The Dwellers of the Abyss, AKA Abyssian Dwellers

Moderator: NoXion

Post Reply
User avatar
NoXion
Posts: 556
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 6:51 pm
Location: Nova Mundi

The Dwellers of the Abyss, AKA Abyssian Dwellers

Post by NoXion »

[Excerpted from the Encyclopedia Omnia, 2105 Edition]

Image
A sketch by the mechanoid Pleasant Evening Light of the South Pacific Alliance of a mature Abyssian Dweller


BIOLOGY

The Dwellers of the Abyss are a sapient, technological species of the Order Siphonophorae. They have existed on Earth in their present form and approximate technological development (although what they have is highly optimised and refined) for the past 200 million years or so, although they have only revealed their presence to humans and human-derived sapients in the past 40 years or so. As evidenced by their extremely insular behaviour relative to anthropogenic phenotypes, the Dwellers have a very different way of thinking. Their brain tissues consist of specialised cells throughout their body, which is organised more along the lines of a colony of microbes than than a discrete arrangement of tissues. The Dwellers make heavy use of nanotechnology, and freely incorporate it into their bodies. It seems that this nanotechnology is so seamlessly integrated into their cellular systems that it can be easily passed down through offspring. Dwellers have also been observed to display what appear to be true telepathic and telekinetic powers. Although the mechanism is yet to be deduced, the few scientific tests that have been carried out so far have ruled out external technological assistance, and the Dwellers themselves claim that their abilities are the result of mental training rather than biology or technology. The Dwellers thus far have been reluctant to permit close internal anatomical studies of their "psyonic" abilities as they happen, the more talkative ones hinting at security concerns. One hypothesis is that if Dweller claims of psyonic abilities are true, then a sufficiently close examination could give us sufficient data to counteract their powers, even if we are not able to discern the mechanism from such an observation. Nevertheless, these discoveries have ignited a fierce interest in the nascent field of psyonics, which is currently divided upon whether it is necessary to alter biology to unlock human and other phenotypes' psyonic abilities. Some have pointed out that the Dwellers have had at least 200 million years to perfect their abilities, and head off objections of Dweller scientific stagnation by further observing that it is not at all clear whether advancements in other fields are necessary to improve psyonic knowledge. Others argue that 200 million years is certainly long enough for evolution by natural selection to take effect. The Dwellers themselves have so far been non-reponsive on this topic.

Although they are cagey concerning their psyonic abilities, it seems they have no such idiosyncrasies about sex and reproduction. Both male and female dwellers (who do not display any sexual dimorphism) constantly emit spores. When these spores settle on specially prepared spawning grounds in the deepest depths of the Earth's oceans, they grow into colonies of androgynous polyps which are carefully nurtured by the mature forms. The non-sentient polyps can be artificially induced to bud, which most often done to the polyps of those Dwellers who have gained great accolade or achievement in Dweller society. Every year, regardless if any budding has occurred, the polyps curl up and develop into sexually dimorphic larvae. These larvae are highly sentient, and Dweller society cherishes their welfare and presence. The larval stage lasts about a hundred years, during which the larvae can mate, giving birth to a clutch of 6-8 juvenile larvae which are collectively looked after by first the larvae collectively and if not, the adults either individually, in pairs, in large groups or collectively. After the century or so has passed, the larvae undergo a second stage of metamorphosis, into the fully sapient and mature adult stage illustrated above.


CIVILISATION

The Dwellers currently locate their population centres in the very deepest parts of the Earth's oceans, although they claim to have had a greater presence on Earth in the distant past. It is surmised that this was aided by the infusion of nanotech into their bodies, which enables them to survive outside the chilly, dark and crushing depths of their ancestral environment. It is now believed that some past UFO sightings can be attributed to rare glimpses of Dweller vehicles. Their performance is certainly on par with that reported for UFOs; Dweller vehicles appear to have completely reactionless drives which enable them to defy gravity and fly without the aid of airfoils or thrusters. Dweller vehicles also have the ability to change their shape, their silvery surfaces rippling as they morph from say, a spheroid to a more aerodynamic teardrop-like shape. Unless a door is open or some such, these vehicles have perfectly seamless and highly reflective exterior surfaces.

Dweller cities are mostly hidden underneath the ground at the bottom of Earth's deeper ocean trenches. Being constructed exclusively for Dweller body shapes, they are strange places in the eyes of the few anthropogenic individuals to be granted a visit. As the Dwellers do not naturally share our sense of vision, they are utterly dark except for scatterings of luminescence from their quasi-organic technology. The Dweller's ability to alter their buoyancy means a lack of stairs as well as a more flexible attitude to the concepts of "up" and "down". Rapid transit within Dweller cities is achieved via a system of "flow tubes" which carry passengers and cargo along a current between termini.

The the full extent of the military capabilities of the Abyssian Dweller civilisation has yet to be determined, although what is known is impressive by 22nd century anthropogenic standards. Doubtless their undeniable prowess with nanotechnology has major implications, and in addition to the impressive speed and maneuverability that has been observed from their previously mentioned vehicles, are believed to possess weaponry that meets or exceeds 22nd century anthropogenic standards. Observations of the Dweller Ambassadorial Guard have established clear lower limits on the capability of their infantry - although they have never been seen in combat so far, the Ambassadorial Guard are visibly different to their fellow Dwellers, sharing the same lustrous silvery appearance as their vehicles and toting what are obviously weapons.


IMPLICATIONS OF CONTACT

Although we still have much yet to learn of the Dwellers themselves, the knowledge of their existence alone was one of the first confirmations that humans were not alone in being a sapient and technological species. The Dwellers give an example of two potential answers to the Fermi paradox; first, by demonstrating the ability to hide from industrial civilisations in a manner that was overall successful considering they were practically right under our noses, it raises the possibility that extraterrestrial alien civilisations (who may be even more advanced, and also have the advantage of being further away) could also be hiding themselves from Solar civilisations, if not all more primitive societies. Second, the Dwellers of the Abyss serve as a concrete example that not all sapient technological species are anywhere near as outward looking as the anthropogenic civilisations. If insularity is in fact the dominant behaviour among technological civilisations, then this suggests that civilisations that come to dominate the entire galaxy have yet to occur or are rare enough to ensure that galactic meta-history has astronomically extensive quiet periods, in one of which we find ourselves.
User avatar
Red Commissar
Posts: 178
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:01 am

Re: The Dwellers of the Abyss, AKA Abyssian Dwellers

Post by Red Commissar »

OOT: Not going to lie, the picture makes it look creepy. What would be their size compared to say, a human? Here's hoping they don't decide to mess things up in the game down the road, I'm already wondering if those Fang things might come around too. :lol:
User avatar
NoXion
Posts: 556
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 6:51 pm
Location: Nova Mundi

Re: The Dwellers of the Abyss, AKA Abyssian Dwellers

Post by NoXion »

Red Commissar wrote:OOT: Not going to lie, the picture makes it look creepy. What would be their size compared to say, a human?
They're about twice the mass of an average adult human being, and grow up to three to four metres in height if they are positioned as in the illustration.
Here's hoping they don't decide to mess things up in the game down the road, I'm already wondering if those Fang things might come around too. :lol:
You don't have to worry about the Fang for a good few millennia yet, I have no plans to introduce them to the game. Although they could make an appearance in the next game I have planned... :twisted:

PS: Thanks for reading and commenting!
User avatar
Magister Militum
Posts: 921
Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 8:01 pm
Location: California

Re: The Dwellers of the Abyss, AKA Abyssian Dwellers

Post by Magister Militum »

I like the potential solution to the Fermi Paradox. In my current worldbuilding phase I dealt with the paradox with similar rationalizations, among other things. I have a question, though. The article mentions that Dweller nanotech is passed along to successive generations. Does this mean that its primarily biological in nature?
Democratic Socialist | Atheist | Transhumanist | Bright Green Environmentalist | Worldbuilder | IT Professional |


Germania your game is through, now you're gonna answer to... The Freestates! Fuck Yeah! Now lick my balls and suck on my cock! Freestates, Fuck Yeah! Coming in to save the motherfuckin' day! Rock and roll, fuck yeah! Television, fuck yeah! DVDs, fuck yeah! Militums, fuck yeah! - Shroomy
User avatar
Le Socialiste
Posts: 209
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2011 10:19 pm
Location: All Over

Re: The Dwellers of the Abyss, AKA Abyssian Dwellers

Post by Le Socialiste »

They do look a little creepy...I hope they make an even greater appearance in the game soon though.

I'm also intrigued by your "new game".
Post Reply