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| {{quote|Does it exist, or does it not? If it does, then on Raxxla there’s an alien construct that’s a gateway to other Universes, and all that’s in those Universes in the way of bounty, and treasures, and aliens, and life...|Rafe Zetter in The Dark Wheel by Robert Holdstock}}
| | [[File:Elite-Dangerous-Raxxla-Logo.png|thumb|180px|An emblem associated with Raxxla]] |
| [[File:Elite-Dangerous-Raxxla-Logo.png|thumb|180px|Raxxla logo]] | | {{Quote|Cora comes home soused and raving with wild stories, a new one every night. She claims she's found a map to some pirate stash, and all I have to do is loan her my ship so we can go dig it up. Maybe we should go find Raxxla while we're at it!|From the journal of Art Tornqvist, circa 2296}} |
| | | '''Raxxla''' is a legend that has been circulating among spacers in one form or another for centuries. While there is little consistency among the various tales about Raxxla, the earliest stories about it agree that Raxxla is a definite place that holds a mysterious secret. Every [[explorer]] sets out to find Raxxla at some point in their career, convinced that they have picked the thread of truth out of the sea of rumors, but if any have succeeded in their quest, they have held their silence. The equally legendary organization known as [[The Dark Wheel]] is said to be dedicated to finding Raxxla.<ref name="KB-R">''[[Elite Dangerous]]'' [[Knowledge Base]] > Raxxla</ref> |
| '''Raxxla''' is; a fabled planet, a ghost world, a myth, a legend. It was first featured in the 1980 book ''The Alien World: A Complete Illustrated Guide'' written by Steven Eisler, the pen name of Robert Holdstock.<ref>https://www.amazon.com/Alien-World-Complete-Illustrated-Guide/dp/0517305607</ref> Robert Holdstock published a novella called [[Elite: The Dark Wheel]], which came packaged with the original [[Elite]] game, in 1984.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Wheel#Packaging_and_marketing</ref> Raxxla has been a hot topic of debate within the Elite community ever since. | |
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| == Legend == | | == Legend == |
| | The earliest documented reference to Raxxla dates to 2296 and originates from an entry in the personal journal of Art Tornqvist, a shipboard mechanic based out of [[Tau Ceti]]. The entry does not describe Raxxla or its possible whereabouts, but its existence is evidence that the Raxxla legend was already in the public consciousness by that time.<ref name="KB-R" /> |
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| As the legend goes, on Raxxla there is an alien construct that's a gateway to other universes and all that's in those universes in the way of bounty, treasures, aliens and life. Legend also says that long ago, a corps of [[The Dark Wheel]] discovered its location and lives there, exploiting the gateways for all the wealth and riches the other universes could provide. This made them powerful and twisted.<ref name=":0">http://www.iancgbell.clara.net/elite/dkwheel.htm#A56</ref><ref>http://www.abandonia.com/files/extras/29369_the%20Dark%20Wheel.pdf</ref>
| | Some versions of the Raxxla story, which were later shown to have a striking resemblance to the children's story "Princess Astrophel and the Spiralling Stars" and consequently became discredited, Raxxla holds an alien artefact called the Omphalos Rift, which acts as a gateway to parallel universes. Some staunch Raxxla seekers insist that the author of the children's story knew Raxxla's location and had deliberately woven clues into his book. Others claim that Raxxla is nothing more than an unremarkable moon, or even a state of cosmic enlightenment.<ref name="KB-R" /> |
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| Jason Ryder was a member of The Dark Wheel and said he found evidence of the real existence of Raxxla. When he returned from [[Deep Space|deep space]] he was assassinated before he could get a proper team together.
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| According to Rafe Zetter, a trader of old, there are already people on Raxxla. They've long suspected that a corps of elites live on Raxxla who exploit the gateway. They're powerful and twisted men who hire assassins to kill people who threaten their dominance.<ref name=":0" />
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| Not a shred of hard evidence has been uncovered to suggest that Raxxla actually exists. This world is kept alive by word of mouth and hearsay only. It is one of Elite's most discussed and intriguing legends.
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| == Confirmation ==
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| [[Frontier Developments]] have historically refused to confirm or deny the existence of Raxxla, a possible location, or anything else about it, and continue to do so.<ref>http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?p=143806#post143806</ref>
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| In September 2015, Drew Wagar - one of the official writers for Elite Dangerous - stated "''I spoke to David Braben directly in 2014 and he confirmed to me that 'It’s out there and we (FD) know where it is.' – So it does exist.''"<ref>http://www.drewwagar.com/lore/elite-dangerous-lore-raxxla/</ref> Michael Brookes said “There will be no clues.”<ref name=":1">https://canonn.science/lore/drewwagar-raxxla/</ref>
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| Raxxla is in the Milky Way. This was confirmed during DJTruthsayer's lore interview with Michael Brookes.<ref name=":2">https://player.twitch.tv/?volume=0.8&video=v66487974&time=1h40m30s</ref>
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| Question: ''"Where is Raxxla?"'' Brookes: ''"Well it's in the Milky Way, but I can't tell you where it is. It's a journey that everyone has to travel for themselves."'' Question: ''"You have said that there will be no clues though?"'' Brookes: ''"That's true, but I think you have to make some of it a tiny bit obvious just so people know what they're doing. There's nothing to be revealed at this stage."''<ref name=":2" />
| | A number of conspiracy theories assert that Raxxla has already been discovered by either a sinister cabal or a lone individual who has harnessed Raxxla's power to become the shadow ruler of all of humanity.<ref name="KB-R" /> |
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| == Related Missions ==
| | Students and commentators of Raxxla lore have noted that the legend of Raxxla is unusually influential, often leading Raxxla-seekers to become singularly obsessed with it. This has been compared to the concept of "fernweh", which is experienced as an inexplicable longing for a place that an individual has never seen.<ref name="KB-R" /> |
| A few missions from [[The Dark Wheel]] faction in [[Shinrarta Dezhra]] refer to “The great mystery”. Thus far they have been simple cargo drops and it's not clear whether this ‘Dark Wheel’ is related to the original ‘Dark Wheel.’<ref name=":1" />
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| Missions [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168253&p=2571931&viewfull=1#post2571931 2], [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168253&p=2572970&viewfull=1#post2572970 3], [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168253&p=2572228&viewfull=1#post2572228 4], [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168253&page=2&p=2652622&viewfull=1#post2652622 6] were handed out and might be related to Raxxla.
| | == Notes == |
| * Mission [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168253&p=2571931&viewfull=1#post2571931 2] mentions a rumour that talks about: ''"A Certain celestial body. Place that isn't a place, door that is also the key. The myth."'' Upon delivery you receive a message mentioning a map and a context for coordinates.
| | *Raxxla was first featured in the 1980 book ''The Alien World: A Complete Illustrated Guide'' written by Steven Eisler, under the pen name of Robert Holdstock.<ref>https://www.amazon.com/Alien-World-Complete-Illustrated-Guide/dp/0517305607</ref> Holdstock published a novella called ''[[Elite: The Dark Wheel]]'', which came packaged with the original [[Elite]] game, in 1984.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Wheel#Packaging_and_marketing</ref> In that novella, which is outside the canon of ''[[Elite Dangerous]]'', Raxxla was described as a mythical planet which held an alien construct that served as a gateway to other universes. A corps of Elite-ranked pilots was suspected to have found Raxxla and exploited the gateway for their own selfish purposes, and hired assassins to eliminate any independent pilots and members of the Dark Wheel who tried to uncover Raxxla.<ref name="TDW">[http://www.iancgbell.clara.net/elite/dkwheel.htm ''The Dark Wheel'', Robert Holdstock]</ref> |
| * Mission [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168253&page=2&p=2652622&viewfull=1#post2652622 6] is very vague about ''"the hunt for, well, you know"'', but could be a reference to Raxxla. However, this mission could be feeding the ships log (data crystals or spheres?) into the Mission [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168253&p=2571931&viewfull=1#post2571931 Obfuscated In The Outer Rim].
| | *[[Frontier Developments]] have historically refused to explicitly confirm or deny the existence of Raxxla, a possible location, or anything else about it, and continue to do so.<ref>http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?p=143806#post143806</ref> |
| These are related in-game missions:
| | **In September 2015, Drew Wagar - one of the official writers for Elite Dangerous - stated "''I spoke to David Braben directly in 2014 and he confirmed to me that 'It’s out there and we (FD) know where it is.' – So it does exist.''"<ref>http://www.drewwagar.com/lore/elite-dangerous-lore-raxxla/</ref> Michael Brookes said “There will be no clues.”<ref name=":1">https://canonn.science/lore/drewwagar-raxxla/</ref> |
| * [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168253&p=2571931&viewfull=1#post2571931 Mission 2: Obfuscated In The Outer Rim]
| | **Raxxla is in the Milky Way. This was confirmed during DJTruthsayer's lore interview with Michael Brookes.<ref name=":2">https://player.twitch.tv/?volume=0.8&video=v66487974&time=1h40m30s</ref> Question: ''"Where is Raxxla?"'' Brookes: ''"Well it's in the Milky Way, but I can't tell you where it is. It's a journey that everyone has to travel for themselves."'' Question: ''"You have said that there will be no clues though?"'' Brookes: ''"That's true, but I think you have to make some of it a tiny bit obvious just so people know what they're doing. There's nothing to be revealed at this stage."''<ref name=":2" /> |
| * [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168253&p=2572970&viewfull=1#post2572970 Mission 3: The Silent Song Of The Spheres] | |
| * [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168253&p=2572228&viewfull=1#post2572228 Mission 4: Discrete Redistribution Agent Desired]
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| * [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168253&p=2576207&viewfull=1#post2576207 Mission 5: Dark Wheel Seeks Diplomats For Discreet Delivery] | |
| * [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168253&page=2&p=2652622&viewfull=1#post2652622 Mission 6: What Was Lost Will Soon Be Found] | |
| MacrosTheBlack has a thread about [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/168253-The-Quest-To-Find-Raxxla The Quest To Find Raxxla] on the official forum.
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| == References to Raxxla ==
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| * '''Raxxla!' Jason said. 'Remember: Raxxla!' Then, as he pushed Alex back into the cramped escape pod, he shouted, 'Remember me, Alex! I wouldn't have wished this on you. Raxxla!"'' - from The Dark Wheel by Robert Holdstock <ref>http://www.iancgbell.clara.net/elite/dkwheel.htm#A49</ref>
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| * ''Rafe chuckled and shook his head. 'You see, that's the big question. Your father was chasing the mythical planet Raxxla. Does it exist, or does it not? If it does, then on Raxxla there's an alien construct that's a gateway to other Universes, and all that's in those Universes in the way of bounty, and treasures, and aliens, and life . . .<ref name=":0" />'' | |
| * ''Rafe smiled, shaking his head. Suddenly there was a brilliant sparkle in his eyes: 'Raxxla's no alien, ''Alex. It's a ghost world. A planet. A legend . . .''' <ref name=":0" />''
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| * ''There are people on Raxxla already. This is only a guess, mind you, but from what happened to Jason I'd say it was close to being right. We've long suspected that a corps of elites lives there, and are exploiting the gateway. They're powerful, twisted men. Powerful enough to hire an assassin to kill the threat to their dominance.<ref name=":0" />''
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| == Trivia == | | == Trivia == |
| * Author Drew Wagar said "My own personal theory is that it can't be too far from Sol as it was reachable long ago by more primitive ships. Whether this proves true... I guess we'll find out."<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/9xx2di/with_the_q4_exploration_content_about_to_drop/</ref> | | *In November 2018, author Drew Wagar said "My own personal theory is that it can't be too far from Sol as it was reachable long ago by more primitive ships. Whether this proves true... I guess we'll find out."<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/9xx2di/with_the_q4_exploration_content_about_to_drop/</ref> |
| | *The alleged name of the artefact on Raxxla, the Omphalos Rift, is taken from Ancient Greek culture. In Ancient Greek, "[[wikipedia:Omphalos|omphalos]]" means "navel", or the center of a thing, and the Ancient Greeks believed that the sanctuary of [[wikipedia:Delphi|Delphi]] was the center of the world. Intriguingly, when the [[Knowledge Base]] that contained the first mention of the Omphalos Rift was added to ''Elite Dangerous'' with update 3.3, the system Pleiades Sector IR-W d1-55, which was the headquarters of the anti-[[Thargoid]] organization [[Aegis]], was also renamed [[Delphi]]. |
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| == Videos == | | == Videos == |
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| == References == | | == References == |
| <references />[[Category:Planets]] | | <references /> |
| | [[Category:Mysteries]] |
| | [[Category:Lore]] |
| | [[Category:Planets]] |
| [[Category:Fiction]] | | [[Category:Fiction]] |
| [[Category:Lore]]
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| [[Category:Mysteries]]
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