The Mystic Mountain was home to a strange paradox. Every single one of the immense realm’s inhabitants was unique, each one of them singular and individual. Oh, there were a few who were twins or odd little pack-groups, but they were unlike anything else in the urverse.

Kotaluus Pardok, then, was the only truly extraordinary being in the Mountain.

Kotaluus was a Molran. A plain, ordinary Molran, one of trillions upon trillions spread across the Corporation and near-charted regions Beyond the Walls. There was nothing remotely interesting about him, unless you counted his decision to go and live in the Mystic Mountain. And the mysterious authorities of the Mountain deciding to let him.

It’s possible that the authorities had a sense of humour. Because in allowing a representative of the most common Corporate species to come and live among them, they made him into the most unique Mountaineer of all. The only completely unremarkable one among the multitudes to exist in a realm full of singular entities.

Kotaluus collected currency markers and obsolete trade tokens from different places. It was obsessive and engrossing work, done mostly from a relay-comms station in his modest Mountain accommodations. He would send a message to a bank or trading establishment off-world and introduce himself, explain briefly that he was a collector, and conduct a simple trade for the currency markers he was interested in. They would send them with the next materials shipment. It wasn’t exactly “Mystic Mountainy”, but it was what he loved.

The rest of the Mountaineers thought he was just the most baffling and enigmatic being to walk their dusty halls. He never once lapsed into strange trances, gave voice to mysterious prophecies or worked secretively on great projects of urverse-shaking significance. His collection wasn’t very secret at all. In fact, if you let him corner you in a passageway, he could hold you up for some considerable time telling you all about it.

The other denizens tended to avoid him whenever possible. And that was just fine with Kotaluus.