Raxxla as a story (not a quest thread)

Murphy1135

M
None of what is written below will assist you to find Raxxla. Having said that...

If the game word has a fully realized story, as opposed to the more dodgy kind of questing where implausible listening posts exist simply to serve some puzzle, then Raxxla can be interesting beyond finding some POI.
While everyone is interested in the quest part (and hence why the "toast" has received so much traction), the questions raised by the back story is interesting in itself (even though the game will probably never explore it explicitly).

How do legends start?
Normally there is some initial event or reference.
In the case of Atlantis we have Plato as a reference point.
In the case of El Dorado we have Freyle.

But in the case of the Raxxla, we have none.
If the Codex is correct and the legend had already been in circulation in 2296.
So where would people get the idea of some magical alien something-or-other?

In 2296 there are two alien references of interest:
The first is the Martian Relic.
The second is the Mudlarks on Archenar 6d (with their molded clay forms of no use)

Of the two, the second is the most appealing since it can put a different spin on the extinction narrative.
While neither idea can be tested in game, it does make the timeline more fun to read since it opens up speculation about events.

I guess the point of the ramble is.. If the back story is good, it might be worth more than just finding the place.
 

yelboc

yelboc
I once shared a Lavian Brandy with an old mechanic in the bar of Jacques Station. I asked him if he knew the old stories of Raxxla? He looked at me over his holo-specs and smiled.
" you look too young to be asking that" he said as if avoiding the question. I offered him another drink and he accepted and we retired to a quieter corner of the bar.
"I've heard many rumors and talk of wild speculation, from ancient earth world myths to more modern conspiracy theories - no one seems to have anything concrete" I said.
" Aye - many a man has lost his mind chasing that old ghost" he said.
" And you.. ", I teased, " have you followed that will-o-the wisp in your long career?"
" Take care what you ask for - knowledge is not always without risk." he muttered. " I've heard a few old tales, but none have profited by them that I know of"
he then settled down in his chair and looked away as if recalling ancient loves..
"Myth tells of a generation ship,one of the Task ships, sent from the Saramadarian Pearls globular cluster by the Oisirian Raxxlans. They were intent on conquering space-time itself."
"The story goes that one such ship found old Gaia and chose to use the planet for their purposes. They created Robots in the image of man in order to conquer and rule over us, bending mankind's labour towards their scheme. The machines were worshiped as gods by the primitive peoples and the rulers of the dynasties of men built their temples in the form the Raxxlans desired as a part of their great galaxy-sized machinery."
Maybe I had more to drink than I realised for I was confused about who the old star cowboy was referring to, and my grasp of ancient history was weak. Sensing my befuddlement he carried on.
" Thus it was that the pyramids of the ancients were built on the plane of Giza under the direction of Osiris and Ra - the gods of ancient Egypt"
" Once their ship had moved on, mankind forgot the influence of these strange visitors whose machinery was ultimately doomed to failure. The Pyramids became a great mystery lost in time, it's significance not understood until mankind found its own way amongst the stars."
" Rumour has it that other worlds carry similar machinery and some even claim that they have found Gateways that lead ultimately to the Pearls themselves and the realm of the Raxxlans. Many have searched in vain and I'm sure many will search further"
" Myself, I've had a scrub around looking for clues. More than once have I stumbled on more profitable fare on the way; at other times it's seemed like an empty goose-chase - a fairy tale from a child's book."
" For my money, those in the know have cloaked the mystery in veils, hiding their discoveries to protect their profits - I've more than once had the feeling that I was being watched and a chill in my bones has kept me alive."
" But I'm too old for looking over my shoulder - perhaps its time for others to chase the dream.." he said emptying his glass. I rose and offered a refill.
By the time I returned from the bar he had vanished. I sighed and turned to the two shots of dark liquor and watched the to and fro of the space lanes outside the station, wondering what was truth and what was tale, and whether it mattered or not..
 
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yelboc

yelboc
Didn't mean to kill the thread dead :)

Whats the origin of the Raxxla Myth? Well Raxxla was in the book "Alien Worlds: a complete guide" which was written by Robert Holdstock under a pseudonym. He went on to write the novella that shipped with 1984 Elite called "The Dark Wheel". TDW is also mentioned in Alien Worlds, so we can assume that R.H. was re-using some old names and associating the story line. My little diversion above was based on that book, btw.

It seems clear to me that Raxxla was then not in any games until ED - its been proven not to be in the 1984 Elite game by reverse engineering the code, and no mention was made in the follow on games. So resurrecting it in ED could be expected to be a conscious effort to redress its non existence in the other games as a line of Lore that is available to them, and something to provide an extended story arc for those who have pew-pew'ed or jumped their way to Elite.

From there we are left with second guessing this story arc based on the shreds of evidence we have and guessing the character and tendencies of the authors of ED.

My backstory hints might be as follows:
  • The pyramids and their connection to Talmor Lenses (in the AW book) are a juicy source of conjecture but with no canonical status - a few odd tenuous links to the codex are possible.
  • The Dark wheel novella is a tale and again it is not canon, but the spirit of that tale is surely the basis of Raxxla in game
  • The alien artefact found on Mars and currently held by who?? - this is important. And a definite mystery that is canon
  • Art Thornquist diary quote in the Codex - this sets a date frame that links it nicely with the above relic. Time enough for it to become legend.
  • The Dark wheel - my impression is that this is a group of aspirationists that do not have access to Raxxla but have been searching for centuries (I know how they feel :) )
  • The DW may well have amassed clues - and finding them is probably our principal aim as theirs is finding Raxxla
  • Other powers are probably involved - my bet is that the DW is clandestine because they fear the forces of the major power players.
So the story arc may well be expressed in the power-play, in lines of the story that show secret members of the DW who are avoiding discovery by the major powers but still working to discover Raxxla and its secrets. Identifying DW members in the back story and engaging with them in ways that we have access to is probably something worth pursuing.

Achenar Mudlarks is a new one on me. Please elaborate.

YB
 
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simulacrae

simulacrae
Ya I like to imagine that for the mystery to have started there would have been some kind of event or discovery during early space exploration (promptly covered up) that hinted at it... I guess we will see if the back story progresses... I cant help but think that finding more of "the missing" might shed some light.

Murphy1135 said:
In 2296 there are two alien references of interest:
The first is the Martian Relic.
The second is the Mudlarks on Archenar 6d (with their molded clay forms of no use)

Of the two, the second is the most appealing since it can put a different spin on the extinction narrative.
While neither idea can be tested in game, it does make the timeline more fun to read since it opens up speculation about events.

I guess the point of the ramble is.. If the back story is good, it might be worth more than just finding the place.
Click to expand...
 

Tigorath

Tigorath
To Yelboc, you have blown my mind. I ACTUALLY had both books next to each other in my bedroom... well, the Alien World and Mythago Woods and I had no iea it was the same author. Fantastic detective work sir. Now I'm on a different avenue of research using the Alien World references which hints to the old Gods. Starting with Ra. Who incidentally bitten by a Cobra.
 
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