Voxadder

The '''Vox''' are a species of space-faring and largely insular beings. They hail from large stations known as arkships, known collectively as the <b>Shoal</b>. "Vox" on its own usually refers to the common <b>Vox Primalis</b>, just one of many groups among the Vox. These strange bioengineered beings have a physiological hierarchy and follow the tenets of <b>'The Inviolate'</b>. Breathing pure nitrogen, they require specialized masks and tanks for survival outside their arkships. Their insular nature limits their involvement in broader galactic affairs, maintaining a distinct, yet isolated presence away from other species.

The Vox species can be divided, generally, into four groups: Vox primalis, Vox armalis, Vox auralis and Vox apex.  

The majority of observed Vox belong to the Vox primalis category, and range from three to four feet in height. Skin is thick, reinforced with keratin scales, and appears to act as an insulator and pressure-suit combined. The molecular complexity of the skin suggests that extensive engineering has been undertaken to adapt it to low-pressure environments, and attempts to grow samples in the lab have resulted in highly acidic compounds burning through the dish, the table, and the hull beneath it.

Despite their size, Vox primalis musculature is highly dense and capable of extremely powerful rapid movement, ideal for sprinting, leaping and kicking. Sustained effort is less effective, and prolonged exertion will cause lactic acid buildup that can reach crippling levels. An exception to this rule is the beak, which is capable of reflexive and prolonged pressures in excess of 500PSI.

Vox armalis are a smaller subgroup within Vox populations, never observed outside of frigate-class or larger vessels belonging to Vox crews. They stand twice the height of their primalis kin, statistically, and are far heavier and more armoured. In most cases, sensory organs like eyes and tongues have been completely replaced with cybernetics of bewildering complexity. No sample of an armalis or their cybernetics has been recovered due to inbuilt, extremely subtle self-destructive measures. Spectographic analysis suggests that almost every internal cavity within the average armalis is filled with semi-organic circuitry and cybernetics, their specific purposes unknown.

Very little is known about the Vox auralis and Vox apex, and their inclusion in reviews of Vox physiology is generally a footnote. Sightings of the individuals are rare, bordering on unheard of, but consistent enough to warrant acceptance as a facet of the Vox species. The auralis stand approximately the height of the armalis, and weigh three to four times as much. Badly corrupted records of analysis from destroyed probes suggest that they exist at least partially within bluespace. The veracity of this information is suspect and pending review.

The Vox apex is known about solely from records, and acts as a physical god within Vox mythology. This is the full extent of recorded data on the entity or entities.

The Vox apex are the groves in the arkships. They are in fact colossal organic computers, every single one of them linked via an incredibly sophisticated, several million year old bluespace network. This network hosts the vast majority of Vox communications, technology, culture and science, well outside of prying eyes.

The apex are entirely single-minded (in a figurative sense). They are devoted to preserving the sanctity, purity and continuity of the Vox line their arkship is hosting. They maintain the archives of dead Vox via the cortical stacks, and choose which Vox are to be revived when the time comes for a population hike. They also provide access points and tremendous data processing capacity to the auralis.

The Vox auralis are the true Vox. The primalis and the armalis are bio-engineered subspecies intended to serve as labour, resource accquisition and military. The auralis themselves are shut-in and insular to the extreme, and as a whole, refuse to believe that the Universe outside of the Vox arkships is real; efforts to convince them otherwise are akin to a dream pleading with the dreamer.

The auralis are devoted to transcendence. They desire to leave this Universe behind, or to break through the veil and move on to true reality. They've been working at this for about seven point five million years, and their understanding of theoretical and applied physics, intelligent systems and data processing/analysis is immense. Much of their mentality exists outside of realspace, and is coordinated by the Vox apex and their ceaseless maintenance of the bluespace network. They are also highly, dangerously telepathic, and the parallel processing power and independence from realspace provided by their network means that five hundred psionics can focus their power to pinpoint precision anywhere within a thousand light-years of a single auralis.

The apex are where the biomass of dead Vox is reintegrated, their cortical stacks are removed, and new Vox larvae are spawned. The larvae are bioengineered creatures built wholesale by the trees of the ark, carefully modified and monitored to fit the genetic profile of the arkship.

Larval Vox are generic, genderless slugs until they are chosen to host a cortical stack. The type of stack dictates what the auralis do with the larva and the form that the larva will take.

Newborn Vox auralis are entirely overwritten by the cortical stack of their predecessor, and are for all intents and purposes considered to BE that auralis. Since the vast majority of an auralis' persona and memories exist in the bluespace network, the original persona is functionally removed entirely when the auralis matures enough to link to the apex.

Newborn Vox primalis and armalis are not overwritten by the cortical stack, but their ancestry and access to memory-lines is considered a significant portion of who they are and the rank they are assigned. A Vox is not considered dead while another Vox hosts their cortical stack, and their name is passed on to the new Vox.