Arek'Jaalan: Talocan History
 |
This article is considered to be In Character by its author. |
| Ticker | TH |
| Leads | Tykari |
| Archivists | Eliniale |
| Status | Unknown |
| Channel | AJ: TH |
| Staff | |
| Research | Mark726, Myyona |
| Contributors | Hilen Tukoss, Cicaedis Pritchard, Tykari Eliniale, Rhavas |
Introduction
This department has as a goal to uncover and piece together all the information found on the Talocan ancient race in the hopes of creating a timeline and historical fact file.
The Talocan Civilization
Discovery
The Okkelen Constellation was nothing more than a desolate dreary collection of systems avoided by most travelers. Only those with shady business ventures would spend any time there. All of that changed when a chance discovery in the Otitoh system revealed the existence of an ancient civilization. Archaeological teams flocked to the system to begin excavation of the relics and remains of this civilization. Soon they revealed it was a civilization so old, they already traveled the stars when the Empires' first recorded civilizations were only just emerging on their respective home planets.
By examining the items discovered, this civilization finally received it's name, the Talocan. More importantly the relics found all held tantalizing clues to the advanced technological prowess the Talocan possessed. Data fragments and mathematical schematics made it clear that they were masters of hypereuclidian mathematics and spatial manipulation. The recovered materials could be integrated with current Empire technologies to increase efficiencies to new levels.
Despite these discoveries much of the Talocan remains mysterious. The Ancient temple and Sun Reader artifacts still have an unknown purpose. Most studies of their artifacts came to a halt when Rogue drones infested the site and started scavenging the artifacts and remaining resources present for themselves.
Unanswered questions:
- At what time were the Talocan present in Okkelen?
- Was Okkelen the only constellation they had settled in known space?
- Given the high number of relics recovered containing formulas and mathematical equations was Devil's Digsite a research outpost?
- What was the purpose of the Sun Reader?
- What was the purpose of the Ancient Temple and was it really a temple?
Falling into obscurity
A few years after the discovery the Talocan civilization started to fall into obscurity. While the Talocan enhanced systems were still valuable and sometimes even superior to Empire technology, they became largely forgotten in favour of Tech 2 equipment that was becoming more and more widespread and easier to acquire.
Today only a few Capsuleers are willing to travel to Devil's Dig Site and fight of the endless swarms of drones to find more of their relics or examine the structures left behind there. For those who have visited w-space it has an eerily familiar echo of Sleeper drones guarding the Talocan ruins there.
Wormhole space and reawakened interest
In YC111 when the Seyllin Disaster occurred, unstable wormholes began to form at random in known space. The Empires and Capsuleers soon started to explore these wormholes and systems they connect to, coming into contact with the fearsome Sleeper drones and the remnants of their civilization. Noting the incredible potential and new advances their technologies would bring to the Empires, they started to scan down as many Sleeper remains as they could. At that point they made a startling discovery. Not all the ruins were of Sleeper origin. Intertwined with the Sleepers were ancient outposts of a different design, clearly belonging to a different entity. Experts could only conclude they belonged to the Talocan.
The discovery of Talocan outposts changed everything. Unlike the Sleeper structures the Talocan outposts were in severe decay suggesting they were absolutely ancient, older even than the Sleepers who were now guarding them. Yet as time passed evidence emerged that perhaps these two races were not as seperated by time as first believed. Certain technologies salvaged from both Sleeper and Talocan outpost share striking resemblances to one another.
The exact link between these two races is as of yet unknown. Some speculate the Sleepers found the remains of the Talocan civilisation and studied it, copying and incorporating the technology of the Talocan into their own. This theory is given credence by the Sleeper Mirror installations who appear to devote an entire section to the study of their technology.
Some believe the Talocan died because of a plague or disease. Many Talocan outposts who comm systems have not fully shut down due to disrepair warn of a quarantine being imposed, even going so far as to threaten hostile action if one attempts to breach the area.
Others give more credence to the theory of a conflict between the two races. Several ships belonging to the Talocan can still be found near Talocan and Sleeper structures suggesting remains of combat fleets and some Talocan structures even appear to have sustained battle damage. It is even suggested that the disease the Talocan may have suffered was the result of biological warfare.
Whatever the case may be, the result of the discoveries in w-space is that the Talocan have been put in the spotlight once more and many Empires, Capsuleers and Corporations are investing substantially to find out more and profit from their advanced technology.
Unanswered Questions:
- Why did the Talocan travel to wormhole space?
- Why are the Talocan and Sleepers intertwined with eachother, what is the link between them?
- Given the presence of observation domes and telescoping equipment, what were the Talocan observing and for what purpose?
Timeline of the Talocan Civilization
Because there has been very little effort to date the Talocan structures in wormhole-space this timeline is incomplete and the best estimate that can be made with current data.
- 16000 years Before YC0
-
- First recorded civilizations emerge on current Empire home worlds, Talocan civilization has a spacefaring society in the Okkelen Constellation
- Unknown, believed to be after Okkelen colonisation
-
- Talocan travel to wormhole space and expand
- Unknown
-
- Talocan civilization disappears
Talocan culture
Migrant culture
Very little is known about the Talocan culture. What we do know is that the Talocan were a migrant culture. The exact reason for this migrant nature is not known. Did they have a goal? Where they hoping to reach some far off place, a place from their mythology or religion? Was it a means of survival, a need to find new resources? Their way of having survived the Dark Ages that are believed to have fallen upon civilization millenia ago.
Whatever the reason, this simple fact shaped them. Many of their ships and structures were designed for prolonged journeys in space, being almost entirely selfsufficient. The spartan nature of their outposts further ties into this. The Talocan likely spared their resources, doing away with all unnecessary items that would be a drain on them during their long journeys. It is even possible the Talocan never settled on planets and were a purely spacefaring society.
The Talocan mastery of hypereuclidian mathematics and spatial manipulation and their firm grasp on astronautical engineering likely came from their need for continued advancements in this area so they could continue to expand and travel further. It is very possible it gave them access to some as of yet unknown method of FTL propulsion vastly more efficient and capable than our own.
Society
There virtually no information on the structure of the society of the Talocan. We don't know much about the hierarchy and political situation. Being a migrant culture that spent large portions of time in space their divisions could have been one of Fleets instead of House or Tribe or Political Party.
Outposts in wormhole space do offer tantalizing hints that the Talocan Outpost Hub was a place for cultural exchange or more disturbingly possibly a place of imprisonment. This could indicate that either the Talocan valued peaceful exchange between various levels in their society, or that they had some form slavery in their civilization and they exchanged these lower members in their society with others.
Religion
With the discoveries at Devil's Dig Site researchers uncovered a structure they dubbed as an Ancient temple. This at least suggests they had some form of religion and this structure played some part in it.
However due to the Rogue drone infestation this structure has been modified and slowly turned into a hive. With that it's original purpose has been lost. Coupled with the loss of information concerning the initial discoveries it's no longer known what made researchers call it an Ancient temple and inquiries will have to be made into finding members of the team that made the initial reports.
Given the many data fragments and mathematical models and other materials found, it appears more to have been some sort of research outpost as opposed to a place of worship. It is of course possible that science and religion were very interconnected and that scientific endeavors were considered a religious obligation, similar to the Sisters of Eve and their devotion to research on the fabled EVE Gate.
Closer studies will be required and hopefully the original research teams can be contacted to shed more light on the subject.
Unanswered questions:
- Given the migrant culture of the Talocan were they seperated into different groups or tribes similar to the Minmatar?
- Why were they a migrant culture?
- How long did the Talocan remain in one place before moving on?
- Did the Talocan have a religion and what was it?
- Did they have advanced means of FTL travel that are currently unknown to us?
Quarantine
Evidence from the many sites found in wormhole space suggests that at some point in their history the Talocan came across some kind of virus or disease. There are many sites that have been placed in quarantine. From the automated systems still in operation it can be gathered this quarantine was actively enforced and deadly force was authorized against any who attempted to break quarantine.
Another possiblity that has been suggest by members of the Capsuleer community would be some sort of computer virus. This would explain why the Sleepers are so persistent when it comes to maintaining that quarantine, as their virtual links and vast network in wormhole space is possibly very vulnerable to digital threats. Although this is considered to be less likely than a biological virus.
For further information you can follow the reference below.
Questions:
- Who quarantined the Talocan sites? Did they do it themselves or did the Sleepers?
- Did the Talocan come across a deadly plague or disease or was there another reason?
- If the Talocan did become infected by a plague was it through natural means or because or bio-warfare?
- If the Talocan did not suffer from a disease why the quarantine?
- Could there be any traces left of whatever (disease, computer virus, etc) caused the quarantine.
Research Projects
Project Infernal Spade
- Project Infernal Spade analyses the Talocan structures located within the Devil's Dig Site complex - by Myyona
