Kislix
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Kislix are insectoid by design, their bodies being composes of a tough, outer exoskeleton. They have two legs and four arms, all of which are incredibly strong. The Kislix are a 'dry' species, possessing little to no moisture inside their bodies. As a result, Kislix cannot bleed to death, the inside of their body being described as a network of honeycomb-like structures that crumble apart when exposed to extreme physical stress. Their exoskeletal armour on the outside, which they shed off once every three to six months, keeps their delicate insides protected.
Kislix possess a unique set of muscles in their arms and legs, each one being 'spring loaded'. If given a few moments, the Kislix can 'wind up' its muscle and release the tension all at once, allowing for powerful pushes, punches and kicks. They also possess a twin set of mandibles that are used to biting into tough plant matter. Despite their herbivorous intentions, these mandibles can deliver a nasty bite.
But perhaps the most well known trait of the Kislix is their ability to process some of the galaxy's worst toxins all thanks to their 'central gland'. The Kislix' central gland is situated at the base of the throat and extends into the mouth. Any and all airborne toxicity that gets inhaled goes through this gland. The gland acts are a particle filter as well as a toxin distributor. Any toxins that are caught by the natural filter are passed through special veins and 'sweated out' across the body without any ill effects on the individual. This only typically works with substances that cause corrosive harm, breathing in low-in-oxygen gas can still fill the lungs and cause the individual to suffocate. the Kislix immune system is incredibly fast acting against viral pathogens also, making them incredibly resilient to disease.
Biological Traits
The Kislix and polymorphic, meaning sometimes they are born with different body types. There are three distinct morphs among the Kislix, the common 'brown' Kislix, which makes up the majority of the population with their brown to black colourings, the 'Black' Kislix, which as the name suggests, is a morph comprised of a black exoskeleton with the main difference of being much more physically capable with stronger jaws and more powerful legs. They are also inherently cannibalistic. Finally there is the Royal Kislix.
Royal Kislix are by far the rarest of the morphs. They possess higher than average intelligence and have a striking yellow, black and white exoskeletons. They stand taller and are more slender than their cousins and tend to be regarded as their name suggests; as royalty.
Royal Kislix are often natural leaders, seeming to poses an innate skill for command over their comrades. As a result of this, many Royal Kislix are killed by slave traders for the threat of them liberating their slave colony. As such, Royal Kislix often live separate from their people as nomads, with some successfully integrating into Kislix society.
Genetics and Reproduction
Kislix reproduce sexually, the female typically laying a clutch of fifty eggs with on average ten hatching. The eggs take anywhere from four to six months to hatch and are the size of a golf ball, over their incubation period growing to the size of a basket ball before hatching. The eggs do not need to be kept at a specific temperature and are capable of hatching in even the most hostile environments.
Growth Rate & Stages
Kislix grow up quickly due to their on average short lifespan. Once they hatch they are fully capable and able to fend for themselves. They know the rudimental Kislix language instinctually and thus can communicate amongst themselves. After six months out of the egg they are considered adolescents, two years on they are fully grown. The typical life span of a Kislix is fifty years, however some have been known to live up to eighty without the aid of medicine and technology.
Ecology and Habitats
The Kislix hale from the Karator Star System, which is home to five planets, all of which once were inhabited by the Kislix. Atleast they were until the Necrophyte Dynasty arrived in their star system. This was long before the modern era of the Necrophytes, and at the time they were the most powerful empire in the galaxy. They quickly realised how useful the Kislix could be as labourers, so before long the primitive race who had not yet reached the space age were almost entirely subjugated.
The planets within the Karator system are all very similar to one another, varying in temperature the closer they are to the systems sun. All have air which is considered highly toxic to organic life, all except the Kislix, who thrived on the planet as the most advanced form of life.
The landscape of these worlds consists mainly of long dead trees which reach thousands of metres into the air contrasted with various, fluid filled plants with a tough exterior. The planet's animal life is almost entirely insectoid, though there was once a population of large arboreal mammals which were hunted to extinction by the Kislix.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The Kislix are primarily herbivores, feeding mostly on plant matter. Their jaws are strong and powerful enough to rip through many kinds of leaves and branches. Though while they prefer plants, they will, if given the opportunity, feast on live creatures.
In Kislix society, an event they call the 'Makargge', which roughly translates to 'The well earned feast', they will acquire a living prey item several times the size of an individual Kislix. The prey item will be realised for the Kislix population to hunt down and subdue using nothing but their bare hands and powerful jaws. This will often result in the Kislix eating the prey item alive, though due to the extreme risk involved in such an endeavour, many opt to simply take a few bites and them jump away to safety. Many Kislix are often killed by the fleeing beast until it is eventually overpowered by the horde of biting insects and succumbs to its wounds.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Kislix tend to form large communities. They don't tend to have small family groups. Kislix tend to treat their community as a whole as their family, even if they do not know them all personally. There is an instinctual attitude of camaraderie among them, which causes intense tribal feuding between groups if living close enough to one another. As a result, there only tends to be a few Kislix colonies per planet, due to it being an almost inescapable desire to eliminate other civilizations.
Kislix also do not follow the same hygiene procedures as many other races. Due to most types of bacteria being near ineffective against them, they do not practise good hygiene at all as they simply do not need to. However, they do understand its concept and will adhere to it when dealing with other species. As a result, in Kislix communities, the streets are often lined with refuse and faeces, and are incredibly toxic to most other races without proper survival equipment.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
The Kislix are one of the most heavily exploited races in the galaxy. 'Kislix Servant' is could be considered as a household saying. As a result, they are widely travelled all over the galaxy and have spread far and wide as a result. While the term of Slavery is a hotly debated topic, not all Kislix are slaves, some labour willingly, and do so because they believe it is their purpose, and if taken away from their work, fall into a state of depression.
The Kislix are often housed in large, cylindrical silos, stretching hundreds of metres across and high. These complexes are known by many names; Bug Bins, Cities of Filth or Cauldrons just to name a few. Due to the Kislix' utter disregard for sanitation, they are often housed in these dwellings separate from other species. These toxic dwellings are often built and paid for by the group using the Kislix work force. These dwellings can become so toxic that going into one without protective equipment is a death sentence. The only thing known to be able to live within the dwellings is the Pashi Fungus.
Pashi Fungus is a huge fungi that grows several stories tall. it is completely resistant to the toxicity created by the Kislix and is what provide the main structure for their dwellings. As well as living in, on and around it, they also use it as their primary food source. The fungus is fast growing, so can easily keep up with the appetite of hundreds of Kislix. Sometimes material are provided to build more robust structures, but otherwise, the majority of these colonies are left completely alone, the Kislix making their own rules inside their walls.
Average Intelligence
The Kislix are a sentient species. They are capable of independent thought and experience a range of complex emotions. However they are considered to be 'short sighted' in terms of their cognitive behaviour. They live in the moment, opting to take life as it comes rather than plan out a path to succeed. Concepts that involve planning for the future, such as careers, mean little to the Kislix. This is one of the primary factors that has halted their growth as a civuilization, with too many being all too content to simply serve others.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Kislix have all the typical senses expected of a sentient race in the Milky Way Galaxy. They have a pair of large eyes, which despite their size are not very effective, seeing in dull colours and not having the best long range perception. However what they lack in visual awareness they make up for in their antennae based sensory abilities. With their antennae they can sense pressure changes in their air, sometimes on such a minute scale that they can tell if another individual has entered the room without even looking. Their hearing is also somewhat under-developed when compared to others, but again, their antennae can detect vibrations in the air, and while not able to process sounds in an audible fashion, they can still use their antennae to pick up sound waves in that sense.
With four arms the Kislix are incredibly dextrous, with each pair of arms able to function and interact with one another to full effect. They can use all four of their arms for different tasks at once without hinderance, possessing four fingers and a thumb on each.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Due to the close proximity nature of the average Kislix colony, one would think disease would be rife within their dwellings. Due to the incredibly robust immune system of the Kislix, many bacteria and viruses affect them little. Parasites on the other hand are a different story.
There is a parasite known as a Rot Worm which was hypothesized to have co-evolved along side the Kislix, as they are the only species it will choose as a long term host. Rot worms live in the digestive tract of a Kislix, and may remain there for several years with no ill effects to the host aside a slightly increase appetite. However, when it comes time for the parasite to breed it will hijack the host's nervous system and encourance them to seek out another individual also infected with a Rot Worm. Both hosts will be inexplicably drawn to one another, often in the manner of sexual partners.
The newly born Rot Worms will seek out new hosts of their own, entering the bodies of their victims through cracks in their exoskeleton where they will burrow to the digestive tract, or on the food their eat.
There have been circumstances where Rot Worms infect other species hosts, however the parasite tends to die shortly after entering the host, both host and parasite dying as a result.
Civilization and Culture
History
The Kislix history is fairly unremarkable in the beginning. They evolved into sentience on their homeworld, becoming one of the most intelligent forms in the environment. Very little is known about their early evolution, as due to their 'live in the moment' nature, very little has been done to uncover relics and fossils of the past. What is known however is that they were by no means the top predator on their planet, and constantly lived in fear of other bigger, more dangerous animals.
They had achieved what could be considered a 'bronze age' in terms of technology, though instead of metals most of their inventions were centred around the variation of tough barks found on their world. They constructed rudimental weapons such as catapults and spears and had a very conflicting feudal society of large families all fighting with one another. These tribes were often lead by the Royal Kislix, these individuals instrumental in driving the species forward, and were at the head of every major decision and invention of the Kislix people.
Eventually, the Necrophyte Dynasty discovered their world. They realised how useful the Kislix could be as labourers, and as a result, enslaved them in droves. The Kislix were then distributed far and wide across the galaxy. Separated from their Royal leaders the idea of a unified Kislix society was long lost. Due to their short lives, it was instilled several generations down that the Kislix lived to serve their appointed masters. This still carries weight in their culture today, some of them being defined by servitude to the point where being unable to serve their masters causes intense mental trauma.
After the fall of the Necrophyte Dynasty, the Kislix were taken on by a plethora of other races as a slave species, where they have remained until the present day. They are widely regarded as a 'less than people' race by many due to their impulsive nature and inability to think ahead, however there are some individuals who have buuilt names for themselves. Most often, these stories come out of Alliance space due to their ethos of no slavery and equal opportunities.
Lifespan
50 years
Average Height
1.65m
Average Weight
60kg
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