Phlovon

The **Phlovon** are an ancient mycelium-like species native to the swampy planet of Groton.

## Statistics

### Abilities

Regen 2, Tissue Graft, Hover, Distributed Nervous System, Ton Priest, Morph Dancer, Native Biology

## History

Groton is an extremely old world, and its origins are shrouded in mystery. Many claim that it is simply too large for a rocky planet, and insist that progenitors must have had a hand in its development. The Phlovon evolved fairly early in Groton's evolutionary history, and their civilization is nearly half the age of life on the planet itself. Phlovon communities have always existed all across the planet, initially only as tribes in the deep swamplands. When cities and infrastructure began to emerge, they were more of a hubbed extension of these rural communities than separate powers. For this reason, Grotanian cities and tribes appear more like a massive, homogeneous commune than as distinct communities. In the Galactic Proletariat Era, Groton was thought of as a kind of mysterious treasure island. The natural wealth of the world and its people was renown, and Its location was not on record. Though many a pirate captain claimed to have visited it, none could provide clear instructions on how to get there, or on its mysterious and enigmatic people, the Phlovon. Even in these early days of Groton's modern history, it gained a reputation for being an enigmatic place filled with ancient secrets. Psykers that visited the planet reported a distinct and uniform psionic "humming" that covered the planet's surface and which got stronger the farther you traveled into the swamplands.

Groton was formally "discovered" at the beginning of the LEX Era after the motum managed to decipher its location by assessing many millions of vague records. A scout vessel was sent and received by a council of Groton's highest-ranking magistrates. The first contact went well, and it seemed that Groton would become a great ally of the new superpower, but Groton's entry into the galactic fold would soon spell problems for the graft market. Phlovon have a natural ability to seamlessly sister genetically distinct tissue types to each other without triggering the immune response of either's cells. The Grotanians sought to capitalize on this and formed a small grafting company that was able to saturate the market with absurdly cheap grafting that drastically lowered the profits of Tri-Corp and the Coreshar. In order to prevent civil war and recession, LEX offered the Grotanian government a perpetual annual stipend in return for the de-commercialization of their natural abilities. The Grotanians accepted, but also added in their terms that LEX was forbidden to enter Groton's atmosphere without their permission, and was under no circumstances allowed to enter the twilight bogs of Groton's swampland. To the surprise of the galaxy, LEX accepted these terms quietly and without a fight.

In the middle of the LEX Era, certain LEX intelligence was leaked by a rogue agent named Vorsis Rek. Five lines of LEX order processing suggested that there was something of incredible importance to LEX in the twilight bogs. The object of interest was not specified, but it was identified as a major reason for the conditions of Groton's earlier agreement with LEX. Vorsis Rek was executed for his insubordination, and since his death, many conspiracy theories have cropped up surrounding the great secret of Groton. Among the most prominent are that there is a so-called "Grotanian Mastermind", a psyker of such absurd power that the very existence of its consciousness produces a detectible psionic reverberation around the whole planet. Another is that Phlovon are hiding an immense, unexplored Progenitor ruin in the depths of the swamp. Perhaps the most common conspiracy is that the Phlovon have developed a group mind technology based off of spliced nervous systems, similar to the LEX Motum itself and that the hub of this illegal AI is kept in the depths of the swamp where no non-Grotanian can see the "crime against civilization".

## Abilities

Regen 2

Tissue Graft: For 1 action, a Phlovon may donate up to 1d6 HP to an ally.

Hover: Phlovon hover up to 1 range off the ground and may use their Psi mod for jump checks. They cannot take falling damage.

Distributed Nervous System: When under 0 HP, Phlovon remain conscious but with -10 to all stats. In this state, they lose “Hover."

Ton Priest: If a Phlovon is a Psyker, they may choose to be a Ton Priest. This gives them access to the Grotanian Metamorphics psychic table.

Morph Dancer: If a Phlovon is not a psyker, they may have -2 Psi and +2 Dex, and have +1 Basic Melee dmg.

Native Biology: Phlovon get +4 to crafting T-Dust and +5 to identification checks on any native Grotanian life.

## Homeworld

Groton is a massive planet with four distinct biomes. Swamplands, fungal wastes, the shallow equatorial sea, and the magma planes at either pole. Each of these environments possesses its own wildlife, and the swamplands, in particular, are known for their vicious denizens as well as strange tribes of sentient, non-Phlovon creatures that are not in the LEX Public Archive.

## Factions

Because of their intense commitment and loyalty to the government of their homeworld, there are no Phlovon in any of the major factions, save for the Katucautus which occasionally employs Phlovon biologists to aid in extremely risky or experimental grafting procedures.

## Biology

Phlovon are as mysterious in their biology as they are in their history. A dissection would reveal that their tissues all appear to be very uniform, with little to no distinct organ groups or major nervous centers, save for one in the upper chest that is connected to the eyes. In theory, a Phlovon can regrow any limb, even its head, if given sufficient time and nutrients. However, this does not mean that they are unkillable. Sufficient damage to their tissues will cause a metabolic cascade of cell death that eventually leads to total deconstruction of the body. Many biologists are puzzled by Phlovon conciousness, as the beings do not seem to have any real place where memories are stored. The leading theory is that Phlovon memories are stored in a psionic well that is closely associated with each individual's nervous system. This means that if you cut a Phlovon in half and regrow both halves, only one will retain consciousness and the other will be a sort of massive mycelium colony. Phlovon tissue is a powerful grafting agent, able to easily quell the immune response of most organism's cells and homogenize itself with their tissues. This gives Phlovon a natural ability to heal other species by simply refilling their wounds with Phlovon mycelial tissues that act as hyperactive stem cells.

## Culture

Phlovon maintain many of the trappings of their tribal commune culture. Although they are not adverse to pirate and criminal work, they believe that maintaining a morally balanced consciousness is vital for any thinking being, and they take care not to indulge in excessive cruelty or unnecessary violence. For the same reason, Phlovon that live more peaceful lives on Groton tend to practice rigorous disciplinary meditation or martial arts so that they do not grow too soft to comprehend the suffering of others. Phlovon have numerous sports derived from their tribal past, including the well known Grotanian Stick Game played by young Phlovon all over the planet.

There is still an ancient shamanic tradition on Groton, and the followers of this path are called Ton Priests. Most Ton Priests are born very close to the inner swamplands, and they spend years honing their psychic abilities. This leads to a unique expression of psionic power that takes advantage of the metamorphic nature of the Phlovon body.