Home Planet: Pextrodaxtyl
Physical Description
The Fornax (Pronounced: Four-nax) are a tiny, shape-shifting blobs. They can turn their entire bodies into whatever small shape their body mass allows. They come from a planet with low gravity. Whenever they leave their planet, they must remain inside their small robotic shells to protect against the pull of higher gravities. Most Fornax can deal with this pressure for short stretches of time, but most fear being crushed into goo. Their shells are marvels of engineering, filled with dozens of screens and complex controllers that allow them to interact with the world outside.
Hockey Notes
Fornax cubes use two-foot-long skate blades to move around the ice. These work like clap skates used by Earth speed skaters. This limits their turning ability but allows them to match the speed of other species. Long, tubular arms extend out the sides, which let them hold a hockey stick. They put their hockey numbers inside the metal logo attached to the top of their shells. The Fornax use math everywhere, and hockey is no exception. They take pride in finding the perfect angles for passes and shots.
Their small size means they can’t check or be physical against bigger species. But be warned: Don’t take any penalties against the Fornax. Their power play is absolutely lethal thanks to their precision passing. Also: Fornax goalies don’t use a stick. Instead, they use two catching gloves. They also have leg attachments on their skate blades, which allow them to reach the top corners of the net.
Historical Notes
Very little is known about Fornax history or culture. This is due to three reasons: Pextrodaxtyl is extremely well hidden in a dense nebula, the Fornax rarely share information about themselves, and nobody in the entire universe can survive on their planet. This map of their home planet is the latest version available to this database, which dates from Earth year 1824. It was sold to the editors of this guide by a Fornax engineer who had lost too much money in a high-stakes game of Miaplacidus five-dimensional spiral poker.
The Fornax are incredible engineers. Their robotic shells, spaceships, buildings, and pretty much anything else they design are marvels of technology. The Fornax have earned their title as the best engineers and mechanics in the universe. Over the past few hundreds of years, many species have attempted to duplicate Fornax battery technology. None have succeeded. Scientists estimate that a single Fornax shell could power every building on Earth for nearly a year without needing to be recharged!
Most Fornax prefer life inside of their shells, even when they don’t need the shells to survive. The powerful tools and sensor information makes them more efficient, without having to burn the calories to shape-shift. The shells also allow them to see more than the swamps of Pextrodaxtyl they are born in. They organize into communities inside colony ships. Each ship is unique in shape, size, and function, and is always being modified and improved. Some colony ships have grown to hold more than 2,000 Fornax. The ships contain special relaxation chambers with low artificial gravity, which allow them to stretch out and explore life as different shapes. Also, colony ships are equipped with very good defensive technology such as invisibility shields and backup life-support capsules.
Although the Fornax are a secretive society, they are a very outgoing and helpful people. Their trading networks stretch through most of the universe, and they are always seeking out new manufacturing ideas. Since the Rainy River Bees helped defeat the Bythrin Dominion last year, the Fornax have provided engineering and technical support to the Earth Space Command. Other groups of Fornax have travelled to the galaxies of other species to help them rebuild damage caused by the Bythrin.