So, looking back on my race, what do you guys think my nation should be? A land empire or a undersea empire? Here's my race if you missed it.
The Octopodians
The Octopodians are a race of humanoid Octopus that have inhabited the coasts of China southern Manchuria. It is also theorized that the were once present on the islands of Japan due to the discovery of ancient carvings and paintings that show humanoid figures similar to Homo-Octopoda. The biology of the Octopodians are similar to humans but also different. For instance, Octopodians do not have bones and instead rely a series of substances for their body structure, this benefits them as they are more flexible and stronger than the average human, if only by a little. The Octopodians also have a increased lifespan to 125. The origins of the Octopodians are still unknown today, though there many theories around it. The mythological story is that the Octopodians were the second creation of Yu, the emperor of heaven, while Humans were his first, the Elves his third, the Dwarves his fourth, the Dragons his fifth, the Orcs his sixth, and the Goblins his seventh. Obviously this is rejected by the scientific community, who have created their own theories on the birth of the hybrid race. The most popular theory is that the Octopodians are descended from a primitive form of Octopus that evolved during the Ice Age, pointing to fossils that resemble giant octopuses, other theories include: Evolution through mutation, primitive humans mating with said giant octopuses, etc, etc. The name, Octopodian, comes from the scientific name for Octopus, Octopoda. The Octopodian race can be divided into 4 subraces: Krakens (Gigas-Octopodidae), Liches (Mortuus-Octopodidae), Elderics (Demi-Octopoda), and Octavians (Homo-Octopoda).
Krakens are the largest of the subraces, standing at 7 feet tall. Krakens are known for their strength, being able to bend swords and pierce the toughest armor with their claws. This comes at a cost for Krakens, though sapient and can learn languages, have low intelligence are aren't able to solve simple problems and can follow only the simplest orders. For their Biology, Krakens have a mass of tentacles around their beak which they use to assist in eating, grabbing their food with the tentacles and stuffing the food into their beaks. Krakens have sharp claws on their hands, feet, and elbows, originally used for hunting prey, they are used by the Krakens to tear through enemy lines on the battlefield. Krakens have seasonal mating periods, wear females lay eggs for the male to fertilize. After a year, the eggs hatch and the hatchlings are left to fend for themselves. Krakens can be found today the Labyrinth of Shangri-la, a large series of mountains in northern Tibet that is only accessible via small openings in the mountains, it is believed that the Krakens relocated here from the coasts of southern China during the early dynasties. In the army, they are commonly used as shock troopers.
Liches are massive creatures that are humanoids, barely though. Liches have shown to have above average intelligence, often acting as scholars and historians during the time where the Ocotpodians ruled China and occasionally by the Human dynasties. For their biology, Liches are humanoid figures, though you can barely tell with the mass of tentacles that cover their body, Liches have a large head with two large, golden eyes, it also has a human-like face above their face, it has no purpose however. Liches are grey and have an almost undead appearance, hence the name. Lich became the name of the subrace after an early European explorer's encounter with them, who said: "I have seen the agent of the Devil, a decaying Lich that doesn't know its dead". Liches have a yearly mating period, breeding the same way as Krakens do. Only 30% of the hatchlings survive, making Liches the rarest subrace.
Elderics are the second most common Octopodians there is. Elderics have the intelligence of an average human. Elderics are commonly seen as merchants, peddling goods from far away lands, and thieves, stealing anything of value, for their biology, Elderics have a humanoid appearance, usually having purple or dark green skin and cyan or amazon green eyes. The name, Elderic, comes from the works of the author H.P Alfcraft, whose creations, such as his depictions of the ancient Gods of old seafaring civilizations, look similar to this subrace. Elderics have a monthly mating season similar to the Kraken and Lich way of mating. Elderics can be commonly seen on the coast but can also be seen in many other places due to, as I said before, many having a profession as merchants.
The Octavian subrace are the most common subrace of the four. Octavians have many similarities to humans to the point that it is sometimes believed that their origins come from human and Elderic crossbreeding. Octavians have the average intelligence of a human but are more agile, making them excellent athletes. The biology of the Octavians are very similar to humans, sharing many characteristics. Octavians are usually thin, gluttony is frowned upon, and usually have either white or somewhat tan skin. The average Octavian seems to have "eternal youth" as any signs of aging appear at around the age of 100. One interesting fact is that the Octavians have a mass of tentacles for hair, these tentacles are able to be cut with the subject not feeling any pain. Unlike the other subraces, Octavians don't have a mating period and are able to have intercourse at any time with no restrictions, similar to humans. Octavians act as soldiers and diplomats for the nation, having a small bit of Charisma that makes it easier in international relations. Octavians can be commonly found more inland and around the many rivers of China, living as farmers and hunters. The current dynasty, the Wu, are members of this race
I forgot to ask how Ventium would feel about Moravia. I have no clue what relations would look like.
Neutrality is an option, but that'd also mean neutrality towards the PRK bloc. Otherwise there could only be one side to pick since that would force the other into opposition.
Alternatively Ventium could just say fuck both sides, sort of like Ceresia.
I'd think that somewhat friendly relations would make sense because the PRK is a lot more of a looming threat to Ventium than Moravia is. Not to mention that Moravia would probably be happily buying huge quantities of oil, metal, etc. from Ventium if they allowed it.
Okay I have finally sorted out my race for my nation and hope to see what you guys think and hopefully like it. Other parts of my nations are coming together steadily.
The Midgarians are a Bipedal humanoid mono-gendered race , They have an endoskeleton, lips, teeth which is similar to that of humans, though the canines are slightly more pronounced., They have two luminescent eyes with glowing irises, eyelids and tear ducts; they also have five fingers, One of which is a thumb, as well as five toes on each foot, The Species reach approximately 5'6 to 5'10 on average and weighting 158 to 170 lbs on average.
In appearance, however, the Midgarians are distinctly feminine, at least to other humanoid races. They have a slender feminine build with slight muscular tones and curves, Their skin colour is usually purple, blue or pale grey which is of a smooth leathery texture. Generally, Midgarians reach maturity around the age of 22 years old with a lifespan around 200 years, Midgarian facial structure and hair actually makes them close to humans in physical appearance.
Midgarian's internal make up utilize a six chambered heart and their lungs are generally one times the size of a human’s lungs, This allows them more stamina than what could be considered the average, Their physical strength is similar to humans, But have better Agility, Stamina and Endurance with good Skeletal and muscular strength. Although the eyesight of a Midgarian is pretty standard during the daylight, They are able to see normally during extreme darkness or night. This 'night vision' does come at a cost, however, Their focus on distant objects can be slower than that of a normal human.
Midgarian's have a complex endocrine system, having several more hormones and chemicals than humans. Although internally, Midgarian's have less glands than the human endocrine system, The Midgarian system produces a greater variety of hormones for each gland present. The most notable of these hormones is the calming chemical known as Relaxitin, which is released from the Midgarian equivalent of the adrenal glands when severely stressed. Relaxitin attaches to the areas of the brain that produces stress, causing the cells to calm and release dopamine, creating an effect similar to the effect of THC in humans.
Unlike most other organisms, The Midgarian's have a specialized desalination gland, located about 3 centimetres from the mouth, allowing them to drink both salt water and freshwater. When salt water is ingested, the gland produces several enzymes that remove the salt from the water. The removed salt molecules are then transported by the blood to the skin, where it is then released from the body, much like sweating in humans. While the species has a robust cellular regenerative system, They do not heal faster than other species. Midgarian blood also differs from most other species as it is a blueish purple colour, This is due to the trace amount of Cobalt in their blood instead of Iron, They also have very strong immune systems and thus Immune to many diseases, But not all. However they can act as carriers where other races may susceptible to infection.
Although Midgarian's are considered mono-gendered, meaning they are neither male nor female. As a result, there are no gender differences, or gender-based issues which could be common to other cultures, In fact the official term for the Midgarian's is ( According to Geneticists.) simultaneous hermaphrodite as each individual possess both male and female reproductive organs with the later being a similar internal reproductive biology to a female human, Their breasts are also similar used to nurse their infants.
Each individual has a smooth scalar prehensile tail hidden away in their body’s back, which acts as the male reproductive organ at the tip. This tail on average is about a meter long, sometimes longer. At will, though usually easier when sexually aroused, they may “grow” the tail out of their body but they prefer not to. Although it may seem that a Midgarian may reproduce without a mate having both a male and female reproductive organs, in reality it doesn't work as they have a protective mechanism against self-fertilization. Midgarians can actually cross-breed with other species, Although this only produces more Midgarians, This process is ill-understood by many in the geneticist community.
I'm kind of stuck waiting for you and @Willy Vereb to post. I can't do more with Iso or Sigma until time IC chugs along for a bit, and most other plots I have in mind involve you two.