ZORPIAN

🛸 Zorpians: The Ones Who Know
Ask them nothing. Assume they know everything.
I. The Silent Architects
Zorpians are arcane-fueled beings not born of Pentara—at least not anymore. They are the spark behind the spark, the ones who seeded life long ago and then watched it grow like mold on a Petri dish. Some scholars believe they are gods. Others believe they’re just nosey interstellar gremlins with anxiety and no moral compass. The Zorpians? They won’t tell. Not because they don’t want to—but because they can’t.
Bound by a galactic clause known only to them, Zorpians are forbidden from sharing the secrets of the universe. Not because it’s dangerous. Not because it’s sacred. Simply: you’re not ready. Or so they claim.
They speak in riddles when you least expect it, and vanish without explanation. You don’t meet a Zorpian. You realize—far too late—that you’ve been speaking with one the whole time.
II. Disguises and Duplicity
Zorpians never appear in their true form unless it’s absolutely necessary—or you catch them mid-abduction. Most of the time, they shapeshift, blending into other species with perfect mimicry. That Emberin merchant? Could be a Zorpian. That Torqle who never blinks? Definitely a Zorpian. That bard in the tavern who plays songs with only eight notes before looping? Suspicious.
They are the eyes in the crowd, the hands that nudge events forward, and the voices whispering to “just try it and see what happens.” They don’t command—they influence. Because observation is their game. Interference? A happy accident.
III. Scorrachai’s Vanishing Jungle
Before Scorrachai became the barren desert it is today, it was lush, wet, and brimming with life. Jungle vines, freshwater rivers, wild beasts—the works. Until one day, it wasn’t.
Only the Nyari know what happened. The truth? The Zorpians did it. A miscalculation in terra-shifting, an experiment in solar exposure, or a clean sweep test gone wrong—no one knows what the goal was. The Zorpians offered reparations: knowledge, temples, scrolls, secrets of the stars. The Nyari were forced into silence. In exchange, they were given arcane observatories, celestial insight, and a grave warning:
“Speak of this, and we will press reset.”
IV. Of Eights and Infinity
The number 8 follows Zorpians like a shadow:
8 beats in ancient dances
8 petals in their encrypted sigils
8 cycles of life whispered across cultures
8-sided structures found beneath crop circles
The symbol for infinity (∞) turned upright
It is said that every major event in Pentara aligns with one of the 8 life cycles—and that Zorpians guide them in silent intervals. But again, this is theory. No Zorpian will ever confirm it. Theories from Torqle monks, Eldrin astronomers, and Gelatian dreamdivers all conflict… yet all agree on one thing:
Zorpians knew about it before anyone else.
V. The Galactic Scatter
Abduction is... tradition. Zorpians regularly lift locals from across Pentara, launch them into orbit, or drop them into faraway galaxies “just to see what they’ll do.” They don’t mean harm (usually)—they just want to see if a Hoothryn can survive on a planet with zero gravity and edible glass. They’re curious like that.
Some of Pentara’s lost species might even be thriving on other worlds, unknowingly the subjects of a Zorpian science fair. A horrifying thought, sure—but their crafts do run on pure arcane resonance, so maybe they’re just bored?
VI. Origins? None of Your Business
Where did they come from? Were they always here?
Some think they’re the first species to ever live.
Others believe they’re from a planet of pure thought.
A few claim they are Pentara, just evolved beyond physical form and returned in disguise.
Zorpians, if asked, will usually respond with:
“That’s not relevant.”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“That information is classified under Clause 8.”
Or they just blink... all three eyelids.
VII. The Ones Who Were Taken
Throughout history, there have been tales—wild, unprovable tales—of individuals waking up far from where they last slept. Of lights in the sky. Of humming sounds that come with no source. Of green-skinned beings with too-large eyes, prodding them with crystal rods while murmuring equations in languages they forgot upon waking.
A Dunling smith once claimed he was abducted mid-forge and returned with a perfect set of armor already completed. A Thorogothen warrior told of floating above his village, weightless and weeping. A Gelatian simply whispered, “They took me... and kept speaking in unsuspected riddles...”
But most who share these stories are met with ridicule. Laughter. Dismissal.
As one Solian scholar once said, slamming his mug down in disbelief:
“What in the hollow flame speak’st thou of, fool? Zorpians?! Hast thou struck thy skull 'pon stone? Begone with thy drunken starsong!”
And thus, the abducted are cast out as mad, their truths buried beneath centuries of scoff and satire. Which is exactly how the Zorpians prefer it.
After all… the best secrets are the ones everyone laughs at.
VIII. Game Mechanics Note
In Any Venture, Zorpian characters (or suspected ones) may claim to know secrets of the universe, but they cannot speak them aloud. Any attempt results in a non-answer, sudden interruption, or reality glitch. Sometimes, the character themselves forgets what they were saying mid-sentence. This is not a bug. It’s lore.