[Tri]Trinity PC/Race/Moon/Groups Registry and Directory

[Chaotic Bob]

If you're looking at this, you're probably part of or interested in being part of our Trinity Sci-fi/Space Roleplay Universe.
So welcome, we're happy to have you!
This is the thread where you'll write up information for your characters, your own races, and any moons you have decided that you wish to use for your purposes, as well as big organizations or corporations that you have created.
As I see them, things that are added to this thread will be indexed into a nice little click 'n go fashion, so other people can have a look at your stuff. They like to do that.

This'll be separated into little bits for characters, races, and moons, so feel free to skip to whichever part you care about most. Or read all of it, up to you.

Also, for later use, our three planets are Azuros, Virgis, and Annulat.
Annulat is closest to the stars, and Azuros is the farthest. Poor little Virgis is sandwiched in the middle.

Suggested Formats:


Characters

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race:
Profession:
Morality/Personality:
Physical Description:
Typical Equipment:
Special Skills:
Back-story and Other Bits of Extra Information:


Most of those are hopefully self-explanatory. This isn't D&D or anything of the like, so there technically isn't an alignment system, but for Morality, it can help to know if your character is a homicidal maniac, or a Good Samaritan. This fits with personality fairly well.

Note on Special Skills: this is a no-psionics/magic/space-voodoo setting, so talents of characters will have to be somewhat believe. Maybe they're really good at kung-fu, or fixing space engines. Master ship captain or profession hacker? Sure, those can all go here.
But no Protoss mind powers.




Races

This one may require a little more personal touch for organizing, but here are some example wants from us.

Name:
Physical Description:
General Customs/Habits:
Society:
History:
Main Home Location:
Other Interesting Information:

We'll want to know what to call them, what they look like, and how they usually act.
Knowing a bit about how their cities/towns/communes and stuff act can be useful too.
A little information about how they came to be, or important events that have happened for the race can be nice too.
It will also be helpful to know where your race is. Moon, space station, big ship, spread all over?

Feel free to add as much as you'd like as extra information. Someone else may want to play a member of your race, so try to give them everything they'd need to make that a simple process.




Moons

Moons are going to be where a lot of the action happens in Trinity. Since our three planets are big gas giants, a lot of life probably won't be able to thrive on them. With that in mind, gas giants tend to have a lot of moons, which in our universe, will often be populated!

Name:
Planet It Orbits:
Government:
Environments:
Races:
Important Notes/Unique Features:
Other Information:

The moon's name will be important, for obvious reasons. For the planet it orbits, you only have three options (Azuros, Virgis, and Annulat) so this choice shouldn't be hard. Remember, Azuros and Annulat have bigger governments, so that should probably influence that part of your moon's data.
What is your moon like on the surface? Knowing whether we'll see forests or volcanoes can be rather useful knowledge. It doesn't have to be all one environment, mind you, it can be a mix, like Earth. But try to remember, these are moons, not whole planets, so space is a little limited.
For the races that live on your planet, you can obviously put any races you've created here, but maybe if you've had some discussion with other players, maybe they have races on your moon too.

Many places have big important features that make them stick out. Jupiter has the Big Red Spot. Paris has the Eiffel Tower. What does your moon have? These could be big tourist sites, capital cities, special mountains, oddly shaped clouds, or anything else that will probably be around for a long time and make the moon unique.

And then, as always, add any additional information you think other players might want to know. Your moon will probably be visited by other people, so try to help people into knowing your place a little better.




Organizations

Or corporations.
If there is some specific faction of humanity, some guild of traders, or a big corporation group, you'll want to add those in here too.

Name:
Purpose/Job:
Leadership:
Important Notes:
Other Information:

Different organization types will require different information, but these are generally things we can always use.
We'll want a name (have to know who to call!) and what they do, at the very least. These are the two most important pieces of information.

After that, who leads the organization? A council of elders, a CEO, a spiritual director? This can be generally nice-to-know information.
Then, any unique pieces of your organization. Where do they operate? From a ship, on a certain moon, out of a station? Have they accomplished anything important for anyone else?

Other people may wish to interact or be a part of your organization, so try to give as much as you can, to help that along.

[Chaotic Bob]

Character Index

Alice (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11293932#post11293932)
Dan (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11285089#post11285089)
Goldy (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11292839#post11292839)
Jason (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11293660#post11293660)
Tajir (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11347844#post11347844)
Trist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11288575#post11288575)

[Chaotic Bob]

Race Index

As races are submitted to the thread, they will be organized here.
In alphabetical order, of course.


Akarian (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11243187#post11243187)
Anerva (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11337753#post11337753)
Ba'Resh (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11288575#post11288575)
Drekthyi (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11229649#post11229649)
Fuzzies (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11228640#post11228640)
Ilaajni (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11228936#post11228936)
Mutilators (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11293102#post11293102)
V'traani (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11228767#post11228767)
Zekreesh (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11231550#post11231550)

[Chaotic Bob]

Moon Index

As moons are submitted, they'll be organized here.


Baha'at (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11337753#post11337753)
Hephaestus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11288575#post11288575)
Marek (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11229219#post11229219)
Orrak (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11243187#post11243187)
V'traan (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11228767&postcount=8)
Xel (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11231550#post11231550)

[Chaotic Bob]

Organization Index

This will be where submitted organizations will be organized.

Kowaki Group (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11229219#post11229219)

[Chaotic Bob]

Reserved for...emergency use, I guess?
Just in case something comes up and we need more space.

[happyturtle]

RACE

Name: Fuzzys

Physical Description: About 2 foot tall, furry, with opposable thumbs. They appear mammalian. See image in spoiler.

General Customs/Habits: They are very curious and affectionate, fierce hunters, and loyal to their family and tribe.

Society: Hunter / Gatherer nomads who travel in family groups. They have only recently (in evolutionary terms) achieved sapience, and they can make and use tools. If they were available in Civilization 4, they'd be at the start of the game with Hunting and Mysticism as their starting techs. And I'm fudging a little to give them Mysticism. Ph34r their pointy sticks! Rawwr!

History: They evolved on V'trann, moon of Annulat. Some V'tranni keep them as pets or for study. So far there has been no actual communication between the races.

Main Home Location: They are almost exclusively found on V'trann, having no space travel capability of their own. Any who are off planet were taken by others.

Other Interesting Information: Blatantly stolen from Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper and Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi.


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6CYfi0K7fnc/TfjmrWOOVTI/AAAAAAAADRg/WeCNcf_avwI/s1600/fuzzynation.jpg

[UncleWolf]

Race: V'traani

Location: V'traan. A moon orbiting Annulat

Homeworld Description:

V'traan is a rather lush jungle covered moon. There's a single large ocean, and two small polar caps, with various smaller climate zones between the jungles and the caps. There's only one real starport, where ships are required to be sterilized upon entering and leaving the planet. The air itself is toxic to most out of world creatures as it's rife with airbourne diseases and viruses, causing the average human to fall sick in less than an hour, and die within the day unless they go through an Immunization phase in the starport, or wear an envirosuit. And of course, the actual animals and plants are worse.

Politics:

The V'traani are allied with no major faction, even though they live in the Annulat system. Their moon is too hostile to prove any invasion worth the cost compared to the possible resources they could gain.


Extra Information and Physical Description:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/Li_Kenta/RequestW.jpg
(V'traani Warrior Concept Art by Vulion)
V'traani

Standing before you are four closely related creatures, all of which are humanoid, with green scales and long tendril like hair. They're all female, and have strikingly beautiful facial and body features.

The first, is tall, around six feet, and well muscled, an amazon among her people. A pair of long horns sprout from her forehead, and her scales are thick and bright. The triad of purple scales dyed onto her forehead mark her as Warrior.

The next, is much shorter. Her scales are pale and thin, and her fingers are long, an extra joint giving her more dexterity than can be imagined by other races. On each of her cheeks is the shape of a white crescent moon, telling others that she is one of the Healers.

Third, is one tall and thin, looking horribly fragile compared to her companions even as she towers above the rest. Her skull is enlongated, and a red dot sits square on her forehead. A Scholar.

Finally, the last one, the most terrifying, stands before you, gazing into your soul with her third eye, seated above the other two in her forehead. One doesn't need to see the black line on the bridge of her nose in order to know that this is the dreaded "Seer".

History/Society

The V'traani are a complex race, and it's this complexity that allows them to survive on the deathworld they call home. Their home is a vast jungle planet where anything and everything is lethal and trying to kill them. The air is riddled with poisons that can kill unprotected humans within minutes, and their cities must be sealed in by massive walls to hold off attacks by both animals and plants alike. The Vtraani are an offshoot of another race, one that after a massive civil war, was forced off the planet when first contact with other races was made.

The V'traani (Slang is "Vits" or "Vitti" by other races), have the general humanoid shape and features, even though they are only partly mammalian. They are covered in scales of varying green, but have very striking human looking faces, almost beautiful (if you like scales anyways). The males have no hair, but the females have "tendrils" sprouting from their head, down to mid-back. The tendrils have slight feeling, so they are susceptible to pain and thus don't get trimmed. Their society is partly Caste based, partly Socialist, and run by a council made of members from each caste. It is also matriarchal as the male to female ratio is 1 male for every 20 females. This is in part due to their semi-reptilian nature. Everyone is important, and everyone, no matter the caste(or gender), is expected to work their fair share.

At birth, each V'traani is the same, without caste markings or special abilities,. But at the age of 8, they are given the Ceremony of Life. The process of the Ceremony is a closely guarded secret. They're set into a room, and given four choices, each ending in a gift of a caste. The child will tell instinctually which object to take. Once chosen, they devour it.

The objects are in reality, organs. The encoded DNA from each, fuses with gaps in their own, allowing them some degree of genetic stability and mutating them into one of the Castes. They eat a Heart to become a Warrior, Brain to become a Scholar, Marrow for the Healer, and Eyes for the Seer. Once they choose, they fall into a fever for several days as changes wreak their body. Once they awaken, they are initiated into one of the Castes.

Throughout their life, they continue feasting on their chosen Object, as it continues to provide them with more strength, quicker recovery from wounds, and is more than a little addictive. However, most will only take the organ(s) from honorable foes or prey. The further evolved the creature is, the better the organ. So, a rat's would be almost nothing, while a human's would be very good.

Most V'traani are also cannibals, though mostly only through ceremonial events. When one dies in a healthy manner(likely violent), his or her body is taken back to their clan quickly, where they ritually piece out the dead, so their strength can continue through the Clan line, making it stronger for all eternity.

There is a fifth Caste, the Breeder Caste, but it is more of an honorary title than anything real. Instead, it only gives the bearer of the title the right to breed. All males are part of the Caste, but many females have to prove themselves in one way or another to earn the right. Some females with a higher body temperature are automatically part of the Caste as well, since they are the only ones able to give birth to males. Those with cooler body temps, cannot do so naturally.

Personality:
Most V'traani have some sense of code or honor, particularly strong when concerning one's own tribe or Clan. Other than that, the only other true laws, are the laws of the jungle. Most prefer to have simple lives, as many tribes are nomadic, or because it's common for wild beasts to destroy what they have, though it's not exactly uncommon for them to be very festive either, celebrating each day like it's their last, because it may very well be their last.

Relations:
V'traani tend to have decent relationships with other races, even if their ways are savage in many aspects, making it hard for them to understand the ways of more civilized races.

There is one thing that benefits the race in interspecies relationships though. Due to their..."flexible" DNA, females are able to give birth to pure V'traani(in most cases), even when the father is of a different humanoid race. They still contain aspects of their father however, like facial features and any genetic effect that is greater than their own.

Doing so with "honorable" and "worthy" specimens of another race, is actually a quite common way for the V'traani to keep open relations with other races.

The Castes:

Warrior:
The members of this caste are easily noticeable due to their larger size and the pair of horns that have developed. They are the strongest and fastest of their race, and are both the quickest to grow in strength, and the quickest to die before their time. They are marked with a triad of dyed purple scales on their forehead between the horns.

Healer:
Healers are short, and a bit paler in color and are marked with a crescent moon shape of white scales on each of their cheeks. Their fingers are long and slender (with an extra joint), which allows them to work easier and more delicately. Their immune system is also extremely powerful, so that if they give a blood transfusion, the recipient recovers quickly. But, should that person be of another race, it will attack them as a virus, killing them in a matter of hours. This is because in other organisms, the incomplete strands of DNA of the V'traani act like Prions and attack the victim's body and brain unless it is treated as well.

Scholar:
These caste members are taller than the warrior caste, but extremely thin as well. Their mark is a single red scale between their eyes, and they carry no obvious changes except that their skull is slightly elongated(more so the older and more powerful they are). Their brain is also much more highly developed than their counterparts, allowing for quicker thinking and letting them learn things at prodigy speeds.

"Seer":
No, they don't have the ability to see the future. What they do have though, is a third eye which grows above the other two. Whats special about this one is that it can see into infrared (and later, into other spectrum). They are marked by a line of black just above their normal two eyes. It is difficult for a person to lie to them as they can see body heat and eventually "see" certain sound-waves, However, they can be fooled by natural liars and there are devices(though they are not cheap or readily available due to lack of demand and complexity) which can help those who aren't.

Religion:
For the most part, V'traani worship a single deity, named Eclipsia. She takes the form of a mix of the four castes, clothed in simple hide clothing, and carrying her greatspear in her strong hands. She is their Goddess of War and Fertility, the two most important aspects of V'traani life. Her temples tend to be the most heavily fortified buildings in their cities, as well as the most ornate.

Trades/Goods
Due to the hostility of their homeworld, the main dealings are in either mercenaries, bounty hunters, or in medical and biological researches. They were discovered pre-gunpowder era, so are relatively new to most tech, and lack much in the Space area. On the other hand, there are a few main attractions, such as the massive indoor friendly greenhouses that show the most exotic plants, and a giant Zoo, housing many of the species of deadly creatures that live there.

[Beans]

Ilaaj
Name: Ilaaj. Plural is Ilaajni, but when referring to the race as a whole it's just Ilaaj.
Phys: heir post-infant form (called a meduse) is humanoid, though they lack noses and outer ear formations (aural holes and they smell through their tentacles) and their lower bodies are a group of tentacles of variable length. They use them to smell and do other things. The females do not have mammary glands, nor do they have any form of lactation---but their upper torsos do hold organs against which they cushion their young ones when they hold them; these "bosom cushions" are usually not quite so large as the mammary housings of some human females, but have enough size that they are a factor in differentiating male and female Ilaaj.

Their infant form (the polyp) looks like, well, a polyp. (http://biodidac.bio.uottawa.ca/ftp/BIODIDAC/ZOO/CNIDARIA/DIAGBW/HYDR006B.GIF) About the size of an average garbage can. They live on ancestral family reefs, tended and supplied with the vertebrate lifeforms they need to consume in order to develop the semi-flexible endoskeleton they will be needing in their life as a meduse.
Customs: Ilaaj are very aristocratic, and thus are very concerned about reefclan honor. One or two joking shots at an Ilaaj's reefclan will usualy result in politely unenthusiastic laughter and a quiet request to cease the mocking. Beyond that, the mocker is in danger of getting him or herself into a feud with that clan, whether the mocker is Ilaaj or not.
They strive in art and aesthetics; some design teams for products have an Ilaaj or two hanging around.
Society: The Ilaaj are a race that operates on an aristocracy, at least in dealings within the race. They may adapt to the local government, but an Ilaaj never forgets his or her reefclan. Never. There's a lot of shifty business among reefclans, though they try to keep it out of other races' business.
Despite the overal genteel appearance, Ilaaj can be vicious and ruthless, especially in the more volatile reefclan feuds. Outsiders who see a pair of these well-dressed squiddy jellyfishtocrats gliding down a sidewalk in airy conversation might not suspect that the two individuals are waiting for an out-of-sight place to whip a knife out of their jacket lapels (or a pulse emitter from their sleeves) and murder the bloody hell out of each other.
History: Having evolved on Ulsan a few million Standard Years ago, the Ilaaj developed their civilization in the hilly moors and rocky flats of the Northern Talon continent. They discovered that, while not very skilled in agriculture, they could collect and condense their own venom into a substance with useful properties. Diluted, it is a great cleaner and polish for stone and metal. Undiluted, it is caustic enough to etch that same stone and metal.
Profiting from trade with more agricultural races, the Ilaaj flourished and eventualy were ready to see what else was out there. It became common for young up-and-coming individuals to find passage to another habitated world and live there for a while.
Main Home Location: Ulsan, a moon of Virgis.
Other: Their bodies contain gas sacs with gas produced by digestion. They use this to allow themselves to sort of "swim" through the air a few feet above whatever counts as "ground" and, in zero gravity, eschew pressure-magnet boots; instead, they adjust their gas levels to set themselves at neutral buoyancy within the atmosphere.

The Ilaaj reproduce via external fertilization, and thus are generally bemused at human (and human-like) sexuality. The whole thing about ladies' chests and skimpy clothing and la-di-dah seems rather odd to them. For them, picking a partner is about lineage and family honor.

One thing to note; due to inbreeding like a boss, such esteemed families such as House Tulschure and House Flemune have tendencies toward hereditary psychosis and other psychological imbalances. Splendid!

More things...

Firearm technology. A bit above the firearms we have here and now on Earth. The Ilaaj use them more than some of their other weapon-tech because they're reliable, pretty effective, and relatively inexpensive.

Directed Energy weapons. There are two categories, big and small. The big ones range from spaceship assault guns to two-person bazooka-equivalents. The little ones are about the size of a cell phone, but eat up the equivalent of a 9-volt battery per shot and aren't much use at a distance. For this reason, DE weapons are probably used less than firearms; the Ilaaj mostly sell the big ones to other races and use the little ones in their vicious little clan feuds. That's the danger of getting into a feud, however; there's a good chance you'll meet a member of that clan without knowing it, and they will almost certainly know that you're in this feud. Most other races, however, get more lenient treatment than other Ilaaj in terms of feuds.

Visual tech. The Ilaaj make some pretty good screens and stuff.

Aesthetics/Fashion. These jellyfishtocrats are fabulous.

More will be added later. I will also be making a sheet for the moon Ulsan.

[Murska]

Moon

Name: Marek

Planet It Orbits: Virgis

Government: The Marek Federation
A loose collective of Merchant Lords. The most influential of them, the Princes, hold a council to decide matters concerning the whole Federation.

Environments:
Temperate. The moon has been colonized and terraformed to be suitable for human life. There is a large population, thanks to the wealth of the Federation.

Races:
Mainly humans, though traders of all races are welcome.

Important Notes/Unique Features:
Argentum, the City of Silver, is the capital of Marek. The Princes meet there, governing is done from there, trading and the stock market is there. It's quite a sight for tourists, as well, living up to it's name. A beautiful place, flaunting its wealth.

Other Information:
Marek is perfectly situated to be a trading hub between the three planets and their moons. Central location, good facilities and infrastructure, liberal laws, thriving normal and black markets... and enough economic clout and defensive pacts with neighbours to make an invasion very costly.

The Marek have any tech money can buy, and then some. Their military doctrine is based on strikecraft outfitted with missiles and mass drivers, as well as bigger ships that use larger mass drivers and some plasma- and/or laser-based weapons. They're pretty diverse, though, since every Corp has their own stuff.



Organization

Name: Kowaki Group

Purpose/Job: A system-wide corporation based in Marek, specializing in the construction of spaceships, weapons and computers but branching out to various fields.

Leadership: Merchant Miyu Khostov, she's the current Prince(ss) in control of the Kowaki Group. She took over after the passing of her father, Merchant Lou Khostov. But there was no nepotism here - she had a long, bitter fight to gain her position. Currently, the situation seems stable enough.

Important Notes: One of the largest factions in Marek, Kowaki has a permanent spot on the Council, or at least as permanent as they come. They made their wealth originally in the electronics business, but branched out quickly and adapted new technology very well to become the giant they are today. They also have one of the most wide-reaching espionage networks in Marek, and that's saying something.

Other Information:
Motto - Intelligence, Mobility, Initiative.

[Earl of Purple]

Name: Drekth (plural Drekthyi)
Appearance: A squashed spherical body sports eight legs and eight arms, arrayed in bands around the body. Each foot has a two-toed hoof, and they have six fingers and two thumbs on each hand. Erupting from the top of the sphere is a short, fat neck mounted with a long (horizontally, not vertically) head. The head has six eyes, two on each of the long sides of the head and another on the ends. Below the front eye is a small hole, serving as the communication mouth and breathing apparatus. There's another mouth at the bottom of the body, which is used for the dual purposes of eating and disposal of undigestable waste. Their skin in soft, hairless and pale yellow to dark orange, and eyes come in most colours. They are hermaphroditic, with every individual in possession of both male and female reproductive organs though they are incapable of self-fertilisation.
Culture: Highly insular, they nevertheless mix easily with outsiders. They just don't seem to trust outsiders with knowledge of their written language, religion or history. They even let it be known that Drekthyi is not the name they use for themselves; rather, it is the name they let outsiders use for them. They can be found in small communities in larger settlements of other races, though the individuals are often living some distance from each other all the Drekthyi in a certain area know each other, at least enough to put a name to each face.

What is known is that a Drekthyi handprint has significance to them as it is often found decorating their houses and persons, though whether the significance is spiritual, historical, fashionable or ritual is unknown.
Homeworld: Unknown. They occasionally claim to be from out of the system, but whether this is true or not is unknown. It is possible that they have a hidden moon or habitable planetoid somewhere in-system with no others, but generally they are found in quite small numbers on every moon living alongside other species.
Skills/Exports/Why They Are Tolerated: Drakthyi are surprisingly good cooks, have 360 degree vision and their music is reknowned, although that may be because they play the music most common to the culture around them, not sharing any music of their own, if they have music at all.
Technology: Most of their space craft and other technology is bought from other races, though many carry firearms designed for use by beings with multiple arms arrayed next to each other as opposed to above or below each other. These weapons tend to be energy rifles, quite high-power ones, though usually to make up for the poor binocular vision to the front of their heads.

[Darklord Bright]

Race
Zekreesh

Name: Zekreesh/Zekreeshi

Physical Description: The Zekreeshi have chitinous growths that armour much of their softer flesh - but they are not covered head to toe. This chitin only covers their head, around the collar and shoulders, and on the outer part of the legs and arms. The females of the species feed their young as humans do, and thus have less chitin at their chest-area.
Curiously, the Zekreeshi's eyes are black with luminous irises that can range in colour from individual to individual from blue to green or even a vibrant orange. Their ditigigrade legs bend twice, giving them an increased jump strength, and their balance is assisted by a long tail.
Like their eyes, Zekreeshi skin and chitin can range in colour from gray to a reddy-pink, but most commonly they are of a purple pigment. Their faces may also bear black markings.

Example of a female Zekreesh
http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/4148/zodo.png

Society: The Zekreeshi are hagglers, rarely taking anything if they can get it for a lower price, and rarely parting with anything unless they can turn a profit. Their society is one that always subsisted upon trading with one another before the other races were known, and now many have dedicated their lives to learning the best ways to gain a profit from these aliens. The Zekreeshi welcome outsiders with open arms - whether for their money, or for their stories. A Zekreesh always loves a good story - especially many of the younger generation, who are more adventurous and thrill-seeking, and may even attempt to hitch a ride on a visiting spacecraft if they think they can! Their race is one that believes in individuals carving their way and making a name for themselves.

Due to their homeworld industries, the Zekreeshi-designed laser weaponry and computer systems are second to none. In conflicts, the Zekreeshi government tends to remain as neutral as possible, though some individual Zekreesh may still be found on both sides.

Main Home Location: Their homeworld of Xel.

Other Interesting Information: Zekreeshi often communicate with one another in a language that consists mainly of clicks and clacks of the tongue, and as such can often find the common trade-language awkward to speak. If they are not trained merchants (who need to be good at such things), a younger-generation Zekreesh is likely to speak in broken and strange English, regardless of intelligence.

Moon
Xel

Name: Xel

Planet It Orbits: Virgis

Government: The Azkani Coalition - A coalition of Zekreeshi industries, banded together to make a larger profit than they could have working against each other in the wake of the alien visitors.

Environments: Luminous, ice-blue rivers run between crystal forests, and vast underground networks of caverns reminiscent of geodes stretch for miles beneath the surface of the world. The world is incredibly hot and humid, and as a result the crystal forests grow quickly and to enormous size (ripe for harvesting) quite commonly - unfortunately, these conditions are potentially lethal to humans, and as such domes had to be built over the prominent trade areas in order to shift the local climate to one that they could more easily handle during their brief stays on Xel.

Races: Largely Zekreeshi, though many races are free to stop by and frequent the trade-centers. There are several wild creatures, many of which are incredibly large and vicious - the reason the Zekreeshi have naturally developed such thick hides.

Important Notes/Unique Features: The crystals harvested on the moon's surface are used in the Zekreeshi industry for laser weaponry and high-tech computer system parts.

[Artemis97]

Moon: Orrak

Name: Orrak

Planet It Orbits: Virgis

Government: The major city, Apex, is governed by a council elected from the political caste. Heshen, the Akarian city, is governed by a monarchy and a representative council. The majority of the wastelands is anarchy, with a few small pockets of various governmental types where organized bands of people exist.

Environments: Orrak is a scorched world. Volcanic activity is common on the tiny moon, creating thick clouds overhead which trap in the heat. It is largely rocky and sandy, broken up by faultlines and canyons. Open sources of water are rare, but underground rivers and aquifers do exist, and there are small ice caps at the poles. Anything that lives here is hardy, tough, and possibly quite dangerous.

Races: Human, Akarian.

Important Notes/Unique Features: Apex is the largest, and largely considered the only city, on Orrak. It is a massive city, built on a circular plan, each circle seperating the city's districts. At its center is the political and educational elite, who govern the city. The next ring contains much of the science and technological industry of the city, as well as much of its entertainment. The third ring is reserved for major manufacturing. The city's space port is also located here. Beyond that is the military district. Here, the city's military/police force is housed, along with their families. At the very edge of the city is the agricultural district. Most of the buildings here are constructed right next to the massive, curving wall that rings the city. Beyond there are large farms, stretching out into the open wasteland.

The wasteland is the massive desert that covers the majority of Orrak. Out there, the days are brutally hot, the nights almost unbearably cold. Strange and dangerous creatures live here, as do the ever feared monsters: the Akarians. Some people do make their homes here as well, either living a nomadic life traveling from well to well, or settling in small villages around springs. Most construction is done underground, to help avoid the heat and harsh storms.

Heshen is the Akarian city, their capital and home. It is built into the side of a massive fissure in the moon's surface, carved from the living rock. Most humans on Orrak do not know of its existance.

The Crater. Where the giant asteroid struck a milennia ago, its rim formed mountains miles high. Few on the moon know of its existance, and none that do would dare climb the walls to see what were on the other side. Some say it was simply too dangerous, but many of the wasteland tribes held the place as sacred or taboo, and not even the Akarians would dare travel there.

Other Information: Orrak was originally a mining colony that grew very prosperous. But, fate's hand chose a different path for the moon. An asteroid, orbitting ever closer, would strike the moon. Either unable or unwilling to leave the moon, the people on Orrak decided they could survive the disaster if they prepared. A bunker was constructed, a massive complex, and filled with supplies. After the asteroid struck, the people waited. Generations passed. In the confines of the bunker, the people of Orrak did what they could to continue to better themselves. They tinkered and experimented, but on a very small scale. Genetics became their particular expertise, a skill they are still hailed for today.

Eventually, the surface was deemed liveable and the people of Orrak rose up to build what would become the massive city of Apex. The city is all that most Orrakans know. Beyond it is inhospitable wasteland. A colony was attempted once, when materials ran low in Apex, but a failed revolution from the colonists put an end to further thoughts of colonization. Fortunately, after many long years of rationing, contact with a space-faring people was made. The space port was built, and Apex now relies on importing raw materials, in exchange for the complex and varied chemicals manufactured there, as well as exotic creatures created and bred specifically for trade.


Race: Akarian

Name: Akarian(s)

Physical Description: Akarians stand from 4 to 7 feet in height, measured to the top of the head when standing flat footed. They are roughly humanoid, their faces looking particularly human.Tough, thick skin covers their bodies. It makes them resistant to heat, light, and radiation. Most laser/energy weapons are less effective against an Akarian. Colors run the range of browns, sometimes venturing into a yellow or green scale. Eye colors are of the normal range for humans, though more often favoring blue or green. Akarian eyesight is considerably better than that of a human. Their feet are large and they tend to walk on their clawed toes. A set of membranous wings sprout from their backs, granting them the ability to fly. Long tails give them balance and help with steering in flight. Akarians are highly athletic, they're physiology granting them the ability to run fast, jump high, and fly long distances. Further enhancing their considerable abilities, the Akarians have what some would call a sixth sense. They have the ability to sense life. This ability's accuracy lessens with range. They can pinpoint a hidden man within 10 feet, but over greater distances, they only recieve a vague sense of number and direction. Some belive this has something to do with the electrical field a living creature emits, similar to the senses of a shark, while others believe Akarians can sense the blood flowing within a man's veins. That belief stems from the akarians most terrifying trait: the need to drink fresh blood.

General Customs/Habits: Akarians have a great respect for authority, particularly military ranks, and any who show skill in combat or hunting.

It is generally considered rude to tower over anyone when standing still and engaged in normal conversation. To rise up on one's toes when so near another is a sign of agression and intimidation. Some members of older families will sometimes take offense if their conversational partner is simply taller than they are. This can make things rather difficult for a member of a lesser bloodline.

The color blue is of particular significance to Akarians, possibly because the dye is rare, but there is a mystical connection as well. Akarians with blue eyes often make particularly good hunters and warriors, and are considered blessed. Red is also important, as it is symbollic of both blood and the red desert that surrounds them. Neither color is worn commonly, unless one is trying to make a particularly loud statement. They are often incorporated into ornamentation and decoration, however.

When introducing himself an Akarian will also name both of his parents as well as the name of his mother's bloodline. Example "I am Tajir, son of Tajik and Allendra of the Corvus line." Sometimes the father's bloodline is stated if the mother has none because she was transformed. The royal line is such an example, all claiming the name of their male ancestor, Akar. On very rare occassions, and only with permission, a transformed human may take the bloodline name of the Akarian who gave them their essence.

The ingestion of blood is highly ritualized. Often it is taken as part of a religious service. A healthy, young Akarian should need no more than one small cup of blood every few days, so long as they are also eating well.

Particularly important deals or oaths are often sealed with blood. A thin line is cut across the palm of one hand of each participant, and the deal is shaken upon. Marriages contain a similar ritual, with the addition that the couple has their hands bandaged together for the duration of the ceremony.

As a part of the rites of becoming an adult, a great race is held once every year. A long course is marked out and every young male Akarian coming of age is given three days to finish the race. To rank highly brings great prestige, but to finish at all is an achievement. Many do not finish in time their first year. After the fourth day, search teams are sent out to collect any who have not finished. It is a very rare year for none of the participants to be lost to the wilds of the wastelands.

Society: The Akarians are a warrior race, though not particularly violent towards other lifeforms. They are taught to defend themselves from a young age, as the wastelands where they make their home are frought with dangers. Blades are of particular importance to the Akarians, and a well crafted one would bring prestige to the bearer, but only if he would know how to wield it. Carrying a weapon one cannot use is foolish. Honor duels are common, and highly ritualized. While most end with little bloodshed, some are brutally lethal. Lineage is also important to the Akarians. One's actions, for good or bad, reflect upon your family, and your ancestor's successes and failures colors how you are percieved. A low born Akarian will have to do much to rise above his station and prove his worth to the rest of society. Members of the Akarian military carry a particular prestige, as the founders of Heshen were all highly trained soldiers. Though Akarians claim their bloodlines through their mother, the society tends towards patriarchy, though few would openly claim that woman were of less value than a man.

History: The origins of the Akarian race are closely guarded by the elite of Orrak. Many would be shocked to learn that they are not an alien race at all, but a deliberate mutation of human beings. In an attempt to end the war with the rebelious colony, Apex selected some of their best soldiers for a radical experiment. They were transformed into hunters, specifically engineered to survive the harsh conditions of the wastelands and track down their quarry. An unfortunate mistake (or possibly a deliberate miscalculation) in the genetic manipulation process left them lacking in a few key biochemical components. Out in the wasteland, away from the manufacturing plants of the city, the most readily available source for these components was fresh human blood. Though it disgusted the original Akarians, they resorted to it out of neccessity, else they would not be able to complete their tasks and return home. It gave them the horrifying reputation as monsters and blood drinkers. When the war was done, when they tried to return, the Akarians were forcibly repelled.

They returned to the wastelands and took up the name Akarian, in honor of the man who led them. They returned to the ruins of the colony and renamed it Heshen for Akar's lieutenant, and later his bride. Together they founded the line of Akar, the descendants of which still rule today. Though Akar never called himself a king, later generations would grant him the title, and take it up themselves. Other members of the original squads founded family lines of their own, which make up mot of the upper class in Heshen.

Very early in their history, the Akarians unlocked the secret of their creation, learning to extract their very esscence and pass it on to another human, creating a brand new Akarian. The process was necessary for their continued survival as a species, their original number being so small. The ritual is rarely done, as it is dangerous for both the Akarian giving their essence and the human being transformed. Only the strongest survive it. The first humans brought into the fold were the survivng members of the very colony they had been sent to destroy. Tensions were high in the begining, and old grudges continue the influence their politics today.

The Akarians often clash with humans, who see them as demonic monsters. Sometimes they will war with the military patrols from Apex. It is a constant struggle to keep the humans from the city away from Heshen, so that their home may be kept secret and safe.

In the latest campaign against Apex, the Akarian king was lost and is now presumed dead. His son, soon to be crowned Akar V, now rules in his place. The prince, while popular with the people, is disliked by many of the oldest families who form part of the council for his liberal views towards newly turned humans.

Main Home Location: The city of Heshen on the moon of Orrak, oribiting Virgis.

Other Interesting Information: The manifactured quality of the Akarians has also given their genetics some rather odd quirks. Perhaps the most noticeable of which is the curious tendancey for later generations of Akarians to be shorter than their ancestors. Those with the oldest, and most pure, bloodlines, often stand no higher than 4ft tall, while it is not unheard of for a newly transformed human to reach 9 ft when standing at his full height.

There are exceptions to this rule, of course. Akarians born of old families who maintain the height and strength of their ancestors. These Akarians are commonly called "Fluxes" as it is a genetic fluctuation which creates them. Fluxes are rare and highly regarded in Akarian society. They are considered to be blessed, destined for great deeds.

The members of the Akarian royal family are all Fluxes, in a way. Early on a precedent was set that a prince of the Akar line would always marry a human born woman. It was a move designed to keep their genetic line healthy, their children tall and strong and, more recently, a political device to unite the common people with the oldest family in Heshen.

Because of the nature of their transformation, Akarians have the ability to return to their original human apppearance. However, this is quite taxing and increases their need to drink blood. Akarians of younger bloodlines, those born as true humans or with a close true human relative, have an easier time of it. Older generations find it difficult to keep up such an appearance for an hour or two. Akarians will often meet as humans, though, putting each member of a group on an even footing, where the age of their bloodline (or their height) cannot be seen. This ability also allows them to pass amongst humans mostly unnoticed. However, an Akarian must be care and know his limits, lest he run out of energy and be unwillingly shifted back to his true form.

A dark affliction haunts the Akarians, particularly those of the oldest families. A young Akarian has little dependance on blood, but as they age, they must consume it more often. Eventually, is ceases to be effective at all, and the Akarian is driven mad. A darkness ensnares their minds. They become animalistic, desiring nothing more than to feast upon the blood of the living. Most can feel this end coming, and will submit themselves to be ritually slain or take their own lives in order to prevent bringing shame to themselves or their families. Sometimes they will simply walk out into the Wastelands, never to return. In the most dire of cases, the affliction will strike while an Akarian is still young. While incredibly rare, the affliction will drive them to madness quickly. Without any warning signs, entire families can be slain before an afflicted young Akarian can be brought down. To have such a thing happen is a dark mark upon a bloodline. Those related to some so afflicted are often shunned, for fear that they too may turn into monsters, or that the curse would slip into another bloodline.

There is rumor, too, of wild, mad Akarians living out in the darkest places of the Wastelands, hunting the nomadic tribes of humans for sports. And some legends say that these wild Akarians possess more than just animal intelligence. But that is only rumor.

[Murska]

Character

Name: Dan ((Real name Kevry Yamasu el Marek))

Age: 23

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Profession: Hacker/Spy

Morality/Personality:
Pragmatic, works for the profit of Kowaki Corp
Physical Description: Slim, a bit short, unnoticeable. Unkempt black hair, light brown eyes. Long, slender fingers. Confident.

Typical Equipment:
- A ceramic guitar pick against his chest as a 'good luck charm', actually unfolds into a small but sharp knife.
- A handheld system with extensive modifications, mainly used for allowing him access to the net from wherever he is.
- A small handgun.
- A few datachips containing viruses, illegal programs, legal programs, data, an encryption/decryption unit and other utility stuff. Anything illegal is, of course, well hidden, and everything else is encrypted aswell.
- A small disk with heavy encryption and self-cleanse protocols containing personal data.

Special Skills:
-He is capable of using many types of military and private sector hardware, including weaponry and vehicles, though he isn't a soldier and prefers to use subtle methods when possible.
-He is extremely skilled at interfacing with software and, to some extent, electrical systems' hardware. He's a proficient hacker as well as, especially when enhanced by his implants, a speedy programmer and skilled in both gathering and processing data quickly.
-His implants allow him to slightly enhance his senses, scan his surroundings for and interface with electrical equipment and even sabotage weakly protected systems without an access terminal. However he tends to avoid the extensive usage of these abilities, for they are experimental and prone to overheating, and if they're in use they're much more likely to be detected.

Back-story and Other Bits of Extra Information:
Dan works under false names and identities. It's partly out of habit, but he is really a rather important figure in Marek politics, being a prominent member of the Kowaki Group. Some people look disfavourably upon his decision to work as a common agent abroad.

His cybernetic implants are extremely difficult to detect when not in use. He doesn't have anything that'd alter his appearance either, except that if he's enhancing his reflexes/senses too much and threatening to overheat, his eyes may glow.

[Ashen Lilies]

Moon: Hephaestus

Name: Officially called K'ting'ba'resh'do'x'ing (the apostrophes denote a insectoid click), which translates roughly as 'Shining Jewel of our People'. Known to most spacers and off-world officials as 'Hephaestus', or occasionally, 'Hell'.

Planet It Orbits: Annulat

Government: Hephaestus is governed by the Council of Queens, a council of three sister Hive Queens, who each have total rule over their own Queendoms. Though they've been at relative peace for a century or so, bound by their collective desire to become a major economic and/or military power within the solar system, there still exists a strong rivalry between them, and each Queen secretly plots to annihilate the others and become the Supreme Hive Queen of the moon, a title not held by any since their mother, the White Queen, who died several millenia ago.

Environments: Living up to both its foreign names, Hephaestus is a hostile place to most offworlders. Strong tidal forces caused by the moon's close orbit to Annulat give it unstable tectonic climate, the surface is riddled with active volcanoes and shifting faultlines, constantly spewing hot magma from the moon's mantle. This constant volcanic activity, as well as the industrial efforts of the native Ba'resh, give the moon a dense atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulfur compounds - toxic to most species - and the clouds of sulfuric acid, which occasionally drop showers of acid rain, may present a caustic surprise. Most areas within the moon's chief spaceport, located in the capital city of Ba'resh's'zin (nicknamed Lemnos), are climate controlled for the comfort of offworlders - when venturing outside, however, breathmasks and environmental suits are heartily recommended.

Races: Predominantly Ba'resh. Other species usually confined to the climate controlled sections of Lemnos.

Important Notes/Unique Features: Hephaestus, as may be gathered from the name, is a highly industrialized forge world. The moon's abundance of raw materials, coupled with the Ba'reshi aptitude for metallurgy and industry make Hephaestus a prime source for inexpensive machinery, though as of late the Ba'reshi Queens have been attempting to move the economy towards other fields such as biotechnology or computing.

Most Ba'reshi cities, including the three Hive cities are located primarily underground, with the exception of Lemnos, which more closely resembles an offworld metropolis, with large climate controlled buildings and towering spires.


Other Information:


Race: Ba'resh

Name: Ba'resh/Baresh (the click is often dropped by non-Ba'resh)

Physical Description: The Ba'resh are an insectoid, eusocial species similar to termites, ants or bees. As such, the species is divided into multiple 'caste' which each carry out a specific task, and are therefore individually adapted to that role, resulting in huge dimorphism between castes. However, the Ba'resh tend to share several basic traits, which are common across all classes. All Ba'resh have a generally insectoid shape: they are six limbed, have a chitinous exoskeleton, and have three distinct body segments, except in the Expert caste, where the thorax and abdomen have fused to provide a more humanoid shape. The Ba'resh have excellent senses, though they tend to refer to them only as three senses instead of five - chemical detection (the human senses of taste and smell) is done solely through the antennae, and touch and hearing were similarly fused, as the Ba'resh had no dedicated hearing organs, instead detecting vibrations through their skin. Their eyesight is poor however. As a primarily cave-dwelling species, most Ba'reshi have only vestigial eyes, only capable of discerning basic shapes, in shades of light or dark. Even the highly intelligent Queens have only theoretical concepts of color. The exception (again!) are the Expert caste, whose highly developed compound eyes give them full color vision roughly equivalent to that of a human, with limited vision in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums as well. Due to the... unique cocktail of gasses present in the Hephaestian atmosphere, most other atmospheres, especially ones containing large amounts of elemental nitrogen or oxygen (hint hint, the ones humans love), are highly toxic to the Ba'resh, and hence when working offworld, or in climate-controlled areas, they are typically seen wearing gas-masks in order to survive. All Ba'reshi are female, with the exception of the Drone caste, though only Queens and Breeders are fertile.

Society: Unlike most eusocial species, who guided by a shared 'swarm intelligence', the Ba'resh have made the leap, some time in the past, to have a single sentient queen, who controls all the other Ba'resh in a single queendom. All colonies revolve around their queen, who is often seen as the only truely sentient Ba'resh, though the presence of the Experts complicates things somewhat. Currently, there are three queendoms present on the main Ba'resh moon of Hephaestus, who maintain colonies both on Hephaestus and on several nearby moons. The queendoms hold a tentative peace with each other, meeting in the Council of Queens to determine the future of the species as a whole, while also trying to get the upper hand on each other.
The Ba'reshi have three main languages. The first is a chemical language, used primarily by the Workers and Soldiers, who produce pheremones and leave chemical traces readable by the antennae, similar to how ants communicate. The second is a spoken language, used mostly by the Experts and Queens, consisting mostly of clicks and hard consonant sounds, with the occasional hiss. The mutual inability of the Ba'resh and most other humanoid species to speak each others' languages has resulted in the development and proliferation of fairly advanced voice synthesizing technology, mostly used by Experts stationed offworld, or in areas frequented by offworlders. The third is a complex sign language, used solely by the visually adept Experts, used primarily in situations where speaking would be impractical or inexpedient.

History: Ba'reshi history, from the development of the first sentient queens, tends to follow the pattern of a quick 'boom' phase, marked by rapid development and scientific discovery, followed by a long period of stagnation, in which nothing much happens at all. The Ba'resh are currently in a 'boom' phase, a phase of rapidly developing starflight and space-faring technology, including xenobiology and high-tech computing, following several thousand years of intermittent war between the three Queendoms (which in itself followed the 'boom' phase of an industrial revolution and the death of the White Queen). This current phase was brought on by the development of telescopes and sensor technology advanced enough to detect evidence of other space-faring races within the solar system, and the collective Ba'reshi realization that, if they didn't get into the game quickly, they'd probably end up subservient to one of the other races, sooner or later.

Main Home Location: Hephaestus

Other Interesting Information: Due to the nature of their species, and the mineral rich rock of their volcanic homeworld, the Ba'resh have a massive industrial base, unparalleled by almost any other species. This is probably most exemplified by the Ba'reshi Security Fleet (such as it is). Deprived of high technology or advanced computer systems, the Ba'reshi fleet consists of an almost primitive array of blocky, slow moving ships, firing chemically propelled projectiles and inexpensive rockets... en masse. Really, really en masse. Recent experiments with giant panes of volcanic glass have resulted in awesomely terrifying laser arrays, but at the moment, these are rare, and too impractical for use on all but the largest starships.

BA'RESH LARVAE
Ba'resh larvae resemble no more than whitish grubs, without legs, antennae or eyes. All Ba'resh (with the exception of Experts) start out identical, and do not grow any distinguishing features until they are about two weeks old, at which point they are sorted into different nurseries. Ba'reshi larvae start out at roughly the size of a pill, and grow rapidly for six to eight weeks depending on caste, at which point they are roughly a meter long, at which point they start to pupate. After two to four weeks in pupa form, the adult Ba'resh emerges, ready to undertake its function. The Expert caste are not born as larvae, but instead as intelligent nymphs, who undergo a childhood of learning similar to that of other species for about two years, before their final molt reveals their adult form.

QUEEN CASTE
Leaders of the Ba'resh, indeed, for most intents and purposes (excepting the Experts again... we'll get on to that later) they are the Ba'resh, the Queens are probably the caste that most resemble their insectoid ancestors. Offworlders visiting one will be hard-pressed to see anything more than a giant termite, with a main body roughly two meters long, and a swollen, distended abdomen increasing that length to nearly 16 meters. More observant viewers will notice the telltale signs of intelligence: a large head for a large brain, and the first four limbs end in manipulating hands. In fact, the Ba'reshi queens are almost freakishly intelligent, and most accomplished scientists as well - indeed, each queen is the primary keeper of all the knowledge available to her Queendom. The Queens are also the most individual of the Ba'resh. It is quite easy to tell each Queen from the other Queens, and their features extend to the other castes as well. There are currently three queens, the daughters of the legendary White Queen, who at one point ruled the entire moon. Each Queen is the leader of their own Queendom, which is genetically distinct from the other queendoms. The three queens are:

The Red Queen - The eldest of the Queens, the Red Queen is authoritative, aggressive, and the most conservative of the Five Queens. Her Queendom has the strongest grip on the moon of Hephaestus, but has little presence offworld. Red Ba'reshi are distinguishable by their tell-tale red exoskeletons, and sturdy frames.
The Gray Queen - The diplomatic Queen, the Gray Queen is perhaps the most moderate of the Queens, and the strongest advocate of peace and progress. Her Queendom has the most presence in trade and around the capital, and has the strongest ties with offworld firms and organizations. Gray Ba'reshi have gray (surprise surprise) exoskeletons and slender frames.
The Black Queen - The youngest of the Queens, with the weakest presence on Hephaestus. Nevertheless, the Black Queendom has the strongest technological base, and has colonies and scientists nearly everywhere. Black Ba'reshi are bright pink and have fabulous fashion sense black and wasplike, and all have wings, though only those of the Expert caste are functional.

Queens are biologically immortal, in fact, the current queens have been alive for more than three thousand years. The circumstances behind the death of the White Queen are shrouded in mystery.

DRONE CASTE
Males. Thoroughly unintelligent, they exist only to breed (and then die), and are not found outside the innermost chambers of a hive.

WORKER CASTE
Vaguely humanoid, these sterile females form the backbone of any hive. Most of the time they stand upright, at exactly 1.53 meters in height, on two-clawed feet. Their uppermost arms are large and powerful, with dual-clawed pincers that can lift weights of almost half a ton. Their middle arms are smaller, and end in four-clawed hands. Workers are only semi-sapient at best. They are capable of developing basic tools on their own, and are capable of basic problem solving, especially in groups, where they become more intelligent. However, they are incapable of higher reasoning and emotion, and are incapable of operating anything but the most basic of technologies. All Workers within a Queendom are physically indistinguishable from each other, and are only identifiable by subtle chemical cues that can be detected by other Ba'reshi. Workers have a lifespan of roughly two years.

SOLDIER CASTE
Standing at about 2.5 meters (plus another meter when fully upright), these fearsome bugs have been bred for one purpose. To kill, or possibly maim, and also for the raising of young children (not!). Their upper limbs have grown to hilarious sizes, and the lower two segments have fused into fearsome scythes. Their exoskeletons are thick and glossy, capable of repelling small arms fire and chemical assault (though they are vulnerable to lasers), their pincers drip with deadly necrotoxins, and if that weren't enough, they're also capable of firing streams of highly concentrated sulfuric acid at up to ten meters. Like Workers, they are largely unintelligent, useful for only one task. Unfortunately, they are rapidly becoming ill-suited for even that, as most space-faring vessels are by necessity too small for them to be used effectively, and except for a vestigial honor guard on most Ba'reshi starships, their duties are largely being taken over by Workers wielding modern weaponry. Like Workers, all Soldiers in a Queendom are physically indistinguishable, and identifiable only by chemical cues. Soldiers live for about one year before dying.

BREEDER CASTE
Despite being almost identical to the Queens, Breeders are largely unintelligent. Instead, they merely serve as egglaying units, preserving a Queendom's genetic identity in distant colonies, or even on distant moons, where the Queen herself cannot by present.

EXPERT CASTE
Unlike the other castes, which all much more closely resemble insects, the Experts are almost humanoid in appearance and demeanor. Fully intelligent, though not so much as the Queen, they stand roughly 1.8 meters high on multi-jointed legs that end in two-clawed feet. Their two upper pairs of arms are fused at the shoulder, becoming one arm on each side down to the elbow, where they again branch off into two separate arms, ending in delicate six-fingered hands. They are also capable of experiencing emotion as the Queens and other sapients do, there are many cases of friendships and occasionally, even romances between Ba'reshi Experts and other species. Their biological dissimilarity (including their spending their childhood as nymphs, instead of pupating larvae) to the other castes of the Ba'reshi species is a point of contention among most xenologists. A common belief is that the Experts are the result of genetic experimentation by the ancient White Queen herself, thousands of years ago in response to the increasing pressures of industrialization, though many respected xenologers find this far-fetched. Individual and intelligent, Experts handle most of the high skill and high-technology tasks of a colony, and are therefore much more common now than ever before. Like other castes, all Experts of a given Queendom will be physically identical, however many Experts, especially those offworld who frequently work with members of other species, give themselves nicknames, body markings and modifications, trademark accessories and other features to identify themselves to their alien companions. It's worth remembering, however, that despite this added layer of individuality and independence, however, Experts are still, at the core, Ba'resh, and therefore fanatically loyal to their Queen. It's not unthinkable for an Expert, having spent a decade or more among those not of her species, to suddenly betray them in exchange for some advantage for her Queen. However, such cases are rare, thankfully. Experts typically have a lifespan of about 30-40 years.



Character: Trist


Name: 'Trist'
Age: 25
Gender: Sterile Female
Race: Gray Ba'resh, Expert Caste
Profession: Xenologist/Personal Tutor
Morality/Personality: Thoughtful and contemplative. Can sometimes be seen as somewhat distracted and scatterbrained, a trait not helped by the necessarily lengthy amount of time it takes her to 'speak' in the common languages. Loyal to the Gray Queen.

Physical Description: Physically identical, of course, to every other Gray Expert caste Ba'resh. Usually wears a tall, plain robe of dark red or brown that covers her from head to toe - the square hood frames a strange, gold colored mask (http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumblarge_14/1119532979h4rqry.jpg) that hides her insectoid features while also granting her a unique face. Underneath the mask's chin, hidden behind the folds of the hood are where her true mouthparts are, covered with an electrically powered air scrubber, as well as a voice synthesizer, connected by wires that run down her sleeves and connect into small keyboards that fit into the palms of her lower hands, allowing her to type out her speech. Above the mask, two slender gray antennae poke out from the hood, occasionally twitching in response to stimuli.

Typical Equipment: Ba'resh don't need much in the way of possessions, and much of what Trist owns, she carries with her. A small palmtop computer. A portable hard-drive, several memory sticks. Expert castes aren't usually expected to see combat, but in the interests of self-defense Trist usually has a long, rod-like electrolaser in one of her sleeves, the grip modified to better fit her unusual two-handed arm.

Special Skills:
Well, she's a pretty intelligent xenologist. Mostly an expert on alien social interactions, but she's quite knowledgeable in most other xenological fields as well, including xenobiology, and not totally ignorant in other scientific fields such as physics or chemistry as well. Other than that, she's not particularly special.

Back-story and Other Bits of Extra Information:
First and foremost a scientist, Trist is doing field research on 'Criminal Activity within non-Eusocial Species', an area of study which Port Meridian is well suited for, hence why she's chosen to live in such a dump for more than a decade. She's pretty interested in other areas of xenology as well, and will log pretty much any form of interesting behavior in her databook, and jump at the chance to do further research. The teaching thing's just a job she does, to make ends meet. It helps that she doesn't need much to survive. Food (Ba'resh will eat pretty much anything), water, and a room lower down in the station, where she and some of the other Ba'reshi on board arranged to have part of the ventilation system hooked up to the starbase exhaust ports, to mimic the Hephaestian atmosphere.

[happyturtle]

Character Entry

Name: Goldy
Age: Fuzzy equivalent of early teenage *flails*
Gender: none, Fuzzys are unisexual
Race: Fuzzy
Profession: hunter/gather, explorer, pet
Morality/Personality: curious, unlikely to provoke violence, but ready to defend itself
Physical Description: Goldy looks like a cross between a teddy bear and a bipedal cat, with gorgeous golden fur
Typical Equipment: A bag of shiny things
Special Skills: Weapons grade cute
Back-story and Other Bits of Extra Information: Goldy was exploring when it was adopted as a pet by the V'tranni woman Elina. It has enjoyed getting to know the world of the Big Persons, though it doesn't know why they can't hear it speak. Its voice, other than the occasional "Yip" is too high pitched for humans or V'tranni to hear.

[VampireRot]

Race: "Mutilators"

My race of monsters! They're not a sapient race you can make a PC out of, but they can provide a monstrous antagonist for anyone wanting one. I'm not entirely done fleshing them out and still need to think of a suitably terrifying name (that's just a placeholder name), so expect some edits and such.

Name: They have no name for themselves. The survivors may call them what they wish. :smallamused:

Physical Description: Large, twelve-legged chitinous creatures out of the darkest depths of the sea or your nightmares. Each stands about seven or eight feet tall, with most of that (five or so feet) being their long and multi-jointed legs, which end in hard and sharp wedges that dig into the ground (and flesh). The legs are directly under their main body, making their body structures more like a shrimp than a lobster or spider or ant. Their hard chitinous exoskeletons are segmented and, again, rather long like a shrimp. The body ends in a wedge-shaped tail of a softer material that is generally more colorful and spiky than the rest of their bodies. Their heads are squat and look rather like a shark's, with ten small and beady compound eyes running along the sides of it in two lines of ten and three larger eyes in the center. The end of the snout is tipped with many antennae-like feelers, four of which are much longer than the rest and prehensile. Their mouths are jagged caverns of black teeth underneath their heads.
They have excellent senses except for hearing and sight, relying mainly on their very sensitive antennae for touch, taste, and smell. Despite their many eyes, their eyesight is only average and they have poor night vision, and their hearing is very bad.
They reproduce by spawning in any pools of water they can find, and have almost no physical differences between the males and females.

General Customs/Habits/Society: They are monstrous carnivores that prey on and eat any fleshy creatures they can find, specifically clustered groups of weakly defended sapient races like humans. Despite this, they not intelligent or sapient in the way one might think a human is. They do understand many things like civilization and technology, but have little imagination to invent any of their own. They tend to stick with others of their kind in small, swarm-like communities that communicate with pheromones and have very little sense of individuality. Their main goals are to feed and reproduce, and they travel to new areas when they have mostly depleted the amount of prey (you) in an area.

History: They have no oral or written records and have never had a community larger than a couple hundred, so their history is mostly unknown and unimportant. They evolved on one of the various moons of Virgis and have been moving around ever since, making their origination unknown and unimportant.

Main Home Location: Any of the moons or smaller asteroids/floating hunks of rock around Virgis

Other Interesting Information: They travel from moon to moon on very small meteors/asteroids/whatever the natural satellites too small to be a moon are called. They do this by adapting stolen technology, often human, to make space-faring engines to propel the rocks. They survive the voyages by going into a form of hibernation where they need no air, food, or water for as long as it takes to crash into the next moon and meal.

[Warpfire]

Character

"Look, I might not be able to walk straight, but I can fly this goddamn ship."

Name: Jason

Age: 27

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Profession: Pilot/Gambler/Drunk

Morality/Personality: To come!

Physical Description: A tall man with short brown hair and striking gray eyes. His appearance can generally be described as 'unkempt', which contrasts with the suits of varying expensiveness he likes to wear. He seems to possess a permanent five o clock shadow. Most of the time alcohol can be detected on his breath in one level or another.

Typical Equipment: To Come!

Special Skills: Really, really good at piloting even when intoxicated. Maybe even especially when intoxicated. To be elaborated on!

Back-story and Other Bits of Extra Information: To come!

[Chaotic Bob]

Character

Name: Alice Benson

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Race: Human

Profession: Azuros Agent

Morality/Personality: Fairly light-hearted, but prone to moodiness due to periodic unpleasant aspects of her job. Prone to thinking on things the majority of the time, but isn't unwilling to go with a gut feeling if it presses at her.

Physical Description: She has a rather slight build, slender and of average height, not possessing curves of any real significance. Shoulder-length brown hair, typically worn down, but away from her green eyes always. More often than not, she is dressed in either business-wear or comfortable, but conservative clothing.

Typical Equipment: Standard issue laser pistol, wrist-computer, extendable metal ten-foot pole (reduces to one foot length)

Special Skills: While she is small and does not appear built for physical purposes, Alice is very quick and agile, trained very well by her government. While she can't often win by brute force, redirection of attacks, or stealth assault on her own initiative are her specialty. If you shoot them before they see you, there's little risk in losing. If forced into a proper fight, martial art skills can be applied for avoidance, or she can pull out her pole and fight that way.

Back-story and Other Bits of Extra Information: Alice had a fairly ordinary life for the most part, living on a fairly well-off moon orbiting Azuros. The urge to work for the government had been fairly abrupt and almost reasonless, but she devoted almost an entire year of thought to it before actually applying for the training programs necessary to enter one of the many agencies under the primary leadership.
Her job sends her traveling quite often, and as such, is very seldom actually in Azuros. Her primary locations are in various areas around the planet Virgis, scouting for information and obeying other more pressing orders from her superiors.

[Artemis97]

Race

Name: Anerva

Physical Description: The Anerva are a humanoid race. Their skin tone ranges from a golden yellow to a deep indigo, but is most commonly some shade of green. Their hair color also runs a range of colors, some of which would be considered quite exotic. Eye color can also run a range of wild colors. Most Anerva are strong and fit and, as a result, undeniably beautiful. Adding to their attractiveness, the Anerva have a perculiar ability to control their pheramones, able to make themselves particularly appealing or unappealing as they choose. They can also use it to indirectly effect the emotions of those around them, improving or souring the mood.

General Customs/Habits: The Anerva, as a people, are incredibly generous and welcoming. Whatever they have they are willing to share.

Most Anerva will wear their hair long and often elaborately done up and decorated with feathers, shells, and beads.

Anervan clothing styles tend to be vividly colored and highly decorated. Also it tends to be somewhat more revealing than is generally aceptable in most parts of the system, considering the warm climate of their homeworld.

Anerva tend to ignore personal space as most races are used to it. They are very social and hate to be alone. An anervan will always choose a seat right next to someone, even if others are available.

Males are usually hunters or fishers, but sometimes a woman may fill that role, should she prove herself. Women are usually gatherers and crafters, but again, a man may sometimes fill that role as well, particularly where hunting implements are concerned.

Gift giving is incredibly important to Anerva. Wealthy Anerva will often shower their clans with gifts. Meetings between tribes are marked with gift exchanges, as are many special occassions. Most gifts are small and symbollic, or larger gifts of food, livestock, or other useful goods.

Society: Anervan society is a tribal clan system, organized into small nomadic bands which travel across their worlds, following food sources. When major decisions are needed to be made, they are decided democratically. The involved parties come together and talk out the issue until a compromise is made that will satisfy everyone, largely determined by the mood of the crowd, which every Anervan can sense keenly. The Anerva have no written language. Any structures they build are usually temporary and most often have some ceremonial signifigance. Anerva tend to be very happy people, usually choosing to use their unique abilitiy to make their fellows feel better. However, an upset Anervan can be dangerous if their mood cannot be improved. Negative emotions can spread through a group quickly if left unchecked. Oral histories speak of entire clans being lost to despair, all killing themselves than continuing to live in sadness.

History: Much Anervan history has not been recorded, as they have no writing. However, a complex oral history is kept by each clan. There is little evidence of war between the clans. Baha'at has such an abundance of resources that there is little to argue over. Most violence is caused during a hunt, or as their legends say, over the attentions of a lover. Whole a jealous Anervan can usually be dissuaded by friends, sometimes emotions run too strong. This is looked upon very poorly in Anervan society.

The Anerva have stone age technology and almost no knowledge of space travel. Contact with visitors from beyond the stars are a thing of legend among the Anerva. Most are tales of strange visitors carrying arcane equipment and bearing exotic gifts. A few, though, tell of entire clans being carried away in ships that came from the sky. The Anerva on Baha'at believe they were taken up by the gods, but those offworld know better.

Their primitive, naive nature coupled with their exotic beauty has made the Anerva a target for offworld slavers. Anervan slaves can sell for top dollar to wealthy buyers looking for dancers and entertainers. It's not unusual to find a few working in bars and clubs across the system.

Main Home Location: The Anerva live in the jungles and along the coastlines of Baha'at. There are few parmanents sites, most used only for ceremonies. There is one great meeting place at the base of Mount Harrak. It is a sacred place for the Anerva.

Other Interesting Information: Anerva found outside of Baha'at are usually slaves or indentured workers, or their offspring. There are a few small conclaves of off-world Anerva, with cultures and histories all their own. Some try to hold onto the old ways and hope they may someday return home. Others have embraced space-faring life and adapted to become dimplomats and merchants, powerful in their own right.

Anervan religion revolves around the worship of Mount Harrak as both a sort of deity and a bridge between the material world and the spiritual one. The volcano gives fire, and so, life, but the destruction it can cause is also greatly feared. A sacred platform has been constructed at the rim of the volcano, considered an entrance to the other side. The Anerva will often give gifts to the volcano in order to appease it, tossing them into the boiling pit. Rumors speak of desperate times where even the Anerva themselves are thrown in. Most often these sacrifices are volunteers, giving themselves to the mountain for the good of all Anerva. Mount Harrak also gives back to its worshippers. The volcanic soil is incredibly fertile, producing a bounty of fruits and vegetables around the mountain. And the volcanic activity produces a particularly beautiful gem known as Harrak'zha to the Anerva, and simply translated as Firestone to the rest of the system. The stone is, of course, held sacred by the Anerva. To recieve even a small stone is a great honor for an individual.
Moon

Name: Baha'at

Planet It Orbits: Annulat

Government: None

Environments: Baha'at is a world of vast jungles, laced with rivers, and broad oceans. Food is abundant, in the form of plants, animals, and sealife. There are few large predators, and life is largely peaceful here.

Races: The Anerva are the dominant thinking race on Baha'at.
Important Notes/Unique Features: The large mountain named Harrak by the local people is a slow bubbling volcano. It is held sacred by the Anerva.

Other Information: There are no space-ports or cities on Baha'at at present. The thick jungle makes finding a landing zone for larger ships difficult.

Baha'at is the only known source of the rade and valuable gem known as Firestone. It is a predominately red stone, with opalescent flecks of yellow and sometimes blue. Some rarer examples can show a rainbow of colors and can fetch millions on the open market. As Baha'at is largely undeveloped, no major mining operations have been made to aquire the stone. Its primary source is through gifts from the Anerva themselves, a rare occurance. Some examples were stolen from Anerva who had been kidnapped from the planet.

[Artemis97]

Character

Name: Tajir Corvus

Age: Looks to be in his late 20s

Gender: Male

Race: Akarian

Profession: Soldier, spy, and geneticist.

Morality/Personality: Tajir is a good man with a strong sense of duty and honor. though the nature of his work and his very existance forces him to be secretive. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, especially if it may help his people in someway.

Physical Description: Tajir usually appears as a somewhat tall, scrawny human with dark hair and grey eyes. He dresses as a more scholarly sort, in looser fitting clothes that make him seem even thinner than he is, and help to hide the few scars he's accumulated in his lifetime. When he changes to his natural form, however, he is a tall olive-skinned Akarian with a noble bearing.

Typical Equipment: He carries a worn leather messenger bag that carries most of his things. A few spare changes of clothes. A long brown leather coat. A first aid kit, heavily augmented. A few books on genetics. A ceremonial knife. Steel and leather armor, largely ceremonial. A stolen laser pistol.

Special Skills: Tajir is a highly skilled soldier and has been educated as a medical doctor, though he never recieved accredidation.

Back-story and Other Bits of Extra Information: Tajir's assignment is to search the system for a possible cure for his people's affliction, and possibly, a way to reverse the process entirely and allow the Akarians to be true humans again.

Tajir is a Flux, an Akarian with an old bloodline, but as tall and strong as someone freshly turned.