Barathu

Barathus are the sentient apex of Bretheda's gas-giant ecosystem, blimp-like creatures vaguely reminiscent of jellyfish, with several unusual evolutionary adaptations. The first is their ability to rewrite their own genetic code instinctively and at will, adjusting their own biology to allow them to manufacture a huge array of substances—and even advanced biotechnology—within the crucibles of their own bodies. Yet while this ability makes them quite successful in the Pact Worlds economy, and has deeply influenced their culture’s understanding of wealth and trade, their more notable adaptation is the ability to combine with others of their kind into larger, hive-minded superentities. These mergings create not merely amalgams of their component beings, but entirely new entities with unique and independent consciousnesses, yet which in turn often disband back into their component individuals after a particular need or threat has passed.
Barathu culture tends to be easygoing but hard for some other races to understand, as the barathus’ frequent merging makes the concept of “self” somewhat nebulous to them. Young barathus who grow up surrounded by humanoids are an exception, as they are better able to appreciate the mindsets of creatures who exist in static, solitary configurations. Compared to older barathus, early stage barathus are more adventurous and individualistic, and their adaptation to the humanoid mindset makes it more difficult for them to merge completely with others of their kind. Most of these early stage barathus grow out of this phase, gaining the ability to fully integrate with others, yet recent generations have seen more and more barathus deliberately clinging to their juvenile mindsets. While plenty of barathus remain discrete entities for most of their lives, barathus nearing the ends of their lives often merge with massive, permanent combinatory entities that serve as corporations, governments, or cultural repositories.

Basic Information

Anatomy

UNLIMITED ADAPTATIONS While every species naturally adapts to its environment, few can compare to barathus’ ability to modify their physical bodies. By altering their genetic code, they produce a boggling array of materials that can be incorporated into their physiology. In the early development of the species, this allowed them to manifest armored plating to defend against predators, spiny protrusions to hunt prey, and grasping appendages to manipulate the world around them.
Today, barathus apply their unique physiology to manufacture tools, industrial chemicals, medical serums, biotech augmentations, and more. A barathu’s ability to produce a material or component is limited only by their knowledge of the substance they wish to produce and the availability of the required elements in or near the barathu’s body. Merging allows several barathus to combine their mental prowess and collected resources, so combined entities can often produce larger and more complex objects. Barathus looking to overcome a shortage of some required element might seek to hire or collaborate with another barathu that has already acquired or ingested more rare materials.
Barathus’ ability to edit—and thus repair—their own genetic code means they don’t age as most biological creatures do. Instead, age deteriorates a barathu’s memory. As an individual barathu accrues more and more memories, many hazy and vague from repeated merging and disbanding, their psyche begins to falter. As a side effect of this mental failure, the barathu can no longer effectively adapt and maintain their genetic code. Most barathus at this stage of life choose to contribute their physical forms and lifetime of experiences to one of the planet’s permanently combined entities, but a few choose to remain apart instead, allowing their bodies and memories to fade in tandem.

Additional Information

Social Structure

SOCIETY IN THE SKIES Given that most barathus alternate between existing as a single identity and combining to form various new consciousnesses, the concept of “self” is somewhat foreign to them, and members of other species often struggle to understand the nuances of barathu identity. Individual barathus explain their perspective differently; some feel they only exist as an individual when they’re outside of a merged unit. When merged, another creature exists, and an individual barathu recalls that existence as belonging to a different entity. Other barathus apply the concept of “self” to every consciousness they have ever participated in, referring to all such entities in the first person. Still others describe each transition between single barathu and collective as the beginning of a new identity.
Similarly, barathus don’t normally have names for themselves. Their powerful telepathy makes verbal designations unnecessary, and their frequent merging creates so many unique personalities that naming them all would be a terribly inefficient practice. But barathus working with members of other species have long understood the challenge this presents, and many have adopted names solely for the convenience of others. These names are more akin to titles, describing a barathu’s role as others are likely to encounter them; an additional tag within the name clarifies an individual barathu’s relationship to larger collective individuals. Barathus living entirely among other cultures adopt more personal names, though these names have no consistent conventions. A barathu might borrow the name of an admired individual or legendary hero, choose a random collection of sounds or gestures they find pleasing, or accept a name given to them by a friend.
All these unusual distinctions are little talked about among barathus, of course, who find their unique nature quite ordinary. In contrast, barathus struggle to understand the isolation of individuals who can only communicate with others through touch, spoken words, or rare or limited telepathy. Many barathus view other species with a combination of pity and condescension.
Due to their adaptability and connectivity, barathus were among the least distressed of all The Pact Worlds species at the end of The Gap. The significance of the Gap was not lost on them, but there were few societal disruptions; as other cultures fell into chaos and disarray, barathus simply moved forward. Barathus are constantly creating and ending individual consciousnesses, and they’re used to memory lapses, so waking from the Gap wasn’t an entirely foreign experience. Many barathus likened the experience to disbanding from a particularly large and long-lasting merge.
Barathu politics and economics revolve around the all-encompassing significance of merging as a cultural touchstone. Bretheda’s governing body, Confluence, is a merged collective of several thousand barathus, and many of the major corporations operating in the planet’s stormy skies are governed in a similar manner. Merging into a collective is so efficient that barathus find it ridiculous to conduct business, research, governance, or other affairs as individuals. This perspective puts them at odds with many other species, for a merged barathu corporation is literally a single person, however large and complex. For this reason, barathus’ approach to corporate regulation is far more permissive than most other cultures prefer, and the restrictions placed upon corporate activity by other civilizations become violations of personal rights when applied to a merged barathu corporation.
Barathus are easygoing by nature. Few things present a real threat to the barathu species, and Bretheda’s skies have historically provided plenty of organic matter for them to subsist upon. As more barathus come to dwell in urban areas, floating agricultural systems have kept pace with demand for food. Barathus resolve conflicts among themselves by combining and addressing the problem as a collective entity, so arguments between individuals are few and far between. Their communal society has few laws, and most of the laws that do exist are in place to regulate non-barathus. In general, barathus find members of other species a bit bewildering, but as long as a visitor isn’t disruptive or destructive, barathus welcome those who dare to live on their stormy gas giant.
Barathus place tremendous value on knowledge, education, and experience. Youths are encouraged to study whatever field they most enjoy; since the Signal, many barathus study at prestigious or specialized universities throughout the Pact Worlds. Young barathus are also encouraged to explore and collect new experiences, making them better able to contribute to any merged entities they join. Over the past few generations, however—as barathus have budded and been raised surrounded by other species—some have developed a more individualistic mindset that makes it difficult for them to merge smoothly with others of their kind. These barathus remain in their juvenile state much longer than normal, and older generations view these independent youths with varying degrees of scorn and disdain. The conflict between “travelers” and “residents” has grown swiftly in recent decades, becoming one of the most significant cultural divides in the history of barathukind.
Outsiders are often surprised by the honesty and frankness of barathus, but from the barathu perspective, information can be kept private only until the next merging. Keeping secrets from one another is all but impossible unless the barathu refuses to merge, which in turn attracts attention and concern from others. There are notable exceptions to this attitude, however; in the less-savory districts of Trillidiem, a cadre of barathus entrenched in black-market commerce and other outlawed practices merge only with other members of their cohort, ensuring no outsiders learn the details of their dealings.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

OUT OF MANY, ONE When two or more barathus merge, the result is more than mere telepathic collaboration. This conjoining results in a fundamentally different being with a single, independent consciousness and personality; they become, in effect, a new person. This new entity commands the combined mental and physical prowess of all components, including their knowledge and memories. This can provide a significant advantage, whether the barathus are trying to escape a hungry nuru worm or design a more efficient starship thruster. There is no limit to how many barathus can join together in this way—indeed, Bretheda is home to numerous entities who consist of hundreds or even thousands of merged barathus, many with significant political or economic influence. In these large entities, the new consciousness becomes relatively stable, remaining intact even if individual barathus join or leave the entity.
When the external stimulus that prompted barathus to merge has passed, the entity usually disbands, leaving the component barathus to resume their individual lives. Each component recalls its time as part of the larger collective, though because these memories were formed within a powerful combined intellect, they're somewhat limited by the individual barathu’s mental faculties. Some barathus have compared their memories of a merge to a highly compressed video feed, wherein the overall memory is hazy or filled with static, so details are hard to make out. These memories do include a portion of the knowledge and memories of the other component barathus, since the combined entity had all these thoughts at their command, but these recollections are secondhand and even less distinct.
Barathus reproduce by budding, a process similar to cellular reproduction, but on a much more complex scale. A barathu’s ability to rewrite their own genetics ensures biological diversity and repairs any damage to their genetic code, so sexual reproduction with another barathu is unnecessary and ultimately less advantageous than simply budding offspring from themselves. A barathu with sufficient resources and an inclination to reproduce generates an excess of tissue and genetic material, which eventually separates from the parent and becomes autonomous. These resultant “early stage” barathus can modify their bodies just as adults can, often merging with one or more adult barathus for protection even though they have little experience or knowledge to offer. A young barathu controls their own growth, but they still take about a year after budding to reach the size of an adult. Barathus judge psychological maturity in terms of experience, so a year-old barathu who has lived through very interesting circumstances might be considered an adult, while a barathu who has been sheltered for decades might still be considered a child.

Civilization and Culture

Culture and Cultural Heritage

THE DREAMERS Barathus might have been one of the first species in the system to travel between worlds, using telepathically controlled Oma—enormous space whales—as primitive biological starships. One of their first journeys was to the neighboring gas giant of Liavara, a peach-colored world with a distinctive ring system, and those barathus who visited came away deeply changed by the experience. These barathus became known as the Dreamers. Although they remained similar to barathus in appearance, their behavior was altered beyond comprehension, and they gained command of confounding psychic powers. No records relate the reason for this journey, but the Dreamers and their descendants became key aspect of barathu culture. Nearly every barathu knows about the Dreamers, considers them distant kin, and generally refuses to discuss them with outsiders except to ensure the Dreamers’ protection.
Within barathu circles, the conversation is more complex. Theories abound as to the reason for that fated transformation, including the supposition that the Dreamers needed to exist in a preternatural sense, that they were drawn to a powerful psychic influence emanating from Liavara itself, or perhaps that they came to be by simple chance. Likewise, barathus have many reasons to protect the Dreamers. Some insist the Dreamers’ otherworldly songs are an essential manifestation of the universe, and that should the Dreamers cease to sing, the universe itself would begin to unravel. Others view their Dreamer kin with parental adoration, feeling some species-level responsibility for their existence and defending them as they would budded offspring.
Though barathus hold widely varying opinions on this matter, they share some beliefs in common. They insist on a protectorate status for Liavara, under barathu administration, rather than allowing it to hold full Pact Worlds membership. Barathus also agree that the Dreamers must be left to their own devices, free from external influence—even that of other barathus. Breaking from these traditions is a serious misstep in barathu society, and meddling with the Dreamers is one of the few ways for barathus to be imprisoned or even exiled. Nevertheless, some barathus do oppose these views, and a small but vocal community of barathus on Liavara argues for freer contact with the Dreamers. How long Confluence will continue to allow this group’s protests is anyone’s guess, but some argue that Confluence’s silence is evidence that they’ve been infiltrated by members of this group of Liavaran agitators.

History

Long before recorded history, single-celled organisms floating in the stormy skies of a turbulent gas giant took an evolutionary leap forward. They joined together, forming a new being that was larger, more adaptable, and more capable than they had been independently. Changes like this had taken place on thousands of worlds before, but in Bretheda’s churning clouds, the new organisms retained a fragment of their original autonomy and function. Where other lifeforms amassed more and more cells, growing larger and becoming more specialized as individual creatures, the Brethedan cells retained the ability to join together and draw apart again, gaining the advantages of both forms.
Millions of years later, these beings, called barathus, still exhibit this peculiar evolutionary adaptation, which has become a cornerstone of their physiology, outlook, and society. Barathus have a second noteworthy, and possibly related, biological adaptation as well: the ability to edit their own genetic code at will, giving them extreme flexibility. The link between these two traits is unclear: no one knows which came first or if one resulted from the existence of the other. Combined, these abilities make barathus one of the most adaptable species in the galaxy.

Common Myths and Legends

SPIRITUALITY Faith and spirituality are complex matters among barathus. For most creatures, the relationship between the soul and the larger multiverse is personal, but barathu merging makes such convictions public; every merge provides a new perspective—and sometimes even a direct challenge—to their beliefs. In such a society, for any given worldview to survive, it has to align closely with barathu culture as a whole.
Of the deities, Oras, Talavet, and Yaraesa are the most commonly revered among barathus. Yaraesa appeals to their appreciation of education and knowledge, while Oras embodies their inherent ability to modify themselves, and Talavet speaks to their shared knowledge and memories. No divinity perfectly represents the barathu mindset, however; while barathus may appreciate them, they rarely worship in a conventional manner. Instead, barathus view a favored deity with the respect and admiration held for a revered teacher or mentor. The closest thing barathu society has to a common spirituality may be their regard for the Dreamers, whom they appreciate and honor. Barathus agree upon the significance of the Dreamers’ psychic powers, even if their opinions about the purpose of those powers varies.
Despite their unusual sense of self, barathus wrestle with death as other species do. The fact that an aging barathu can permanently merge with a greater collective gives solace to survivors, but barathus mourn any passing of a friend or relative. Indeed, the passing of one barathu often means the loss of several, for any merged identities the deceased contributed to are also gone forever. Memorial traditions include crooning songs and slow, wafting dances through Bretheda’s stormy skies; naturally, groups of barathus mourning the same comrade merge to better express their sorrow.
Barathus recognize the existence of an afterlife in The Great Beyond, but they consider the concept largely irrelevant. Souls of the deceased don’t recall their mortal lives, can't communicate beyond difficult and rare exception, and mostly don’t have much impact on the lives of the living. Some view the afterlife as a kind of ultimate merging, in which a soul becomes part of the multiverse itself, but others see death as the ultimate disbanding, after which one can never merge again.
Those barathus who refuse to pass to the Outer Planes manifest as ghosts and haunts, just like other species. However, these unquiet spirits are often laid to rest when another barathu accepts the spirit’s memories in one final merging. Although these “ghost merges” are actually very rare, barathu ghost stories often feature them as a means to pass on unfinished business to the living. Great Brethedan storms like the Eyes of the Ancients are said to hold the spirits of barathus who want to pass on their memories but, because of the Gap, are unable to do so.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

WITHIN THE PACT WORLDS To the dismay of their political rivals, barathus’ influence in the Pact Worlds is much larger than their actual population. Not only do they govern Bretheda, the largest world in the system, through the merged entity Confluence, but they also administer the neighboring (and nearly as large) planet Liavara. This authority extends over the moons of both worlds to a number of species and cultures, not all of which appreciate barathu leadership. Several Liavaran moons have petitioned for—and received—full Pact Worlds status in their own right; residents of the moon Nchak are lobbying for this status even now. The indigenous maraquoi of the Brethedan moon Marata have been divided over their own status within the Pact Worlds, and this conflict is drawing ever closer to civil war. The struggle has spread to Bretheda, with barathus smuggling weapons to Marata and even threatening political violence against their enemies.
The Pact Council itself is a complicated and tense matter for barathu representatives. From the barathu perspective, a council seat remains a single seat even if it’s occupied by a merged entity consisting of hundreds of component barathus, but such logic often draws anger and protests from other councilors who feel the seat is being abused. Even the number of allocated seats is controversial, since the number of barathus in residence on Bretheda changes moment by moment, depending on who’s merged with whom. Barathu representatives to the council remain steadfastly neutral in the various alliances and partnerships formed by other councilors, and their willingness to work with all parties only somewhat reassures their colleagues, engendering skepticism and hostility among politicians with more devotion to specific goals. For example, barathu representatives are quick to work with representatives from Eox and Apostae, a fact which Bretheda’s rivals, including Councilor Erem, have used against them.
These challenges aside, most Pact Worlds recognize that barathus reliably offer their collective intellect to solve system-wide problems, and Bretheda’s economic and technological advancements have been a boon to the system. Barathu weaponry was at the forefront of the Silent War against The Veskarium and the defense against the Swarm. Brethedan biotech is the gold standard of the field, and even those who resent their dominance can’t dispute that barathu innovations spur economic growth within and beyond the Pact Worlds.

Barathu, Single

Barathu, Combined