Escall

**Escall** was a Nomai who was the leader of their clan and the captain of their Vessel. They arrived in the Solar System after following a signal from the Eye of the Universe.

## The Vessel

Escall and other high-ranking Nomai, including Filix and Annona, were present on the bridge of their Vessel when a signal was detected that originated from a source older than the Universe. Shocked by such a momentous discovery, and its implications on the Nomai's understanding of the Universe, Escall wanted to prepare the ship for an immediate warp to the signal's source. Filix wished to delay the warp so they could broadcast a message for the other Nomai clans, but Escall overruled her, arguing speed was paramount as this event had never occurred before and could vanish at any moment. On Escall's order, Annona warped the Vessel into the Solar System, despite knowing that their warp core would need time to recharge afterwards.

For reasons unknown, Escall's Vessel exited warp not at the source of the signal, but deep within Dark Bramble. Their Vessel immediately suffered critical damage, as the twisted vines of Dark Bramble damaged and fused with the ship. With the hull breached, several casualties, warp-core destroyed, and communications disabled, it was clear the ship was mortally wounded. A panicked evacuation ensued, with only three escape pods successfully launching.

## Escape Pod 3

Escall, Secca, Din and several other Nomai escaped on Escape Pod 3. Unlike Escape Pods 1 and 2, which successfully fled Dark Bramble, their Escape Pod became lost within Dark Bramble and crashed. The Nomai took shelter at the crash site temporarily, however the persistent Anglerfish attacks and dwindling supplies forced the Nomai to make the difficult decision to attempt to return to the Vessel and await rescue. The confusing layout and warped space-time of Dark Bramble masked the signal of their Vessel, making it appear to be coming from multiple places simultaneously. The beacon from the Vessel was fading, and the Nomai were running extremely low on oxygen, so Escall made the decision to search the closest source of the signal.

## Fate

To their dismay, the Nomai discovered the source to be only one of many "seeds" of Dark Bramble, and that the Vessel was much farther away. With no hope of reaching their home, the surviving Nomai gathered together and left a recording for any future Nomai who might discover their fate. The crew of Escape Pod 3, including Escall, perished one by one as they ran out of oxygen.

## Legacy

Over 200,000 years later, the story of Escall and their Vessel had passed into myth among the remaining Nomai clans. Escall's decision not to leave a message for the other Nomai clans prior to their Vessel's abrupt warp and subsequent crash caused the ship's disappearance to be categorized as an unsolved mystery to the Nomai clans, as no Vessel had ever disappeared in such a fashion before.

## Trivia

* Escall may be named after the *Escallonia* genus of shrubs and trees native to the Americas. The genus belongs the *Escalloniaceae* family, which is alone in the order *Escalloniales*.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 FILIX: This is Escall’s Vessel; something went badly wrong during our warp, and our Vessel is mortally wounded. We need help as quickly as possible!
2. ↑ Eye of the Universe museum text: The Nomai who came to our solar system were following a signal from the Eye of the universe.
3. ↑ FILIX: I’m recording now — I’ve never encountered anything like this! The signal the Vessel is receiving appears to be older than the universe itself!
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 ESCALL: This is our first contact with anything of this nature. Everyone, prepare to warp immediately! FILIX: Escall, wait, I need more time to send an outgoing message! Shouldn’t we tell another clan where we’re going? ESCALL: We can send the message upon our arrival. This extraordinary signal appeared suddenly; it may disappear just as quickly, and we can’t lose a discovery this incredible! Focus on preparing for the warp, instead.
5. ↑ ESCALL: Annona, is the Vessel ready to warp to the signal’s approximate coordinates? ANNONA: The warp core is powered, but this will be a significant jump. Afterward, we’ll need time to recharge the core. ESCALL: That shouldn’t create a problem, provided we arrive at or near the signal’s source. Everyone, we’re ready to warp!
6. ↑ FILIX: We warped to follow that curious signal from the Eye of the universe. Where we arrived was wrong; it wasn’t where we tried to go.
7. ↑ FILIX: Our Vessel appears to have... has it fused with the local environment, somehow? There are vines that are now part of the Vessel! It’s been torn apart from inside itself!
8. ↑ FILIX: We... we are abandoning our Vessel. Any Nomai clans or spaceflight-capable species receiving this message, I implore you, we need your help!
9. ↑ FILIX: Is this broken? Can anyone hear me? Our Vessel is dying! We need immediate assistance!
10. ↑ RAMIE: The Vessel’s warp core is broken, at best (recall those present when the Vessel crashed said it sustained lethal injuries). There is no guaranteed reward for this risk.
11. ↑ PLUME: My brother wasn’t in Escape Pod 1 with us. Was he in Pod 2, or Pod 3? Was he able to board an escape pod at all?
12. ↑ SECCA: Our escape pod crashed as we tried to flee this place, destroying our movement and communication capabilities in the process.
13. ↑ SECCA: We’ve held out as long as we could here, but this pod’s supply of breathable air is nearly depleted, and the anglerfish attack more and more frequently. SECCA: Our best chance at survival is to return to the Vessel to either repair the damage or, more probably, await rescue.
14. ↑ DIN: There is a new problem: Our equipment is detecting two distinct beacons from the Vessel. SECCA: But it isn’t possible for the Vessel to be in two different locations at the same time.
15. ↑ SECCA: We’re nearly out of time already, Din; the Vessel’s beacon is quickly fading. Soon, it will be gone, and we will be lost. ESCALL: We will follow the beacon whose source is nearest to us. DIN: But suppose that beacon is false!
16. ↑ SECCA: To any who come here searching for us: We followed one of the two beacons from the Vessel to this place, but now can go no further. SECCA: It’s almost too faint to hear now, but the Vessel’s beacon is still faintly emitting from within this thorny seed. Yet the opening is too small for even a single Nomai to fit through it, so our escape pod couldn’t have flown through here.
17. ↑ SECCA: There is nothing we can do now but try to perhaps find a way inside, or at least attempt to comprehend why this happened. SECCA: My dearest hope is that the other escape pods were able to reach relative safety.
18. ↑ BROMI: That is unsettling. It reminds me of that old myth my grandfather used to tell, the Disappearance of Escall.
19. ↑ CLEM: I remember hearing that story as a child! One day, Escall’s Vessel simply stopped responding. The other clans searched and searched, but found no trace. It was as if their missing friends had warped out of existence. HYSSOP: That’s no myth, friends; Escall’s clan existed, and their story was real. BROMI: What a curious event to have passed into myth! Our ancestors’ ancestors were told that story when they were young. Are you sure it’s true, Hyssop? HYSSOP: It was a very long time ago, but yes. My clan’s ancestors searched for Escall’s clan for a long time, but in the end, none of them were ever seen again. (It’s the only time in our history a Vessel has ever disappeared this way.)