Subnautica Architects

The Architects, or the Precursors, is the name given by Alterra to a species of highly advanced and ancient space-faring beings that are believed to be extinct in present day due to the lethality of the Kharaa Bacterium. Most information surrounding them is currently unknown to humanity.

Architect bodies are usually composed of both organic and mechanical parts synthesized from a wide range of sources, and they can engineer new bodies as needed. Architects are biomechanical lifeforms and are capable of moving their consciousnesses between both physical and electronic mediums, allowing them to interface with their technology very easily. Architects do not consider the body a totally vital aspect of their existence, as their mind and memories can be preserved in data uploads. However, they prefer a physical, partially biological body as the interplay of their mind with the various systems of the body produces unique perspectives and insights. They liken losing their physical form to a 'Factory reset'.

They are known to have had an extremely long lifespan, as evidenced in a data bank entry by the mention of a ninety-six year old Architect being considered very young. The same individual was near 700 Earth-years old (born 1,708 Earth-years ago) when its body became infected after the Kharaa outbreak and the consciousness was stored in a data hub. Young Architects are grown from eggs or "seeds" and raised communally, being educated for the roles they will assume in adulthood.

The usual body plan favored by Architects resembles that of the mythological centaur, with a short, four-legged posterior body and a human-like anterior body bearing a pair of arms and the head. The skin of an Architect is a mixture of organic and metallic pieces, with the hairless leather-like soft tissue being synthesized from DNA from over twenty different alien species. Architects have no fur or body hair, with their organic skin usually resembling a mixture of iridescent hide and scales. The arms of an Architect terminate in small, crab-like pincers, which can grab and lift things but lack dexterity. Architects instead employ floating mechanical arms and dendrites to manipulate things, and usually have four mechanical arms in addition to their two organic. Their faces lack any kind of features, with no mouths, eyes, or ears--instead, they have faceplates with glowing lights in intricate geometric designs. There are additional glowing patterns elsewhere on their bodies, and these patterns often pulse and change color either as deliberate body language or as a reflection of the Architect's mood. Architects also often have broad, horn-like fins on either side of their heads. They are tall and stately beings, averaging almost nine feet tall. When moving any further than a few steps, Architects often perform a short-range teleport rather than walk, to the outside observer they appear to dart from one place to another with a mirage-like shimmer.

The Architect organs are effectively a network of biocomposite and cybernetic material, containing a variety of subsystems. The "heart" is a particularly complex centerpiece in this biological / technological hybrid. It moves blood and nutrients throughout the body to nourish and maintain the animal aspects of the alien corpus, while also functioning as the primary energy source for the cybernetic neurological system. Sensory input is processed and filtered into a dense network of incredible computational power - the Architect "brain." No respiration or digestive systems appear to be present, suggesting a life that is fed entirely by sustained electrical energy, and a body that can survive in environments that are otherwise extremely hostile to most lifeforms. The Architect skeleton is made of incredibly strong synthetic materials with high impact resistance. In spite of its intricate design, the insistence on incorporating biological components exposes the Architect body to the possibility of disease, as evidenced by their near-extinction in the past.

The Architects are a highly-advanced scientific race, able to create advanced technology (such as teleportation devices, heavy stonelike data tablets, weapons capable of bringing down large ships, wirelessly powered biomechanical life forms capable of teleporting at will, etc.) and capturing a Sea Emperor Leviathan, one of the largest known living alien species. They are also capable of creating Data Hubs, which they can upload their mind to, the digital equivalent of a medically-induced coma. They were also adept gene-editors, after to manipulate, synthesize, and splice the genetic code of other organisms. They are also known to have owned technology from other races, scavenged or traded. Many relics recovered from their ancient sites were taken from other races, some of these races even more ancient than themselves. One of the many relics was a sword from Earth, showing that the Architects visited the planet and possibly even made contact with humans at some point. Inside another ancient sanctuary, there is a noted similarity between Precursor architecture and old Earth religious iconography. This may be coincidental, however it may indicate that the Precursors influenced the formation of ancient human religions and societies. If this is true then it is also likely that some ancient Earth languages were based on the language of the Precursors; most Alterra PDAs are capable of translating it without ever having encountered the language before.

Architects are stoic and highly rational beings, seeming almost robotic at times. Their attitudes towards other creatures can vary--some are willing to treat other sapient races as equals, while other Architects look down on them and see them as primitive. Their moral codes may differ significantly from that of humans. The collection of knowledge and data is prized above all else, and they have a somewhat-collectivistic mindset, where the good of the whole is valued over the individual.

Architect architecture favors a use of synthetic materials of either metallic or stonelike nature. Their typical architectural styles are imposing, even brutalist, but with a subtle elegance to them. Walls, walkways, and support structures are often decorated with geometric etchings and glowing green lights.