Fthosians

Overview

Fthosians are people from Fthos, one of the four origin worlds represented among the visiting Geometers aboard the starship Daban Urnud. Within the ship’s internal politics, they are associated with the Fulcrum, an opposition movement set against the Urnud/Tro alliance known as the Pedestal.

First known context

Fthosians were initially described by a Laterran informant during preparations to approach the Daban Urnud, outlining a four‑peoples community drawn from Urnud, Tro (see Troäns), Laterre’s people, and Fthos. They were later directly observed when a Fthosian cosmographer was encountered working at a large telescope dome in one of the non‑rotating vertex complexes of the ship.

Community and habitation aboard the ship

• Orbstack allocation: The Orbstack comprises sixteen rotating orbs arranged as four stacks of four. Urnudans occupy Orbs 1–4, Troäns 5–8, Laterrans 9–12, and Fthosians the remaining four. By convention, the uppermost orb in each stack houses higher‑ranking members of that people; for Fthosians this corresponds to the forward‑most orb of their stack.
• Command proximity: The junction where the four stacks meet is wrapped by a ring of offices and meeting spaces used by ship Command. Ongoing tensions between the Pedestal and the Fulcrum have resulted in partitions and restricted passages in that area.
• Air acclimatization: Shipboard accounts note that some residents rarely leave their home orb because common areas use a mixed atmosphere, while others acclimatize and move freely. The observed Fthosian cosmographer working at the observatory dome exemplifies someone comfortable operating in shared spaces.
• Event pavilions and atmosphere: At a Urnudan orb’s meeting pool used for high‑level ceremonies, four glass‑walled pavilions served the peoples. Inside the Fthosian pavilion, staff worked without nose tubes and checked tank‑packs at the door, implying the pavilion maintained air suited to Fthosian needs during the event.

Roles and activities reported so far

• Scientific work: Fthosian cosmographers/astronomers operate instrumentation in at least one observatory dome on the non‑rotating icosahedral frame.
• Emergency response and observatory entry: During a sealed‑dome entry used as an airlock at the optical observatory, a Fthosian cosmographer recognized that visitors from Arbre were experiencing breathing difficulty in shipboard air and raised an alarm, bringing medics who administered oxygen and used cold hyperbaric treatment as a precaution.
• Political role: Accounts attribute leadership of the Fulcrum to Fthosians in their opposition to the Pedestal.
• Translation services: During opening ceremonies around the meeting pool, Fthosian men and women operated consoles in a translators’ mezzanine overlooking the water, supporting interpretation among languages used aboard.
• Ceremonial and security presence: Fthosian soldiers formed part of a mixed honor guard alongside Urnudans, Troäns, and Laterrans during funeral rites and the signing of a peace agreement among the factions and visiting delegates.

Appearance, language, and identifiers (as currently described)

• Identifiers: Observers trained by a Laterran linguist note that certain facial traits (such as eye hue and nostril shape) are used to distinguish Fthosians from other visiting peoples.
• Language: Communication in the Fthosian language is attested; a Fthosian astronomer responded to shouted speech identified as Fthosian during contact at the observatory dome.

Current status

• Location: Living within the Fthosian orbs of the Orbstack aboard the Daban Urnud, alongside Urnudans, Troäns, and Laterrans.
• Situation: Involved in the shipboard split between the Fulcrum and the Pedestal. In the context of recent negotiations held in an Urnudan orb, Fthosians were present through translators, staff, and soldiers as part of a broader effort to conclude hostilities with representatives from Arbre’s two Magisteria—the Sæcular Power and the Mathic World. Fthosians are identified with the Fulcrum in this framework.