Xothian (Kso-Thee-Aennes)

Xothian are a species indigenous to the planet Cadelen in the edge of the alliance sectors.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Concerning their coloration, Xothian tend to be born in one of two ways. Normal xothian skin patterns tend to have a very dark base that varies slightly in hue to match the markings, and those markings are a saturated hue with tonal variations throughout, sometimes becoming a full-body gradient in the markings. these same spots also sport lighter scale-like spots in a more vibrant color directly connected to the base marking color. These xothian are by far the most common. The secondary set of Xothians are referred to as "Inverted Xothians" these have a creamy base color which tends to be very light, either light cream, light blue etc and their markings are darker colors, like whine or royal blue. They also have the lighter scale-like spots but these stand out less in the darker marking sections. These can also have a full body gradient in the markings but they keep their darker tone in contrast to the light back tone. On the other hand the rest of their colors are rather monotone, their hair consists of a gradient from cream to gray, the hues of this gradient only falter or shift slightly and rarely. Aside from this their eyes are also always the same type of gray, with a lighter gray ring in the rim of the iris and a darker gray circle near the middle, the only thing that shifts would be their pupil, which is a pastel color, aside from this their sclera is always black. The nipples in both females and males are a darker shade of their marking color, this is also the case for the vaginal tissue and the top of the penis in females and males respectively. Unlike many species found in the Therea Galaxy, Xothians dont have an albino or hyperpigmented mutation.

Biological Traits

The Xothian are a tall humanoid species with four arms, which have claws and webbing between the fingers. these traits would have been used in the past as swimming aid, since the species seemed to be similar to amphibians in their earlier evolutionary states. Now the four arms and claws serve to climb better than most sapient humanoids. Aside from the hands, their feet are feline like, but end in sharp claws rather than soft paws in a pseudo draconic fashion, which also helps with climbing. Another physical trait that helps in their environment are the 3 pairs of bat like ears. With these they can detect creatures that may be incredibly far, and even in the pitch black of their night they can dash through the forest with no difficulty. The shapes of the ears can change, but they all serve the same function, although the wider the ear, the better they can detect sound. The Xothians themselves also tell that their ears can detect a heart beat near a hundred feet from them and this helps them hunt.

Genetics and Reproduction

Xothina's genetic makeup makes it extremely hard to procreate with other species, but once the child survives the first week in it's mother's belly, it will develop healthily and like normal for the rest of the species. A union of a Xothian male and an alien female will always end up in a child being 100% the species of the mother, only sporting a few colors from the father, this is completely opposite the other way around. A female Xothian and a male alien will always end up producing a Xothian child, with markings similar to the father's colors.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Xothians are split into clans, all with huge amounts of members connected by blood or fealty to the clan leader. These clans are lead by the Grand Clan, the oldest and most powerful clan in Caleden. Both males and females of the species share the same responsibilities of working to maintain the family, raising young and hunting. Unlike other species, Xothians dont have an ample food market, they rather hunt for their food instead. Their world has very drastic terrain changes with huge gorges spanning hundreds of feet deep and across, tall cliffs and mountains that defy gravity, with chunks missing out of their bottom or top. This along with drastic planetary biomes makes it so life has evolved in a very peculiar way depending on where they live. Xothians have ways to hunt each and every one of the fauna, from flying draconoids to burrowing avians, Xothians hunt them all. Xothians also tend to not be the bigger of the species of the planet, meaning that with just a few hunts, a large group of Xothians or even the smaller Clans can survive for weeks. This makes it so overhunt and exploitation are not a thing in Caleden. Another reason for this is that they see hunting as a ceremonial activity, and don't use large advances in their technology to aid with it, instead relying in ceremonial ranges weapons or blades for each hunting event. Concerning moving from Caleden, Xothians have an aversion to it, seeing aliens or "Nacalens" (non Caledens) as intrusive when in the planet itself and weak for not being able to survive in the hostile environment. This taboo though, draws in the younglings and some do indeed choose to leave their homeworld for the adventure of galactic life. These are mostly welcome back when they return, except for most of the elders of the clans, who now see them as Nacalens. Due to their abilities, Xothians are largely given jobs in military or even mercenary organizations, and its common to see them later on having either scars or prosthetics.

Clans

When it comes to Xothian clans, they mainly consist of a handful or large, close knit families. This is evident in their coloration, with the markings in a xothian clan being of analogous color to the main family’s. For example in a clan where the main family has red markings, you would see magenta and orange xothians around. In rare situations clans can have spots of xothians with drastically different colors, these would be individuals from other clans that married into their current one. While their treatment would still be kind and nurturing, highly different coloration within a clan may lead to some conflict, name calling or distance between them and the core families. Because of this, xothians marrying into a clan will never make up more than about 5% of the total clan, to minimize issues between them. The children of these Xothians from distant clans will tend to have coloration of a close analogous color to one of their parents, with the secondary parent serving more as the direction of where the analogous color leans to. An example of this would be a royal blue Xothian having a child with an orange one. Their child could be a more peachy/pink orange color, which would be orange leaning more towards a cool color, or maybe a violet instead of a royal blue, which would be a blue leading warmer towards orange. In strange cases, both colors could mix, using the same example as above, with orange and royal blue, their child would be a darker purple/magenta. In other times the kids might just be born with one of the parent's color with no changes. The sizes of Clans in Cadelen can vary depending on the environment and family groups composing them, but for the most part they fall within small, medium and large clans. Small clans can have from 1 to 3 families and about 50 members maximum. Medium clans have between 5 and 10 families, with about 100 to 300 members. The largest clans can have upwards of 20 families and about 500 to 800 members, these are closer to small towns. These rules of families somewhat shatter when it comes to the Grand Clan however, with their original main families forming a tight circle around the Grand Val. The clan is as large as a city, with families from all over the planet making it their home if they are allowed to become members. They have thousands of people, making it the main super power in Cadelen. Typically clans have a hierarchy topped by the clan head or “Val”. These can be either male or female, with their spouse being the second in command or “Valeen”. These two and their children form the main family of their clan. Next to these there are a few positions with similar importance. The leader of their hunters is the “Voral”, their high priest or medic is the “Dren” or simply “Sage”, and their technological head is the “Talim” or “Teacher”. Under these are the heads of the secondary families, again these can be either male or female and are the “Vanee”. After them you can find other important jobs but without titles, such as crafters, wet nurses, warriors and hunters and the like. Clans differ greatly in how much distance there is between each of these positions and how every superior one treats their inferiors. It can range from brotherly love to mandatory obedience between each role.

Civilization and Culture

Average Technological Level

Xothians, as you can imagine, they are a more tribal people, focused on clans and ceremonies, though this does not mean they shy away from technology, they embrace it in their more external branches of society, like reconnaissance, planetary exploration and intergalactic travel/trade. The ships they craft and smaller and thinner than most other travel cruisers, made mainly with Xolinium, a strange substance that's naturally made partly from metal. This substance can shift and stretch and is actually the black pieces they use for their clothing. Xolinium works incredibly well even in the void of space, and when mixed with traditional components and metals commonly used for ship-making, it makes for a fantastic, less complex space fairing vessel. Xothian ships also have distinct "oars" in their sides, helping them in split second course correction through some undisclosed property of the Xolinium itself. Much of their economy both in trading on and off world revolves around this miracle substance. Even if it only originates in Caleden, and the Xothians greatly covet it, it's mainly only used in small quantities in components to help larger machines such as ships or engines. The only clan responsible for great technological leaps and discoveries is the Grand Clan. However, each clan has their Talim, a head of technology that spreads the use of the newest inventions throughout the planet and is in charge of teaching people how to use, maintain and repair it.

Common Dress Code

Xothians use a type of latex like "fabric" to dress themselves made from Xolinium. It can be hardened and shaped to fit their bodies as "plates" or segments that are attached to their bodies or it can be treated to be stretchy and flowing like a typical fabric for skirts, cloaks etc. Some Xothians weare Gilded Xolinium, which is the typical black outfit with gold detailing. These Xothians tend to be high ranking members of their own clan

Common Myths and Legends

Xothian Religion varies greatly depending on where in the planet you are located, but many clans praise a single entity called Val Dan, a great being of harsh justice but also great love for the world. This Mother-Natureesque deity is often represented as a ten armed Xothian with a great scar from neck to groin, while holding the Skulls of the ten most revered and dangerous predators in Caleden. Val Dan loosely means King God, and the title of Val for Clan leaders comes from this.