HOMEWORLD Cerus
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS The Escala are similar to humans with the exception of being slightly slimmer, and with skin ranging from white to blue (with blue considered the most attractive). Their eyes range from shades of blue, gray, white, and sometimes a bluish-green. All Escala possess white hair, perhaps with subtle tones. Their brains are highly-developed, and they are naturally adept at analyzing and retaining info. They possess the lifespan of average humans, but their bodies don’t really age beyond their prime. The Escala aren’t very tall, the average height being 5’ 3” for both males and females. Their skin is a bit more sensitive to light, and they’re known to appreciate a relatively cold climate. Meanwhile, their brains are very developed, capable of retaining and interpreting more than that of human brains.
Cerus is divided into 20 states, each ruled by a Scion (the head of each of the 20 houses), an elected leader of each house. The individual governing for each state varies, but the Scion is the recognized leader in each.
RELIGION Atheist; they have long believed that no higher power exists with omnipotence/omniscience.
NAMING CUSTOMS Due to the significance of females in their culture, children traditionally take the name of their mother’s house as the second part of their name, with a first name of any choosing, though they’re generally short (one or two syllables). When they’re written in Common, they’re generally spoken and written with both first and last, connected by a hyphen due to the shortness of the names. Their first names are chosen for phonetic appeal rather than meaning, since the Escala believe that they find meaning through their actions, not by the names they are given at birth.
In Cerus, the 20 houses of which the names are derived are:
1. Al
2. Bek
3. Dan
4. En
5. Gal
6. Han
7. Ine
8. Mur
9. Dez
10. Ur
Additional houses are being decided.
SOCIETAL INFORMATION The Escala of Cerus are a pacifistic, matriarchal culture. They look to acquire more knowledge, and revoke violence. Fighting is unacceptable for the native Escala, and they make no effort to advocate violence, though not everyone of their kind shares this belief. Their culture widely focuses on the importance of academics, and schooling is mandatory on Cerus. Centuries of peace have brought about many period of technological advance, making the Escala one of if not the most technologically advanced race in the Parallel. Plenty of them find themselves aligning with Io as a result.
