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KEY FINDINGS:

The Focus of Air, a huge primal power source crackling with roiling energy, hangs in the sky over Galeras. Both artifact and machine, this Focus alone could be studied for decades before scratching the surface. It is one of six that have been detected from orbit.

Galeras is rife with conflict. The mystical Pell worship the Eldan as gods, but they compete with the mighty Falkrin, masters of the Nexus skies, to seize control of the region. The Exile capital of Thayd's central location means Galeras is also constant witness to skirmishes between the Exiles and Dominion.

The Eldan created enormous, intelligent, and immensely powerful forms of life they dubbed the Primevals, each, like the Focuses, aligned with a particular primal element. Osiric, the Primeval of Air, is a being of tremendous strength and power. Both Falkrin and Pell worship him as a god.

CONCLUSIONS:

Both the Pell and the Falkrin of Galeras are fascinating examples of accelerated evolutionary development - or in the Pell's case, evolutionary regression - due to concentrated exposure to primal energy. The Pell, we believe, were once a servitor race to the Eldan, but have come to worship both their former "Masters" and the Focus of Air itself. They have become skilled at manipulating primal energy, and attempted to sacrifice several XAS researchers as part of a powerful ritual.

Could the Pell have been the end of the Eldan? This ability to control primal power may have been a surprise to the Eldan as well, and an open rebellion by their servants could have caused them considerable difficulty. There would certainly be evidence of such an uprising, however, even after centuries. This possibility seems remote - the Pell almost universally worship the Eldan to this day, so slaughtering them would make little sense.

The Falkrin, on the other hand, appear to have long shared a dislike of "groundwalkers." Now the Primeval they worship as a deity, Osiric, has commanded the Falkrin to go to war against all outsiders. Although FCON repelled their attack on the Exile outpost, Skywatch, the battle was hard fought, while the Falkrin - and Osiric - remain a threat.

Did the Falkrin attack the Eldan as well, or did Primevals like Osiric make the Eldan disappear the old-fashioned way - by consuming them whole? Unlikely, but the possibility cannot be completely dismissed.

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ADDITIONAL

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The XAS absolutely denies the scurrilous allegations that certain Mordesh members of the academy retrieved, prepared, and consumed Falkrin eggs. This is impossible, as socially functional Mordesh do not consume ordinary food. However, XAS field researchers do strongly suspect the Chua have already perfected the Falkrin egg omelet and are well on their way to a perfect Rootbrute steak.