Post by gamedave on Sept 11, 2014 13:31:09 GMT -5
PRECURSORS
CORVAX B CIVILIZATION
The CORVAX B civilization flourished circa 25-15 MYA (million years ago), and went extinct circa 11 MYA. It was originally identified on the planet Corvax, the second extinct civilization found on that planet (hence "Corvax B"). The Corvax B civilization was capable of interstellar flight, and its remains can be found throughout the Scylla Outzone. Distinctive chemical traces, often found in planetary ice-caps, are indicative of its presence on a planet.
The Corvax B civilization appears to have been highly utilitarian, with no known art work or representations of whatever creatures made up the civilization. Not even any residences have been conclusively identified. All known Corvax B artifacts are pieces of machinery. This machinery is generally of planetary geo-engineering scale. The number six and hexagon structures recur throughout virtually all known Corvax B artifacts. Virtually nothing else is known of their culture.
Based on environmental conditions on the planets where their artifacts can be found, and the general size and shape of hatches and access corridors in their mega-scale machinery, a few educated guesses can be made about their physiology. They were apparently somewhat larger than human size, and comfortable in similar atmospheric conditions, although they seem to have preferred slightly higher gravity and slightly colder temperatures than human average.
The home planet of the Corvax B civilization has not been identified.
STASIS FIELDS
STASIS FIELDS are highly sought-after Precursor artifacts. Several Precursor civilizations are known to have produced these artifacts.
Properly speaking, a stasis field isn't actually an artifact. It is actually an area of "frozen" space-time, which appears as a perfectly reflective sphere, usually a few inches to a few feet in diameter. A stasis field, for the most part, does not interact with the surrounding universe, and time apparently does not pass within it. Stasis fields do have mass and inertia, but otherwise are not affected by any known forces. A stasis field could plunge through the heart of star without any affect.
The only known way to determine what is inside a stasis field is to use a stasis field generator to create an identical stasis field in the same space - this "pops" the stasis field as the two fields apparently cancel each other out. There are only a handful of known stasis field generators in the entire galaxy.
The contents of a stasis field seem to vary wildly, with no rhyme or reason. Planet-cracking weapons, severed body parts, and a ham sandwich have all been found when a stasis field has been popped.
As a result of the difficulty of "popping" a stasis field and the strong chance that nothing of any value is actually inside, stasis fields are held at fancy prices. A collector might be willing to pay hundreds of thousands of credits for one - but it is also entirely possible for a Galaxy Hunter to go years before finding a buyer willing to pay even a few hundred credits.
Tone Vaults
On occasion, a stasis field may be found in a "tone vault". These vaults are usually found in areas which are difficult to access (such as buried under miles of ice on a remote moon), but the "vaults" themselves generally don't seem to have any defenses. In a tone vault, striking a wall at the right angle with the right material and the right amount of force will produce an octave of a tone; tone vaults have eight walls, each corresponding to a different octave.
The stasis field is held in the exact geometric center of the tone vault by unknown forces, and is apparently completely immovable. However, striking an octave will cause the stasis field to briefly vibrate out of position before it re-establishes itself at equilibrium back in the center. Striking the right set of octaves at the right frequency will vibrate the stasis field far enough out of equilibrium that it will drop to the ground, ready to be picked up a lucky Galaxy Hunter.
However, what novice Galaxy Hunters often don't realize is that the tone vault isn't holding the stasis field in place; rather, the stasis field is stabilizing the tone vault. Without the stasis field in place, the tone vault will begin to vibrate, imperceptibly at first, but quickly building in intensity to the point where it can shake a small moon to pieces.
CORVAX B CIVILIZATION
The CORVAX B civilization flourished circa 25-15 MYA (million years ago), and went extinct circa 11 MYA. It was originally identified on the planet Corvax, the second extinct civilization found on that planet (hence "Corvax B"). The Corvax B civilization was capable of interstellar flight, and its remains can be found throughout the Scylla Outzone. Distinctive chemical traces, often found in planetary ice-caps, are indicative of its presence on a planet.
The Corvax B civilization appears to have been highly utilitarian, with no known art work or representations of whatever creatures made up the civilization. Not even any residences have been conclusively identified. All known Corvax B artifacts are pieces of machinery. This machinery is generally of planetary geo-engineering scale. The number six and hexagon structures recur throughout virtually all known Corvax B artifacts. Virtually nothing else is known of their culture.
Based on environmental conditions on the planets where their artifacts can be found, and the general size and shape of hatches and access corridors in their mega-scale machinery, a few educated guesses can be made about their physiology. They were apparently somewhat larger than human size, and comfortable in similar atmospheric conditions, although they seem to have preferred slightly higher gravity and slightly colder temperatures than human average.
The home planet of the Corvax B civilization has not been identified.
STASIS FIELDS
STASIS FIELDS are highly sought-after Precursor artifacts. Several Precursor civilizations are known to have produced these artifacts.
Properly speaking, a stasis field isn't actually an artifact. It is actually an area of "frozen" space-time, which appears as a perfectly reflective sphere, usually a few inches to a few feet in diameter. A stasis field, for the most part, does not interact with the surrounding universe, and time apparently does not pass within it. Stasis fields do have mass and inertia, but otherwise are not affected by any known forces. A stasis field could plunge through the heart of star without any affect.
The only known way to determine what is inside a stasis field is to use a stasis field generator to create an identical stasis field in the same space - this "pops" the stasis field as the two fields apparently cancel each other out. There are only a handful of known stasis field generators in the entire galaxy.
The contents of a stasis field seem to vary wildly, with no rhyme or reason. Planet-cracking weapons, severed body parts, and a ham sandwich have all been found when a stasis field has been popped.
As a result of the difficulty of "popping" a stasis field and the strong chance that nothing of any value is actually inside, stasis fields are held at fancy prices. A collector might be willing to pay hundreds of thousands of credits for one - but it is also entirely possible for a Galaxy Hunter to go years before finding a buyer willing to pay even a few hundred credits.
Tone Vaults
On occasion, a stasis field may be found in a "tone vault". These vaults are usually found in areas which are difficult to access (such as buried under miles of ice on a remote moon), but the "vaults" themselves generally don't seem to have any defenses. In a tone vault, striking a wall at the right angle with the right material and the right amount of force will produce an octave of a tone; tone vaults have eight walls, each corresponding to a different octave.
The stasis field is held in the exact geometric center of the tone vault by unknown forces, and is apparently completely immovable. However, striking an octave will cause the stasis field to briefly vibrate out of position before it re-establishes itself at equilibrium back in the center. Striking the right set of octaves at the right frequency will vibrate the stasis field far enough out of equilibrium that it will drop to the ground, ready to be picked up a lucky Galaxy Hunter.
However, what novice Galaxy Hunters often don't realize is that the tone vault isn't holding the stasis field in place; rather, the stasis field is stabilizing the tone vault. Without the stasis field in place, the tone vault will begin to vibrate, imperceptibly at first, but quickly building in intensity to the point where it can shake a small moon to pieces.