Klavangi

The Klavangi are the first race of spacefaring beings humans encountered in the Diaspora. The First Encounters took place in 2428 and 2429 S.E., with klavangi ships approaching human worlds and transmitting on local ComWeb bands in Stanglish.

Klavangi ships had come across human skip-drones (part of the Beacon Net communications system) and became aware of human space travel. Essentially, they dropped by to introduce themselves.

Some humans were inclined to regard klavangi space travel technology (far in advance of anything humans had yet achieved) as a possible threat, but the klavangi shared freely, providing explanations of kiron phenomena, demonstrating the properties of irravir in flow-propulsion, even supplying a working i'nnsevvh generator for human scientists and engineers. Within a very short time, klavangi technology had revolutionized human space travel and given the Diaspora new energy.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Morphology varies based on where in the lifecycle a klavangi may be. Klavangi who associate with humans are in the tt'yllwr stage of the cycle. In this stage the morphology is humanoid, bipedal, endothermic, and without secondary sex characteristics for any of the nine klavangi genders.

In tt'yllwr, klavangi range between 1.5 and 2.3 meters in height, and generally mass in the 60 to 80 Kg range, with ectomorphic musculoskeletal appearance. They are hypercephalic with pronounced dolichocephaly, small, narrow jaws, no external auricular structures, binocular vision with large, dark external eye lenses on either side of a small olfactory ridge ending in a pair of prounounced nostrils above a mouth with very narrow, flexible lips.

Klavangi dermis is extremely tough and flexible. It is patterned but the markings are outside the human visual spectrum. To human eyes, the color varies from bluish-gray to greenish-gray. Hands are narrow and hexadactyl, with triple-jointed phalanges.

Their physiology includes pronounced regenerative capabilities for many kinds of musculoskeletal injuries, and their anatomy includes redundant circulatory and other major organ systems that also give them a high survivability rating for internal damage.

Genetics and Reproduction

Little is known about the klavangi reproductive cycle. At least six of the klavangi genders appear to be capable of participating in reproduction, but precise mechanisms have not been observed as reproduction takes place among non-spacefaring klavangi in a life-phase other than the tt'yllwr.

Growth Rate & Stages

Klavangi are known to be extremely long-lived. The few responses to human queries on the subject refer mainly to the tt'yllwr life-phase, which they indicate may last "up to three hundred eht'set" or possibly "at least three hundred eht'set". During tt'yllwr, klavangi pass through three statuses, beginning in ttr'wylln - the status of almost all klavangi interacting with other beings.

The next status of tt'yllwr is considered "tt'vrnyll" and individuals achieving this status may be addressed as "Rynll". Most of the Iehren delegation are "Rynll". The final status within tt'yllwr is "tt'wllryn" klavangi achieving this status are addressed as "Llryn". Llryn Qevr im-Tasgi Vrlgar is the head of the klavangi Array in the College of the Pleiades.

There are at least four other life-phases, of which little is known except that the first two precede tt'yllwr, and ne'hriss aovva, and at least one other follow the saanl that brings tt'yllwr to an end.

Ecology and Habitats

All klavangi will say about their species' home system is that it was subsumed in the nova of its star "many irt'set past." They occupy a variety of arcological habitats scattered widely through the areas of space in which they travel, the locations of which they do not disclose.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Klavangi in tt'yllwr are omnivorous, with highly efficient metabolisms that maximize energy conversion. They can if necessary go for long periods without eating by entering a semi-estival state. However, many appear to greatly enjoy consumption of foodstuffs in other beings' consumption traditions and some are known to make a leisure pastime of learning to prepare human, strill, or emyrilli foodstuffs. Little is known about the klavangi's own foodstuffs or consumption patterns when not in the presence of other beings.

Biological Cycle

Each life-phase ends with the process of saanl, a state near suspended animation in which the klavangi apparently receives no external sensory input and is incapable of communication or movement for an extended period. The onset of saanl is signaled by subtle physiological changes which precipitate the process of embarking on a specialized r'ill ship for transport, during which the saanl begins.

Behaviour

Klavangi in tt'yllwr are highly competent with languages and communication, and appear to greatly value inter-being relationships and the experience and learning they afford. Unless they are participating in a specific hierarchical role (e.g., the klavangi that take service in other beings' military, law enforcement, or medical services,) they tend to be diffident and cooperative in manner. In positions of authority they are decisive and maintain calm, confident demeanor.

They claim that 'curiosity' is their ruling psychological characteristic, and the function of the tt'yllwr life phase is to gather 'external' knowledge and experience.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Almost nothing is known about klavangi social structures without the presence of other beings. Tt'yllwr klavangi tend to adapt thoroughly to the social matrices of the beings with which they sojourn. The closest thing to a social structure manifested is organization by ship or ship-group, but there is no specific pattern of kinship, occupation, or other affiliation manifested in how or why klavangi choose the ships with which they identify.

Average Intelligence

Human scientists postulate klavangi have an intelligence of an entirely different order than human, strill, or even emyrilli intelligences, although there is considerable overlap for the purposes of communication and information sharing.

Klavangi apparently do not recognize (or measure) the quality of "intelligence" in respect to cognition, they value the quality of aavvrs.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Human scientists speculate that there may be some native telepathy among klavangi, as their intraspecies communication has pronounced non-verbal aspects, but klavangi do not confirm or deny this. The lack of success in human attempts to investigate their inter-ship communications devices (hllerrn) lend some color to this speculation.

They are extremely accomplished communicators with other beings and some level of xenoempathy or xenotelepathy has also been postulated. Again, klavangi do not confirm or deny.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Klavangi names encode the ship and ship-group with which they identify, added to a chosen name that, as one klavangi explained "has an enjoyable feeling."

Major Organizations

Beyond the Iehren, klavangi have referred to organizations that maintain "ship-rights" and steward shared resources. Klavangi have not provided specifics about these organizations.

Gender Ideals

Although they bear no external gender morphology, klavangi do distinguish nine "degrees" of gender which they associate with a complex and, to humans, somewhat confusing array of activity choices, mental traits, and companionship options. They associate two degrees of gender with 'male' analogs, three with 'female' analogs, and the remaining four with 'outside specifications' analogs. Humans have readily adopted the pronoun structure of Kl'vaar into Stanglish, and the pronouns ta, te, tez have become standard usage in that language not only in reference to other beings but often to humans.

Courtship Ideals

Klavangi form lasting pair bonds with each other apart from any reproductive role, but there are no known formal rituals, critera, or gender patterns to the associations.

Average Technological Level

Klavangi technology is far in advance of other beings' technological achievements, and the most advanced technologies in use by all space-faring beings are generally based on klavangi engineering, mathematics, and physics. Flow-pressure propulsion and field generation are the two most widely-adopted klavangi accomplishments.

Humans have been attempting since supplied with klavangi hllerrn, to understand and reproduce the klavangi FTL communications technology, thus far without success. Some human scientists hypothesize a telepathic element to the communication methodology.

Some klavangi ships travel armed with simple but effective and formidable versions of weapons technologies borrowed from other beings' technological arrays, and they have acknowledged that there are "other weapons" which are not in use in Diaspora space.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

All klavangi appear to use Kl'vaar. There have been some references to other languages in use among klavangi at great distances from the ships in Diaspora space. Klavangi are skilled linguists and readily assimilate and produce transligue programming, glossaries, and translations among the many languages spoken by other beings.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Klavangi culture seems to place a high value on all forms of artistic expression, communications, entertainments, philosophy and the study of religious or spiritual belief systems. They are, perhaps, a species of accomplished xenothropologists. What little trade activity they participate in focuses on creative artifacts - jewelry, artwork, fabrics, crafted items, documents and recordings of various types of performance.

Additional trade items include various prepared or non-perishable food items, biological and mineralogical specimens, and religious artifacts.

Arts and Entertainment

Klavangi are accomplished artists in a variety of media and many individuals have produced visual arts or musical performances of exquisite quality and craftsmanship. There are at least three performance troupes, called "circuses" that tour Diaspora worlds and bring multi-sensory artistic experiences to other beings.

Participating in, and observing structured games and sports of various types from other spacefaring cultures are popular leisure activities among klavangi in the Diaspora. They are especially noted for participation in 'cuisine contest' activities, creating dishes and meals of great appeal using the conventions of various human, strill, and emyrilli cultures.

Religion

Klavangi almost universally express a reverence for, or worship of, what they refer to as "Yyvnahh Ir" - a deity or deistic force present both within all forms of corporeal or tangible life, and in a transcendent or discorporeal state, possibly an afterlife. There appear to be no rituals, established theology or institutionalized forms of worship, but a number of recitations which may function as prayer are common, as is a state analogous to meditation, both individually and in small groups.

History

All klavangi have revealed about their history is that it is very long - at least 43,000,000 years or "a thousand or more irt'set". They have stated that the star system in which their species evolved went nova "many irt'set ago". Some klavangi have alluded to a 'long chronicle of journeying' that contains the experiences of many tt'yllwr.

Lifespan

Unknown