Phaeacians

Phaeacians are the dominant sapient species originating from the planet Scheria, though most live in bondage or diaspora. The Phaeacians and Scherians are the same species, and the terms are often used interchangeably. The difference is that Phaeacian is the name of the species and Scherian is the only surviving culture among that species after such a long period of bondage. Phaeacians are natural navigators and are too often forced into that role.
Scheria, their home world, is a tidal locked world orbiting a red dwarf star with little land capable of sustaining life. The day side is too hot and the night side is too cold. In the ribbon of twilight that rings the world from north to south is the most habitable region. Virtually every species that evolved on Scheria are able to control the growth of their own population through various means, since a population explosion would be extremely detrimental to all.. The Phaeacians alter their sex as a method of controlling their own population.
On account of the storms raging on Scheria, the Phaeacians evolved a sense of not only direction, but location. Familiarity with the region is a requirement for them to be able to know where they are, but this sense is extremely acute. It allowed them to feel their location in hyperspace within regions that familiarity with, but even in unknown areas, they can sense stars and sometimes even planets in ordinary space.
The harsh conditions on Scheria strengthened their bones to the point where they are almost impossible to break. Their skin is resilient to cuts and punctures, but not impervious.
Before the conquest of their world by the Salavar, they managed to establish settlements on the day and night sides through the use of protective technology. Rumors persist of free states hidden on both the day and the night side since the storm fields are nearly impossible to search.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Phaeacians are humanoids with skin tones ranging from golden to silver, with rare individuals born an ask white. Their eyes are most commonly yellow, but can include copper, silver, red and on rare instances blue. Males and females both have a crown of horns emerging in odd numbers from the front top of their skull, five on average, but more are not uncommon. These horns can grow anywhere on the top of their skulls. In addition to their horns, they also have hair, colored white, red, blond, or black.

Genetics and Reproduction

Phaeacians have a complex system for reproduction. When they chose to have a child, if they are not already of a reproductive sex, they begin the process of transition.
It is possible for a Phaeacian to have more than two biological parents as their mother's body can process the genetic contributions of multiple individuals.
Once pregnant, the fetus gestates for on average 210 days. Single births are far more common than multiple births.

Growth Rate & Stages

All Phaeacians are born ankuḻanti, which is the Scherian gender term meaning "child." This is the root of the four biological sexes. At around the age of ten, the child undergoes the first of the rites of adult, during which they take a sacred cup which includes a tincture made from certain herbs that will start their progression into one of the three adult genders:

• chosen: ohtehrfu, a non-reproductive gender that may have traits of the next two or neither.
• gardener: ohtotati, a reproductive gender analogous to the females of other species.
• planter: afita, a reproductive gender analogous to the males of other species

At any point during their life, a Phaeacian may consume the trigger herbs again and change to a different sex.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Phaeacians posses the basic senses common to most humanoids, with an additional uncanny direction and location sense. This grants them the ability to orient themselves on world, in space, and even within hyperspace to an extraordinary degree. While this ability has been much studied, its actual cause is uncertain. The most wildly accepted theory is that they can sense their place in the lifestream and like a fish that can determine their position in the water column or ocean, they can intuit their relative position, but this has not been varified.

Scientific Name

Skerahdan Ren L'keh (Humanoid Traveler from Scheria)

Lifespan

220 years

Average Height

1.829 meters

Average Weight

64 to 80.3 kg.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

shades of silver, gold, rarely white

Related Ethnicities

• Scherians