Rimor
The rimor (ɹɪm-oʊɹ) are a species of tetrapodal reptilian sophonts originally hailing from the lost planet Volkh in the dying Alai (Delta Eridani) star system. Excluding the Xib Zjhar, they are the oldest and most technologically advanced extant sophont species in known space, having begun their interstellar expansion over two thousand years ago.
The rimor have a very expansive interstellar civilization, largely governed by the oligarchic hypercapitalist Conglomerate. They are relatively recent members of the USSC, having finally agreed to membership in 2610 CE -holding the record on membership delay at almost three hundred years after first contact.
Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
Almost all of rimor-controlled space is effectively "owned" by the Rimor Corporate Conglomerate: a hypercapitalist oligarchic state which prioritizes commercial interests. This power structure has stood in various incarnations for thousands of years, and while it tends to be a bureaucratic nightmare in modern times, in past centuries it was a highly effective and efficient sociopolitical mechanism -effective enough, at its peak, to coordinate the mass evacuation of Volkh prior to Alai's inevitable expansion as it slipped off the main sequence.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
The rimor are a vastly diverse sophont species, speaking a wide variety of languages and dialects. However, the most prominent rimor language is Ilenic, a universal tongue constructed from the ancient roots of most major rimor language families. Ilenic, while superficially a vocal communication mechanism, is in fact highly dependent on the speaker's nuanced and subtle body language to properly convey their sentiments, making fluency nearly impossible for other sophonts.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
The rimor have always been a species with very nomadic tendencies, explaining both their rapid progression to interstellar travel and the ease with which they abandoned their homeworld Volkh once its sun Alai began to slip off the main sequence. Within less than a century, Volkh was veritably rimor-free, though some groups simply moved to an oceanic moon a few orbits out.
This nature also carries over into their culture: rimor society places considerable positive emphasis on exploration, both physical and mental. This helps explain their hypercapitalist socioeconomic tendencies: calculated risks are good for business.
Common Taboos
Though faded with the more recent advances in biotechnology, rimor culture has a long and deeply ingrained history of discrimination against the visually impaired. Accusing one of being blind is one of the most grave insults a rimor can hurl.
Biology
Like all of the volkhigenid group, rimor are remarkably similar to terragenid life. They share their most fundamental biochemistry and biomechanics with terragenid life, and demonstrate many parallels with terragenid saurians, both internally and externally.Anatomy & Morphology
Rimor are tetrapods with facultative bipedalism, meaning they are adept at both bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion (though they greatly prefer to ambulate on all fours.) The forelimbs and hindlimbs are both manipulatory, as is their long, prehensile tail- excellent adaptations from their ancestors' arboreal life that carried over quite nicely into life in microgravity. Rimor also have a small, distensible throat pouch called a "crop" which is used to store food. Rimor skeletons are composed primarily of collagen and calcium phosphate, though their bone density is closer to that of humans than shyxaure. Their vascular oxygen carrier is hemerythrin, an iron-based protein that turns violet when oxidized.Perception & Sensory Capabilities
Visual
Rimor rely most on their visual sense. They are very visual beings, with most of their technology and culture involving crucial optical aspects. Rimor vision is facilitated by a single pair of binocular focal eyes, which are able to pick up motion, definite shape, spatial orientation, and color across the visible spectrum.Auditory
Rimor are also quite dependent on their auditory sense, facilitated by a single pair of tympani, one on each side of their head just behind the mandibular socket.Olfactory
The rimor olfactory sense is considerably more sensitive than that of humans, facilitated by a pair of spiracles in the upper snout that let air pass through a complex series of chambers before being passed down the respiratory system.Tactile
The rimor tactile sense is moderately strong. Their entire epidermis is sensitive to tactile input, though the effect is most intense in the manipulative structures at the ends of the limbs and in the last ten centimeters of the tail.Ecology
Geographic Origin & Distribution
Rimor are fairly common across known space, with complete colonization of most local star systems in or adjacent to the Eridanus constellation and having spread rapidly among the stars of the USSC. Their distribution is less telling of their origin than other species, but still rather easy to decipher: the rimor diaspora is most concentrated around a number of stars in the immediate vicinity of Alai.Habitat & Survival Factors
The optimal survival range in a variety of factors for an unequipped rimor is quite wide to begin with (though they prefer warmer temperatures), but with their considerably advanced technology rimor have been able to establish permanent habitats in a wide variety of conditions.Archive Data
Scientific Name
Chrisimoura sapiens
Average Height
0.6 meters
Average Weight
35 kilograms
- visual (320 - 720 nm)
- auditory (20 Hz - 20 kHz)
- tactile (1 μm limit)
- olfactory
The values presented here describe the conditional limits of sustained indefinite survival. The species can survive more extreme conditions for shorter amounts of exposure.
Gravity limit
2.2 G
Pressure range
0.5 to 2.5 atm
Air mix
18% to 66% O2
Temperature range
15 to 35 °C
Radiation limit
- Gamma: 0.25 Gy
- Beta: 0.05 Gy
- Alpha: 0.0125 Gy
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