Playable Species
Anansi
The Anansi are a race of six-armed humanoid beings with digitigrade legs, and feet that can act like their clawed hands if need be. They are primarily carnivores, preying on smaller creatures, but have been known to eat types of plants as well. They produce a potent venom in their sharp fangs that can paralyze and kill a Hundred in under an hour.
They are low-level shapeshifters, able to blend in with a species if given enough time. They are not protected, nor are they targeted by the AEC. They are considered a neutral species.
Their home planet is Nay'r, on the edge of the Alo'Qri System, and tend to live in 'natural' homes, lightly modifying the enviroment to make it habitable. You will rarely find an Anansi planet that has anything equivalent to 20th century buildings. The males tend to be tasked with sciences, medicine, and other technology-based careers, while the females deal with hunting and farming. However, the Anansi are an "equal opportunity" race, so it is not uncommon to see a male hunting or farming, or a female doctor.
Common names are a myth, Anansi can be known as John Smith, Four, Qu`Tal, or Keynrir Alyndrask Vehrmelaten the Fifth. There are no "gender specific" names, and they tend to adapt to whatever is needed to keep a disguise. The most common disguise is humans.
Caw
Named for their bird-like exclamations of excitement, the Caw are a species very new to, and rare in, the galactic community. On their home planet, they had barely reached the equivalent of the bronze age when they were suddenly pulled into a much, much larger world by other species. They are, at first glance, birdlike, with large, heavy black beaks that dominate their features, smart dark eyes, and clawed, scaly hands and feet, but their bodies are covered with thick, full fur, most often dirty white with brown, mottled blotches, and they have semi-prehensile black scaled tails. They are deeply superstitious, and treat many objects as if they have their own sentience, not to mention that they tend to be rather technologically clueless. Caw who are born off-world tend to have names from other species, most often human. Male caws tend to have larger, heavier beaks and features than females. There is distinct racial tension between two subtypes of Caw, those with un-furred black faces, and those with furred faces.
Human
Your typical, everyday Earthlings… only now they're not just on Earth. They're all over the damn place! You might find hybrids that have been spliced with animal or other types of DNA, or perhaps you've met the child of an inter-species couple. Regardless, humans seem to have a knack for surviving even the worst. Humans, unfortunately, get no bonuses at this time.
Humans usually come in 3 varieties: Pure (no alterations), Augmented (using bio-organic 'upgrades' or electronic upgrades), and Hybrids (splicing DNA from something else with a Human).
Hydina
Their planet is lush with life, having highly diverse climates and biomes. Most outsiders, however, never get to see much past the handful of trading ports on the planet's surface.
In general, the Hydina are about three feet in height standing on two legs. Resembling a vague hybrid of bird and lizard aspects, their coats vary between full plumage, soft down and lizard-like scales and skin. On either side of their faces will be horns or fins sloping back, depending on gender and caste.
They have small, pointed snouts which house small, sharp teeth more designed for cutting meat than eating fruit. Though omnivores, they find it difficult to eat harder fruits, such as apples. Their bodies are mainly muscle so, small as they are, they are surprisingly strong and able to wield heavy weapons with the same ability as a strong human.
They have four castes into which they are born, depending on the elements of the region of their planet and the castes of their parents.
Pnaawa - "Pen-ah-wa". The air element Caste. Their coats are made of very fine downy feathers of dark blues and navy with a lighter sky blue underbelly. They boast wings of violet and cobalt; the males looking more dragon-like and the females more bird-like. Fast fliers, they are adept hunters and seekers, able to 'read' the winds and alert their people to storms and such that might be approaching. They can be found anywhere on the home planet, working as messengers, though they prefer to live in the cooler climates of the south and north.
Sumdah - "Seeom-du-ah". The fire element Caste. Resembling Phoenixes, their plumage is silken, generating heat even when separated from them and under high demand in markets, which has put this particular caste in great danger of dying out as outside forces have seized a great number of them. The females have the largest feathers, making them more likely to be captured for profit. Their coats are golden and orange, the feathers around their heads resembling crowns. Light blue eyes contrast their colouring. Using their body's naturally high temperature, they can float around with ease. They have no preference for where they live, able to survive in many climates from frigid cold to desert heat.
Yxiy - "Ee-yik-see". The water element Caste. The most mysterious Caste of the four pure element types. They live within the deep oceans of their home planet, though little is known even by the other Castes as to how they live. Mostly monochromatic in colour with any variant of patterns, their hide resembles that of a snakes but the scales are so fine it is hard to see them. These scales give them remarkable armour against the elements but not so much against physical harm.
They have six extra limbs on their back which allows them to speedily swim through water, but also grants them the ability to alter their personal gravity to 'swim' through air. They do not speak out loud, having evolved minor telepathic abilities to speak to the minds of those around them and to read emotional cues. Their eyes are dark but retain unusual sparks like stars.
Knuiht - "Knu-hee-it". The earth element Caste. They are born with no armour or horns; these grow during their childhood and adolescent stages until adulthood and are formed of the same rock types they live around. Their hide is formed of hard scales with a soft downy underbelly.
The females are a sandy-brown hue with a lighter underbelly and green-blue eyes typically. They grow sharp rock spines along their backs and tail to the tip. The males are a dark earth-brown with orange eyes. Their armour is more plated and their tail tip ending in a mace-like weapon. These are typically the warriors of the Hydina, having high endurance and good reflexes. Though not the fastest, they are very cunning.
Ilth
The Ilth are an amphibious race of cuttlefish-eqsue humanoid cephalopods, and are the youngest sapient race in the galaxy. As early as three centuries ago, the Ilth were an entirely different species, four-legged cuttlefish-like creatures that populated their ocean-covered homeworld. Capable of complicated natural camoflague and considered intelligent enough to follow commands, the first interactions with the species came at the hand of poachers, who saw the potential in the training and trafficking of such creatures. Quick to learn and clever enough to follow orders, early Ilth were used in a variety of roles, from elusive hounds that tracked prey across entire worlds, to disposable and discreet assassins. Through genetic modification and careful breeding, they would become even more dangerous, turning the instinct driven creatures into something else entirely. Over time, however, a number of these early Ilth had escaped their captors, and instinctually made their way back to their oceanic homeworld, which would predicate the rapid evolution of the species.
The Ilth had been both prey and predator in their vast oceans, always on alert for the many, many creatures that were both bigger and fiercer than they were. This would develop a unique trait among the Ilth, that is, the ability to share genetic and memetic info between other members of their species with a mere touch. This would allow a pack of Ilth to be aware of everything that each individual observed simultaniously, as well as allowing the raw, unfiltered experience of hunting various species to be shared from one generation to the next. It was this trait that would predicate the cultural explosion of the Ilth, as the formerly enslaved members of the race returned home and began to spread their shared experiences and genetic modifications with the rest of their kind. What had been a simple race of aquatic hunters turned quickly into a sapient society, all sharing a set of experiences that would define their entire culture for the centuries to come.
Few in the galaxy had any idea of this rapid development, until one day, the newly reborn species lept onto the main stage. Delegates of the Ilth arrived simultaniously on hundreds of core worlds, delivered by ships that resembled vast coral reefs, bound together to float across the void of space. They would make themselves known, and then just as suddenly as they'd arrived, they would then retreat back home. This would begin their acknowledgement as a sapient race, and the start of their influence on the galaxy.
Due to the nature of the genetic modifications and training recieved by the progenitors of this rapid evolution, Ilth society is one of secrecy, assassination, backstabbing and subtlety. Secrets are precious, and thus the ability to share memories between members of their species became a bane to their emerging society. To put it bluntly, the only thing an Ilth distrusts more than his enemies is his closest friends, those capable of both attaining your deepest secrets and best using them against you. Thusly, all interpersonal interaction has a sense of deceit and mistrust with the Ilth, especially among those with something to hide. It's this that makes the Ilth renowed spies, assassins, and most insidiously, lawyers.
The element of personal contact also affects their culture, specifically the fashion trends of the species, lending to clothes that cover most of their skin. It's uncommon to see bare flesh when Ilth are in company of each other, both due to the risk of exposing one's memories, and as a cultural norm developed as a result of said risk. Ilth showing skin are often seen as fools or naive and guileless, and as such lose respect in the eyes of their fellows. In the company of other races, however, this behavior reverses itself, male Ilth especially fond of showing off their uniquely colorful skin patterns.
Ilth society is heavily based around the inheritence of memory, specifically the potent memory of their early progenitors, who had first bequeathed the whole of their beings to the species and birthed their race as it was now. Looked upon as near deities, the progenitors are revered for their bravery and suffering, and form a cornerstone of their cultural experience. Each Ilth is born with an affinity towards at least one of these progenitors, with the full scope of their enslavement slowly revealing itself to them as they mature into adulthood. Thusly, depending on the progenitor, an Ilth's life and livelihood is essentially mapped out for them at birth, with their affinity determining how they will be educated. As a result, each of these groups is distinct from one another, and thus they all equally distrust one another.
As they share a common ancestral memory, members of a given caste often regard each other as family, one of the few bonds of trust shared amongst Ilth. Living and training amongst each other, they are taught the lessons of their progenitors, and are constantly tested on these skills, until they reach formal adulthood with the full recollection of their inherited memories. It is at this point that an Ilth chooses his name, and first enters galactic society with their set of skills. An Ilth's name is typically related to the most vivid memory they possess of their progenitor, forming a two part moniker. The first part relates to one of the names possessed by their progenitor, while the second recognizes their 'triumph', the most vivid memory.
Due to their affinity for such tasks, Ilth are known as consumate assassins, capable of accomplishing their tasks with a subtlety entirely their own. With their unique capability for stealth and camoflague, and centuries of innate experience, they are a popular(and thus extremely expensive) choice for assassinations and espionage. This has lead to a public perception among other races as a rather brutal or cruel race, and as such are rarely trusted to tasks other than those. Few would risk hiring an Ilth chef, with the suspicion on one's mind that they might simply be there to poison the soup. Thus, Ilth with more domestic skills rarely leave the homeworld, furthering the perception that the race is entirely comprised of trained killers. Those visiting Illathia, however rare they may be, would tell an entirely different story. Great cities of living coral jut from the azure waters, reaching towards the emerald sky as they glisten with pearl and alabaster, while below the surface, a vast society thrives. The Ilth treasure the arts, and those who show great talent are revered, as such skills lay outside the purview of ancestral memory, born entirely of individualistic inspiration.
Almost all Ilth know the common languages of the galaxy, familiar with the colloquialisms of other races and species, their progenitors taught to follow commands in these languages even before they had their own. Before then, the use of memetic transfer through contact and use of their color-changing skin was the primary means of communication between Ilth, with one imparting information while the other was a means of displaying one's mood or intonation. Some of this remains to this day, although due to the nature of their work, most surpress the instinct to 'wear their emotions'. In trusted company, however, it's common to see an Ilth expressing itself through its skin rather than through their words.
The Ilth share another common trait with other cephalopods, which is an ability to both produce a poison and a natural ink within their bodies. However, in the Ilth, these two are consolidated into one, with a pair of glands in their mouth producing a dense black ink containing a potent neurotoxin. While some Ilth have these removed, either by choice or by necessity(similar to humans and their tonsils), others make use of them in their profession. Furthermore, when properly refined, the ink can be made into a hallucinogen that's popular on the black market, making it somewhat of a commodity.
The tendrils that hang over their mouths are extremely sensitive, capable of taste and prehensile movement, while the two nasal slits above them provide an ability to smell, a sense which becomes heavily enhanced while underwater. In their natural environment, an Ilth can use their sense of smell to track a target up to 3 miles away, but on dry land it performs no better than most species. Finned ears allow for limited echolocation while underwater, while their uniquely shaped pupils give them an ability to detect not only color but contrast, rendering many forms of camoflague useless. While Ilth are completely amphibious, they are more comfortable in water, and extended periods without at least wetting their skin can lead to psychological instability.
Much like their more primitive cousins, Ilth skin is covered in pigmented chromatophores, capable of emulating complex patterns of shapes and colors with only minor effort. Using this control over the color of their skin, an Ilth can essentially create an active camoflague that blends them in with their surroundings, the only limit being the individual Ilth's talent in keeping up with the pigmentation changes. Rather than having a typical skeletal structure, the Ilth possess a system of hollow, flexable chambers that are filled with a mix of gas and fluids, capable of being filled or emptied to change their buoyancy underwater.
Lurk
Lurks are an odd species. They are humanoid in appearance, but have long, elegant tails, and spines along their back, not to mention their digitigrade legs, two meter long tongues, and eyes that change color… Oh, did we mention that their skin color ranges from a metallic silver to black? Lurks are stereotypically very friendly, maybe a bit too friendly at times, and can often lead to issues.
Martian
Martians were once the same humans born from Earth but later moved to the harsher landscape of Mars and her various colonies. Often brute forcing themselves onto other worlds they are excellent at construction, mining and other labor intensive crafts. Unfortunately this industrial revolution has caused a vast amount of the pollution to build up to dangerous proportions on their various world. Also their xenophobic nature has caused them to reject all forms of genetic alterations and hybridization with other species. After their secession from her mother planet, Martians has grown tougher, gaining a knack at surviving harsh environments at the cost of a lower lifespan, intelligence and tolerance.
Sesshoun
Sesshoun, or Sess, are something of an oddity among races in that they don't travel off of their own world much. Humans from earth have described them as mixes of anteaters, dinosaurs, and peacocks. Standing a good several feet over human average, they have slim, jawless, anteater-like heads, strong raptorlike bodies and legs with powerful arms and four-fingered (two fingers, two thumbs symmetrically) hands, and long, heavy tails that are fanned at the ends. Their entire body is covered with a coat of pale, downy fur of various texture and thickness depending upon individuals. While females have relatively smooth feathers with short, stiff 'ruffs' along their ears, arms, and legs, males have much longer, more elaborate 'ruffs' that, in mating season, can grow into dazzling, colorful displays of long, stiff feathers. Males often retain other colored patterns through the rest of the year, but only have full, dazzling coloration at the height of mating season. Various color morphs of the species as a whole exist, making them a varied, visually stunning species. Despite their large, strong bodies and sharp claws, they're nectarivores, and are very friendly and fiercely loyal by their herd-animal nature.
Squiddie
Squiddie (true name unwritable using roman alphabet) are a somewhat atypical race, compared to most humanoids. They have a humanoid torso, with three arms tipped with clawed hands, and large, bulbous tails jointed into two main sections, with twelve symmetrical tentacles for locomotion and a large pair of pincers at their rear end. Their bodies are soft and elastic, except for their hard, chitinous armor that covers their head, arms, chest, back, and genitalia. They tend to be brownish-green or grayish, and have large, sensitive antennae and short white "hair" (actually a fungal growth). They are a widely nonviolent race, preferring peaceful resolutions by nature, and are quite calm and slow to anger or excite. They're curious as well, and intelligent and empathetic. This doesn't mean they can't fight, though, as their clawed hands, heavy pincers, and chitinous mouth all make formidable weapons.
Species Requiring GM Approval To Play
Atuk
The Atuk, a race of anthropoid mammals, is simultaniously one of the oldest, yet most primitive spacefaring races in the universe, with some of the earliest recorded feats of space travel. At an average height of 2.75m, they are taller than the average humanoid, and are considerably stronger and bulkier, having been conditioned both by the high gravity and intense cold of their homeworld, Akkako. An Atuk's skin is flabby, and covered in a layer of fur and blubber, similar to many arctic based lifeforms, with an appearance suggesting a possible primate ancestry. Despite their appearance, their dark, bug-like compound eyes are capable of both the detection of fast movement to aid them in catching prey, and high resolution vision for space travel, as they possess millions of ommatidia, as compared to merely hundreds. Their thick fur, which ranges from brown, to grey, to pure white throughout the species, covers all but the face, hands, and feet, and is capable of maintaining their body temperature through even the harshest of arctic environments.
An Atuk's body structure is very similar to that of gorillas and apes, albeit smaller and far denser, possessing rigid, powerful muscles that are capable of surprising feats of strength. Their hands and feet are essentially the same, both capable of advanced manipulation and gesture, and allow them a unique dexterity for such a slow race. When outside of environments as harsh as their own, an Atuk's fur will shed or grow to match, with completely bare Atuk's existing on desert world as well as an extremely long haired brother on their arctic homeworld. Their diet is omnivorous, and there are few edibles that an Atuk wont devour readily in their constant struggle for caloric advantage. While dormant, an Atuk typically needs to eat at least once a month, but short bursts of activity can leave them rather ravenous.
The one thing that seperates the enigmatic Atuk from most spacefaring species is their culture, which is most remarkable in how little of it exists at all, or at least is understood by anyone other than the members of the species themselves. What is known is that each member of the species spends only a brief period of their extremely long lives amongst their fellow Atuk, only remaining amongst others as long as they cannot fend for themselves, born amongst a small brood in some unknown manner once a decade(no method of reproduction has yet been understood by modern science). Raised by Atuk who were born too weak or sickly for their race's eternal quest, young Atuk set out on their own as soon as they are identified as capable of doing so, and begin their trek to cross the planet. This journey, taking place dually on foot and by makeshift boat, is an extremely dangerous gauntlet, which tests every skill they have been trained upon since a young age. Not all survive this journey, which makes the small number of those born every decade even fewer to make it out into the universe.
The end of this journey comes when the Atuk makes his way to one of the breeding grounds of their planet's other major inhabitant, the collossal spaceworthy cetaceans known as the Taka. Native only to their homeworld, the Taka are a unique species of whale that are capable of intergalactic travel, by means of an organic nuclear reactor that exists within. Capable of power generation rivalling some small stars, the Taka are not exactly mammals, nor are they more than superficially similar to terran whales, given their immunity to the effects of their own radiation, and body structure capable of surviving the vacuum of space. Little is known about the Taka beyond their unique power generation and propulsion systems, for much the same reason little is known about the Atuk at all, despite evidence showing them having existed since shortly after the dawn of the universe. What is known, however, is the mechanics behind the Taka's natural capability for near-light speed travel, in which the power generated by the internal reactor is used to form a warp field around the creature's mass. This warp field temporarily renders the Taka and it's passenger Atuk a non-event in standard space-time, which allows them to momentarily "slip" through the fabric of the universe. Thus, cultivating a small nuclear blast within a specialized organ containing the reactor, the energy is released from the tail of the creature, propelling it through the stars with little regard for acceleration and inertia. Despite this impressive capability, this only allows the Atuk to move lightyears at a time, before having to wait for up to several months for the Taka to accumulate enough energy for an additional jump. While recharging, the Taka produce enough ambient energy to utilize a limited form of warp field to move at a servicable pace , although completely unsuitable for anything but in-atmosphere and close range interplanetary travel.
The Atuk's symbiotic relationship with their Taka begins at a young age, and involves yet another difficult trial to locate, tame, and develop the powerful bond that will allow the two to operate as a pair for the remainder of their existance. Some theorize that there is some level of psionic capability in either species that allows one to influence the other without visible command, as most interstellar travel is performed while the Atuk is essentially asleep. As both are intelligent beings, there is a level of constant rapport between the two species, which develops over the millenia. It is this mutual respect and admiration that allows this unique form of space travel, as the Atuk will 'swim' into the Taka's mouth, before being deposited in a unique calcified hollow in the creature's skull. It is here that the Atuk will meditate for months to years on end, as they travel from one destination to the other.
To allow for such a slow method of space travel, the Atuk are an extremely long lived species, with recorded lifespans of 9,000-13,000 years in the rare cases of death by natural causes. Due to their longevity, and their nature of long distance space travel, the Atuk have extremely slow, but efficient metabolisms, which make them often slow to react and change course during long journeys. As stated, they will often sink into a meditative trance while traveling, to further economize their use of caloric energy. However, it shouldn't be misunderstood that the Atuk are an entirely peaceful and contemplative race, as this slow metabolism is capable of short bursts of hyperactivity. Whenever an Atuk is threatened or otherwise needs to be able to move fast or react, their metabolism is boosted to allow for quick bursts of activity, such as fleeing danger, or fighting off a predator. However, since it can't be sustained, this often leaves the Atuk exhausted for some time afterwards. When in this accelerated state, Atuk are often unpredictable, and can dangerous to those around them if not in proper control.
The culture of the Atuk is one of the oldest, yet possibly the most primitive of species that are capable of interstellar travel. The reason for this is an ancient religious belief system that has existed since the early days of the race, before they had ever begun to journey into space. Even before the discovery of the Taka, the Atuk were a race of explorers. Born with an undying curiosity to see and discover the unknown, they trekked across the frozen oceans and harsh tundras to see all that there was of their planet, only to find themselves wanting. They had explored all that they knew existed, yet their yearning for new experiences continued to burn, and as the race would coalesce a final time as a compact society, they would find through contemplation and meditation the path that they would follow for the rest of their history. Possibly due to the unspoken psionic connection presumed between the two species, their years of contemplative meditation had put them in contact with the species, and thus naming them the Taka, they would become the centerpiece of a new belief system for the species. Naming themselves the Atuk, or "The Observers", they believe that their role in the universe is to explore it in it's entirety, to collect in the form of experiences and memory their piece of the great tapestry of existence. This 'piece' is meant to be unique, wholly unclaimed by any other member of the species, which enforces the extreme isolationism that the Atuk practice. However, this doesn't mean that they have a natural aversion to the other members of their species; in fact, an Atuk welcomes the concept of eventually rejoining his race as a matter of fact. It is their belief that the entire Atuk race will come together as one at the end of time, and finally begin to piece together the great tapestry, so that they may finally satisfy their wanderlust.
Their primitive culture, as limited as it is, supports both a fully capable language and a flourishing passion for artistic expression, given the individualistic nature of their exploration. An Atuk will often find some form of artistic medium, such as singing or painting, to create their personal record of their journeys, both to better remember them and to leave something of their own behind for other members of their race to recognize and avoid. These records are often highly valued by art collectors of other races, with the purchase of complete records of these artistic endeavors being sold for millions. While the Atuk are seen as technologicially backward, it is less that they have either fallen behind other races, or actively oppose advancement, and more that their species has never exhibited a need for such things. Existing much the same way they always have, their goals have not changed over the millenia, each member of the race leaving on their self-exile with the same determination as their ancestors. This isn't to say that an Atuk lacks the capability for technological curiosity, as there is little force greater than the fascination of an Atuk with his eye on something unique.
The language of the Atuk is one both immensely basic in vocabulary, and utterly complicated in grammatical structure. The Atuk speak entirely in single syllable words, one after the other with little regard for diction and tone. Each syllable, as simple as it is, modifies every other syllable in the word. Every addition to a sentence changes the entire context, and thus translating it is a rather difficult task best left up to higher end translation software. When translated, the language comes off as rather simple, with phrases explaining in frank, quick detail the surrounding situation(i.e. I would like a banana would translate roughly to GIVE YELLOW LONG OBJECT HUNGRY). When typically at rest, this speech pattern can be arduous to follow, as the Atuk will slowly express a syllable at a time, each predicated upon the meaning of context left undefined until later in a phrase. However, when agitated or in a state of hyperactive metabolism, this becomes instead a constantly flowing stream of invented words, one after the other in a breakneck attempt to explain everything as fast as possible. This can make conversing with a typical Atuk rather difficult, and thus such attempts are better left to translation software.
Regarding the younger races of the universe, the Atuk have a general fondness that extends through their culture, looking upon the inhabitants of worlds they visit as living extensions of the mystery that surrounds their existence. Typically amiable until given a reason to be otherwise, an Atuk is one of the more agreeable and patient species to deal with throughout the universe. Upon meeting another species, an Atuk will often attempt to approach it with an offering, often food or other valuable resources, and upon acceptance of said gift, will depart and return to observation. While most species have little need for their survivalistic offerings beyond inhabitants of similarly primitive planets, it's wise to always accept the gift of an Atuk. Otherwise, they are prone to hang around until said gift is accepted, worrying that their new friend isn't doing everything it can do to survive, a foolishly dangerous thing in the eyes of an Atuk in the wild.
Caeligo
The Caeligo are a type of cephalopod dwelling within the atmosphere of Viento Escaldado, a jovian planet orbiting Estrella 22. The Caeligo have several physical adaptations allowing them to dwell within the atmosphere of their gas giant. Large, umbrella-shaped bulbs, similar to those of the "Terra Cnidaria Medusozoa", or the "Earth Jellyfish", are responsible for keeping them aloft within the atmosphere, catching gusts and updrafts with its large surface area. These bulbs have long, thin tentacles that while again sharing similarities to the jellyfish, lack any nematocysts, instead being used as sensory organs rather than predatory tools.
They have relatively smaller bodies compared to their bulbs. Unlike typical Earth squids, their bodies resemble reversed light bulbs, with their eyes situated relatively on the sides of their 'head', yet still set forward. They have six tentacles situated around the base of their bodies, concealing their beaks. They have two additional tentacles, significantly longer than the other six, which are used as their primary manipulators. A few mutations have been appearing on these limbs, consisting of the tips breaking apart into five 'fingers'. Their skin appears transparent, with a constantly moving and alternating bio-luminescence that they seem to use for communication. This is exceptionally useful in the low-visibility of the Jovian atmosphere, especially among the Caeligo blooms.
Their nervous system is a combination of a nerve net and a nerve center. The nerve net stretches all along the Caeligo, working similarly to that of a jellyfish, meaning they're incredibly sensitive to touch, in order to compensate for poor visibility. They react instantly to any dermal stimuli, whether they consciously want to or not. The Caeligo react positively to this adaptation, as because physical stimuli is so rare, it is welcomed as an honor. This mindset has caused the Caeligo to become both curious and impulsive, attempting physical contact with any sort of previously unknown anomaly, despite the danger or risks. Their nerve center is, of course, responsible for conscious thought and the processing of any other sensory information.
They live and travel in 'blooms', large packs. Rather than a definite hierarchy or leader, each Caeligo is recognized as an equal. Their decisions on where to migrate are made by casting votes, where majority rules. In fact, all of their decisions are ruled by this true democracy, even seemingly small activities. They usually migrate with their food sources- microbes in the atmosphere, not too different from earth plankton. However, they've been known to migrate according to other patterns, such as wind direction, and oddly enough, their planet's moons, which are seen as holy spirit guides and protectors.
There are 7 moons, each with a name relating to their intricate mythology. They are considered wind gods, and all of them are considered responsible for the wind currents. Like the blooms, rather than believing in a central leader, they believe all play their parts in keeping the currents calm. However, they do believe in disputes between their gods, and lightning, thunder, hurricanes, even space debris, are interpreted as battles between gods with the two moons closest to the anomaly being considered the disputers. Two moons who share a similar orbiting path and speed are considered bitter enemies, and are used in tales of 'good and evil', regardless of their grey view of the subject. There is a history of 'wars', three or more gods close to a particularly bad weather anomaly. In regards to blooms and migrations, blooms will usually stick with a particular moon, electing them as a 'protector'. While all gods are prayed to, harsh times will often bring large prayer sessions, consisting of several days of fasting and strict migrational paths following their moon constantly, only stopping once the time of fasting has been finished. These time periods vary among blooms, but never change once the time has been set.
They pair for life - once two pair up, they never separate. Reproduction is performed by the female laying eggs along her back. The male releases a cloud of seed, fertilizing the eggs. Eggs will grow until they hatch, at which point the young are introduced into the bloom. When the young hit adolescence, they are given the decision to either stay within the bloom or travel to a new one. Those who decide to travel to a new one must stay along the path of their former protector moon until another bloom crosses the path of orbit, at which point they may adopt the new protector moon of said bloom.
Caeligo are, for obvious reasons, rarely seen outside of their planet. However, an increase in visits to Viento Escaldado by catalougers, explorers, and biological researchers, sparked by the relatively recent discovery of the Caeligo, has caused various members of the race to attempt communication. Those who've established successful communication have often expressed an interest of further exploration outside of their planet. Augmentations, such as the necessary low-power propulsion, synthetic communicators, and artificially fixed bulbs, have been developed to aid off-worlding Caeligo in successfully thriving outside of their natural habitats.
Tweehoo
The Tweehoo are a race of dome-shaped trilobite like creatures with six supporting digitigrade limbs and a pair of soft manipulators. The manipulative limbs are tucked against their undersides for protection. The Tweehoo are native to a desert environment, and often sit through sandstorms or tunnel during rain. They have four eyes spread equidistantly along the upper edge of the front hemisphere of their shell, covered with a transparent layer of keratin. They grow to 3 feet for the oldest and tallest, with a 1:1.3 foot ratio of height to diameter. Tweehoo are sapient, although their culture is at the tribal level.
Their diet appears to consists of lizard and insect analogues and desert flora, and it is unknown what materials and chemicals they require. Disease is uncommon due to the Tweehoo's isolate nature but not unheard of. Their mouth is situated just under the lip of their shell. It has a variety of teeth-like protrusions used for grinding and tearing. Their tongue retracts into their throat while the plates grind, and then ferries the chewed food to be swallowed. Food is softened in a primary stomach before being transferred to the actual digestive stomach. Often the food is ruminated for further softening until it has been reduced to a sludge, whereupon it is digested and sent to the intestines. Undigested objects are vomited. Excretion is performed once a day. It is unknown if the Tweehoo have a sense of smell, or through what organs they would smell through.
Speech occurs through their nasal orifices, which are located on either side of the mouth. Sphincters just inside the openings modulate airflow, creating a whistling sound that is modulated to produce speech. Preliminary attempts at translations have revealed a correlation between higher-pitched chords and affectionate behaviors. Chords seem to be arranged on a hexatonic scale, which can be grating to some species.
The Tweehoo's four eyes are extremely similar to snakes in that the eyes are covered by a transparent scale of sorts, permanently closed. They burrow into sand or otherwise cover their eyes when they attempt to sleep. The bottom of their feet is sensitive to vibration, allowing them to sense nearing animals.
The brain is centered at the top of the dome, where the plating is thickest. Their brain is large and developed. Research has not been done on their psychology, however.
Mating is performed through the use of ovipositors, and the Tweehoo have no discernible sex or gender. The ovipositors are long, flexible tubes kept tucked inside a shell at the back of the Tweehoo's underside. When sex is initiated, the ovipositors extend, revealing testes-like sacs at the base, where the egg/sperm analogues are produced. Dominance is established and the dominant inserts the tip of their ovipositor into the others, releasing eggs into the flexible tube. Ciliae inside the tubes ferry the eggs towards the fertilization chamber, where they attach and grow. The dominant Tweehoo proceeds to create a shelter, as the pregnant one's shell will often crack under the growth of the fertilization chamber. This exposure is not often lethal, as the carrier will bury their underside in sand. The pregnant Tweehoo will not move from the shelter for several months, and the caregiver must feed and care for it during the pregnancy. After approximately 4 months, the eggs are ejected from the Tweehoo while still small enough to travel through the ovipositor and buried in the sand in the shelter, where they will continue to mature and grow until they hatch. When ejected, the eggs are small, opaque sacs with a flexible covering, approximately 3 centimeters in diameter. When fully matured, they are on average 20 centimeters in diameter. The caregiver will proceed to care for them as they did the pregnant Tweehoo for another 3 months. Then the parents will lead the children to the nearest population shelter, usually a gathering of 20 or so individuals, and stay until the children have matured. Often the couple will split apart afterward. Some choose to stay together from affection and to aid in raising the communal raising of children, but most choose to resume foraging and hunting.
Children start out much smaller than adults and grow extremely quickly, however, maturation appears to take far longer. They will remain in a pre-pubescent state for at least 5 years. Until they mature, their shells are soft and flexible to allow for their explosive growth. Still, many die early from ruptured or cracked plates.
The Tweehoo do have a language, but attempts to translate have been poor. It is unknown if they have art of any sort, however, they are remarkably welcoming of strangers, so long as the visitors are capable of caring for themselves. Many villages have begun primitive horticulture, using excrement and indigestible food as fertilizer. Shelters are considered sacrosanct as long as a person has laid claim to one; excess shelters are often used as storage until otherwise needed. It is not uncommon to find a couple living in a completely empty village. Tweehoo usually attempt to be self-sufficient wanderers, but despite the majority being nomadic, there are a few population centers scattered across the continent they live on. During the day, the villages are almost empty but for children and caregivers, with the rest of the population foraging and hunting.
Hunting is done mostly by the Tweehoo camouflaging themselves as a rock, then jumping out and throttling whatever they leap on, usually small lizard-like creatures. Traps are common however, used mostly at oases and other places where animals converge. The foragers feed themselves throughout the day and then bring food back to the village for the children. Feeding the children is a communal ritual, the village gathering in a circle and preparing the food for the smaller, weaker children that cannot chew many of the hard substances that they eat. This is when the majority of the communication takes place. It is unknown what they are communicating about, however, it is suspected that they are sharing information about their surroundings. Occasionally, one will rise onto their back set of legs and speak at length to the crowd.
Many villages have not discovered fire yet, however the technology appears to be spreading. It is mostly used to cook and soften food for children, and also to help produce tools. Socialization takes place early in the development cycle. Children who are caught fighting are scolded and separated. Despite the numbers of children, they are coddled until they reach maturation. Once a child is completely matured and can consume food by themselves, a ritual is enacted, and they are allowed to choose a shelter of their own. Young adults usually stay with the village for a year before moving on.
Tools are often made using the sharp shards of wood from the spike-tree, pounded and shaved using rocks. These are carried tucked up against the softer bottom of the adult, held in one of the grasping limbs. Bags to gather food are woven from thin strips of leaves and hung under the Tweehoo, the straps wrapped around the joint of the first leg. The tribes closer to the oceans are farther along in development of culture, and a few have discovered fire. Coastal tribes are culturally separate from inland tribes, as they are less nomadic. Couples tend to stay together for an average of 6 months longer after their brood matures, and instead of traveling randomly, they appear to merely travel from population center to population center.
Hunting techniques in the coastal tribes are a variation of the leaping used in the desert, and fish is a large part of their diet. They do not eat birds and react strongly when a child attempts to do so, or an observer attempts to harm one. The inland ones do not shed their shells for growth, as they are often polished smooth by the wind. Coastal tribes often bathe in the shallows to dislodge excess keratin, and bathing is often an activity engaged in by couples. When one dies, which happens often as they have a high mortality rate, the inland ones will crack their shell and surround the body with stones, chasing away all scavengers except for birds. Coastal variations on this is to weave a raft from seaweed and send the body out to sea.
Before the sun rises each day, those in population centers will gather, leaving the children to sleep. They will face the direction the sun rises in and the oldest of the group will 'stand' and seem to give a speech. Then the group will wait until the sun rises before separating to start their daily tasks.Some villages have 'mascots'; birds that have discovered that if they live with them, they will be very well taken care of.These mascots are treated as they treat their children, save that the birds do not enter into the maturation rituals.When a young adult chooses to leave the village for the first time, the bird is often released into the air, and the adult will choose the direction the bird first flies in to explore. If the bird flies to sea, then the village will build a raft. Adults who journey to sea do not often survive.
One village has been established on a continent other than the main one, due to rafts flowing into one current during the spring season of that continent. The young inhabitants of that village tend to stay close to the village and are currently attempting to procreate as much as possible. Unfortunately, trade is not an option as they have not designed boats yet that can take them back to the main continent.
NPC Species ONLY
Chir'Tul
The Chir'Tul are a race of sentient robots that live in the Naxos System. They are very neutral in most matters and are a very honorable race. They have a distinct appearance of looking like silver versions of humans, as their technology has advanced to the point they are essentially building humans of metal. The Chir'Tul are known well for their participation in the Straos War, where they created the Imperta Declaration thus ending the 4 year civil war.
Hundreds
The Hundreds are a subterrainian race of large, grey, leech-like oligochaetes that walk on two back legs, typically around ten feet long and possessing a large, toothy maw that is capable of producing a powerful corrosive agent. Unlike most races in the explored Local Group, Hundreds are extremely antagonistic and territorial, completely uninterested in relations with other species. A long history of conflict between humans and Hundreds dates back to the earliest exploration efforts outside of the Milky Way, which culminated in the destruction of their central hiveworld, the death of their queen, and the resulting animosity that remains to this day. An omnivorous race, Hundreds use their natural acids to devour nearly anything, which has been observed to hold true for anything from trees to vehicles to anyone unlucky enough to run across a hungry Hundred. Given their unnaturally high metabolism for such slow creatures, it's unlikely that an encountered subject won't be hungry at any given time.
Originally viewed as a nuisance race encountered only by mining colonies during the early colonization efforts in the outer rim of Andromeda, the Hundreds were a common sight for miners who often found themselves discovering vast cave systems full of the creatures. Ignorant of the species sapience, humans led poisoning campaigns which flooded their vast hives with toxic gasses, treating them like pests, rather than a legitimate race. This was in part due to a vast propaganda campaign launched by the now defunct Titan Mining Corporation during their early expansion efforts, which despite a great deal of protest from both Andromedian aliens and human residents, continued unabated during the early, lawless years of slipstream expansion. This behavior continued unabated until finally, exploration efforts would accidentally stumble upon their core Hiveworld.
TMC began to encourage active efforts to colonize the planet formally known as Titan V once early long-range scans had detected vast mineral wealth, essentially kicking off an intergalactic gold rush, as numerous colony ships made their way to the newly discovered world. It's not certain to this day how much TMC actually knew about the planet, possibly having surpressed the organic scanning reports for their favor, but the result still remains a blot on human-alien relations to this day. Not long after mining efforts had begun, the entire planet seemed to slip off the radar, all communications off-world going dead. It wasn't long, however, until they came back up, panicked colonists reporting vast swarms of Hundreds overrunning civilian colonies, videos of the grey hordes killing everything in sight as Titan V burned uploaded to the net by the thousands before things once again went dark.
As expected, the extreme nature of these videos sparked massive outcry among human colonists, who demanded action be taken against the hostile world. Meanwhile, the Hundreds began an effort to reclaim a number of worlds that they had previously inhabited, striking out in grotesque living transports that floated through space, attacking and devouring colonies across the outer rim. This lead to one of the most violent and controversial wars in the era of space exploration, carrying on for 4 years until finally, TMC provided their own private sector solution: a fusion bomb. Long outlawed since it's use in early exploitative mining efforts, and better known as a "planet cracker", it would bring an end to the war and the Hundreds homeworld in a single blow.
The Hundreds have yet to recover from the war, now spread across the galaxies, living in smaller hive-colonies known as "factories", where their instinct to create their hives in resource rich areas causes them to clash with mining colonies and exploration teams. The Hundreds lack a formal culture since the destruction of their homeworld, with each factory possessing it's own Hive Matriarch in place of a single queen. Hive Matriarchs are often up to 3-5 times bigger than a typical Hundred, and dictate the lives of all under their perview. Since the war, the Hundreds relations with the other intelligent races of the galaxy have only continued to sour, and attacks remain frequent on populated worlds. Even so, they remain only a shadow of their former selves, their destiny destroyed with their home. While attempts have been made to re-establish a homeworld, none have been successful.
The Hundreds have a unique ability to salivate a powerful acid, which is primarily used for breaking down rocks in the construction of their homes, and for digesting nearly anything they can fit in their gaping maws. Like a lampray eel, they possess layers and layers of teeth, which are capable of "shredding" through softened rock like a drill, which produces an odd byproduct known as "Dred Diamonds", ultra-dense carbon fragments created through the grinding process. Useful in a number of scientific and industrial fields, attempts were made at points to try and farm the creatures, all of which failed and were eventually banned as an inhumane practice. Hundreds are also capable of storing up the corrosive saliva into an "acid bomb", a coagulated ball about the size of a human skull which can cause massive damage to whatever it impacts.
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Kthonians
Very little is known about this strange plant-like race, aside from their technology which seemingly combined organic matter and synthetic technology with very little difficulty, they were governed by one figurehead of a leader, and they do not exist in any modern-day archives.
Mamkute
Mamkute are rarely encountered race, gifted with latent psionic abilities. In their natural appearance they have a variety of color, scaled bodies, and long reptilian tails. It's not unusual for Mamkutes to get tattoos based on their homeland. They are known to be cowardly on average and often hide or attack from stealth. Depending on their world of origin mamkute may develop fins or wings later in life. Similar to humans, very few mamkute can use stronger psionic abilities. Most mamkute are often more interested in learning about other worlds than sharing about their own, so little is known about where they come from.
At one point it was believed mamkute had the ability to shapeshift, this has been since proven false as only around five have been found to have this description in history.
Tavi
The Tavi are a race of grey-skinned, neon-green eyed aliens that have two "toes", two fingers and a thumb, and require a certain chemical to breathe. Tavi cannot survive in an oxygen rich enviroment without a special helmet, which contains a fairly large sized crystal (which emits the chemical they require) that is able to recycle the 'air' they breathe to keep them living for 50+ years at a time. Some Tavi opt for a full body suit, which is plated and carries an even bigger crystal. Tavi in these bodysuits tend to require a replacement every 150 years or so.
The Tavi have their own language, which, while incomprehensible to humans due to subtleties of tone and body language, will not hurt them like the Lurk's native language. Their name structure contains their first name, followed by their rank, and their guild (family). A common Tavi name would be something along the lines of Ryul Tern'Sha, Ryul being the Tavi's name, Tern meaning he is a historian, and he belongs to the Sha guild.
While not intentionally hostile, Tavi are very defensive of their spiritual belief and their guilds. Any outsiders who wish to do harm are met with strict resistance, which can sometimes lead to physical altercations. However, for the most part, Tavi do not interact with outsiders. They are a small race, and tend to keep to their own planets and ships, very rarely will you see a Tavi as a minority.
