[b]Name of Race:[/b]
-- [i]Noir'an[/i]

[b]Name of Civilization:[/b]
-- [i]Noir'an Global Society[/i]

[b]Name of Homeworld:[/b]
-- [i]Oristania[/i]
[i]Oristania is a super-terrestrial planet (a body composed mainly of silicate rocks and metals, and being significantly larger than the Earth) 4 times the size of the Earth, orbiting a blue supergiant star at about 673 AU away. It completes a full orbit around its star in 2745 years, and is tidally locked towards it; one side of the planet never receives light from the star. Intense heats cook the star-facing surface of the planet, fueling powerful core reactions that generate tremendous heat across its surface; cold side included. High emissivity of heat from the planet's surface creates running water where normally there would be snow, and the appearance of any number of its many moons creates daily cycles of temperature fluctuations. All life that has developed on Oristania developed on the cold side of the planet, and is incapable of approaching the "light horizon" in which sunlight from the star can reach their eyes without burning alive. Because of this, most life has developed multiple ways of living in the dark, as well as the cold including heat vision, sonar, and efficient heat-retention biological morphology.[/i]

[b]Race Information:[/b]
[hider=Information]
[b]Base:[/b] Mammalian

[b]Stat Placement:[/b]
-- Toughness: 3
-- Reproduction: 2
-- Industry: 2
-- Psyche: 2
-- Morale: 1

[center][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ApFwtQO.png[/IMG][/center]

Noir'an are bipedal, anthropoid organisms that hail from the planet of Oristania, located within the Big Blue System. Possessing quite human characteristics -four limbs, each bearing five digits each, a pair of eyes, mouth, nose, ears, and hair-like projections- it can be a common mistake to see them as just that; human. However, Noir'an possess a number of distinct characteristics separating them from their convergent counterparts.

Most notably, at a passing glance, Noir'an "hair" is capable of shifting colors, as well as producing bioluminescence in much the same way as organisms on Earth. What appears to be hair is in fact a large bundle of thin and hollow projections, each with a single specialized nerve cell running down its length. Chromatophores are packed into the projections, and each respond to nervous impulses of a specific kind; nerve cells in the projections can release any number of chemical signals that trigger specific intracellular responses. Chromatophores possess 12 different luxin proteins, each of which reacts to oxygen to produce light when helped by the enzyme luxinase. Nerve cells release a specific signal to trigger the release of luxinase species into the chromatophore from cellular reticulumn encircling its membrane, which in turn triggers the activation of a specific luxin. This whole process is what allows Noir'an hair to produce different light effects, either as a simple color shift, or as a glow.

These color shifts are also apparent in their so-called "eyebrows", collections of chromatophore cells just under their skin situated above the eyes. Noir'an possess four of these, two above each eye, and act in much the same way as their hair, though are more often influenced by body temperature than in their hairs. Usage of these colors shifts serves to act as a silent form of visible-light communication between one another. Constant shifts in color allow for complicated language system that conveys mood, intention, and subsequently acts to eliminate the potential for lying in Noir'an; eyebrow chromatophore color shifts can be easily distinguished by other Noir'an, and when one is lying, it is reflected in their eyebrows.

Though apparently strongly tied to visible-light communication, Noir'an have adopted eyesight capable of seeing in three light spectra; visible, UV, and infrared. Due to the pitch-black conditions of their home planet and region of residency, they have evolved to see perfectly in the dark, as well as detect heat in other organisms. Their eyes possess three distinct regions; the hyperhemisphere, hypohemisphere, and the middle pupil. The upper regions of their eyes (hyperhemisphere) possess light receptors capable of detecting infrared light waves, whereas the lower region detects UV light. Noir'an brains allow for the processing of images as multispectral images. Their pupils are elongated, unlike a human's, and do not constrict to change the amount of light entering them. Three spots beyond the cornea of the eye each receive light signals separately, allowing for trinocular vision in each eye. Increased flicker rates in each allow for the tracking of much faster movements than in humans eyes, as well.

Noir'an are strict carnivores, consuming organisms above the producer food chain, and can also subsist on detritus. Their mouths possess only two pairs of incisor-like teeth on their upper and lower jaws, with the entirety of their other teeth being made up of sharp canines of varying sizes. Due to their relatively small size amidst an ecosystem of giants and their hunting nature, Noir'an have adopted much tougher muscular and skeletal systems to cope with danger, lifting/hauling, as well as the gravity of the planet itself. Bones in Noir'an are much more adept at resisting compression and bending, and their muscle-to-tendon connections feature increased strength. Advanced sarcomere units allow for the maintenance of muscle contraction such that energy is not expended holding a contraction in place, which results in phenomenal endurance.

Stay within a group of Noir'an long enough and one will realize that they are an entirely "female" race, in terms of human concepts. Noir'an are asexual organisms, producing offspring through a complex and unearthly manner that miraculously allows for the production of children better adapted to their environment despite lacking a way to incorporate natural selection.

Noir'an genomes are nitrogen-based, but possess a number of additional players in the role of genomics. With an advanced epigenome that reacts to changes in the environment, as well as characteristics within the Noir'an itself, Noir'an can actively shape a second genetic structure called the [i]casconome[/i] which essentially serves as an immense database of all genotypes that were present in their parent's lineage. The casconome is organized in such a way that individual genotypes can be selected for amidst their grouping (for example, selecting a genotype for a specific body height amidst genotypes that code for other heights) based on the activity of their main DNA's epigenome. Environmental factors stimulate the epigenome which causes increased usage of certain genes in the DNA, which in turn trigger the production of chemical markers that are placed on specific casconome sections. When a Noir'an creates an embryo, genotypes with more markers on them are more likely to be selected, and thus create a child that is born adapted to the environmental conditions of their parent.

Noir'an have short lifespans, reaching, on average, an age of fifty years before their muscles suffer from a unique form of degradation that leads to death. At the age of ten, Noir'an begin having children, at least one every four years, whom they care for until they too reach "adult" age and begin having a family of their own. Gestation takes seven months, and children are born able to walk within the first few minutes. "Families" in Noir'an society are dictated by blood lineage as well as bonds formed between two Noir'an called "Oovals" based on trust and time spent with one another.

Noir'an society is highly lacking in stratification or hierarchy. Individuals unanimously consider one another equals, and actively go out of their way to prevent conflict from arising between two or more individuals. Fights rarely end without fatality, however, due to the vicious nature of Noir'an who attempt to defend themselves. Natural instinct dictates that uncooperative Noir'an are an extreme danger to progress and safety, and so quarrels between Noir'an tend to become quite bloody. Beyond this, events that could cause such turmoil are avoided, and due to the inability of Noir'an to lie, crime is almost nonexistent in their culture.
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[b]Brief Planetary History:[/b]

BC: "Before Civilization" - The general year preceding in which first records appear of the construction of what would eventually become Noir'an Megacities.
DC: "During Civilization" - The general year following in which first records appear of the construction of what would eventually become Noir'an Megacities.
NS: "Neo-Solar" - The year in which non-degrading solar panels were created along the outer edges of Oristania's dark side, propelling Noir'an civilization into one of near-limitless energy.

All dates are recorded in years, with the current Noir'an calendar set at the year 1832 NS.

50,000 BC - Earliest records of weaponized tools used by Noir'an.
45,000 BC - Musical instruments first appear in archaeology digs.
25,000 BC - First indications of larger settlements made of wood and animal bone.
10,500 BC - Domestication of several animals.
4,000 BC - Domestication of the Soo'Noh.
0 BC/DC - Records show the construction of what would later become the first Megacity of Noir'an civilization on the Mistrain Region.
100 DC - True language is shown to have begun usage at this time.
3000 DC - Megacity Reilcall officially conjoins with Megacity Omero, becoming Sisters City.
3250 DC - Global expeditions by Sisters City leads to the linking of civilizations across the entirety of the dark side.
3400 DC - Use of Iron as a material increases globally.
3700 DC - Official Unification of Noir'an civilizations under nameless banner.
3900 DC - Steel begins worldwide use.
4600 DC - Discovery of electricity.
4900 DC - Invention of steam powered engines.
5300 DC - Finalm is officially named, being the fusion of several dozen Megacities.
5700 DC - Discovery of solar power
5900 DC/0 NS - Projects begin to build massive solar arrays at the edge of Oristania's dark side equator.
200 NS - Completion of Solar Arrays leads to massive and global power output. Nuclear fusion and fission discovered.
600 NS - Creation of the first Solar Avatar. Noir'an land on their largest moon, [i]Soreima[/i].
700 NS - Concerns over overpopulation uplift the space race.
800 NS - Noir'an land on the nearest terrestrial planet beyond the second asteroid belt.
1000 NS - Plans to colonize Blue III commence.
1200 NS - Colonization of Oristania's three moons.
1600 NS - First colony arrives on Blue III
1700 NS - Miniaturization of nuclear fusion engines and the continued research into gravitons leads to more efficient space programs.
1750 NS - Dark Panel Project begins.
1800 NS - Discovery of FTL travel.