Hello there, I am back with a new post. I made a previous post on the 7.4 update to Cosmic Exploration [here](https://old.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comments/1r9jpev/spoilers\_7174\_cosmic\_exploration\_for\_those\_not/?ref=share&ref\_source=link) and I thought it would be prudent to do a follow up post now that several worlds have completed the project to its endpoint! I shall go into a lot more detail than last time as this one planet had a lot to cover. If you just want the outcomes skip to Aftermath at the bottom .
So let us begin: Leaving off from where we ended last time on Oizys, after careful study of the starmap and working with the Studium, Garleans and Loporrit scientists we found ourselves once again upon the Galactic Way to our brand new destination. We arrived to a beautiful green planet covered in a sprawling cityscape, which the erstwhile Namingway decided to name: Auxesia, which in the real world is the name of a Greek Goddess of Spring (Image 1). Fitting name for a forested planet, which after short study is determined to be the Traveler's homeworld.
Phases 1-11: After landfell as before on the previous two worlds we set up a base camp and found our chosen location, the "Timberlodge" as Namingway dubbed it, was in fact used by the Travelers for a similar purpose, as a space port (Image 2). As with Oizys where every structure left by the alien species had being "grown" from the earth, all of the grand city before us has being shaped from trees. The buildings, all wood. The platforms we stand upon: wooden structures shaped onto the top of colossal trees so large the bottom (and true surface of the planet) cannot be seen. The road, cars, glass windows, street lights? All fashioned from wood. Some have metal mixed in but everything is to some degree wood or plant based
In the distance many points of interest were observed such as large domed structure with immense crystal formations on the roof, covered in withered trees (Image 3). Addition what was dubbed the "City Core", a structure towering above the already large buildings of the city, covered in white foliage and quite out of reach (Image 4). However not a single sign of life. Cars and vehicles mid transit abandoned in the middle of the street. Homes sealed and lifeless. It was as if everyone on the planet had just...disappeared overnight.
After a few "settling in projects" such as clearing the withered and evidently diseased overgrowth from our base and setting up facilities, the researchers set their sights on the "Sprouting Towerling" (Image 5). Determined to sit on the aetheric confluence and being connected to the rest of the city via "The Netroot" our objective was to reawaken this tower. As so we did, spraying it with a aetheric mixture (please ignore the strange colour and sparkling (Image 6)) and and it sprung back to life, which to our suprised caused the street lights in the local area to also turn back on, and giving the researchers access to the "Netroot" (Image 7)
Phases 12-22: With access to what seemed to be the planetary internet (though limited) several things were learned: Firstly the planets self maintenance system, the "Floracanes" a storm of pink petals which coincidentally cause Loporrits to behave drunk, which has the intended function of accelerating the decomposition of decayed plant matter had failed over time to prevent disease and overgrowth choking out the functions of the Netroot. Additionally the core of the Sprouting Towerling was the same jade crystal used to make the grand computers on Oizys. Finally by gaining access to the partially restored Netroot we learned the locations of a second tower. After clearing the way through a thicket of foliage we came upon the Sunning Towerling (Image 8)
Surrounding the tower were strange crystalline growths which with further testing revealed to be of extraterrestrial origin: These crystals were brought over from Oizys. They were of course not this large and overgrown at the time but it seems these crystals have over the long years absorbed the ambient aether in the air, growing large and problematic. Some further study later and it revealed our special yellow sparkly liquid aether cannons will not be enough to reviving this tower. However at its base were several energy ports that were determined to be capable of absorbing the crystals as a source of power. Hence we began the next project: Drilling the crystals and reactivating the Sunning Towerling. Upon successful reactivation we learned that these towers fuction as a "relay" network for the cities power supply and Netroot as well as what is believed to be the Auxesian natives language (Image 9).
Following another base upgrade we turned our sights of the large, overgrown yet dead looking dome (Image 3). Within it rests another tower of the relay network, the Rootling Towerling. However there is no way to access the dome. But the knowledge of the Travelers language plus the restored power to the city allowed us to access and used some of the derelict drones around the city. It turns out their function was gardening and shaping the trees: they have the power to encourage the plantlife to grow into whatever shape and direction they want. So after a round of charging these bad boys up we "made" a bridge using nearby roots (Image 10). With access to the dome we then swiftly got to work repeating the previous action taken on the Sunning Towerling: mining the crystals and powering it u). With that all said and done the Rootling Towerling was reactivated and the relay network almost full restored (Image 11). With the power restored the plantlife around and within the dome sprung to life, showing the relay network was also responsible for the flow of aether and vitality to the trees around it (Image 12)
Phase 22-30: One last base upgrade to give us flight capable mecha, we set our sights on the City Core. Data extracted from the Netroot revealed within the tower is a core system of the network, named "Grandma Laurel" due to it being the main system of the rest of the family of tower networks (Picture 4). Flying out upgraded suits to the top of the tower, we once again brought back our sparkly yellow aether cannons to revive the plantlife and thus restore some power to the tower (Picture 13). With some power restored, we were able to install a cosmoliner up to the tower so we wouldn't need mecha every time (Picture 14) and turned to the final project: Reactivating the core itself. Again with out sparkly cannons we revived the plantlife around the core, which restored the Netroot in it's entirety (Pictures 15, 16, 17).
Aftermath: With the local area of the city fully back online, and the Netroot restored the researchers activated Grandma Laurel and we were finally, after 3 planets and a moon greeted with our prize: The Nagylvi, the native inhabitants of this star (Image 18). Or rather a projection of one. The visual interface of the Netroot, it provided us with a small mobile unit (much like a mammet and yes we get it as a minion (Image 19) and as we toured the city with it, the secrets were revealed: They are a leafkin like race who over time gained autonomy. As suspected they used magic to shape the city into the form we saw it. They used roads and vehicles and teleportation for rapid transit.
They eventually developed advanced teleportation to reach their stars moons, then developed even more powerful gravitational magics to delve further into space aboard vehicles. However due to the gravity of their moons, they didn't realize how powerful these magics were and when they visited then left Oizys they accidentally destroyed the planet leaving it in the shattered state we found it in. But it was worth it for on Oizys they found a mineral that granted them immense amount of aether and "spirit" and thus Oizys was doomed to be pilfered of its riches and slowly ripped apart by repeat gravitational effects. They dubbed these green crystals "Sacred Dew Stones"
Over time their society flourished, powered by the dew stones growing into the great metropolis, with additional resources like the overgrown crystals we found during the project to help with construction projects. Alas eventually the Dew Stone mines on Oizys began to run dry, and their society began to flounder without it. The stone allowed them to advance to such a state and without it their grand cities would fall to waste. Some of the Nagylvi took back to the stars to try and find replacements, but never returned. The rest remained on Auxesia.
Facing the collapse of society, they chose a drastic action: to return to the trees that spawned them. Essentially they did their societies version of uploading their souls and minds to the internet. They became one with the great forest, discarding their bodies and all becoming one with the Netroot. However there was a unforeseen occurrence, obvious in hindsight but overlooked in the heat of the moment: with no one to tend to it, the forest would continue to grow. A city without workers to maintain it will fall into disrepair and a garden without gardeners will become overgrown. With the entire population uploaded into the Netroot, the trees grew wild, disease spread, roots withered and the Netroot began to lose power.
The Nagylvi were powerless to stop their own destruction, ironically because of the "digital" stasis they had placed themselves into wishing to avoid such a fate. Not that they noticed, for they were in a deep slumber. As our guide described it they were going to wither away and die, and not even realize it.
The Cosmic Exploration initiative arriving on the planet had....but sheer coincidence and luck...saved them. Our desire to simply turn back on the Netroots systems to find out the fate of the stars inhabitants, our pruning and clearing away of overgrowth and decayed trees, reactivating the towers, restoring life to the trees had inadvertently saved their entire species still in slumber. A fitting conclusion to the project to explore the stars post Final Days. We had finally found and made first contact with living, non-dynamis replicated, sapient extraterrestrial life (Outside the Dragons and little blue men from a certain detectives adventures)
For the time being the initiative is going to work with the Nagylvi to help restore the star to working order, to protect its people who still slumber within its trees deep within the Netroot (Image 20).
Just a final note this is an interesting comparison to the story of Dawntrail, where Calyx sought to protect his people via the Endless project. Both concluded the path to salvation was to shed their mortal bodies and trust in an artificially aetheric network to sustain their memories and souls. And both ultimately failed, tho the Nagylvi have being given a second chance via external intervention. Without the Dew Stones it's unlikely we can revive their society and culture but we can make sure the Netroot system remains operational and thus preserve their people in their stasis slumber within the trees.
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So let us begin: Leaving off from where we ended last time on Oizys, after careful study of the starmap and working with the Studium, Garleans and Loporrit scientists we found ourselves once again upon the Galactic Way to our brand new destination. We arrived to a beautiful green planet covered in a sprawling cityscape, which the erstwhile Namingway decided to name: Auxesia, which in the real world is the name of a Greek Goddess of Spring (Image 1). Fitting name for a forested planet, which after short study is determined to be the Traveler's homeworld.
Phases 1-11: After landfell as before on the previous two worlds we set up a base camp and found our chosen location, the "Timberlodge" as Namingway dubbed it, was in fact used by the Travelers for a similar purpose, as a space port (Image 2). As with Oizys where every structure left by the alien species had being "grown" from the earth, all of the grand city before us has being shaped from trees. The buildings, all wood. The platforms we stand upon: wooden structures shaped onto the top of colossal trees so large the bottom (and true surface of the planet) cannot be seen. The road, cars, glass windows, street lights? All fashioned from wood. Some have metal mixed in but everything is to some degree wood or plant based
In the distance many points of interest were observed such as large domed structure with immense crystal formations on the roof, covered in withered trees (Image 3). Addition what was dubbed the "City Core", a structure towering above the already large buildings of the city, covered in white foliage and quite out of reach (Image 4). However not a single sign of life. Cars and vehicles mid transit abandoned in the middle of the street. Homes sealed and lifeless. It was as if everyone on the planet had just...disappeared overnight.
After a few "settling in projects" such as clearing the withered and evidently diseased overgrowth from our base and setting up facilities, the researchers set their sights on the "Sprouting Towerling" (Image 5). Determined to sit on the aetheric confluence and being connected to the rest of the city via "The Netroot" our objective was to reawaken this tower. As so we did, spraying it with a aetheric mixture (please ignore the strange colour and sparkling (Image 6)) and and it sprung back to life, which to our suprised caused the street lights in the local area to also turn back on, and giving the researchers access to the "Netroot" (Image 7)
Phases 12-22: With access to what seemed to be the planetary internet (though limited) several things were learned: Firstly the planets self maintenance system, the "Floracanes" a storm of pink petals which coincidentally cause Loporrits to behave drunk, which has the intended function of accelerating the decomposition of decayed plant matter had failed over time to prevent disease and overgrowth choking out the functions of the Netroot. Additionally the core of the Sprouting Towerling was the same jade crystal used to make the grand computers on Oizys. Finally by gaining access to the partially restored Netroot we learned the locations of a second tower. After clearing the way through a thicket of foliage we came upon the Sunning Towerling (Image 8)
Surrounding the tower were strange crystalline growths which with further testing revealed to be of extraterrestrial origin: These crystals were brought over from Oizys. They were of course not this large and overgrown at the time but it seems these crystals have over the long years absorbed the ambient aether in the air, growing large and problematic. Some further study later and it revealed our special yellow sparkly liquid aether cannons will not be enough to reviving this tower. However at its base were several energy ports that were determined to be capable of absorbing the crystals as a source of power. Hence we began the next project: Drilling the crystals and reactivating the Sunning Towerling. Upon successful reactivation we learned that these towers fuction as a "relay" network for the cities power supply and Netroot as well as what is believed to be the Auxesian natives language (Image 9).
Following another base upgrade we turned our sights of the large, overgrown yet dead looking dome (Image 3). Within it rests another tower of the relay network, the Rootling Towerling. However there is no way to access the dome. But the knowledge of the Travelers language plus the restored power to the city allowed us to access and used some of the derelict drones around the city. It turns out their function was gardening and shaping the trees: they have the power to encourage the plantlife to grow into whatever shape and direction they want. So after a round of charging these bad boys up we "made" a bridge using nearby roots (Image 10). With access to the dome we then swiftly got to work repeating the previous action taken on the Sunning Towerling: mining the crystals and powering it u). With that all said and done the Rootling Towerling was reactivated and the relay network almost full restored (Image 11). With the power restored the plantlife around and within the dome sprung to life, showing the relay network was also responsible for the flow of aether and vitality to the trees around it (Image 12)
Phase 22-30: One last base upgrade to give us flight capable mecha, we set our sights on the City Core. Data extracted from the Netroot revealed within the tower is a core system of the network, named "Grandma Laurel" due to it being the main system of the rest of the family of tower networks (Picture 4). Flying out upgraded suits to the top of the tower, we once again brought back our sparkly yellow aether cannons to revive the plantlife and thus restore some power to the tower (Picture 13). With some power restored, we were able to install a cosmoliner up to the tower so we wouldn't need mecha every time (Picture 14) and turned to the final project: Reactivating the core itself. Again with out sparkly cannons we revived the plantlife around the core, which restored the Netroot in it's entirety (Pictures 15, 16, 17).
Aftermath: With the local area of the city fully back online, and the Netroot restored the researchers activated Grandma Laurel and we were finally, after 3 planets and a moon greeted with our prize: The Nagylvi, the native inhabitants of this star (Image 18). Or rather a projection of one. The visual interface of the Netroot, it provided us with a small mobile unit (much like a mammet and yes we get it as a minion (Image 19) and as we toured the city with it, the secrets were revealed: They are a leafkin like race who over time gained autonomy. As suspected they used magic to shape the city into the form we saw it. They used roads and vehicles and teleportation for rapid transit.
They eventually developed advanced teleportation to reach their stars moons, then developed even more powerful gravitational magics to delve further into space aboard vehicles. However due to the gravity of their moons, they didn't realize how powerful these magics were and when they visited then left Oizys they accidentally destroyed the planet leaving it in the shattered state we found it in. But it was worth it for on Oizys they found a mineral that granted them immense amount of aether and "spirit" and thus Oizys was doomed to be pilfered of its riches and slowly ripped apart by repeat gravitational effects. They dubbed these green crystals "Sacred Dew Stones"
Over time their society flourished, powered by the dew stones growing into the great metropolis, with additional resources like the overgrown crystals we found during the project to help with construction projects. Alas eventually the Dew Stone mines on Oizys began to run dry, and their society began to flounder without it. The stone allowed them to advance to such a state and without it their grand cities would fall to waste. Some of the Nagylvi took back to the stars to try and find replacements, but never returned. The rest remained on Auxesia.
Facing the collapse of society, they chose a drastic action: to return to the trees that spawned them. Essentially they did their societies version of uploading their souls and minds to the internet. They became one with the great forest, discarding their bodies and all becoming one with the Netroot. However there was a unforeseen occurrence, obvious in hindsight but overlooked in the heat of the moment: with no one to tend to it, the forest would continue to grow. A city without workers to maintain it will fall into disrepair and a garden without gardeners will become overgrown. With the entire population uploaded into the Netroot, the trees grew wild, disease spread, roots withered and the Netroot began to lose power.
The Nagylvi were powerless to stop their own destruction, ironically because of the "digital" stasis they had placed themselves into wishing to avoid such a fate. Not that they noticed, for they were in a deep slumber. As our guide described it they were going to wither away and die, and not even realize it.
The Cosmic Exploration initiative arriving on the planet had....but sheer coincidence and luck...saved them. Our desire to simply turn back on the Netroots systems to find out the fate of the stars inhabitants, our pruning and clearing away of overgrowth and decayed trees, reactivating the towers, restoring life to the trees had inadvertently saved their entire species still in slumber. A fitting conclusion to the project to explore the stars post Final Days. We had finally found and made first contact with living, non-dynamis replicated, sapient extraterrestrial life (Outside the Dragons and little blue men from a certain detectives adventures)
For the time being the initiative is going to work with the Nagylvi to help restore the star to working order, to protect its people who still slumber within its trees deep within the Netroot (Image 20).
Just a final note this is an interesting comparison to the story of Dawntrail, where Calyx sought to protect his people via the Endless project. Both concluded the path to salvation was to shed their mortal bodies and trust in an artificially aetheric network to sustain their memories and souls. And both ultimately failed, tho the Nagylvi have being given a second chance via external intervention. Without the Dew Stones it's unlikely we can revive their society and culture but we can make sure the Netroot system remains operational and thus preserve their people in their stasis slumber within the trees.
submitted by /u/---TheFierceDeity---
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Continue reading...