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Species Name: Terrisans
Appearance: Terrisans range from darked skinned with a blue tint to maple (plus albino). Their eye colors are orange, brown, and a light-sensitive white. Terrisans are stocky compared to humans, but taller at an average 6'5". Comparatively long necks help with the height difference. They have meaty, almost clumsy hands, but make for the lost dexterity with brute force, and the quick reactions resulting from a more developed "second brain" half-way up the spine. Terrisan hair is much like the range of human hair, except that some Terrisans are more hairy all over, like monkeys.
Diet: Terrisans have underdeveloped canine teeth because of a long history of reduced meat and increased dependence on grains.
Culture/country name(s): Terrisans have one main culture on the moon, where they are called St(o)ns, and several different countries/cultures on Terris itself.

• Cheti - The conquering people that spoke Cheti (see below). As a conquering civilization, the Chetina is dead. However, as an ethnic group whose influence can still be seen in any thing from bluish dark skin tones to one-pot cooking recipes, Chetina is alive and well.
  

Location:

• Terris
  
• St(o)
  

Language and Accent: Terrisans have many different languages but only two main trade languages, spoken by 90% of the total population. Both languages contain a multitude of dense colloquialisms on St(o), many of them relating to religious beliefs there.

• Cheti - Cheti arose as a world language during the first world-wide conquest campaign. Though no one government ever ran the entirety of Terris, Cheti became the first major trade language and many proper names of large cities, and St(o), originate from Cheti. Cheti has a strict consonant-vowel structure and all nouns must end in a simple vowel. The writing resembles the chicken-scratch of the our letter writing system, but has exactly one symbol for each of the 11 vowels and a symbol for each consonant group, so that Ch would actually be one letter.
  
• Nyant - Nyant was propagated throughout the world by a religious system of the same name. Nyant did not spread with Cheti conquering, and in many places spread in opposition to Cheti forces because Nyant was not seen as very useful for true government-level unity. It is guessed that original Nyant never had a writing system until it spread to outside civilizations who already used writing for trade or other purposes. Many foreign writing systems were used to write Nyant, and this practice gives historical insight into old languages and old writing systems that were eventually wiped out by Nyant. The Cheti writing system is also used for writing Nyant, which is still widely used as both a primary language (30% of the world population) and a religious language. A typical Nyant religious scholar will be fluent in Cheti, Nyant, and a local language (if different), and be able to use the Cheti writing system as well as any prevalent local system. Nyant makes ample use of blended consonants (nt, dr) and restricts itself to 7 simple vowels. Dipthongs appear only in dialects where the old local language had a complicated vowel system.
  

Religions:

• Nyant - Nyant spread as a simple religion that easily incorporated the deities of preexisting local beliefs. Nyant encourages religious diversity and the perpetuation of local traditions to some extent, resisting the total assimilation efforts of Cheti conquerors. Nyant began as the worship of a male and a female deity that were equal in power, who together created the animals on a world that already existed-- and later the animals were transformed into people by a moon deity. Early adaptations of Nyant tended to drop the moon deity and perpetuate a male and female couple who were either the parents or the siblings of preexisting local gods. The male and female pair are usually neither particularly caring nor particularly spiteful, worthy of worship but not much involved in day-to-day miracles. At least 30% of the world population is involved in the Nyant religious system, while many others have religious beliefs that were in one way or another influenced by the Nyant. People do not pay as much attention to their gods as they did in generations past, but there are very few true atheists.
  
• Jind - Worship of the star as a manifestation of the supreme God. Jind started on Terris, becoming watered-down and incorporated into Nyant like many other religions. In fact it is believed that the name Jini for the star is a Cheti corruption of the Nyant corruption of whatever the original name was in this religion. Although Jind has never reached world-wide proportions, it has found new life on St(o), where the name of the supreme being is written most often as Jn, but also as Jnd.
  
• The Afterlife -- the most popular view of the afterlife is that it is a series of realms, with death in one leading one to the next, that may go on indefinitely. Sort of like reincarnation, but with infinite worlds to reincarnate on.
  

Internationally Famous People:

Species Name: Human (Homo sapiens)
Appearance: Humans are of varying heights, adults standing between five feet and seven feet tall, the women usually shorter than the men. Their skin ranges between a dark, almost black color, through a range of browns, to a pale and almost completely white tone. Hair color ranges drastically as well, with most humans having variants of blond or brown hair, though some have red or black. Humans also have a penchant for dying their hair any number of colors. Humans stand erect on two legs with their arms by their sides.
Diet: Humans eat meat, vegetables, and fruit, often cooking it first for added flavor. Most humans eat healthily through necessity, as they are a race of colonization and must maintain good health to be useful to the effort.
Culture/country name: There are many different cultures and groups of humans. Due to Earth's destruction, they have spread out amongst the galaxy in small groups in order to colonize as much of it as possible. As such, an exact listing of all the cultures and countries of the humans is impossible to obtain.
Location: Dispersed across the galaxy. There are known colonies on:
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Language and Accent: Most humans speak English, as it was the established language of Earth before the planet's destruction. Different colonies may learn different languages as time goes on.
Laws: Laws are lax in the colonies, usually coming down to the judgment of the colony leader as to whether an action is deserving of punishment and what that punishment should be. Humans tend to be a relatively lawful bunch, being forced to depend on each other to survive tends to keep people out of trouble.
Superstitions and Cultural Norms: Humans are naturally trusting of each other, once again due to the nature of colonies having to work together to survive. That being said, they are also naturally suspicious of other races that they may come across. Superstitions and culture easily change due to the dispersal of humans throughout the galaxy. It is mainly adaptability that shapes humans' culture.
Cultural Sayings: Far too many to mention, as they change with each colony.
Famous People: The only real famous people for the humans as a whole are from Earth. Historical figures from the different nations are popular people to discuss, as well as the people who started the colonization effort. Other than earthborn people, there are a number of famous people that are only known in their own personal colonies. Often the founder of a colony is revered, as are particularly competent colony leaders.
History:
The history of humans spans across the history of Earth. From early cavemen to the era of Egypt and Greece, from the peak of the Roman empire to the steady decline of the United States as a world superpower. Many great nations have risen and fell in the wake of Earth's history. Then Earth fell.

Yellowstone National Park erupted. The entire thing shooting ash, soot, and molten rock into the air, covering the planet in a cloud that quickly choked out all life. The humans had enough time to send out a number of their new faster-than-light jump ships, which they had previously been using to explore the galaxy. These ships carried colonization teams of no more than four people, sent to create life on a new homeworld.

Relativity dictates that these faster-than-light ships would take a lot longer to reach their destinations than it would seem for the people inside, who were placed in suspended animation for months as their ship zipped across the galaxy. By the time the first colonization sites were reached, Earth had been gone for a hundred years.

Humans have begun to spread out and build on their colonies, expanding them into small cities and villages. It has been about fifty years or so since the first colonization ships landed, and more are just landing now.

Species Name: Mastern

Appearance: Humanoid with various colors of skin, hair, and eyes. With their magic, they can also mold their body into any form they choose.

Country name: Gladishel

Location:The world of Ezhmere

Language and Accent: Elder Mastern- Sort of like Latin is to the Roman Catholic church, only used by the Illume.
Mastern- Everyday speech, forbidden to those of the slave caste.
Basic- Used for communication to a slave.

Laws: Humans can only be slaves. The Chancel is the government body, to question the Chancel is to question the Essence itself, which is against the law.
Ranks: Transcendent
Thule-Only five, the head of each element
Marr
Bre
Prior
Rathe-First level of Mastern
Slave-only humans

Cultural Sayings: An Illume member will say "Hallowed is the Essence and those who follow."
which is followed by "Hallowed is the essence and so are we."

Famous People:
Vasheen, Septoch, Eloph, Innurok, and Tunare- First five Thules and prophets for the Essence.

History: The accepted History of the Mastern race is stated in the Tome of Illumination, the holy book for Illumination. This is not, however, the true history.

Book 1 of the Tome of Illumination



1In the beginning, there was nothingness. From that nothingness came everything; life and death, light and darkness, hope and despair. A rift was created, and on that day, the Essence was born.

2Around itself, the Essence created the world, and around the world, the Essence created the heavens, the sun, and the moon.

3Then the Essence made the first Mastern and their tribes, and let them have dominion over the earth. The first Tribes of the Mastern were: Vasheen of Earth, Septoch of Fire, Eloph of Wind, Innurok of Water, and Tunare of Love; named after their chief. For many years these Mastern lived in greatness, generating vast powers, and becoming the greatest of their elements.

4Soon, however, the tribe of Tunare began to show a great and terrible weakness, that of sentiment. The other tribes, angered at this weakness, forced them away. To show displeasure for such weakness, the Essence then made them the race of human to serve the Mastern; and the Mastern saw that this was good.

5Some of the tribe of Tunare remained however, untainted by the weakness. The Essence rewarded those, giving them the tribe of Prexus; named after their leader.

6The Essence, to show that it held the Mastern in great light, brought them closer; giving them the warm, illuminated center of the Earth. Likewise, the Essence gave human the cold, dark outer earth to show its displeasure. This greatly pleased the Mastern.

7But the hatred of those who strayed from the true path festered and bloomed in the dark corners of the world to which they had been cast! And consumed by this hatred, they poisoned all they touched, bringing death, darkness and despair. And the souls of their victims knew no peace.

Species Name: Eliferian

Appearance: Similar to the Zurians due to a common ancestor, the Eliferians have rather varied heights ranging from 6'5" to nearly nine feet. They tend to be rather pale due to their long time away from genuine sunlight; their ears are somewhat pointed, but almost imperceptibly so. Their eye colors are extremely varied, but tend to be very bright. Like the Zurians, they have impressive physical capabilities and high metabolisms, though the modern Eliferians rarely take advantage of their physical capabilities. Their physical strength and endurance is roughly two-thirds that of a typical Zurian. A curious thing about Eliferians is that they have a virtually infinite pain threshold; it is not that they cannot feel pain, but rather that it does not physically affect them in any way.

Diet: Also like the Zurians, Eliferians require a diet high in protein, calories, and glucose. They don't eat quite as much as the Zurians, but they make up for it with the frequency with which they must eat. An Eliferian's digestive system will not stand up to the usual three-meal-a-day pattern; instead, an Eliferian must continually eat small amounts throughout the day. They never sleep for more than three or four hours at a time, and are usually famished when they awake. In their natural patterns, an Eliferian will sleep for four hours at a time, twice a day: Once in the morning, and once in the evening, leaving the Eliferian awake for the day and the nighttime.

Culture/country name: Originally from the now-destroyed world of Elifer, Eliferians now mostly reside on the HSRF, as most of them are part of NEU.

Location: Mostly on the HSRF. There are a number elsewhere, unaffiliated with NEU, but these are rare.

Language and Accent: Most languages of Elifer have died off in the years since the destruction of the planet. As of now, the majority of Eliferians speak Tutian or Verusian; virtually all Eliferians also speak Zurian.

Laws: Eliferians are voluntarily subject to all Zurian laws.

Superstitions and Cultural Norms: In general, Eliferians are a very scientific race, interested mainly in research and science. They don't tend to make good soldiers, because despite their impressive physical capabilities, their minds don't usually stand up very well under intensive military training. There are, of course, exceptions.

Cultural Sayings: TBA

Famous People: Among Eliferians, all the founding minds of NEU are almost universally known.

History: see Hoffnung Spherical Research Facility, under Locations

Species Name: Vienti
Appearance: The Vienti are a humanoid race of reptiles that stand erect on two digigraded legs, with the assistance of a balancing tail, roughly a few inches longer than the torso and head of the individual. Their anatomy is roughly like that of a human's: arms attached to shoulders, a five fingered hand on each arm, aposable thumbs, a normal proportioned neck. The head is different from a human's, as it has a snout, which nostrils are located, instead of a nose. A typical Vienti has ears that share some characteristics of that of a rabbit's ears, though Vienti ears are less floppy, with more of the inner ear exposed. like a bat's. Vienti eyes are large, and very expressive with all sorts of colors documented. Instead of hair, Vienti scalps holds hundreds of flexible spines that are silky to the touch. colors range from green, to blue, to gray, depending on age and sex. There is not much of a physical difference between males and females, since they find each other through pheromones, but the females have a darker color, and are generally a little bigger than males.
X1
Diet: Vienti diet consists mainly of grains, fruits and vegetables. There are many different tastes throughout the many colonies, ranging from spicy, to sweet tastes. Because of standardization, and rigorous colony selection, almost every colony has ample food production. There is rarely planet-wide famine or drought.
Culture/country name: Vienti culture is mainly focused on family values first, and a strong belief in the race as a whole and it's allies second. Thirdly, and the most noticed part of Vienti culture, is it's duty to preservation and standardization of all things within it's territories. From starship production, to pharmaceutical supplies, to the way foodstuffs are processed. Everything runs smoothly, even in conflicting times. Because of standardization, The Vienti race is one of the most technologically advanced race in the tri-galaxy area, their size, slightly smaller than the Zurian territiories
Location:The alpha galaxy: Gurdesh system, Hirgo systems, and Land system (humans encountered here)
Language and Accent: All Vienti speak Gurdesh, though Vienti in the Land System have begun to speak Japanese, English, and Chinese as well.
Laws: Vienti dont have too much trouble with laws, since only an extremist minority break them. The law system in effect in all Vienti colonies and ships are similar to "eye for an eye" laws. Anything done to harm children is a death sentence.
Superstitions and Cultural Norms: Mostly, the Vienti are very open and friendly, embracing and physical touch is a common thing among them. Humans have adapted well into their culture, and many fleet groups are actively searching for the relatively fledgling race, to welcome them into the alliance.
Famous People: Most fleet leadership and government leaders are revered to be the highest upstanding citizens. Other famous people include the founders of the standardization movement, and the scientists who created "free energy", pushing the Vienti into the stars.
History:

Arising from the natural embrace of their home world was hard for many Vienti, but it became necessary to preserve the natural beauty of their home. Starting with just simple physicists and their colleagues, the race to perfect an engine that would take something larger than a small building into the heavens begun. Years passed the planet by and the cities began to edge into their limit zones. pollution began to rize, and even though rigorous measures were being taken, the ice caps slowly began to melt.

Just as the race reached it's ten year mark, an young autistic (the equivalent to a human) intern started working on a formula that would eventually let him create "the perfect sphere" in macrogravitational conditions. in the days that followed, the young intern became a world hero. He had unwittingly created "free energy" or energy that kept on going but did not need recharging or did not run out.

The intern's formula revolutionized not only the power houses of the first fleet, but it revolutionized anything that needed power. And since the energy gave no visible pollution, decades later, the planet was back on it's regular temperature cycle, and still is today.

After the first habitable planet was discovered, the standardization movement began, and the beginnings of the civilization as it is known today began to form.

Centuries later, the civilization still goes strong with the beliefs and morals that it had when it entered space. It's territories were vast, and it's infrastructure matched by none. When a struggling race was discovered on a rocky planet used as a military outpost in the Land system, The Vienti helped them establish their own colony. The refugees called themselves humans. Though they were few at first, their numbers grew and they became an established ally whose numbers steadily grew as they found more of their brethren among other planets in the land system. Through the help of the Vienti, their cultures combined, the Vienti and their standardization and climatory regulations, and the humans with their diversity and adaptability.

As the Vienti maintained their borders, expanding only when necessary, they welcomed all who entered their systems with kindness.

Species Name: The Watchers

Appearance: Slim physique, small head in proportion to it's elongated frame, but is averave human size. Their skin is a pale red and the iris of their eye are varied between colors; Green, Yellow, Silver, and Black. Most will remove their hair early on through psychokinetic manipulation, though several have their hair which resides only on the back of the skull, and is always a jet black. They are taller beings, averaging a height of 7' and their proportions are similar to an exceptionally thin human.

Diet: Eating primarily fruits, with vegetables as a secondary, and drinking succulent wines, they keep their pallets appeased so they may expand their concious mind. The health of every individual is very similar, they experience no disease, and do not carry fats. They are minimal in musclature, so in physical combat, they would be rendered helpless, and as such rely heavily on their mental prowess.

Culture/country name: The Watchers, is both their race and life-path. Having recieved no formal name before The Watchers, this is all they are to be known as. Their primary home is on a highly sophisticated space-craft that had been built, and escaped Valde Firma-Grande before the great rebirth, several millenia ago. They have sent envoys to many worlds, and though this party is small, it is highly self efficient, due to this species reproduction by a highly odd way. When one dies, the Watcher that was closest, by friendship, is to devour their heart, where it's DNA patterns are seperated into a birthing canal, and there it gestates for 4-months, this child is born and kept under close observation for 8 more months, and then it is to be brought to know it's purpose in life, and eventually it's previous knowledges passed to it, expanding their minds always.

Location: Current location of their home vessel is in the Illumina Solar System, the high point of interest is the Siralaf Planet, and a certain traveller that has come to appear there, one that has kept their interests peaked.

Language and Accent: Most often project through their mind, but will probe a person's mind to find the proper wordings to speak with anyone they see fit. When speaking out loud, their voice is soft, and sounds very vibrational. I've recorded a sample of how they would sound, and no I didn't alter it, I just held the mic to my throat: The Watchers

Laws: There are only three laws, but no Watcher shall ever break these laws. The First Law, one must only observe the outside species, though we may have the means to right their ways and create harmony, the Gods of these Galaxies have not willed us to do so. The Second Law, keep your own safe, never lose respect of another Watcher and ensure we all survive as long as we may. The Final Law, when interacting with another species you may introduce yourself as only a Watcher, you are to form no partnership with another species, and in these instances, you must only pose questions and never impart knowledge upon them, the only thing you may give would be a cryptic clue, or riddle.

Superstitions and Cultural Norms: Every Watchers believes the Gods have tasked them with massing all the knowledge in existance, and act according to such, it is believed that to give your knowledge to another may cause you to lose this knowledge, so only when in their dying moment do they give what they know to eachother, these beings live as long as they desire when not falling prey to physical harm, and at the center of this race is The Keeper, a solitary, silent figure whose physical frame carries no muscle, it is a shell to hold a mind, it is fed by tubes and when every Watcher passes, it's knowledge is emparted in entirety to every Watcher, and The Keeper, so all that is known to The Watchers in entirety is known to The Keeper. Every 4000-years of life, a Watcher will slay itself, to 'refresh' it's frame, and allow it to be more receptive of knowledge, the system has been perfected and every 5 years a watcher will pass, keeping the knowledge flow heightened to perfection.

Cultural Sayings: "Your mind, is a Universal scroll, let me know it's tale."

Famous People: The Keeper, has lived from the beginning of this species, and was the one to guide them to the vessel, ensuring they escaped Valde Firma-Grande, beyond this there are none, because every Watcher is important, all respect eachother beyond all else.

History: This species began on the world, Valde Firma-Grande, over 800,000 years ago, at this time the Gods residing over that galaxy had begun to fall prey to the end-games, all had been lost except Fate, who decided that Valde Firma-Grande needed to be reborn. During this time-period magic and machinery co-existed, and created a beautiful society, a utopia of sorts, but Fate found this boring.

At this time, The Keeper was still a simple Watcher, but had come to learn of this plot, and so he led his entire race into the largest space vessel found on the planet, the other species there did not care for them, so it was a swift agreement, and off they went, free from being turned to ash, and becoming soil for the new life-lines.

As they journeyed, seeing other realms, The Keeper came to be titled as their savior, but he knew this was not what he was, so he took up position as The Keeper, to ensure they never lost sight of their purpose, and every 10,000 years he will speak to his people, ensuring that vision is not lost. At this point in time, they work together as one to ensure more and more knowledge is being kept, so as to keep this purpose on track.