Corvette class research vessel Primary purpose exploration and documentation of foreign planets. The ECS Stellaria is a collaborative effort made by the three races of the Elmyran Confederacy. A prototype vessel made by the best technologies the three races had to offer. Able to be piloted by a minimal crew with extra space for further additions. Outfitted with a prototype Tunneling engine that allows faster and more effective wormhole jumping.
Defensive capabilities: Kinetic Shielding: Standard Kinetic shielding found on human ships. Capable of deflecting most small and medium fire. Thuarhil plating: A highly refined and durable metal made and refined by Myrkith. Capable of withstanding forces that would rip and tear other metals found on Terra. Prototype Radar Refractor: The ship can reroute the specifications of its shielding to deflect certain frequencies and radar phenomena. This allows the Stellaria the ability to fly without being detected by most traditional forms of radars and detection. Prototype Chameleon Shields: Can also rework the shields to refract light around the ship, causing it to blend in with its background. Must remain moving slowly to remain effective.
Armaments: C Class Scipede Railgun - A large railgun capable of delivering a large payload at high hypersonic speeds in space. Regular maintenance and calibration required. Titan Plasma Energy Cannons - Standard Human armaments. Small to medium ship-to-ship combat defenses. Three to four in total.
Engines and Technical: Atlas Prototype Engine - A prototype human and Myrkith make engine incorporating the massive energy consumption and output of the Myrkith technologies with a more delicate and refined human approach. Officially can achieve outputs less than Myrkith, but greater than Human output and last as long as both.
Current Amenities: Cargo Bay Crew Quarters, capable of housing 15 people comfortably Medical bay Briefing room Mess hall and Kicthen Engineering bay
Physical Description: The easily recognizable Myrkith are a curious species from the large jungle world of Kythphus. Standing anywhere from a diminutive 5" to a tall 6'5" on average, the Myrkithians are what could easily be described as a race of sentient humanoid insectoids which are just as diverse - if not moreso than humans are. From the tough and intelligent Bethelus, to the strong and hardworking Antathlon.
Easily distinguishable among the more fleshy races, the Myrkith are proposed to have evolved from various insects from their warm, primal jungle home world of Kythphus. All have chitinous carapaces of various hardness, some form of wing like appendage, antennae single colored eyes. They do not however, all share the same traits. Each race that broadly falls under the Myrkith flag have both their own cultures, atypical appearances, and beliefs.
~The Inhabitants~
Bethelus The generals, CEO's, and politicians of the Myrkith. These large humanoid insects resemble what we would call beetles. Often standing easily over six foot from head to toe (Without taking horns and antennae into account) the atypical Bethelus is covered in the hardest chitin of all the Myrkith. The only place that lacks this durable plating is the facial region, which is still covered in smooth durable chitin. Usually they come in browns, reds, blues, or any combination of. Males and females of the race resemble humans fairly closely, with Males tending to have larger horns than females, and females adopting a feminine bone structure similar to humans. All Bethelus have four eyes - two primary ones and two smaller ones above that help them see. It should be noted, their wings are useless for flight and most Bethelus simply use them as decoration much like a human would their hair. They tend to find clothes restrictive and unneeded, as their carapace is often protection enough but from all the strongest trauma. Most do have hair, though it is short and often grows extremely slowly.
Antathlon These smaller ant people are the hard workers of Kythpuhs. The office worker, salary man, middle class, jack of all trades people. Standing anywhere usually from five foot five and five foot eight, their height, strengths, and general demeanor are comparable to that of humans and are the most numerous of the races on Myrkith. The most numerous of the species of Kythphus, they are often the ones people will run into off world, driving ships as pilots, guards, and generally the menial and mundane every day grunt work jobs. With four functioning arms, the ability to focus on the task at hand, the ability to run on very little rest, and a tenacious fierce, aggressive demeanor they are as some say, the perfect workers who take pride in doing things to 100% completion with 110% effort. They can be found everywhere, in every type of job filling out most of the roles needed.
While they have an overall human appearance with a humanoid face and features, unlike the Bethelus, they do have more of an insectoid appearance. With four functioning arms with three digits on each hand, Males and females of the race tend to look very similar, with males in fact, being smaller to their female counterparts usually. Most males do not have wings, though some do have small non-functioning ones. They usually have a slender, but agile and strong physique and are in fact physically stronger than Bethelus, but lack their cousins tougher carapace. Females of the species tend to have a larger torso, fluttery wings on the back used only for show.
Mokthraki The most popular of the Myrkith on Terra and elsewhere, simply due to their elegance and small, upbeat demeanor. Mokthraki are easily the smallest race that inhabit Kythphus, most averaging just over five feet in height. These are your fashion designers, social workers, diplomats, musicians, and most social of all the Kythphus races. With four arms like the Antathlons, but without the toughness or strength of them or Bethelus, they are naturally suited for more domestic jobs in the cities with their overall pleasant and friendly demeanor.
Out of all the races on Myrkith, they are the ones with the least gender dimorphism. That is - it is nearly impossible to tell males and females apart. Males and females are practically the same, with all having fur, fur similar to hair on their head, and thin carapace colors ranging from pure white or black. Their most notable features however, are their wings which do allow for fully functioning flight due to their light bodies, and the thorax extended from their waist. They are fond of clothes, and as one human diplomat put it 'Their fur was like sleeping on a cloud'.
Quiterik The often underappreciated Quiterik are best described as large mosquitoes that live in the more rural areas of Kythphus. They are the farmers, animal handlers, fishermen, and other such professions. They range in height similar to humans, and body is covered in thin carapace that the Myrkith are known for. Contrary to what one might expect, they are extremely good at their jobs and take pride in their work and are extremely good with the animals of their home planet. Most do not leave the planet, as they have no reason too so it is rare to meet one off world.
Males and females of the species resemble male and female humans respectively, and one can easily tell who is who simply from looking. Males tend to resemble male humans, being larger than the females and often having their bodies covered in grey and black carapace. Females tend to have slender, feminine bodies. Both have functioning wings, but are ill suited for long or high flights, and are better suited for quick acrobatic movements.
Biology: Sharing many similarities to various insects of Terra, Myrkith are simply by nature, sturdier than humans, even the weakest Mokthraki sports physical endurance comparable to a human in a healthy, fit condition. This is because in no small part to the fact a tough, chitinous carapace covers most of their bodies lending to physical trauma not easily harming them. And in typical insect fashion, are able to lift forces many times their own body weight - though not to the same ratio smaller insects found on Terra are able to. The average Bethelus is able to lift roughly 4x it's body weight, Antathlons 5x their own, Mokthraki's twice their own, and Quiterik's 3x. This is of course, without training and an average comparable to that of humans. With the average Bethelus weighing in at roughly 165lbs, Antathlon's 150lbs, Mokthraki 100lbs, and Quiterki's 130lbs, they are on average as a whole, stronger than humans.
The exoskeleton carapace that covers most of the Myrkith vary depending on the particular species. Composed of Chitin and reinforced with other natural organic substances, they have a natural defense against most of the elements and physical trauma.
The tough Bethelus have the hardest and strongest exoskeletons. An alloy of different natural elements that ensure hardness and give protection against several different elements. It acts as a natural armor formed of tough Sclerotin - a natural process that amounts to a natural form of tanning. With other naturally occurring compounds present in their exoskeleton, they are resistant to small arms fire from traditional ballistic weapons.
The less tough, but physically stronger Antathlon are no tougher than humans at a base level. While their carapace is resistant to weather, environmental effects, and they are similar to most other life. However, they are the physically strongest and can exert the most amount of force with their muscles comparative to their size.
The flighty Mokthraki, are comparable to humans in a number of physical aspects. Their wings allow for slow, steady, and sustained flight thanks to an insects unique ability to contract their wings multiple times per nerve impulse. They have fairly good eyesight, and can see in low light conditions fairly well. A hold over from their closest, moth ancestor.
The Quiterik are quite similar, with wings capable of flight and able to contract muscles the fastest, leading to quick and jittery movements. However, they are not suited for long or sustained flights. They are extremely talented natural trackers - and rely on their sense of smell the most.
All the Myrkith are insects, and as such their respiratory system is similar to those of Terra. While theirs is more evolved, they still require more oxygen in the atmospheres of most planets to breathe properly. While most insects on Terra breathe using a series of tubes and internal sacs that bring oxygen directly to where it needs, such a breathing method becomes inefficient the larger the organism is. As such, while similar to humans, the Myrkith's respiratory system naturally needs more atmospheric oxygen to live comfortably. They can reasonably live in areas with less oxygen such as Terra and other planets, but they will become more easily winded as humans would should they be on a place with less oxygen. Their lifespan is comparable to that of humans.
Orbiting Star Arachka Climate Tropical Approximate Temperature - 75 degrees F (23 degrees Celsius) globally. Approximate Oxygen atmospheric content: 53% Size 4534 miles (7295.156Km) Day Cycle: Roughly 22 Terra Hours.
The planet Kythphus is a tropical, warm, wet and humid planet roughly 4534 (7295.156Km) at its radius, making it a planet somewhat larger than Terra. With a atmospheric oxygen content of 53% and a warm, wet, humid climate resting at a relatively warm 25 degrees Celsius on average, it is the perfect environment for the planets insectoid inhabitants and is teeming with many, many, different alien flora and fauna - all often larger than what is Seen on Terra.
Most of the planets surface is covered with land, and it's tectonic plates seem to be locked together, eternally making the planets landmass into a Pangea. Furthermore, unlike Terra, Kythphus is covered in 39% land, and 61% water. Most of the landmass comprises of large rivers and lakes that dot the landscape, with only a single large ocean existing in the Northern Hemisphere. With a faster day cycle and thicker atmosphere, the planet is used to strong winds.
Most of the land is covered in extremely dense forests and a tropical climate with rampant wildlife that is difficult to control and corral.
A Gold Shell Scarath Beetle. Roughly the size of a Terran Elephant.
As one might expect from its sentient inhabitants, the dominant species on the planet is insects - many different kinds of them. And most, have grown to gargantuan size thanks to the thicker atmosphere and ability to evolve past their rudimentary respiratory system. The Flora of the planet are often just as large - with many carnivorous species of plants similar to the venus flytrap or pitcher plants who lure large insects such as the Gold Shell Scarath, trap, and slowly eat digest it.
The warm sea of the planet is full and diverse of life just as the land. With eels, Sharks, and peaceable fish often of equally large size as the creatures on land.
"Waste, and you will always want. Conserve, and you will never want." - Old Myrkith Proverb
The Myrkith Society is one that many humans from Terra or other species might find odd and objectionable. At its core, it's a racial based society where race determines what you'll likely be doing for the rest of your life. Couple that with their inherently aggressive nature, traditionalist tendencies, and love of honor, one might view these social policies as inherently racist. However, that is not the case.
The Myrkith have a very conversationalist and practical mindset - that is, they dislike waste, dislike wasting talent, and dislike trying to fit square pegs into round holes, which is why their society is the way it is. Each of the inhabitants of Kythphus are naturally suited towards something, whether it be the Belethus' leadership roles or the Mokthraki's diplomatic and entertaining personalities. To them, trying to do anything else is simply a waste of talent and would hurt the overall collective.
This isn't to say an Antathlon couldn't achieve a leadership position - quite the contrary. Should an Antathlon be clever, smart, or otherwise show themselves capable they will have a very real chance at it. Most however, are content with their roles in their niche.
Most Myrkith live in giant metropolitan cities that tend to be built upwards, rather than outwards for multiple reasons. Corrosion, high winds, Flora that has a tendency to overtake any building within just a few weeks - it is impractical to build outwards as the forests would simply reclaim it in a matter of months, and sustaining such a thing would not be cost effective.
Due to their inherently resourceful and practical nature, most Myrkith cities aren't exactly what one would call ostentatious or attractive. Often just streets in very uniform, practical manner, with buildings built as far as the eye can see. The only exception to this rule is the Mokthraki who do have a say in some public art installations and more unique and creative buildings.
The Myrkith are an inherently trustworthy and honorable species. One of the biggest taboos in their culture, is to lie or use acts of deception. Lying is in most cases, even worse than committing the most heinous of crimes. This is due to the fact that lying and acts of deception are seen as a danger to the whole of their community and will often end in the death penalty.
The Myrkith do not have a monetary system comparable to that of the Terran or other peoples. Their practical mindset has historically, deemed any sort of paper currency or other money values as useless - a waste of paper or metals that could otherwise be used. That is, they use work minutes as currency - if they don't work, then they don't eat.
The Myrkith are ruled by a council and and their Queen or King. The council, which is made of several representatives of each country or city that exists on the planet. The King or Queen - usually a Belethus or Mokthraki as they are the ones considered most suited to that position - are either elected by the council to handle world wide diplomatic affairs, or voted in by the populace for life. They are already devising a galactic governing policy made of a similar method, where the King or Queens of various settled worlds will make a council themselves, and will function in a similar manner as smaller, planet-level councils.
While the Myrkith are usually fairly united in their practices and agree on many governmental affairs, the rare times they do disagree, it often results in physical conflicts. If a large portion of the populace or council disagrees, then a large-scale altercation is likely to be inevitable as both sides view backing down as something of a taboo and dishonorable.
Myrkith technology would by some, seem to be backwards for a space faring civilization. While they have many of the same things, such as computers, ships, and much of the same tech, they still rely on a lot of more manual things rather than automated processes. That is, they prefer doing things by hand when possible, and only using a minimal amount of automation possible. Whereas humans and other species, might use heavy machinery for everything. Likewise, they have a tendency to not rely so much on high tech arms and armor, preferring more traditional ballistic weaponry.
Much of their technology is designed to withstand the harsh conditions of their planet, and are typically of much larger size than other civilizations counterparts. Computers are designed with more cooling components. Their biggest and largest contribution, and what some would say is the Myrkith's crowning resource, is the metals they use in construction - a super strong alloy that is made and refined from metals on their planet.
This metal which they call 'Thuarhil', is used in nearly all of their construction and by far, is some of the hardest, most durable, and functional alloy metals found on any known planet. They are fairly secretive about its construction process, and only the higher up government officials know exactly how to make it, but it is known it's made through a special treatment process involving local Fauna.
They use this Thuarhil in almost every aspect of buildings and machinery. From spaceships, to computers, to the smallest computer. The alloy is super strong, resistant to heat and radiation, corrosion, and can withstand impossibly heavy impacts and tearing. However, it is expensive and takes time to make and can usually only be found in military installations and only high-ranking armor for officials is made from it.
Much of the Myrkith's combat practices, like their technology, may seem outdated by much of today's standards. Their main focus, is still on personal melee combat even during the space age. With their natural strength and toughness, perhaps it's no surprise. It is seen as more honorable to use melee weapons and engage in honest physical combat without the aid of anything other than their traditional weapon - and often times easier and more effective for them instead of sending all soldiers outfitted in thick mechanized plate armor. Often times, the commanding officer is the only one with such luxuries so they do not become easy targets to take out for foes.
Traditional ballistic weaponry has difficulties going through half-inch think metal plating they can wear with ease, and with advancements in technology this has only become a more prolific problem resulting in larger and more devastating ballistic weaponry compared to human arms - a human LMG, would be a peashooter to a fully armored Belethus. The amount of force needed to even scratch one would be a standard human missile launcher. This sort of methodology serves them extremely well, against each other and while not tested - they assume it would fare extremely well against other species as well. A lot of their ship-to-ship combat practices focuses on boarding and engaging in melee combat rather than long range engagements.
That said, they aren't strangers to ranged weapons and their ships are outfitted usually with heavy, powerful railguns as their main armament, able to deliver differing payloads on a target depending what is needed.
Appearance: Standing at an impressive 6'3", Kiri is impressive, even among Myrkith Belethus. With dark chitinous red plating, a horn that would make most males of her species proud, and a figure that would likely make most human men stare, she's had a fairly easy life as far as it goes on looks alone. Oddly though, she has no wings unlike most other Belethus - she lost them during the war.
She can typically be seen wearing dark blue military attire, with several medals pinned on her chest and telling of her rank within the Myrkith military, and as the captain of the ECS Stellaria.
Bio: - Joined the military at age 18 - Fought in the Contact War shortly following contact with the Humans, which lasted two Kythphus years. - Served and eventually promoted to Myrkith equivalent of Admiral. - Successfully led the raid on enemy compound that saw to the end of the war ten years ago. - Spent five years after on Terra learning human culture - Spent the next three years learning Equariel Culture. - Spent the next years serving military and was assigned for the exploration mission.
Name: Malia Russil Gender: Male Age: 23 Race: Myrkith Mokthraki
Appearance: Like most Mokthraki, Malia is a fairly small and fluffy humanoid bug. He can typically be found wearing extravagant clothing, making his appearance on the Stellaria a bit of an oddity.
Bio: - Son of a popular musician - went to art school on Terra - joined Myrkith military three years ago. - Trained in basic Myrkith engineering practices, can make the Thuarhil metal. - Intends to learn Terran and Equariel technology practices.
Name: Erka Tearch Gender: Male Age: 45 Race: Myrkith Antathlon
Appearance: Oddly, he doesn't like showing his face. Instead, he wears armor most of the time. Tight, form fitting armor expected of most Antathlon's who join the Myrkith military. What does he look like under it? No one knows. Erka doesn't like taking it off.
Bio: - Joined Myrkith military at the age of 19 after being arrested. - Learned to pilot ships and aircraft. - Part of the Myrkith's government's black ops - the sort of stuff most of their culture would consider taboo. - took part in several clandestine military missions prior to the Contact War. - Served with Captain Drakat during the contact war. - Retired after the war, had trouble readjusting to civilian life - Signed up for the mission at Captain Drakat's request
Humanity is much as it’s always been. The only difference now is that their conflicts are more focused outside of Terra. Their heads faced to the stars, they are now blasting through the stars with the pointed ear Elves of fantasy and the almost supernatural Myrkith at their sides.
While the Elves focus on their magical prowess and the Myrkith focus on heavy firepower of physical armaments and explosions... Human’s goal has shifted from such supernatural and crude means to one more focused along the lines of energy tools. For both weapons and protections.
Name: Head Engineer Jessica “Jess” Helmheim Race: Human Gender: Female Age: 26
Personality: Jess is a free spirited and happy person. She has a tendency to show a great amount of excitement with new discoveries. As an engineer and scientist she is more than happy to talk on end about things no one actually cares to listen about... Though once she realizes this fact, she’ll ease up on it a bit.
History: Jess was brought up with science. She was especially interested though, in the aliens that were making themselves known. Creatures of fantasy were out there! And giant humanoid bugs! How wonderful! She couldn’t help but be interested in space and the realm of science. When she was young, her father specialized in new energy systems.
As she grew older, she moved through classes faster than those of her peers, but that got her to the point in time she wanted to get to the quickest. University. While she was smart, it felt like everyone just. She didn’t officially finish University, but she learned everything she needed to know to follow after her father in a successful career in different sorts of Energy tools.
Equipment:
Cybernetic Nervous Augment: On both of her forearms are Cybernetic Plugins. She can use this to attach different tools to her forearm to control it like a part of her body. While it seems quite advanced, and it is, the cybernetics can only do so much as the wielder’s mind allows them.
Energy Blade, Mark V: Part of her danger situation kit. It’s a piece of equipment fastened onto the users forearm and augment that projects a deadly blade of energy that can cut through most things with ease, though heat resistant things tend to be fine. Works fine as a machete or a self-defense tool. She has a tendency to keep it on a lower setting so she doesn’t hurt the wrong people. Jess made this when she heard she was being added to an exploration team and as a fan of watching old episodes of Star Trek (to see how laughable bad they were compared to modern movies) she figured there might be a benefit to making a decent protective weapon.
To use it properly, Jess decided to modify her nervous system with cybernetic augments. It took the help of a couple of genetic experts to do it properly. She had the easy part of making the cybernetics to splice into her system.
Arm-Mounted Laser Blaster: A ranged weapon that shoots a small, heated beam of energy. Like it’s Energy Blade cousin, it fastens to the forearm and augment.
Wheelie Shoes: Just what it sounds like. He shoes pop out little power wheels that roll you forward.
Name: Cherche Kendrick Race: Human Gender: Female Age: 26
Bio: Cherche joined the military after High School and joined the “Navy” as a pilot. She was placed as the pilot of a frigate that had seen moderate amount of action against some pirates.
Name: Harisa Yamada Race: Human Gender: Female Age: 24
Bio: Harisa was a Metallurgy student at a trade school for a couple of years after High School after which she was recruited into the military to work on repairing ships.
"The Equariel race is an amphibious gill bearing humanoid race, with large variations in correspondence with their natural environments and evolutionary conditions."
"Can you say that again in English Doctor?"
"They're fish people captain. They have gills, they have fins, they have scales. They swim fast, they're good divers, and they can breath underwater. Surprisingly smart too. While they aren't exactly the most dangerous creature on that planet down there, they certainly learned how to avoid the ones that should be worried about. We discovered them quite some time ago when the TCS Imperium fell into the Planet's orbit. If you're unfamiliar with them you're more than welcome to read up on them in my observational studies. They were still in their respective stone age when we discovered them- well they discovered us. If we hadn't brought them into the space age before their time, who knows what kind of advancements they could have made on their own..."
Species: Equariel Homeworld: Opecularis
Physical Description:
The Equariel race is one of Amphibious Humanoids that have evolved to survive in a harsh water environments. There are many genetic variations of the Equariel due to the centuries of evolution that the planet has undergone through undisturbed growth likely thanks to the nature of the oceans on the planet and the lack of celestial hazards in the planet's solar system. The most common of these genetic variants will be covered in detail later in this file as these variants have defined advantages over each other to suit their intended living environment, though inevitably some details may be slightly touched upon here in this report. On to the observations of the study, there are some traits and features that are common between all of variant's apperances and are known to be the most notable key points in identifying a being of the Equariel's Genus at a glance.
All variations of the Equariel are amphibious, some more equipped to leave water than others. However they all share a similar texture of skin. Immediately it appears to feel like it may be coated in a moisturizing mucus, though this is just a natural protective byproduct of their skin structure when wet. The top layers of their skin are actually made up of incredibly fine fish like scales, made to be flexible and hydrodynamic in water as they swim. While every color of these scales can differ they maintain a certain level of moisture at all times to prevent these scales from cracking and flaking in a painful manner somewhat akin to a road rash on a human. While these scales prove to be a major benefit for the Equariel in the water, it has proven to heavily limit the amount of time they may spend on dry land without some kind of method of keeping themselves moist after certain periods of time. Some variants can spend more time on land than others due to these limitations, but none can stay on land forever or they run the risk of drying themselves out which can lead to death by respiratory failure. While the need of regular moisture have proven to be a major downside to this species off-world, it is also thanks to these scales that the Equariel have their most striking feature of beauty; their color patterns.
Equrial color patterns are incredibly varied, and many depend on what genetic variant they belong to. It's been speculated by specialized researchers that these patterns serve separate functions depending on the natural ecosystem of the planet that the individual belongs to, but these functions have been reasoned to range from mainly two purposes: Attracting mates, and natural Camouflage techniques. These functions will be detailed more individually in the individualized files, though to many a person their fascination with this alien race usually steams from a captivation of the beauty from these color patterns. The most radical and common of these patterns are found in the Paradise variation, aptly named for their similarity to the flashy colors of the famed Paradise Fish of East Asia. The color combinations of recorded Equariels seem nearly endless, and so their beauty is often times appreciated nearly just as much.
As for their general body structure they're not too different than Humans. They have evolved from tailed fish like bodies to become more adept at traversing land through the growth of legs, and they have shown to still use these legs similarly to tails when swimming in the water almost like diving flippers. Their hands, while limited in usefulness under the sea, have proven to be quite useful for them in building tools and shelters to hide from their larger predators of the ocean. As many would expect, their hands are webbed to some extent to assist in propulsion while swimming. It is noteworthy however that their fingers only have a single joint to bend on, likely to maintain a degree of stiffness while swimming while still allowing the ability to hold objects in their palms when needed. Interestingly enough this results in noticeably shorter fingers than a human, if only by half an inch or so.
Other important features common among all variations: * Large fins that protrude from the skull, ankles, back, and even lower back/waist areas likely used for high speed swimming in varying ecosystems, this may appear to be look very similar to hair in many cases but can be easily recognized from it's translucent appearance upon closer inspection.
* Gills on the inner ribs near the armpit as well as on the dip in the collar bone. The gills on the rib cage noticeably seal shut reflexively upon exiting the water while the ones in the dip of the collar bone usually continue to function while on land.
* Incredibly dark black eyes that typically don't have any irises on the surface but with the use of a flashlight it has been discovered that the eye is similar to the low light vision of a cat. You may even see a glint in the water at night when one stares back to you under a full moon.
* Sharp teeth similar to those of ancient sharks for catching and eating other sea-born prey, these can grow back once removed and lack nerves that would trigger pain if damaged or lost.
* A lack of ears or nose cartilage though there are signs of a primitive nose present in the face and sensitive eardrums in the skull. Note: They can handle room level noise as well as any other person but as their ears work better in the water than on land, they are incredibly sensitive to high pitched noises and sudden loud sounds, if at all possible please be courteous of subjects at all times.
* Notably while their scales serve to protect their skin to some degree of cutting along the grain, their skin is much softer than that of a human's to a certain degree. Though this is a rather negligible observation it is a noteworthy one.
For now these notes on the appearance of the Equariel race may seem tedious and obvious, it will prove to be indispensable to the future research on the Equariels as we press on into their ecosystems and evolutionary ancestry. Further more, there will be more extensive coverage on the individual purposes of the anatomy and functions of evolutionary traits in future studies.
Important Note - Genetic Variations: It may seem obvious to those familiar with the race, but the variations of the many kinds of Equariel have proven to be of incredible note during research. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the common traits of an Equariel's appearance before delving into the variations, as they can prove to appear dramatically different on a more in depth level due to their environmental conditions when evolving over the untouched generations through vast millenniums. These genetic variants are categorized into three general descriptions: the coral dwelling Paradise variant, the inland dwelling Fresh Water variant, and the deep ocean dwelling Deep Sea variant. Each one is specifically evolved to thrive in these particular environments, and has equally served as a natural segregation between the species as the harsher conditions make it more difficult to live in the places ill suited for those not born of a particular type.
For example, as the name would suggest the Fresh Water variants dwell in deep inland rivers that only offer at most 50 feet of of water depth on average. This has lead to an evolutionary adaptation that accentuates a lifestyle living off waters close to land. This variant is more equipped to handle longer periods of time on land, but not adapted to handle the dense salt water content of the ocean. This results in a sever burning sensation in the eyes and skin of this variant when introduced to the sea. Likewise, their bone and organ density is not properly supported for the pressure of the deep trenches of the ocean, and so if they attempted to dive too deep they would likely burst under the pressure of the water. And in a similar fashion, Deep Sea variants cannot properly live in freshwater due to complex nature of their blood cells. Paradise variants are notably Euryhaline in nature, but seem to feel unbearably uncomfortable in fresh water environments.
--For more information on these variations, see the study files of the corresponding names.
The Paradise Variations are by far the most common of the Equariel. These are the ones you would immediately think of when someone would mention them in conversation. The color patterns of their scales are incredibly defined, and their fins are thin veil like protrusions with very little to offer in terms of mobility while swimming. These Equariel are known to make their homes in Coral Reefs that form close to small island chains where sand and rock pile up after transportation by water currents. This was likely to avoid the large leviathan scale beasts that have been known to feed on the world's animals in the more spacious deep water areas that would otherwise be too large to enter into the coral without beaching themselves in the process.
These Coral reef settlements can be found all over the planet of Opecularis wherever the planet's coral grows and thrives. This suggests that at some point in the history of the Equariel the species was far more nomadic than it is in the modern era, and if the other variations are anything to go by likely also more willing to venture into unknown territories for survival.
Well in any case the members of this variation are your standard run of the mill Equariel. They have long flowing veil like fins from their heads, lower backs, and ankles that are often times used to attract mates during breeding seasons as well as blend in with certain colors of coral when neccisary though the need for this was quite rare in the times of their evolution. Their scale patterns are typically strikingly vivid with various kinds of patterns meant to catch eyes, and most often than not they have light colored scales along their stomachs and necks where they lay as they sleep.
Some examples of color schemes commonly found in this variation include - * oranges with Indigo * Reds with Purples * Pearly pinks * Clashing Reds and Blues * Deep Greens with Striking Oranges * Pale Baby Blues * And a large amount of solid color variations that cover most of the scales in the body.
They can breath in both salt water and fresh water but heavily prefer to live in salt water environments due to their long standing familiarity with it being their natural environment. It's also highly impractical for these Equariel to live in fresh water environments, as they maintain a particular taste for freshly caught fish. Notably their bodies and scales cannot handle elevations past a maximum of 1,000 meters below the surface of their sea, or very drastic damage can be caused to their bodies. Any deeper than around 1,300 meters and their body begins to shut down as internal organs begin to rupture. This is in sharp contrast to both other variants that both live regularly at entirely separate depths.
It appears that their jaws are very well adapted for biting down with extreme pressure with equally sharp teeth to match that bite. Some researchers have noted that their teeth can be compared to those of sharks with how they seem to easily come out of the jaw and grow back in a matter of a few days. This is especially lucky for those tasked in the research of the species, as this makes it incredibly simple to collect teeth samples when needed for study. Caution is advised in any further dental observations due to the incident in physical observations file 429.
Regardless that about makes up most of the results after extended study on the Paradise variations collected so far. Any future information will be added in as more is discovered about the species in detail.
Paradise Equarial have noted a particularly strong love of the taste of Tuna, and regularly asked for tuna-fish sandwiches at meal times after a brief incident of a researcher casually eating a lunch during one of the routine physicals. Reportedly there are strong behavioral changes when the scent is present in their environment similar to those of predatory species in our own oceans... Anderson's tendons are still in good enough shape for a android prosthetic but he's never been the same after the incident. Our canned supply of the fish are beginning to run low...
Fresh Water Equariel are rather odd for the species. It seems during the early existence of the species there were some Equariel that took to living in the connecting fresh water rivers of the scarce amount of small continents that dot the globe of Opecularis. At first glance one may think that they were entirely separate beings than both the Abyssal and Paradise Equariels, but further research and post-mortem dissection of the species confirms that they are indeed of the same species.
It's unknown if this was the first iteration of the species grown to fit it's original ecosystem or if this is the result of the sea dwelling variants of the species venturing into the inland of the world, but these Equariel are heavily adapted to live in smooth flowing rivers and lakes as opposed to deep oceans. Their scales are softer and finer than any other variant, and also come in a less extravagant variety of colors. It would appear that this variant strictly comes in shades of dark muddy greens and amber like yellows; without a doubt to serve as a sort of advanced camouflage after witnessing this variant's styles of hunting.
Unlike the other Equariels in the species, Fresh Water Equariel are explicitly designed from an evolutionary standpoint to be experts at patient riverbed hunting. They prey on smaller fish and large bugs in a fashion similar to the strategy of the Flounder Fish on earth by laying on their stomachs and covering themselves in the river bank's mud until prey comes close by; then snapping them up when they get the chance to pounce on them. This results in a significantly less powerful jaw and smaller more needle like teeth.
Their fins also look dramatically different, taking shape of dome like flabs that stretch down the back to their waistline without connecting to the body. It has been speculated that this is likely to mask the shape of the Equriel's body that may become visible while hunting for prey due to slight currents or other motions. These Equariel do still share the pale creme colored underbelly that other Equariel are known to have, but it rarely gets to be seen during a swim as they tend to lurk low towards the bottom of the lake beds in slow searching patterns when moving through their environment.
Surprisingly, these Fresh Water variants have at times been known to leave the water to explore the forested areas around them, though they rarely have a reason to do so other than transitioning over short distances of land to get to new bodies of water. However to accommodate the need for more time to be exposed to air, this variant noticeably retains moisture far longer than other Equariels. After some investigation it was discovered this is likely thanks to these finer softer scales that may serve as a kind of absorbent sponge-like material on a near microscopic level. Thanks to this evolutionary advantage they stay wet for slightly longer periods of time than other genetic variations, even when in direct sunlight.
On paper these differences may come off rather minor, but when seen in the flesh the change is dramatically different. Culturally these seem to be the most advanced of the Equariel as well, displaying a quicker understanding of tools and foliage that other Equariel in the ocean may not have the option to use or even see in most cases. They travel in tighter knit family packs, and try to avoid over eating if at all possible. Their stomachs seem to handle digesting vegetation better than others in their species, likely due to the denser plant life in their environment than the others. Likely due to the same reasons, their body seems more in tune to breath in more oxygen rich environments leading to them being the more athletic of the bunch on land. Though, that would be highly inappropriate to ask an Equariel to do physical tasks on land in the first place. You know what they say about judging a fish on it's ability to climb a tree and all.
Back on topic, the body of the Fresh Water Equariel is as you may have guessed less equipped to handle the pressure of deep ocean. Their bodies reject saltwater entirely, and it causes an intensely painful burning sensation to even enter the stuff. As a result, their bodies are shockingly less bony than their relatives and do not support the intense pressure that the others have been known to withstand. Their bodies possess a lot more fat, producing a less tough muscle than their relatives and feeling softer when squeezed or prodded. This combined with their finer scales may make them feel almost leather like if touched as opposed to the spiny sensation of a fish's scales.
This covers the main points of the research details of the Fresh Water Equariel. As before, when new information is presented on the subject matter more reports may be in order.
The Abyssal Equariel Variation... What is the best way to put this?
You'll definitely know them when you see them. Compared to their sibling variants, they by far are the most radical in appearance. These Equariel live in what we would call the Abyssopelagic Zone in our oceans. At around 5,000 - 6,000 ft below the ocean surface where the sunlight begins to fail to penetrate down and the water becomes perpetually dark. These Equariel were likely the result of ancient evolutionary ancestors attempting to escape predators by retreating into a place where almost nothing can survive.
Down there it's eat or be eaten, and as a result all unnecessary functions are abandoned in favor of more specialized changes. Their bodies for example are mostly bone, keeping them sound under the immense pressure of the sea above them. Due to the lack of light at this depth, they lose most of their color and become pale blue and white with leathery textured scales. Their eyes also go white, rendering them near blind as they traverse the abyss. Their fins are long, spine like, and sharp at the points when touched; made no doubt to cut through the water when swimming at high speeds. If you're picturing these creatures in your head to appear something akin to a monster; you'd be right. These things are not very pleasant to look at.
As you begin to observe their mouths, you'll immediately notice that their teeth are far longer than other Equariels in the species. They are about an inch in total length, and more often than not stick out of their mouths to avoid puncturing the roof of it. These teeth aren't meant to tear, they're meant to shred as they swim so that they may eat without having to stop moving for too long as they need to maintain constant movement outside of their homes so they can maintain the minimum body temperature necessary to survive.
Societies for these creatures are nearly non-existent, typically only going as far as mating pairs to avoid having to share resources with others. So much so that they even lay their eggs near volcanic vents and quickly abandon their young to fend for themselves after hatching to avoid having to contend for their resources. Because of this lack of social structure, communication simply does not happen with natives of this variant. Some even lack the vocal capabilities to muster more than a sharp growl or screech.
Even more fascinating, these Equariel even possess something the others notably lack: a tail like propulsion limb. This tail protrudes out of their lower back a little further than the length of their legs, and they latch their legs to the thin sides of the tail to sway through the water at high speeds. With this speed, they swoop in and attack any helpless prey that they can find. They can't afford to be picky down in those depths, they'll eat anything if it means another day of survival.
Amazingly, this is an effective tactic for avoiding most predators as they rarely have to deal with leviathan sized predators at these depths. There are very few animals larger than them in that area, and the ones that can threaten them usually can't handle the attack of a mating pair. Though this tactic isn't without it's drawbacks. If you may have noticed before, it was stated that they are only nearly blind. They can indeed see, but their eyes are made to take in as much light as they possibly can so that they may effectively see in the dark depths of the sea. This naturally makes them horridly light sensitive to the point where even something as dim as a candle light causes them severe pain. To accommodate for this, they make use of bio-luminescent lights along their fins in their skin to alert each other to their presence, and attract movement in some prey.
These specimens are as remarkable as they are dangerous, and equally rare. At this point in time, most of these variants are deep in the seas of Opecularis and the ones that are not are likely born from recovered egg samples and birthed in controlled research environments. We have to be careful not to introduce them into fresh water environments as it results in swift death as their blood cells reject the water. Efforts are being made to breed out some of the more difficult aspects of the species as we transition them into the modern age along with the rest of the Species; but it may prove to result in an entirely new variation hybrid that reflects only mere aspects of the original species.
It may be unprofessional of me to think so, but I'm sure glad I'm not personally researching this variation....
--Caution: Approach All Deep Sea Equariel with care and only in the appropriate equipment. They can prove to be incredibly dangerous if not properly integrated into the research facility, and even then can be prone to violent instinctual compulsions. Don't be stupid. Follow Protocol.--
Opecularis Sandbar
Name: Rhine Balik, MD Age: 32 Earth Years, ok? Ok. Great. Gender: Female Species: Fresh Water Equariel Apperance: Deep Amber colored scales with a soft pearly stomach and neck pattern. Due to a rare and minor mutation, there is also a royal blue stripe pattern along the Doctor's arms. However she keeps her scales covered most of the time with a professional white lab coat, and keeps her waistline covered with a soft wet suit type bottom covering developed by humankind to keep Equariels covered in a private manner akin to how humans cover their lower regions. However Equariels do not have mammary glands and only a bony chest region that serves no real function other than protecting inner organs many feel as though it's unnecessary to be shy as humans are. So the doctor often times only has her labcoat to cover her body otherwise, only standing to take it off when re-hydrating her scales.
When out on missions that would otherwise require her to be away from provided re-hydration facilities for an extended period of time, she opts to wear a special body suit with material designed explicitly to trap moisture inside of the material for immensely long periods or time. Though it's rather uncomfortable to wear, and often times causes a chaffing sensation if not removed and washed on a daily basis, but will allow an Equariel to avoid drying out for at most three days.
Skills: * Highly qualified in medicinal knowledge * Adept Surgeon * Skilled researcher * Capable in operating information gathering tools * Highly Skilled in Long Distance Fresh Water swimming * Swift reader * Enjoys Puzzles and critical thinking games
Name: Kriev'en Age: 50 Gender: Male Species: Paradise Equariel
Appearance: Kriev'en is always found wearing his full water suit, never removing it in view of others with the explanation that he has a severe disfigurement after an attack from a predatory creature on his home planet while defending his reef home. He changes the suit daily, switching between the colors blue, black, and brown, with the only common design being the large bulky helmet that completes the suit. The inside of the suit is filled with water, and filters the spoken word of the Equariel inside through the helmet via speaker in the mask. Most Equariels choose to wear these helmets with their suits as it completes the full submersion effect that allows the Equariel to maintain moisture, so this isn't a very uncommon appearance for an Equariel to adopt. If what he says is true, you'd likely not want to see his true appearance either.
He also carries an extendable harpoon with his other equipment, stating he never leaves it behind after the attack in his youth. He trusts hard steel more than any rifle, so if he's ever in a situation where he would lose his weapons or run out of ammo, his handy old fashioned spear will serve him well.
A Gold Shell Scarath Beetle. Roughly the size of a Terran Elephant.
