Excerpts From Nonexistent Books

Strong societal bonds in a defined social hierarchy, each subordinate to its greater and master over its lesser. This is the bread and butter of Jexliv, the Overlord, and the most powerful of the Three Powers of Exergy. Many find a sort of familiar comfort in the order that Jexliv promises, but it is also an order that is rigid, inflexible, and often at odds with reality. There are no exceptions; no changes can be made; no mistakes will be tolerated. If Jexliv smiles warmly on a society that is ordered, it does not care how that order is maintained; if Jexliv scowls at a malcontent, it does not care what its reasons are.

Joy and sadness themselves are the playthings of Inurkxoi, one of the Four Powers of Entropy, as it manipulates the neurotransmitters and emotions of others as it pleases. This leads to boundless, unhinged hedonism, but also its opposite in the form of the ascetic darkness and despair of deep depression. Anything that leads to a strong emotion is favored, regardless of its cause and regardless of its outcome. In this way, Inurkxoi is both ally and enemy to its siblings as it seeks to cultivate strong positive or negative feelings purely for their own sakes.

Inurkxoi’s followers often war against those of the other Powers or are warred upon in turn. The former includes the Dopamine Reavers, whose pleasure centers light up with acts of depravity and destruction, while the later includes the Order of Deprivation, which runs a series of ascetic monasteries designed to strip sensation out of living beings.

Long-simmering plans brought to fruition, infections of body and brain taking their course, and the long, slow road to recovery. These are the domains of Muhaochy, God of Phlegm, one of the Four Powers of Entropy, who revels in the subtle spread of sickness, the gentle constricting of valves and veins, but who also relishes the long and agonizing recovery from illness. It is popular among the secretive for this reason, and it is not uncommon to find devotees of Muhaochy in espionage fields. But as much as it enjoys the infection, it enjoys the cure, which means it is no mere gurgle in the throat of the dying. Of the Four, it is the most cautious but also perhaps the most hands-on, as it has been known to respond personally to requests to heal and to harm.

It is an open question as to whether the Hospitaliers of the outer rim or the Holistics of the inner core are the larger sect devoted to Muhaochy. There can be no doubt that the enmity between them is great, often breaking into open warfare. The Hospitaliers believe in a sacred charge to heal the wounded and the sick, while the Holistics believe in an equally sacred charge to disdain all medicine and cures and to instead welcome illness as a path to a stronger people and gene pool. Muhaochy, for its part, does not seem to care, granting such boons as it will to both in equal measure.

Grudges nursed and complaints aired are the domains of the God of Bile, one of the Four Powers of Entropy, who has a long memory and an even longer reach. As much as its “sibling” Umtivk savors spur-of-the-moment hotheaded action, Dvzsua disdains any such thing in favor of passive-aggressiveness. A slight that curdles into a lifelong distaste that manifests itself as a thousand tiny insults laid against the offender is sweet music to Dvzsua. Then again, so is a secret and unrequited love, a thousand tiny kindnesses bestowed on the unaware. The God of Bile welcomes its adherents to vent their spleen and air their grievances, and disdains any gauche actions that might imperil the status quo. Anyone who sees Dvzsua as a sympathetic ear is correct, but the subtlety of its action may fail to satisfy.

The so-called God of Bile is venerated by, most notably, the Knights of the Spleen. Smaller groups that are devoted to Dvzsua to some extent or another include the Almighty Kvetch, the Most Noble Order of Bellyachers, and the Stilettos.

Passionate, fiery, and apt to act before thinking, Umtivk prizes action above all else and prefers a decisive wrong act to an indecisive right one. “Strong and wrong” is, to Umtivk, a great compliment. It is quickest to anger of the Four Powers of Entropy, quickest to pass judgment, and quickest to violence…but also just as quick to forget, as quick to forgive, and as quick to give gifts. The God of Blood welcomes gifts of bloodshed, but equally smiles upon those who impulsively make peace. Two mortal enemies spontaneously engaging in a drinking contest would bring just as much joy to Umtivk as would a murder. Those who see Umtivk as a god of war are among its strongest followers, but they are often disappointed when they learn of its fickleness.

A number of devotees to Umtivik exist, many organized into groups of societies. The Clot is probably the most numerous and well-organized, though the Bloodletters and the Transfusionists might object. As with most of the so-called “gods” that make up the Powers of Entropy and Exergy, veneration of and belief in Umtivk crosses all known peoples, empires, and factions.

The Powers of Entropy and Exergy are created and sustained by belief, and the beliefs of trillions of sapients in the Cassandra Galaxy have led to the Four major powers of Entropy and the Three of Exergy emerging amid a host of minor ones. As opposed to their great foes, the Powers of Exergy, the Powers of Entropy tend to favor chaos, individuality, idiosyncrasy, and disorder. As opposed to their great foes, the Powers of Entropy, the Powers of Exergy tend to favor order, collectivism, rigid moral codes, and sacred vows.

Though often called gods, including by themselves, the Four and the Three, as well as their minor brethren, are a purely natural phenomenon, a quirk of the existence of intelligent minds perceiving the universe. Those who manifest a particularly strong belief in one of the Four can allow for them to act upon the believer and even the believer’s environment with a number of local quantum effects that can appear miraculous or even impossible. It’s important to note that the strongest weapon against interference by an adherent of the Four or the Three–the Seven, as they are sometimes called–is disbelief. A strong and sincere enough disbelief will blunt any power these beings seem to possess, and an avowed and committed atheist will have nothing to fear so long as they do not waver.

The true nature of the Powers has led to some sapients wondering if it is possible to birth a new one through intense and directed belief–or to kill one through targeted skepticism. Thus far, all such efforts have failed because the belief must be sincere, and to birth a Power or to attempt to elevate oneself to that level requires a certain level of insincerity, and even a sliver of belief will rescue an imperiled Power from death. Many a cult has risen and fallen dedicated to wither propositon, and for their part the Powers seem indifferent, regarding the birth or death of one of their own with little sentimentality.

The Archive Incident Report #0305250507
Type: Physiology
Category: RL 793 (skin disorder, entropy, “Gregor Samsa” onset)
Subject: AC-1992-EU-23, “Mister Rust”
Location: [REDACTED]
Reporting Archivist: A333 “Claude”

A bricklayer and laborer in Occitania in the south of France took ill in mid-1992, complaining of lethargy, a high fever, unsettling dreams, and a strongly red and itchy rash. Diagnosed with severe eczema, he convalesced for a week before returning for a checkup. To his surprise, and that of his doctor, the stethoscope and sphygmomanometer promptly rusted and fell to pieces.

It was soon discovered that the laborer’s touch was enough to induce a strong oxidizing reaction in a variety of substances, most notably iron and steel. Despite extensive testing, the mechanism of action remains unknown, but tests confirmed that lithium, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, zinc, chromium, iron, cobalt, nickel, lead, copper, mercury, silver, platinum, and gold were affected; it is guessed that potassium and sodium would also be affected but tests were ruled out due to danger.

Unfortunately, due to the amount of metal tools involved in his work, the laborer lost his job and pension, and was saddled with a very high cost of living due to the need to either remove metals that could oxidize from his proximity or to have others do work (such as cooking) he could no longer do himself. The Archive was able to step in and secure him a job in a materials testing lab, where his unique physical properties were highly useful.

Note from Head Archivist:
Unsubstantiated reports indicate that, at or around the same time in 1992, an unidentified fisherman living in Waitangi on the island of Rēkohu developed a similar affliction, only rather than oxidization his touch would cause wood and other natural fibers to rot. This is particularly noteworthy as Rēkohu is an antipodal point from southern France, on the exact opposite side of the globe. An Archival field team was dispatched to investigate, with the result that [REDACTED] but only after he [REDACTED] in the midst of [REDACTED] helplessly.

Abby-Marie did a scream
When she saw the postal truck gleam
It’s a good thing she’s pretty
’cause she’s not very witty
When she gets on a mailman theme

Model: Magellan-class heavy cruiser
Manufacturer: Ares Dynamics (Mars), Titan Exoatmospherics (Saturn), Beta Orbital (Alpha Cantauri β)
Length: 600m
Beam: 200m
Crew Complement: 500 (SCC-4700 President, as command ship), 350 (SCC-4679 Magellan, as standard complement), 25 (skeleton crew)
Propulsion: 2x Wilcock & Babcox Class VII hyperdrives, 4x Eastinghouse heavy impulse engines, 120x Prak und Daim light vector thrusters
Protection: 6x Mark XIV anti-ordinance shields (fore, aft, dorsal, ventral, starboard, port), 12x Pulowski emergency backup defensive screens
Defensive Systems: MGS-96 decoy flares (1800x), HRO-90 acoustic decoys (x60), EM-85 multi-band scramblers (x30)
Armament: 15 Type XI heavy maser arrays, 4 meson torpedo launchers (2 forward, 2 aft), 250x Mark VIII meson torpedoes, 100x Type IV gravitic mines, 10x “nebula-buster” magnetometric guided charges
Auxiliary Craft: 6x Type 5 shuttlecraft, 6x Type B shuttlepods

Intended as the new standard in the construction and deployment of Star Confederation vessels, the Magellan-class was designed to be far larger, far better-armed, and far more capable than its predecessors, the Cook-class. While designated as heavy cruisers by the Star Confederation, they were often informally called battlecruisers by the Vatna, murderbirds by the Zypger, battleships by the Fulvan, and tactical tubes by the 11001001.

While officially designated for exploration, diplomatic, and peacekeeping duties, the Magellans also served to project power, and a modified Magellan,, the SCV President, served as flagship of Fleet Arm. They were also informally referred to as “resort hotels” by crew, as the vessels had been designed with enough room for a very opulent standard of personal space and comfort. This was reflected in their state-of-the-art, but complex, systems, and in combat they proved to be susceptible to jamming. Despite the creature comforts, many in Fleet Arm disliked the vessels, seeing them as tactically dubious, easy to break, difficult to repair, and easily evaded by smaller and nimbler ships–to say nothing of the enormous crews they required.

The Star Confederation parliament, meeting in Brasilia, debated the appropriations for the Magellans fiercely, with many feeling that the ships were expensive vanity projects and that Fleet Arm would be better served by more numerous smaller vessels. Due in part to the personal intervention of Lamar Stonebridge and Fleet Arm head Admiral Adams, the ships were approved but strictly limited to seven, as opposed to Adams’s preference for twenty or more. The seven Magellans were all named by Adams personally aside from the prototype and the SCV Confederation, which overrode one of the admiral’s suggestions that Parliament found offensive.

Notes:
SCV Magellan, the prototype, was constructed with a number of untested features and launched without several key systems with components from Cook-class hulks installed. Her lengthy shakedown process meant that five of her sisters officially entered service before she did.

SCV President, the fourth ship of the class, was built to a modified design to serve as the personal flagship of Head, Fleet Arm. Admiral Adams personally oversaw the construction process, and dictated several changes to the construction crews in mid-assembly. As flagship, it is arguably the most famous ship in Fleet Arm and is considered its “poster child.”

SCV Confederation, the seventh and final ship to be constructed, was renamed in mid-construction at the insistence of Parliament. As a result of this perceived slight, Admiral Adams ensured that the Confederation had last priority for construction supplies, crew, and provisions. He also assigned it to particularly humiliating and degrading duties for a ship of its size and cost, leading to it being informally nicknamed “The Scow.”

The Archive Incident Report #0305250432
Type: Incursion (suspected)
Category: BR 3351.3 (unknown incursion, suspected incursion, abduction, memory tampering)
Subject: AC-1981-NA-108, “Bus Number Seven”
Location: [REDACTED]
Reporting Archivist: B1 “Bosco”

In 1981, a maintenance mechanic at the school bus depot for a large rural school district noticed that Bus No. 7 had failed to return to the garage following its route on a Friday afternoon. Bus No. 7, an International Harvester S Series 3800 “Schoolmaster” with a Wayne Wayne Lifeguard type C body and coachwork, had been purchased in 1980 along with six other busses; it had a capacity of 60 students and one driver. Chalking the bus’s absence up to a simple oversight, the mechanic locked the garage and left.

When Bus No. 7 failed to appear, the mechanic contacted the local sheriff’s department, which was quickly able to determine that the bus had been loaded with 12 students and one driver and had been assigned to the most rural and remote route in service. Despite some ambiguous tire tracks found in some muddy areas on unpaved back roads, no trace of the bus was ever found, but the task of identifying the students inside was complicated by the fact that none of the seven families involved ever reported any missing children. The driver, too, proved difficult to pin down, as they had been a substitute whom none of the bus monitors on duty that day recognized.

Around this point, after Archivist Bosco had been summoned, records for the nine bus passengers that could conclusively be identified as missing began to disappear. Their parents and families denied their existence, and could not provide photographs or other evidence. School records, including student photographs and yearbooks, showed evidence of having been tampered with; county records similarly vanished or were edited. In time, the mechanic and sheriff’s department seemed to suffer a similar fate, as they eventually insisted that the case had never existed and denied having been involved with it or summoning assistance from the Archive. Only Archivist Bosco’s Viridian anatomy and physiology seem to have shielded him from the effects and allowed a full and unbiased report to be compiled.

Note From Head Archivist:
Some time later, circa 1995, it emerged that a number of individuals seemed to be using the identities of the disappeared passengers, a detail that was not recognized until the system began to be computerized. The Archive, and Archivist Bosco in particular, was interested in approaching these individuals in order to ascertain what connection, if any, they possessed to the missing persons. However, they fled at the approach of Bosco or any other Archivist, refused to speak when cornered, and were generally elusive and evasive. None were ultimately able to be apprehended and interviewed, but interestingly all of them seemed to work in–or be training to work in–defense fields relating to radar, radiography, remote sensing, and telecommunications.