Triumphate

The facts of the discovery of the Triumphates are as enigmatic and clouded in mystery as the creatures themselves. It is speculated that they may have been attracted to the newly invented femtronics that were beginning to cloud entire planets throughout the Empire, or that they may have even been created somehow from that technology. Regardless, there is no doubt that the Triumphates and femtronics are inextricably twined.

When they choose to appear, they take the form of a flexible pyramid, anywhere from a few inches high to several meters. The points of the pyramid twist and flex, extending thousands of tiny tendrils that they use to move at deft speeds, and to grasp and manipulate objects with a dexterity beyond that of most humans.

At first appearance, they seem to have a tough, leathery, purple or violet skin. When they move, however, it is apparant they are made of a fine, fractal structure of seemingly infinite complexity. When a tendril is extended, its individual filiments seem to glow with a soft white light.

Physically, Triumphates are wispy, fragile creatures. When injured, their tendrils evaporate into soft dust, which vanishes into the air, leaving nothing behind.

They command what seems to be an innate authority of femtronic engineering. They have only appeared in areas dense with femtronics, and have only been encountered for a few minutes at a time. Some such encounters may be benign and enigmatic, as though a ghostly visit, while others may be threatening or even violent, although these have been rare and largely unverified. Tales of these encounters often take on supernatural and folktale qualities.

Very little else is known of these creatures. If they have ever communicated with humans in the Empire, this has never been recorded. It is not known if they are individuals or of a group mind, or even what form of mind, if any, they possess.

Although Triumphates in general seem to be quite rare in the Empire, an encounter reported maybe once a century in a particular system, there have been times and places when clusters of the creatures have been reported. This must be one such time, as there have already been dozens of reports of brief, mysterious encounters with the ghostly creatures on the Substation since the explosions.