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Encyclopeda Alendia

A recovered page from an encyclopedia known only to exist in the Library of Verity.

Alendans – A race of bipedal mammals that use technology to move their whole bodies individually or in groups through time. They are a tribal culture, although largely unified in the face of contact with other species.

Alendans are born from females after genetic mixing between pairs. Alendan mothers normally give birth to one or two babies at a time with a range of one to three babies on average in a lifetime.

Alendans are colonial and operate outposts on moons and planets in their own system and others.

Alendan society is ruled by the Guardians of Alenda who oversee the conduct of time travel, which is the central activity of the culture. The Guardians delegate much of their authority to a Secretary who serves as the executive of the government.

The Guardians of Alenda consider themselves the highest authority in the universe on time travel. They police the timeline and endeavor to keep time travel safe.

The Progons and Sensaurians do not recognize this authority in their own time-related activities. This has given rise to rumors of a dimensional war between the three cultures.

Home Planet: Alenda (which means “Land”)

Communication: Mostly vocal and written with some hand signals.

Evolution: The Alendan species evolved from tree-based bipedal mammals, most directly from the species Dimana Alendsimia.

Diplomacy: Representatives assigned to all cultures. Main diplomatic relationships throughout time are maintained with adversaries in different manners. In peaceful eras a representative of Alenda is assigned to Tiel, the Progon homeworld and a Progon automota is assigned to Alenda.

Alenadn diplomats make regular visits to the Sensaurian Mission at the Fringe Cascade but do not take up residence. The Sensaurians conduct diplomacy only in this mission.

 Progons – A race of pure electricity that houses itself in great machines.

Progons are often mistakenly thought of as a collective because of their basis in electricity. However Progons are individuals and do not and cannot merge into a larger collective existence.

Unlike most biological entities, the Progon evolution was not driven by replication. Progon’s ancestral forms were driven by circuit completion with replication later supporting that.

The major step for Progon civilization was inhabiting Proroqs which allowed them mobility. Proroqs are natural formations that can move easily, a feature of Tiel’s geology. They are commonly referred to as “rock carts” by non-Progons.

Primitive Progons were limited to inhabiting Proroqs but eventually learned to construct larger and more efficient machines. As they spread out on their planet they programmed automota to build ever more impressive and complex cities Eventually Progons developed automata that could leave the planet and even explore other worlds.

Actual Progon individuals exist in circuits inside the great machines on Tiel. They rarely leave or interact with outsiders. The Progons most Alendans might encounter are simply robots or other automata controlled from Tiel.

Home planet: Tiel (which means “One”)

Communication: Progons can send electrical signals over distance and through time. They can explore the universe without leaving their home planet. Their automata expand and sometimes conquer other worlds while under homebound Progon control.

While Progon circuits are capable of traveling off planet, it is extremely rare for an actual Progon to leave the planet.

 Evolution: Some theories suggest Progons caused their own evolution by sending instructions to primitive Progons to guide them in creating machines outside the Proroqs. The Progons deny this saying it is impractical to communicate anything of significance to primitive Progons.

Most scientists believe the paradox could not be balanced and accept Progon assurances that it has not occurred. Alendans have visited Progon history and have not found any evidence of interference from the future in their evolution.

 Diplomacy: Progon automata are warlike and the Progons have expanded to rule over large amounts of space centered around Tiel and the other Progon central worlds.

Progons and Sensaurians have no diplomatic relations but keep an uneasy distance between their two cultures. Alendans have fought fierce wars with the Progons at times but also maintain large amounts of peacetime. In peaceful sections of time, diplomats are often placed on Tiel, and Progon automata stationed on Alenda.

Accusations of a secret dimensional war have persisted between the three cultures, but no evidence for such a war has yet been uncovered.

Sensaurians - A unified megaorganism that can split up into smaller bits down to single cells. Sensaurians can send parts of themselves back in time. The culture is extremely isolated and little is known of their history.

Home Planet: Sensaur (Meaning: Us)

Communication: Instant hive mind thought transfer limited only by speed of light but enhanced through anticipatory non-local neural transfer.

Evolution: Unknown

Diplomacy: Sensaurian Mission at Fringe Base located off the Fringe Cascade. This is the only Sensaurian location for diplomatic business.