So, here's a couple of questions for people who know more about avian lore than me: 1. What are avian crystals? 2. How do they work? 3. What do they do? Do they just provide something like electricity? 4. Who/what provides or makes them?
1.) They're crystals that have the ability to produce energy and magnetic fields, as well as channel it. 2.) No one knows, mostly magic. 3.) They seem to provide fields of energy, and concentrate energy for things like their guns. Again, hard to say exactly everything they do. 4.) Hard to say. It can be assumed that they are an element native to the region of space around and including Avos, seeing as they are increasingly rare outside of the Priesthood's territory. It's mentioned a number of times that crystals are pretty much a retained secret of the Clipped Council and Stargazers. Though we've let that slide by the wayside a bit. There is mention that they are ending up in the hands of Grounded more and more.
I found the excerpt you talked about in the last sentence: http://starbounder.org/Avian_Power_Crystals From this, one can infer a few things: > Since they are being used for simple things like lighting and cooking, the crystals are presumably used very commonly in Avian life. However, it seems to be something that the Avian species as a whole doesn't like to give or explain to other species (Like silk in China or the textile mill in Britain and stuff like that). > The Grounded also have access to them. This is most likely just because the Grounded are Avians and thus would have access to something that is used commonly for things like lights, and not because they have access to the source of the stuff. > The word "mineral" is mentioned. Presumably, then, the crystals are mined out and not constructed. > It seems like the crystals themselves are also a religious symbol to the Avians, in that they're supposed to be proof that Kluex exists because only Kluex could make them. Inspired by that lorebook, I went digging around for some other ones: http://starbounder.org/Journal_of_a_Mechanic_2 This shows that the Avian government regulates exports of the crystals. http://starbounder.org/Journal_of_a_Mechanic_4 Here, someone uses some crystals to create a little robot minion for themselves. It's not fully specified whether the crystal is the only thing making the robot able to move around and such, or if it's been programmed and the crystal just powers the thing.
Spot on. Something to stress, however, knowing how to use something and knowing how it works are two entirely different things. I'd imagine only very few, highly devout avians are taught how to actually make complex crystal-tech devices. This is opposed to using a pre-existing crystal power source in a machine, as mentioned in diary of a mechanic. Pretty much everyone knows what a battery is and how to use it, but less know how it works or how to build one from scratch, if you get what I mean. Due to the regulated nature of the crystals, Crystal-tech in the hands of a non-avian is almost certainly stolen. Advanced crystal-tech weapons and devices would be treated with reverence due to them being symbols of Kluex;s glory and whatnot, so would not be given away as gifts by joe average avian. No, that was Arthur C. Clarke, and he said it much more eloquently.
It was Tiy, quoting Arthur, then I, quoting Tiy. Fun. Anyway, with that information, I think the "Avian Crystal Gun Seller" wouldn't be allowed, would he? He /is/ a Flightless, but seeing how regulated the crystals are...
Regulated =/= impossible to get. It just most likely means that only a certain amount are exported or sold off of Avos, and even those only to the Flightless. A certain amount must get out, at least, or else the Grounded and pirates and Greenfinger wouldn't be mentioned as being able to get them. It's like silk in China back in antiquity -- they exported the stuff, sure, but it was expensive and nobody was allowed or able to produce their own.
Yeah, Avian Crystal magic is pretty much the Avian equivalent of the Floran "we can make plants grow/do stuff"; you have plant guns, plant grenades (unstable), plant control panels, plant lamps, plant lights, ... Albeit that the avian energy crystals are mentioned in quite a lot more lore books. The only mention of this is in item descriptions from the plant-based items and the lore book detailing how Florans grow trees so that they are tall enough to "defend them", probably meant defend in the way of defense from the elements/rain/hail/cold etc.
I'll be honest, I always assumed that all the Floran weapons were regular guns or electronics or whatnot covered in plant matter.
Doubt it. One shoots thorns and the other shoots a bio luminescent green orb... Which makes acid explosion noises. However, it may be a combination of grown plant parts and a general level of technology, like how they may be able to cultivate this "thorn fruit' and figured out that filling them with gunpowder caused some kind of reaction when thrown, which caused the fruit to explode and send the thorns flying, dealing quite some damage.
Spoiler And then you have THIS! -.-' Also the avian is one of of those *tech-magic* things, it's a sci-fi universe where stuff don't make that much sense. You can parry bullets and plasma projectiles with a wooden sword. Realism =/= fun or even canon, since we're talking about the starbound universe and not OUR universe.
Assuming avian regulated means that same thing as human regulated. The idea of selling fragments of kluex's glory for material gain seems rather out of character for the avian, no?
Except that the Grounded likely do just what Kirby said, steal it. Beyond that there's the fact that when a Flightless becomes Grounded, chances are they take some of their crystals with them. So there's a level of cross over. But chances are when it's said they are 'closely regulated' they are talking about a kind of 'kept in the circle' mentality. Specifically since they believe that the crystals are a gift from Kluex/the Sunborn and that they represent proof of his existence. Chances are it would be a good reason to prosecute Grounded and such. More so in that 'Do not Steal' is one of their prime commandments.
I think you're all overlooking the fact that these crystals are likely mined from somewhere, and I highly doubt the Flightless control every source of it in the galaxy. The crystals that the Grounded use and sell could very easily come from their own sources, rather than them stealing it from the Flightless, which would likely prove to be a fatal mistake on most occasions.
Considering we literally know NOTHING about the manufacturing process apart from it being a guarded secret, assuming anything about their origin is completely groundless. Just a reminder, the only source of crystal-tech weapons ingame is taking them from defeated temple guardians. The grounded NPCs sell only bullet and plasma based weaponry.
Another thing we should all keep in mind, in term of lore in general, is that we're still in beta, any lore can be rewritten or ret-conned at any given moment. (Though i'd doubt it)
Pretty sure grounded villages only sell cheap melee weapons, clothes and food. If an avian PC inspects the weapon stall it says "Few of the grounded are weaponsmiths, these weapons are of poor quality."
The way I considered it was as a sort of layman's missionary work: one can hardly be taken seriously if they're denying Kluex while using electronics and weapons that are powered by something presumed to be made by the Sunborn, and anyways there are devout to sell to as well. Nah, you can only get them off of temple guards. --- On another note, since this is transforming into a thread on Avian lore in general: Does anyone have any idea who the other Sunborn are / where they are said to have come from? Judging by the names of the Avian guns, there are at least two others -- Harspex and Kathex -- but I think that's the only time they're mentioned. Obviously they're the Avian pantheon of gods, but there's not a whole lot of talk beyond Kluex.
