Ilthisarian

Ilthisarians are multiheaded, serpentlike humanoids with forked tails instead of legs. Though they are most comfortable in the marshy environments of the planet Arshalin, ilthisarians can remain active in a wide range of climates.

Civilization and Culture

Culture and Cultural Heritage

In terms of culture, ilthisarians have an extreme preference for intelligent redundancy and avoiding unnecessary risk. Just as they biologically have several heads, twin tails, and duplicates of key internal organs, ilthisarians are uncomfortable without having multiple back-up plans and fail-safes in their daily lives, particularly in new endeavors. Ilthisarians are slow to accept innovations, as novel ideas seem dangerously untested. While ilthisarians have been aware of the science behind spaceflight for centuries, most haven’t left their planet. Regions of their world with dangerous reputations and no known resources of value are intentionally ignored, as there is no obvious benefit to the risks associated with exploring them. This cultural trait isn’t pathological—ilthisarians take risks when they believe the potential benefit outweighs the level of risk—but it does make them a much more cautious culture than most spacefaring races.
This cultural predilection for risk aversion and redundancy has led to a society that is remarkably stable, with many long-held traditions. Ilthisarians appreciate the mastery that comes with thorough research of science, magic, and other socially useful fields, and they have constructed their society accordingly. For example, ilthisarian jurisprudence is well developed and encourages reasonable solutions with the greatest benefit to society, while ilthisarian genetic engineers have produced ethesk servitors displaying incredible durability and loyalty. Ilthisarians attribute their survival in the wake of the cataclysmic fall of worldshards to their society’s many well-maintained food vaults and fortified bunkers, and they diligently maintain them today.
Despite their deep appreciation for tradition, ilthisarians are not a generally religious people. This doesn’t seem to have always been the case, however: crumbling temples to ophidian gods stand deep in the trackless marshes of their world, almost always with graven depictions of mass blood sacrifices. Modern ilthisarians express disdain for such barbaric rituals, although rumors persist that cults deep in the marshes keep these ancient practices alive and well, sacrificing unlucky travelers to gods of carnage. Civilized ilthisarians who practice a formalized religion nearly always follow Abadar, revering him as the god of commerce and community.
Ilthisarian language is extraordinarily nuanced and difficult for outsiders to replicate, spoken with several voices at once in an overlapping harmony of sounds. The language is duplicative without being merely repetitive, providing deep meaning with several shades of subtle nuance. Worlds that establish long-term diplomats on Arshalin usually employ squadrons of well-trained linguists who speak together, as a choir, to mimic ilthisarian language.