Coleus

**Coleus** was a Nomai geologist originally from the Vessel. He was still young when he arrived on Ember Twin with Escape Pod 2 after the Vessel crashed on Dark Bramble. Coleus worked on providing the ore for the Ash Twin Project's supernova-resistant shell. His mentor was Melorae and his apprentice was Cycad.

## Life on Ember Twin

Along with his mentor Melorae, Coleus was instrumental in guiding the Nomai from Escape Pod 2 through a cave system to what became the site of the Sunless City. He left directions to the shelter site for other Nomai to follow. In the Sunless City, Coleus and Melorae studied the Anglerfish fossil. They discovered that it died from starvation and that it was blind. Coleus was delighted when he saw that the Nomai children who played in the fossil made a rule in their game based on their research.

Coleus and Melorae also discovered a wandering rock fragment in the caves of Ember Twin. However, Coleus vanished without a trace after Melorae's lantern went out while he was standing on the wandering rock. Melorae organized a search and Nomai from the Sunless City went looking for him. It turned out that the rock had transported Coleus to a room with no entrance and exit. He freed himself when he realized that he had become entangled with the quantum object when it was no longer being observed. Melorae credited him with discovering a new quantum rule, but made him promise not to disappear again.

## Eye Signal Locator

When the Nomai from Ember Twin and Brittle Hollow were reunited, Coleus tested the Eye Signal Locator on the Attlerock. He noticed that when he asked the locator to follow the signal of the Eye of the Universe, the device's indicator rotated widely. When the Nomai concluded that they needed a more sophisticated Eye signal locator, Coleus recommended against building it on Ember Twin, as the heat from the sun already made it difficult to construct their Quantum Moon Locator.

## The Ash Twin Project

Later in life, Coleus became the mentor of Cycad and participated in several discussions surrounding the Ash Twin Project. During a discussion on whether the Nomai should build the Sun Station to trigger a supernova that would power the Ash Twin Project, Coleus thought that the chance of them failing was significant. They could destroy themselves and all life in the star system, whose species he wanted to protect. Idaea agreed with him that the cost was too severe, but Poke believed that fear of failure was a bad reason not to try it. The Nomai had another discussion on whether they should retrieve the Advanced Warp Core from the Vessel. Cycad pointed out that Coleus and Melorae found out that Anglerfish are blind, which could help them evade the Anglerfish on Dark Bramble. Coleus was apprehensive as they had never tested their hypothesis on a living Anglerfish.

After the start of the Ash Twin Project, Coleus helped Yarrow and Ramie excavate Ash Twin. He made sure to relocate all subterranean plants they discovered while they were digging. Following this, Coleus moved with Cycad and Oeno to Timber Hearth, where they identified several mining sites to mine ore for the Ash Twin Project's shell. He found out that mining site 2a was not suitable since it would not be safe for the native life, the ancestors of the Hearthians, living in the cave's pools. They moved to mining site 2b where they would continue to monitor their activity and its effect on life. Coleus was excited about finding the native life and believed they would thrive in the long run. He was also confident that they had not destroyed the Hearthians' future metallurgy ability.

Coleus passed away after the Ghost Matter from the Interloper flooded the solar system, which instantly killed all Nomai.

## Trivia

* The genus *coleus* is comprised of perennial shrubs and herbs native to tropical and sub-tropical climates. Their usage is mostly ornamental.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 CYCAD: My mentor (Coleus) and his old mentor once discovered and studied an anglerfish fossil on Ember Twin. Using that knowledge, we could avoid the anglerfish entirely! COLEUS: What Melorae and I learned from that fossil would theoretically help us evade the anglerfish, but our hypothesis was never tested on a live specimen.
2. ↑ ANNONA: Where was young Coleus lost, Melorae?
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 MELORAE: We have found an enormous cavern at the end of this passage that appears promising! I believe we could construct long-term shelter there. ANNONA: The cavern Melorae found is a wise choice for shelter. Could one of you mark directions for the others to follow? COLEUS: This is the start of the path to the shelter site. I’ve left directions to guide you there.
4. ↑ CYCAD: If they're sealing off all entrances, I hope they've planned a-core-dingly! OENO: I thought you had forbidden your apprentice from making puns, Coleus. COLEUS: How else would he improve?
5. ↑ COLEUS: This anglerfish’s digestive tract suggests death by starvation.
6. ↑ COLEUS: An update: Melorae, while I was here making sketches of the anglerfish, I observed the children I saw earlier playing here again. They’ve added a rule to their game that incorporates our research (it’s wonderful)!
7. ↑ MELORAE: Wasn’t this same rock fragment in the cave we found at the bottom of the dry lakebed (at the north pole)? COLEUS: We plan to reexamine the northern Lakebed Cave. (Maybe our friendly rock will meet us down there!) COLEUS: An update: Melorae and I went back to the Lakebed Cave and observed this rock again. Sometimes it’s there, and sometimes it isn’t. MELORAE: That means this rock wanders like the Quantum Moon does. How curious!
8. ↑ Melorae: We were examining the different rocks. I recall Coleus standing on the largest one (the wandering rock). I was taking notes, and then my lantern died. Melorae: When I lit it again, Coleus and the rock were both gone.
9. ↑ MELORAE: Friends, if you find any sign of Coleus, I implore you to tell me! He vanished without a trace during our research trip, and has been missing ever since. BUR: Melorae, some of us from the Sunless City are here to help search for Coleus. Can you tell us more about your expedition? MELORAE: You have my gratitude, Bur! Coleus and I were studying the caves’ geology. We hoped to learn more about a unique and wandering rock that visits several different caves in the area.
10. ↑ COLEUS: How curious! This rock took me with it to a new location. I wonder why this happened? COLEUS: Curious, but also alarming: This new cave appears to lack an entrance or exit. Also, the rock that brought me here disappeared while I wasn’t watching.
11. ↑ COLEUS: I wonder if I myself became quantum briefly when the rock carried me here! This seems the clearest explanation. Hypothesis: If the rock can bring me here, it can also carry me out. COLEUS: My hypothesis was correct! I can travel on this rock, as long as I’m not observing my surroundings (meaning I must be in complete darkness). I’m going to bring my mentor here to see this.
12. ↑ COLEUS: Melorae is here now, too. We theorize when a conscious being is in contact with a quantum object and ceases to observe his or her surroundings, the being can become entangled with that quantum object, and they move together. MELORAE: Friends, Coleus has discovered a new quantum rule! (He has also promised me he’ll never vanish again, even if he does learn something useful from it!)
13. ↑ COLEUS: I was upstairs testing the Eye signal locator and it can hear and follow the signals from the sun, Giant’s Deep, and Brittle Hollow.
14. ↑ COLEUS: However, something strange is happening when I ask the Eye signal locator to follow the Eye’s signal: The device’s indicator rotates wildly and never points to just one direction.
15. ↑ THATCH: Where should this new, more sophisticated locator be built? It may need to be larger than this Eye signal locator is. COLEUS: Annona and those of us originally stranded on the Ember Twin built a Quantum Moon locator there, but the heat of the sun made its construction challenging. I wouldn’t recommend building on that planet.
16. ↑ COLEUS: If we fail (and the probability of this is not insignificant), we will without question destroy ourselves, all life here, and the rest of this star system. I wish to protect these species.
17. ↑ IDAEA: The potential annihilation of an entire star system is too severe a cost. We shouldn’t build the Sun Station, no matter how badly we want the knowledge that comes with it. POKE: Fear of failure is a poor reason not to try. I believe, if we’re cautious, the Sun Station will work. I believe in Pye.
18. ↑ Solution 1: We could retrieve the warp core from the Vessel.
19. ↑ PHLOX: This would require a return to Dark Bramble. Plume (my father) said many good Nomai perished there. CYCAD: My mentor (Coleus) and his old mentor once discovered and studied an anglerfish fossil on Ember Twin. Using that knowledge, we could avoid the anglerfish entirely!
20. ↑ COLEUS: What Melorae and I learned from that fossil would theoretically help us evade the anglerfish, but our hypothesis was never tested on a live specimen.
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 YARROW: Today we finished the excavation of Ash Twin. Here, in this space we carved, we will craft our most ambitious project yet: the Ash Twin Project, powerful enough to send information back in time. COLEUS: We’ve also finished relocating all subterranean plants we met while digging. RAMIE: We’ll need to keep our eyes on how significantly we’ve altered the environment here.
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 COLEUS: I’m relieved by our clan’s decision to use Timber Hearth’s ore only for constructing the shell. If, eventually, life on this planet were to evolve to the point of advanced metallurgy, I’m confident we won’t have destroyed their ability to create!
23. ↑ COLEUS: After closer observation, mining site 2a wouldn’t be safe for the native life dwelling in some of this cave’s pools, so (unfortunately) we’ll have to mine one of the other sites.
24. ↑ CYCAD: Site 2b is safe! Coleus says we’ll continue to monitor our activity and its effect on life here.
25. ↑ COLEUS: On the opposite hand, new life! This species is semi-aquatic, and very hardy. The ecosystem here is quite robust, so I believe they’ll thrive in the long run. Be cautious near the pools if you visit 2a to meet them.
26. ↑ The Nomai who came to our solar system were following a signal from the Eye of the universe. They perished when the Interloper arrived, bringing with it the deadly substance we called ghost matter that flooded the entire solar system almost instantly and without warning.