Zarcantian

A spacefaring species from Zarcanislau in the distant Loximar galaxy. They travelled to Osiron in 6159 UGY after overriding the protocols of the relay station in the Gremoris System.

They are bipedal creatures with two arms and two legs.

Sleek and tall, Terrans often describe them as looking like a robotic insectoid. Chitin covers most of their bodies including their faces. The only uncovered parts are their wings, feet, and certain areas around the elbow and knee joints. This chitin varies in colour and has a metallic shine to it. Most commonly you will see Zarcantians with copper, steel, or bronze coloured chitin. Where their body parts are not covered by chitin, you can see the reddish-brown of their skin which is reminiscent of Terran muscle.

Their wings appear to be quite thin and transluscent. Even from a distance, the veins within the wings are visible, made more prominent by a faint yellow or orange glow. Zarcantians have four wings - a top set of two larger ones protruding from their shoulders and a bottom set of two smaller ones protuding from their shoulder blades. Their eyes - six in total, three on each side of the face - are thin, white slits and they sit one below the other with a slight offset. The offset for each pair of eyes is about half an inch further back along the side of the face in comparison to the pair of eyes above it, with the top most pair of eyes sitting central.

Fear not the darkness and you will not lose your way...

— An ancient Zarcantian proverb

Basic Information

Genetics and Reproduction

Zarcantians have external genitalia used for reproductive purposes. There are two sets - mysieth and bolvua. Neither of these are used to identify Zarcantian gender because males and females can develop either during their ‘mating’ seasons. Outside of mating seasons, the genitalia returns to a ‘dormant’ state known as ucolous.

Mysieth genitalia contains the Zarcantian's sperm and the bolvua contains the egg sac. During mating, the sperm is released from the mysieth and into several small openings on the bolvua, where it then fertilises the egg sac. This fertilisation period lasts between 3 and 7 weeks. Once this period is over, the Zarcantian pushes the egg sac out of the bolvua in a safe location, typically the carrying Zarcantian’s homestead.

Once the egg sac has been laid, it is taken care of primarily by the Zarcantian who carried it during the initial fertilisation period. It can take up to 5 months before the spawn are ready to emerge. An egg sac can contain anywhere between 1 and 10 spawn. Usually, egg sacs lain by Zarcantians who have reproduced previously will contain more spawn.

Views On Reproducing

Amongst the Zarcantians, reproduction is seen simply as a means to continue growing the population. There does not necessarily need to be any particular attachment between the two participants. It is simply enough for them to want to create a new generation of Zarcantians. These ideals are so prominent that Zarcantian couples may not even reproduce between themselves, but rather seek out another Zarcantian outside of the relationship to reproduce with.

Growth Rate & Stages

There are 5 stages of growth for Zarcantians:

• Infancy (from birth up until 5 years old)
• Childhood (from 5 years old up until 24 years old)
• Adolescence (from 24 years old up until 46 years old)
• Adulthood (from 46 years old up until 258 years old)
• Elderly (onwards from 258 years old)

Infancy

During this stage, Zarcantians spend most of their time developing internal organs and muscles. They do not have any chitin, nor do they have their wings - instead they have little, purple coloured stubs on their back where their wings will eventually sprout from.

Childhood

Childhood is marked by the development of a Zarcantian’s wings. Their wings will begin to sprout through the stubs, breaking through and leaving a thick mucus-like substance, which will crust over the open wound to allow some flexibility with wing movement and to protect the area from infection. Their wings will grow to a length of 4ft during this period, which can often be seen as strange by others because at this point the wings tend to be larger than the height of the Zarcantian.

Adolescence

This is the stage where Zarcantians begin to grow their chitin. It grows in waves, typically starting on the face and chest, before covering the legs, arms, hands and feet. They will also experience a growth spurt during this time where they will grow to be a few inches taller than their adulthood height. Their wings will also continue growing but at a slower rate than during their childhood years.

Adulthood

By the time a Zarcantian reaches adulthood, they have already developed most of their chitin and completed most of their growth. This stage begins by a decrease in height; Zarcantians typically lose 3-5 inches. Zarcantians shed their chitin during adulthood on a regular basis, which is the main factor that marks a Zarcantian as having reached adulthood. The shedding of chitin, known as clipping, is also used as a way to properly distinguish between genders.

Elderly

This stage is marked by a process known as withering.

Withering is where their wings begin to decrease in size and become discoloured. In some cases, the wings will also fold in on themselves (known as falia moris) and become unusable by the Zarcantian. During this stage, with every clipping the Zarcantian regrows less and less chitin, until they eventually stop regrowing it altogether.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Sight

Used to dimly lit areas and complete darkness, Zarcantians have adapted over generations of evolution. They are capable of seeing in complete darkness as well as a Terran can see in broad daylight. Because of this, they are very sensitive to light. Bright lights in particular can be dangerous for Zarcantians as it can temporarily blind them, with prolonged and frequent exposure leading to a more serious condition. To help overcome their sensitivity, they have developed a mask that covers their eyes and can be calibrated to filter different levels of light.

“Word on the street is the OF is employing an all Zarcantian crew for infiltration missions.”

“Can’t blame ‘em. Those insectoid freaks can see for miles in the dark and they’re some of the quietest critters I’ve ever had the displeasure of meetin’.”

Able to distinguish between a large range of greys, blues, and greens, but lacking a greater variety of colour in their vision. In spite of the lack of colour vision, Zarcantians are able to see the finer details of what lies before them - a benefit of having lived so long within the darkness.

The positioning of each pair of eyes gives them an enhanced field of view. The bottom pair of eyes, whilst smaller than the upper two pairs, allows Zarcantians to view more of what is below them without needing to look down. The middle pair of eyes (and to some extent the bottom pair of eyes) allow them to see further back without needing to turn around. Each pair of eyes is capable of looking in a different direction, independent of the other two pairs.

Sound

Zarcantians have no external ears. On either side of their face, just behind their mouth, are their eardrums. These are covered by a layer of reddish-brown skin and can be identified as a small circular area. The eardrums are also protected by a layer of chitin, which partially covers that small circular area, leaving an opening at the back to allow vibrations through. Those little layers of chitin are reminiscent of fins.

Because of the placement of the chitin, Zarcantians can actually have a hard time hearing sounds coming from directly in front of them, so they will often tilt their head to one side in order to hear better. On average, Zarcantians can hear from a frequency range of 45Hz to 23KHz.

Smell

Under the middle pair of eyes, Zarcantians have a slight bump in their skin. Terrans often mistake this for the Zarcantian equivalent of the cheekbones, but that is not actually true. This bump (which a perceptive observer will note that there is no chitin covering it) is an external sensory organ called the Triska. The Triska allows them to detect chemicals in the air.

... ACCESSING RESEARCH LOG ...

Today, we had the pleasure of dissecting a Triska supplied by the Osiryx Federation Biological Research department. The first thing to note was the smell. A rancid odour - some of the fresh faced students could barely stand it, but between you and me, I spent a gap year working the morgue. Somehow, it smelt a little sweet too? Like after you had gotten used to the initial bite, the whole smell seemed to mellow out.

(Maybe that was just me. I tried to get Maxwell to corroborate, but he refused to stay close to the Triska for more than a few minutes at a time.)

The second interesting thing prior to dissecting was definitely the texture. With how smooth it looks, you would expect the surface to be soft. Imagine my surprise when I ran a finger over it to find the surface was more than a little prickly! Professor I’Liax said it was a protective layer of miniscule hairs, very fine and imperceptible to most lifeforms.

Inside, the Triska was full of complexities. I have sketched a few diagrams (see attached to the end of these logs) because I am a scientist first and foremost, and every friend I have will tell you I am horrendous with words. The sketches were probably for the best anyway - we didn’t get to spend too long with it before it was whisked away for another group to poke and prod.

(I asked Professor I’Liax if there would be a chance for an extra curricular session where we might be afforded more time to properly dissect the Triska. She said she would check with Administration, but not to hold my breath. A real shame, if you ask me.)

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Forenames

Zarcantian forenames are usually made up of two words combined. The first word is an adjective, whilst the second word is a noun. To use the example Tauro, which is made up of ‘Taur’ (cold) and ‘Ro’ (river). Some Zarcantians will drop the duplicated letter, hence the example above being ‘Tauro’ when combined, but others may keep the duplicated letter, in which case ‘Taurro’ would also be a valid spelling for the forename. This difference depends on what region the Zarcantian is from.

Surnames

Zarcantian surnames, like their forenames, are also made up of two parts. The first is a family name, which consists of two letters. An apostrophe is then placed after the family name. This is to separate the family name from the ‘rank’. Zarcantians refer to the last part of the surname as the rank, but in Terran terms it would be more like calling someone ‘junior’ or ‘the third’. The first letter after the apostrophe is always capitalised (e.g. Vi’Bani).

A Zarcantian is not immediately given a full surname. For the first few years of their lives, they are known simply by their family name plus the apostrophe (e.g. Vi’). On their 5th birthday they are given the ‘rank’ part of their surname. This time honoured tradition spans back hundreds of generations, whereby their Zarcantian ancestors were ‘gifted’ a complete surname in honour of surviving their infancy years in the harsh climates and upbringings of Zarcantian homelands.

Here are some ranks commonly used Zarcantian surnames:

• Eni (first)
• Xaul (second)
• Vel (third)
• Vex (fourth)
• Bani (the son)
• Midag (the daughter)
• Tonz (the younger)
• Ucree (the honoured)

In the face of adversity, you have grown, you have grieved, and you have survived. Like your family before you, you shall receive your rivany

— spoken during Zarcantian name-day celebrations

Trivyya Regional Differences

Within the Trivyya region, Zarcantian customs for their surname are slightly different. Their family names are made up of 3 letters rather than 2. This is a reflection on their ancestors - thousands of years ago it was common practice to have the family part of the surname as three letters, but after the great migration, many Zarcantians dropped the third letter in their family name as a way to honour those they had lost. In contrast, the Trivayya region decided to keep the third letter.

Adjectival

Zarcantian

Demonyn

Zarcantians

Lifespan

Average 350 years (male) or 345 years (female)

Average Height

8'6" to 9' (male) or 8'10" to 9'4" (female)

Zarcantian Ethnicities

Before Zarcantians were capable of travelling across galaxies, their ethnicities were numerous - a way to easily display which region they had come from. Now, they have simplified matters, decreasing to a handful of ethnicities.

Each of the newly categorised ethnicities start with ‘tri’(meaning ‘born of’) followed by the relevant Zarcantian regional name.

• Trivyya
• Trizeffa
• Trimorna
• Trigulna
• Triuncla

The ethnicities from before their galactic travel antics still exist, but are now referred to as ‘sub-ethnicities’. These are rarely used outside of Zarcantian conversations.

Clipping

When a Zarcantian sheds their chitin, this is known as clipping. The act of clipping allows the Zarcantian to replace any damaged layers of their chitin and strengthen any points that have become weakened over time.

The process involves a new, soft layer of chitin growing under the current layer. This can grow in such a way that you may see the lower layer ‘clipping’ through or beneath the current layer, hence the name. As it begins to harden, the lower layer forces the current layer to break away. To avoid accidentally combining the two layers, and to protect the lower layer whilst it forms, the lower layer is coated in a slick, almost slime-like substance. Overall, it takes a few weeks for the process to be fully completed.

Clipping occurs more frequently in females. In Zarcantian ancestry, the females were the hunters, so although their chitin is stronger it requires more frequent replacement to avoid or repair damage. The need for a stronger, more durable layer of chitin also means that the clipping process takes longer for females, who produce a thicker viscous coating for better protection whilst clipping takes place. In contrast, males go through clipping less frequently, despite their chitin being more brittle.

Views on Relationships

Relationships between Zarcantians are very much open and casual, to the point where outsiders might feel as though the relationship is non-existent. This is because Zarcantians are driven by desire and don’t feel any particular need to ‘settle down’ into a relationship with a single person. Even when they pair up to mate and produce offspring, it is deemed as less of a ‘relationship’ and more of a mutual desire to grow the Zarcantian population. When this happens, the relationships tend to be short lived (unless the Zarcantians enjoy each other’s company) and their other partners have no concerns when one expresses a desire to mate with someone outside of the relationship.

As such, it is common to encounter Zarcantians who are in a relationship with multiple partners. A relationship consisting of 3 or 4 Zarcantians is the average.

Other species can get a bit disheartened by this fact, especially those whose relationships focus on a single significant other. However, Zarcantians always do their best to be as open and honest as possible with their partners, as they believe communication is the underlying key factor to maintaining a lasting relationship with multiple partners.

Zarcantians and Terrans

Zarcantians get along quite well with Terrans. Initially, the two species bonded over their common dislike of the Ulmaatis. From there the Terrans were more than happy to help out the newest arrivals to the Cerberi Galaxy.

Most Zarcantians admire the Terrans' desire to explore and survive, especially considering that, out of all of the spacefaring species in Osiron, they have the shortest average lifespan. They are also fascinated by the many religious sects that the Terrans have, since they themselves only have one - the Casteel of the Eternal Flame. Terrans were the first of the other species that the Zarcantians began to invite and initiate into the Casteel.

You are very likely to see Zarcantian and Terran couples in Osiron. They are a common sight in locations where the Casteel has a high presence as the Casteel likes to use them as an example of their growth and to further spread their teachings.

Zarcantians and Dreggans

Their opinion on Dreggans is neutral. There's no strong like or dislike for the species as a whole and most Zarcantians will judge Dreggans on an individual basis instead, though there does appear to be an overall trend towards liking them.

As a whole, Zarcantians are big fans of the Dreggans' ideas of entertainment, so much so that they have tried to adopt some of these ideas to varying degrees of success. They are also interested in the way Dreggans view relationships as these views are so different to their own. On the other hand, Zarcantians dislike how lax the Dreggans can be with things like work and general responsibilities in their day to day lives.

You are likely to see Zarcantian and Dreggan couples in Osiron. Though more common in areas where species often mix for work, living or entertainment, you will also see quite a few of them in high Zarcantian or high Dreggan population areas.

Zarcantians and Ulmaatis

They have had a complicated relationship with the Ulmaatis ever since they first arrived in Osiron. It started out bad with them 'hacking' (though any Zarcantian will deny that claim) the Grenmiir Relay Station and has only gone down hill from there.

The Zarcantians would have liked to try and work things out, but they believe the Ulmaatis to be standoffish and arrogant, so instead they have opted to ignore the Ulmaatis where possible. This has made negotiations for various things such as land to settle, goods and services to trade etc. very difficult affairs. A handful of factions have popped up over the years, each with the agenda to improve the relationship between Zarcantians and Ulmaatis, but none of them have had any major effect on it.

You are unlikely to see any Zarcantian and Ulmaat couples. They are far and few between, and most of them will be a part of one of the factions trying to improve interspecies relationships.

Zarcantians and L'Oris

Relations between the Zarcantians and L'Oris started out as pretty good, but over time this relationship has become strained. Where Zarcantians have bonded with Terrans over their mutual dislike for the Ulmaatis, they have become disenchanted with the L'Oris over their ever evolving partnership with the Ulmaatis.

At the start, Zarcantians welcomed their help with settling on a completely foreign world and any information they would send the Zarcantians way. They worked closely together and have many joint Zarcantian and L'Or settlements from the early days. However, the Zarcantians watched as the L'Oris started to forge stronger bonds with the Ulmaatis. They believe that such a strong and overbearing partnership with the Ulmaatis is detrimental and have on numerous occasions tried to convince the L'Oris to stop before it is too late to turn back, but to no avail.

In spite of the strained relationship, you are still likely to see Zarcantian and L'Or couples. Most of these will be found in joint Zarcantian and L'Or settlements, or in other mixed population areas. You would struggle to find them in locations with a high Zarcantian population.