Willard Networks' Vortigaunt Lore FAQ and Q&A (OLD)

[TheDeNuke]

The WN Vort Lore FAQ
Original Author: Equinox
​

Lots of people have lots of questions about our lore. While a lot of these questions are addressed in the Vortigaunt megathread, I'm writing this for those who, while perhaps not looking to apply for vortigaunt, would still want to know about vorts, because the megathread IS pretty long. Do note that this is not a substitute for reading the megathread, and does not contain as much info as the megathread.

Answers will be kept short and simple, and divided into subjects (with the most popular questions listed under "General Questions". Let's go.

General Questions

Q: What makes vortigaunts truly alien?
A: Vortigaunts are not from Earth, or even our space or dimension. They come from an entirely different dimension beyond even Xen. While they are carbon life forms, there are things about them that simply can't be explained by current human physics, such as vortessence and their powers.

Q: How many vortigaunts are there?
A: The total number of vortigaunts on Earth is around 500 million, with ~50 million not in captivity. This is in stark contrast to their homeworld, where they numbered near 1 trillion before the Combine arrived.

Q: Are vortigaunts a hive mind?
A: No, they are not. What they are, are a psychic-linked species with the capability of forming a massive pool of vague knowledge. This is not "free, clear" knowledge, but like an inclination towards knowing certain things. Think of it as a "gut feeling", or as a laggy, spotty internet of sorts. In that metaphor, you still need to know what to type in order to obtain knowledge on certain things, and it's still unreliable.

Q: Are the Vortessence and Vortigaunt Powers the same thing?
A: No, they are not. The Vortessence is the psychic link between all vortigaunts. Vortigaunt powers, deemed "Vortal Manipulation" of "Vortal Energies", is a completely different ability. They are not one in the same, and vortigaunt slave collars do not block the vortessence. Combine "drilling", which has made an appearance in Half Life: Alyx, does block the vortessence however.

Q: How old do vortigaunts get?
A: Around 2000 years of age, though some vortigaunts (detailed in the next question) are capable of living much longer.

Q: Are there ranks of vortigaunts?

A: Kind of. Ancient vortigaunt society had castes, which are as follows from weakest to greatest:
- Young. Newly spawned vortigaunts of the age 0-500. They are often inexperienced, and rather innocent to the world, requiring older vortigaunts to properly educate them on vortigaunt behavior and the world.
- Hunters/Weavers. Mentally matured vortigaunts of the age 500-1000. Hunters are physically stronger than others, and often better at combat. Weavers are experts in the Vortessence and Vortal Manipulation, having acted as healers, ritual commencers, and farmers.
- Sages. Around the age of 1000-1500. Wiser than other vortigaunts, they acted as mentors in ancient times, as well as local guides.
- Elders. Around the age of 1500-2000. Could be obtained earlier for significantly more powerful vorts. They were often the leaders, or "wisemen" of a tribe, and was the last caste most vorts are expected to enter.
- Shaman. Usually near 2000, Shaman are exceptionally powerful vortigaunts who often obtained Elder earlier on. They are usually capable of extending their life span through vortal manipulation and submersion in the vortessence, often up to 2500, or 3000 years. They often acted as leaders of moderately sized tribes on their homeworld.
- Grand Elder. The greatest of vortigaunts, there existed only around 1000 on the homeworld, to which there is only around 7 or 8 on Earth during the Combine's rule. They are of exceptional strength, and together, acted as the leading council of all vortigaunts. Vortigaunts are predisposed to following more powerful vortigaunts, thus, the Grand Elders are considered paragons of their kind. They often live up to four thousand, to five thousand years old.

Q: How do vortigaunts reproduce?
A: Via a non-physical, asexual ritual between three vortigaunts, creating a vortigaunt out of weaving the vortessence through a form made of vortal energies. Vortigaunts are spawned physically mature, and do not have an infantile or developing state.

Vortigaunt Relations

Q: How do the Combine treat vortigaunts?
A: Vortigaunts are treated like second-class citizens. They are often treated very poorly, and regarded as "shifty and conniving" by the administration, with loyalist parties even calling them dirty, and unintelligent. While they may be forced to work against their will to a much more extreme degree than humans, they still have their own housing block. Vortigaunt punishment usually includes beatings and temporary siphoning via a Vortigaunt Battery, which is often uncomfortable if not painful to vortigaunts.

Q: What do vortigaunts think of humans?
A: While most vortigaunts are neutral or supportive of humans, some may hate humans, or be alright hostile towards them. Most vortigaunts have come to understand why humans may not trust them. Most vortigaunts try to be friends, or at least try to not socialize with them. Others outright despise humans, either out of hatred for humans killing off many vortigaunts during the Resonance Cascade, or out of pure xenophobia towards that which isn't a vortigaunt.

Q: What do vortigaunts think of the Combine?
A: Most, if not all vortigaunts despise the Combine. They would almost all prefer to see the Combine eliminated, though many vortigaunts may have lost the will/drive to fight back, and simply exist under their control out of hopeless acceptance.

Q: Do vortigaunts wear clothes?
A: It depends. Free vortigaunts can wear whatever they want, whether it be out of utility, or simply trying to be cosmetic as a means of "adapting" to human standards, though it should be noted that vortigaunts have no natural urge to wear clothes. Vortigaunts in the city who are enslaved are usually prohibited from wearing any clothes that block the collar, with headwear being allowed should it identify or help them with their current job.

Vortigaunt Physicality

Q: How strong are vortigaunts physically?
A: Vortigaunts are as strong as humans, but are capable of growing strength much faster. Think of it in terms of strength training. Where a human might take ~20 years of weight lifting to deadlift 1250 pounds, a vortigaunt may do so in 5-10 years depending on their heritage. This makes your average vortigaunt physically stronger than your average human, usually by quite a bit. This is due to millions of years evolving as a hunter species.

Q: What are some physical vortigaunt strengths?
A: Vortigaunts are very agile, good noses, good digestion, and physically dangerous. They are capable of leaping great distances, scaling walls, leaping, and swinging. They are often stronger in the arms as well, and have very sharp claws capable of tearing through even heavy kevlar. This makes them admirable foes in close quarters combat. While minor, they also have a very good sense of smell. They also have powerful stomachs, able to digest raw meat with ease, and sharp teeth.

Q: What are some physical vortigaunt weaknesses?
A: Vortigaunts are poor swimmers, have very directional hearing, and low stamina. Their bodies are not built for swimming, their ears are tubes which means they don't hear that well past directly left and right, and they don't sweat, which means they cannot run or perform for nearly as long as humans.

Vortigaunt Powers

Q: How strong are vortal bolts?
A: Vortal bolts are pretty powerful, usually 1-3 strikes to kill. Most unarmored opponents will take only one hit, dealing kinetic and electric damage. Lightly armored opponents may take 2 or 3 hits, but are still usually seriously wounded after only one. Only heavily armored opponents (OTA Elite) can shrug off some hits, but still go down after 4 or 5 strikes. Older, more experienced vortigaunts can often summon more powerful vortal bolts.

Q: What are some other vortigaunt powers?
A: Vortigaunt powers are limited to atomic manipulation, with the level of how precise they are depending on their experience. Common powers include: Healing of wounds, charging of electrical components, welding/unwelding materials, telekinesis (called Vortikinesis), creating orbs of light, and repulsion (blasting anything nearby outwards).

Q: What are some advance vortigaunt powers?
A: Vortigaunts in a group, Shamans/Grand Elders, and vortigaunts on extract are capable of generating much more powerful abilities, such as: Bringing the dead back to life (must not be brain dead), stopping time, teleportation, and invoking particle storms. There is also a multitude of other powers, but these are on a case by case basis.

Q: How does stamina work for vortigaunt powers?
A: Vortal manipulation is like a muscle, and can be exhausted. More powerful abilities, or using a simple ability for long periods of time or over and over, can cause this "muscle" to exhaust and thus require rest before use again. Like any muscle, it can be trained over time to last longer, and hold more "weight".

Q: Do vortigaunts have telepathy?
A: Only powerful vortigaunts. This is considered an advanced power, often requiring antlion extract or a group of vortigaunts to carry out. It is moderately difficult to telepathically talk to other vortigaunts. It is incredibly difficult to do so with a human, and often leaves the human with a headache and a bloody nose. It is not two way telepathy.

Q: How strong is your average vortigaunt?
A: As strong as they are portrayed in Half Life 2: Episode 2. Any vortigaunts on our server that are stronger than that depiction require an authorization and a good explaination as to why their vortigaunt is more powerful than normal. Exceptions can naturally exist for this in the instance of event characters, and younger vortigaunts who are not nearly as versed in strength/vortal capability may be shown as weaker.

Vortigaunt Intelligence and Communication

Q: Do all vortigaunts act the same?
A: No, not at all. Vortigaunts may be connected, but they have individual minds. They can learn different, act different, and be different.

Q: Can vortigaunts portray emotion like humans?
A: Yes and no. Vortigaunts not only feel just as much emotion as humans, but on a greater level, and even many emotions that humans can't even comprehend. However, vortigaunts do not naturally portray emotions like humans, only doing so at the absolute extremes. Vortigaunts portray emotions in normal situations to humans out of communicative courtesy, not out of habit or naturality.

Q: Are vortigaunts as smart as humans?
A: No, with a big exception. Vortigaunts are inherently not as intelligent as humans, in the sense that they do not learn as fast as humans can, but can learn just as much (and more via age) than humans. Furthermore, the Vortessence allows vortigaunts to "balance" that intelligence gap. The weakness is shown when vortigaunts come across something that not many vorts have seen, which often requires more time for a vort to understand since they cannot use the vortessence as a crutch.

Q: Can humans learn Vortigese?
A: At most, they can learn a barbaric, stunted form of it. Vortigaunts communicate not only through vocals but the vortessence. It'd be the difference between caveman speech and a modern human talking. A human may understand and speak very basic, general meanings, but will not be able to truly understand a vortigaunt.

Q: Can vortigaunts lie/deceive?
A: Absolutely, but only humans or nulled Vortigaunts. Most Vortigaunts are psychically linked, which means they can always sense the intent of another vortigaunt. This means they will know if another vortigaunt is lying, as well as non-verbal deception. The only way for a vortigaunt to deceive another is via written communication. They can also just omit certain things in person, but the other vort will still know they aren't saying everything.

Q: Can vortigaunts kill other vortigaunts?
A: In most circumstances, no. Vortigaunts are highly mutual, connected creatures, seeing each other as close family. Vortigaunts usually only kill other vorts if said vortigaunt is directly attacking human allies, and often try to simply incapacitate. Vortigaunts will never initiate an offense against other vorts, though may hesitantly agree to kill another if the reasoning is just, though they will never carry out this attack, relying on humans or other entities.

Conclusion
Q: I have more questions. Where do I ask them?
A: In this thread! Ask your question down below, and I will answer it. If the answer obtains 3 "Agree" emotes (checkmarks), I will edit it into the guide.

Thank you for reading!​

 

[Equinox]

Are humans, or any non-Vortigaunt species, able to make use of Vortal manipulation under any circumstance? Furthermore, are there any synthetic means (Such as Alyx's Gravity Gloves The Russels) that could theoretically permit, or enhance this feat, if already biologically possible?

Q: Are non-vortigaunts capable of using vortal manipulation?
A: In almost all circumstances, no. Vortigaunts are the only species capable of using vortal energies. The only two exceptions were the Nihilanth's species (most likely extinct) and the Russel Gloves, which were capable of utilizing already refined energies into bolts, but not actually harnessing vortal energies.

 

[Equinox]

What about the Vortessence? It is shown to us that Gordon Freeman is capable of interweaving with the Vortessence, especially during the ritual to resurrect Alyx Vance. If a human were connected to it like Gordon and Alyx were (long before EP2), and were willing to see it, willing to interact with it (probably after some very rigorous training and exercises), would they become coterminous?

Q: Are humans capable of utilizing the vortessence?
A: Barely. If a human imbibes the extract, whether it be through ingesting it or having a vortigaunt transfer it over via touch, their submersion in the vortessence will increase. This often gives a "relaxing, euphoric" feeling, but can then be utilized. Humans are able to pick up telepathy in faint bursts, gleam knowledge from the vortessence, and feel a deeper connection to vortigaunts, but this is very temporary, and actually dangerous. If utilized, the effects are shortened, leaving the human with a nasty headache, mental fatigue, and a nose bleed. Continued use of this increases the risk of suffering from seizures and falling into a coma, as well as possible brain death.

 

[Chris]

Is prolonged or repeated interaction between Citizens and Vortigaunts seen as undesirable by the authorities? Or is it fine as long as it doesn't interrupt workflow?

It shouldn't be an issue, as you said - so long as the work is getting done. However, keep in mind it is seen as taboo since these are the same aliens that attacked Earth during the portal storms and biotics are basically underlined to be rebellious by the Combine. So speaking with civvies might draw some suspicion.

Though it depends mostly on where and when and who you're interacting with (and how bad of a day the CP has been having)

If you get problems with CPs constantly interrupting you making you unable to roleplay let me know.

 

[Chris]

Hi! I love the vortigaunt faction, and would love to apply. However I find i'm not so good at writing backstories. I can do it, but they tend to be generic/mediocre. Any advice when it comes to writing a backstory for a vortigaunt character? Thanks!

Stay away from the events involving the games and instead create a backstory which focuses on your character's own personal motivations. I would much rather the Vortigaunts be a faction which is wrought with internal disagreement due to their divergent philosophies. Instead of a group of yes men to one another.

Think of a goal for your character, why do they pursue that goal? What have they done in the past toward that end? Good? Evil? Do they regret or do they push themselves on through a belief in a greater good.

Make a good character first and then insert the fact they are a Vortigaunt later.

 

[TheDeNuke]

Vortigaunt Cosmetics

Q: How do I use the skin colours and eye colours:

We had previously used a age based system to determine this but I had concluded that it had caused issues in regards to origins and customization around these origins. The new concept is based around this guide:

Guide - VORTIGAUNTS: Canonical Guide: A Comprehensive Understanding of the Old World

"It's title is sensitive to the people in which you ask. But to many of us, it was simply deemed our sanctuary." The Alverda'Ridien System | 6XXXXX Billion Years of Age The outskirts of the The Ooz'Merian Realm and into the Ralsheck'Va Plains. Among the vast reaches of the interdimensional...

willard.network

As such Vortigaunts will now fall into one of four primary groupings that are based on the geographic region of the homeworld that this Vortigaunt was spawned upon (or at least its parents).

These are:

Ooz'Merian Realm - Very Common (70% of Vortigaunts on Earth) - Default Green, (usually) Red
Ralsheck'Va Plains - Uncommon (19%-20% of Vortigaunts on Earth) - Lime Green, (usually) Orange
Duvan'Merda Region - Rare (9%-10% of Vortigaunts on Earth ) - Brown, (usually) Yellow
Es'Penoid Rapids - Extremely Rare (1% of Vortigaunts on Earth ) - Grey, (usually) Blue

Eye Colours usually match this list but will from time to time diverge in the circumstances that a Vortigaunt has spawn-parents from more then one region.

Q: What about the wrinkles?

Unlike skin colors which are nearly impossible to modify, its actually possible for a Vortigaunt to "cosmetically" de-age themselves if they have enough proficiency in Vortal Energy Manipulation. However, their ability to do such a act depends if they are actually able to manipulate Vortal Energy in the first place which is why Biotics will often seem extremely old in comparison to freed vortigaunts. There is also the factor if the Vortigaunt cares to do so in the first place and rather just prefers to look old.

If you do want to use these cosmetics then I advise generally using these brackets:

1. Slightly Aged - 800-1200
2. Aged - 1200-1600
3. Extremely Aged - 1600-2000


I'll also quote this again since its relevant to this topic:

Q: Do vortigaunts wear clothes?
A: It depends. Free vortigaunts can wear whatever they want, whether it be out of utility, or simply trying to be cosmetic as a means of "adapting" to human standards, though it should be noted that vortigaunts have no natural urge to wear clothes. Vortigaunts in the city who are enslaved are usually prohibited from wearing any clothes that block the collar, with headwear being allowed should it identify or help them with their current job.

There is no natural urge so I really don't advise doing it unless you have a good excuse to do so (armor, attempting to "fit in" or given the item by a human) and specific characters will still likely ask questions regarding why you have even bothered. They don't get cold outside of blizzard conditions if that's what you are thinking.

 

[TheDeNuke]

Fake Shackles

There has been a lot of confusion over the months regarding Fake Shackles so I'm going to address them.

How to obtain

Fake Shackles are obtained by taking regular shackles and having someone with a unusually high crafting skill or at least a high quality process of /me's adjusting the shackles to remove the parts that correspond to disrupting and containing Vortal Energies and additionally removing the parts that cripple the natural agility and strength of the Vortigaunt.

Detection

Unfortunately due to the nearly identical biological makeup of Vortigaunts and the ability for Vortigaunts to easily disguise themselves as other Vortigaunts through Vortal Energy Manipulation, there is presently no way to actually register individual Vortigaunts on a database of any form. The biotic IDs are entirely attached to their collars and are not in any way related to the Vortigaunt actually wearing the collars.

As a result, just pinging fake shackles will not result in their detection. Indeed the only two foolproof ways to actually detect fake shackles are the following:

1. Attempting to use a shackles removal key on the shackles will make it obvious that the locking mechanism has been dismantled and thus the shackles are obviously fake
2. Activating the shocking mechanism which can only be done via Dispatch or Overseer Directive. This can only be activated when Dispatch detects a Vortigaunt entering specific areas (Underground) or as a suppression mechanism via Overseer Orders. Using this should always be a last resort as it will heavily injure the Vortigaunt.

There are no other valid foolproof ways to detect fake shackles.

Of course you can also detect fake shackles via other complex IC means such as a individual unit knowing a particular Vortigaunt personally and thus knowing enough personal details to realize that the shackles that the fake. However, unlike the two methods above these will need to be investigated in detail and are not foolproof.

 

[TheDeNuke]

Q: How resistant are Vortigaunts/What is the END stat for Vortigaunts?

Vortigaunts are highly resistant (but not immune) to all diseases, biological infestations, chemicals and abnormal temperatures.

Primarily, this is due to the fact that all Vortigaunts have a form of passive resistance flowing through their body which to many is well known as "Vortal Energy". Vortal Energy passively heals cell damage throughout their bodies and is the main reason why the average life expectancy of a Vortigaunt is upwards of two-thousand years. That very same passive healing also helps to repair cell damage from other external forces.

However, Vortal Energy is not the sole reason for their abnormally high resistance. There is also the fact that they had evolved in a tropical rainforest on their homeworld and thus have the ability to effectively expel toxins their bodies at a far faster rate then any human would be capable of, with the cell damage created by the toxins being healed by the Vortal Energy soon after.

Finally, their bodies have highly effective thermoregulation and outside of relatively extreme environments they can survive with minimal or no clothing.

The net result of this is that if a Vortigaunt were to actually develop symptoms from a disease:
Then every single human in the same room is likely going to be dead inside a few days.

 

[TheDeNuke]

Q: There is too much Vortigaunt Lore

A: All of it is without fail mythology.

The Grand Elders have the capability to effectively manipulate the Vortessence to the point where they can fabricate a past that may have never occurred. So long as the collective species believes in a story being real, thus it shall be "real" through the Vortessence except for the few that are able to retrieve the rare nuggets of actual history.

To the individual Vortigaunt that lore is what they see without further exploration, think of it as the baseline/mainstream assumption or understanding of what this past history may have been and what the likes of the Kay'Basar love to throw around.

Due to the near non-existence of actual proof that this past had actually existed with the entirety of Vortigaunt Civilization being destroyed (beyond a few ultra-rare relics). You are free to create alternative tales which act in opposition to what is considered the baseline/mainstream history due to its practically mythological nature.

Spoiler: Disclaimer

So long as you consult the Vort Leads first if you really want to go off the rails...

 

[TheDeNuke]

Q: How do Vortigese Names work?

A. Mechanically speaking the name that you choose when you create your character cannot be fully understood by any character that have their Vortal inputs impaired. Thus when choosing a identity among humans you will likely need to use a nickname or a adequately translated or heavily simplified version of your Vortigese name.

The reason for this is that the manner in which Vortigese Function.


Q. How does Vortigese Function?

A. Vortigese is a language which is directly linked with the esoteric nature of the Vortessence. To the average human- a discussion between two Vortigaunts may seem as if it is a vocal discussion in some sort of primitive sounding language, but in reality there is information that is being both transferred physically and directly through the Vortessence itself.

Thus if it is either a conversation, or even just a Vortigese Name. To the end user with non-existent Vortal inputs- half of the conversation or name would effectively be missing and all they would hear is fragmented pieces.

 

[TheDeNuke]

Q. What is the height limit of a Vortigaunt

A. As the old and now buried Equinox Megathread states (with some slight adjustment):

"Their average height tends to be around six foot one inches, though Vortigaunts have been known to be of shorter and taller heights, with the common lower range being as five foot eight inches, to the common higher height of six foot eight inches."

No more eight foot tall characters thanks.

 

[TheDeNuke]

Q: How long have the vortigaunts been in Xen, or the homeworld?

A. The vortigaunt race has been in Xen for a duration of around 200-600 years. However, these are not exact years and a vortigaunt may have been in Xen for a little longer, or a little shorter. But way beyond that mark, they would have been in their homeworld. As long as your application backstory explains how/when they got to Xen or Earth, then you may play around with your vortigaunt age and place of origin. Though a disclaimer, no vortigaunt could have been a part of any major historical vortigaunt events before the Age of Propser.

Another thing to note, vortigaunts cannot be younger than 13 years old as a result of the suppression field being established.