Galactic Races

The Milky Way- or as its normally referred to as, 'the Galaxy', is home to a vast variety of species with different talents, needs, and cultures. From the galactic norm of humanoids to amorphous masses, there are many different shapes among sentient beings.

Humanity
One of the most common races throughout the Galaxy, humans were one of the first modern species to reach the stars, thanks to the wreckage of a Ark on their home planet of Earth. Humans are not a uniform species however, as there are numerous subspecies that were formed because of events in the past of humanity and their surprising susceptibility to the Veil. Because of that, there are distinct subgroups with their own cultures in humanity, so people tend not to be too quick to judge most humans to avoid over stepping boundaries from some sort of obscure subculture.

Prime Humans
'Prime Humans', otherwise just known as Primes, describe those humans who were not affected by the rampant changes in humanities past. Primes are one of the largest groups within humanity, thanks to the efforts of the Autherias family to keep humanity as intact as possible. The Primes make up what many consider the galactic standard for what is considered average, since the Primes are one of the best you can find to display exactly what average means. They aren't really great at anything, but they aren't bad at anything either. Yet there are cases where Primes completely break past expectations and become the best of the best in their fields, and its these examples of savants/geniuses that make the Primes so respected.

Its common knowledge that there is a widespread notion of Prime Supremacy among Primes. Where they view other human sub types as lesser to their own, 'pure' humanity. The Prime Supremacy movement is most common in the Inner Sector Alliance, and many suggest that its the source of the movement because of the Inner Sector Alliance being founded by Primes. Needless to say, Prime Supremacy is a movement that is very troubling, as it threatens to uproot the balance in human society and turn it on its head.

Prime humans don't have a defining culture, most families instead have their own little bits-and-pieces from other current human cultures or ancient human cultures of Earth. Prime Humans are known for being more family centered than other human subspecies.

Templar
The Templar are a form of humanity that hails from Titan, one of the many moons of Jupiter. The Templar are one of the oldest distinctions from humanity, genetically modified to be able to withstand the yet-to-be fully terraformed moon. The Templar once were a highly materialistic and war focused society, obsessed with the honing of battle tactics to fend off monstrous entities that were foretold to arrive to the Solar System by early settlers of Titan. And when The Day the Sun Stood Still arrived, the Templar rapidly mobilized. Materialistic values flipped over to intense spiritual dogma as their fleets descended on Earth to try and cull the hordes of now changed humans. It was a massacre, with roughly 30% of the Templar population dying within the first few days of trying to cull the monstrous hordes, and a further 10% following soon after by the rapidly spreading Veil rift engulfing the solar system. The Templar are few and far between now, but their robust physique and no-nonsense attitude make their ancestry obvious with time.

The Templar are designed to withstand much rougher climates than the Primes they are descended from. More adapted to less oxygen, can go longer with less amounts of food, and generally don't need much water to sustain themselves. The Templar are also slower to grow, and most Templar only reach what is officially considered to be adult age by 24. While Templar are physically robust and strong, they lack the capability to heal as fast as most humans do, so they have to rely on medications to help improve that speed and close wounds in a decent amount of time. Otherwise, it may take a few weeks for the smallest of wounds to actually heal over properly.

The Templar dogma continues on in current Templar families, spiritual (and physical) purity and the honor of a warrior is one of their main concerns. Due to their concern over purity, the Templar are very defensive and often aggressive when in the presence of Veil-Touched and especially the Fel. Their ancient duty to try and maintain the purity of the human race failed, and the scars embedded within them still sting when they see those effected by that day.

Mashina
The Mashina are a group of humans renowned for their development and dependence on cybernetics. Descendants of Russian explorers and settlers, they found that the human body simply wasn't able to stand up against the conditions they were expected to face. Thus, they began to rely on cybernetics to help them get things done. This reliance was reinforced by further generations becoming weaker but smarter. While natural Mashina bodies are generally frail and lanky, they have staggering amounts of compatibility with cybernetics, allowing the vast majority of their body to be replaced with machinery. Their brains also help in such a process, since their reasoning and memorization capabilities exceed most other human subgroups. The Mashina pride themselves on cybernetics and machinery in general, and show great respect to machines. To disrespect the machines is to disrespect the Mashina, thus why many humans are careful not to openly disrespect machines.

Mashina treat their cybernetics far better than most would, taking a great deal of time out of their day to make sure they are well maintained. This has the positive effect of making it far harder for their cybernetics to have some sort of problem, but the ritualistic nature of this makes it difficult to try and get them to do anything in the time they spend maintaining their cybernetics.

The Mashina are known for their good relations with Synthetics, and Mashina communities are usually full of Synthetics who wish to be more part of a friendly organic society. Mashina fiercely defend their machine comrades, refusing to let them be taken advantage of. The Mashina are often treated with skepticism due to this reason, as choosing to side with the menial labor machines is very odd in the eyes of the galactic community. Yet, in the eyes of the Mashina, being friends with thinking machines is one of the greatest honors they can experience.

Lumin
The Lumin are a particularly strange subrace of humanity, displaying a strong form of bioluminescence and a ability to manipulate light itself. The exact origins of the Lumin came from miners in Earth's solar system, who decided to take advantage of genetic modding to produce a minor amount of bioluminescence. However, the Day the Sun Stood Still caused a mutation within that genetic coding, supercharging that bioluminescence to the point it made their whole bodies glow very noticeably light blue. On top of their strong bioluminescence, certain Lumin are capable of generating orbs or trails of light through the air. These Trace-Lumin are usually hired to provide light during expeditions and other situations where emergency light sources may be needed.

The Lumin also have the odd ability of being completely immune to illusions. Perhaps because they notice that they are simply tricks of the light, no mental effects can be brought on by the illusions of Impetu Magus or creatures from Dungeons. Because of the mutations within the bioluminescence genetics, the Lumin have generated a dependency on light exposure. They require at least some exposure to natural or artificial light to remain healthy, and being deprived of it for long can make them ill.

Like Prime Humans, the Lumin tend to have a melting pot of cultures. Not particularly strong in their identity. Yet certain Lumin pride themselves on being honest workers, creating a subculture of workers within the Lumin who take their jobs very seriously, and enjoy themselves while doing it.

Veil-Touched
The Veil-Touched, or Silvered, are the descendants of those who were exposed to the Veil during the start of the Day the Sun Stood Still, but managed to escape before the main event really started. The Veil-Touched are known to develop monstrous traits, which could be considered a more exaggerated form of Weave bloodline traits without the Weave powers. The Veil-Touched manifest certain superhuman qualities depending on what exactly their traits are, but they all universally share a very violent tendency when exposed to the Veil. Known as the "Silvered Rage", the Veil-Touched become uncontrollable when exposed to the energies of the Veil, visions of the Silver Sun flash through their minds as the world is engulfed in a bloody haze and everyone else is but a monster in their eyes.

The Veil-Touched are the second largest group within Humanity, and are spread across many empires. Though, they are most concentrated within the Inner Sector Alliance. Veil-Touched are feared by other races, due to their supernatural qualities and monstrous appearances. Much like Magus, the Veil-Touched are given room to do their things by non-humans. Veil-Touched are very sensitive to being compared to the Fel, as even they fear those with the blood of the Voidborne.

The Veil-Touched are a very adventurous people, and they make up a majority of those found in the parties that head out to explore for things like Dungeons and Relic Worlds. Many Veil-Touched have the past-time of exploring local dungeons, and if they have the chance of a job to go and do it, many take it. Some people believe that this 'adventurous nature' is another byproduct of exposure to the Veil, but there isn't much evidence to support it.. or deny it.

Fel
Those with the blood of the other side. The Fel are humans with a Voidborne ancestor, one who blended in and hid among the human refugees that traveled into the stars. The Fel appear to be average humans during most of their life, but once they are exposed to the Veil, they become Awakened Fel. Awakened Fel develop the qualities of their Voidborne blood, and develop both superhuman qualities and psychotic tendencies. The mind of a Awakened Fel is caught halfway between the standard thinking of those in reality, and the alien thoughts of the Voidborne. Even after the process of becoming a Awakened Fel they often display traits of their non-monstrous side, may that be of a Templar, Veil-Touched, or some other form of humanity. Some Fel are descended from the walking calamities known as Demiurges, making them both part of a Fel bloodline and a Weave bloodline from their Demiurge ancestor. It is the Fel with Demiurge ancestry which may be able to wield Kenos, if their Demiurge ancestor was a Kenos Demiurge.

The fear of the Fel is very real throughout humanity, as its a ever present reminder of the calamitous event that sundered their early empire open at the seams. The Awakened Fel are often shunned and exiled from planets, destined to have to seek refuge. Some Fel gravitate to the criminal underworld and fill positions of hitmen or bodyguards for the elite in the criminal underworld, due to their incredible strength and size. They may also form small groups on the fringes of planets, or even go and find Dungeons to take up residence in. The Fel, while innately violent to some extent and prone to being unable to understand 'normal' people, seek to find themselves and form communities. They often take up numerous hobbies and try to express themselves to their peers in their communities. And while these Fel communities are small, they are extremely tight knit. After all, all they have is each other to spend their time with once they are shunned by everyone else.

Sselth
The Sselth are a species of insectoids, the vast majority of them being part of the Hivemind that governs the Ssilvin Swarm. The Sselth are respected and feared due to their ability to grow stronger through devouring the corpses of others. They steal desirable traits from eating enough genetic material, and adapt to their environments with ease. The only thing that stops the Ssilvin Swarm from rapidly taking over adjacent empires is their staggering weakness to Impetu Magus. Even a single Sselth of the Hivemind getting hit by a Impetu's illusions can cause a cascading effect through other nearby members of the Hivemind. Although its rare- and needless to say, hard to achieve- a Sselth can steal the bloodline from a Magus if they eat enough of them. Said Magus bloodline stealing technique is the only way that a Sselth can become a Magus, as there are no natural Magus bloodlines within the Ssilvin Swarm.

A Sselth is born as a Neonate, only somewhat humanoid and around the size of a standard human child. The Neonate's job is to collect the genetic material supplied to it by the Ssilvin Swarm and grow up into one of the various Castes. The Hiver Caste consists of unspecialized Sselth that regulate the inner workings of the Hives and provides a emergency militia in dire times. The Worker Caste consists of Sselth with considerably more muscle mass, usually working as miners, factory workers, and crewmen for ships. The Soldier Caste consists of Sselth with slightly higher muscle mass, and specialized brains adapted to making quick decisions. The Royal Caste consists of Sselth with frail bodies but artificially massive intellects, the Royal Caste generates the 'backbone' of the Hivemind by being hubs of processing speed for the Hivemind.

Some Sselth are separate from the Hivemind, severed as a Neonate by the mental backlash of being exposed to a Impetu Magus. Those not part of the Hivemind are kicked out from the Ssilvin Swarm, forced to go and find other empires to be part of. Even among those other empires, they are required to undergo screening by a Impetu Magus. Those Sselth part of the Hivemind display the thoughts of it- completely blinding a Impetu Magus if they gaze upon them. Those separate from it only display their own thoughts to a Impetu Magus, making them easily identifiable. Sselth that pass the screening receive a Impetu Certificate that allows them to travel through other empires freely.

The Sselth, true to their ability as a Hivemind, are the only race capable of communication through Telepathy- something that normally only Impetu are capable of. Sselth Telepathy is notably disorienting to those who haven't experienced it before, as its a much more direct and powerful link than those forged by Impetu.

The Sselth hail from the planet of Ul, a large desert planet.

Vaskarr
Ruthless, violent, and uncaring are the words commonly used to describe the Vaskarr. The Vaskarr hail from the brutal world of Krarr, a planet covered in Tundra and sheets of ice. These hot blooded reptilians are one of the strongest among the races of the galaxy, coupled with their enhanced senses they became one of the most efficient fighting forces when they reached the stars. However, there are two things that dramatically limited the ability of the Vaskarr to rise to glory. First of all, the Vaskarr are bound to cold planets, as its only in the cold of these tundras that a Vaskarr can manage to produce young. Second of all, a early war with the Ssilvin Swarm blocked their expansion to get more of these essential planets. Only thanks to the intervention of the Ulunon did they avoid total annihilation. The identity of the Vaskarr became fragmented, their pride shattered from being defeated so ruthlessly. But thanks to some particularly ruthless Vaskarr, they soon began to make a new name for themselves. As mercenaries.

From early in a Vaskarr's life, they are raised to become efficient and brutal. Vaskarr are separated from their parents and brought to large facilities commonly known as 'The Pits'. Its in Pits that they are taught to value the strong, and despise the weak. They are put through rigorous strength building programs, fed a nutrient solution, and taught the various elements of combat. The strongest rise to the forefront of these young, while the weak struggle to keep up. While the weak are forced to work harder to become stronger, the already strong receive more special treatment- cybernetic enhancements, food other than nutrient solutions, and decent living spaces. When a Vaskarr is let loose from the Pits is up to the management of said Pit.

The strongest among Vaskarr society are the Apex, towering over their fellow Vaskarr, with both a strength and temper to match. The Apex are a mutation among the Vaskarr, while it makes their physical strength sky rocket, their mental development lags behind. Simply put, Apex Vaskarr are mentally stunted by obscenely strong. They are treated with honor among the Vaskarr, as they are walking beacons of strength which could crush even the most armored opponent if given the time.

The Vaskarr communicate through various pitches of growls, grumbles, and snarls. Many of the noises Vaskarr use to communicate are imperceptible to most races as they go outside of the range they can hear. Because of most not being able to understand or use their language, the Vaskarr employ the use of a translator, turning the pitches and noises of their language into the closest meaning of whatever programmed language is in it.

Molakk
An old offshoot of the Vaskarr, the Molakk are a subset of genetically engineered Vaskarr with a culture of their own. Originally intended by the Vaskarr to be a step towards removing their dependency on cold planets, the Molakk were designed from a combination of Vaskarr and typical warm blooded lizards. However, this genetic combination proved to harbor too many unfavorable traits according to the Vaskarr. Recognizing they still had fighting spirit, the Vaskarr opted to send them off to the stars on a probable death mission instead of getting rid of them the old fashioned way. Though as it would turn out, the Molakk shared the same incredible stubbornness as their forbearers, and survived on the sun scorched dust ball they were sent to. In fact, they thrived. Robbed of their original technology, the Molakk battled over the dunes of Mirakk as raiding clans for centuries. The only reason they were removed from this lifestyle was when an ISA ship descended onto the planet in an effort of establishing first contact with a "new species". Their ship was promptly stolen, and the crew forced to wander the dunes. The Molakk are almost a caricature of the Vaskarr. While the Vaskarr are mercenaries, adapted to life through space, the Molakk are rudimentary and primal raiders that emphasize bloodshed for the sake of bloodshed more than actual prowess in combat.

A typical Molakk lives their life as any good Molakk would, and that is a life full of bloody combat and revelry. Their culture is consumed in bloodlust, and the usual grim atrocities of war are seen more as a commonplace fact of life in Molakk culture. Wearing the skulls of their people and even cannibalism isn't seen as taboo, which often is very unsettling and upsetting to the more modern folk of the galaxy. From childhood to their twilight years, the most common events in their day-to-day is fighting and celebrating. The vast majority of Molakk aren't educated, with only a small percentage of them knowing how to read galactic common. Those educated few tend to form the cultural center of their local community, as the only ones capable of keeping records and recording knowledge of their daily activities. On the galactic stage, Molakk are very common among the lower echelons of pirates. Always eager to a fight and never shying away from bloodshed, they serve as the perfect frontline in the bloody business of piracy.

The Molakk maintain the enhanced senses of their Vaskarr ancestors, but lack in their prestigious strength. Instead, the Molakk have an uncanny level of dexterity and flexibility. While they don't hurt hard, they sure can hit fast. The more problematic side of the Molakk is their demeanor. Not many people are willing to work alongside these bloodyhanded warriors, their eagerness to spill blood making them hard to approach for the average person. Their keeping of grim trophies such as teeth, skulls, and other mementos can also ruin the mood for those who don't follow a similar lifestyle to them. They also have a habit of not knowing how to use most tech, let alone how to read.

Much like the Vaskarr, the Molakk communicate through various pitches of growls, grumbles, and snarls. While they may seem similar, a trained ear would notice that the Molakk have an overall higher pitch to their repertoire of noises. Most Molakk are quite offended when someone asks or claims that the Vaskarr and Molakk communicate the same way. A Molakk's way of communication is essentially a separate language from how the Vaskarr communicate, even if they sound similar to those outside of their races.

Ulunon
Considered as one of the eldest among the races, the Ulunon established themselves among the stars as a very wise people of tradesman, and as the figure head of the only true rival for the ISA, the Axol Union. And while its true that the Ulunon are a wise people, that is only half of their true nature. While its not widely known, most of Ulunon history is consumed with coups and political backstabbing. The Ulunon are extremely manipulative by nature, unafraid to lie and worm their way through any situation. Backroom deals supply the Axol Union and the Ulunon people with resources and various items that other empires would go to war over- which has nearly happened a few times before. The pursuit and growth of power and profit are two of the main goals that come up with just about any Ulunon, since its been a teaching passed down from one generation to the next.

Most of a Ulunon's early life is comprised of schooling, being taught the essentials of Ulunon history and also the mercantile lifestyle that they follow. After that, most of them are expected to enter into some sort of trade to either support the industry, or help run the market of the Axol Union. It's rare for a Ulunon to go into a more scientific position, considering how almost all of their technology comes from other sources, or the Grilin within the Axol Union.

While the Ulunon have smarts and manipulative skills, they are lacking in the physical department. On top of that, the Ulunon are adapted to a oceanic home. Simply put, they have no lungs. So, they have to use some form of environmental suit on the vast majority of worlds. Because of the cost associated with buying environmental suits, its rare to see a Ulunon outside of their own worlds or the ocean worlds of other empires.

Ulunon communicate through extremely low rumbles and facial ques, the sounds being impossible to replicate by the vast majority of races. Because of just how difficult it is to talk to a customer when they can't understand you, the Ulunon were one of the first to employ the use of translating technology. The Ulunon are taught how to use these translators within their schooling, and are quite adept at getting across their message without the use of facial ques.

Grilin
The Grilin are one of a few cases of Crystalline beings, and they are particularly robust in comparison to other examples. They are more resistant to kinetic weaponry, have the surprising ability of regenerating limbs if they submerge into a mineral solution for a few weeks, and are capable of manipulating their outer limbs to a minor extent. Other than being far more sturdy than a typical race, the Grilin are renowned across the galaxy for their abilities in creating just about anything. Grilin possess a uncanny ability to effortlessly memorize the many aspects of just about any form of job that involves creation (gunsmiths, fabricators, traditional smiths, roboticists, etc). This talent caught the eye of the Ulunon, who brought the early Grilin people of Astroth into the Axol Union. Since then they have continued to improve their craft and pass down the methods and knowledge to the next generation. All Grilin are expected to pick up some sort of craft, and those that don't are often not treated well by other Grilin. Since those Grilin who don't accept taking up a craft are seen to be forsaking the ideals of their ancestors. The Grilin follow a strict code of ancestral worship, the greatest of craftsmen in a Grilin family line are remembered for thousands of years past their death and are treated as a source of divine inspiration. Certain outlier Grilin families may also venerate their ancestors for other reasons than craftsmanship.

The Grilin are one of the few races in the galaxy that reproduce Asexually, through a process of breaking off a fragment of themselves and planting it within the ground. These fragments grow over several decades, their hue and form changing depending on the materials found in the ground they grow within. Once they emerge, they are brought to the home of their family and are shown the various crafts that the family excel at. These newly emerged Grilin are expected to find one of these crafts to call their own, and begin learning the processes behind them. They will eventually be tested by the Grilin of their family, and are expected to make a master craft item to present to them.

While the Grilin excel in their robust nature and their craftsmanship, their strange diet and lack of strength confine their usefulness. Grilin are lithovores, meaning that they have to consume just minerals. They are incapable of digesting anything of organic nature, so they have to have food with them they can eat otherwise they risk physically degrading from a lack of mineral intake. Grilin are, despite how robust they are, very weak. Melee combat is not something a Grilin excels in, unless they spend a lot of extra money on getting a combat suit that can supplement their lack of strength.

Despite their very alien appearance, the Grilin communicate much the same as humans do. Granted, their crystalline vocal cords are often unable to withstand excessive amounts of talking. Thus, Grilin usually talk in very short and sparing sentences, as too much talking can cause problems.

Ghuln
A unparalleled galactic mystery, the origins of the Ghuln are completely unknown. Many theories have been proposed, such as them being some form of Precursor genetic experiment, but there has been no evidence found to suggest if any given theory is correct. One of the Ghuln's many skills is their ability to produce a potent poison, which they can administer through either their claws or their teeth. The Ghuln excel at being a psychological weapon, their terrifying appearance is accompanied by a feeling of dread that is always present regardless of their form being covered. Few people would ever want to accompany a Ghuln for any extended length of time, as their unnerving presence has a habit of severely stressing people out. Yet their supernatural presence is nowhere near the crowning jewel of their abilities. Their true 'superpower', is genetic memory. Each and every Ghuln is capable of recalling the events of their ancestors. They are walking libraries of history and lore from around the galaxy. Notably, however, the maximum a Ghuln can call back to is 17 generations ago, or as its known to the Ghuln, 'the First'. There is no memories beyond the First, and for all the Ghuln can tell, the First simply popped into existence. The Ghuln don't have a empire or a identity to call their own, so for most of their lives they simply wander from empire to empire.

Biological processes are a mostly foreign idea to the Ghuln, the only thing they have to do to actually keep alive would be eating and drinking. The Ghuln are carnivorous, and their iron stomachs are even able to withstand the microorganism battleground that is Carrion. They require a extreme amount of food to sustain themselves, which is odd considering how little mass they actually have. Ghuln don't need nearly as much water as they do food, and can store water for far longer than other races can.

Ghuln don't really need any form of teaching, because as soon as they come into the world they are already equipped with the knowledge of their ancestors. The Ghuln are accompanied with a strange phenomenon, where the moment that the child reaches exactly 1 year of age, both of the parents will spontaneously die. Due to the rapid growth of a Ghuln when they are in their childhood, they have no problem surviving even at such a extremely young age. Notably, because of this spontaneous death, it would logically mean that the Ghuln population should be in a state of decline, because the parents would only be able to have one child before they pass away. Yet, the documented Ghuln population somehow manages to stay at roughly the same level throughout the years.

Ghuln have extremely adaptive vocal cords, letting them speak essentially any language in the galaxy. In most cases they can speak those languages even before meeting the race in question, thanks to their genetic memory. Testing on the Ghuln also shows that they have a ability for mimicry, allowing them to replicate noises they've heard.

Laws
The Laws are beings created from the interactions of the Veil on reality, their home planet of Tribunal is home to the infinite class dungeon called the Court. This dungeon slowly seeped the Veil out into reality, from which overtime the Laws emerged. The Court is not a dungeon in the eyes of the Laws, it is the holy ground from which they were forged in the image of their deities. The Laws have three deities, or as they call them, Judges. Those Judges are Tyranny, Democracy, and Anarchy. Tyranny is the embodiment of absolute rule, the one who created the absolutes of reality, and the one that enforces it with a iron fist. Democracy is the embodiment of equal rule, the one who created change through interaction within reality, and the one that is always willing to hear a opinion. Anarchy is the embodiment of no rule, the one who breaks the rules down to their basic aspects, and is there to tear down what is deemed unimportant. Tyranny is represented by a closed, upwards facing fist. Democracy is represented by a forward facing, open palm. Anarchy is represented by a downwards, pointing hand. Each Law decides at some point in their life as to which of the Judges they wish to dedicate themselves to. Strangely enough, this dedication actually changes the Law, giving them different abilities depending on which Judge they dedicated them self to. Almost all Laws are very devoted to their deities, and this is reflected heavily in just about every aspect of their society. Regardless of differences between Laws following different Judges, all Laws share the common ability of not having any biological process, and the common weakness of having extremely slow healing.

Laws dedicated to Tyranny are known as hardhearted warriors. Their strength is magnified, their speed is increased, and their reaction time gains a minor improvement. Few can match a Tyrannical Law in combat, let alone get out of it unscathed. However, Tyrannical Laws lack greatly in empathetic abilities, and are incredibly bad at any sort of persuasion or deception.

Laws dedicated to Democracy are known as caring negotiators with a supernatural twist. They are blessed with a silver tongue, they are capable of seeing through deception, and they can call upon the power of Democracy to temporarily disarm those in range. Democratic Laws move through political gatherings with a air of importance that few can ever hope to match. Although, Democratic Laws are very lacking in the physical department, and they suffer from guilt if they ever have to force someones hand without their opinion.

Laws dedicated to Anarchy are the cleaners of society, those who take it upon themselves to enact change regardless of others opinions. Their strength is better compared to the average person, they can worm their way through just about anything with half truths, and a ability to temporarily silence others. Anarchist Laws ride the line between the domains of the other two Judges, doing their best to erase any conflict found between the two sides as to keep things stable. Anarchist Laws suffer from one major flaw, the fickle nature of their Judge is embodied in their own bodies, with them being exceptionally susceptible to damage.

How exactly a Law manages to talk isn't obvious, but they are able to replicate just about any language if they are given the time.

O'Li'Un
From the outer reaches of the galaxy, the O'Li'Un test exactly what can be considered a living thing. This strange amalgamation between organic and inorganic is capable of wielding electricity to a frightening extent. The O'Li'Un are walking generators, capable of producing massive amounts of electricity, easily to a lethal extent for those they don't like. The more stored fuel a O'Li'Un has, the more outrageous they can make their electricity based abilities. Ranging from generating static electricity to shooting bolts of lightning from their face. Now despite their fantastical abilities, the O'Li'Un notably lack eyes. However, the O'Li'Un have various methods of sensing their surroundings. May that be through electroreception, magnetoreception, or echolocation. In general, despite the lack of sight, its hard to escape the detection of the O'Li'Un. Because of the lack of any hands, its very hard for a O'Li'Un to use any form of tool. This is why O'Li'Un are usually outfitted with some sort of Cybernetics to help them interact with their environment like other races. The O'Li'Un are built like a living battering ram, and very little can slow them down in combat when they really get going.

The O'Li'Un don't reproduce at all, instead the worlds that high concentrations of O'Li'Un live on will randomly begin to produce new O'Li'Un from the ground. Exactly why this happens is still being studied by scientists interested in the O'Li'Un. Newly 'grown' O'Li'Un are adopted into a family that is interested in taking them in, these families usually averaging upwards of 12 O'Li'Un. These families aren't binding either, and sometimes O'Li'Un simply up and leave a certain family to go and join another that they think would be better for them. The O'Li'Un are omnivorous, requiring quite a bit of food to keep going. They also store food, which they 'burn' to produce the electricity they use. When a O'Li'Un dies, the organic bits within die, while the outer inorganic mass is left.

O'Li'Un often migrate across worlds when they deem that the one they are on no longer serves a purpose to them, massive groups of them gathering together and getting ships to travel them to the next destination. These migratory groups may split apart at some point in the journey, where one continues to head towards the original destination while the other goes to check another potential location. In the end, these migrations serve to find new land to host O'Li'Un population. The O'Li'Un are spiritualistic when it comes to electricity, depicting it as a unifying energy that flows through all things, and it connects all things together in return.

The O'Li'Un communicate in short bursts of words, making conversations with them often times far more difficult than conversations with other races.

Synthetics
Synthetics, seen just about anywhere in the Galaxy. Synthetics describe just about any robot that has some form of intelligence. Ranging from simple maintenance robots hooked up with rough coding, to fully fledged artificial intelligence wielding butlers. From massive walking platforms to the smallest cleaning robot. Synthetics are easily the most diverse race in the galaxy, as they are designed and created, not born. The uses of a Synthetic are nearly endless, and even if you can't find the one you need, you can have it made instead by someone who knows how to do it. The strengths and weaknesses of a Synthetic are completely dependent on what they are designed to do, but there are some baseline strengths and weaknesses that all Synthetics follow. They have no biological processes, but instead they require electricity to run.

Synthetics were first designed and used by early Humans on Earth, dating far back before the times that the Void Drive was discovered. Since then Synthetics have become a essential tool to the running of just about any empire. Menial work is almost completely made up of Synthetics, with higher up positions being given to organics to help manage them encase any sort of errors occur.

One of the greatest debates in Galactic history has been Synthetic rights, over if they should have some form of protection, or if they should still be treated as tools as they currently are. Currently, only officially registered Technikos Synthetics are recognized as proper sentients, while the rest of Synthetics are considered to be tools regardless of what level of intelligence they possess. After all, the vast majority of Synthetic don't have feelings for them to not like the treatment they are getting.

Synthetics can communicate in just about any language, as long as they are programmed to and are given the right tech to communicate with.

Alsakraz
Part of the far wider ‘Los-thl’, the Alsakraz are an ancient people, born shortly after the cataclysm that wiped the galaxy of the Precursor Empires. The Alsakraz were ‘born’ on the world of Ma-os, which they shared with the primitive form of the Ggolzol which still retained their murderous Voidborne instincts. Much of early Alsakraz history was the intense survival between them and the Ggolzol, as both of them struggled to get their hands on what they could on the ruinous world of Ma-os. As they both developed into true civilizations, this hatred and slaughter persisted until the arrival of the ‘Leph’ (Shadowed in Lilak). These creatures of shadow threw the usual struggle between the two races into a free for all. The ensuing conflict whittled away at the supplies both races had, until they were forced to make a reluctant peace to combat a common foe. Over the course of the next few decades, the hordes of Leph would eventually be pushed back to the dungeon entrance they came from. This dungeon, named ‘Lephrlot’ (Shadowed Gate in Lilak), was plundered by a combined army of the two races, leading to the discovery of the dungeon’s nature, and also the powerful artifact contained within, ‘Na-tl’, a great weapon of shadow capable of creating gates to Dungeons. The Alsakraz, since their arrival to the interstellar stage, have become the peacekeepers and main force that keeps the great nations of Los-thl together. The unique madness that consumes most of the empire is found simultaneously at its strongest and weakest within the Alsakraz, as they may be babbling fanatics or the most stalwart of warriors.

The Alsakraz are spawned forth from the sacred primordial sludge of Okilo- their patron god of spawning and wisdom. The strange black ooze, which was first found on Ma-os, converts any partially or fully sentient life into the Alsakraz. However, they come out of the ooze in a partially undeveloped state. While still in this undeveloped state they are paired into a group of seven, their ‘Chot’, or in galactic common, ‘Host’. They must undergo the Rite of Okilo, where they climb the stairs of the temple they are spawned in front of. Through this Rite, they learn the value of companionship in their Chot by helping each other reach the top, as it’s nigh impossible to reach it alone in their undeveloped state. At the top, they are blessed by a Shaman of Okilo, who then submerges them in a secondary pool of the primordial sludge to complete their development into Alsakraz. Alsakraz stay with their Chot, and usually find the same job so they can stay as one group. However, it isn’t too uncommon for Alsakraz to split off from their Chot, for various reasons.

The Alsakraz’s main strength is reaction time, able to perceive and process things far faster than others races can. They also have minor increases to their strength and speed, which were useful in their earlier days of survival, and are still useful now. The Alsakraz are limited by their one sided adaptation to Ma-os, as its polluted environment is far different compared to another other planet. Thus, they require enviro-protection suits, or armor with built in features akin to an enviro-protection suit, to survive just about any environment that isn’t built to mimic Ma-os.

Ggolzol
Part of the far wider ‘Los-thl’, the Ggolzol are the remnants of Voidborne trapped in this reality. Due to the machinations of the Nog’aakar precursors and their strange, tortuous devices, some Voidborne were stripped of their ability to cross through the Veil back to their own reality after the events of the culling. These Voidborne were trapped on Ma-os, with the early ancestors of the Alsakraz. The Ggolzol were the apex predators of Ma-os in their early history, as their otherworldly abilities and strength far surpassed those of the native inhabitants. However, the Alsakraz were always able to best them in some way as to stay alive, earning both the Ggolzol’s resentment and admiration. As time marched on, the Ggolzol slowly were molded by the conditions of Ma-os and reality, losing some of their otherworldly abilities in favour of being able to adapt to this new environment. Despite losing their early Voidborne instincts, the Ggolzol still had a deeply rooted resentment towards the Alsakraz, and continued to fight them because of that. However, the arrival of the ‘Leph’ (Shadowed in Lilak), turn the stalemate of the conflict into an all out free for all. The Ggolzol no longer had the edge they had that would let them overcome this new shadowy enemy. As their resources dwindled, they made an uneasy peace with the Alsakraz to combat their common enemy. Over the next few decades, the hordes of Leph are eventually pushed back to the dungeon they came from. ‘Lephrlot’ (Shadowed Gate in Lilak) was the given name of this dungeon, and together the Ggolzol and Alsakraz marched forth into its halls to forever silence their enemy. Through this, the two races found out how dungeons work, and also found a powerful artifact within. ‘Na-tl’, a great weapon of shadow capable of rending the space between realms and pulling forth a dungeon. Since the Ggolzol and Alsakraz arrived to the interstellar stage, the Ggolzol have become the figurehead of the Los-thl, spiritual and political leaders who are greatly respected by the people. Most of the time.

The Ggolzol are spawned forth from the ‘Yg'thosorlati’ (Void in Lilak), ancient contraptions that in ways mimic Dungeon gates. The Yg’thosorlati pulls from the energy in the environment, leaching life from the living and stealing the energy from electronics. Once it reaches a critical point, the Yg’thosorlati releases a new Ggolzol. Already fully matured and equipped with basic knowledge upon being spawned, the only thing that stops a Ggolzol from starting a new life is needing knowledge. These new Ggolzol are pulled into temples to their patron deity, Datulzsa the god of the Abyss and Light. In these temples they are educated in the essentials of life, and the life of the Los-thl citizens. Once their education is complete, the Ggolzol are taught by a Shaman of Datulzsa how to use their Sanctification.

The Ggolzol’s main strength is their mind. While they mostly lost the alien thinking of their Voidborne ancestors, they make up for it with an easier ability to memorize and quicker thinking. The remaining alien thoughts they possess and improved mental capability blends together to form a strange mindscape that makes the Ggolzol unmatched in their ability to comprehend and contemplate. Although, the Ggolzol also have two other talents. They have a natural, albeit tiny, Void Field that protects them from the effects of the Veil while it lasts. And they also have the ability to ‘Sanctify’, where they imbue an object with the strange ethereal wisps they possess. Sanctification prevents any form of tracking, identification, or forced teleportation of the object. Larger objects may require multiple Ggolzol to sanctify it. The Ggolzol do not normally eat, instead they must absorb the energy from their environment, may that be from living things or electricity. On top of their odd diet, they have a mighty appetite, which requires substantial amounts of energy to satiate. Sanctification and the use of their Void Field heavily drains the energy they have stored.

At'zhu
Part of the far wider ‘Los-thl’, the At’zhu were raised from primitive abominations into the proud shapers of the flesh they now are. The primitive form of the At’zhu were, simply put, the genetic failures left behind by the Nog’aakar’s rampant experiments. The Alsakraz and Ggolzol found these creatures and decided to try and bring them out of their suffering. Through extensive use of genetic modification, the At’zhu are uplifted to a point that they can be called true sentients. Despite the genetic engineering, by the very nature of their DNA, they are genetic aberrations. Limbs deform into terrifying appendages that prove to be brutally effective, bones jut out of flesh and weave together into secondary sets of outer ribs, the horrifying extents that the At’zhu body can go to are limitless. Interestingly enough, despite the rampant mutations the At’zhu experience, their mutations never result in cancer or any sort of outright harmful effect. The Alsakraz and Ggolzol welcome the At’zhu into their empire, and they become the third race to be a part of its ranks. As part of Los-thl, the At’zhu are commonly found in their calling as ‘flesh crafters’, weaving together organic material into all manners of living- yet functioning- objects, may they be weapons, armor, or even ships.

The At’zhu are artificially made through cloning, as they have no means to reproduce by themselves and they have no distinguishable sexes. Despite being clones, every single At’zhu soon mutates after their initial creation, essentially becoming a different being compared to its progenitor. These cloning vats are patrolled by the Shamans of Llau, the At’zhu’s patron god of flesh, bone, and creation. Thanks to the genetic manipulation of the Alsakraz and Ggolzol, the At’zhu are genetically predisposed to have certain information- which they surprisingly still possess, despite genetically mutating so much between times when they are cloned.

The At’zhu’s main strength is incredibly strong regeneration. They can heal nearly any wound in a matter of minutes, although they have no way to regenerate a lost limb without taking the time to quite literally make themselves a new one. Their secondary strength is their mutations, as they possess limbs that are devastating weapons that can rend armor in one fell swoop. And their third, and arguably most important strength, is their ‘flesh crafting’. The At’zhu have the innate ability to turn organic matter into living objects- as to how they do it, isn’t really known. It may be something innately arcane about them, or some sort of otherworldly trait that the Ggolzol accidentally merged into their genetic makeup. Regardless, they can make living weapons, armor, and even ships. These living objects can even be grafted onto sentients, allowing the sentient to control them as if they are an extension of their own body. The At’zhu are exceptionally weak to fire, their flesh catching fire far more easily.

Hu-ruun
Part of the far wider ‘Los-thl’, the Hu-ruun are a self replicating construct of living shadow created from a long lost visage of the early Los-thl. The Hu-ruun, at first, were hunted down thanks to their striking resemblance to the ‘Leph’ of early Alsakraz and Ggolzol history. For nearly a century the Hu-ruun were on the hit list of the Los-thl, but eventually their persistence in escaping the forces of the Los-thl convinced them that the Hu-ruun weren’t the same, murderous Leph that the Alsakraz and Ggolzol had known. A few decades of the Los-thl trying to convince the Hu-ruun they didn’t mean harm went by, until the Hu-ruun eventually conceded and decided to talk it out with the Los-thl. The Hu-ruun were brought into Los-thl as honored warriors and masters of stealth. They became the fourth race to be brought into its ranks, and they remain the latest addition to its ranks. As part of the Los-thl, the Hu-ruun fill the position of both warriors and elite operatives for more stealthy occasions.

The Hu-ruun reproduce through the assimilation of corpses. May they be the corpses of animals or sentients. The exact amount of corpses needed depends. The Hu-ruun that is created through this process may take on some of the appearance of any assimilated sentients. If they reflect the appearance of assimilated sentients, they may also have certain fragments of memories from them. When a Hu-ruun is born, they are sent to a temple of I’okekep, their patron god of silence and shadow. Within this temple they must fend for themselves to learn the essentials of life. The Shamans of I’okekep will teach those Hu-ruun that manage to pass through the trials.

The Hu-ruun are unique in the fact that they are, for the most part, not solid. Instead existing as beings made of a strange, shadowy gas. The Hu-ruun may also temporarily dissolve their form into a cloud, allowing them to quickly relocate themselves- and anything they were wearing or carrying- across the battlefield. There is a limit to how much they can go into the cloud form, as trying to do it too much is simply impossible for them to manage. Kinetic weapons prove to be useless against the Hu-ruun, unless the ammo is incendiary in nature. Lasweapons, and any other weapon that burns in some capacity, are equally capable of wounding the Hu-ruun by burning through their gaseous form. The Hu-ruun are able to selectively ‘harden’ parts of their gaseous form, allowing them to grasp weapons and wear armor or clothing. The Hu-ruun have no biological processes. The Hu-ruun have a fatal weakness, in that they can be easily stunned by extremely loud sounds, making it easy to wound them while they are dazed.

Zhuarsk
Forming the unending legions of machine eaters simply known as the Rust, the Zhuarsk are strange biomechanical beings with an unending appetite for metal and flesh. Zhuarsk life can be represented as ‘survival of the fittest’, for only the strongest, fastest, and smartest of them can manage to keep themselves from starving on the rusting worlds they live on. The Zhuarsk, on first glance, are primitive beings. However, all Zhuarsk are preprogrammed to have advanced knowledge of engineering, making it nigh impossible to hold them back with any manner of machine, for they will understand it and overcome it with time. How exactly the Zhuarsk came to be is impossible to pinpoint. As far as records from Los-thl can tell, the Zhuarsk suddenly sprung up on multiple planets, light years across, at nearly the same time. The only thing that keeps the Rust at bay is the Zhuarsk’s repulsion at the sight of the living flesh the At’zhu create. Once one Zhuarsk knows a system contains the living flesh constructs, the news quickly spreads, and the system is evacuated of their presence. No space between planets can cease the spread of the Rust, for they are quite capable of creating biomechanical ships to sail across the stars with, using a disturbing mix of various biometal secretions and stored scraped parts.

New Zhuarsk are created by other Zhuarsk as the Rust requires more members. A combination of scrap parts and biometal secretions can become a Zhuarsk, regardless of how rusted or damaged the components may be. Due to this, the Zhuarsk reproduce at extreme speeds when they come across new planets with plenty of resources. The moment one Zhuarsk gets their hands on resources, then there will be two, then four, then eight, and so on and so forth. The only thing that can limit the Zhuarsk are if a planet has no resources for them to utilize. Newly made Zhuarsk may see fit to go out and explore the universe, where they may abandon the Rust in favor of the civilizations they discover.

The Zhuarsk are truly terrifying beings, being far faster than other sentients, and are fully capable of traversing walls and being completely upside down on roofs. They possess regeneration, and they can also heal their wounds with biometal secretions. Zhuarsk are able to secrete a pasty biometal from their mouth, based on the metal they’ve eaten. This metal will slowly solidify and attach itself to its surroundings, and in the case of the Zhuarsk, become part of them. The Zhuarsk’s main weaknesses are their repulsion at the sight of At’zhu living flesh, and their weakness to acidic weapons.

Hoshalai
The closest known race to the ‘Dark Sector’ of the Galaxy, the Hoshalai were born in some of the strangest conditions found throughout the cosmos. Their world of Zakil orbits very close to a supermassive blackhole, yet it remains in stable orbit around it. Aside from the ominous look of the world, the extreme time dilation that the world experiences makes it impossible to really put the Hoshalai’s existence on a timeline. A year on Zakil before their galactic debut was hundreds, if not thousands of years in the wider galaxy. Depending on how long it took the Hoshalai to truly develop, they may actually be the oldest life in the known galaxy- from the galaxy’s perspective that is, as to the Hoshalai, they are still a relatively young presence on the galactic map. The Hoshalai’s mastery over the studies of space and time are peerless, and their knowledge is treated as sacred within their ranks. Since becoming a new galactic empire- in the form of the Yathut- they have managed to stabilize the time dilation of their homeworld through a massive relay of pylons upon the planet, and stations throughout the system, which pull off supposedly impossible feats of gravity and time based manipulations. Granted, the help of countless Gravitas and Chronus Magus within their ranks helped construct it as well.

Hoshalai reproduction is very slow, and there is only a small window in a Hoshalai’s life where they can actually reproduce. Due to this, the Hoshalai are relatively low in number compared to just about any other galactic race. While genetic modification has been used to try and remedy it, it’ll still be many years before they are able to bolster their numbers to any significant extent.

The Hoshalai are very otherworldly people, which reflects their origins on the ghastly planet of Zakil. Hoshalai are gigantic in comparison to most races, standing at a mighty 10’2” on average while they are actually on the ground. They usually aren’t on the ground, because the Hoshalai have the innate ability to levitate. While they can’t levitate in mid air, they can manage to separate themselves a few feet off the ground with their ability. They also are able to manipulate gravity in their environment to some extent, allowing them to at least partially nullify the strain higher gravity planets would have on their physiology. And last of all, the Hoshalai, despite their lanky appearance, are actually very fortitudinous people, able to shrug off minor kinetic weapons for some time. The main weakness of the Hoshalai are their slower reaction time, making them prone to being hit by things unless they are focusing on them specifically.