Response from HIEROPHANT Data
Server to Query: TERRACE
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Architect
History
The Architects arrived in the
solar system at least 300 million years ago, settling Earth and Mars.
Documentary Intelligence sources claim the Architects arrived more
then one billion years ago, and that Earth native life is descended
from microbes accidentally released from Architect biological
laboratories. This cannot be confirmed, although the similarity of
Architect microbiology with Earth native microbiology gives it
plausibility.
The Architects fought a series of
wars against other non-human species, most notably TYRANT and
GARGOYLE. Architect mosaics claim they were victorious in these
wars, but given the restricted geographical extent of surviving
Architect ruins, as well as the highly speciesistic/patriotic culture
of the Architects, it is probable they are not fully truthful.
There was apparently a split
between the Architect colonies on Earth and on Mars, though the
nature and reason of this split is unclear. Architect mosaics on
Earth do not mention their Martian colonies and vice-versa.
Architect civilization on Earth
was badly damaged by a rebellion of their shoggotim servitors
around 150 million years ago, from which it never fully recovered.
The species is believed to have become extinct on Earth by, at the
latest, 20 million years ago. Architect civilization on Mars was
destroyed 40 million years ago by an attack by unknown parties using
scalar weapons.
Architect
Biology
Structurally, Architects
resembled dark grey barrels, 2 to 2.5 meters tall, 1 to 1.25 meters
in diameter at the center, and 0.2 to 0.4 meters in diameter at tops
and bottoms. Five axial ridges stretched from the top of the barrel
to the bottom. Five membranous wings were set between the ridges,
about 2.5 to 3.5 meters wide fully extended, used primarily for
swimming. Five quasi-tentacles emerged from the ridges, each
separating into twenty-five sub-tentacles, used for manual
manipulation. A pentacle-shaped head was placed at the top of the
barrel, while five larger quasi-tentacles ending in paddles emerged
from the base, used for locomotion. Architects were primarily
adapted for life underwater, but were capable of living on land as
well. They were able to survive in a variety of environments,
including for extended periods in hard vacuum.
At a microscopic level, the
Architects closely resembled Earth-based life. Their cells used a
DNA analogue with 26 base pairs. Their digestive system was able to
absorb nutrients from almost any kind of organic matter, but they fed
themselves primarily on a thick oil grown from algae. They had an
electrical metabolism, with five biochemical generators in the center
of the barrel powering their organs through organic conductors.
Their nervous system was highly distributed, lacking a central
“brain”. Given the complexity of their microbiology, it is
almost certain the Architects subjected themselves to extensive
biological engineering.
Architect
Technology
Little information is available
on Architect technology. Most surviving Architect artifacts are
simple items of stone. From DocInt and mosaics found in the
surviving ruins, the Earth Architects probably used strong
nanotechnology as a basis for their society, in the form of shoggotim
servitors. No mosaics of shoggotim have been found on Mars,
suggesting they may not have used this technology.
Aside:
For further information on the shoggotim,
query the HIEROPHANT classified data server with the security phrase
OXCART. This information is unsafe and is available only with
authorization from the HIEROPHANT InfoCon Committee.
The Martian Architects instead
used aihai bio-engineered slaves as labor. The Martian
Architects presumably had a substantial additional technological
base, but no traces have been found.
Aside:
For further information on the aihai,
query the public data server.
Architect
Culture
Information on Architect culture
derives entirely from the extensive mosaics and sculptures found in
their ruins. Architect culture appears to have been extremely
stable over time, characterized as Idealistic/Integrated in the
Sorokin scheme.
Architects were entirely urban.
Their government appears to have been federal and totalitarian, with
control over different aspects of life held by various committees,
mostly made up of five members. They had no concept of family;
individual Architects were raised in creches, administered by the
state, during which they were indoctrinated with Architect culture.
Mature Architects occupied
themselves primarily with art, philosophy, science, and similar
activities. They appear to have made few or no attempts to innovate
in these areas, regarding the state of their culture and knowledge as
perfected, and seeing their proper role as simply repeating the
established patterns. Their art was intensely patriotic, primarily
concerned with the veneration of their own culture and history.
They made no representations of individuals, instead solely depicting
Architects in groups.
Evidence
of the First Golden Age Cabal
Following the discovery of
Architect ruins in the South Atlantic, the UN mounted extensive
explorations in the Southern Hemisphere to locate other ruins,
including in Antarctica. These expeditions discovered five
subterranean chimneys of broken rock in Dome Circe, mixed with molten
and refrozen rock bearing traces of long-lived fission products and
transuranics. These chimneys are consistent with underground
explosions of fission-fusion weaponry of very high yield. Based on
radioactive dating, these explosions occurred in the early 1970's.
The UN Archeological Organization
attributed these blasts to clandestine nuclear testing. It is
possible they were correct. There are no records of further
investigations of the sites available in the archives.
Further:
Further details on the Architects
are available from the public data servers.
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