The Filtrati

“Breathe the world.”
Born between air and water, the Filtrati are amphibious engineers who read a landscape by what it carries—salts, mists, currents, and stray gases. On Verkalium they turn estuaries and fog basins into engines of life and clean industry.

Quick Profile

Stature & Look: Fishlike, amphibious, tri-pedal sophonts with gill-vent respirators and flowing membrane capes/fins. Mineral-flecked skin varies with local chemistry.
Core Identity: Pragmatic adaptors; contracts written as flow diagrams—if it moves, it can be managed.
Signature Tech: Osmotic processors, aerosol nutrifiers, multi-atmospheric rigs that make almost any environment breathable or workable.
Role in Verkalium: Cross-environment operations, water rights and purification, waste-to-resource pipelines, and amphibious logistics.

Appearance

A Filtrati silhouette shows a three-legged stance (two primary legs and a posterior stabilizer fin-leg) with fin-membrane forelimbs that act as hands in air and control surfaces in water. The head is smooth and hydrodynamic with ribbed gill-vents at cheek and throat; eyes sit beneath a gentle brow ridge for glare control. Gear belts carry cartridges, sample vials, and a compact nutrifier or scrubber.

Iconic cues

Rippled membranes draping from shoulders to wrist—part cloak, part fin.
Mineral flecks (mica, iron, salt) embedded in the dermis—local “passport stamps.”
Breath indicator lights pulsing softly at the gill-vent housings.

Physiology

Tri-Pedal Locomotion: Stable tripod gait on slick rock; fin-leg locks as a tail rudder in water.
Gill-Vent Exchange: Modular vents filter particulates, aerosols, and dissolved gases; swap plates to match biome.
Dermal Mineralization: Incorporates trace minerals during growth—can harden for abrasion resistance or stay supple for speed.
Hydro-Homeostasis: Body maintains salinity and hydration aggressively; quick to cramp in extreme aridity without humidifiers.
Limits: Poor heat tolerance in dry sun; membrane damage in acid mists; morphology variance makes standardized gear tricky.

Psychology & Social Character

Fluid Law: Agreements specify rates, volumes, and gradients; promises are pipes, not poetry.
Adaptive Pride: A good solution is the one that flows today and can be tuned tomorrow.
Temperament: Even-keeled negotiators until scarcity threatens water; then they are relentless.
Conflict Style: Redirect, baffle, and dilute—turn enemy momentum into harmless eddies.

Society & Heritage

Their home seas rose and fell under volatile skies; survival meant learning how things move before asking why. Guilds grew around flowcraft—Mistwrights, Brinecutters, Condenser Choirs—each with ritual audits and apprentice swims. Diaspora fleets are half laboratory, half fishery: tanks, stills, and mist galleries humming together.

On Verkalium they took stewardship of estuaries, fog flats, and aquifer mouths, arbitrating water usage and building amphibious corridors that tie canyon towns to the sea. Tensions with Carcinum over shared fluid spaces forged today’s careful decon corridors and joint hazard signage.

Technology & Material Culture

Osmotic Processors: Pulls clean water and useful salts from brine or mist; doubles as emergency desal for caravans.
Aerosol Nutrifiers: Atomizes mineral and nutrient blends to restore wilted crops, speed curing, or stabilize air quality.
Multi-Atmos Rigs: Snap-on plates for gill-vents letting Filtrati breathe weird atmospheres or polluted caverns.
Flow Diagrams: Contracts, maps, even poetry are diagrammatic; icons show valves, governors, and buffers.
Trade Goods: Osmotic pumps, humidifier towers, adaptable suits, condensate traps, and brine batteries.

Life on Verkalium

Preferred Sites: Estuaries, fog basins, river mouths, and misted caverns linking surface to underworld.
Planetary Hazards: Intelligent flora bloom after nutrient spills; Filtrati deploy baffles and bittering agents to steer growth away from intakes.
Neighbors: Productive with Resonati (shielded aquafarms), careful détente with Carcinum, humidity trades with Segmenti, irrigation pacts with Olivanti, and waterway patrol compacts with Humans.

In-Game Attributes (Genesis / TCG / 4X hooks)

Affinity: Sort / Refine from Waste Streams • Cross-Environment Ops • Purification

Global Buffs

Flow Advantage: Workers ignore most movement penalties when crossing shallow water, marsh, or mist; tri-pedal stance grants +Stability on slick terrain.
Waste-to-Worth: Facilities with Filtrati modules convert a portion of Tailings/Slurry → Purified Minerals/Salts, boosting Refine Yield and reducing waste.
Humidity Net: Passive region effect that lowers Dust/Static incidents and grants minor Focus to crews in mist zones.

Tradeoffs

Gear Fit Variance: −Efficiency when using standardized tools/armor without Adaptation Kits.
Dry Heat Drag: Output −X% in arid heat unless Humidifiers are active.
Brine Dependence: Logistics require water stops; long, dry overland chains slow without planning.

Unique Unlocks

Estuary Hub: Amphibious logistics node that halves Transfer Time across water/shore and adds Raid Evasion via tidal routes.
Osmotic Array: Facility add-on that feeds processors with reclaimed water, granting +Refine Yield and −Contamination.
Mist Gallery (T2): Regional structure projecting controlled fog—−Wildlife Aggro, cleaner air, and a small Morale bump for heat-stressed crews.

Commander Perks (choose one)

Brinecutter: Your teams treat shallow water as roads; +Move Speed and no tool penalties there.
Valve Sense: First incident each cycle at a Filtrati-touched facility is auto-prevented via pressure relief.
Condense Now: Instant-cast micro-fog around a worksite: clears Dust/Static effects and grants short Focus.

Synergies

Resonati: Phase-quiet Osmotic Arrays resist storms; +Zone Duration for Mist Galleries.
Olivanti: Aerosol nutrifiers boost crop recovery; shared irrigation reduces Heat Drag.
Segmenti: Humidity nets accelerate bio-crete cure in tunnels.
Mornath: Coolant from Estuary Hubs extends Surge windows.
Vaporati: Mist corridors provide shadowed transit; pair with Dark Beacons.
Carcinum: Coordinated decon lanes eliminate cross-contamination penalties—if politics allow.
Humans: Admin water charters stabilize regional morale and unlock higher draw limits.

Counterplay

Skahh heliostat floods cook off fog; invest in shade sails and deeper intakes.
Shoo spoof valves—use Resonati verification to lock flows.
Frigidi cold snaps salt-out pipes—pre-warm galleries and pick brine-tolerant lines.

Strategy Tips

Drop an Estuary Hub early to unlock cheap amphibious logistics.
Chain Waste-to-Worth with Resonati timing boosts for purified-mineral spikes.
In deserts, budget power for Humidifiers; the Focus gains often outpace the cost.

Cultural Notes & Etiquette

Bring a flow diagram to negotiations; a sketch beats a speech.
Never block a channel without posting an alternate route—rude and dangerous.
Accept a sip of condensate tea when offered; it seals the pact.

Visual Guide (for artists)

Morphology: Tri-pedal stance; fishlike head with ribbed gill-vents; flowing membrane capes/fins; mineral-flecked skin.
Gear: Osmotic canister, nutrifier, adaptable suit plates, flow-tag badges.
Aesthetic: Bright, optimistic hard-sci-fi; cel-shaded/NPR; clean values; emerald UI accents; light honest wear; no photoreal effects.

Lore Hook: “The River That Turned”

When a dust surge choked a canyon town, a Filtrati crew cut three temporary channels through the flats and turned the river sideways for a day. The town breathed, the tailings settled, and by dusk the water sang like glass. Locals still mark the anniversary with mist lanterns.