on my shoulder. The Helion was not what I expected. He was soft-spoken, calm. His name is Hish'eth and he said I knew my mother. That he'd been there when she died. I asked him if that meant what I thought it meant. He shook his head, and I thought I could detect a sadness in his eyes. He asked about the Ascension. I explained it all to him, about my journey to become a Sunborn. The Helion laughed and accused me of hubris. 'Why risk your life to achieve godhood when you can become a god of your own making?' he asked. I thought about the Celestial Tower, about the fall, about the numerous Avians who did not fly."

"Hish'eth was right. Why settle for joining Kluex, IF I survive? Once I leap off the tower, I have no way to give myself an advantage. It all rests in the hands of Kluex. I don't like those odds. I control my own destiny. Hish'eth gave me a datapad with co-ordinates on it. I believe it to be a sector somewhere in Hylotl space. 'Go here,' he said. 'Go here and follow your true destiny' - and then he was gone. Finding a spaceship won't be hard. Getting off-planet won't be hard. I have the finances, and I have the means. Something in my heart is telling me that THIS is my destiny; not to become some old god, rotting on a Sunborn throne beside Kluex, but to carve my own throne in my image. I will become an unstoppable force. And the universe shall know the name Thornwing."

-Kleux
-Harspex

Floran

"Ssstab. Ssstab, sssmash, hunt. Find glory, make good Floran. Ssstab. Get best kill. Win all of Florans. Sssow ssseeds of discord. Punch all of the prey. Making friends would be nice too."

"[The drawing depicts a Floran standing at a cooking pot, forcing a Hylotl down with a wooden spoon. Another, younger Floran looks on, accompanied by what seems to be a Glitch.]"

“(Transcribed by Hylotl prisoner #0451)
Another prisoner needs stabbing. Stab. Floran prisoner. Lost his mind.
(The Floran guard mutters something vaguely menacing at me)
Cut him down. Return him to soil. Floran rest.
(Floran guard shakes a spear in my direction. I narrowly avoid it.)
His cocoon-kin shall be notified.
His dying screams will haunt me to the end of my days. As I lay down to sleep, those blood-curdling cries will be forever with me. Such suffering.
(I have added this last portion myself, but I'm sure that's what the Floran guard meant by his departing, unintelligible grunts and hisses.)"

"Greenguard send replacement. More Greenguard go mad, try to kill. Have to stab. Body strange, had to burn. Drysap at work. More trouble than worth. Lose two thirds of Greenguard every month. Ho hum. Send more."

"[The drawing depicts what appears to be a crude stick-figure Floran locked in battle against a giant rabbit with ten eyes. The Floran appears to be winning.]"

"A young Floran once set out upon her coming-of-age journey, armed only with a spear, six knives, some shurikens, a whip, a saw, a staff, a sword and a piece of bone that was really sharp. Woefully under-equipped, she made her way into the Forest of Stabbing, prepared to take on her first challenge. There she encountered the legendary Giant Flesh Monkey That Smells, and began her hunt. The hunt was over quickly, as the Giant Flesh Monkey was peacefully asleep when the Floran plunged her spear into its eye. With her first trial over, the Floran tentatively made her way onto the next ordeal."

"The second trial began in a temple. The young Floran was faced with an impossible choice; brave an ocean of flame which would scorch even the woodiest of elders, or walk through a pitch-black tunnel. The young Floran smiled. Wrapping her spear in the pelt of the monkey she'd killed earlier, she plunged it into the fire, creating a makeshift torch. This allowed her to see clearly in the dark passageway, which turned out to be filled with spikes and blades and at least two semi-working arrow traps. After ducking, rolling and weaving her way through, the young Floran emerged victorious on the other side, and stabbed a nearby bat/octopus hybrid to celebrate. Feeling confident, she pressed on."

"The young Floran emerged into a clearing and reeled back in horror. A grey festering blob of infinite malevolence writhed before her. 'How will I defeat this?' she asked herself as she fell to her knees, calling out to the sky for answers. Since she'd fallen awkwardly, she felt the hilt of her knife digging into her hip, and the answer became clear. It would take great strength and sacrifice. With a cry, the young Floran dived upon the festering blob and began stabbing over and over and over until the blob was no more. The young Floran left, buzzing from the hunt, and grateful that she'd managed to catch the blob before it had noticed her."

"Knowing she was near the end of her journey, the young Floran allowed herself time to rest, which was a mistake because she soon realised she was inside a giant insect hive. The young Floran was not particularly keen on insects, so she stabbed the larger ones and squashed the smaller ones with the palm of her hand. As soon as the insect blood touched her leaves, she began to feel a strange sensation as her vision started to swim. The young Floran realised the final trial was about to begin, a trial that would test her mind to its limits..."

"The young Floran stared at the Hylotl crone that stood before her. The Hylotl smiled. 'And so it has come to this,' it said. 'Your final challenge. I present you with riddles three. Riddle the first. Wha-'. Before the Hylotl could finish, the young Floran punched it. The Hylotl dropped like a sack of pussplums, and the Floran knew she had passed her test. When she returned to the village, her cocoon-kin threw her a great feast, and she told them of the dangers she'd faced."

Florans of importance:

-Greenfinger

The Hell Logs

“Due to a reliance on natural water sources thanks to the Floran's [REDACTED] roots, it transpires that Floran biology leaves individuals susceptible to extreme heat. All Florans know that fire equals danger, but many are unaware of the toll that dry, humid conditions can take on the body. Prolonged exposure to desert climate can leave Florans in a mummified, barely living state, before they eventually succumb to the elements, crumbling to dust. As the species expands its territory, it has been important to find ways in which the Florans can adapt their biology in order to survive inhospitable climes."

"A scouting party returned to me with a cutting from an unusual plant; a tree whose bark resembled bone. It grew from dirt, no water flowing through its veins. I bid them lead me to the copse they'd discovered, and sure enough, no water had touched that ground for aeons, I'd wager. As the Florans hissed and danced and hunted creatures, I sat and studied this tree, eventually removing my tools and tapping the bark for sap. It surprised me when the sap flowed. Rich, thick, viscous sap, and yet something about it made me uneasy."

"It soon became clear that injecting Drysap into living Florans prompted exceptional results. The sap quickly reproduces within Floran veins, replacing their own with a stronger, hardier substance that leaves the Floran body requiring almost no water. To an extent, this is a miracle serum. But there are caveats; it has been found that the more intellectually advanced the Floran, the more susceptible they are to rejection of the Drysapping process. Those whose bodies reject the Drysap soon grow enraged and antisocial, reporting visions and night terrors. Perhaps it is too early to allow Drysap treatment to gain mass circulation. Perhaps I shall send it to The Dust. At least there, any Floran Greenguard who succumbs can be marched straight into a cell."

"So here I am, finally assigned to The Dust. My mother is a state, of course. 'The Greenguard is no place for a literate Floran!' she cried. But she was wrong. Oh, was she wrong. For moons I longed for the solitude, the darkness of The Dust, and when my transfer request was approved, I celebrated. Down here, in the darkness, amongst the universe's most unfortunate souls, I finally feel like I'm not alone any more. I'm sorry, Mother, but the Drysap pulses through my veins now. I am home."

"Deep in the bowels of this place, I met a most curious Avian, who has rejected the teachings of her species and defied her gods. We spoke of freedom, and free will, and choice, and the soul. She gave me much to ponder over. Then one of my Greenguard peers threw a bucket of swill in her face. Perhaps there is meaning in this. I shall muse on it as I sleep tonight."

"Perhaps my only reservation about being stationed in The Dust is the elders' insistence on transferring us regularly between outposts. It's to stop Greenguards becoming attached to prisoners, they say, although the chances of some of my peers developing any kind of emotional bond is next to zero. The journey between outposts is stressful, particularly with the Drysap working its magic. But this is the price I must pay to follow my dreams."

"I lie awake at night in my cool, dark quarters, the sound of wailing echoing through the prison corridors, and I begin to question. Why do we hunt? Why do we kill? What drives us to be the species that we are? We are the trees, uprooted. The bushes, animated. The flowers and plants given sentience. Nature is gentle but cruel. Are we the cruel face of Nature itself? Or are we something more? From the seeds we plant, a universe will sprout. We are the oaken soldiers."

"Upon re-reading my previous journal entry, I became alarmed and then afraid. Memories are growing hazy, as if there's a cold, hard knot of wood in my brain, tugging at my thoughts. I had my third Drysap treatment today. The doctor had to force the needle in. Afterwards she looked at me and hissed, as if she no longer recognised me as one of her own. In the mess hall, I avoid my kin and choose to eat alone. The meat tastes rank and soiled. I hope I'm transferred soon."

"I dream of oaken soldiers once more. Who is this army that sprawls before me? I feel a stiffening in my limbs as I wake. I think The Dust is getting to me. I require Drysap treatment once a week now, and even then it does little to ease my discomfort. Today I killed a prisoner. I pushed him down the stairs on the way to dinner. The other guards cheered and hooted, but I felt no such pleasure. The thrill of the hunt is gone from me. I should set a torch to them and see how well they hunt then."

"Soon they will come for me, but who shall reach me first? My kin, with their spears and knives, baying for blood? Or the oaken soldiers, marching to reclaim me, to bring me back into their fold. My superiors demand recompense. Recompense for what I've done. That terrible, unspeakable thing which breaks every Floran code, that which even in my distant state, I cannot bring myself to mention. Who will find me first?"

Humans

"Humanity fled their home planet, the one they call Earth, after a rapidly-growing beast landed upon the surface, and within no time at all, began to consume their entire world. I have no words. I did not know this was possible. The subject has always lain dormant. For this to occur... It must be dealt with, and severely. One day I will travel to Earth myself, to see exactly what the beast has become."

"Humans are a strange species. Equal parts territorial and adventurous, they are somewhat unpredictable to deal with. They seem to have only the most rudimentary understanding of other species in the universe, and a childlike desire for knowledge. The latter trait makes me consider whether they might be valuable allies. Scouting parties made up of people who are too driven to give up, but too naive to understand what they find. I will speak to Big Ape and Thornwing about the possibility of meeting with the human delegate, should one exist."

Glitch

“Ever since our two species came together, the Glitch have been a source of intrigue for me. The Hivemind Glitch remind me of our people in many ways; singularly driven, focus on teamwork. And yet the Florans work as a unit through choice, but the Glitch appear connected to some kind of central mainframe. A sentient AI, perhaps? Or something else. The truth has been lost to history. Nonetheless, it is remarkable to consider that in this way, the Florans far outmatch the Glitch in terms of societal advancement. It is the Outcasts who interest me most. Many of these free-thinking Glitch have come into our midst. Their physiology means they have little to fear from the Florans, but there is more than that. There is an affinity between the two species, of which there is no denying."

The Sewers

“My Glitch contacts tell me of a creature lurking in the sewers. It is not found elsewhere, and as such poses an interesting question: How can we get hold of one so the Floran can fight it? It is a giant fly, grown to epic proportions, and extremely aggressive in nature. The Glitch tell me that it was created when a fly and a slightly bigger fly got into a random teleportation accident, although this does not account for its huge size. Perhaps there is something in the water down there."

“Unable to deal with the Growfly, and unwilling to accept my offer of a dozen Floran Greenguard being dispatched into the sewer, the Glitch Outcasts created a giant mechanical spider - part creature, part robot, it stalks the sewers looking for the Growfly. However, the Glitch did not consider that their creation was evenly matched with its quarry, and now the two are locked in an everlasting battle, neither gaining the upper hand for long. However, the Mecharachnid has managed to kill plenty of other things, including its original creators, so there's that."

“And so it transpires, within the sewers, that there is a creature formed entirely of waste. Bodily waste. This distasteful beast is less dangerous than it is disgusting, and travellers are advised not to get too close. The beast seemingly can't be killed, simply reforming eventually after destruction. My Glitch contacts shudder as they tell me of this creature, and I do not blame them. I'm not sure I'd even task a Floran with dealing with this mess."

Avians

“One day I was fortunate enough to meet with a member of the Avian Clipped Council, a group of flightless Avians who serve their ruler, Kluex. We shared talk, and stories, and eventually a bottle of particularly potent meatwine. This loosened the Avian's tongue even more, and I was able to ask her about the Grounded, and how her people deal with those who defy their god. Many are simply sent from the villages, she told me, occasionally even hounded off-planet if their heresy is grand enough. Others, however, are subjected to a process which even to myself sounds barbaric. She stressed, repeatedly, that this behaviour was no longer endorsed by the Clipped Council. Atheist Avians who require punishment are dipped in a vat of tar-like liquid, which solidifies over their feathers, turning their plumage into what is essentiallystone. Seeing as the Avians cannot fly, it's a largely symbolic gesture, but one which serves to shame the subject. Naturally, I asked my acquaintance for a sample of this tar, which she promised to ship to me. Barbarism aside, the potential of combining it with Floran biology may lead to advancements in ground troop armour."

“The Avians have perpetrated a wonderful deception. The rumour that the corpses of their gods - their gods! - rest in their tombs has spread throughout the universe. Such rumours attract looters, and said looters make for a handy, never-ending source of live sacrifices, to use in their silly rituals. It is genius, even by my standards. Of course, the corpses of the Sunborn do not rest in random tombs. They are hidden away, together, in a place known to a select few. If all goes well, that information should be in my possession in due course. I would very much like to study the biology of a god."

Florans

"A number of Glitch have appeared in Floran villages, with the intention of educating our people. It's a noble pursuit - I've always stated that the ability to read and write is something the Floran should aspire to, but it's hard to persuade the general populace. The Glitch are in a good position to do this, as their metal exteriors largely protect them from Floran blades. However, we are at a stage where we now have Florans running around writing words on anything and everything, with typical Floran over-enthusiasm. It is, however, an improvement over the time they attempted to learn how to paint."

[Treeio Florstab’s story goes here]

"Town elders have informed me that celebrated author Treeio Florstab has fled his home village after a series of critical maulings in the intergalactic press. His writing tutor, one Glitch Professor Irondome, was found with a copy of Florstab's debut novel, Floran Peace, rammed into his mouth. Thankfully the Glitch was okay, although I'm told he occasionally quotes pretentious dialogue following the incident. Florstab apparently told the Glitch professor that he'd make sure the universe would 'remember my name'. As such, I have no choice but to suspend any and all attempts at teaching the Florans to write, in case we encounter any further murderous delusions of grandeur."

"Any visitor to a Floran village will be greeted with a single reassurance; it is Floran custom not to harm any guest who enters a Floran home patch. This is, of course, a lie. Perhaps the intention was to be hospitable, but the Florans are incapable of sticking to such things, quickly descending into lethal violence if their guests should offend them in some manner. It is also worth noting that it is exceptionally easy to offend a Floran. Examples include: refusing to eat raw meat, damaging the plant life, being a Hylotl."

"Since the Florans can command plants, it made perfect sense that they would shape their homes from the very trees that protected them. As such, it became customary for the Floran Tribesmaster to fashion a clan's first house in the tallest tree on-site. Not only does this mean that the Tribesmaster possesses the largest, most impressive dwelling in the village, but also that a fall from the house means certain death, should any opportunistic Floran be looking to usurp their superior."

Doctor Lax

"Unhappy to have left the Apex compound. Sharing our species' secret is not something I take lightly. My acquaintance, the Apex scientist Doctor Lax, can be trusted. I have utter faith in her. And yet, this is not something I can leave up to faith. I was barely off-planet before putting the call in to Thornwing. The Ring of Thorns have been dispatched. No loose ends. It is how we've survived thus far, and how we will continue to survive. I am sorry, Doctor."

Big Ape

“I will admit, the ape is not to my tastes. He is brash, boorish and a poor tactician. His insistence in appearing behind a video screen is tiresome - he forgets I know all his little secrets. And yet, he's an invaluable ally. I may not agree with his methods, but his goals are sound. And he has the ear of the self-styled lord, Thornwing. Strange times make for strange bedfellows. It's not like anything is conventional these days."

-Sunflower Tzu

“Some believe that the only worthy prey is that which is larger, stronger, faster than you. Sunflower Tzu say; nonsense. Kill's a kill. If it moves, stab it. If it fights back, stab it a lot. If it charges you off a cliff, pins you to a tree and bites you repeatedly, stab stab stab until your hunting crew arrive. Happened to me once. Monstrous creature. First 'human' I ever killed. Good hunt. Good times."

“During long travels in the Greater Wilderness, Sunflower Tzu discover abandoned Human supply house. Oddly, supplies included mysterious Moving Picture Machine and rare functioning Shiny Circle needed to make it work. This shiny circle had nothing of note, showing a group of Human Warriors at their prime navigating through a place very similar to the Great Flora, until one of them says, \"If bleeds, we can kill it.\" Such perspective had not crossed the mind of Sunflower Tzu, and prompted many day cycles of contemplation."

“Why only destroy? Why exist just to hunt? A Hylotl said this to Sunflower Tzu once. I stabbed it, then thought on what it said. The answer is simple. Because hunting is awesome. Hunt. Track. Stab. Other species missing out. Floran superiority asserted through stabbing and to a lesser extent, singing around campfires. Hunting is in our sap, it is who we are. Do not fight the hunt, or the hunt will fight you. With stabbing."

“Sunflower Tzu has observed that many species have 'rules of war'. Florans do not observe such ridiculous practises. Why face your armed enemy on the battlefield when you can stab them in their sleep? Why see the whites of their eyes when you can trick them into falling on spikes? To fail is to bring dishonour upon your cocoon-kin. There is no such thing as cheating, only failing."

“Traditionally, Sunflower Tzu recommend Floran use stabbing weapons, but only because they can stab. Anything can be used as a weapon. Bones, branches, pennies in a sock, all traditional, primal weaponry. And when your weapons break, do not be afraid to use the strength Nature gave you. Once, Sunflower Tzu punched a bear's head clean off. You too can achieve this if you try."

-Treeio Florstab

"Stab. Stab. Stab. Floran stab. Not learn numbers. Only count stabs. Floran not need times tables. [Underneath, a 'D' has been written in red marker]"

"Metal man teach Floran words. Write words. Stab paper with stab. Metal man say Floran voc... voca... words not good. Stab one hundred lines. I must not stab stab. Metal man tell Floran to become novelist. Floran become beststabber. Will write good."

“The Floran diplomats stood talking amicably as the Hylotl representative approached. \’Filth!\’ the Hylotl cried. \’Have you no shame, standing here with your leaves and flowers, defying the very laws of nature?\’ The Floran diplomats turned and looked at him, as one. \’Perhaps we should stab him,\’ suggested Diplomat Barkskinner. \’I concur,\’ replied Diplomat Vinestrangler. And so they stabbed him, and the soiree continued with much merriment and feasting, and all the other species agreed that the Floran way of life was admirable. Finally, Diplomat Skulldrainer stood up and began his speech."

"After many years of hard toil, under the watchful gaze of my patient mentor Professor Irondome, I am ready. I have a vocabulary to rival even the brightest Hylotl, the imagination to outdo the most energetic human, and the spiritual understanding to out-theologise an Avian. My work begins today. My novel, my story. A masterwork of literature, a true piece of art in the spirit of my people, the inimitable Florans. I sit here, now, in this recreational area, a cup of brewed sap beside me, this strange computer on my table. I tap away at the keys, and feel the power of literature beneath my stems. Our story will be told."

Glitch

"Never have I felt so alone. I am surrounded by my Glitch kin, and yet I know deep down I am an outcast. At night, I sleep, and I dream. Dream! Glitch do not dream. I dream of escape, of journeying beyond the stars, of carving a life out for myself, away from this drudgery. My thought process is changing. It terrifies me. I have desires, now. I question things. I almost caught myself second-guessing a directive out loud. I can feel my connection to the central consciousness fading, and while this scares me, there is a feeling of comfort there too."

"Once upon a time, before the dawn of the Outcasts, all the Glitch lived peacefully together. They had their villages and castles and fields and all sorts of other things that robots like. They lived happily and prosperously, thousands of minds working together. But one day, a single Glitch walked into the castle, took a seat on the throne, and loudly proclaimed; 'Decisive. I am the king. The other Glitch stared at this unusual sight for a while, but did not know what to say. A self-proclaimed ruler was not something they were prepared for. As such, and with no real understanding of the situation , the Glitch were forced to obey."

"The new Glitch king called himself Dreadwing, and ruled with an iron fist. His subjects were expected to work day and night, which at first was not a problem for the Glitch since they rarely feel the need to rest. Soon, however, it became clear that the wear and tear on Glitch parts was an issue, and Dreadwing demanded the construction of more Glitch to boost his ranks. The Glitch were puzzled here, because at no point in their species history had they ever been able to create more of their number. For as long as they could, they put off this task, until one day Dreadwing descended into a fit of such ferocious anger that the Glitch knew they had to do something."

"Day by day, Dreadwing grew more apoplectic as the number of Glitch never grew. In fact, his anger was such that he took to hurling his subjects from the castle tower, thus causing the population to shrink rather than grow. This made him even more angry. One day, a group of Glitch scientists hit upon an idea. They had no idea how to create more of their number, of course, but they were rather adept at making stylish suits of armour. It had often been remarked upon how the armour looked like the Glitch themselves, and so they set to work commissioning a number of blacksmiths to make as many suits of armour as possible."

"The Glitch blacksmiths toiled day and night to create an army suitable for their lord Dreadwing. Of course, this army didn't fight, or even move, but they looked really great at certain angles. Eventually, though, the blacksmiths ran out of room for their false army, and realised it was time to unveil it. This posed a problem in itself. Of course, the army was not capable of marching on the castle, or marching anywhere. A plan was needed. A plan that even Dreadwing would not question. And finally that plan came together; the Glitch would host a parade."

"The army paraded past on floats, towed by a number of Glitch workers and a Floran who'd decided to join in unannounced. Dreadwing sat atop his iron throne, brought outside into the city, and applauded each and every unit. 'They stand very still,' he remarked, to which his aides replied 'yes, they are very disciplined.’ As the last float made its way down the street, the entire crowd gasped as one of the soldiers leaped from the stand, and charged towards Dreadwing. Most surprised of all were the blacksmiths, who knew full well that their 'soldiers' were little more than decorative suits of armour. Dreadwing, however, thought it was all part of the show."

"King Dreadwing applauded and whooped as the armoured Glitch careened towards him. It was only as the soldier lowered its blade and charged that he suspected something was wrong. The blade pierced his metal shell, which shattered with a deafening crack. All the Glitch watched as their king fell backwards, his Glitch disguise falling away, revealing a small, black and white bird-like creature. The Glitch had been duped! All this time, their tyrannical, unusual king had been a space pirate in disguise. It made perfect sense. Realising the game was up, and badly injured, the evil space pirate made his escape, never to be seen again. The rogue soldier turned out to be the impromptu Floran, who had grown bored and decided to go on a hunting spree. She was made an honorary hero of the Glitch people, but then immediately exiled because killing kings is bad, even if they were penguins in disguise. From that day forth, the Glitch vowed never to allow another monarch to take control, even if they asked really nicely."

"We have tolerated the Outcasts at a distance, with the understanding that they do not infiltrate our most precious of sanctums; our castles, our homes, our underground fight clubs. Outcasts have infiltrated all these places. They loiter around, saying words, and having opinions. It is disconcerting and disruptive. Our goodwill can only last so long. They are corrupting many of our number and severing their link with the central consciousness. As such, any Outcast spotted in a designated safe zone must be immediately arrested and sent to the laboratories for repurposing."

"WARNING: Outcasts operate in this area
A number of Outcasts have been spotted in this area, sharing ideas and philosophies with all who will listen.
DO NOT LISTEN!
Individual behaviour will not be tolerated, and will upset the Glitch way of life. Do not accept it. Should you encounter an Outcast behaving badly, ensure you contact the relevant authorities, or failing that, hit them repeatedly with a large hammer until they go away."

"Do you question the Glitch hivemind? Do you long to have thoughts that are your own? Are you filled with doubts, despair and dismay? We may be able to help. Simply come to We Can't Remember It For You Wholesale, to have your connection from the hivemind severed... FOREVER!"

“Smelt any rusted swords
Gather an appropriate amount of logs
Perform any Glitch repairs
Develop a new recipe
Check the perimeter for Outcasts
Check the library for philosophy texts
Create a protocol for greeting visitors of other species
Repair all houses"

Glitch of importance:

-Platinum

"Dear Deckard,
Thank you so much for getting me to safety. I knew I was right to trust you. The Outcast community here are wonderful, and speak very highly of you. You've saved many Glitch lives. Should you ever decide to join us and retire in safety, the door is always open..”

“I feel it in my metal - one day, maybe not today, or tomorrow, but soon, the Outcasts will rise up. We will free the hivemind from their oppression, we will liberate our people. We will introduce the Glitch to choice, to technological advancement, to free thought. We will shatter the hivemind, and the Outcasts will be outcast no more."

“It has been many years since I separated myself from the Glitch hivemind, and I am still amazed by how liberated, how free we are. They strut up their in their castles, swinging their maces and polishing their silverware. Meanwhile, we reach for the stars, we build our own constructs and advance the species. Who, truly, are the outcasts now? We have surpassed our kin in so many ways. And yet, still we are exiled, steel pariahs crawling through sewer and swamp just for the chance to truly live."

“More and more these days, we're called into these sewers to help other Outcasts escape from the city above. We've got our routine down; if it wasn't for the giant fly, and the... other things, it'd be completely smooth. Once we exit the tunnels, and I see those Glitch relax, and understand their freedom... well, that makes up for everything. But I ask you; what kind of hive, what kind of family, would leave their kin feeling this way? The hivemind above is as toxic as the fumes from the stinking sewer water we're forced to wade through."

“We caught a hivemind Glitch attempting to infiltrate our ranks today. Our agents are slipping. We argued over what to do with this Glitch for a while, thankfully having caught her before she entered the tunnels, and eventually a severing was decided upon. Using technology we have been developing, we are now able to sever ties from the hivemind even if the Glitch in question is not compliant, and so we did here. She will be watched, this new addition, but for now she seems liberated and grateful. Interesting."

-Irondome

"Proud. My young charge, this eager Floran youth, has expressed much delight in the idea of becoming a famous writer. Encouraged. I am teaching him how to construct sentences, and he is making fast progress. Pleased. I think perhaps this could be the first educated Floran the universe has ever seen. Daydreaming. Imagine it, a Floran, writing the great universal novel. Reluctant. But there is much work to be done. Disappointed. I still need to teach him that 'stab' does not stand in for just any word."

"Delight. My young charge has thrown himself into the task of producing a novel with aplomb. Contentment. He sits up there, day in, day out, typing away on the computer I procured for him. Hesitant. He refuses to allow me to read what he has written, however. Understanding. But he is an artist! Realisation. I must let him work, let the words flow, let the genius come forth. Excitement. I know what dwells within his heart, and what stories he has to tell. Overwhelmed. My protégé's work will impact throughout the universe."

-Hewlett Deckard

"It's not often a Glitch bounty hunter finds themselves tasked with visiting a human settlement, and yet here I am. I will be honest; I'm not fond of humans. They appear Glitch-like but fleshy, without the hardy muscular physique of the Apex. Here, though, in this place, I can't help but pity them as a species. Misery and torment seems to exude from every surface. Graffiti marks the walls; cries for help and sinister warnings. Something bad walked these hallways. I can feel it."

"I am here on the behest of Platinum, tracking down an Apex who stole the locations of a number of Glitch Outcast camps. The Apex, I was told, had disguised himself as a human and promptly been thrown in prison. If he was here, however, he isn't any more. The place is desolate and ruined. It feels like it was a mistake to come here. Were I not made of metal, I imagine I'd be feeling chills run down my spine. I do not like this place."

"The further I proceed into the complex, the more evidence I'm finding of the villains who once dwelt here. Thieves, terrorists, murderers, the scum of the universe. Perhaps their evil became tangible and seeped into the very walls of this place. Or perhaps it is something more. The Glitch do not believe in the concept of an afterlife, but many other species do. Humans, though, seem to be the most prone to superstition. Ghosts, spectres, the return of their kind to life, but in a non-corporeal form. Perhaps it is the light playing tricks on me, but as I head onwards into the prison, I fancy I keep seeing movement out of the corner of my eye."

"I blacked out, earlier. Simply as if my body had shut down. The last thing I remember is a strange electromagnetic pulse, as if a current passed through my body, and then nothing. Diagnostics all scan okay, but I am wary. When I awoke, I had somehow crawled to a different room. I was lying on a prison cell bed, but I wasn't alone. A bald doll with one eye sat on the mattress beside me, staring. It appeared to be some kind of human toy. I scanned it for signs of life, then mocked myself for doing so."

"Something is watching me. I've descended so deep into this prison that the lights no longer work, and I'm forced to navigate with night vision. As I made my way down a corridor, my scanner flickered into action, alerting me to a life sign just behind me. I whirled around, and nothing. Every ounce of logic I possess wants to believe it is my quarry, hiding from me in plain sight, perhaps taking stock of his pursuer, but something - an intuition I only gained after severing ties with the hivemind - tells me it is not. I do not think my quarry has been alive for a long time."

"I awoke in the night to the sounds of wailing. There were two strange things about this. One, I had been asleep. My progress through the prison has been so slow that there has been no need to rest in order to recharge, and yet I was overcome with fatigue. Two, no life signs detected. None. And yet the wailing was clearly coming from within the room I found myself in. A low, tortured cry, unlike anything I've heard before. Unlike any species I've heard before. I am on the verge of abandoning my mission and turning back."

"What is it for a Glitch to know fear? I have felt it before, of course; it is a side effect of the severing. But this, this is different. The more I take in the history of the prison, piecing together events from scrawled messages and disrepair, the more I begin to feel human. This species, these humans, are lost and adrift in the universe. Would it not make sense that even their very souls, if such a thing exists, cannot find peace? They have an emotional range quite unlike that of any other species; a conflicting, terrible sea of confusion."

"I found a locked cell. Scans indicate a life sign from within. Something lurks in there. I know that, given the tools in my possession, I could get in. I know that I SHOULD, as it may be my quarry. And yet I hesitate. As I wait outside the door, I hear a voice whispering to me. It calls me by name, and by names I've never heard before. It talks of beings made of light, and beings made of darkness. It talks of a god that will swallow the universe. And it talks of humanity."

"I opened the door. The room was empty, save for a single chair, upon which sat the doll. I picked the thing up, and with a surge of anger, threw it on the ground and stamped on it. The plastic shattered beneath my foot. As I glanced up, a shadow passed across the wall, and the door behind me slammed shut. I fumbled, trying to get out, and finally as I did so, caught sight of a figure disappearing around the corner up ahead."

"I followed the shadow all throughout the complex. It led me on a merry chase, always one step ahead. But finally I caught up with it. It took a dead end, there was nowhere to hide. Now I wait outside of its sanctuary, building up my courage. This ends now. I am a Glitch. I do not believe in the soul, or spirits. I will prove this thing is flesh and blood, and if necessary, I will take it in. Hewlett Deckard will not be toyed with."

"This entry in the Steel Casebook is considered closed. No further details will be provided in this case. The mission is regarded as a failure, and the client has been refunded."

“Moonlight bounces off granite walls as I walk the streets of this small Glitch village. My quarry, unknown for now, skulks silently in the night. Murder. A murdered Glitch, mechanical parts strewn across oil-stained cobbles. His cold metal body lying in a repair shop somewhere, waiting for justice. He never left the village, they tell me, which points to one thing. The killer was someone close to him. A wolf in steel clothing. An Outcast in our midst."

“Hit the streets, asked around. For a while, nothing to go on. Then a breakthrough. Our murdered Glitch has been working a certain role more often than is usual. Window cleaner. One particular house, in fact. Often at night. Curious. I stood outside the building, the sun gleaming off the freshly-polished glass, and realised I was metres from the crime scene, from where our victim was found. Tomorrow, I'll pay the house a visit. See what I can dig up."

“Leeron is not the Glitch I'm looking for. I conducted numerous interviews with her, and she is not self-aware. Her windows, she claims, just require washing very frequently due to being downwind from a logging mill. I have confirmed this. However, as I returned from the logging mill, brooding and moody, I was pulled into a dark alley by an unknown assailant. I knew the broad was trouble as soon as I laid eyes on her. She had that look, that self-aware stance, but also one of desperation. 'I need your help,' she said, as my fingers twitched over my mace."

“Just another tragic story, another Outcast looking to escape being repurposed. She'd heard about me, heard who I was. Sometimes, this double life gets on top of me, but other times, like last night, when I save a life, it's all worth it. She'd killed our Glitch, of course. He'd been cleaning her windows and observed her engaging in Outcast behaviour. She killed him and moved his body to another location, the place he was always seen. I made sure she left the city safely, and promised to cover up her crime. It's an easy job. I'll do what I always do, and close the case by saying a Floran did it. Besides, the victim should be out of the repair bay in a couple more days. No harm done."

“Arriving at an Apex settlement always fills me with sadness. The Apex plight is not unlike the Glitch's, but a thousand times worse. Here, Big Ape and his awful Miniknog have broken the population, reducing them to mindless slaves. Put a foot wrong, and the Miniknog are on you. Do nothing wrong, and chances are they will be anyway. I hear talk of mysterious labs on remote planets, of horrific experiments and terrifying beasts."

“Taken from The Steel Casebook
Deckard: Confrontational. A Hylotl lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over but it can't, not without your help, but you're not helping. Why is that?
Leeron: Scientific. I am assessing the area for potential danger. The Hylotl could be part of a trap. I am conducting scans and sending reports. Only when my assessment is complete will I help the Hylotl. I would also consider that the Hylotl may be engaging in performance art.
Deckard: Approving. Good answer."

"Taken from The Steel Casebook
Deckard: Suggestive. You're reading a magazine. You come across a full-page photo of a Glitch without a shell.
Leeron: Confirming. I understand.
Deckard: Pushing. Well?
Leeron: Considerate. I would assess their workings to see if the model appeared functional. If not, I would find a contact address and advise the best course of action. All Glitch must be maintained properly for continued efficiency."

Humans

"Upon first contact with the Floran Brood in [Redacted], the USCM far underestimated the level of aggression, cunning and savagery the Floran race would eventually become known for. During one of many border skirmishes with the expansionist Florans, Commander [Redacted] of the Sabre-class Battlecruiser USS [Redacted] attempted to relieve embattled USCM troops by covering advancing Floran forces with thousands of gallons of Solution 2,4-D, otherwise known as herbicide. The effect however, did not perform as expected, with the solution having roughly the same poisonous qualities as alcohol does to a human. Nevertheless, the move \"distracted\" the Florans enough for the Marines to launch a counterattack and overwhelm them, securing the planetside colony long enough to complete its emergency evacuation. The tactic has not seen use since, but lives on in history as the [Redacted] Manoeuvre."

"UNENCRYPTED QUANTUM TRANSMISSION RECEIVED
FROM: USCMCENTCOM EARTH
BEGIN MESSAGE:
ALL STATIONS. EARTH UNDER HEAVY ATTACK. ORDERS ARE TO HOLD FAST. GOOD LUCK
END MESSAGE"

"Received communication for the first time in years. Wasn't Earth, but someone claiming to be a Hylotl, saying they were outside our door and it was really cold outside. Not falling for that one. Ignored it. Still confused how they knew our transmission frequency."

"Stuck in the bunker. Again. Begged my superior officer to let me go and explore the terrain, but he was having none of it. It's hostile, he says. No it isn't! I see other species out there all the time. Just yesterday, I saw a walking, talking bird hanging out with a large monkey. I told my superior officer this and he suggested I visit the med bay. I'll send HIM to the med bay if he doesn't start taking me seriously. Tempers sure are getting frayed around here. Let's hope we don't have any friendly fire incidents."

"Some unseen antagonist has sabotaged our only working space craft. The others suspect our superior officer, who seems pretty content to be trapped on this planet. He sits there staring at his charts, trying to give the impression he knows what to do. He doesn't."

"Finally, General Kale made contact. She escaped Earth with a fleet of her best soldiers, and they've taken refuge in a space station not far from Mars. From there, they're planning and strategising what to do about the giant damn monster that's eating our planet. I overheard all this as my superior officer spoke to her on the comm-link. He asked her what she suggested the rest of humanity do. 'Do whatever,' she said. 'It's going to be a long road home'. I don't think we're going back to Earth any time soon."

"Please let me go home
I'm tired and I miss my games consoles
Plus the other soldiers are really annoying
Semper fi."

"All station personnel:

At approximately 2200 hours Earth time this station received an unsecured transmission from USCM Central Command indicating that Earth is currently under heavy attack from a currently unknown enemy. The transmission did not give any details about the enemy or how the battle was progressing. The only orders given were for all USCM outposts and stations to stay put and await further orders. I will notify everyone the second we receive any further contact - until then your orders are to stay sharp and prepare for the worst. These coming days may be the most important for us as a species. We all need to be at our best."

"After seven long years, the USCM has decreed that our bunkers shall be opened to friendly life from the outside. As I'm sure many of you are aware, numerous species turn up at our door, and we refuse them entry. It is apparent that many of them believe our bunker to be some kind of shop. As such, we have decided to allow them access to take a look around. Perhaps we can even enlist a few new members, should the need arise."

"We heard 'em, back when we was locked up. They was everywhere. This place, all the places like this, evil to the core. We thought we left that suffering back on Earth, in the belly of a beast, but no. There's Mad Mary, searching for her lost baby. Dominic Darmanin, the axe murderer. Killer Betty Simpson, who loved a Floran. Anthony Muldoon, with his hook for a hand. And Harkaway Jones, the killer of the Apex. We hears 'em all. Most nights, they come out to play."

Humans of importance:

-General Kale

Hylotls
Hylotls of importance:

-Hiraki Corale

The Florans

“Trees! They live in trees. These living, savage plants live in huge tree houses built with care and attention. It's a far cry from our wonderful ocean paradise, of course, but one has to admire the tenacity with which this species attempts to carve out a niche to call their own. The craftsmanship is much as you'd expect from the Florans - crude to say the least - but there's a certain undeniable charm. I've had plenty of time to study this as I've been hiding in one of their tree houses for three days now, waiting for my chance to slip away unnoticed. Oh, what fun adventuring is!"

The Avians Part I

“Lost and in need of guidance (the navigational kind, not the spiritual kind), I made my way into an impressive Avian temple. Immediately I felt at peace, like a calm had descended over me. I walked the stone hallways, gazing up at the statues of that giant bird, occasionally greeting priests and worshippers alike. They seemed pleased to see me. I ascended the temple and grew tired, my weary legs almost giving out after days of adventuring and fleeing. At the top, I found a stone bed. Priests milled about, but they did not seem to mind when I lay down. In fact, they began to cheep and cheer. One of them handed me a delicious, sweet-tasting drink. Soon, I drifted off to sleep."

“I awoke to find myself surrounded by hooded figures, chanting and squawking. One of them, who appeared to be the figurehead, held a large knife above me. At first I was disoriented, and thought I was back with the Florans. But no. It seems I'd accidentally presented myself for sacrifice. So silly! Of course, I wasn't up for this! Quick as a flash, I kicked the head priest in the face and made my escape, charging through the temple like a Hylotl possessed. There were a few casualties along the way, of course - some sacred urns, a statue or two, an Avian monk - but I escaped intact, and carried on my way."

The Avians Part II

“Having found myself accidentally enrolled as an Avian Ascendant, I figured I might as well make the most of it and go with the flow. If it comes to it, and I'm chosen to leap off the tower, I have this jetpack I borrowed from the Miniknog. So exciting! Imagine that; Hiraki Corale, Avian god. The first Hylotl Avian god in history, I'd wager! In the meantime, however, I accidentally started rummaging through one of my fellow student's belongings, and what should I find? Greenfinger's delightful Strengthsap elixir! Now, I like nothing more than tasting Greenfinger's concoctions, but the Strengthsap has always been one of my favourites. I couldn't resist taking a sip, and ended up drinking the whole lot. So naughty! I hope the Avian who I borrowed it from doesn't mind!"

The Avians Part III

“I boarded another airship village today, when it had stopped to dock. Climbed my way up the anchor and squirreled myself into a cabin before anyone could complain. Everything was going well; the captain, a jolly fellow called Wrenolds, allowed me to teach him how to play Lilyflip. We were half way through a game when it happened. I was winning. The door to the cargo hold splintered open, and a large, metallic Avian came striding out. Swiftly he dispatched a number of the ship's crew, punching and smashing his way around. I cowered in fear, hiding behind the captain, who let off some shots from his rifle. The bullets simply bounced off the iron Avian, who laughed, smashed the ship's mast, then leaped into the air. A glowing circle on his chest began to pulsate, then thrusters in the man's feet kicked in, and the Avian took off, soaring into the skies like a rocket ship. What a sight! I was unaware the Avians had developed armour that allowed them to fly again. I commented on this to Wrenolds, and he told me it was unheard of. He muttered something about power crystals, and then I heard him mention my dear friend Greenfinger, who they were apparently going to see. What luck! I informed him he could drop me off there."

“I know, I know, a Hylotl shouldn't get seasick. But I'm in the air, not on the sea! So really, it isn't seasickness is it? Nevertheless, I've spent my days on this ship feeling exceptionally queasy, occasionally even... well, it is not polite to speak of it. Right now, I'm looking for a sidekick and a plan. And a cause, maybe. I hear those Apex could use a little help. Or maybe the humans. I will crusade for justice throughout the galaxy, and it will be glorious." [This second sentence is duplicated in the codexes as two people speaking them for some reason]

“I was exploring the ship, as you do, when I encountered what appeared to be someone's private laboratory, marked with 'Keep Out' signs and warnings of delicate, breakable equipment within. I barged my way inside, and began to fiddle with all the exciting bits and bobs. Imagine my alarm when, from out of nowhere, I was greeted by a dull robotic voice commanding me to 'prepare to die'. At first, I thought the Glitch had finally sent assassins to demand retribution for past transgressions, but the truth was much worse. A small, misshapen robot stood before me, vibrating on the spot. It looked like it had been made out of a kettle and some saucepans, but its eyes glowed red with malevolence. I knew this was it. Me or the robot. Live or die. Screaming, I ran from the room, knocking machinery hither and thither. Avians stared at me as I ran through the ship, being pursued by the robot. Nobody even stepped in to help! Eventually I had to throw myself over the side, plummeting down to meet the ground below. Thankfully, the ship was passing over an outdoor Apex marriage ceremony, and the wedding cake broke my fall. A narrow escape!"

The Apex

“I find myself in a Miniknog-controlled Apex town. But oh, control is such an ugly word, isn't it? The Apex here are all so polite, and friendly. They bow and grovel as I pass, my Miniknog entourage only occasionally having to knock them back! It's all very exciting. An audience with Big Ape! Greenfinger told me he's heard about my exploits, and would like to pick my brain. I mean gosh, I've heard rumours about Big Ape picking peoples' brains, but I don't think it means that this time."

“These Miniknog sure do treat the other Apex badly! So sad! They're always barking out orders or firing rounds into the sky. It's very tedious and stressful. Really, you can't blame me for ditching my escort, can you? I happened to find myself in what I think must be a Resistance Headquarters. So rebellious! I recognised some of the faces from wanted posters. The Apex stared at me as if I was some sort of intruder or something. One of them was shivering and looked sick, so I loaned her my Big Ape-branded jacket. So kind!"

“Turns out the Apex resistance fellows are rather nice! They've given me a room of my own, and even locked the door in case the Miniknog storm in and endanger me. So thoughtful! Earlier, I pulled out my rocket launcher to show them the type of weaponry the should be considering, and it caused such a ruckus! I've never seen Apex get so excited. One of them was so eager he tried to grab it from me, and we had a little accident involving an RPG and the front of the HQ."

“So I hit upon a genius idea! If the Resistance and the Miniknog could just talk it out, then maybe things could get smoothed over. I'm sure Big Ape is not the villain they think, if only they'd get to know him. So I tunnelled out of my room and found the nearest Miniknog platoon. Filled with positivity, I led them to the Resistance hideout and told them that if they didn't sort out their differences, I'd knock their heads together. So smart! Well, I think it went okay! I didn't stick around to find out for sure, of course, I had to meet back up with Greenfinger, but I saw them all marching together through the town square as we left."

The Humans

“My ship crash-landed on a planet. I may have been fleeing a certain simian species at the time, and decided the best course of action was to lure them into an asteroid field. It worked! Of course, I have no experience navigating through asteroid fields so here I am. I found a group of humans in a hole in the ground. Not the creepy kind of hole, some kind of military bunker. I thought I'd drop in, regale them with tales of some of my adventures, but no, they were having none of it. Wouldn't even let me in. Shocking hospitality! In the end I borrowed one of their spaceships for spare parts, and left them to it."

The Glitch

“The Glitch may not be the warmest of people on the outside, but their hospitality is undisputable. They found me scaling the castle wall, simply wanting to have a look through a tower window, and politely invited me inside. Now, of course it sounded like a trap, so there was a bit of a scuffle at first, but it turned out they were genuine. They offered me the run of the castle, to explore, research and investigate to my heart's content. Occasionally I run into one of them and they greet me pleasantly enough. I have been reading all manner of fascinating books, and my understanding of the Glitch is growing."

“Let it never be said that I do not attempt to integrate with whichever hosts I find myself indebted to. I have noticed that when addressing me, the Glitch use prefix words. Examples: 'Dismissive', 'Annoyed', 'Sarcastic' and 'Frustrated'. Feeling as if this is a custom I should celebrate, I have begun to partake in such linguistic frippery myself. 'Delight. It is nice to see you.' I said, but the Glitch just looked at me strangely, and then said something to his friend. I noticed something here, too. When the Glitch address each other, they do not use these prefix words. Perhaps something in their programming means they can read each others' tones without explanation."

“The Glitch call their free-thinking peers 'Outcasts', but there are certain Glitch who are allocated identities with permission, and thus remain in their chosen role. For example, I found a Glitch whose job it is to gaze wistfully up at the stars and talk about 'the good old days'. Another Glitch, a master chef, has been forced to remain in her job role due to the fact 'she makes the best pancakes'. Then there are law enforcement officers, mysterious kung fu masters, and town criers. However, there does not seem to be any definite ruler, which is interesting indeed."

“The Glitch - at least those who remain true to their roots - are unusual in that they have no hierarchy system. Their roles are interchangeable; a Glitch who may be a baker one day will be a stonemason the next. What is curious is the lack of vocal organisation. In my time here, I've never heard the Glitch planning these roles, they simply happen, working like clockwork. Despite the species' somewhat backwards technological state, they're remarkably efficient. They operate as a hivemind, but what's strange about that is the Glitch have developed self-awareness, yet these robots appear to CHOOSE this way of life, vehemently rejecting those - the Outcasts - who begin to think for themselves. Exciting!"

“The Glitch do not typically seek out and destroy any Outcasts, they simply banish them. However, some Glitch communities have developed a repurposing process, a few mechanical tweaks that reformats a Glitch mind and strengthens the bond to the hivemind. As such, many Outcasts seek to flee the cities, reaching out for help from the Outcast sleeper agents who operate within the walls. Thrilling! It's like being in a spy novel."

“Due to my frequent attempts at cultural sensitivity, I decided to try and integrate myself with my hosts even more. While exploring the castle, I found a number of decorative suits of armour that appear to depict warrior Glitch. Naturally, to make my companions comfortable, I put a set on. The armour was hard to walk in, so I lost my balance a few times. I came tumbling down the stairs and into the main hall, and all Glitch eyes were on me. Rather than the warm greeting I deserved, however, they began to chatter and yell. I heard the words 'Anger' and 'Disgust' a number of times. And then they began to chase me."

“I found myself at somewhat of an impasse; behind me, a horde of Glitch with pitchforks and torches were swarming my way. Ahead of me, the opening to a sewer. I made my call, and dived headlong into the dark tunnels. Oh, what a narrow escape! Now I am down here, exploring the maze-like corridors, encountering not a soul. It is, in fact, rather peaceful. The steady dripping of water from the ceiling, the bubbling rush of streams underfoot, the sporadic buzzing of giant wings, somewhere behind me..."

“I found myself face to face with a giant flying creature, and naturally I ran as fast as my adventurous legs would carry me. I could feel the beast gaining on me, the air from its wings tickling the back of my neck, when suddenly a hand reached out from the shadows and grabbed me, pulling me to safety. I found myself in a small room, clearly living quarters. A smell hung in the air, unpleasant and strange. I gazed upon my saviour and my jaw dropped."

The Avians Part IV

“So I'm trapped in a tomb. Been here for a couple of weeks, by my count. I can't find the way out. I triggered a secret door and, because secret doors are super exciting, went inside. It closed behind me, and now I'm stuck in some dusty set of tunnels. I'll find my way out eventually, of course, I always do. I'm surprised nobody's rescued me though; I sure have been making a lot of noise.”

Po

“As I mark down these words, brown tears spill from my eyes. I think back to that day, that fateful day when, fleeing my Miniknog captors, I descended into this sewer. For days I hid, as Big Ape's guards searched for me. Hungry, thirsty, I eventually succumbed, finding some yellow, glowing goo that reminded me of a mushed up banana. No sooner had I eaten it when my body began to change; my very molecules reassembled, merging with my surroundings - the sewer's filth. And now, years later, I am Apex no longer, but instead a golem of filth, longing simply for an escape."

"These dank tunnels hide my grim visage; I am grateful for the respite it has provided over the years, but still, I long to be out in the sunlight, to feel the breeze upon my face, to greet my family once more. Memories, melting away, dripping from my mind like tears from my eyes as I stalk these corridors simply hoping, praying, that one day things will be different."

“Down here, it is lonely. I curse the day I drank that delicious-looking liquid. All I long for is acceptance, friendship. Many travellers come down here, and I do my best to protect them from the fly, from the spider, from the many other horrors that lurk in these waters. And yet, when I approach to offer my aid, these travellers turn on me with swords and guns, disintegrating my body until I have the strength to form again."

 

Chapters so far:

The Would Be King

A Glitch Tale

"Once upon a time, before the dawn of the Outcasts, all the Glitch lived peacefully together. They had their villages and castles and fields and all sorts of other things that robots like. They lived happily and prosperously, thousands of minds working together. But one day, a single Glitch walked into the castle, took a seat on the throne, and loudly proclaimed; 'Decisive. I am the king. The other Glitch stared at this unusual sight for a while, but did not know what to say. A self-proclaimed ruler was not something they were prepared for. As such, and with no real understanding of the situation , the Glitch were forced to obey."

"The new Glitch king called himself Dreadwing, and ruled with an iron fist. His subjects were expected to work day and night, which at first was not a problem for the Glitch since they rarely feel the need to rest. Soon, however, it became clear that the wear and tear on Glitch parts was an issue, and Dreadwing demanded the construction of more Glitch to boost his ranks. The Glitch were puzzled here, because at no point in their species history had they ever been able to create more of their number. For as long as they could, they put off this task, until one day Dreadwing descended into a fit of such ferocious anger that the Glitch knew they had to do something."

"Day by day, Dreadwing grew more apoplectic as the number of Glitch never grew. In fact, his anger was such that he took to hurling his subjects from the castle tower, thus causing the population to shrink rather than grow. This made him even more angry. One day, a group of Glitch scientists hit upon an idea. They had no idea how to create more of their number, of course, but they were rather adept at making stylish suits of armour. It had often been remarked upon how the armour looked like the Glitch themselves, and so they set to work commissioning a number of blacksmiths to make as many suits of armour as possible."

"The Glitch blacksmiths toiled day and night to create an army suitable for their lord Dreadwing. Of course, this army didn't fight, or even move, but they looked really great at certain angles. Eventually, though, the blacksmiths ran out of room for their false army, and realised it was time to unveil it. This posed a problem in itself. Of course, the army was not capable of marching on the castle, or marching anywhere. A plan was needed. A plan that even Dreadwing would not question. And finally that plan came together; the Glitch would host a parade."

"The army paraded past on floats, towed by a number of Glitch workers and a Floran who'd decided to join in unannounced. Dreadwing sat atop his iron throne, brought outside into the city, and applauded each and every unit. 'They stand very still,' he remarked, to which his aides replied 'yes, they are very disciplined.’ As the last float made its way down the street, the entire crowd gasped as one of the soldiers leaped from the stand, and charged towards Dreadwing. Most surprised of all were the blacksmiths, who knew full well that their 'soldiers' were little more than decorative suits of armour. Dreadwing, however, thought it was all part of the show."

"King Dreadwing applauded and whooped as the armoured Glitch careened towards him. It was only as the soldier lowered its blade and charged that he suspected something was wrong. The blade pierced his metal shell, which shattered with a deafening crack. All the Glitch watched as their king fell backwards, his Glitch disguise falling away, revealing a small, black and white bird-like creature. The Glitch had been duped! All this time, their tyrannical, unusual king had been a space pirate in disguise. It made perfect sense. Realising the game was up, and badly injured, the evil space pirate made his escape, never to be seen again. The rogue soldier turned out to be the impromptu Floran, who had grown bored and decided to go on a hunting spree. She was made an honorary hero of the Glitch people, but then immediately exiled because killing kings is bad, even if they were penguins in disguise. From that day forth, the Glitch vowed never to allow another monarch to take control, even if they asked really nicely."

The Hell Logs

Greenfinger

“Due to a reliance on natural water sources thanks to the Floran's [REDACTED] roots, it transpires that Floran biology leaves individuals susceptible to extreme heat. All Florans know that fire equals danger, but many are unaware of the toll that dry, humid conditions can take on the body. Prolonged exposure to desert climate can leave Florans in a mummified, barely living state, before they eventually succumb to the elements, crumbling to dust. As the species expands its territory, it has been important to find ways in which the Florans can adapt their biology in order to survive inhospitable climes."

"A scouting party returned to me with a cutting from an unusual plant; a tree whose bark resembled bone. It grew from dirt, no water flowing through its veins. I bid them lead me to the copse they'd discovered, and sure enough, no water had touched that ground for aeons, I'd wager. As the Florans hissed and danced and hunted creatures, I sat and studied this tree, eventually removing my tools and tapping the bark for sap. It surprised me when the sap flowed. Rich, thick, viscous sap, and yet something about it made me uneasy."

"It soon became clear that injecting Drysap into living Florans prompted exceptional results. The sap quickly reproduces within Floran veins, replacing their own with a stronger, hardier substance that leaves the Floran body requiring almost no water. To an extent, this is a miracle serum. But there are caveats; it has been found that the more intellectually advanced the Floran, the more susceptible they are to rejection of the Drysapping process. Those whose bodies reject the Drysap soon grow enraged and antisocial, reporting visions and night terrors. Perhaps it is too early to allow Drysap treatment to gain mass circulation. Perhaps I shall send it to The Dust. At least there, any Floran Greenguard who succumbs can be marched straight into a cell."

"So here I am, finally assigned to The Dust. My mother is a state, of course. 'The Greenguard is no place for a literate Floran!' she cried. But she was wrong. Oh, was she wrong. For moons I longed for the solitude, the darkness of The Dust, and when my transfer request was approved, I celebrated. Down here, in the darkness, amongst the universe's most unfortunate souls, I finally feel like I'm not alone any more. I'm sorry, Mother, but the Drysap pulses through my veins now. I am home."

"Deep in the bowels of this place, I met a most curious Avian, who has rejected the teachings of her species and defied her gods. We spoke of freedom, and free will, and choice, and the soul. She gave me much to ponder over. Then one of my Greenguard peers threw a bucket of swill in her face. Perhaps there is meaning in this. I shall muse on it as I sleep tonight."

"Perhaps my only reservation about being stationed in The Dust is the elders' insistence on transferring us regularly between outposts. It's to stop Greenguards becoming attached to prisoners, they say, although the chances of some of my peers developing any kind of emotional bond is next to zero. The journey between outposts is stressful, particularly with the Drysap working its magic. But this is the price I must pay to follow my dreams."

"I lie awake at night in my cool, dark quarters, the sound of wailing echoing through the prison corridors, and I begin to question. Why do we hunt? Why do we kill? What drives us to be the species that we are? We are the trees, uprooted. The bushes, animated. The flowers and plants given sentience. Nature is gentle but cruel. Are we the cruel face of Nature itself? Or are we something more? From the seeds we plant, a universe will sprout. We are the oaken soldiers."

"Upon re-reading my previous journal entry, I became alarmed and then afraid. Memories are growing hazy, as if there's a cold, hard knot of wood in my brain, tugging at my thoughts. I had my third Drysap treatment today. The doctor had to force the needle in. Afterwards she looked at me and hissed, as if she no longer recognised me as one of her own. In the mess hall, I avoid my kin and choose to eat alone. The meat tastes rank and soiled. I hope I'm transferred soon."

"I dream of oaken soldiers once more. Who is this army that sprawls before me? I feel a stiffening in my limbs as I wake. I think The Dust is getting to me. I require Drysap treatment once a week now, and even then it does little to ease my discomfort. Today I killed a prisoner. I pushed him down the stairs on the way to dinner. The other guards cheered and hooted, but I felt no such pleasure. The thrill of the hunt is gone from me. I should set a torch to them and see how well they hunt then."

"Soon they will come for me, but who shall reach me first? My kin, with their spears and knives, baying for blood? Or the oaken soldiers, marching to reclaim me, to bring me back into their fold. My superiors demand recompense. Recompense for what I've done. That terrible, unspeakable thing which breaks every Floran code, that which even in my distant state, I cannot bring myself to mention. Who will find me first?"

Origin Stories

"From as far back as Apex history can be traced, all that is known is the rule of the majestic Big Ape and his benevolent Miniknog. Of course, Apex history only reaches back about one hundred years, due to a series of accidental fires, explosions and rogue mech accidents which destroyed all of the archives ever. Big Ape assures the populace, however, that he has been in charge since the dawn of time, and will continue to be in charge until the last star supernovas. Any Apex who steps out of line, says the wrong thing, eats the wrong banana or looks at one of the many hidden cameras in a funny way will be subjected to Miniknog Therapy, designed to improve the species. In fact, all Apex should volunteer for this. Sign up now."

"For centuries, the Avians soared through the skies, borne on wings of feather and flesh. They were a proud, peaceful species, respectful of their traditions and gods. So respectful, in fact, that when their gods - the Sunborn - spoke to them, they listened. They listened and obeyed as one god, Kluex, the last of the Sunborn, commanded their elders to clip the wings of the lower-caste Avians. They obeyed even as the Flightless became ostracised, oppressed, living only to serve Kluex. They obeyed as their elders erected tall towers, from which the Ascendants - the chosen Flightless - were to leap. They obeyed as one by one, the Ascendants hit the ground, never to fly again. Kluex, they were told, was pleased."

"Floran forget. At night, Floran dream of oaken sssoldiers, of ssslimy demons, burning hot fire. In dry grass, beneath crashing waves, memories hazy. Do Floran forget, or remember? Floran do know hunt. Kill or be killed. Fight, sssurvive, destroy. Floran not remember much. Greenfinger help. But Floran know one thing. Ssstab ssstab ssstab."

"Statement. Created by a mysterious race, the Glitch were designed to serve a single purpose; a race controlled by a single hivemind, tireless workers who could build and create. Critical. the Glitch were left to expand and evolve, eventually deconstructing themselves to discover that they were artificial. Glitch understanding of the world led to the realization that an artificial species must have a creator. Sceptical. This discovery triggered self-awareness in the Glitch. Some accepted their role in the universe, others began to question it. Melancholy. This caused much civil turmoil, which lasted hundreds of years. As such, the Glitch failed to evolve beyond basic construction abilities. Regret. The Glitch experiment was abandoned and the species was left to fend for itself."

"Humanity was a flourishing species with a high evolution rate and extremely hardy in terms of healing, recovery and endurance. they were the first race to engage in space travel, both for science and entertainment, but their limitations restricted them to their own solar system. Eventually they began to war amongst themselves more frequently, and with Earth's resources depleting, returned to the space race as each of the world's superpowers attempted to claim and colonise new planets. While in the midst of a particularly lengthy struggle to claim Mars, the humans observed a Beast From Beyond The Stars crash land on Earth. World leaders were heard to exclaim 'it's like something out of a sci-fi movie' and 'we'd better run for it' and 'maybe it's friendly, let's not be hasty'. (This person was later fired.)"

"The Hylotl, a proud amphibious species, were concerned with beauty. It's what drove them, the pursuit of perfection. Through years of living under the ocean, they developed empathy towards all other species, with a strong desire to reach out and save all living things. As such, they were pacifists and herbivores, content to simply live in peace until one day they were forced out of their homes, and off-world entirely, by the dreaded Floran menace."

Floran Savagery- A Look into Floran Culture

Anonymous Apex

"Big Ape protect me. I never thought I'd say that. Never thought I'd miss the Miniknog. Never thought I'd want to go home. These creatures, they're... ruthless, evil killing machines. It's like the forest has come to life around me. All they do is jeer and prance and yell 'stab' over and over. They're hunting me. 'Big Ape is watching'? Well why aren't you watching me now? Save me from these living nightmares. They will haunt me for the rest of my days. They would look rather nice in flowerpots on my windowsill, though. Hmm."

"I've finally done it. I've caught one of these abominable creatures. It hisses and screeches at me, but I think I can make out some words. They must have a rudimentary language. This creature will make the perfect gift for Big Ape, allow me to return to his good graces, and undo my sins against the Miniknog. Now I just have to get out of this forest with my prey. A few more days. I can do this."

"I have found myself warming to my Floran companion. It seems we are even managing to communicate. Perhaps it is wrong to enslave this creature for show. It seems to possess an intelligence and, dare I say it, empathy, that I had previously discounted. I'd almost think... I'd almost think we are becoming friends."

"My captive looks at me so pityingly. I can't bear it. We have a bond, an understanding. I cannot do this. I will set it free. I sense no danger from it. Perhaps this will be the first step in securing Floran-Apex relations. [The rest of the note is torn and stained, with what appears to be the word 'stab' written in clumsy, bloody scrawl]"

USCM Fieldbook

"Upon first contact with the Floran Brood in [Redacted], the USCM far underestimated the level of aggression, cunning and savagery the Floran race would eventually become known for. During one of many border skirmishes with the expansionist Florans, Commander [Redacted] of the Sabre-class Battlecruiser USS [Redacted] attempted to relieve embattled USCM troops by covering advancing Floran forces with thousands of gallons of Solution 2,4-D, otherwise known as herbicide. The effect however, did not perform as expected, with the solution having roughly the same poisonous qualities as alcohol does to a human. Nevertheless, the move \"distracted\" the Florans enough for the Marines to launch a counterattack and overwhelm them, securing the planetside colony long enough to complete its emergency evacuation. The tactic has not seen use since, but lives on in history as the [Redacted] Manoeuvre."

Hiraki Coral

“Trees! They live in trees. These living, savage plants live in huge tree houses built with care and attention. It's a far cry from our wonderful ocean paradise, of course, but one has to admire the tenacity with which this species attempts to carve out a niche to call their own. The craftsmanship is much as you'd expect from the Florans - crude to say the least - but there's a certain undeniable charm. I've had plenty of time to study this as I've been hiding in one of their tree houses for three days now, waiting for my chance to slip away unnoticed. Oh, what fun adventuring is!"

Coming of age

"A young Floran once set out upon her coming-of-age journey, armed only with a spear, six knives, some shurikens, a whip, a saw, a staff, a sword and a piece of bone that was really sharp. Woefully under-equipped, she made her way into the Forest of Stabbing, prepared to take on her first challenge. There she encountered the legendary Giant Flesh Monkey That Smells, and began her hunt. The hunt was over quickly, as the Giant Flesh Monkey was peacefully asleep when the Floran plunged her spear into its eye. With her first trial over, the Floran tentatively made her way onto the next ordeal."

"The second trial began in a temple. The young Floran was faced with an impossible choice; brave an ocean of flame which would scorch even the woodiest of elders, or walk through a pitch-black tunnel. The young Floran smiled. Wrapping her spear in the pelt of the monkey she'd killed earlier, she plunged it into the fire, creating a makeshift torch. This allowed her to see clearly in the dark passageway, which turned out to be filled with spikes and blades and at least two semi-working arrow traps. After ducking, rolling and weaving her way through, the young Floran emerged victorious on the other side, and stabbed a nearby bat/octopus hybrid to celebrate. Feeling confident, she pressed on."

"The young Floran emerged into a clearing and reeled back in horror. A grey festering blob of infinite malevolence writhed before her. 'How will I defeat this?' she asked herself as she fell to her knees, calling out to the sky for answers. Since she'd fallen awkwardly, she felt the hilt of her knife digging into her hip, and the answer became clear. It would take great strength and sacrifice. With a cry, the young Floran dived upon the festering blob and began stabbing over and over and over until the blob was no more. The young Floran left, buzzing from the hunt, and grateful that she'd managed to catch the blob before it had noticed her."

"Knowing she was near the end of her journey, the young Floran allowed herself time to rest, which was a mistake because she soon realised she was inside a giant insect hive. The young Floran was not particularly keen on insects, so she stabbed the larger ones and squashed the smaller ones with the palm of her hand. As soon as the insect blood touched her leaves, she began to feel a strange sensation as her vision started to swim. The young Floran realised the final trial was about to begin, a trial that would test her mind to its limits..."

"The young Floran stared at the Hylotl crone that stood before her. The Hylotl smiled. 'And so it has come to this,' it said. 'Your final challenge. I present you with riddles three. Riddle the first. Wha-'. Before the Hylotl could finish, the young Floran punched it. The Hylotl dropped like a sack of pussplums, and the Floran knew she had passed her test. When she returned to the village, her cocoon-kin threw her a great feast, and she told them of the dangers she'd faced."

Sunflower Tzu

“Some believe that the only worthy prey is that which is larger, stronger, faster than you. Sunflower Tzu say; nonsense. Kill's a kill. If it moves, stab it. If it fights back, stab it a lot. If it charges you off a cliff, pins you to a tree and bites you repeatedly, stab stab stab until your hunting crew arrive. Happened to me once. Monstrous creature. First 'human' I ever killed. Good hunt. Good times."

“During long travels in the Greater Wilderness, Sunflower Tzu discover abandoned Human supply house. Oddly, supplies included mysterious Moving Picture Machine and rare functioning Shiny Circle needed to make it work. This shiny circle had nothing of note, showing a group of Human Warriors at their prime navigating through a place very similar to the Great Flora, until one of them says, \"If bleeds, we can kill it.\" Such perspective had not crossed the mind of Sunflower Tzu, and prompted many day cycles of contemplation."

“Why only destroy? Why exist just to hunt? A Hylotl said this to Sunflower Tzu once. I stabbed it, then thought on what it said. The answer is simple. Because hunting is awesome. Hunt. Track. Stab. Other species missing out. Floran superiority asserted through stabbing and to a lesser extent, singing around campfires. Hunting is in our sap, it is who we are. Do not fight the hunt, or the hunt will fight you. With stabbing."

“Sunflower Tzu has observed that many species have 'rules of war'. Florans do not observe such ridiculous practises. Why face your armed enemy on the battlefield when you can stab them in their sleep? Why see the whites of their eyes when you can trick them into falling on spikes? To fail is to bring dishonour upon your cocoon-kin. There is no such thing as cheating, only failing."

“Traditionally, Sunflower Tzu recommend Floran use stabbing weapons, but only because they can stab. Anything can be used as a weapon. Bones, branches, pennies in a sock, all traditional, primal weaponry. And when your weapons break, do not be afraid to use the strength Nature gave you. Once, Sunflower Tzu punched a bear's head clean off. You too can achieve this if you try."

Greenfinger

"Any visitor to a Floran village will be greeted with a single reassurance; it is Floran custom not to harm any guest who enters a Floran home patch. This is, of course, a lie. Perhaps the intention was to be hospitable, but the Florans are incapable of sticking to such things, quickly descending into lethal violence if their guests should offend them in some manner. It is also worth noting that it is exceptionally easy to offend a Floran. Examples include: refusing to eat raw meat, damaging the plant life, being a Hylotl."

"Since the Florans can command plants, it made perfect sense that they would shape their homes from the very trees that protected them. As such, it became customary for the Floran Tribesmaster to fashion a clan's first house in the tallest tree on-site. Not only does this mean that the Tribesmaster possesses the largest, most impressive dwelling in the village, but also that a fall from the house means certain death, should any opportunistic Floran be looking to usurp their superior."

“Ever since our two species came together, the Glitch have been a source of intrigue for me. The Hivemind Glitch remind me of our people in many ways; singularly driven, focus on teamwork. And yet the Florans work as a unit through choice, but the Glitch appear connected to some kind of central mainframe. A sentient AI, perhaps? Or something else. The truth has been lost to history. Nonetheless, it is remarkable to consider that in this way, the Florans far outmatch the Glitch in terms of societal advancement. It is the Outcasts who interest me most. Many of these free-thinking Glitch have come into our midst. Their physiology means they have little to fear from the Florans, but there is more than that. There is an affinity between the two species, of which there is no denying."

Drawings

"[The drawing depicts what appears to be a crude stick-figure Floran locked in battle against a giant rabbit with ten eyes. The Floran appears to be winning.]"

"[The drawing depicts a Floran standing at a cooking pot, forcing a Hylotl down with a wooden spoon. Another, younger Floran looks on, accompanied by what seems to be a Glitch.]"

Hylotl prisoner #0451

“(Transcribed by Hylotl prisoner #0451)
Another prisoner needs stabbing. Stab. Floran prisoner. Lost his mind.
(The Floran guard mutters something vaguely menacing at me)
Cut him down. Return him to soil. Floran rest.
(Floran guard shakes a spear in my direction. I narrowly avoid it.)
His cocoon-kin shall be notified.
His dying screams will haunt me to the end of my days. As I lay down to sleep, those blood-curdling cries will be forever with me. Such suffering.
(I have added this last portion myself, but I'm sure that's what the Floran guard meant by his departing, unintelligible grunts and hisses.)"

The Humans

USMC Transmission

"UNENCRYPTED QUANTUM TRANSMISSION RECEIVED
FROM: USCMCENTCOM EARTH
BEGIN MESSAGE:
ALL STATIONS. EARTH UNDER HEAVY ATTACK. ORDERS ARE TO HOLD FAST. GOOD LUCK
END MESSAGE"

"All station personnel:
At approximately 2200 hours Earth time this station received an unsecured transmission from USCM Central Command indicating that Earth is currently under heavy attack from a currently unknown enemy. The transmission did not give any details about the enemy or how the battle was progressing. The only orders given were for all USCM outposts and stations to stay put and await further orders. I will notify everyone the second we receive any further contact - until then your orders are to stay sharp and prepare for the worst. These coming days may be the most important for us as a species. We all need to be at our best."

USMC Personnel Log

"Received communication for the first time in years. Wasn't Earth, but someone claiming to be a Hylotl, saying they were outside our door and it was really cold outside. Not falling for that one. Ignored it. Still confused how they knew our transmission frequency."

"Stuck in the bunker. Again. Begged my superior officer to let me go and explore the terrain, but he was having none of it. It's hostile, he says. No it isn't! I see other species out there all the time. Just yesterday, I saw a walking, talking bird hanging out with a large monkey. I told my superior officer this and he suggested I visit the med bay. I'll send HIM to the med bay if he doesn't start taking me seriously. Tempers sure are getting frayed around here. Let's hope we don't have any friendly fire incidents."
Hiraki Coral

“My ship crash-landed on a planet. I may have been fleeing a certain simian species at the time, and decided the best course of action was to lure them into an asteroid field. It worked! Of course, I have no experience navigating through asteroid fields so here I am. I found a group of humans in a hole in the ground. Not the creepy kind of hole, some kind of military bunker. I thought I'd drop in, regale them with tales of some of my adventures, but no, they were having none of it. Wouldn't even let me in. Shocking hospitality! In the end I borrowed one of their spaceships for spare parts, and left them to it."

USMC Personnel Log

"Some unseen antagonist has sabotaged our only working space craft. The others suspect our superior officer, who seems pretty content to be trapped on this planet. He sits there staring at his charts, trying to give the impression he knows what to do. He doesn't."

"Finally, General Kale made contact. She escaped Earth with a fleet of her best soldiers, and they've taken refuge in a space station not far from Mars. From there, they're planning and strategising what to do about the giant damn monster that's eating our planet. I overheard all this as my superior officer spoke to her on the comm-link. He asked her what she suggested the rest of humanity do. 'Do whatever,' she said. 'It's going to be a long road home'. I don't think we're going back to Earth any time soon."

"Please let me go home
I'm tired and I miss my games consoles
Plus the other soldiers are really annoying
Semper fi."

Greenfinger

"Humanity fled their home planet, the one they call Earth, after a rapidly-growing beast landed upon the surface, and within no time at all, began to consume their entire world. I have no words. I did not know this was possible. The subject has always lain dormant. For this to occur... It must be dealt with, and severely. One day I will travel to Earth myself, to see exactly what the beast has become."

USMC New Policy

"After seven long years, the USCM has decreed that our bunkers shall be opened to friendly life from the outside. As I'm sure many of you are aware, numerous species turn up at our door, and we refuse them entry. It is apparent that many of them believe our bunker to be some kind of shop. As such, we have decided to allow them access to take a look around. Perhaps we can even enlist a few new members, should the need arise."

Greenfinger

"Humans are a strange species. Equal parts territorial and adventurous, they are somewhat unpredictable to deal with. They seem to have only the most rudimentary understanding of other species in the universe, and a childlike desire for knowledge. The latter trait makes me consider whether they might be valuable allies. Scouting parties made up of people who are too driven to give up, but too naive to understand what they find. I will speak to Big Ape and Thornwing about the possibility of meeting with the human delegate, should one exist."

Platinum's Rescue

Hewlett Deckard

“Moonlight bounces off granite walls as I walk the streets of this small Glitch village. My quarry, unknown for now, skulks silently in the night. Murder. A murdered Glitch, mechanical parts strewn across oil-stained cobbles. His cold metal body lying in a repair shop somewhere, waiting for justice. He never left the village, they tell me, which points to one thing. The killer was someone close to him. A wolf in steel clothing. An Outcast in our midst."

“Hit the streets, asked around. For a while, nothing to go on. Then a breakthrough. Our murdered Glitch has been working a certain role more often than is usual. Window cleaner. One particular house, in fact. Often at night. Curious. I stood outside the building, the sun gleaming off the freshly-polished glass, and realised I was metres from the crime scene, from where our victim was found. Tomorrow, I'll pay the house a visit. See what I can dig up."

The Steel Casebook
“Deckard: Confrontational. A Hylotl lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over but it can't, not without your help, but you're not helping. Why is that?
Leeron: Scientific. I am assessing the area for potential danger. The Hylotl could be part of a trap. I am conducting scans and sending reports. Only when my assessment is complete will I help the Hylotl. I would also consider that the Hylotl may be engaging in performance art.
Deckard: Approving. Good answer."

“Deckard: Suggestive. You're reading a magazine. You come across a full-page photo of a Glitch without a shell.
Leeron: Confirming. I understand.
Deckard: Pushing. Well?
Leeron: Considerate. I would assess their workings to see if the model appeared functional. If not, I would find a contact address and advise the best course of action. All Glitch must be maintained properly for continued efficiency."

Hewlett Deckard

“Leeron is not the Glitch I'm looking for. I conducted numerous interviews with her, and she is not self-aware. Her windows, she claims, just require washing very frequently due to being downwind from a logging mill. I have confirmed this. However, as I returned from the logging mill, brooding and moody, I was pulled into a dark alley by an unknown assailant. I knew the broad was trouble as soon as I laid eyes on her. She had that look, that self-aware stance, but also one of desperation. 'I need your help,' she said, as my fingers twitched over my mace."

“Just another tragic story, another Outcast looking to escape being repurposed. She'd heard about me, heard who I was. Sometimes, this double life gets on top of me, but other times, like last night, when I save a life, it's all worth it. She'd killed our Glitch, of course. He'd been cleaning her windows and observed her engaging in Outcast behaviour. She killed him and moved his body to another location, the place he was always seen. I made sure she left the city safely, and promised to cover up her crime. It's an easy job. I'll do what I always do, and close the case by saying a Floran did it. Besides, the victim should be out of the repair bay in a couple more days. No harm done."

Platinum

"Dear Deckard,
Thank you so much for getting me to safety. I knew I was right to trust you. The Outcast community here are wonderful, and speak very highly of you. You've saved many Glitch lives. Should you ever decide to join us and retire in safety, the door is always open..
Thoughts always,
Platinum"

Outcasts of the Glitch

Anonymous Glitch

"Never have I felt so alone. I am surrounded by my Glitch kin, and yet I know deep down I am an outcast. At night, I sleep, and I dream. Dream! Glitch do not dream. I dream of escape, of journeying beyond the stars, of carving a life out for myself, away from this drudgery. My thought process is changing. It terrifies me. I have desires, now. I question things. I almost caught myself second-guessing a directive out loud. I can feel my connection to the central consciousness fading, and while this scares me, there is a feeling of comfort there too."

Platinum

“I feel it in my metal - one day, maybe not today, or tomorrow, but soon, the Outcasts will rise up. We will free the hivemind from their oppression, we will liberate our people. We will introduce the Glitch to choice, to technological advancement, to free thought. We will shatter the hivemind, and the Outcasts will be outcast no more."

“It has been many years since I separated myself from the Glitch hivemind, and I am still amazed by how liberated, how free we are. They strut up their in their castles, swinging their maces and polishing their silverware. Meanwhile, we reach for the stars, we build our own constructs and advance the species. Who, truly, are the outcasts now? We have surpassed our kin in so many ways. And yet, still we are exiled, steel pariahs crawling through sewer and swamp just for the chance to truly live."

“More and more these days, we're called into these sewers to help other Outcasts escape from the city above. We've got our routine down; if it wasn't for the giant fly, and the... other things, it'd be completely smooth. Once we exit the tunnels, and I see those Glitch relax, and understand their freedom... well, that makes up for everything. But I ask you; what kind of hive, what kind of family, would leave their kin feeling this way? The hivemind above is as toxic as the fumes from the stinking sewer water we're forced to wade through."

“We caught a hivemind Glitch attempting to infiltrate our ranks today. Our agents are slipping. We argued over what to do with this Glitch for a while, thankfully having caught her before she entered the tunnels, and eventually a severing was decided upon. Using technology we have been developing, we are now able to sever ties from the hivemind even if the Glitch in question is not compliant, and so we did here. She will be watched, this new addition, but for now she seems liberated and grateful. Interesting."

Teaching a Floran to Write

Greenfinger

"A number of Glitch have appeared in Floran villages, with the intention of educating our people. It's a noble pursuit - I've always stated that the ability to read and write is something the Floran should aspire to, but it's hard to persuade the general populace. The Glitch are in a good position to do this, as their metal exteriors largely protect them from Floran blades. However, we are at a stage where we now have Florans running around writing words on anything and everything, with typical Floran over-enthusiasm. It is, however, an improvement over the time they attempted to learn how to paint."

Treeio Florstab

"Stab. Stab. Stab. Floran stab. Not learn numbers. Only count stabs. Floran not need times tables. [Underneath, a 'D' has been written in red marker]"

"Metal man teach Floran words. Write words. Stab paper with stab. Metal man say Floran voc... voca... words not good. Stab one hundred lines. I must not stab stab. Metal man tell Floran to become novelist. Floran become beststabber. Will write good."

Irondome

"Proud. My young charge, this eager Floran youth, has expressed much delight in the idea of becoming a famous writer. Encouraged. I am teaching him how to construct sentences, and he is making fast progress. Pleased. I think perhaps this could be the first educated Floran the universe has ever seen. Daydreaming. Imagine it, a Floran, writing the great universal novel. Reluctant. But there is much work to be done. Disappointed. I still need to teach him that 'stab' does not stand in for just any word."

Treeio Florstab

"After many years of hard toil, under the watchful gaze of my patient mentor Professor Irondome, I am ready. I have a vocabulary to rival even the brightest Hylotl, the imagination to outdo the most energetic human, and the spiritual understanding to out-theologise an Avian. My work begins today. My novel, my story. A masterwork of literature, a true piece of art in the spirit of my people, the inimitable Florans. I sit here, now, in this recreational area, a cup of brewed sap beside me, this strange computer on my table. I tap away at the keys, and feel the power of literature beneath my stems. Our story will be told."

Irondome

"Delight. My young charge has thrown himself into the task of producing a novel with aplomb. Contentment. He sits up there, day in, day out, typing away on the computer I procured for him. Hesitant. He refuses to allow me to read what he has written, however. Understanding. But he is an artist! Realisation. I must let him work, let the words flow, let the genius come forth. Excitement. I know what dwells within his heart, and what stories he has to tell. Overwhelmed. My protégé's work will impact throughout the universe."

Excerpt of ‘Floran Peace’ by Treeio Florstab

“The Floran diplomats stood talking amicably as the Hylotl representative approached. \’Filth!\’ the Hylotl cried. \’Have you no shame, standing here with your leaves and flowers, defying the very laws of nature?\’ The Floran diplomats turned and looked at him, as one. \’Perhaps we should stab him,\’ suggested Diplomat Barkskinner. \’I concur,\’ replied Diplomat Vinestrangler. And so they stabbed him, and the soiree continued with much merriment and feasting, and all the other species agreed that the Floran way of life was admirable. Finally, Diplomat Skulldrainer stood up and began his speech."

Roger Seabird

“Billed as 'the great Floran novel' by its Glitch publishers, Floran Peace had a lot to live up to. It does, of course, fail on all accounts. The savage plant-species may be skilled hunters, but this skill does not translate to the page. The novel is a mess of plot ideas that go nowhere, with everything being resolved via stabbing. Character development is nonexistent, and it's impossible to warm to any of the protagonists given their propensity for murder. The middle section, particularly puzzling, is simply a fifty thousand word diatribe against the Hylotl. Despite the old adage, it seems that for the author Florstab, the sword is in fact mightier than the pen."

Greenfinger

"Town elders have informed me that celebrated author Treeio Florstab has fled his home village after a series of critical maulings in the intergalactic press. His writing tutor, one Glitch Professor Irondome, was found with a copy of Florstab's debut novel, Floran Peace, rammed into his mouth. Thankfully the Glitch was okay, although I'm told he occasionally quotes pretentious dialogue following the incident. Florstab apparently told the Glitch professor that he'd make sure the universe would 'remember my name'. As such, I have no choice but to suspend any and all attempts at teaching the Florans to write, in case we encounter any further murderous delusions of grandeur."

Glitch, Outcasts, and Pos

Hiraki Coral

“The Glitch may not be the warmest of people on the outside, but their hospitality is undisputable. They found me scaling the castle wall, simply wanting to have a look through a tower window, and politely invited me inside. Now, of course it sounded like a trap, so there was a bit of a scuffle at first, but it turned out they were genuine. They offered me the run of the castle, to explore, research and investigate to my heart's content. Occasionally I run into one of them and they greet me pleasantly enough. I have been reading all manner of fascinating books, and my understanding of the Glitch is growing."

“Let it never be said that I do not attempt to integrate with whichever hosts I find myself indebted to. I have noticed that when addressing me, the Glitch use prefix words. Examples: 'Dismissive', 'Annoyed', 'Sarcastic' and 'Frustrated'. Feeling as if this is a custom I should celebrate, I have begun to partake in such linguistic frippery myself. 'Delight. It is nice to see you.' I said, but the Glitch just looked at me strangely, and then said something to his friend. I noticed something here, too. When the Glitch address each other, they do not use these prefix words. Perhaps something in their programming means they can read each others' tones without explanation."

Pamphlet

"Do you question the Glitch hivemind? Do you long to have thoughts that are your own? Are you filled with doubts, despair and dismay? We may be able to help. Simply come to We Can't Remember It For You Wholesale, to have your connection from the hivemind severed... FOREVER!"

Hiraki Coral

“The Glitch call their free-thinking peers 'Outcasts', but there are certain Glitch who are allocated identities with permission, and thus remain in their chosen role. For example, I found a Glitch whose job it is to gaze wistfully up at the stars and talk about 'the good old days'. Another Glitch, a master chef, has been forced to remain in her job role due to the fact 'she makes the best pancakes'. Then there are law enforcement officers, mysterious kung fu masters, and town criers. However, there does not seem to be any definite ruler, which is interesting indeed."

A Glitch To-Do List

“Smelt any rusted swords
Gather an appropriate amount of logs
Perform any Glitch repairs
Develop a new recipe
Check the perimeter for Outcasts
Check the library for philosophy texts
Create a protocol for greeting visitors of other species
Repair all houses"

Hiraki Coral

“The Glitch - at least those who remain true to their roots - are unusual in that they have no hierarchy system. Their roles are interchangeable; a Glitch who may be a baker one day will be a stonemason the next. What is curious is the lack of vocal organisation. In my time here, I've never heard the Glitch planning these roles, they simply happen, working like clockwork. Despite the species' somewhat backwards technological state, they're remarkably efficient. They operate as a hivemind, but what's strange about that is the Glitch have developed self-awareness, yet these robots appear to CHOOSE this way of life, vehemently rejecting those - the Outcasts - who begin to think for themselves. Exciting!"

Glitch Town Guard

"We have tolerated the Outcasts at a distance, with the understanding that they do not infiltrate our most precious of sanctums; our castles, our homes, our underground fight clubs. Outcasts have infiltrated all these places. They loiter around, saying words, and having opinions. It is disconcerting and disruptive. Our goodwill can only last so long. They are corrupting many of our number and severing their link with the central consciousness. As such, any Outcast spotted in a designated safe zone must be immediately arrested and sent to the laboratories for repurposing."

Town Poster

"WARNING: Outcasts operate in this area
A number of Outcasts have been spotted in this area, sharing ideas and philosophies with all who will listen.
DO NOT LISTEN!
Individual behaviour will not be tolerated, and will upset the Glitch way of life. Do not accept it. Should you encounter an Outcast behaving badly, ensure you contact the relevant authorities, or failing that, hit them repeatedly with a large hammer until they go away."

Hiraki Coral

“The Glitch do not typically seek out and destroy any Outcasts, they simply banish them. However, some Glitch communities have developed a repurposing process, a few mechanical tweaks that reformats a Glitch mind and strengthens the bond to the hivemind. As such, many Outcasts seek to flee the cities, reaching out for help from the Outcast sleeper agents who operate within the walls. Thrilling! It's like being in a spy novel."

“Due to my frequent attempts at cultural sensitivity, I decided to try and integrate myself with my hosts even more. While exploring the castle, I found a number of decorative suits of armour that appear to depict warrior Glitch. Naturally, to make my companions comfortable, I put a set on. The armour was hard to walk in, so I lost my balance a few times. I came tumbling down the stairs and into the main hall, and all Glitch eyes were on me. Rather than the warm greeting I deserved, however, they began to chatter and yell. I heard the words 'Anger' and 'Disgust' a number of times. And then they began to chase me."

“I found myself at somewhat of an impasse; behind me, a horde of Glitch with pitchforks and torches were swarming my way. Ahead of me, the opening to a sewer. I made my call, and dived headlong into the dark tunnels. Oh, what a narrow escape! Now I am down here, exploring the maze-like corridors, encountering not a soul. It is, in fact, rather peaceful. The steady dripping of water from the ceiling, the bubbling rush of streams underfoot, the sporadic buzzing of giant wings, somewhere behind me..."

Greenfinger

“My Glitch contacts tell me of a creature lurking in the sewers. It is not found elsewhere, and as such poses an interesting question: How can we get hold of one so the Floran can fight it? It is a giant fly, grown to epic proportions, and extremely aggressive in nature. The Glitch tell me that it was created when a fly and a slightly bigger fly got into a random teleportation accident, although this does not account for its huge size. Perhaps there is something in the water down there."

“Unable to deal with the Growfly, and unwilling to accept my offer of a dozen Floran Greenguard being dispatched into the sewer, the Glitch Outcasts created a giant mechanical spider - part creature, part robot, it stalks the sewers looking for the Growfly. However, the Glitch did not consider that their creation was evenly matched with its quarry, and now the two are locked in an everlasting battle, neither gaining the upper hand for long. However, the Mecharachnid has managed to kill plenty of other things, including its original creators, so there's that."

Hiraki Coral

“I found myself face to face with a giant flying creature, and naturally I ran as fast as my adventurous legs would carry me. I could feel the beast gaining on me, the air from its wings tickling the back of my neck, when suddenly a hand reached out from the shadows and grabbed me, pulling me to safety. I found myself in a small room, clearly living quarters. A smell hung in the air, unpleasant and strange. I gazed upon my saviour and my jaw dropped."

Po

“As I mark down these words, brown tears spill from my eyes. I think back to that day, that fateful day when, fleeing my Miniknog captors, I descended into this sewer. For days I hid, as Big Ape's guards searched for me. Hungry, thirsty, I eventually succumbed, finding some yellow, glowing goo that reminded me of a mushed up banana. No sooner had I eaten it when my body began to change; my very molecules reassembled, merging with my surroundings - the sewer's filth. And now, years later, I am Apex no longer, but instead a golem of filth, longing simply for an escape."

"These dank tunnels hide my grim visage; I am grateful for the respite it has provided over the years, but still, I long to be out in the sunlight, to feel the breeze upon my face, to greet my family once more. Memories, melting away, dripping from my mind like tears from my eyes as I stalk these corridors simply hoping, praying, that one day things will be different."

“Down here, it is lonely. I curse the day I drank that delicious-looking liquid. All I long for is acceptance, friendship. Many travellers come down here, and I do my best to protect them from the fly, from the spider, from the many other horrors that lurk in these waters. And yet, when I approach to offer my aid, these travellers turn on me with swords and guns, disintegrating my body until I have the strength to form again."

Greenfinger

“And so it transpires, within the sewers, that there is a creature formed entirely of waste. Bodily waste. This distasteful beast is less dangerous than it is disgusting, and travellers are advised not to get too close. The beast seemingly can't be killed, simply reforming eventually after destruction. My Glitch contacts shudder as they tell me of this creature, and I do not blame them. I'm not sure I'd even task a Floran with dealing with this mess."

The Big Ape

Chants

“"Big Ape, Big Ape
He's big and he's an ape
He's glorious, a leader
And everyone obeys him.
He's handsome and he's tough
Through the smooth and through the rough
Glory to our leader
We serve him with a smile!"

"There once was an ape called Big Ape
Whose brain was the size of a grape
He swung through the trees
And got riddled with fleas
And GLORY TO BIG APE OUR GLORIOUS LEADER. HAIL THE MINIKNOG. DO NOT RESIST."

Propoganda

"Try Big Ape's patented Miniknog Bananas! 100% Mind Control-free, guaranteed! Absolutely no risk of death, or your money back! Eat one today! Not to be consumed while operating vehicles."

"When Big Ape was just a little ape, his home village was attacked by creeping horrors from beyond the stars. These vile penguins set everything to the torch, and Big Ape was forced to watch as his village burned. Big Ape swore revenge, and revenge he got. As the penguins were leaving in their space pirate ship, he fired a grappling hook at them and pulled the ship down to earth, using nothing but his strength. After that, penguins never burned his village down again."

"[On the poster, Big Ape - here depicted as a buff gorilla - is doing the thumbs-up sign. Below the picture, the text reads 'Bigger IS Better - Big Ape is watching.']"

Group Meeting

"Participants: Big Ape, Greenfinger, Thornwing, [Redacted]
Big Ape: So, let's get started then. We have important things to discuss.
Greenfinger: [Redacted]
Thornwing: [Redacted]
[Redacted]: Are you serious?
Big Ape: [Redacted]
Big Ape: [Redacted]
Big Ape: [Redacted]
Big Ape: And that's why you should never date a Hylotl.
Thornwing: Kluex save us.
Greenfinger: [Redacted]"

Out of the Air, into the Apex

Ironwing

"Working on an airship is one step closer to my dream. I wanna be part of a starship crew - of course, who doesn't - but these airships are the next best thing. Keeping everything top notch, in working order, this is my calling. It's hard work, but no harder than living in the thrall of Kluex. Here, I'm liberated. I often think back to my days training as an Ascendant. At night I dream of the Celestial Tower, of those steps leading up to the heavens, and the descent that would have awaited me at the top. All told, I prefer a deck beneath my feet."

"I've been fooling around with the Power Crystals that keep this ship afloat, and I've come to the conclusion that I need to get my hands on some for a personal project. I miss tinkering in my workshop, creating all manner of fun contraptions. Getting a hold of power crystals won't be easy, though. They are - quite understandably - regulated. It wouldn't do for just anyone to have access to them, after all! But I'm a certified PC Engineer, I should be able to pull a few strings."

"Unable to acquire power crystals through official channels, I was able to procure some from another airship who docked with us to trade. They had an unusually large number of spare crystals in their hold, and the villagers were being somewhat cagey when I asked about this. After some digging, I discovered the crystals were being traded to a certain Floran leader, in exchange for a batch of one of his experimental concoctions. I struck a deal with the captain; my silence, for a few of her crystals. A reasonable trade."

Mallard Reynolds

"This Greenfinger is becoming demanding. What does he want with all these power crystals, anyway? I don't trust a client who won't meet me in person. Always sends his creepy plant people to get the deliveries. Still, that Drysap gets a high price on the black market, so can't complain. That mechanic from last month wound me up no end, though. I don't respond well to blackmail. I mention this as we're docking with the ship he works on again tonight. I hope he has the good sense to leave things be. If not, we're prepared this time..."

Ironwing

"I've been tinkering in my workshop deep in the bowels of the ship, and created something rather remarkable. For a while now, I've been fascinated by the Glitch; those robot men who crop up every now and then. I decided to make my own. My little robot is powered by a crystal, and can perform menial tasks on command. It doesn't appear to have sentience, thankfully, but it makes up for that in enthusiasm and a willingness to serve. If my experiments pan out, I could have created the ideal worker."

Hiraki Coral

“I know, I know, a Hylotl shouldn't get seasick. But I'm in the air, not on the sea! So really, it isn't seasickness is it? Nevertheless, I've spent my days on this ship feeling exceptionally queasy, occasionally even... well, it is not polite to speak of it. Right now, I'm looking for a sidekick and a plan. And a cause, maybe. I hear those Apex could use a little help. Or maybe the humans. I will crusade for justice throughout the galaxy, and it will be glorious."

“I was exploring the ship, as you do, when I encountered what appeared to be someone's private laboratory, marked with 'Keep Out' signs and warnings of delicate, breakable equipment within. I barged my way inside, and began to fiddle with all the exciting bits and bobs. Imagine my alarm when, from out of nowhere, I was greeted by a dull robotic voice commanding me to 'prepare to die'. At first, I thought the Glitch had finally sent assassins to demand retribution for past transgressions, but the truth was much worse. A small, misshapen robot stood before me, vibrating on the spot. It looked like it had been made out of a kettle and some saucepans, but its eyes glowed red with malevolence. I knew this was it. Me or the robot. Live or die. Screaming, I ran from the room, knocking machinery hither and thither. Avians stared at me as I ran through the ship, being pursued by the robot. Nobody even stepped in to help! Eventually I had to throw myself over the side, plummeting down to meet the ground below. Thankfully, the ship was passing over an outdoor Apex marriage ceremony, and the wedding cake broke my fall. A narrow escape!"

Ironwing

"I had to destroy my robot today. Some meddling Hylotl found her way to my workshop, and for some reason this turned my companion hostile. It proceeded to patrol around the ship, menacing Avians, until I was able to shut it down a few hours later. After retrieving the power crystal, I threw my robot overboard. I plan to make a larger, more powerful robot, but it's going to require more power crystals. Perhaps with the right amount, I can give it enough intelligence to stop it attacking people on sight. Luckily the smuggler ship will be docking with us again later this evening, and I can make another request."

The Miniknog

“Not only do we have to deal with sightings of a hulking figure on the streets at night, but now the Resistance has set up shop in our little town, as well. Why can't they just let us do our jobs? All Big Ape wants is total and absolute control, is that so much to ask? We have a platoon of armed guards just waiting to descend on their hideout should we find it. Free-thinking, free-spirited Apex are not welcome here. If we don't find them soon, we'll have to poison the water supply again, and then EVERYONE suffers."

Hiraki Coral

“I find myself in a Miniknog-controlled Apex town. But oh, control is such an ugly word, isn't it? The Apex here are all so polite, and friendly. They bow and grovel as I pass, my Miniknog entourage only occasionally having to knock them back! It's all very exciting. An audience with Big Ape! Greenfinger told me he's heard about my exploits, and would like to pick my brain. I mean gosh, I've heard rumours about Big Ape picking peoples' brains, but I don't think it means that this time."

“These Miniknog sure do treat the other Apex badly! So sad! They're always barking out orders or firing rounds into the sky. It's very tedious and stressful. Really, you can't blame me for ditching my escort, can you? I happened to find myself in what I think must be a Resistance Headquarters. So rebellious! I recognised some of the faces from wanted posters. The Apex stared at me as if I was some sort of intruder or something. One of them was shivering and looked sick, so I loaned her my Big Ape-branded jacket. So kind!"

“Turns out the Apex resistance fellows are rather nice! They've given me a room of my own, and even locked the door in case the Miniknog storm in and endanger me. So thoughtful! Earlier, I pulled out my rocket launcher to show them the type of weaponry the should be considering, and it caused such a ruckus! I've never seen Apex get so excited. One of them was so eager he tried to grab it from me, and we had a little accident involving an RPG and the front of the HQ."

“So I hit upon a genius idea! If the Resistance and the Miniknog could just talk it out, then maybe things could get smoothed over. I'm sure Big Ape is not the villain they think, if only they'd get to know him. So I tunnelled out of my room and found the nearest Miniknog platoon. Filled with positivity, I led them to the Resistance hideout and told them that if they didn't sort out their differences, I'd knock their heads together. So smart! Well, I think it went okay! I didn't stick around to find out for sure, of course, I had to meet back up with Greenfinger, but I saw them all marching together through the town square as we left."

News Headline:

"Core Resistance cell captured - Big Ape triumphs again"

Ironwing

"My attempts at blackmail have backfired. I'm here, trapped on the smuggler's ship, in the cargo hold. Kluex knows where they're taking me. Maybe they'll hand me over to this Floran I keep hearing about. There are rumblings of live experiments. I have no choice but to escape. I'll have to get creative. All I have is a bunch of smuggled power crystals, my soldering iron, and my robot, which for some reason the smugglers seem to have retrieved and attempted to fix. Naturally, they've broken it even more. I think I can salvage it, though. Perhaps in a different manner. I have an idea. I need a means of escaping myself, not simply a way of taking down the smugglers. Inspiration is building up inside me."

“"I did it. I can fly. Fly like an Avian, like a Sunborn. I once again have wings. Well, jet-boots, but nonetheless, it is flight. I crafted this armour to escape from my captors, but now I shall adopt it always. I will fight for truth, justice and freedom. Right now, I'm looking for a sidekick and a plan. And a cause, maybe. I hear those Apex could use a little help. Or maybe the humans. I will crusade for justice throughout the galaxy, and it will be glorious."

Hiraki Coral

“I boarded another airship village today, when it had stopped to dock. Climbed my way up the anchor and squirreled myself into a cabin before anyone could complain. Everything was going well; the captain, a jolly fellow called Wrenolds, allowed me to teach him how to play Lilyflip. We were half way through a game when it happened. I was winning. The door to the cargo hold splintered open, and a large, metallic Avian came striding out. Swiftly he dispatched a number of the ship's crew, punching and smashing his way around. I cowered in fear, hiding behind the captain, who let off some shots from his rifle. The bullets simply bounced off the iron Avian, who laughed, smashed the ship's mast, then leaped into the air. A glowing circle on his chest began to pulsate, then thrusters in the man's feet kicked in, and the Avian took off, soaring into the skies like a rocket ship. What a sight! I was unaware the Avians had developed armour that allowed them to fly again. I commented on this to Wrenolds, and he told me it was unheard of. He muttered something about power crystals, and then I heard him mention my dear friend Greenfinger, who they were apparently going to see. What luck! I informed him he could drop me off there."

The Way of the Flightless

Religion - Prayers

"Almighty Sunborn
We spread our wings and fly
Guide us as we soar
Deliver us from turbulence
And save us from the ground.
May your wisdom guide us
May your augurs watch us
May your glory enlighten us
Almighty Sunborn
Carry us on golden wings."

"Almighty Kluex
Last of the Sunborn
Soar above us
Watch over us
Bless us with your glory.
We the flightless
Turn our heads heavenwards
To you, oh Kluex
Last of the Sunborn
Our star in the sky.
Bless the Ascendants
Who peck at the earth
Waiting for your call
May they one day soar
Into Kluex's loving embrace."

"A Prayer to Kluex
by Anonymous
Dear Kluex, save us from the storm.
Our wings are gone, our feathers torn.
We walk the earth, but long to soar,
We cannot take off any more.
Oh Kluex, with your glorious might,
Come bless us now and give us flight.
We serve you as you make your plans,
Oh, let us fly to promised lands."

Religion - Commandments

"Thou shall not fly, for fear of angering the celestial entities.
Thou shall not eat seeds from the pussplum plant.
Thou shall aspire to greatness; to become a Sunborn.
Thou shall serve Kluex, in this life and the next.
Thou shall keep thy feathers clean.
Thou shall outcast any Avian such as would deny Kluex.
Thou shall not worship false idols, such as penguins.
Thou shall never take dinner with a Floran.
Thou shall not steal."

Relgion

"We walk the earth, our wings trailing dust, no longer do we fly. We do this out of love and devotion. Kluex guides us, Kluex begs us. We ask not for answers; the wisdom of the Sunborn is absolute. And yet, Kluex grants us answers. As our population grew, so did our impact on the skies. Too close we flew to the sun, too close to our gods. They grew weak, tired, from watching over us. They could no longer protect us. And so we make this sacrifice; our wings stay clipped, in the knowledge that one day our species will strengthen, and Kluex will allow us to fly once more."

"Aeons ago, before Kluex, there were many Sunborn - kind, benevolent gods who ruled over the Avians. These gods were not simply ascended, chosen Avians. They were born from the sun itself; celestial entities who shone with the brightest fire and flew through the skies like angels. They gave our species life, and in return we gave them our unending devotion. But like all lights, the Sunborn eventually went out..."

"From the Heavens, silence. The Sunborn spoke no more. Where had they gone? Had their light simply extinguished? Had they fallen from the sky, become grounded? One Avian, a hero, Kluex of the Goldentips, sought answers. He trained, and trained, until eventually he was able to fly high enough to reach the thrones of the Sunborn, beyond our skies, in the far reaches of space. And there, in the Sanctuary of the Sunborn, Kluex was blessed with the power of our rulers; they live vicariously through him, his word is the law. Praise Kluex, the glorious Sunborn who will redeem us all."

K’arn Hallowbeak

“One of our species' most proud achievements, the Power Crystals we harness can be used in all manner of ways, from machinery to lighting to cooking. These crystals are in high demand across the universe, of course, but the Avians keep them close to their chest. It is a worry, albeit an unavoidable one, that the Grounded have such ready access to the crystals. What worries me even more is that, despite using these miraculous minerals, they still deny the power of Kluex. Who else could create such wonders, if not a god?"

“After the dawn of FTL space travel, when many species began to co-habit, or engage with one another, the scope for studying theology grew exponentially. It is endlessly fascinating to learn about other species' approaches to spirituality, and how they vary. The Apex, for instance, worship no god, with their leader Big Ape having all but achieved deification through demand and control. The Hylotl worship Nature in all its facets, their gods lacking anthropomorphism and instead being very much conceptual. The Glitch speak of their Creator Species, an unknown progenitor race who the robots regard with awe. The Florans seem to worship no god, but make reference to a Light Lord, a being who came from the stars that enlightened them. This, perhaps, is the closest to our Kluex. Then there are the humans. Humans worship many gods, and often this method of worship brings the species into conflict with one another. An outsider can see the similarities between the factions, but the humans seemingly cannot. What is also unusual about human belief is that their gods seem to exist based on supposition and rumour, rather than any factual evidence. To worship beings so removed, so speculative, seems entirely alien to me."

“It is with pride that I look upon the Avian holy texts, after exploring other species' religions. Many of their holy books are dubious, their origins undocumented, their words 'channelled'. Ours are penned by Kluex himself, the handwriting able to be matched to historical documents written by the mortal before he became a god. This proof, I feel, is intrinsically linked to the strength of Avian faith. We do not have to blindly believe in our God, because we know he exists. Some of our number, the Stargazers, even visit him in person. This makes it all the more inexplicable that there are some amongst the Grounded who deny Kluex's existence altogether."

Avian theater

"PART 3
Human Translator's note: our most accurate translation of the Avian word \"lusty\" ( which is, of course, pronounced with an audible 'squawk') approximates, in our language, to \"flatulent\". This stage reading is the best example we have of the budding Avian performance culture, which seems to only have started after first contact with ours. However, it is important to note that this transliteration is from a damaged document, so large parts are missing.
SCENE: Ext., Avian temple suicide tower. Grants-You-Wings, an Avian priestess, is lecturing a group of young Avians on the afterlife.
Grants-You-Wings: \"…and as you hit the ground, your soul will ascend into the Aether, to be judged by Kluex himself.\"
First Student: \"But what if we don't die when we hit the ground? \"
Grants-You-Wings: \"Then you have been chosen to stay on our mortal plane to serve Kluex and Rahe.\"
First Student: \"That makes sense- hey, what's that smell..? \"
OFF-STAGE: An ominous rumbling/fluttering sound shakes the stage.
Grants-You-Wings: \"My apologies. I have been very lusty recently.\""

Penguins

"There is a species, in the far corners of the universe, which many are aware of. Small Avian-like creatures, waddling beasts with beaks and flightless wings. They operate as space pirates, rogues and renegades. Legend tells that they are the children of Kluex himself, cast out due to their wicked ways; the first Flightless. Kluex laments the loss of his children, and their spiral into darkness. But they will not embrace him, will not return to the fold. And thus, it is any good Avian's duty to report a space pirate penguin sighting to the nearest authorities."

Grounded/Athiests

"While it is the case that I may have escaped for my own self-preservation, it is important I do not forget my larger mission also. Kluex is not real. I will prove it. If I can do this, I can free my people. I have heard of other species whose gods are celestial. Kluex, however, is flesh and blood. And yet, he has not been seen for many, many years. I will discover why. I will uncover the secret behind the Kluex deception. But also flee for my life."

"We reject the teachings of Kluex. We deny the existence of the Sunborn. We defy the rule of the Clipped Council. We will tar the Stargazers. We will burn down the Celestial Stairways. We will free the Ascendants, and liberate the Flightless. We are the Grounded, and we shall rise."

"I've returned to the temple. I don't know why. The sight of Kluex, our false god, makes me sick. The priests of the Clipped Council posture and preen, preaching their lies, and all I want to do is tear down this entire place, climb atop the rubble, and scream. My denial of Kluex is not an act of rebellion. It is an act of liberation. I am a starship pilot who got curious. I had to know. I discovered the truth. Klue (the note ends here)."

Kah’se Seedpecker

“The Grounded cause grows in strength. Whether it be those who defy Kluex, or those who deny Kluex, our villages are flourishing. We reach out across the universe, spreading our atheist teachings far and wide. Other species are beginning to learn of Kluex's deception. Many years ago, someone asked me 'how do you kill a god?'. I've learned the answer. You make sure people don't believe. With this knowledge, the power lies with the Grounded. We will fly again."

Greenfinger

“One day I was fortunate enough to meet with a member of the Avian Clipped Council, a group of flightless Avians who serve their ruler, Kluex. We shared talk, and stories, and eventually a bottle of particularly potent meatwine. This loosened the Avian's tongue even more, and I was able to ask her about the Grounded, and how her people deal with those who defy their god. Many are simply sent from the villages, she told me, occasionally even hounded off-planet if their heresy is grand enough. Others, however, are subjected to a process which even to myself sounds barbaric. She stressed, repeatedly, that this behaviour was no longer endorsed by the Clipped Council. Atheist Avians who require punishment are dipped in a vat of tar-like liquid, which solidifies over their feathers, turning their plumage into what is essentiallystone. Seeing as the Avians cannot fly, it's a largely symbolic gesture, but one which serves to shame the subject. Naturally, I asked my acquaintance for a sample of this tar, which she promised to ship to me. Barbarism aside, the potential of combining it with Floran biology may lead to advancements in ground troop armour."

The Ascendants

Hiraki Coral

“Lost and in need of guidance (the navigational kind, not the spiritual kind), I made my way into an impressive Avian temple. Immediately I felt at peace, like a calm had descended over me. I walked the stone hallways, gazing up at the statues of that giant bird, occasionally greeting priests and worshippers alike. They seemed pleased to see me. I ascended the temple and grew tired, my weary legs almost giving out after days of adventuring and fleeing. At the top, I found a stone bed. Priests milled about, but they did not seem to mind when I lay down. In fact, they began to cheep and cheer. One of them handed me a delicious, sweet-tasting drink. Soon, I drifted off to sleep."

“I awoke to find myself surrounded by hooded figures, chanting and squawking. One of them, who appeared to be the figurehead, held a large knife above me. At first I was disoriented, and thought I was back with the Florans. But no. It seems I'd accidentally presented myself for sacrifice. So silly! Of course, I wasn't up for this! Quick as a flash, I kicked the head priest in the face and made my escape, charging through the temple like a Hylotl possessed. There were a few casualties along the way, of course - some sacred urns, a statue or two, an Avian monk - but I escaped intact, and carried on my way."

Las’la Crimsonwing

"Conflicted. I left my home; I came here, to this Grounded commune, because of love. I have - had - love for Kluex, there's no denying that. But the love I hold for my wife is immeasurable. I love her more than our God. She is a dedicated Grounded, denying Kluex's very existence entirely. I hide my belief from her, of course. I nod along when she preaches about our false messiah, I attend all the meetings, I join her in burning the idols. And yet... somewhere, at the back of my mind, I still feel Kluex's presence, his guiding light. But it's fading, more every day. I wonder if I'll notice when it's gone."

"Fear. I have received word from the home village. My parents - devout Flightless - retain elicit contact with me. It's a risk, and I appreciate it. My brother has been training as an Ascendant for many years. He is the fastest, the strongest, the best in his unit. Now the time has come that we all feared. My dear brother Shir'en has been selected to make the journey up the Celestial Stairway, to dive from the tower. Fly or Die, the Grounded call it. If my brother soars, he will take his place as a Sunborn, a god. But if he falls... Kluex save him. For the first time in years, I pray that you are real."

Thornwing

"Finally, the day has come. I have been chosen. Chosen to begin my training, to become what I have always aspired to be. Strangers and friends have walked this path before me, and they have all failed. I will not. I've prepared for this. All my life I've prepared. My body is at its peak; I can endure the Ascendant training, I can display glory and honour, and I can please Kluex. I know it. My family supports me, my friends support me, the only thing left is to get my head down and do this."

"Physical training began today. Myself and five other Avian youths. Obstacle courses, races, all manner of challenges. At the end of the day, we were awarded a score. I came top of my class! I was so proud. As expected, my peers accepted their loss graciously, and we all retired to the mess hall for dinner. It was a pleasant feast; a reward for our first day of the trials, perhaps. I feel so at home here, amongst likeminded Flightless, no talk of the Grounded, just devotion to Kluex."

"Last night I lay awake in my bunk. Suddenly, rough hands grabbed me. A hand pressed to my mouth. 'Stop making us look bad,' a voice whispered. It was too dark to see my antagonists. I tried to fight back, but they held me down. The next day I woke up and all my clothes had been shredded. Clearly I was mistaken to trust my peers. Their facade is just that; a false friendship masking severe competitiveness. Well, if that's how they're going to play it, I can play rough too. I was not going to fall back on my family's money, but needs must..."

"Our Clipped Council liaison came by today, and a well-placed bribe ensured I won't have to be sharing a room with the others. No more worrying about late-night visits. Next, I sent word to my man outside the village; he is to deliver a message of great importance. Then, our mental training began. I outclassed the others with ease, as I knew I would. My mind is the sharpest it has ever been. I could see them staring at me, angrily, just willing me to succeed, planning what they'd do to me when I did. They're going to have a rude awakening."

"Finally, my contraband package arrived. Delivered in the dead of night by my manservant. It did not disappoint. Greenfinger of the Floran truly is a master when it comes to alchemical formulas. I took one sip and already I could feel my strength boosting, my body hardening. Tomorrow, we begin sparring practise. I pity the foolish Avians who will get in my way. They're going to experience a side of me they've never seen before. A dark, angry side. And it will be glorious."

Hiraki Coral

“Having found myself accidentally enrolled as an Avian Ascendant, I figured I might as well make the most of it and go with the flow. If it comes to it, and I'm chosen to leap off the tower, I have this jetpack I borrowed from the Miniknog. So exciting! Imagine that; Hiraki Corale, Avian god. The first Hylotl Avian god in history, I'd wager! In the meantime, however, I accidentally started rummaging through one of my fellow student's belongings, and what should I find? Greenfinger's delightful Strengthsap elixir! Now, I like nothing more than tasting Greenfinger's concoctions, but the Strengthsap has always been one of my favourites. I couldn't resist taking a sip, and ended up drinking the whole lot. So naughty! I hope the Avian who I borrowed it from doesn't mind!"

Thornwing

"To become a Sunborn, one must be cunning as well as strong. Without my formula, Larbeaks has an edge over me. Perhaps she will take it herself. I cannot risk this. My manservant has been sent off-world, to make contact with a certain Helion. Dealing with Helions is always risky business. My mother would often hire one of these creatures to keep political rivals in their place, but this is my first time. I admit, I feel something of a thrill."

"My manservant returned. Well, my manservant WAS returned. Thankfully, none of my peers saw me take delivery of the crate, or dispose of the remains. I was expecting this, of course; Helions are known to shoot the messenger. It proves that we the clients are committed, knowing we are sending a trusted employee to their doom. Barbaric but necessary. So my contract was accepted, and now I have to wait. Helions are known for their promptness. The assassin could be here any day. Maybe they already are. Their stealth capabilities are unrivalled. It's somewhat disconcerting. Larbeaks will regret messing with me, during her split-second realisation. I've told the Helion to ensure she knows where the hit came from. I will not be trifled with."

"It is done. Larbeaks is no more. Nobody suspects a thing. And yet I am shaken, concerned. You see, the Helion visited me after the kill. This is unheard of. Almost never do the Helion reveal themselves to their clients. And yet, I woke up in the night to feel a hand on my shoulder. The Helion was not what I expected. He was soft-spoken, calm. His name is Hish'eth and he said I knew my mother. That he'd been there when she died. I asked him if that meant what I thought it meant. He shook his head, and I thought I could detect a sadness in his eyes. He asked about the Ascension. I explained it all to him, about my journey to become a Sunborn. The Helion laughed and accused me of hubris. 'Why risk your life to achieve godhood when you can become a god of your own making?' he asked. I thought about the Celestial Tower, about the fall, about the numerous Avians who did not fly."

"Hish'eth was right. Why settle for joining Kluex, IF I survive? Once I leap off the tower, I have no way to give myself an advantage. It all rests in the hands of Kluex. I don't like those odds. I control my own destiny. Hish'eth gave me a datapad with co-ordinates on it. I believe it to be a sector somewhere in Hylotl space. 'Go here,' he said. 'Go here and follow your true destiny' - and then he was gone. Finding a spaceship won't be hard. Getting off-planet won't be hard. I have the finances, and I have the means. Something in my heart is telling me that THIS is my destiny; not to become some old god, rotting on a Sunborn throne beside Kluex, but to carve my own throne in my image. I will become an unstoppable force. And the universe shall know the name Thornwing."

Ascendants Results

"Larbeak: KIA
Jumpeck: Withdrew
Skydiver: KIA
Crimsonwing: DQ (successful jump, but landed in bale of hay)
Freefeather: Withdrew
Corale: DQ (Ascendant performed a successful jump, but was discovered to be a Hylotl)
Thornwing: MIA"

Las’la Crimsonwing

"Tragedy. My brother. My dear, dear brother. We could not stop him. He climbed the Celestial Stairway and leaped. He spread his wings, but did not fly. He fell, fell, fell like so many Flightless, headlong towards the ground. He would not become a god this day. Kluex, you have failed me. You have failed us all. If it wasn't for the pile of hay positioned by chance below the tower, my brother would be dead. But a concussion is pretty bad news, too. Curse you, Kluex. I defy you. I accept the Grounded ways. Tonight, I begin reading my wife's copy of The Kluex Delusion."

The Kluex Delusion by Rochard Hawkwings

“While the Flightless blindly follow the teachings of the Clipped Council, those of us who are enlightened - grounded, if you will - question it. Many of us, in fact, are of the opinion that Kluex does not even exist. What evidence is there? What SCIENTIFIC evidence? Proof. That's what the universe revolves around. There is little proof that Kluex exists, other than people who claim to have seen him. There's also his space station, of course, floating just outside of orbit. A lonely, desolate place. Fit for a god? I do not believe so. If you ask me, that space station is a spy satellite. Watching us. Recording our personal data. Sending reports to the Council about what we do, think, eat, drink. They're watching us all."

“Prayer. Something the Clipped Council extol the virtues of. But how, I ask, can Kluex hear our prayers? Even according to the mythology, he is a simple Avian who ascended to Godhood through the power of flight. Flight! Not super-hearing. But you know what DOES have super-hearing? A SPY SATELLITE. That's right. Every time you pray, that spy satellite records your words, documents them, and saves them for use against you. Maybe the Council has been taking tips from the Apex. That makes a lot of sense. I will get to the bottom of this."

“I have discovered some startling similarities between Kluex and Big Ape, the ruler of the Apex. They are both mysterious figures, and they both rule. Having researched Avian history, I came to the conclusion that it's entirely possible the Clipped Council met with Big Ape in the past. Perhaps this is where the idea for Kluex came from. Perhaps Kluex's space station is simply filled with Miniknog technology, reading our every thought. I will reach out to Big Ape himself, for comment."

“I received a reply from Apex leader Big Ape, which I shall reprint in the pages of this book:
'Sup,
Big Ape, here. Kluex, you say? A god? An Avian god? Big Ape is not familiar with this individual. But Big Ape will be happy to challenge your god Kluex to a no-holds-barred cage match, to prove ape superiority once and for all. Any time, any place, anything goes. The Miniknog are always ready.
Love,
Glorious Leader Big Ape'
It remains to be seen whether Kluex will accept this offer."

“I was visited by the Stargazers themselves. They have heard of me, of my work. And so, too, has Kluex. I was summoned. Let me just say I was wrong. I have been wrong this whole time. I am a fool and a rogue. Glory to Kluex. I have gazed upon our Sunborn lord with my own eyes, and I know now the truth. Grounded, it is not too late! Repent, come back to the flock. Kluex will forgive you. Do not doubt his power. Now, I need to deal with that whole Big Ape thing I may have kicked off. My Apex contacts report that he's been training exceptionally hard for some kind of boxing match..."

Ape Research

Dr. Lax

"Day One. The inmates are doing well. There had been some in-fighting, but this was quickly tempered with some short blasts of cold water. Observing the chatter, it is surprisingly how quickly the Miniknog soldiers are adapting to life behind bars. The Apex citizens are not adopting their guard roles quite so easily. They are hesitant, unsure of themselves, and unwilling to assert their authority over the prisoners. This is interesting, as my original hypothesis predicted that the citizens would quickly turn on the Miniknog. Perhaps current Miniknog methods are fully effective in conditioning the citizens to obey. Perhaps Big Ape is wrong to be concerned. But still, this is only day one of the experiment, and a lot could change."

"The Miniknog are beginning to gain control of the experiment. Despite having taken on the role of prisoners, the dynamic is very clear. They do what they want, and in some cases even tell the citizens - the guards - what to do. It is very interesting to observe. Earlier, I visited the common room to find the Miniknog playing ball games, and the citizens locked in the cells. The self-styled leader of the Miniknog prisoners, Hairbiter McVey, informed me that they'd requested some 'chill-out time'. I will have to talk to the citizens, explain to them that to become prison guards, they must be more assertive. Years of Miniknog oppression has left them timid shells. While this was good for our original purposes, it now leaves us with an army of Apex who are incapable of serving us."

"The citizens are beginning to assert themselves. The Miniknog prisoners had overturned a vending machine and were stripping it of bananas and the like. The citizens approached and very politely asked them to stop. The Miniknog ignored them, and the citizens sheepishly left, but still, it's progress. I suggested to them that perhaps grovelling and begging is not the best way to show authority, but they just looked confused."

"It has become clear to me that Big Ape has created an army of useless Apex. Our Glorious Leader may be the most powerful being in the universe, but here he has been somewhat short-sighted. Thankfully I am the one tasked with fixing this. My first step must be to come up with a method of making the citizens more proactive, while still remaining in the thrall of the Miniknog. As such, I have scrapped the current experiment and converted the prison into a gladiatorial arena. Perhaps this shall yield better results."

"The first fights went down today. The Apex citizens versus a bunch of monsters we captured. This went pretty well. Only one casualty, and the Apex were perfectly capable of fending for themselves. The Miniknog helped by cheering them on and commanding them to fight. Turns out the Apex citizens are still formidable fighters when it comes down to it. Monster parts everywhere. Even the Miniknog seemed impressed. Big Ape watched via video link, of course, and expressed his concerns about the Apex being too competent, but he hasn't seen the thrall in which the Miniknog still hold them."

"Recently, I contacted my old friend Greenfinger. As usual, he came through for me, and provided me with what I asked for. Ten angry, rabid Florans, out for a fight. I questioned him as to whether they were prisoners, and he said no, they were just bored. I attempted to brief the Florans on how the battle should go down, but I don't think I got through to them. In fact, I narrowly avoided being impaled by a rogue Floran spear. Greenfinger did warn me, I suppose. Tomorrow, they shall fight my Apex."

"Well that's that experiment over for now. Nine Florans remain, and no Apex. And I don't just mean the citizens either, the Miniknog guards fell afoul of the Floran menace too. I tried to stop them, but Big Ape commanded me to let it play out. I admit, it was interesting to watch. The Apex may possess great physical strength, but the Floran outmatch them in all areas. Big Ape is plotting something. He told me to wait before restarting the experiment. I, in the meantime, have to herd nine angry Florans back into their quarters."

"Big Ape has tasked me with finding a way to ensure our Apex soldiers are capable of taking down a Floran with ease. I thought about the long, hard, gruelling training regimen this would involve. Even if we just focused on the Miniknog soldiers, it would take forever. No, something better is required. We need a breed of Apex who is stronger, better, faster than the rest. Front-line soldiers who are capable of leading the charge, and dealing the brunt of the damage. I've put in another call to Greenfinger. I know that Floran DNA is very malleable, and can be spliced rather easily. I need his permission to experiment on the Florans he sent, and knowing Greenfinger, he'll happily grant it."

"Unusually, Greenfinger had stipulations in regards to my experiments. I could do what I wished, as long as he was in attendance. He arrived at my lab moments after receiving my agreement, almost as if he'd been here the whole time. Being in the presence of Greenfinger is, as usual, disconcerting. Every time I turn around and see him, I am forced to ensure I don't recoil in alarm. Not that Greenfinger is the sensitive sort. He is a brilliant, brilliant scientist however. I feel like a child fumbling in the dark in comparison. Within half a day, he had perfected a theoretical gene-splice between the Florans and the Apex, and constructed a plan for slow-burning experimentation."

"Greenfinger entered the lab early this morning to find me working away diligently. I was attempting to deconstruct the Floran DNA strands in the hope I could find an even quicker solution to the DNA merge. Greenfinger lost his temper. I have never seen my friend behave this way. At one stage, I almost feared for my life. He smashed equipment, shouted and screamed. I began to suspect he was scared. This, in turn, scared me. Finally I calmed my friend down. He apologised, and I asked him to explain. And explain he did. His explanation shocked me to the very core. The secret he has been hiding for all these years... it could change everything."

"Greenfinger finally left, today. The experiment - following his plan, of course - is set to go ahead. I think he was hesitant to make an exit, after imparting certain knowledge upon me. He swore me to secrecy, of course. I am a respected scientist, and he knows that I value my oaths above all else. And yet... this information I have come to possess, the value it holds, is astronomical. I will keep quiet for Greenfinger, though. I shall say nothing. And he will never know what it means to me to have been brought into his trust, to share the burden of his secret, a burden he has carried alone for centuries. We will get through this, old friend."

Greenfinger

"Unhappy to have left the Apex compound. Sharing our species' secret is not something I take lightly. My acquaintance, the Apex scientist Doctor Lax, can be trusted. I have utter faith in her. And yet, this is not something I can leave up to faith. I was barely off-planet before putting the call in to Thornwing. The Ring of Thorns have been dispatched. No loose ends. It is how we've survived thus far, and how we will continue to survive. I am sorry, Doctor."

Dr. Lax’s Assistant

"Yesterday I was prodding and poking at tiny monster corpses, working out how they tick. Today, I'm assistant to the most brilliant Apex mind in history (aside from Big Ape, of course), working on a top secret, important project. It's funny how your life can change! I never thought my talent would be noticed, and yet here I am. Doctor Lax is a stern, serious woman. She's very focused on work. This suits me fine. Already, the lab workers who slack off have been let go."

"The experiments we are doing make me somewhat uncomfortable. Remember Randy, the guy I often complained about who never took the work seriously? Well, apparently he 'volunteered' as a test subject today. I've never seen a volunteer seem so resistant. We strapped him down, and began pumping him full of some kind of chemical or other. Thankfully, whatever it was seemed to have no effect on him, as he was back in the mess hall joking around that night."

"Last night, a calamity occurred. An intruder broke into our lab and trashed the place. Doctor Lax was incredibly edgy about it all. She spent hours looking to see if anything had been taken. It did not seem to have been. Randy was missing, though. Didn't show up for the second phase of his trials, not that they could go ahead. Doctor Lax put in a number of calls, and soon we were being transported off-world, to a secret location. It all happened so fast."

"Turns out, the plan is to keep our lab mobile, never staying in one place for too long. I asked Doctor Lax how this benefits the experiment, but she screamed angrily at me and told me to mind my own business. I am beginning to suspect that this change has nothing to do with our experiment, and everything to do with Doctor Lax. Just what is it she's running from? Am I in danger myself? Find out in the next exciting instalment of my blog!"

"Test subjects are coming in thick and fast now. They're divided into three groups, and then their treatment begins. There's the control group, obviously, then a group who are treated with Formula H and Formula F. I'm working on the Formula F test group. I'd love to share details on the experiment here, but even I can't risk that. It's very exciting though. However, it makes me uncomfortable realising that our test subjects aren't volunteers. Some are impoverished Apex citizens, but some are Resistance soldiers, captured. Of course, I should have no sympathy for them, but..."

"We came into the lab today to find all of the Formula H test subjects dead. Their bodies had just shut down. Doctor Lax treated it as if it was expected. Maybe it was. She's acting strange lately. I don't like it. Lax has her own experimental chamber, and there's definitely something in there. I hear noises. I'm often the last one in the lab, and I won't lie, it creeps me out. I hear growling, and banging on the doors, and sometimes even low sobbing. One day, I'm going to be brave enough to take a look. Just a quick peek. I've seen the access code Lax enters. I could get in. I just... I'm nervous. The test chamber is marked with so many 'danger' signs that I feel hesitant."

"We are to be visited by Big Ape himself. This is unprecedented. The atmosphere in the lab is one of excitement and terror. None of us have ever seen Big Ape in the flesh before! I have to admit, I get a fanboy shiver every time I think about it. In other news, Doctor Lax has become more withdrawn, working away in her experiment chamber at all hours of the day and night. I've had no opportunity to take a look. I'm almost relieved."

"The Formula F test subjects are producing great results. At least, that's what I'm told. I like to think I have a great understanding of my work, but even then, I can't fathom exactly what's going on here. It doesn't help that half the results are redacted. I feel like my role here is to press buttons and flip switches, and nothing more. Doctor Lax, when she bothers to emerge from her test chamber at all, simply snatches the results from my hand and stalks off. It's all very disconcerting. Lax has been especially jumpy lately, too. She's surrounding herself with Miniknog guards, even having them search us each day as we enter the lab. It's no longer an enjoyable working environment. Still, at least we have Big Ape's visit to look forward to."

"I'm writing this from beneath a desk. I'm hiding. If I don't make it out of here, spread my story. Make sure the universe knows what happened. I can hear gunfire, and screams, and a terrible, pained roaring sound. Big Ape arrived. Just knocked on the door and announced he was here. Of course, I threw it open excitedly. Doctor Lax, stepping out of her chamber, screamed for me to stop, but it was too late. A figure stood there, wearing an ill-fitting ape costume. Tearing off the costume, the creature tossed me aside. I've never seen a beast like it. It was sentient; it spoke to Doctor Lax, told her that her time was up, that the Ring of Thorns had found her. It began to chase her through the compound, as I cowered beneath my desk."

"The sounds of fighting had died down. I saw the creature, the assassin, stalking out of the building, seemingly content with its work. I waited, then cautiously made my way out, towards the test chamber, the door ajar. I peered inside, unsure of what I'd find. There, Doctor Lax lay slumped inside a large capsule, a syringe stuck in her neck, pumping what appeared to be a combination of Formula F and H into her veins. She was dead, of course. Whatever had been inside the test chamber originally was long gone. But Doctor Lax's notes remained. This... this changes everything. What we've been doing, what we've been working towards, it's an abomination. How could Big Ape condone this? My next blog post will blow this whole thing wide open. I'm going into hiding. I need to make sure I'm safe, and then I'm blowing the whistle on all of this. The Miniknog - Big Ape himself - must be stopped."

Dr. Lax

"Memories black. Feel... pain. Changes. I was... I was... I feel the formulas. Remember who did this. Remember. Florans. Thorns. Big Ape. All crush. All crush."

Big Ape

"How am I meant to further the Apex species when our labs get attacked? And by a member of the Ring of Thorns, no less. That Thornwing will get an earful next time we have cocktails. I sent my elite Miniknog guards to clean up the mess. Doctor Lax's body was gone. What kind of lunatic kidnaps a body! Oh well. Probably eaten by Florans. Managed to recover some of the notes and that, so I've hired another doctor to carry on with the research. On the plus side, my Miniknog spies were able to track down that annoying blogger who kept posting NDA-protected information. He's hiding out in a human prison, of all places. Might place a call to Thornwing to deal with him, I guess."

Exploring a Human Prison

Hewlett Deckard
"It's not often a Glitch bounty hunter finds themselves tasked with visiting a human settlement, and yet here I am. I will be honest; I'm not fond of humans. They appear Glitch-like but fleshy, without the hardy muscular physique of the Apex. Here, though, in this place, I can't help but pity them as a species. Misery and torment seems to exude from every surface. Graffiti marks the walls; cries for help and sinister warnings. Something bad walked these hallways. I can feel it."

"I am here on the behest of Platinum, tracking down an Apex who stole the locations of a number of Glitch Outcast camps. The Apex, I was told, had disguised himself as a human and promptly been thrown in prison. If he was here, however, he isn't any more. The place is desolate and ruined. It feels like it was a mistake to come here. Were I not made of metal, I imagine I'd be feeling chills run down my spine. I do not like this place."

"The further I proceed into the complex, the more evidence I'm finding of the villains who once dwelt here. Thieves, terrorists, murderers, the scum of the universe. Perhaps their evil became tangible and seeped into the very walls of this place. Or perhaps it is something more. The Glitch do not believe in the concept of an afterlife, but many other species do. Humans, though, seem to be the most prone to superstition. Ghosts, spectres, the return of their kind to life, but in a non-corporeal form. Perhaps it is the light playing tricks on me, but as I head onwards into the prison, I fancy I keep seeing movement out of the corner of my eye."

"I blacked out, earlier. Simply as if my body had shut down. The last thing I remember is a strange electromagnetic pulse, as if a current passed through my body, and then nothing. Diagnostics all scan okay, but I am wary. When I awoke, I had somehow crawled to a different room. I was lying on a prison cell bed, but I wasn't alone. A bald doll with one eye sat on the mattress beside me, staring. It appeared to be some kind of human toy. I scanned it for signs of life, then mocked myself for doing so."

"Something is watching me. I've descended so deep into this prison that the lights no longer work, and I'm forced to navigate with night vision. As I made my way down a corridor, my scanner flickered into action, alerting me to a life sign just behind me. I whirled around, and nothing. Every ounce of logic I possess wants to believe it is my quarry, hiding from me in plain sight, perhaps taking stock of his pursuer, but something - an intuition I only gained after severing ties with the hivemind - tells me it is not. I do not think my quarry has been alive for a long time."

"I awoke in the night to the sounds of wailing. There were two strange things about this. One, I had been asleep. My progress through the prison has been so slow that there has been no need to rest in order to recharge, and yet I was overcome with fatigue. Two, no life signs detected. None. And yet the wailing was clearly coming from within the room I found myself in. A low, tortured cry, unlike anything I've heard before. Unlike any species I've heard before. I am on the verge of abandoning my mission and turning back."

"What is it for a Glitch to know fear? I have felt it before, of course; it is a side effect of the severing. But this, this is different. The more I take in the history of the prison, piecing together events from scrawled messages and disrepair, the more I begin to feel human. This species, these humans, are lost and adrift in the universe. Would it not make sense that even their very souls, if such a thing exists, cannot find peace? They have an emotional range quite unlike that of any other species; a conflicting, terrible sea of confusion."

Scrawlings

"We heard 'em, back when we was locked up. They was everywhere. This place, all the places like this, evil to the core. We thought we left that suffering back on Earth, in the belly of a beast, but no. There's Mad Mary, searching for her lost baby. Dominic Darmanin, the axe murderer. Killer Betty Simpson, who loved a Floran. Anthony Muldoon, with his hook for a hand. And Harkaway Jones, the killer of the Apex. We hears 'em all. Most nights, they come out to play."

Hewlett Deckard

"I found a locked cell. Scans indicate a life sign from within. Something lurks in there. I know that, given the tools in my possession, I could get in. I know that I SHOULD, as it may be my quarry. And yet I hesitate. As I wait outside the door, I hear a voice whispering to me. It calls me by name, and by names I've never heard before. It talks of beings made of light, and beings made of darkness. It talks of a god that will swallow the universe. And it talks of humanity."

"I opened the door. The room was empty, save for a single chair, upon which sat the doll. I picked the thing up, and with a surge of anger, threw it on the ground and stamped on it. The plastic shattered beneath my foot. As I glanced up, a shadow passed across the wall, and the door behind me slammed shut. I fumbled, trying to get out, and finally as I did so, caught sight of a figure disappearing around the corner up ahead."

"I followed the shadow all throughout the complex. It led me on a merry chase, always one step ahead. But finally I caught up with it. It took a dead end, there was nowhere to hide. Now I wait outside of its sanctuary, building up my courage. This ends now. I am a Glitch. I do not believe in the soul, or spirits. I will prove this thing is flesh and blood, and if necessary, I will take it in. Hewlett Deckard will not be toyed with."

"This entry in the Steel Casebook is considered closed. No further details will be provided in this case. The mission is regarded as a failure, and the client has been refunded."

The Tombs

K’arn Hallowbeak
"Those who serve Kluex with passion and dedication in this life are said to regain their wings in the next. It is the Avians' ultimate goal; to regain the power of flight, and join our gods in the afterlife."

"There are many forms of Avian burial, and the method often comes from the last will and testament of the deceased. Some Avians choose to float off attached to large balloons, while others favour cremation. Many simply opt for burial, but it is only the most important Avians who end up interred in tombs. Our tombs are vast and many, and the Sunborn through the ages are said to rest in many of them. Of course, the locations of the Sunborn's corpses have never been disclosed due to potential looters, but any tomb one steps in could hold the body of a god. ",

"It is strange to think that our deities lie entombed amongst mortals. Strange to think of our gods dying, and yet all that remains is Kluex. May he live forever."

"Avian theology has changed much over time. The Clipped Council and the Stargazers have done their best to shed old customs, and many records have been lost in time. But some still exist, charting the history of our species, back to the days of the original Sunborn. To understand modern Avian life is to understand Avian history, and although my attempts to convince the Council of this fall on deaf ears, it is my belief that our history should be chronicled. We have but one god; Kluex, the almighty Sunborn. He who touched the stars. But before Kluex came many more, and none more important than the Sunborn Children, our seven original gods."

"Tomb Guards are regarded by other Avians as weird or creepy. The reason for this is because they willingly volunteer to live in a tomb for ten years. What others don't realise, though, is that being a Tomb Guard gives one plenty of time to reflect, to create, to plan. Some of my best works were prepared during my tenure as Tomb Guard. Tomb Guards also have to possess exceptional physical and mental skill. While it's never been documented in Avian history, it's entirely possible that a large armed group could descend upon a tomb, set on stripping it of its riches. As such, we spend many years reading up on how to deal with such a situation, until we feel we're ready for anything."

"It is common for some of the richest Avians to be buried with their worldly possessions. I have always found this a strange practise, but it transpires that many other species do the same. As a historian, it seems a shame to me to seal away sometimes-unique items, but I do also see the romanticism in being able to take your treasured things into the afterlife. However, because of this trend, Avian tombs are often the targets of robbery, hence the employment of Tombkeepers, individuals who dedicate their lives to living in the tombs for a period of no less than ten years."

“The Clipped Council serve as the bridge between the Flightless and the Stargazers. These martyred Avians were amongst the select few who retained the ability to fly, yet allowed Kluex to clip their wings so as to be able to empathise with his subjects. The Stargazers rule them, and ferry messages between the council and Kluex through their own powers of flight. Many regard the Clipped Council as the true heroes of Avian society. Willingly sacrificing everything for the good of our species, it is truly a noble pursuit. The Grounded, however, seem to have a particular aversion to the council, regarding them as corrupt old has-beens, perpetuating some kind of deception. Such paranoia is baseless and damaging."

“For as long as we can remember, our temples have contained sacrificial altars. Our god, Kluex, is merciful and just, and rarely demands sacrifice. But when he does, we comply. The blessed spilled blood fertilises the earth, allowing its power to transfer into the sky, keeping our Heavens alive. Many of the sacrifices are devout Avians, willing to give their lives for the cause. Some, however, are Grounded, or even on occasion other species. If the sacrifice resists, there is a method of sedation which we employ, a cocktail of nectar, sugar and pussplum juice. It serves to pacify and calm the sacrifice, leaving them ready to embrace Kluex."

Greenfinger

“The Avians have perpetrated a wonderful deception. The rumour that the corpses of their gods - their gods! - rest in their tombs has spread throughout the universe. Such rumours attract looters, and said looters make for a handy, never-ending source of live sacrifices, to use in their silly rituals. It is genius, even by my standards. Of course, the corpses of the Sunborn do not rest in random tombs. They are hidden away, together, in a place known to a select few. If all goes well, that information should be in my possession in due course. I would very much like to study the biology of a god."

Tombkeeper

"Today, my job begins. A job that many Avians do not know exists. I am the keeper of a tomb - a very special tomb - and it almost feels sacrilegious to write down why. But this journal is for my eyes only; within this tomb resides Harspex, one of the Sunborn. I have seen her tomb, once, when I was given the tour by a member of the Council. It is hidden deep within the bowels of this place, down hidden passageways and behind secret doors. I am not sure I will ever find it again, as is the intention."

"I've scoured this tomb from top to bottom, read every inscription, inspected every jar, opened every sarcophagus. I have nothing left to do. I've been here a week. I wish I'd brought a book."

"I caught an intruder today. A young Apex, dressed in black, creeping his way through the tunnels and corridors until I put a stop to that. I knocked the apeman unconscious and searched him. His clothing bore the insignia of the Miniknog. What could the Miniknog be after in an Avian tomb? Talk says that Big Ape is the richest being in the universe, so what could they possibly want to steal? I attempted to question the Apex, but before I could react he ate a poisoned banana he'd stowed in his sleeve, and was lost to me. I stored his body in a sarcophagus. I hope nobody notices."

"I heard noises today, deep within the tomb. I followed the sounds through darkened corridors, my torch flickering shadows on the wall, but I could not trace the source. I wondered, for a while, if another Miniknog agent had infiltrated my sanctuary. But the noise was different; not something trying to get in, but something trying to get out. I began to pull the lids off the sarcophagi, disturbing the bodies within, searching for one who may have been buried alive. Of course, the crumbling bones were unmoving. Yet still the sound persisted. A scraping, scrabbling sound. I will investigate further."

"I am losing my mind. I search and search but the sound continues. But no longer do I search for the source; I search for the entrance to the Sunborn tomb, for I know it is from there the sound originates. I believe one of our gods has awakened, and longs for release. I'll tear this place apart if I must."
Hiraki Coral

“So I'm trapped in a tomb. Been here for a couple of weeks, by my count. I can't find the way out. I triggered a secret door and, because secret doors are super exciting, went inside. It closed behind me, and now I'm stuck in some dusty set of tunnels. I'll find my way out eventually, of course, I always do. I'm surprised nobody's rescued me though; I sure have been making a lot of noise.”

Carved into the tomb walls

"Do not stand at my grave and weep
Get me out of here you fools
I was merely asleep."

Boss Stories

Dreadwing

"Gather round, and let us speak of Dreadwing the pirate. This vile bird once posed as a Glitch king, went toe to toe with a Floran, outwrestled an Apex, outflew an Avian, outdrank a human, and outpatronised a Hylotl. He's the self-confessed scourge of the galaxy, and cannot wait for the day when the rest of the universe notices. His latest plan is as fiendish as it is simple. Distress beacons. Curious explorers and pesky do-gooders can't resist the call for help. Then, as soon as they make contact, he's there, in one of his many custom UFOs, an army of angry penguins in tow. Nobody really knows what Dreadwing gains from these attacks. Analysts estimate that the destruction of UFOs must be costing Dreadwing hundreds of thousands of pixels. And yet, he persists, smashing his way through settlements and blowing up camps until eventually he's chased off, tail-feathers between his legs. Fun Dreadwing fact: Dreadwing's early UFO design did not allow him to destroy terrain, thus leaving him vulnerable to adventurers who hid themselves below ground."

Fatal Circuit

"The outcast Glitch, desperate to strengthen their numbers, came up with a plan. Outcast leader Platinum Ace approached a particularly volatile Glitch scientist, and together they drew up blueprints for a new form of Glitch; a better, more powerful being. Thus, the first Fatal Circuit was born. Initially, everything was okay. Then two seconds passed and Fatal Circuit malfunctioned, trying to kill every living being in the immediate area. After a lengthy chase, Platinum smashed Fatal Circuit with a handy nearby hammer, and inspected the wreckage. She was horrified to discover that the scientist had transplanted a monster brain into the robot, thus rendering it uncontrollably murderous. Deciding Fatal Circuit should never be recreated, Platinum buried the plans in a landfill in the desert, but recent sightings have suggested that someone has found and duplicated the Fatal Circuit blueprint. Fun Fatal Circuit Fact: Big Ape and Greenfinger once tried to improve the design by using a Floran brain, but for some reason the robot was just as savage and uncontrollable."

Bonedragon

"Dragons aren't real. That's the story told across all species. Even the Florans, the hunters of great prey, dismiss the idea of dragons as mere folly. Possibly because if they encounter one, they're too busy killing it to notice what it is. But dragons were real, once, at least if this reanimated bonedragon is to be believed. Lay down the right bait and the creature swoops in from the skies, scorching all in its path. Mindless, murderous, and completely lacking in flesh, it's a sight to behold. Where does it come from? Nobody knows. Even Greenfinger of the Floran is stumped. Perhaps it is the work of those strange, winged demons sighted on distant planets. Or maybe the unusual Agarans, the mushroom people who till the earth? Or perhaps it is the work of those mysterious, hooded figures adventurers have spoken of. Those cultists, who claim to possess a dark, necromantic magic, and whose hidden master has yet to play their hand... Fun Bone Dragon Fact: The only person to successfully tame a bonedragon is Hiraki Corale, who grew bored and released the creature minutes later. When asked, she claimed she had forgotten how she befriended the beast."

Jelly

"Jelly. A staple at children's parties. A tasty, wobbly snack. A fun food for all the family. At least, that is, until it sprouts eyes and tentacles and tries to slaughter you. No amount of ice-cream will make up for being eaten by a ravenous, gelatinous blob. This horrifying mockery of a dessert descends from the skies, wibbling and wobbling, its little jelly shot sidekicks ready to provide backup. It was your fault, of course. You laid that peanut butter trap. Everyone knows peanut butter attracts jelly. The worst part is, this jelly doesn't even taste nice. Nobody knows where it came from, what its goal is, or what flavour it might be. A Floran once claimed it tasted like chicken, but nobody is sure if a Floran really knows what chicken tastes like. Plus, chicken jelly? Let's not make this any worse. The only way to deal with this jelly is to stick a fork in it and declare it done. And by fork, we mean sword, axe or spear. Or shoot it. Or fire arrows at it. Or blow it up. Anything that results in the jelly exploding into horrifying, sticky globules counts as a win. Fun Jelly Fact: After the humans' first encounter with this creature, a fight broke out in the USCM barracks when some of the soldiers referred to it as jelly, and others referred to it as jam. In the end, the commanding officer decided it was called Brian."

Tentacomet

"Rocks can't hurt you, right? Wrong. They could fall on your head, or roll over you, or they could be harbouring a dangerous, ravenous tentacle beast just waiting to tear you apart. Lucky you, the latter roams the Starbound universe. Once lured in, the creature gazes upon its prey with its numerous eyes, shielded by its rocky outer casing, tentacles whipping and whirling around as it attempts to eat anything and everything in its path. But what is this unknown beast? Some say it's an octopus in a comet. Others insist it shares certain similarities with the tentacled behemoth that destroyed Earth. Perhaps, if some renegade adventurer hadn't cut it down, it would have grown to the size of a planet. Perhaps. Fun Tentacomet Fact: Greenfinger of the Floran was presented with a sample of the creature for study, but it mysteriously went missing. So did the next sample, and the sample after that."

Current Working Order:

1. The Would Be King
2. The Hell Logs
3. Origin Stories
3-2.Floran Savagery- A Look Into Floran Culture
4. The Humans
5. Platinum’s Rescue
5-2. Outcasts of the Glitch
6. Teaching a Floran to Write
7. Glitch, Outcasts, and Pos
7-2. The Big Ape
8. Out of the Air, into the Apex
8-2.The Way of the Flightless
9. The Ascendants
10. Ape research
11. Exploring a Human Prison
12. The Tombs
13. The Enemies of the Universe

 

wow, nice job! i tried to find all the codex's but things didnt work out for me lol, so thanks!!!! cant wait to read it all!

 

Really great job.

 

Nice, although I am not going to spoil mystelf. I am really interested in this Greenfinger fella. Do you have all the codex entries?

 

Thanks guys! And yes Scienta, this is every Codex entry aside from some of the starter ones like "controls" and "you're on a ship..." I was particularly interested in greenfinger too, which is what inspired me to dig into it. There seems to be 4 main character in the storyline, Greenfinger, Thornwing, Hiraki Corale, and Big Ape

 

Hm seems two short though. Why would they not give each race an important character.

 

I assume they plan on adding a lot more codexes and a lot more story.

Right now, the Glitch's Hewlett Deckard and Platinum seem important, but right now the Glitch story doesn't really play into the rest of what appears to be the central storyline. I also noted General Kale of importance for the humans, but the humans have very little going for them right now as well. I assume that will all change.

 

Well I guess I really can't say until I log them all myself. I love what they did with the stories. Feels like a real lore hunt.

 

I only read the ones you get at the beginning of the game, because I'm one who'd like to explore and find all the codexes myself. Good idea, though.

 

Yea this will be a good place to archive them all for a while until we have all the codices added

 

Yeah I can respect a lore hunt, but I really love the way the codexes are setup. There's a huge story that I'm hoping to piece together into chronological order in which I hope it will make a good story.

 

I respect the effort, but I can't deal with lore in these type of sandbox games. Just let me smack something.

 

Yeah, when I heard Starbound was really going to have a story, I was wondering how it would go. Creative Sandbox Games, as I like to call them, generally don't have stories (not the ones I've encountered, at least... Minecraft and Terraria). So this is something new.

 

It actually has a really interesting lore so far, I'm excited to see it expand. It reads like a story book.

 

Excellent job collating these.

 

Aw yeah, this is awesome! THANK YOU!

 

Thanks guys! Soon I will try to update the chronological order like I said, but it may not get done til friday.

*Update* I broke Hiraki Corale's tale into chronological story pieces. There are some bits that I'm having a hard time sorting, but I'm sure once I start putting together the whole story it'll become easier. She seems to stumble into Avian dwelling at multiple times which makes orginizing that tricky. For instance,

She offers herself up as an avian ascendant the same time Thornwing identifies himself, but Thornwing is a major character rather early in the story, so I can only assume Hiraki has been travelling for many many years.

If anyone has any ideas let me know!

I also updated Greenfinger's section because there is a good heap of it. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much story other than the hell logs. He more provides insight into various situations.

 

Getting a start on compiling full stories together. I'm hoping to find a stronger connection between the segment I have now and slowly piece it all together.

I will continue to self-bump updates in attempt to wade through the sea of beta. I finished a rough formation of the chapters. (The naming of the chapters [other than would be king] are mostly my own, and nothing to do with the codexes themselves). The chapters I have put up contain every (or almost every) codex in the game organized into a manor of progressive storyline, currently the chapters are not in chronological order, but I will work on that later. The last 4 chapters, are codexes that give insight into a culture or person, and don't really aid the story other than getting a feel for the culture or person, when trying to form one big story I may include them, but right now they are mostly out of place.

 

I have composed a working order for the chapters in which events should chronologically flow like a story book. Not everything mentioned is necessarily chronological, there is some overlap from chapter to chapter, and even within a chapter as perspectives change, but it is mostly in order for a straight read through.