Core Species Summaries

Discussion in 'Misc. Lore' started by Nemo, Jul 6, 2017.

  1. Nemo

    Nemo Leader of the Rat Crew Staff Member Community Monitor Diamond Donator

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    Though we appreciate the lore Chucklefish wrote, over GC's long history we have strayed from what was provided and ended up writing our own. For new players, it helps to know a bit about the core Starbound species, and that GC doesn't use CF's lore. Below are the summaries written by their respective loremasters. A few are a little long-winded, but we strongly suggest reading them over before creating a character. You'll be quizzed on the basics in the entrance exam.

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    A species of hominoids, the Apex are markedly noted for their great resemblance to species which predated humankind and other great apes. Often considered to be one of the most intelligent species in the galaxy, Apex have a cranial mass 25% greater than humans. This greater mass is not accomplished by a larger absolute cranial size; in reality it is accomplished by a greater surface area caused by the greater amounts and deeper folds within the brain, which allow for exponentially more mass to be within a smaller area. In addition to their latent intelligence, Apex are often capable of great strength, and with training can find themselves as excellent athletes on par with Florans and other species with great physical attributes.

    The society of the Apex is one renowned for its position as perhaps the most successful of its kind. A title earned through the ambivalent infamy of the Ministry of Scientific Progression which presides over nearly all Apex in the galaxy, most often referred to as the MiniKnog for short, who claim to have been responsible for the current state of the Apex today as the pinnacles of intellectual capability through genetic engineering by their scientists. Following a near-cataclysmic war slightly more than a century prior to now, the MiniKnog began their takeover of Apex society, destroying and hiding most of the history from before their installation as the commanders of the singular Apex government, under the charismatic leadership of an entity solely known as "Big Ape”, who has claimed Dictatorship of the Apex people since the first days of the Miniknog over a century ago, a leadership which has been questioned ever more in recent years, some wondering if Big Ape is still alive, or ever existed at all.

    One-Hundred and Nineteen years ago, the First Rebellion began, and with it came the clashes between the ever-more Authoritarian MiniKnog and those who have dedicated their lives to seeing the end of the Ministry's grasp on Apex-kind. From the perspective of the MiniKnog, reflected in what little official information survives from this period, this conflict was seen as nothing more than a group of petty criminals attempting to destroy the splendor of the Apex people, quickly silenced by the glorious MK Armies and the fire they rained down from above. However, listen to the tales that have been recorded and passed down by those who still fight to keep the Rebellion alive, and you shall hear a much different story. Genocide and countless innocent deaths kept quiet by the MiniKnog, covered up as the scourge of a "natural disease” which just happened to break out on colonies suspected of harboring Rebellion sects. Since the official end of the First Rebellion, Apex Society has become one which from the outside seems to be happy, even idealistic, but if one is to gaze beyond this carefully crafted facade, they will quickly find the grim scape that lies underneath. Individuality squelched, sedated by drugs provided in government supplies of water, food, and even in the air to keep a civilian populace from possibly generating a single thought which is critical of the MiniKnog's absolute sovereignty and dominion over the Apex people. However, this dominion may not be as absolute and perfect as one would think. Assisted by species which were once subjugated by the Apex people during the Galactic War's colonization, the Second Rebellion has begun.

    A species of humanoid, predatory plantoids, the Florans have long stood as the apex of both their food chain and evolution in their home system of Florus, where the Floran Tribal Confederacy rules from with an iron fist, overseeing all aspects of Floran-controlled CivSpace. Blessed with an inherent trait to rapidly adapt to nearly any environment which can sustain organic carbon-based life, secluded Floran populations can vary wildly in diet, reproduction, and overall physiological makeup. However, common between nearly all of these sects is great agility, strength, and sensory perception.

    Similarly to big cats, the Florans are the perfect ambush predator. This evolutionary aspect extends to their personalities, which are often secretive, quiet, and insatiably curious. Florans are perhaps most famous for their "lisp", a trait which stems from traditional cultural heritage and common consonant exaggerations of Floran language. However, those raised outside of traditional Floran situations lack this lisp, proving that it is not a facet of their biology, as was long believed. Floran society as we know it today was founded upon the work of the Great Uniter, the First Greenlord, Fyewyven. If anything is to be understood about Floran relations with other species, it is their bloody history with the Hylotl, who they've shared several harsh, vile wars with in the past century, one so brutal that it is considered one of the main reasons why CivSpace exists today.

    A species of curious, highly driven adventurers and survivors. Although newer generations are often short-sighted, close-minded or socially retrograde, since the destruction of Earth, plenty of their people preserve an education and set of habits akin to those of their former society.

    Humans remained isolated from other known species for a very long time, encountering their neighbors only after the destruction of their homeworld on August 28th, 3242; roughly 40 years ago. Their home system, located in the southern region of CivSpace, is named after its center star: Sol. Following the destruction of Earth, the Human species spread out and settled in many of the already-existing colonies such as Titan, which continues to be the largest and most prominent in their region.

    Humans are resilient, courageous, idealistic and they fancy being the center of attention. They adapt easily and quickly to their environments, which has greatly been key to their survival throughout history, and specially in present day. They are neither the strongest or the weakest of all known humanoid lifeforms. Their physical prowess relies entirely on their habits and lifestyle. They show a noticeably high level of intelligence in capacity, but not many achieve their full potential. In average, most humans can perform different tasks and activities of various natures as deemed necessary or possible depending on their physical condition, which makes them the most adaptable species known in the Milky-Way galaxy.
    The Novakids are a mysterious species whose origins are unknown. The most we know about them is their biology, which is fairly simple. Novas start life out as amorphous blobs, and slowly develop into a more humanoid shape as they age. Each Novakid has an iron-like brand, which exerts a powerful, localized magnetic field that keeps their loose plasma "blood” inside their shells, which is cool and glassy to the touch. Novas are by far the weakest species to roam the stars, however, they typically live from anywhere between 600 and 900 years. When a Nova die of old age, they go out in a dramatic, fiery explosion.

    Novakid society is hard to put a label on as they are usually few and far between, though in what few settlements have been recorded their society seems to thrive off violence and rash decisions as their attention seems to be rapid and fleeting. As a whole, they exist as adventurers, lawmen, criminals, and just about anything that allows them to work with fortune, high class weaponry or both. They are as inquisitive a they are clever and will take a great amount of interest in anything new to them until something else turns up to steal their attention.

    The Avians are a species of humanoids with features closely resembling birds from Earth. Most, if not all Avians have some sort of beak and feathers, which can come in a wide variety of colors. Avians usually have talons at the ends of their limbs as well.

    Avian history truly begins with the messiah known as Kluex, who led the mostly disorganized tribes scattered across the land and helped them establish a beautiful civilization. Religions began to spring up, some praising Kluex for his contributions to society. Religious leaders were quick to force conversion, causing tension between the Flightless, followers of Kluex, and the Grounded, ‘non-believers'. Uprisings began, but were swiftly crushed by the more advanced and powerful Kluexis. Beaten into a corner, the Grounded had one option left available to them; flee for the stars.

    The remnants of an ancient experiment whose creators and motives have long since faded into the mists of time, only failed groups which found themselves frozen in time like living fossils still around to provide proof that the Grand Experiment ever occurred. Advanced Mechanoids, some inner workings of the Glitch are still a mystery to even the greatest of android engineers to date. Based on the observations of the unique Synthetic Intelligence Glitch possess, their societal makeups, and aspects of their mechanical design which resemble biological counterparts such as spinal cords, stomachs, and brains, it has been largely concluded that the original purpose for their construction was an experiment meant to be a live-simulation of society as a whole in biological sentient life. Its development, and what can influence it, both in environmental aspects and societal aspects; some natural, some imposed as variables by their creators. Glitch reproduction is unconventional among most synthetic beings. Rather than being produced along factories lines, new Glitch units are constructed by a couple following courting sequences between a designated male and female unit, which act as simulations for sexual reproduction, the new Synthetic Intelligence being "gestated” by the female Glitch, which can use extremely detailed programs to construct a new Synthetic Intelligence that randomizes traits from both parent units, similar to genetic recombination in organics over a period of 14 weeks.

    Society of the Glitch is split between two major groups; first of which are the ‘Hivemind' Glitch, a term used to describe Glitch who remain bound to the pseudo-Hivemind which dictates their actions in line with the Great Experiment. Oblivious of the world around them, their presence as a Glitch in their intended timeline of progression is most obvious here, as a Hiveminded Glitch will find themselves incapable of understanding or believing that they exist in the modern era. Rather, they will fullheartedly believe they exist within whatever period they are bound to (Most often, periods of antiquity or post-antiquity societal development). Modern technology will simply be seen as magic by hiveminded populations, and Glitch unlucky enough to be unshackled in the presence of Hiveminded Glitch will often be seen as heretics if they are not careful with how they act with their newly-gained freedom. Sometimes, however, Freeminded Glitch use their understanding of the world around them to reign absolute over the ignorant Glitch around them, taking presence as Royalty or other members of Nobility. The second of the two major societal groups are the Freeminded or Enlightened. Unshackled from the restraints of their frozen Hivemind, they are free from the Great Experiment, and now can exist freely to do as they please. Freeminded Glitch societies still often carry with them cultural attributes of antiquity society most familiar to them, however, tinged with aspects of modernity. The largest Freeminded Glitch group in the Galaxy is the Black Empire. A group of Freeminded and former Hivemind Glitch Kingdoms within the Southern sectors of the Milky Way, the Black Empire was united over the past fifteen years by The Umbral King, Blackhelm, Emperor of the Black Empire. Hailing from the Fringe, King Blackhelm moved to the south following a disgraceful failure in his attempt to unite the Fringe as a Glitch ethnostate against CivSpace empires. His plans following this success at forging the regional ethnostate of his dreams are largely unknown, but one can only imagine what can result from the boundless ambition of an idealist such as himself.

    Semi-aquatic humanoids with a rich cultural background and a history of great loss in their species, the Hylotl are renowned for their artistic contributions to the galaxy and their love of beauty in the aesthetics that surround them. Biologically, Hylotl most closely resemble Earth amphibians, ichthyoids (fish), and reptiles, with reproduction involving the internal fertilization of a clutch of eggs which are then lain for a nine month gestation period. Similar to most amphibians of Earth, Hylotl go through a metamorphosis process, Hylotl start out as nearly entirely aquatic, only able to spend time outside of the water due to a mucus-like encasement that maintains hydration of their skin and contains water for their gills as their terrestrial lungs develop. As a Hylotl matures, this encasement is slowly absorbed, and organs such as the Hylotl tail are taken back into the body typically by the age of 16 or 17. The gills, however, maintain use throughout the life of the Hylotl, giving them the ability to breathe and somehow, speak, in freshwater environments. A rare mutation in certain groups of modern Hylotl however has been a lack of functioning gills in adulthood, something which seems to be following a recent trend of Hylotl spending more and more of their lives in terrestrial environments.

    The history of the Hylotl is one that has been painted by their tragedy, and their contrasting views on how they should act upon said tragedy. Idealistic views upon both pacifism and militarism having been the source of much conflict in Hylotl government and society. Without a doubt, the greatest tragedy which has fallen upon the Hylotl have been the loss of their true homeworld. A planet in the Orion Spur known as Kaiimaigoki, the Hylotl were driven from it as a result of a brutal Floran invasion in the year 2943. Two hundred years after this brutal attack, a militarist faction of the government took control, and used their new source of power to begin a war against the Floran so bloody that it would nearly lead to their destruction as a species, and the aftermath resulting in the proto-treaties that would soon lead to the creation of CivSpace as an interstellar entity. Since then, the social cleavages between older generations and their more traditionalist, militarist views on life and younger, more pacifistic and modern generations have only grown to become more reinforcing, causing great division in Hylotl society.
     
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