Featherscale

Combined Commonwealth of Glix (GCC) Prime Minister Dmitr'Hesk, The Parrot's Voice, Head of the Outer Duma Region 84, Parrot's Perch Game years 22-24 14 years since the year of Jubilee Resources Embassies= White Pawns, Arkhive Trade Routes= Glorious Purifiers Wealth: 0->(0 spent) 1 Income= 1/round cultural specialization: buyouts Space Units: 2 Mega-Dreadnought 7 Macaw Basillica of War: The Anvil Ground Units: 3 Carrier Groups: Wrath, Exoddus, Soulstorm Reputation: BRG 2 EMP 0 PTW 1 Favors: BRG 0 EMP 1 PTW 0 Diplomacy 4 Mil 2 Eco 5 Faith 5 Int 2 1. Diplomacy- Attend an event 2. Economy 5- Invest, creating TP 15.3 3. Economy- Explore 118 4. Faith 5- Create an Artifact 5.Faith- seek aid on my exploration ARKHIVE: History: ARKHIVE: Philosophy: ARKHIVE: Culture: ARKHIVE Notes: The Coeddite Glix continue to return to Sansar, attempting to settle the Arkhive colony on Aridyin. Expected growth: +1 Economy, +1 Faith

VOTES Snimt'Arkhive endorses both measures, the GCC government does not contradict him.

An elderly Worker on a slender wheeled prosthesis takes to a microphone. He wears no hat, indicating he speaks on his own authority under Glic sumptuary traditions. He wears white, a color none of the attendees have likely seen on a Glix. The color of mayoralty, an office disbanded outside living memory. "Welcome, friends, to the Hexenniel! I am Snimt'Arkhive, Elder Brother of the Glic colony that lives under Queen Constance's suzerainty and the Glic Hive City we are forming here. It is an experiment not tried in over a thousand years! Tonight I wish to talk about freedom. For too long, the Arkhive has lives under the control of outsiders, beholden to off-planet interests hostile to Coedd and, in all probability, the Arkhive itself. We live in a dangerous world, and, even besides sane greed leading to assault, we have seen the tragedy of fanatics and lunatics randomly attacking innocents for mad reasons all too often in recent years. The more the Arkhive associates with any one bloc, the more that bloc's enemies might begin to question out neutrality, and even feel justified in attacking us. The Combine and the Llort are very close these days, and both have had many dealings with the Jy'mar. Given the generous nature of these three policies, the Arkhive might become a catspaw of their alliance... So, as the former Prime Minister of the Combine and current Elder Brother of the Glic Colony on Aridyin, I ask for the following ammendment: No Elect, regardless of points earned in the race to become Patron, may become Patron if they were Patron in the current or previous cycle of selection. In effect, 12 years must pass before any one elect might be eligible after they pass the Patronage off. They may still submit to the Arkhive and be ranked accordingly."

Glim'Bosk convinced her sister and Dmitr'Hesk to come with her to Mageball to peddle her new technology. "It would be fun", she said. Her sister, a traditional Queen, did not deign speak, but her herald let it be known she had tentative interest, but was skeptical. Dmitr'Hesk, a very important member of the Outer Duma, thought this would be a great way to get his name out there, by associating with a famous freethinker and a traditional Queen, both representing the glory of the Combine. He was also an uncommonly powerful medium and guided the twins into a dyad, something normally only formed by Nymphs. They each took our their reverse theramins and started humming, practicing using the Lepkashramov devices to gain telekinetic power... ...after some practice, The Freeholding Queen decided she would enter, as only one of the three could participate and the other two were busy.

Combined Commonwealth of Glix (GCC) Prime Minister Chif'Blak, The Parrot's Voice, Head of the Outer Duma Region 84, Parrot's Perch Game years 19-21 11 years since the year of Jubilee Resources Embassies= White Pawns Trade Routes= Glorious Purifiers Wealth: 4->(4 spent) 0 Income= 1/round cultural specialization: buyouts Space Units: 2 Mega-Dreadnought 7 Macaw Basillica of War: The Anvil Ground Units: 3 Carrier Groups: Wrath, Exoddus, Soulstorm Reputation: BRG 3 EMP 0 PTW 0 Favors: BRG 1 EMP 1 PTW 0 Diplomacy 6 Mil 5 Eco 10 Faith 2 Int 2 1. Diplomacy- Attend Mage Ball! Sub action- donate 4 Treasure to the Imperial Extraordinary Research project. Sub-action- Give Tesseractic Storage and psuedogravity engineering to MSQ in exchange for their donations to the Empire Sub action- trade Tesseractic Storage to SEV for Translight receivers Sub-action- trade Tesseractic Storage to HOB for Thaumonuclear Cores Sub-action- Trade Tesseractic Storage to CAS for Android industrialization Sub-action- trade Tesseractic Storage to BCC for Hacking fields Sub-action Trade Tesseractic Storage to TEA for Shrewd Business Sub-action- Trade Tesseractic Storage to SCM for Lazer rifles Sub-action- Give Tesseractic Storage to TWI for the expectation of future payment. Sub-action- trade Tesseractic Storage to LSP for Space Suits Sub-action- Accept Shrewd Business and Thaumonuclear Cores from ARK Trade Tesseractic Storage to anyone else who gives me a tech and/or donates to the Empire's Extraordinary Research 2. Diplomacy- Attend the Hexenniel Trade Tesseractic Storage to ISH for Shield Generators(?) 3. Diplomacy- Raise WTU rep success!? 4. Economy 10- Invent Tech: Tesseractic Storage requires: magical material, psuedogravity engineering. effect: -1 to distance penalties for economy actions. Inspired by Queen Constance's purple beehive dress, Glim'Bosk figured out how to bend objects into 4D superstructures with Lepkashramov. This technique causes the mass and carrying capacity of an object to scale to a higher exponential degree than implied by volume 5.Economy buyout Lawyers 81.1 Sources of Circuits are scarce on the ground, but Chif'Blak has an in with some lawyers... Non-actions: Ask the BRG to convert the Coeddite minority in Parrot's Perch to the Imperial Cult Give WTP Tesseractic Storage via our Embassy. Accept Arkhive embassy Arkhive submissions: ARKHIVE: History: Fumomamcy, the lost art It is said, in the time before the Exoddus to Mekhala, the Glix had a second magical form, the use of smoke to foretell future events and send messages. Truly great fumomancers might have found other uses for the art. But it was abandoned because it was dangerous and impractical in microgravity. Now, on Aridyin and in the Arkhive, the art is being reinvented. The Bees... have mixed feelings. ARKHIVE: Philosophy: Intent versus results The Glix, as have been mentioned, lack a formal school of analytic philosophy. However, they do have certain threads in common in their beliefs. Chief among them is a disregard for intentions and thought-process in judging actions. This leads to many confusions with outsiders, such as the recent shock at the attack on the Basu-Ramen Group for "promotion of slavery" when analyzing the incident made it quickly apparent they did not, technically, succeed in trafficking Slaves, despite their apparent willingness to abett such a crime. This, to be clear, was not out of a disregard for the immoral nature of slaving, but a mental block regarding how actions are to be adjudicated. ARKHIVE: Culture: Glazz, the new synthesis Over a decade after the breakthrough in Glic Music following the exposition at Badal, a new genre of music is swamping the airwaves in The Glic. Glaze! This form combines traditional Glic Ballads with polyphonic and polyrhythmic common to the Coalition, creating long, extremely elaborate forms. Indeed, this rejection of sonic minimalism common to traditional Glic Forms has been likened to the Baroque schools of other Mekhalan polities, such as the Dwarves and Exiles. ARKHIVE Notes: The Coeddite Glix continue to return to Sansar, attempting to settle the Arkhive colony on Aridyin. Expected growth: +1 Economy, +1 Diplomacy New Leader: election bonus: +1 Econ, +1 Faith Heir Stats: Shadow Prime Minister Dmitr'Hesk Diplomacy 4 Economy 5 Military 2 Faith 5 Intrigue 2

Chif'Blak, at the urging of his lawyers, never actually makes it to Veerha... There are concerns a colony ship headed by the Prime Minister stealing things might send the wrong idea to the xenophobic natives.

'Wow! I hope this isn't some kind of omen! One more time! 305!" After the results: "I'm bad at gambling! Isn't that fun, dear?"

Glim was conspicuously avoiding the Coeddite contingent her daughter had been with moments before. She was daydreaming of hexes and grids overlaying woven waves... "Hmm... another, please. 305. 6 and 5 and 2 plus one. Beautiful..."

Glim sushes her daughter and bows to the Sansarite diplomats before leading the party away. She catches a glimpse of the arrival of the dashing Queen Constance. She has no opinion on the aesthetics of the human form, but is wowed by the artistry of her dress. She resolves to pay respects to the leader of the Biarbu while here. Such a forthright and simple people, whose leader has a day job, rather than being a fulltime lawyer! Such was the tradition in The Combine, and she was gratified these strangers didn't keep to the elaborate double-speak and fake faces that so impressed humans. But first, she should play a game. She determines the best odds are probably for the one called Path of Destiny. Using her reverse theremin, she manipulates 305 chits to the attendant... "Let's see my path, eh?" Her daughter cringes in embarrassment, as daughters are wont to do.

The Combined Commonwealth of Glix Chif'Blak was a temperate, moderate Glix. He was not a Slingidite extremist like Snimt, an iconoclast like Glim, a libertine like Rofl, or mighty like The Hammer. He was just an elderly Worker lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. And no one could fault him. He brought food for hatchlings and gravity for the poor. He was a point that the rule of law could coalesce around when Snimt had his breakdown. But... but... he wasn't exciting. He would show them. For once, in his long, dull life, he would shine. He carefully studied the rules, flaunting Slingidite traditions regarding intent versus meaning. He contracted one of the dire Battle Lawyers under the Suzereignty of The House of Fire, to ensure there was not some human misunderstanding on translation. He sought out an Etceteran clerk-lich to offer a second opinion. When they all came up the same, he submitted a point of clarification to Al-Miraya. The answer was unambiguous. A vessel needed to have one pilot and no crew. Scale and cargo were not addressed. The Raum team that entered previously were hyper-minimalist, not even offering a sealed cockpit. Chif'Blak decided to err in the other direction. He double checked with the Elder Brother of Blak, and selected a Barracks that was serving as an administrative hub. Then he carefully, with clear airgapping the controls, and a dedicated command module, built a spaceship around it. A serious bureaucrat like Chif couldn't harry off for half a year to be in a race. But... he could take his work with him. And so, the Blak Comet was wrought. The VIP dome A Herald, with the signature top hat and the typical rotary flying harness, floats, as though there were no gravity. It is a mark of the power of his psi that no one noticed him enter. "I speak for the Outer Duma and Chif'Blak, their head. I speak for a plurality of the Inner Duma, as well." "We Glix are concerned about Coedd and deeply interested in your project. We are willing to share with you that, after consulting with various Mekhalan governments, we have reached a compromise. Those of our population effected by the outreach of Coedd and backing their irredentist agenda will get their wish. They can go home. The rest of the universe belongs to Slingid, in his persona as The Emperor, or The Primarch, the Bard, the Progenitor, or whichever name we choose to identify the force which drives progress."

The Nymph nods at the Purifier as she spills her seemingly friendly stream of consciousness.... "Another card for the Nymph, please..." The strange brains of the Biarbu are utterly closed to Glic Telepathy, the Nymph realized. This dealer needed to be spoken to... ...just not by her. While her mother could do as she pleased, a proper Royal was above gross physical speech. Third card (9) At this point, Glim catches up with her daughter. "Oh, sweetheart, don't tell me you were gambling?" Sigh.

The Combined Commonwealth of Glix Glim'Bosk found herself, again, the goodwill ambassador of the Glix. It seemed, sometimes, no one else cared enough. Given the whole fiasco with that rogue Brother, this was very short-sighted. But... oh, well. At least a luxury vacation wasn't onerous. She was surrounded by a troop of armed Bosk Workers, and carried on her illustrious palanquin. Her daughter, grown to the size of a Worker at 8 years, waddled quickly behind her mother, but not quickly enough to escape the watch of her guards or the bevvy of drones she was betrothed to, nor the Klox the drones coordinated like a school of vicious fish. Her daughter, like almost all Nymphs, spoke rarely, and didn't like to have her name spoken. But she was at the center of the Comet of activity that surrounded the diplomats, even now, unfused, eclipsing the remedial psi of the great artist and engineer. That luminary was lost in visions of wings... Nymph'Bosk continued waddling... to the Blackbird table. She paused expectantly... And continued... ...and waited... After a pause, a Worker coughed. "One might deal in The Nymph. Her credit is good via the Combine. The Nymph also extends greetings to the Representative from our friends, The Purifiers."

Combined Commonwealth of Glix (GCC) Prime Minister Chif'Blak, The Parrot's Voice, Head of the Outer Duma Region 84, Parrot's Perch Game years 16-18 8 years since the year of Jubilee Resources Embassies= White Pawns Trade Routes= Glorious Purifiers Wealth: 5->(5 spent) 1 Income= 1/round cultural specialization: buyouts Space Units: 2 Mega-Dreadnought 7 Macaw Basillica of War: The Anvil Ground Units: 3 Carrier Groups: Wrath, Exoddus, Soulstorm Reputation: BRG 1 EMP 0 PTW 0 Favors: BRG 0 EMP 1 PTW 0 Diplomacy 6 Mil 5 Eco 8 Faith 2 Int 2 1. Diplomacy- Attend Casino Opening Sub action- bet 1 Treasure, and an additional treasure on behalf of the Arkhive Sub-action- transfer my general (The Hammer) and region 100 to the Arkhive. Betting isn't the Glic way, but the prize is too much to pass up. While there, the coalition government dumps toxic assets. 2. Buyout TP 36.3 (oil) (Success!) After the shocking events in Sansar, the Irridentists, always a minority, are shunned by the Duma. Project Homecoming is scrapped and the Glix look outward! To do this, ironically, they will need fuel from the Fiorids. 3. Economy Build RBG base 1/3 4.Economy Build RBG base 2/3 5.Economy Build RBG base 3/3 The Ministers of Slingid seek relevance... ...in the typical Glix way of making money talk. Non-actions: Arkhive submissions: ARKHIVE: History: On the Ur-Hive theory Some historians now believe the Glix once lived in Hive-cities on Chonkia before a series of devastating wars led to a massive die-off of Queens. The few survivors, it is now theorized, were betrayed or enticed into the captivity of a paleo-Kanite society living in what is now The Reserve. Though little more than speculation, this die-off is compared to the smaller mass-die-off of Nymphs several hundred years ago and believed to be the result of internal warfare rather than external pressures. Since it happened before the War of Eternal Bombardments, and thus long before any reliable records might still exist, this cannot be assumed as truth, but it would explain the strong ethic of resolving conflict by arbitration that led to the last major conflict between Glix to break out by psionic suborning of Queens, not direct warfare between those directly involved. ARKHIVE: Philosophy: Writing Much has been made of the Glix distrust of writing, but rarely is it discussed in terms of its rationalization. The Glix value sincerity and honesty above most everything else. It is said they will "forgive malice before doublespeak." Writing, being limited by its lack of tone, body language, and clear indication as to to the context and circumstances of the author speaking, is suspicious to them. Audio recordings, ir, better yet, telepathic impressions, are better able to keep this, so are less suspect. The idea Glix are stupid, unable to read by nature, or are individually ignorant or incurious, is a stereotype best discarded. Many Glix artists, scientists, and wizards exist, even if they rarely write down their notes. ARKHIVE: Culture: Cursing! Glix are rare among sophonts for being completely sexless. Queens are created by a Nymph fusing with drones, and Workers do not reproduce at all. As a note- All Glix are actually chimerae of 4 or more karyotypic individuals, Reproductives being octoploid and Worker's being tetraploid. This means Glic evolution is very slow compared to most other life forms, but each individual Glix is extremely hardy due to the complementary and redundant immune systems of each karyotype. Glix, compared to vertebrates, are able to regenerate, accept organ transplants more easily and do not develop allergies. They are also very resistant to viruses and bacteria. They are, however, more susceptible to fungal infection, parasites, and certain cancers. All of this means that insulting curses tend to be about unsymmetry or parasite load of an unpleasant individual, or comparing a Queen to a Worker, but never directly referring to specific actions, as no action exists in their experience to reference. A common insult is to liken an individual to a piece of editted prose. "STAT" "Proofrwritten" and "cited" are all variously used in insulting context by Glix. ARKHIVE Notes: The Hammer is put out of her own Basilica and sent to the Arkhive with 500 of her closest retainers (mostly her own sons and a few of her brothers) and one of her daughters and her retainers follow shortly. All formally denounce Slingid in favor of Coedd and The Arkhive. Other: Sign onto EAT Expected growth: +2 Economy New stats: Diplomacy 6 Mil 5 Eco 10 Faith 2 Int 2 Heir Stats: Shadow Minister Dmitr'Hesk Diplomacy 3 Economy 3 Military 2 Faith 4 Intrigue 2

GLIX COMBINED COMMONWEALTH Sansar's Glic population was, currently, Two Independent Queens, one Queen of Glek Teivosk, one Queen of Raum Teivosk, 5 Nymphs of no affiliation, 1993 Workers, and 20 drones. Each drone is protected by a pack of vicious klox it has charmed to its will. They are currently at residence in the Arkhive, though they maintain Embassies in Kan and the Moonsoul Mountains, and have sent researchers onto Aridyin. The Drone, in as much as it thought, thought this place smelled nice. One day, decades from now, it would fuse with a Nymph and a couple other Drones, and they would become a Queen. It did not know this, but it's Instinct told it to flock to the company of Sophont Glix who would guard and feed it. That elderly Worker was worried about something, but the Nymph seemed cheerful. The Drone entered the mind of its pet klox, and it sniffed better than the Drone could. None of the pack of klox the Drone lead, no the Alpha or its kloxies, sensed anything amiss... Snimt'Glek worried every day that this many female Glix in one place was an existential threat, for a target this rich, protected only by the Arkhive's nonexistent military, was too rich for their enemies. That such wasn't unusual historically speaking, or that neither the Glix nor the Arkhive had enemies, were not thoughts Snimt considered. The Raum Nymph, the first Royal in 23 Jubilees to be born in a Hive, didn't think about her safety or historical precedent, either. She was more interested in the future. Here, they were unlocking secrets even the ancients had never cracked. Above her, on Aridyin, they were laying the groundwork for the great project that would return the Glix to Sansar. Her Sons, and, one day, her daughter, would be born under a sky, in a proper land made to welcome her people.

Combined Commonwealth of Glix (GCC) Prime Minister Chif'Blak, The Parrot's Voice, Head of the Outer Duma Region 84, Parrot's Perch Game years 13-15 5 years since the year of Jubilee Resources Embassies= White Pawns Trade Routes= Glorious Purifiers Wealth: 5(none spent)-> 5 Income= 0/round ->(1/round?) Hide thil Space Units: 2 Mega-Dreadnought 7 Macaw Basillica of War: The Anvil Ground Units: 4 Carrier Groups: Wrath, Exoddus, Oddyssey, Soulstorm Reputation: BRG 1 EMP 0 PTW 0 Favors: BRG 0 EMP 1 PTW 0 Diplomacy 7 Mil 5 Eco 7 Faith 1 Int 2 1. Military- Invade Region 14 on behalf of the Bironian Bulwark. Commit 2 space and 4 land units. Rofl'hesk, now called Rofl'Biron, seeks to avenge Shi Lithium and become ArchKnight! The Hammer (General Mil 7) leads the Glix Fleet, with its ship-like APC's carrying slow moving, heavily armed troops and backed by giant Dreadnoughts. She is doing a favor for her Grandson on behalf of the Inner Duma. She chooses a conservative tactic of a Measured Advance. 2. Economy- Colonize 100 Success The Fiorids attempted to claim jump us, maybe? It isn't clear. We are proceeding as though there will be no obstruction. 3. Economy- Buyout TP 30.3 Success The economic scale of The Glix is expanding with the new Jubilee. A secondary food source is secured. 4. Faith- Seek Aid on TP buyout. 5. Faith- Seek Aid on colonizing The Reverends of Slingid raise power amid social unrest. They accomplish little. Non-actions: Arkhive: Philosophy: On Order The Glix believe strongly that debts should be paid. This is why they declined the loan from the Union and why they pay their taxes. The Union asked for terms the Glix would not meet, but the Empire paid upfront with their Engines. They believe in saving and thrift. The Glix, are, at heart, creatures of order, and things being wrong upsets them. So, when Rofl'Biron petitioned the Czarra to avenge Shi Lithium, he hinges his appeal on one thing- a thing the sagas pivot on: He was a loyal servant, bent into something that never existed before, and, in his judgement, this was what he thought needed doing. He was owed for the changes done to him by Snimt'Glek, but, more importantly, he was a psionic prodigy before he was turned into a Brother. The Brother program supercharged his psi, and the psi of Workers is based on perception. He felt this needed doing, and he was a finely-tuned instrument of feeling. There was only one response to that, for a Glix. Arkhive: Literature: The Ballad of Biron, part 1 A commodity That was traded as an egg So I became, Rofl Freedom isn't free All are Slaves to circumstance So I became, Hesk Born a prodigy Puissant like my grandmother Reborn a Brother Unlike the others Mooncalf, no longer a Worker Reborn a Soldier And Shi Lithium Accross the circle Well met, true hero And, too soon, away Fallen, never to return Farewell, true hero They seek now vengeance And I call, Mother's Mother Be theirs, oh Hammer I become Biron Brother, Soldier, Prodigy Bring peace, true hero Arkhive: Culture: The Czarra and the Inner Duma Generally speaking, most Glix Workers have two representatives in The Duma, their Outer Duma representative, appointed by the Elder Brother of their Teivosk, and their Line Mother, their eldest Female relative, who sits in the Inner Duma. According to legend, the leader of the Inner Duma is a transcendent being called the Czarra that was thr original creation of Slingid and lives in the minds of every Queen. The Queens do not speak in words, and, when they do communicate with Workers, it is almost always with one voice. Which is not to say Workers cannot communicate with them. In practice, a Worker can petition their Line Mother for an audience and it will be granted. In theory, this isn't necessary, they can just pray to The Czarra and it will be heard. But the Czarra replying directly is the stuff of legends. Some skeptics, most notoriously Glim'Bosk, doubted The Czarra was a real entity... Until Rofl'Biron asked the Combine Government to intervene in the Bironian Civil War. ARKHIVE note: The Migration or birth of 2003 Sophont Glix and a population of Drones makes the Arkhive the biggest Glix population besides The Blackcloud Coalition, and the presence of 4 Queens and 5 nymphs marks this as the only Glic Hive in existence. Expected growth +1 Economy, +1 Faith New leader: No New stats: Diplomacy 7 Mil 5 Eco 8 Faith 2 Int 2

Rofl'hesk knows he isn't going to win. That wasn't the job. Frankly, the prize, such as it was, was more headache than reward, given the Combine's careful neutrality in the various wars breaking out between the humans. But he was here, and he would try to make a good showing! [Failed bbcode entry] KDvPrisca:2d6+5 PVvPrisca:2d6+1 CSFvPrisca:2d6+6 KDvLithium:2d6+5 PBvLithium:2d6+1 CSFvLithium:2d6+6 KDVS.ADVISORHARPER:2d6+5 PBvsADVISORHARPER:2d6+1 CSfvSr.AdvisorHarper:2d6+6 KDvBCC:2d6+5 PBvBCC:2d6+1 CSfvBCC:26+6 KDvArtavasdes:2d6+5 PBvArtavasdes:2d6+1 CSfvArtasvasdes:2d6+6 KDvMoniteEbonne:2d6+5 PBvMoniteEbonne:2d6+1 CSFvMoniteEbonne:2d6+6 KDvEighbris:2d6+5 PBvEighbris:2d6+1 CSfvEighbris:2d6+6

COMBINED COMMONWEALTH OF GLIX Having sufficient evidence to allay the Centrum Party's irrational fears that known pirates doing open piracy on the far side of Tekhum was a more sinister plot than it already was, Rofl'hesk relaxed... He realized, belatedly, that coming alone on a hitched highliner, he might not be taken seriously as a diplomat. That was okay, few in The Combine took the Black Cloud seriously as a country. Sending actual heralds and parliamentarians instead of a single super-soldier could have resulted in a different welcome. He was here for two things: to double check the spies' reports, and to fight. Rofl'hesk, Glix Super-Soldier, enters the arena! A product of unsavory experiments by a discredited politician, Rofl'hesk is one of an elite group called The Brothers. They are grown the size of human children and have enhanced empathic and clairvoyant abilities. Knightly Duel: MILITARY +5 A Super Soldier is a soldier first, super second. Pirate Brawl: INTRIGUE +1 Who needs tradecraft when you have ESP? This guy! Caged Streetfight: ECONOMY +6 One of Slingid's Prototypes, never intended for mass production. This 'giant' Glix is pumped full of combat enhancing drugs and hormones. He is riding the scariest prosthetic legs around. (Glim'Bosk herself built on them on commission!) Rofl'hesk's gear wasn't cheap.

THE COMBINED COMMONWEALTH OF GLIX The Herald speaking for Slingid looked shocked that he was actually going to defend his position. This was already going better than he dared hope! "The way of Slingid is not one of decline! It is a faith of growth! We seek to ever grow stronger and more able, to meet the challenges we are given by The Parrot. "As for our disdain for writing, it has been overstated. In The Glic, conventional writing has long been replaced by Lepkashramov devices. Even then, scientists and specialists often learn the skill to better interface with foreign technologies and documents. The proscription is about integrity. A recording, even a simple audio tag, is analog and can therefore record basically unlimited nuance and information. Any written text is digital, definitionally. It must be doubly limited by the poet ability of the scribe and the capacity of the reader to understand. We would hope more people adopt our ways, but it is less a major sin than a tradition, to most Slingidites." The Herald working for The Hammer pitched uncomfortably on his rotors. "Well... we wouldn't presume to tell non-Glix to revere our ancestors. That would be presumptuous. But Coedd has come to be accepted as the root from which our ancestors sprang by most members of our cult, yes."

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The Combined Commonwealth of Glix Geography There are three main habitat types in Glic Space- Basilicas, Barracks, and Mines. These three are all clearly defined, but often found near each other, either connected, in parallel orbit, or on the same planetoid. A Basilica contains an adult Queen. Even Queens that choose non-governmental roles and identity as a member of a Teivosk instead of as a member of The Court perforce live in Basilicas, though their telepathy means they are not necessarily physically present there. A Basilica contains a large, generally spherical enclosure capable of giving the Queen room to move and manuever. Like most Glix, she probably prefers zero gravity and uses medical boosters to eliminate any medical effects of permanent freefall. The Sphere is lined by layers of floors, typically parallel rather than radial, where the Teivosk attending her (or to which she claims membership) raises young and does various commercial and residential activities. A Barracks is similar to a Basilica, but has no Queen and a higher population. It often contains gardens and/or ranches instead. Note neither Basilicas nor Barracks ever have heavy industry. Mines are where industrial activities take place, air gapped from living areas. They typically contain Workers there on commute for three standard day shifts. Once the Workers are exhausted, they rotate out for ten standard days off. Mines that are tapped out are often converted to Barracks, while Basilicas are usually very large ships with minimal engines custom built for the purpose. The biology of the animals in the gardens and ranches is unique, often amphibious, large, and crustacean-like. The most common livestock is the Lepus, a creature combining aspects of a spider and a rabbit. The Barx, a larger and vicious vicious crab-like omnivore, is rarely raised, though breeding populations are maintained. Both are fed primarily on maggot-like wyrx that feed on cultured, recycled waste enriched with organically exochemicals, as well as grain. There are few advanced plants Glic Space, with most greenery of obscure allies of the Fern. This stems from Slingid's divine hatred of trees in a now largely forgotten holy war. Most habitats are cave-like, with clear plastic pressure domes used only for farming. The great planetoid of the region remains untouched. This is partly because of religious reasons, but mostly because it is salty slush, and considered of low value, unlike methane or metalloid planetessimals. People Glix believe themselves to have originated on Sansar, probably near where The Reserve is now. They fled to Space long ago, under the dictates of their distant God, The Great Parrot. No Glic Queens are believed to live outside the Combine, and few Workers live outside Mekhala. Glix are a hive species evolved from seal-like eusocial carnivores. They come in three distinct genders, two of which are intelligent. "Worker" (He/Him) represent over 99% of all Glix and are highly diverse mentally and in many physical features. All, however, have many traits in common. They all possess at least latent tele-receptive psi powers. That is, while few can actively project onto minds or the world around them, they are unusually receptive to broadcast or targeted mind effects from others. Physically, they all have a face resembling a squid with knuckles, two large hands at the ends of heavily muscled arms, and no other limbs. They typically weigh 30-50 pounds. Thet breathe through gills generally kept covered to preserve moisture, and often wear goggles to protect their eyes. More elaborate clothing isn't forbidden, but a Worker's status is defined, in part by which prosthetic device he uses to aid to transportation. Two legs are most common, but rotary wings and full body armor are known to be used. Prostheses are generally only worn in formal or business environments, however. A Queen (She/Her) is built on a similar body plan, but with webbed hands, flukes at the base of her spine, and many times the size. A queen can easily mass 50 times that of a Worker. Queens are all powerfully psionic. They are always in potential direct contact with all other Queens, as though by telecommunications. They can possess the minds of a Worker, though this is considered deeply immoral without explicit consent. They can also read the minds and memories of Workers. This is only considered wrong if it is used to give advantage to a rival group of Workers, such as industrial espionage between Teivosks. Queens have agreed not to do that under The Grand Charter. The most commonly used and powerful psi ability of a Queen, however, is to form a Gestalt. A Gestalt of 5 Workers or less is called a "Working Group" and benefits from the direct oversight of the Queen. A larger Gestalt of up to 28 Workers causes the Queen to blank out until she tires and ends it reflexively after a few hours. This state creates a great sense of coordination, motivation, and increased mental acuity for the affected Workers. Larger groups can exist, but suffer breakdowns in effectiveness. Drones (it) are the biological male equivalent of Queens. At maturity, they physically fuse to a Queen, enhancing her psionic potential and helping regulate her exocrine and immune systems while causing her to give birth regularly. Queens and Drones are born once every 61 years, while Workers are born approximately every 8 months of every other year. All eggs are in clutches of 1-4, Drones outnumber immature Queens (Nymphs) 7:1. The simultaneous birth of reproductive is called the Jubilee, and much of the Glic calendar is based on it. A Glic Queen reaches physical maturity around age 39 and might live for over two centuries. A Worker reaches maturity at age 9 and does not suffer age related infirmity. Government The Government of the Glix shows clear signs of evolution, but has been in its present form since not long after the Glix fled to Mekhala in the early days of the Great Bombardment. There is a head of State, the most powerful Queen, who coordinates every freeholding Queen in The Royal Court. Then there is the Prime Minister (Mechanical Ruler), who is appointed from among a host of representatives of the various Teivosks in a parliament. He is always a Worker, as are all parliamentary members. In pre-Diaspora times, the Glix were ruled by The Court directly with no formal Worker Parliament. But, as the economic power of the Worker cliques, or Teivosks, eclipsed thst of most Queens, and lesser and younger Queens allied with Teivosks to remain relevant. Eventually there came a point where the Chorus of Queens was riven by infighting over the interest of informal Worker cliques, which had already long eclipsed specific bloodlines and become pan-national. And so, The Great Charter was established, with rights for the Teivosks and ndividuals both Worker and Queen, and limits on the powers of the co-equal co-rulers of the Glix. A Queen might choose at maturity to either be a Freeholder and court the Teivosks while paying fealty to the Royal Court, or join a Teivosk and be subject to the rights and responsibilities of membership. All workers belong to the Teivosk that raised them from eggs and have certain basic rights from both their brothers and Queens. Each Teivosk has a voice in Parliament. The Combine is largely ambivalent to the Empire, but hopes to remain in their relative good will, as long as they recognize Glix self-rule. Religion The main religion of the Glix is the Faith of Slingid, The Parrot. (Plurality) He is a cruel, indifferent God who urges his followers to greatness. He has few tenets besides the eschewing of all conventional writing other than legends on maps and that necessary for annotations of blueprints. Which are technically numbers. Any other text is open to interpretation, and thus risks gaslighting the author. Magic is used to record audio, psionic impressions, and even memories to fill this lack, and seems to have been used for this purpose since earliest history. There is a minority faith that reverse the Ancestral Queens. They seek to one day return to Sansar, in defiance of the Slingidites, who hold Mekhala to be the Promised Land. The Cenotaph This is the Shrine containing both the Beacon that led the Ancestral Hives to this region on Mekhala and the Ashes of nearly every Queen who ever lived, including every Queen to be Hatched in Mekhala. It is a vast Hollow Sphere containing a vast orchard with various mastabas jutting from the outside. It is a rare zone of artificial gravity, not practical to mass produce at this time. Some heretics worship the Progenitor of The Dwarves, believing him to be Slingid Reborn. A rogue Queen formed a Teivosk devoted to the Illuminated Primarch, also believing him an emanation of Slingid. Resource, Lepkashramov Ikons (magical material/ Industrial machinery) While not ignorant of conventional science, most effects of any great interest achieved by Glix are done through their unique magical system, Lepkashramov. This is the creation of metal sculptures with magical powers characteristic of their material components. The first uses of Lepkashramov involved soft, non-reactive metals and mostly allowed the storage of information without conventional writing. But, as advances in metallurgy came, so to unlocked new forms of Lepkashramov. The main industry of the Glix is building these Ikons, and they have the resources in their mines to do so for a long, long time. Required resource, food The Glix selected a uniquely rocky area of Mekhala, and are running low on foodstuffs quite often. Their slow growing population means they have a long time to go before starvation sets in, but the next Jubilee year will increase the problem greatly. Supports Government- the recent election of Prime Minister Snimt'Glek to is incontrovertible, though he us charged with securing more food before the next Jubilee year. Media- Radio Operas by Klop Teivosk are very popular, and most competition is local to the CCG. Since bought out by RBG Mercantile- The Glix are devoted to industry, even if they make poor salesmen. They control their own trade at this time. starting Techs Arcane Amplification Vacuum Adaptation

GLIX COMBINED COMMONWEALTH The Glix of Badal were beatniks, dropouts, malcontents. They funneled generally misleading, out of context, malice about the Combine and its government to anyone who listened, who weren't many.... None of this was to say every single one of them severed all relationships with their linemothers and The Glic, generally. The Outer Duma reacted with dismay at the notice of a bounty board. What possible purpose might it hold, besides a recruitment tool to raise a mercenary armada to destroy the Glix forever!?. "...Several," suggested the informants, and the more staid chorus of the Inner Duma tended to give their wayward sons the benefit of the doubt. An agent would be sent. The prize fighter Rofl'hesk took a canoe from the liner in orbit to the Black Cloud habitat hosting the event. The boat was a miracle of golemetry and Lepkashramov, a bubble of atmosphere side-stepping gravity. Rofl was one of Snimt'Glek's "Brothers," a special operative who had undergone experimental medicines to enhance his psionic and physical abilities. He was nearly as massive as a human teenager, and could act as a psionic communicator across interplanetary distances without a signal repeater. If any of the Brothers had a greater response, he did not know, and did not need to. His fingers had begun to web under the influence of the progesterone, and the psychedelics he microdosed threw off the control pads of any prosthetic. He simply knuckle-walked out of the boat and walked up to a longshoreman. "I'm with the Combine. I'd like one 'fiting' please? I'd also like more information on the Bounty Board, if it is not trouble."

THE COMBINED COMMONWEALTH OF GLIX Two Glix Heralds, in their customary top hats and hover-prosthetics, both wait their turn. The first, gives a speech when prompted. "Let me yell you about Slingid. He is, simply, the Worst. He is the accuser, the tester, the trickster. He us there when you are on the verge of collapse, telling you there is more yet to come. He is there, when you are happy, making you remember it will not last. He is there, always waiting, menacing. He is always there, driving us forward. Without Slingid, we would be nothing, so Slingid is owed our praise. If you, too, wish to be more, pray to Slingid." The Second Herald offers rebuttal: "She who is called The Hammer sent me. She would have you know the truth. It is not some Devil Parrot tormentor that makes one strong. It is the capacity for strength, not its exercise, that deserves merit. It is our ancestors and their strength that we should praise. To a Glix, the Ancestral Queens who sacrificed to free us from bondage and set us free in Mekhala are the purest idols of worship, though, having left the Sphere of Living Memory, they exist only in their recordings and in Coedd. You should honor your Ancestors, and honor Coedd, who is the Ancestor of All." He nods. "Thank you for your time." Elsewhen In a quiet room, an agreement is made, one more generous to the Glix than the one the Inner Duma had authorized to pay. Project Homecoming was in motion, and it could be justified as testing for the Slingidites' move to move outward instead of in. For the price of building a base on worthless Aridyin, the Glix would have a home again.... OoC No need to RP our OoC agreement, but to spell it out for the record: I (Feather) will explore a Lunar region, (if possible) and perform all necessary actions other than, unless necessary, "Encourage Settlement" to colonize it. I will vacate all claim no later than round 11. You (Moos) will support my right to do so, and to build a floating island, by any necessary IC means not requiring mechanical action to do so. You will also give me the Psuedogravity technology as though my speeches in favor of my IC religions were adequate, regardless of your actual opinion.

Combined Commonwealth of Glix (GCC) Prime Minister Chif'Blak, The Parrot's Voice, Head of the Outer Duma Region 84, Parrot's Perch Game years 10-12 2 years since the year of Jubilee Resources Embassies= none (White Pawns incoming) Trade Routes= Glorious Purifiers Wealth: 2( three gained from EMP)-> 5 Income= 0/round Space Units: 2 Mega-Dreadnought 7 Macaw Basillica of War: The Anvil Ground Units: 4 Carrier Groups: Wrath, Exoddus, Oddyssey, Soulstorm Reputation: BRG 1 EMP 0 PTW 0 Favors: BRG 0 EMP 1 PTW 0 Diplomacy 6 Mil 5 Eco 6 Faith 1 Int 2 Actions 1. Diplomacy 5- create a Diplomatic Exchange with The White Pawns. Their Ancestors kept ours as Jannisarries. Now we will hire them as Mercenaries. Having them in our debt will prevent them ever being used against us, and they will help us exterminate any nation foolish enough to attack us. The Glix have no interest in territorial expansion and hope this debt is never repaid... 2. Diplomacy- Attend Fiorid Diplomatic Event. The Hammer will endorse Coedd as a manifestation of ancestor worship. A formal delegation will half-heartedly speak in behalf of Slingid. Both will hope the Fiorids agree to our lease of territory on the moon called Aridyin. Sub-actions- Sub-actions Do not give Vaccuum Hardening to the Arkhive. They won't be needing it, after all. Receive psuedogravity from. ALF 3. Economy- Explore region 100 (+1 Decree, -1 Distance, net +0) Success! Project Homecoming begins... 4. Economy- Explore Region 101 (+1 Decree, -1 Distance, net +0) Great Success! The Fiorids urge the exploration of a second, backup site. 5. Economy- Buyout TP 83.3 Success! The business of Glix is Business. Opera is popular in The Combine. Non-actions: Support Bafatis buyout of TP 84.2 and WTU buyout of TP 84.3. Oppose any others. Submit to the Arkhive ARKHIVE: Philosophy: On Free Will The Glix have no formal tradition of analytic philosophy, choosing to integrate the concepts it examines into their oral literature if they examine them at all. One telling and topical issue is addressed in The Farce of Snim the Potter, a piece examining Free Will. Or, more precisely, condemning consideration of the issue. The core thesis is that one cannot meaningfully seperate inclination, situation, and any hypothetical "core self' when addressing any specific choice. And, without such parsing, the issue definitionally can't be relevant and must therefore be discarded, like the tailings of of potter's wheel. ARKHIVE: History: On Writing If the sagas are to believed, writing existed amongst the Glix in the earliest days, before it was discarded in favor of recordings. But, scholars now think, the two methods co-existed for many Jubilee cycles, until the use of Lepkashramov to directly indoctrinate the minds of users into technical skills made non-fiction literature largely obsolete. Traces of this are difficult, but linguistic analysis of early saga recordings suggest forms and usages redolent of literate authors. Additionally, the Slingidite proscription on writing has always had limits, and it makes sense they were looser when they still needed to be. This theory is highly controversial, as it highlights a growing belief that Slingidism is a failed cult that had outlived its usefulness. If the pre-Captivity Glix used writing and just failed to mention it, what else have the Glix of today got wrong? ARKHIVE: Culture: Glic Games The industry of complex board games has not translated well to Glic culture, despite metadata suggesting the Glix would be prime candidates if humans showed similar trends. One of the largest hurdles were the low literacy rate making the packaging and indexing of complex rules more difficult. Added to this, the fact that all pieces must be digitized or magnetic as Glix homes are often in microgravity. This makes cards unusable and meeples more expensive. That Queen Glix, often the most intellectual and stereotyped as more intelligent, (this actually fails to be backed up by controlled study) lack hands to manipulate the pieces is a tertiary concern. Gatcha games are banned more seriously than most property crimes in The Combine due to a historical myth that debt incurred by them led to The captivity. It is law that no videogame may be patched or expanded after release nor re-released for a period of 61 Aridyin months, approximately 1/12 a Jubilee or 5 standard years plus a month. This hardliners against microtransactions has had even more of a chilling effect on the videogame industry in The Combine than the lack of Glix-centric games nor even the aforementioned common illiteracy. The most common traditional game is a two-on-two strategy played on a hex-tile board with on Queen and 11 Workers to a side. Each player alternates between moving 6 of their Workers, then either moving their Queen or transforming their Worker pieces to a new mode of movement. Partners alternate modes. The game ends when either a Queen is in checkmate, 7 Workers from one of the four sides are taken, or a player cannot make a legal move. If a Queen is in Check when this happens, that side forfeits. Otherwise, the team with the most surviving Workers wins. WTU: What the Union means for the Glix. Workers unions are at the heart of Glix culture. The Teivosk system ensures everyone has representation and support from leadership while promoting based on ambition and aptitude. Additionally, it ensures that the welfare of the Worker is one with the welfare of the enterprise. We understand humans have vary different cultures and biological needs to Glix, but we believe the WTU can be an engine to help spread our values through collective organization, steward oversight of working conditions, and profit-sharing schemes. Expected growth +1 Diplomacy, +1 Economy New leader: No New stats: Diplomacy 7 Mil 5 Eco 7 Faith 1 Int 2

Yes, I want that ability very much, and was told a econ tech was the way to get it. I added a weak but rationally related Secondary ability.

The Glix had sent an observer. Rather, an observer to the Arkhive had come to visit and the Inner Duma was watching... At this announcement, his tympanic organs quivered and he emoted furiously at his Queens. After a long pause, he spoke for the first time.... The Combined Commonwealth of Glix recognizes the Fiorid claim to Aridyin. As proof, we would like to formally lease a zone of their choosing for a period not to exceed 20 Sansar Years, for the purpose of testing deep space gear for eventual exploration beyond Mekhala. We will pay [one wealth] for this privilege and all knowledge of artificial gravity. In exchange, at or before the end of the lease, we will evacuate the colony and cede all technologies developed this way to the Fiorids. What say you?

Tech proposal- Homeostatic Biodomes: . Requires: Vacuum Hardening, Badalian Mega-Dirigibles, industrial technology Reduces the distance penalty to colonization rolls by 1. Allows the building of artificial habitats inside atmospheres. The Rugged peoples of Mekhala are used to self-sufficiency. They have learned to apply this to shipping and building new bases by reverse engineering the archeotech habitats of Badal.