Honestly, I haven't given it much thought. I'd say that yeah, their brain chemistry would be comparable to animals.

Awesome, thanks.

Is it possible to play as a Man In Black?

• Name: Xabopria^* Xa'Bop'Ria "Bop" Zolter
• Gender: Male
• Description: Looks like a regular member of his race (see below).
• Personality: Calm (for his race), he believes that people should get along. Has a positive outlook, and is quite optimistic. Other races would probably think he's direct, and a bit rough, but he's a nice guy overall.
• History: Like all Lignarians, Bop spent most of his youth as a soldier. During his mandatory military service, Bop was piloting a jet one night when he gazed up at the beauty of the stars, and realized that in the grand scheme of things, all this fighting was nothing in the face of such a great galaxy they could explore. The three largest nations had each claimed a moon solely for military reasons and were ignoring the natural beauty of their accomplishments, and they were already trying to find ways to explore the solar system - not for curiosity, but to get rare elements and establish strategic outposts. So once his service was over, he decided to become a musician, singing slow-paced Lignarian folk songs talking about peace to decent-sized concert halls. Because the future wasn't war, man, it was up there. Up in the stars. A human listening to this style of music would most likely believe it is a combination of Rap and Hip Hop.
• Occupation and skills: A standard education that encompassed learning how to be in the military, and how to use Lignarian weaponry and jet fighters. Basic reasoning and thinking skills. (Converting between hex and decimal numbers is still really hard, so don't ask him to make change for a twenty) His best skill, though, is his musical talent.
• Equipment and clothing:
  • His clothing is just the standard rank plates, but instead of a military insignia, they have a painted-on tuxedo◊.
  • Boombox: A stereo that has a set of three wireless microphones stored inside, with built-in autotune software able to be toggled on or off. But this isn't some 1980's boombox. This is what you'd expect from the future. This thing is basically a concert-in-a-box, able to provide crystal-clear audio and strong bass to an area about as big as a gymnasium or 2000-person church auditorium. It's a metal box about 3x2x0.5 feet in size, weighs about 20 pounds, and is durable enough to withstand the punishment of a Lignarian concert. A full battery can last through a whole evening/night of usage. It does not have the light-show attachment installed.
• Other: I can't think of anything else.

• Name: Lignarian
• Other: Many millennia ago, the Eternal Empire of the Mutirri spanned across many planets and their culture blossomed, until they were all eventually killed off by a calamity of an unknown nature. Nowadays, all that's left are the Lignarians. Originally a species of animals that were the closest genetically to the Mutirri, when the Lignarians finally developed enough mental capacity and had their bronze age, they began to discover long-buried cities, citadels, shipyards, and other remnants of the lost civilization, and were catapulted through their development due to finding and using the apparently magical technology. This elevated the socially-primitive Lignarians from a bunch of sword-swinging savages barely one millennium ago to a bunch of sword-swinging savages... who know how to make guns and airplanes.
• Physical Details: A human looking at a Lignarian might mistake them for the hunchbacked offspring of a human and a rhinoceros^* For a very rough estimate of their body shape (ignore their fingers), this is a good guess◊. They are a hardy species built for survival, and have very little dimorphism, with the average member being 2.2 meters tall and 350-400 kilograms. Their head looks much like a rhinoceros’s◊, with a pair of large horns jutting out from their protruding face. Their feet are hoof-like with no toes, and their hands are similar to their feet, but have eight double-jointed fingers equally spaced around the circumference, which allows them to pull back their fingers and walk on all fours. Their skin is a light-gray color, and incredibly durable. Lignarians are comfortable between 0 and 60 degrees C, so they tend to not wear any clothing aside from a set of horizontal metal armor plates on their front that goes from the bottom of their groin to just below their neck. The metal is tinted differently and has patterns inscribed upon it corresponding to that individual's job and/or rank. They are not significantly stronger than humans in terms of upper body strength, due to their arms sharing similar muscle structures to their legs, which allows them to charge quite quickly. Both genders have a single cloaca in their groin region, and as such have no "butt" in the way many other species do. Instead, their hindquarters simply converge into a very short, stubby, tail, no more than five inches long. The theoretical life expectancy of a Lignarian is around 260 solar years, but in practice, the majority are killed before they reach 150.
• Society: Lignarian culture revolves around military structure, with government officials being high-ranking military officers. Military conscription is mandatory for all Lignarians, regardless of gender, when they are born. Most of what the other races would consider "schooling" is done by the military in parallel with their service. When a Lignarian reaches adulthood at approximately 34 solar years old^* Which is exactly 64 Lignarian years, though in their numbering system it is 40 years old. , their military service is considered completed, unless they wish to become a True Soldier of the military, and they then go on to whatever profession they were trained in during their service. Their homeworld is currently in a Cold War between the three major powers, with dozens of smaller nations being used as the battlegrounds. Most of their philosophy revolves around a mentality that focuses on enduring through struggles as a way to make oneself stronger, while the majority of their religions focus on gaining honor in service to their military.
  While their natural sturdiness and modern medical technology lets them survive most injuries, artificial limbs are viewed negatively, perceived as inferior to the original Lignarian arm. The socially-acceptable replacement for a Lignarian body part is an artificial limb that has a weapon of some sort incorporated into it, with most opting to replace lost arms with a machine gun or plasma cannon.
  What Lignarians consider an "inside voice" is closer to what other species consider shouting. When they whisper, they can lower their voice down to conversational decibel levels. This has caused many other species to assume Lignarians are deaf, but they can hear perfectly fine; rather, their vocal chords are just incapable of going any lower, and their ears are used to the noise level.
  They tend to not be very good with money, with most leaning towards the extremes of either refusing to ever spend what they have, or spending whatever they make.
  Lignarian names are broken up into four components, with the first three tending to be merged into one. Normally, the name is written as [CLAN]'[PERSONAL NAME]'[YEAR] [TRUTH]. The "Truth" is something that has no direct translation into English, but it encompasses a sort of emotion regarding the truth of what the head of the clan thinks is appropriate for each newly-hatched Lignarian, as well as what fate he thinks the young one might have.

edited 14th Jun '13 1:21:47 AM by nman

You

- Name: Veil Manath Shi'Koren (just call her Veil)

- Caste: Soldier

- Description: [1]◊. Roughly six feet tall, well-built - she is the very model of a yaephath warrior, her exoskeleton durable and smooth, not as spongy as that possessed by many of her kin. She is a deep purple, typical of many of her ancestry, which long dwelt near the more radioactive equator and deep inland. Her chin is decidedly pointed, and her spinal fin is particularly dynamic. Aged twenty six, a young adult.

- Personality: The strong silent type, Veil has done her duty to the clan for as long as she can remember. Although prone to rebellious thoughts in the very deepest parts of her private mind, she has inherited much of the loyalty and strength of character that her mother possessed - however, she also possesses a stronger group mentality than many other yaephath, for she is prone to weakness of the mind when left in isolation for extended periods and has been known to here whispers, there. Has a fondness for smoked fish and the music of the Wey, a wind instrument often used in religious and military exercises.

Doesn't like small talk, doesn't talk much, prone to using short sentences. May or may not open up to others as time goes by: those she's worked with would answer with 'No.' Is unconvinced of alien life, despite the claims of a mad few shamans and conspiracy theorists. Also pariahs, but who in their right mind trusts a pariah?

- History: Born to one Avvhe Manath Shi'Koren, a skilled warrior and renowned musician, most of the memories that Veil inherited whilst growing out of her mother's left calf were evidently those connected with military duty and weapon techniques, because shortly after hatching her proceeded to become one of her clan's top students. At the age of fourteen, she was offered the opportunity to become a holy acolyte (a position of high regard and great potential, though great danger) in order to maintain her already planned future as a warrior and protector for the local shaman.

Her life has been one of both great danger and strength and adventure, and yet astoundingly mundane - for she is ultimately just another Soldier, both biologically and psychologically, and will likely remain as such until the day she dies.

- Occupation, skills and weaknesses: Warrior, fitting of her caste. Skilled in hand to hand combat and basic survival techniques. Can't swim.

- Equipment and clothing: Wears typical warrior garb, AKA, a simple wooden necklace crafted from a mixture of bone and tree stem vessels, and a belt containing a series of carefully interwoven pockets and hip bags. Her exoskeleton is also marked by black tattoos in the shape of skulls, both animal and yaephath, to indicate her various rites of passage.

With the more recent introduction of technological assets to further enhance military capabilities, also wears a small tick with a single massive eye, over the top of her own right eye: when tickled, it wakes up and feeds off of dirt and loose scales surrounding the eye in exchange for greatly improving her forward focused vision, linking with her nervous system. When tickled again, it detaches and enters a state of hibernation.

Also possesses a 'Quillick', a short, gun like weapon, made from a particularly aggressive sea urchin like organism attached to a trigger and wrapped in bone - when pulled, the trigger irritates the urchin, causing it to fire toxic darts at high speeds down the three gun barrels. Must be fed a regular diet of herbs, spices, and small insects, and has to be dunked into water once every two hours for a ten minute period to prevent misfiring or permanent damage.

- Other: Is untrusting of non-organic technology, though will use it if necessary. Has no particularly religious beliefs, unlike many of her peers: protects the shamans of her clan more out of a sense of duty and a respect for the beliefs of others than any personal reason or emotional attachment.

Species (cliff-notes version, please read full documentation when time permits) (full info here, albeit with some nerfs (no Power of the Abyss/Fragments, 'waste/sweat spit is merely disorientating, no knowledge or history of other species etc.): http://sta.sh/021gqqcuii2f )

- Name: Yaephath (Yee-fa-ith)

- Biology

• Bipedal, superficially reptilian. Possess a reasonably flexible, spongy exoskeleton in colours that tend to be dark, though in some cases range into brighter colours. A pale exoskeleton is extremely rare, and is often a sign of genetic deficiencies/mutation.
• Long, rounded with a usually pointed chin, that seems to 'merge' with the neck (giving a distinctly worm like effect). Rounded, hardened 'ears' look a tad like tiny volcanoes, ringed by a series of hairy 'gills' that are used for smelling.
• Possess short tails to aid with balance, and long spinal fins that are used to cool themselves down. Portions of exoskeleton are tougher, darker and less flexible, while other softer areas make up the joints and are used in reproduction (see below).
• Do not sweat and lack an anus - instead augment their fins through a special gland and a biological coolant that flows throughout their body. The coolant draws excess heat away, and as it heats up it is transfered to a 'bladder' at the base of the neck, which also contains excess mucus, waste products and diseased material. This heated, acidic, toxic mixture is vomited through a tube like tongue as a defensive measure and to remove waste and heat. So yes, they do effectively help defend themselves by spitting dark green diarrhea.
• Live to about 150 unaided, through genetic augmentation and good medicine can expand that to roughly 200. Naturally nocturnal, eyes cannot see effectively in bright light and have difficulty focusing over long distances. Due to being a prey-creature, eyes are located on the sides of the head, thus giving them a very wide field of view.

edited 15th Jun '13 2:56:56 AM by Eventua

• Name: Flight-builder 2183
• Description: The mass of symbiotes that comprise Flight-builder 2183 are arranged in a radial, vertically-oriented pattern, resembling a combination of a starfish and a palm tree. Flight-builder 2183 possesses four prehensile tentacles that function as graspers, and four stubby legs that allow it to move with a comical shuffling gait. Each foot is tipped with a sucker-like membrane that contracts or expand to let solid matter pass. Their eight compound eyes are arranged in a radial pattern around the middle of the body. Like all members of their species, 2183 reproduces asexually, continually shedding zygotes that can grow into new appendages and organs depending on the needs of the colony.
• Personality: As a member of a colonial society, 2183 has little concept of "self" or "identity." Even so, it is extremely curious about the prospect of sentient extraterrestrial beings and what strange colonies they might organize themselves into- even though on its homeworld the idea of life on other planets is seen as somewhat ridiculous.
• History: It has spent most of its life in its assigned role- creating a spaceflight program and colonizing the larger of their two moons. As such, it possesses fewer of the more extravagant appendages that other Many possess, sticking closely to the species's base design with only a few modifications.
• Occupation and skills: The Many use a loose caste system, where newborn members of the species are assigned to specific jobs based on the need of their city. Because of growing populations and a desire to explore, the city's governing members assigned 120 newly born control units to the development of a spaceflight program. Flight-builder is therefore extremely good at its job, and its home city has already begun constructing crude chemical rockets in the hopes of establishing a permanent base on their moon.
• Equipment: A tool satchel, containing various mechanical implements and several pouches to store symbiotic embryos.

Species:

• Name: The Many
• Biology: The Many evolved on the equatorial mud flats of their home world approximately 150,000 years ago (the Middle Paleolithic on Earth). Their distant ancestors were colonial animals that formed large flat mats of flesh, sieving mud and scum for food over huge areas. Eventually, they began to organize themselves into unique, differentiated "colonies" where each component performed slightly differentiated tasks. Thus began an evolutionary arms race among each colony- colonies blossomed into fantastical shapes and forms, blindly attempting to crowd one another out. The eventual winner of the evolutionary war was sapience- a single intelligent unit that worked in harmony with its many component parts to create a unified whole. The sapient "cells" spread around the world, adapting and changing their rivals to suit their own needs. Like terrestrial siphonophores, each "node" of the Many is in fact a colony of related individuals, each extremely specialized to fulfill one duty and one duty alone. Each "cell" in the overall group performs a singular function, massing together into mobile colonies to aid their allies. Each colony is directed by a singular "control unit", lodged at the center of the mass. This control unit functions like a combination of brain and womb, it continually produces units of stem cells throughout its existence, which can be "planted' on the colony's surface and grow into a new appendage to suit a specific need. Specific strains of Many exist that fulfill specific functions. Vast "processing plants" of flesh consist of billions of organisms working in tandem to process and create food for their comrades, while other members of the Many serve as couriers, beasts of burden or even as pets. Each, however, is afforded the respect its role deserves, as befitting a world of true equals.

• Society: Members of the Many live in large city-states, which are organized in a concentric circle pattern. Factories and manufacturing districts are in the very center of the state, surrounded by centers of governance, research and science, and dwelling units. Outside the main cities are enormous algae farms from which the city derives its primary food source. The Many began their industrial revolution approximately 300 years ago, burning abundant fossil fuels from underneath their shallow seas. After a particularly devastating series of wars, the Many began a process of reunification, using advancements in transportation technology to link their disparate city states together. Despite their recent accomplishments in engineering, mathematics, and science, the Many have never discovered atomic energy as a source of power, and are still reliant on fossil fuels, supplemented by solar power.

edited 14th Jun '13 8:26:26 AM by Locoman

@ Nman: Approved.

@ Eventua: Approved. If you could edit a cliff notes version of the species information into your post for convenience's sake, that would be great.

@Locoman: Approved.

Hope I've got all the kinks worked out

Species

Name: Ardei

Biology: Ardei are shaped rather like herons, having a large, long bill, and fairly long legs with talons that can be used for gripping things as well as a pair of fairly-functional wings.

Society: The Ardei highly value fishing and seafaring, partially because their planet is rather prevalent in oceans and other bodies of water, even compared to Earth. Their diet consists almost entirely of fish and seafood. Ardei did eat some other small animals, though fish is viewed as much better, so, in current society, such creatures are typically not eaten.

Ardei society is mostly organized on a city-to-city basis. Cities are lead by a head, known as the crest, who is the source of employment for everyone in the city, though generally the crest has others who reporting to them for specific divisions, such as fishing, exploration, diplomacy, health, security, and such who handle the more specific parts of the job while the crest decides the general direction of things. The next crest is decided by succession, the next crest traditionally being head of fishing, which is still fairly typical nowadays.

Between cities, loose agreements are occasionally made between crests to encourage trade between their cities and come to the aid of each other if they're in distress. As a result of these agreements spread across several cities, blocs can form. Blocs typically have a common language for meeting with other bloc members, with the population of cities typically speaking some variant of this language amongst themselves. The Ardei's planet currently has two major blocs, the Rodan and the Caerul, as well as several minor blocs. Rodan and Caerul cities tend to be in opposition to each other, which has caused conflict over the past few decades, including a race for land, resources, and scientific discoveries as well as a few "wars" between individual cities near the borders of the blocs.

Breeding is done within the city. Finding a mate is typically done within the city, though Ardei moving to another city for mating purposes is not unheard of. Ardei are monogamous and mate year round, though, while a friendship with one's spouse is expected, they need not necessarily be especially close. When a mating pair produces an egg, they register for a city-assigned residence designed to raise children, as opposed to their usual dwellings, which are made for single residents. Once a child has reached 6 months of age, they begin their education for their desired job and the parents move back to their original residences. Continued interaction between parents and child is not necessarily expected, though friendships are often formed, especially if the child ends up going into the same field as one of the parents.

Technology levels are usually fairly consistent among blocs, due to trade of information. Naval technology in general, though especially fishing, tends to be best across the board. Most blocs aren't especially advanced in long-distance communication, but the Rodan and Caerul, by virtue of being large blocs and needing it more than the others, are decently developed in this regard.

Another custom of the Ardei of note is wing-binding, which prevents the wing from opening and limits movement. This custom is more or less universal, is typically done in adolescence, and is most prevalent among fishers and sailors, due to believing that wings are a distraction in general and shouldn't be used at sea. Crests usually keep their wings bound as well, even those of them that don't qualify as fishers or sailors. How much wings are used varies on region and how frequent wing-binding is there. In wing-binding heavy areas, it's typical etiquette to not move one's wings much. In other places, use of wings for things like emotive gestures is fine, though possibly looked down upon. Flight is more or less a taboo in the two largest blocs and some of the minor blocs, though it's generally looked down upon everywhere. Wing-binding is becoming more common in Rodan and Caelur cities due to the wars occasionaly going on between them. One contributor to this is more Ardei joining the military and binding their wings to fit in with the others better and another is civilians binding their wings as a way to show support for the military. Groups opposed to the fighting between the two blocs in addition to not binding their wings, occasionaly flail their wings around in protest.

Character

Name: Johl Dar

Gender: Male

Description: Johl is fairly average physically, as far as Ardei go, being about 6'0" in height and weighing about 10 lb. Most of his body is covered in sea-gray feathers with white feathers on his throat and breast.

Personality: Johl is somewhat fidgety, nervous, and kind of impatient, traits which are typically looked down upon in Ardei society. He tries his best to maintain an facade of stoicism, though is often unable to hold it for extended periods of time.

History: Johl was born in the City of Dar to two fishers, both of whom didn't entirely approve of his fidgetiness. For his education, he initially tried learning how to fish, though his inability to be still for long periods meant he wasn't especially good at it, causing him to eventually switched his career path to that of a mail carrier.

Occupation and Skills: Johl is a mail carrier and fairly good at his job. He also has a basic academic knowledge of fishing, though isn't especially good at it in practice.

Equipment and Clothing: He typically wears his work uniform, which consists of a dark blue hat with a mail insignia on it and dark blue shirt which covers his body. He also carries a bad with a mail insignia on it which is used to carry the letters he delivers, though also keeps a container of trout jerky in the bag as well which he occasionally snacks on while at work. His wings are unbound, though he claims he has often considered getting them bound "one of these days."

@ Crowlover: Looks awesome, approved.

(I Made some changes from the original version I Messaged you so you should probably at least skim this over again.)

Species Kankri (Can-cry) (name not final.)

Biology: Mostly like humans, but with a few differences: 1. The species has horns that of varying size from 1-12 inches in length, 2. They have skin of all different shades ranging from all the colors in a rainbow. 3. They can see in infrared vision allowing them to see the heat signatures of objects, and people from far away. 4. They gave a tail that ranges in length, and end shape (point, round, flat, etc.) 5. They are thinner, and swifter than humans. 6. Thanks to genetic experimenting they’re stronger than the average human ( a healthy weight lifting Kankri male can bench about 180 pounds.) 7. They have pupil-less eyes that come in all different shades. 8. They have two hearts, one in the normal human places, and the other is down, and to the right about three inches. They can function normally with only one of the hearts in working condition. 9. The color of they’re blood (and all other liquids in their bodies such as tears.) matches the shade of color that they’re eyes are.

Society: Modern Kankri live in a world with a single major government body that has united the world, now the main focus of civilization is scientific breakthroughs, attempting to find a way to escape the solar system (a concept that has so far failed in the 3 centuries since space travel was developed.), and planetary colonization with has had moderate success. The actually civilization is divided up by the shade of your skin, (by the spectrum of a rainbow, with red being the lowest, and violet being the highest.) it’s unknown if the actual shade of a Kancri’s skin is genetic because instead of the human form of reproduction, Kancri’s collect the genetic material of all the currently living population, and splice them together randomly to create a new batch to be the next generation, then each baby is given a home with Kankri (preferably married) of the same skin shade as them.

Other: Kankri culture is surprising similar to human culture, and they probably have some of the same movies/ other pop. Culture. They’ve entertained the notion of not being the only sentient life in the universe, but have so far never discovered any proof.

Character: Name: Daaron Kahn Gender: male Description: Standard Kankri male. Hair is a dark shade of black. His eyes are a violet color, while his skin is a light shade of blue. He’s about 5’9”, weighs 130 lbs, his horns are about 3”, and his tail is 7” that end in a point. He also wears a pair of glasses, because of eye-sight problems, and has a scar on his forehead that comes very close to his eye.

Personality: Rather kind despite his high position in society, he’s normally very funny, and sarcastic which sometimes gets on his friends nerves. He’s a genius with very good programming skills, but he’s not one to brag about it. He also is very knowledgeable about his species pop. Culture (which in some ways is rather similar to earth.), enjoying studying the different trends in it.

History: Born to high class thanks to the shade of his skin he got incredibly schooling that allowed him to major in two different fields (law, and engineering), and become very adept in another (the medical field.). During his schooling he used his spare time to learn to fight with both traditional, and modern weapons (he only gained minimal skill with most, but has become an exceptional dead-eye, and is good with a sword.)

Occupation and skill: Daaron serves two jobs his main job is that of a Lawyer for the area he lives in, but also in his spare time he build/repairs robots for himself, and his neighbors both for the extra money, and because of a love for doing it. Besides the normal skills you’d be expected to have with that job he’s also moderately proficient at first-aid (only on his own species of course. (or similar species.)), and is a dead-eye shooter.

Equipment and clothing: He wears the standard clothing of the citizens of his species (basically normal human wear), but because of the danger of his job he always wears a plasma resistant vest under his clothing, he also wears a custom built set of glasses capable of both a zoom feature, and also an assistant aim feature to make sure he always hits his target, it can go about a day without a power source to charge it. He also has with him a plasma blaster, or blaster for short, basically his species version of a human pistol, but instead of shooting bullets it instead fires extremely hot “balls” of energy (This has about the same effect on a person as an average pistol would, except it has been documented to occasionally leave burns on the bodies.(Also if it has access to a powerful enough power source it can slowly create it‘s own bullets.)). He also carries a traditional officer sword that belong to his great grandfather.

Okay that’s about everything for my character, but I want to include that because the rules say you’re allowed to have up to two characters of the same race if anyone else would like to us my race to create a character they have my permission. I think it would be interesting to see a character of a different social class (lower or higher than me.) also involved (if anyone would like me to make a list of how the different social classes fall together/what skin color feels what role I’ll make a list. Because, I only really did the biology for a male of the species it would also be interesting to see how someone could interpret the biology to design the a female of the Kankri race.

I made a list of they’re societal castes from lowest to highest divided by skin color, including examples of what jobs these people would normally work. (this is just a rough draft though, and any suggestions on how to improve it would be helpful.). Also people don’t have to marry into their own social class, but they’re expected to nor is there much racism/segregation towards the different classes(You may have a Red Skin, and a blue skin together in a classroom.) although Dark red skinned citizens are normally treated horribly.

1: Dark red: The slaves, in the old days they would have been gladiators, now they serve as slaves to the higher class society. They have absolutely no right, and can be executed for no reason, but it’s been proven that they have a rare chance of developing physic powers (about 1 in 100 do, the only other Kankri that can get physic powers are brighter red skins.)

2: bright red/pink: the work the lowest class jobs of society (EX: garbage men, jobs in the fast food field, the more attractive ones may become prostitutes.) They also have a chance of developing physic abilities (about 1 in 1000 though.)

3. Orange: They’re the “working class” They’d normally serve jobs that require a high school education. ( Ex. Factory jobs, cashiers, salesmen.)

4. Yellow: The middle class. Serve in positions associated with human middle class. (they work jobs requiring some college education Teachers, police officers, social workers.) All four of these can also very commonly be found as soldiers ( Green skins also make up a high percentage of soldiers, but less than the others.)

5. Green: The upper middle class: (Ex. Minor scientists/engineers, Doctors, lower level lawyers.) All after this point are considered very high class, and are much rarer than the other social classes. They are also normally highly respected by the members of lower classes.

6. Blue. The upper class. ( highly educated scientist/engineers, surgeons, skilled lawyers, and other Jobs that on earth would require an Ivy League education.)

7. Indigo: They are the royal guards/secret service for the politicians/royalty of the Kankri society.

8. Dark Violet: The politicians, and other similar extremely high ranking people of the Kankri society

9. Bright Violet: The Royal family of the Kankri society (ex. The empress, the king, the prince, and the princess.)

That’s the basics of the Society, as I said earlier since there can be two of the same race, If someone would like they can feel free to create a character based off of this species. (I think it would be really interesting to have my character (a Blue skin.) interact with a person of lower class like a red skin, or even the princess to the royal family herself. (like seriously anything along those lines would be awesome.)

edited 15th Jun '13 9:49:04 AM by Spark260

Species

Name: Klotchkite

Biology:

a) Appearance

Klotchkites look like metal spheres whose size ranges anywhere from 2 to 18 inches depending on age. The surface of the sphere is covered with grooves, and the depth and pattern vary between each individual, effectively making them the equivalent of a person’s fingerprint. Those nearing the end of their life cycle begin to show patches of oxidation or rust.

b) Physiology

They have a hard outer shell made up of a thin metal plate (usually iron or bronze) that serves as their skin. It holds their shape together and provides basic protection, though they are by no means invulnerable. It also serves as a means by which they feed. They can extract metallic content from materials that they touch. Surface area is important, meaning they feed much more easily by burrowing into soil, gravel, or sand than by sitting on top of solid rock.

Inside the shell is a collection of semisolid "organs" supported by an internal frame. Serving as their circulatory system of sorts is a fluid that transports nutrients from the outer shell to wherever it may be needed.

c) Reproduction

When a Klotchkite reaches sufficient size, they form a reproductive sac where new Klotchkites are developed. Those of the largest Klotchkites can carry as many as four, though the average carries only about one or two. While the parent remains alive, the offspring remain in stasis, waking only upon the parent’s death when the reproductive sac splits open.

Death is inevitable, as oxidation sets in sooner or later. But a Klotchkite’s lifespan varies greatly, depending on the kind of material it is able to assimilate. One that is able to construct (or reconstruct) its shell and internal structure out of corrosion-resistant metal can live for centuries if they maintain themselves.

d) Other

Klotchkites are able to move by using the magnetic field generated by the planet, or in fact by anything that generates even a faint magnetic field. They are able to do this by manipulating their own magnetic field, and are able to project this ability a short distance away, usually no more than about as far away as they are wide. In this way, they are able to manipulate instruments made of magnetic materials. However, fine manipulation of small objects are extremely difficult for them. Youger Klotchkites are still inept at using their magnetic field and move by rolling around, but older ones are able to overcome gravity and lift themselves into the air, giving them much greater mobility.

Klotchkites are technically blind, but they use sonar to get a sense of their surroundings. It is much easier and more intuitive for them to sense things through the ground or solid objects, but the sonar ping also works in water or through the air, albeit at a shorter range. They are also able to sense fluctuations in the nearby magnetic field, though this often only applies to sensing other Klotchkites.

They communicate by vibrating their outer shell. Klotchkites are able to pick up sounds, or vibrations in solid objects. In some cases, using a solid medium can be even more effective, as the vibrations carry more easily and clearly. Their language sounds like a series of synthesized tones, since unlike many organic species, they produce sounds in much the same way as electronic speakers.

Society:

Klotchkites form into communities called broods. Its members are mostly composed of descendants of one of its founders, though they may certainly welcome immigrants from another brood.

Owing to the fact that Klotchkites lack the ability to carry more than one metal tool or other lightweight object, they don’t tend to own many possessions. What little they do own are often objects of sentimental value. Everything else is communal property, and there are always a set of relevant tools and devices in each area for anything that needs to be done there.

Klotchkites reproduce asexually, and thus have no gender. However, studies of other lifeforms have introduced them to the concept of sex and gender, but it’s something that they don’t see applying to an intelligent species.

Since a newborn Klotchkite’s activation is simultaneous with it’s parent’s death, they tend to be adopted by its parent’s sibling or friend. Some, especially for the rare few outside of a brood, are not so lucky and must fend for themselves. A newborn’s shell is thin and fragile, and so an abandoned one in the wild may find an untimely end being trampled by wildlife or, because they are inexperienced with locomotion, fall from a height which their shell cannot protect against.

Character

Name: Irrie wor Neemari (Irrie of the Neemari brood)

Gender: N/A (But for convenience, we’ll use "she".)

Description: Irrie is a relatively young Klotchkite, a mere 7 inches in diameter and has yet to have formed her reproductive sac. She has a shell composed of a titanium alloy, with grooves forming wavy lines like the lines of latitude. There is a slight dent on one side that she got from her younger years.

Personality: She’s very excitable when it comes to tinkering. When Irrie finds an unfamiliar device, if unrestrained, she cannot resist taking the device apart a bit to see how it operates. (She can put the thing back together. Usually.) Normally, however, she’s a little more placid, if still irritatingly curious.

History: Irrie was born into the Neemari brood, a rather prosperous brood to say the least. She was raised by a Klotchkite named Tarrik, who was unfortunately too busy with their own affairs to keep much of an eye (so to speak) on little Irrie. So beyond being provided basic needs, she was left to her own devices. Literally. One day, she’d broken into a storage room for salvageable parts, and one of the older Klotchkites eventually found her trying to put random pieces on to each other. Her talent for tinkering had been discovered, and she was then trained to put it to use for the benefit of the brood.

Occupation and Skills: Irrie is one of the brood’s engineers. She’s experienced with various mechanical and electronic devices, and is part of a crew responsible for repairs and maintenance. Irrie is lucky that she’s good at what she does, because she sometimes gets a little overzealous and adds a little extra feature that wasn’t called for, and sometimes the addition doesn’t work quite as intended, and she has to come back and fix the mess. As long as things turn out okay in the end, most of the others don’t mind. (Though her boss is getting quite exasperated.)

Equipment and Clothing: None (see: Society)

edited 14th Jun '13 10:55:56 PM by KylerThatch

@ Spark and Kyler: Both approved.

• Name: Pezron Zelophehad
• Gender: Male
• Description: For an adult tidanel, Pezron is on the short and stout side. Once an athlete, he's slowed down a lot since his younger day. Pezron has green skin and a dirt brown underside, almost the same shade as his beak. Inasmuch as a tidanel can show expression, his eyes seem to convey a haughty and experienced attitude.
• Personality: A world weary man with a "been there, done that" attitude. Easily annoyed and blunt, as if he's in a hurry even when he has nothing else to do. Prone to tirades in private. In public however, Pezron is a model of proper manners and dignity. Years of practice have made him diplomatic and able to control his less amicable personality traits.
• History: Pezron grew the 3rd of six siblings and the first boy of the bunch. His family was poor and times were hard in his early years when economic troubles forced the closing of his family's farm. His eldest sister died shortly after his parent moved the family to a more coastal region hoping to make a better life there. Young Pezron attended school, something his illiterate father insisted the boy do even when it was normal at the time for young tidanels to not receive an education in favor of taking on their family trade instead. Pezron excelled academically and enjoyed some popularity is sports, but clashes with his teammates led to him quitting the team.
  • Shortly after reaching adulthood his country went to war and like many patriotic young men, Pezron enlisted. Pezron performed largely logistical operations and never saw any action but was noted as a tireless worker. After the war, Perzron used his backpay to attend an institute of higher learning, deciding to pursue a career in politics after finding himself frustrated with the bureaucratic system he had to deal with during the war.
  • Despite intending to work on domestic reform, his knowledge of foreign lands from the war days proved more valuable and instead he found himself attached to a ambassador's office in another country. Over the years Pezron's service in the realm of foreign affairs got the attention of higher ups on the government, and eventually Pezron rose to higher office. Two years ago, Pezron was asked to serve as Foreign Minister for the nation, a position he was not only happy to accept, but felt he was entitled to.
• Occupation and skills: Foreign Minister. Pezron is appointed official of his government responsible for forming and executing diplomatic policy with other world powers. He is an excellent organizer and adequate speaker, though his off-the-cuff style is a hit or miss with most people. As a career diplomat, he has maintained numerous connections and friends around the world. Menial jobs from his younger years have made him a competent cook and amateur repairman, if elbow grease and liberal usage of a hammer can be considered repairing.
• Equipment and clothing: A belt around his body holds his communication device, money, and identification slip. His sandy colored robe draped around his body has large pockets which currently hold nothing more than a pen and a novel.
• Other: Devoted to his work, Pezron has never married. He doted on his nieces and nephews and on their children afterwards.

Species:

Biology: The tidanel is a quadrupedal mammalian creature approximately a meter high and two meters in length. The thick tail is almost as long as the rest of the body and the legs make up about a third of the height. The hind legs of a tidanel are stronger and thicker than the forelegs and allow the tidanel to stand erect for a brief period of time. The forelegs are capable of a wider range of motion and have longer, grasping digits, including a thumb.

The head of a tidanel is located at the front of the body as opposed to above the shoulders. A hard beak shapes the mouth and conceals rows of blunt teeth. Above are a pair of large forward facing eyes. At the back of the head grows a bony frill averaging a foot in length and two inches thick which leans back to protect the neck. The head is one of the few places where hair is located on the tidanel's body, eyelashes around the eyes. Tidanels are mostly hairless, instead being covered by rough leathery skin that comes in a variety of colors, with the underbelly being a different color from the rest of the body.

Tidanels are endothermic and active throughout the day. Their herbivorous nature requires them to consume large quantities of vegetation on a regular basis. Their poor night vision limits activity from sunset till dawn, but despite their bulk they can maintain a steady pace to keep ahead of danger. Female tidanels are monotreme, they lay eggs, as many as three at a time, instead of giving birth.

Society: The society of tidanels cannot be summed up as one entity for the simple reason that it is not one single entity. On the planet of Raegesera there are numerous nation-states across the landmasses formed by the tidanels of different races, ideologies, religions, and backgrounds. Complicating the matter is the fact that tidanels are not the sole dominant life forms of Raegesera, but share the planet with two other sentient species; the lupine fasir, and the simian aht. Between and among the three, the social and cultural landscape of their world is vast and colorful.

There are some consistencies across the planet, however. By and large, the people are nuclear family oriented. Most family units consist of the parents and their offspring, with the matured children eventually taking mates and setting elsewhere to have children of their own. The importance of the non-nuclear family is not to be diminished however, for there is a strong value on the interaction between relatives. Most blood relatives live with easy communication range of each other.

Tidanels wear little clothing. What is donned is more for practical use, such as a hat or belt, or fashion than any sense of modesty. In recent times, a robe of certain design draped across the back is used to indicate a tidanel’s position or occupation.

Of the three Raegeseran species, tidandels are commonly stereotyped as the most peaceful. It is speculated that this is the case because they evolved from passive grazing animals (as opposed to the carnivorous and omnivorous that their fellow Reageserans grew from) that did not hunt for food and were more likely to flee than fight. The stereotype is reinforced by the tendency of tidanels to pursue occupation where physical labor in unlikely, most notably to be used as translators and interpreters due to their ability to mimic almost any sound they hear with ease. Studies and recent surveys have shown that tidanels in the military perform just as capably as their counterparts, and historically tidanel societies thrived on robust agricultural work. Historically, there had even been militant and violently xenophobic all-tidanel nations.

Approved.

Name: Bani

Gender: Female

Description: Looking very much like a deer, Bani stands about four feet at the shoulder and weighs just over a hundred pounds. She holds herself with an alert, nervous energy at all times, with her eyes and ears constantly on the look for danger. Her fur is light tan.

Personality: For a Mesklou, Bani is very impulsive and careless about her own welfare. She has even visited a psychologist on occasion at the behest of friends and family in the hopes that it would help her to reign herself in. To anyone who is not a Mesklou, she seems perpetually on the edge of a panic attack. The attribute that she would say most defines herself is her curiosity. Bani is fascinated with biology and the workings of the natural world.

History: From a young age, Bani was fascinated with animals and plants. When she was a child, she actually climbed a tree in order to look into a bird’s nest. She made biology the focus of her adolescence and early adulthood studies. Though still a young adult, she has earned both the respect and distrust of her peers. Respect because her research has improved the Mesklou repository of biological knowledge by leaps and bounds, distrust because she has been distressingly lax about safety regulations on more than one occasion in order to get more pure data.

Occupation and skills: Bani is Assistant to the Lead Researcher at the Hanansa Biological Research Facility and Zoo. Her duties include identifying, classifying, and observing live examples of some of the more dangerous fauna they keep in the facility, as well as handling expeditions to obtain specimens and transport of said specimens.

Equipment and clothing: Bani wears a jacket-type vestment that covers most of her abdomen but leaves her legs uncovered in order to not hinder her movement. It is made out of a light, but extremely durable fabric designed to resist piercing and cutting. The jacket is her last line of defense against the teeth and claws of the animals she works with, and is something that she sincerely hopes she will never need to rely on. She also carries a very powerful stun-gun for personal defense.

Species

Name: Mesklou

Biology: The Mesklou are a race of quadrupedal herbivores. They have a small, slim build, much like deer. Their hooves are cloven, and they are able to manipulate the front ones in a surprisingly dexterous manner, allowing them to grasp and manipulate objects as if they had clumsy hands. They are covered in short fur that comes in a range of browns. A few isolated nations even have a high percentage of individuals with light tan spots over darker fur.

Society: What other races might see as bravery and honor, the Mesklou see as suicidal insanity. The first priority of any Mesklou is survival. If there is danger, they run from it. If they can’t run, they outthink it. No sane Mesklou will ever fight unless literally backed into a corner and unable to take any other action.

Pre-Historically, the Mesklou gathered into large herds hundreds of thousands strong in order to protect themselves from the numerous large predators that roamed the plains where they roamed. Safety could only be found in numbers. Even though the Mesklou no longer roam the plains and have settled into towns, cities, and nations, the herding instinct is still imperative and central to their society. There is very little in the way of formal laws among the Mesklou because nearly all societal values are enforced by group thinking. There is extreme social pressure against harboring personal secrets. Secrecy is Nonconformity. Nonconformity leads to ostracism, and for a Mesklou, ostracism is equivalent to death.

Unwillingness to engage in conflict does not mean that their society is conflict free though. With groups as large as the Mesklou gather in, there are going to be differences of opinion no matter how much conformity is the norm. The rise of nations stems ultimately from herds that split when factions with different opinions on which course of action would lead to the safest outcome for the group broke off in order to save themselves from a perceived danger. While the nations never go to war or engage in other forms of open conflict, outsiders have no protection. Exploitation of resources at the expense of outsiders is not considered wrong. Many nations have fallen because a bigger one took all the food, water, and wealth in an area for themselves, leaving nothing behind for the weaker group.

I feel like the yaephath and the mesklou would get on extremely well

Are you still accepting signups?

Wikkit! You're back!

Nman you haven't done anything with in the role-play yet.

I just got back recently and finished writing a post. But I read the 30 posts that were there, and there were five more so I had to read those. Now there's some more, so I have to read those too, in case I have to change my post. And there's probably three more posts in the time I wrote this

We haven't even all woken up from the cold steel floor yet. If you hurry you may have always been there.

One of the irritating reasons we love forum roleplay.

edited 19th Jun '13 9:22:38 PM by AnSTH

Wait... how many new posts? o-o

This is going to be one of those R Ps where people just post continuously, isn't it?

I can never keep up with those things.

@ wikkit: Yeah, go ahead and make yourself a character, and if you get it done before evening, I should be on to approve it pretty fast.

• Gender: N/A*
  Hermaphroditic
  
  *Description: A healthy individual, he is only a few days away from reaching the average middle age of his species at twenty years old*
  Well, the equivalent of twenty of our years
  . He has received a augmentation that allows his kind to comfortably live in the oxygen-rich environment of their moon. He wears nothing, as is customary of any self-respecting Hidonis. Only the poor would ever wear clothing!
  *Personality: He isn't particularly brash, nor loud. Not being one to commit the grave sin of public indecency, he always tries to keep quiet. After working for most of his life and building on the progress of his family line, he has managed to achieve a position of envy and importance. He is rightfully very prideful of this one and only notable event in his life, and will lord it over others if given the chance.
  *History*
  and more importantly, Occupation
  : Wealth, Fame, Power. The Refonaquilimitani family had, after many generations of working in the bureaucracy, come very close to achieving these goals and more. At the age of seven, the powers that be decided that his family line had worked long and hard to the betterment of the Empire, and awarded him the brilliant title he owns today. Now, he works on the logistics of sending out sustenance to the thousands of people working in the lunar colony of Elte. A very difficult job, but he has been training for his life to attain this position.

The Hidonis◊*

• Biology: The Hidonis evolved on the high-gravity world of Hido, the fourth planet orbiting the similarly named star Hido. They "stand" at about 1.6 metres on average, with taller ones coming from families raised on the lunar colonies. They lack any sort of eye or any organ which allows received light to turn into images. Instead, they see via a constant vibration produced with a long, tube-like organ in their front. This allows them to see in total darkness, but anything producing a stronger vibration in the air*
  Heavy machinery, weapons fire, loud noises, etc.
  will render them all but blind. They also communicate with this organ, vibrating in different and extremely intricate patterns to get messages across. Their primary means of manipulating their environment and locomotion come from the long flipper-like appendages on their arms. These flippers are actually the business end of their respiratory system, normally circulating the Hydrogen-rich atmosphere of Hido into their bodies. For digestion, all Hidonis enter into a symbiotic relationship with a species of black algae common to the planet. This brilliant combination allows them to use photosynthesis as their main diet, providing the chemicals necessary for life. It also converts some energy into a rich gas mixture, which the Hidonis use in air-bladders to aid in movement in their high-gravity environment, causing their movement on Hido to resemble bouncing. On their moon, the more Earth-like gravity allows for limited flight. Their skin is not very durable, leading to them being cautious around sharp edges.

• Society: Hido is named after their God, whose stomach contains all things seen in the sky. As such, they simply name most things in the sky Hido. Their religion is based entirely around the benefits of hard work, the greatest workers among all receiving infinite blessings for his entire family line. Heritage is very important, and their entire economy and government is based around this ideal. The leaders of society will tally up the work of family lines, and hand out higher positions based not only on an individual's merit, but how his forefathers performed. To obtain a position of management is seen as one of the greatest blessings one can receive. Art in Hidonis society is prized, but a bit different from others. Music is seen as the highest form of art, and their method of communication allows for an extremely complex system of song. Instruments are frowned upon, only the rolling, vocal and almost ethereal style of Gistontol is seen as civilized. Due to their unique method of sight, they are unable to see color. Indeed, the very concept of color is an completely alien thought to them. Sculpture reigns second in the art world, with the performing arts as third. Film was never developed, leading to stage comedy and plays to reign as the primary form of entertainment well into the space age. Technology is important, however it is developed lopsidedly. The Hidonis had managed to advance in the realms of biotechnology well before they ever sent one of their kind into space. Upon discovering that their resource-rich moon had an environment of Oxygen, they were able to quickly and cheaply develop an artificial lung that could process this atmosphere in only two years. Due to their religious system, the idea of any intelligent life beyond their planet is also completely unthought of.

I may expand upon this further. Consider it a partially-rough, partially-smooth draft.

edited 20th Jun '13 9:31:18 AM by wikkit