Carapace Cross

'When we walked in the ways of the wood we were winged and watchful, and we had no need of nectar. '
'Honeyed Memory'

The Carapace Cross were the precursors to humanity, worshippers of the gods-from-stone. Physically they are described as very insect-like, though they possessed a “savour-secret” which allowed them to hybridize by consuming other beings. Through this process, the Cross differentiated into a number of Carapace-kinds, each possessing widely disparate physical and metaphysical traits.

When the gods-from-stone were shattered and consumed by the other Hours, the Cross were forced to flee from the world. It is widely believed that the Cross are now extinct, lost to the world like many ancient things, but the truth of their passing, revealed in fragments throughout the Secret Histories, appears to be much more complex.

The Shearing of the Carapace Cross

'In the vision I see our wings, and I hear the rustling as we unfurl them to the shears. Our abdomens were patterned black and white like bandages, and our beaks scissor-sharp. Fold us in the chrysalis and lock us in the dark. Break our eggs and steal our hair and watch for us within.'
'The Vision of the Shearing'

At some point in ancient times, it appears that at least some part of the Carapace Cross underwent a transformation known as the Shearing. Their wings and hair were cut off, and they would "pass within" humanity. The reason for this change is never stated, though it is likely related to the birth of the wild Wood-Hour known as the Moth.

Seemingly not all of the Cross underwent this change – there is a period of time during which the Carapace Cross and humanity existed simultaneously, though mankind is described as living in the dark and eating on their knees in those days, sneaking into the Mansus like vermin.

Change: Scale

'The Carapace Cross is gone, extinct as the dodo or the dragon. Only humans remain. But still my wings unfurl, and still my skin has hardened to scales, and still the facets of my eyes are shining anthracite.'
'Things With Wings'

In the Moth path of the Change ascension, it appears possible for the player to revert the transformation of the Shearing in some way, returning to a form reminiscent of the Carapace Cross, remaining hidden in the dark until "[they] can no longer reject the Glory". It is possible that this is simply the form that standard Moth-Long take upon ascension, though it could also be that they become or revert to being a member of the Carapace Cross themselves, implying that the species is not truly extinct but simply dormant within humanity.

Carapace-Kinds

'The Carapace Cross, the hybrid race who in their many kinds were winged, legged, eyed, bright, dark, scaled, feathered, chitinous... and us? The Cross are gone; the Cross were always History; but to their children, their enemies, they leave this hushed legacy.'
'Shrine to St Trentero'

A number of variants of the Carapace-Cross are detailed in Book of Hours:

• Thritige-kind (“The Thirty”) are called the first of the Carapace Cross, and were distinguished by possessing numerous eyes. Supposedly the Thritige-kind originated from Nowhere, emerging into the world by “dreaming themselves out of black glass”. It is said that they sought an entity called the Monarch-at-the-Crossroads to rule them, only to find him in themselves, and though they began as many, they ended as one. It is possible that this Carapace-Kind are “the Thirty who ruled the sky” in the ancient times of the Gods-from-Stone.

• Glaeterfleoge-kind (Meaning something akin to “glitter-flyer”) are described as “bright-winged, dark-winged”. It is possible that these are the Cross seen in the Vision of the Shearing, with dappled bodies and sharp beaks. They called themselves the Grail's favourlings and the Moth’s spawn, suggesting a deep connection with the original gods-from-blood.

• Seglaz-kind ("Sail" kind?) are an aquatic form of the Carapace Cross, famed for their wisdom and for their complex teeth. An insect display tied to them suggests they possessed numerous mouths across their bodies, and it is from them that humanity may have inherited language. The Ligeian Medusa is said to be the oldest of the Seglaz-kind, though they are gone from this world. They are described by Governor Collers of the Brancrug Gaol as “sickle-formed pseudocrustacea”. Collers was able to encourage two prisoners into accessing their Carapace lineage and gaining features of the Seglaz-kind, making them incapable of breathing air.

• Scimafectra-kind (“Light-born”) are referred to as “glory-winged”. Fraser Strathcoyne has a particular interest in this Carapace-kind, which he believes stems from a connection with his inner Cross. Little other information exists about them currently, though their association with the Glory and the forces of Eternity are notable in contrast to the rest of the Carapace Cross.

• Blomberende-kind (“Flower-bearer”) are often compared and associated with bees, suggesting a connection to the Malachite. An insect display in Hush House suggests they also had the ability to adopt the aspects of other insects as well, in a manner likened to hermit crabs. They have a reputation as “rogues and trickster-heroes”.

• Wyrmfota-kind (“Great-wyrm” or “warm-worm”) are likely to be the subset of the Carapace Cross also known as “dragon-kinds”. One hint at their appearance suggests they had tightly coiled, segmented bodies, bristling with claws and possessing elaborate wings. Another description of the Last Dragon from the First Circle of Enigma describes it instead with red eyes, a plated hide, and imaginary claws. They are likely connected to the Seven-Coils, which itself was a serpent-like entity. It appears that most of the Dragon-kinds consumed the flesh of the dead gods-from-stone soon after their demise by using certain "savor-secrets", becoming the monstrous Worms that now dwell in Nowhere and threaten reality.

What Remains

'In the beginning, the Carapace Cross served the first Hours, the gods born from stone. When the gods-from-stone were defeated, where could the Cross go? Into the hills; into the Bounds; and into us. This is how humankind came to be, and in our most secret hollows, the Cross endures. '
'How They Endured'

The fates of the various kinds of the Carapace Cross are hinted at throughout Book of Hours, with several broad categories also referred to as Carapace-kinds.

• The travelling-kinds chose to leave the world and journey beyond the sky and the sea, and likely included a number of the Blomberende-kind and the Thritige-kind, and perhaps some of the Glaterfleoge-kind. The travelling-kinds planned however for their return, as the Affair of the Claw and the Clouds appears to involve the appearance of the Cross over the Evening Isles.
• The kind-within are those of the Cross that passed into humanity. The Seglaz, Scimafectra, and Blomberende are confirmed to be among these kinds, and some of the Glaeterfeoge are likely included in this number as well. Through us the Cross endures, and at times it seems this old nature within some can be brought to surface once again and cause them to revert to their original state.
• The relict-kind is a term used in reference to the Worms, though it may generally refer to those of the Carapace Cross who still exist in some form to this day.

Other Notes

• One theory for the purpose behind the Shearing is that there was some element of the Cross's nature that prevented them from ascending into the House, and that changing themselves into humanity unlocked the potential to reach the Glory and enter the upper echelons of the Mansus. However, this then raises the question of why the Moth ascension in Cultist Simulator involves reverting this transformation.
• "[THE CARAPACE-CROSS DID NOT PERISH BUT PASSED WITHIN]" - this statement from Enigma hints at the truth of what happened to the Cross, and for whatever reason fills some such as Christopher Illopy with dread upon its discovery.
• The discrepancies regarding what happened to certain kinds of the Carapace Cross might be accounted for by their fates differing depending on which History they occurred in.

Sources