Lore

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KEY FINDINGS:

– The Focus of Air, a huge primal power source crackling with roiling energy, hangs in the sky over Galeras. Both artifact and machine, this Focus alone could be studied for decades before scratching the surface. It is one of six that have been detected from orbit.

– Galeras is rife with conflict. The mystical Pell worship the Eldan as gods, but they compete with the mighty Falkrin,
masters of the Nexus skies, to seize control of the region. The Exile capital of Thayd’s central location means Galeras is also constant witness to skirmishes between the Exiles and Dominion.

-The Eldan created enormous, intelligent, and immensely powerful forms of life they dubbed the Primevals, each, like the Focuses, aligned with a particular primal element. Osiric, the Primeval of Air, is a being of tremendous strength and power. Both Falkrin and Pell worship him as a god.

CONCLUSIONS:

Both the Pell and the Falkrin of Galeras are fascinating examples of accelerated evolutionary development – or in the Pell’s case, evolutionary regression – due to concentrated exposure to primal energy. The Pell, we believe, were once a servitor race to the Eldan, but have come to worship both their former “Masters” and the Focus of Air itself. They have become skilled at manipulating primal energy, and attempted to sacrifice several XAS researchers as part of a powerful ritual.

Could
the Pell have been the end of the Eldan? This ability to control primal power may have been a surprise to the Eldan as well, and an open rebellion by their servants could have caused them considerable difficulty. There would certainly be evidence of such an uprising, however, even after centuries. This possibility seems remote – the Pell almost universally worship the Eldan to this day, so slaughtering them would make little sense.

The Falkrin, on the other hand, appear to have long shared a dislike of
“groundwalkers.” Now the Primeval they worship as a deity, Osiric, has commanded the Falkrin to go to war against all outsiders. Although FCON repelled their attack on the Exile outpost, Skywatch, the battle was hard fought, while the Falkrin – and Osiric – remain a threat.

Did the Falkrin attack the Eldan as well, or did Primevals like Osiric make the Eldan disappear the old-fashioned way – by consuming them whole? Unlikely, but the possibility cannot be completely dismissed.

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ADDITIONAL

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The XAS absolutely denies the scurrilous allegations that certain Mordesh members of the academy retrieved, prepared, and consumed Falkrin eggs. This is impossible, as socially functional Mordesh do not consume ordinary food. However, XAS field researchers do strongly suspect the Chua have already perfected the Falkrin egg omelet and are well on their way to a perfect Rootbrute steak.

Lore

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KEY FINDINGS:

-Rumors of a strange, mutated form of augmentation have proven true. The form of augmentation infecting the so-called “Ascendancy” does not rob the infected of conscious thought in any way, but instead offers many of the benefits of augmentation – increased strength, endurance, and overall health – while allowing the individual to maintain a modicum of control.

-The leader of the
Ascendancy appears to be Calidor Antevian, brother of the Dominion hero Toric Antevian. Now simply calling himself Brother Calidor, the former Vigilant cleric appears to be the primary infection vector for the rest of the cult.

– Augment Facility X426 is the source of this “ascendant” variety of augmentation. It also appears to be where the bipedal cyborg dubbed “Metal Maw” was created, which may help explain the unusual characteristics of the nanobiotic infection.

CONCLUSIONS:

The Ascendancy
appears quite interested in spreading their “gospel” of augmentation to the rest of the world as soon as possible, which may indicate their condition encourages this sense of urgency. An experiment like the creation of Metal Maw, if interrupted at the wrong time, could have left the augmentation nanites in a this kind of agitated state. That said, evidence from stolen Dominion records shows that Calidor Antevian was constantly overshadowed by his brother Toric, the “Vigilant Star,” who leads the
Radiant Legion. It is certainly possible his own feelings of inadequacy imprinted on the infection, leaving other victims vulnerable to his influence. The desire to spread the ascendant augmentation to others began immediately when Calidor’s group attacked the local Pell, attempting to turn them to the Ascendancy’s cause.

The XAS considers it extremely unlikely that ascendant augmentation had anything to do with the disappearance of the Eldan – there is no evidence it even existed in its current
form before Brother Calidor discovered it. Augmentation itself, however, has again proven a resilient suspect in the Eldan mystery, as the events at Augment Facility X426 show.

The only problem with this hypothesis is that there are currently no augmented Eldan wandering the planet, attacking newcomers. From everything we have seen of augmentation, this would be an inevitable result of such an outbreak. The possibility cannot be completely ruled out, but after meeting the Ascendancy many XAS
members have concluded augmented Eldan would probably have left Nexus to take over half the galaxy by now.

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ADDITIONAL

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There is, in fact, no “Metal Pa” or “Metal Paw.” Metal Maw is all on her own. Or his own. Frankly, we have so far had no volunteers to determine the correct pronoun to use.

Lore

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KEY FINDINGS:

-The Eldan conducted some of their most dangerous experiments not on the surface of Nexus but at hidden facilities on the Farside of moon Halon. Largely intact Eldan bio-domes still contain the results of ancient life experiments – many still alive and deadly.

-Eldan terraformers on Farside were operational for centuries resulting in completely incompatible biomes colliding. Mutant forms of creatures from the surface of Nexus can also be found
on Farside, along with more bizarre life forms more suited to vacuum.

-An infestation of squirg in the region has mutated due to prolonged exposure to primal energy and grown increasingly aggressive.

CONCLUSIONS:

Eldan terraforming technology was legendary in the greater galaxy once, and tales of their power to shape and manipulate entire worlds were widespread even in the days of the Cassian Commonwealth. And while such technology has been found on the surface of Nexus, the terraformers on
Halon’s Farside are in another class entirely.

Evidence indicates far more happened on Farside than terraformers left unattended, however. A natural disaster elsewhere on the moon appears to have nearly destroyed Halon in the recent geological past, and for now we can find no evidence the terraformers had any direct involvement. Farside’s terraformers and bio-domes show typical signs of abandonment now familiar from earlier investigations – not outright destruction – indicating the
disaster could have been natural. Although with the Eldan, that rarely seems to be the case.

This has led to a new guiding hypothesis for this research: there may have been no singular cause for the Eldan’s disappearance at all. It may have been a confluence of events with unexpected results that took even the ancients off guard. An asteroid could have struck Farside at just the moment the Eldan were busy fighting Megadroids. Mutated life forms could have found homes within abandoned technology,
leading to an outbreak of a mind-control parasite population. Rampant augmentation could have infested an as-yet-undiscovered Focus or Primeval. Some propose the Eldan may have truly ascended to godhood – and the Dominion is actually right.

One thing we do know: all evidence thus far has the XAS convinced the Eldan were not expecting to vanish. Their continued absence from galactic affairs more than a thousand years on seems to indicate the worst possible fate.

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ADDITIONAL

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Breathing apparatuses are required for survival over large stretches of the Farside surface. Dr. Lazarin has volunteered to provide helmets for Mordesh Exiles that socket into their existing biotech components. It’s rumored the doctor liberated them from a Grismaran ship he found adrift during the evacuation of his homeworld. The crew, all Ravenous, no longer needed them.

Lore

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KEY FINDINGS:

– The mysterious apparition that has been sighted across Nexus appears to be an Eldan-created being known as Drusera.

– According to Drusera, the Eldan’s sole purpose on planet Nexus was to create the “Genesis Prime,” a “perfect being” of some kind – although at this point it is unclear exactly what purpose such a being was supposed to serve.

– Drusera is the Genesis Prime.

CONCLUSIONS:

The observations within the exo-lab represent a landmark event in the ongoing investigation into the Eldan’s disappearance. Not only do we now have a clear idea about the true nature of the Nexus Project, it appears that we also have access to an individual who was created by the Eldan themselves, and may have been present at the time of their disappearance.

At this point we cannot fully ascertain whether or not Drusera is a reliable source of information, but datacubes found throughout Exo-Lab Prime seem to corroborate the important points of her story. It also appears that the Eldan had some difficulty developing the technology that was necessary to create the Genesis Prime, but that at some point designs for a “Protoplasmic Resonator” were mysteriously delivered by the leader of the Nexus Project.
The source of this advanced technology is yet unknown.

Details about the full capabilities of the Genesis Prime are still undefined, although a datacube entry by the virtual construct known as the Caretaker seems to indicate that its powers are virtually limitless. If Drusera is indeed the Genesis Prime, then her ethereal figure would appear to be little more than a means of communication, with limited power to affect the real world.
If this is the case, then where, exactly, is the real Genesis Prime located?

We believe that Drusera is now our most important link to discovering what happened to the Eldan, and whether or not it represents a danger to the Exiles on planet Nexus. We anxiously await her next communication.

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ADDITIONAL

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– The information concerning the true nature of the “mysterious apparition” seems to dispel the current rumor that Chua agents of DRED had infused Exile water sources with an unidentified psychotropic substance. Field tests on known psychotropics substances should cease immediately.

Lore

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KEY FINDINGS:

– The Eldan were studying an extremely virulent biological agent that they had designated “the Strain.”

– According to Drusera, the Strain appeared soon after the creation of the Genesis Prime. The details surrounding its origins are still disturbingly unclear.

– The Eldan were unsuccessful in developing an effective defense against the Strain. Given the horrendous condition of the infected organisms within Exo-Lab X-39, this fact is extremely
concerning.

CONCLUSIONS:

The information collected in Exo-Lab X-39 is both enlightening and disturbing. First and foremost, this facility had been tightly secured by the Eldan, who appeared to believe it required the highest level of quarantine from the outside world. It was only with the assistance of Drusera that we were able to bypass the advanced security measures and observe the organisms inside.

Those observations were indeed frightening. According to Drusera, the virulent biological
infection known as the Strain appeared not long after her creation. Datacube recordings reveal that the Eldan were both impressed and concerned with its capability to infect and transform any biological creature that it came in contact with.

Although the evidence is so-far inconclusive, it has been theorized that the Eldan were somehow responsible for engineering the Strain. What is clear is that they were unable to create an effective vaccine against its effects, despite the advanced level of their
technology. Drusera seemed particularly concerned by this fact. It appears that she was hoping to discover information to the contrary.

Could the Strain be what was ultimately responsible for the Eldan’s disappearance? If so, why haven’t we discovered any examples of the infection outside of this exo-lab? At this point, we seem to have more questions than we do answers. We can only hope Drusera contacts us again soon.

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ADDITIONAL

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– The XAS wishes to reiterate, particularly to the esteemed Dr. Lazarin, that XAS members are NOT authorized to obtain a sample of the Strain for their “own personal studies.”

Lore

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KEY FINDINGS:

– The origin of the Strain has now been identified. It appears that it was created by an intelligent biological anomaly that calls itself “the Entity.”

– The Entity was extremely interested in the operative who ventured through the portal into the cave, especially because of their recent interactions with Drusera.

– Based on the events in the cave, it would appear that the Entity has the power to create life based on another organism’s “primal
pattern.”

CONCLUSIONS:

Our search for the Eldan has taken a darker and more horrific turn. As before, our capable operative entered the portal that appeared at the archaeological site outside of Thayd – but instead of finding Drusera, they were confronted by a malevolent presence that eventually revealed itself as “the Entity.”

The frightening nature of this being can hardly be described in this report. Along with being physically terrifying, it seems possessed of advanced intelligence and an
intimate knowledge of the Eldan and their activities on planet Nexus. During the encounter, the Entity stated that it was also one of the Eldan’s creations, that it was responsible for the Strain, and that Drusera was not telling the entire truth of what transpired here.

The Entity seemed extremely interested in our operative, and was curious as to why Drusera had singled them out. Even more alarming, after subjecting our operative to a series of harrowing “scientific” tests, it used the operative’s
“primal pattern” to create a unique humanoid Strain mutation it called “the Skurge.” We can only assume that these abominations will play a future role in the highly volatile circumstances unfolding here.

It seems a foregone conclusion that the Entity had something to do with the Eldan’s disappearance, but the true nature of its involvement has yet to be discovered. Based on these most recent observations, we have delivered a strong warning to the Exile Council, and FCON has been put on high alert.
It appears that this Entity has larger plans, undoubtedly diabolical, and our ability to control the situation is questionable at best.

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ADDITIONAL

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– It has come to our attention that “Deadeye” Brightland has recently offered to “acquaint this Entity with some bullets.” Although we appreciate the bounty hunter’s willingness to offer his services,
it is the recommendation of XAS Logistics that we do not take him up on his offer. I have asked for volunteers to relay this information to Mr. Brightland, but none have yet come forth.

Lore

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KEY FINDINGS:

– The being known as Drusera seems to possess almost unlimited powers, including the ability to manifest matter using only her mind.

– The Entity is aware of Drusera’s capabilities and appears to be intent on somehow obtaining those powers for itself.

– Despite her apparent omnipotence, Drusera seems powerless against the Entity.

CONCLUSIONS:

The events which recently transpired within the alleged “pocket in time and space,” however
enlightening, do not bode well for the success of this investigation, nor for the survival of our fledgling Exile civilization on planet Nexus.

One fact does indeed seem certain: that the power of the Genesis Prime, the being we now call Drusera, is almost limitless. On many occasions during this most recent encounter, she appeared to possess the ability to manifest matter and create life at will. This very fact alone might be considered the most significant scientific discovery in our history, or
perhaps in the history of the universe itself.

Taking into account all of our collected knowledge about the Nexus Project, it would seem that the purpose of the Genesis Prime was to facilitate the Eldan’s desire to perfect creation – and from our observations, it would appear that they were successful. Drusera is gifted with near-omnipotence. There is almost nothing that she is incapable of.

Yet the threat of the Entity looms ever larger. Drusera greatly fears this biological abomination, and her
powers seem considerably less effective against the Strain. Despite her assurances that our operative was safe inside the anomalous space-time location, the Entity and its minions appeared there and destroyed everything that Drusera had so easily created. During this event, Drusera herself fled the scene – seemingly frightened to confront the Entity face-to-face.

Drusera has stated on more than one occasion that the Entity wants her powers for itself. If that eventuality were to somehow take place, the
consequences for planet Nexus, as well as the universe beyond, would be unimaginably catastrophic.

What conclusions can we draw at this point? The fate of the Eldan is somehow inextricably tied to the creation of the Genesis Prime, as well as the emergence of the Entity. But the relationship between these two is complex and frustratingly opaque. We can only hope that Drusera can give us further insight into what is happening before it is too late for us all.

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ADDITIONAL

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– Commander Stonebreaker’s most recent request has been soundly rejected. The supply requisition stating that his troops need increased beer rations “because of science” will under no circumstances receive official XAS approval or sign-off.