Xidhian (Zid - ee - an)
The Xidians are an advanced species who slotted into the galactic order of things with ease. With their innate ability to influence those around them with their complex pheromones they have become masters of trade and commerce and thus have spread themselves far and wide across the galaxy in the form of the Xidhian Constitution
Basic Information
Anatomy
Xidhians are a humanoid species, they stand on two legs and have two arms. It is believed that they have some potential biological ties to humans but such has not been proven. However their silhouette is where the similarities end.
The Xidhian planet of Xidha is also known as 'The Yellow Forest' for the reason of most of the foliage and life consists of yellow and orange tones over the more common green. Much of the wildlife on this world has yellow to orange skin tones, the Xidhians are no exception to this. Much of the plant and animal life on their world is bioluminescent, using light as a means of defence and a method to hunt, with the planet having a long night cycle that lasts several days. Interestingly, the Xidhians are an exception to this, possessing very little bioluminesence, the only example of which is their bright magenta compound eyes which can light up at will.
Xidhian eyes are extremely well developed, able to control the amount of light which enters their version of a retina to such a degree they can stare directly at the sun, as well as allow them to see in pitch darkness.
Xidhians are carnivorous predators by nature, while being able to live on both meat and plant matter, a left over trait of their evolution are the venomous mandibles which extend from their cheeks down to below their chin. The size and shape of these mandibles differs per the individual, however they all pack a powerful venom which is able to kill in under an hour. However due to evolution advancing the intelligence of the Xidhians, they relied more on tools to hunt and fight rather than their venom, as a result the position of the mandibles has changed to be facing more towards the floor and thus not as practical to use.
On their heads, Xidhians have thick, fleshy appendages that appear like tentacles and are in some cases prehensile, however it takes a great degree of physical training to be able to use them in any practical sense. These limbs are called Cylum by the Xidhians. For females, their Cylum tend to be longer and thicker with less of them on the head, however if any are removed be it surgically or by accident the limb that grows back is far more likely to sprout several limbs from the 'stump'. Males on the other hand have much more Cylum, with theirs being thinner and shorter, however they can sometimes grow longer, thicker Cylum similar to females. Cylum are also an important part of the Xidhian breeding process and pheromone production. Their Cylum also conceal their long, sensitive, paddle-like ears.
Female Xidhians are much more slender than their male counterparts, who are physically stronger and slightly taller. Females also have breasts which produce a sweet, nectar like substance which is used to feed their young. Females also has a set of two antennae in the centre of their foreheads which are used to better sense and project pheromones.
For their insides, Xidhians have a light skeletal structure that favours quick movements over strength, their bones more resembling a very tough plastic that can flex to a decent degree before snapping.
Genetics and Reproduction
Xidhians reproduce sexually between one male and one female. The process can take a long time and can even sometimes result in injury for one of the two participants.
The male and female get close to one another and, when stimulated, their Cylum produce a sticky, slime-like substance which will stick one Cylum to another. Ones own Cylum cannot stick together, nor can male to male or female to female due to differing chemical compounds in the deposited solution. The male and female will remain stuck together for roughly fifteen to thirty minutes, during this time the exchange of genetic material will take place.
Following conception, one of the female's Cylum will grow much larger than the rest. After a period of two months it will drop off. The Cylum will continue growing independently as the cells within change into that of un-born Xidhians over the next four months. One to three infants will be born from the Cylum and they begin life the size of a football.
Growth Rate & Stages
Baby Xidhians are born small and defenceless. They are born with a number of Cylum and scarcely under developed bodies, resembling more the likes of an octopus than their adult forms. They are totally dependant on their mothers until two years, after which they are able to walk and communicate. Pheromones are a very important part of an infants life, as its the primary way they communicate with their mothers. They do not learn to speak until they are at least four years old, up til this time communicating exclusively through pheromones, as a newborn their pheromone communications is a lot stronger and a lot more specific in telling their mothers what they want. As the child develops, their ability to communicate through pheromones becomes less specific as they switch primarily to vocalizations.
Children become fully matured at the age of eight to nine years old, from here they are fully grown and indistinguishable from adults.
Additional Information
Social Structure
In their modern lives, Xidhians live in villages, towns and cities like many other civilized species. However, some bias is left over from their primitive times are a colony based species, with Xidhians of the same skin tone preferring to stick together in groups. While this trait does not govern their society, many Xidhians report a greater feeling of ease when surrounded by other Xidhians that look like them.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Pheromones are a very important part of Xidhian life, while they are not as advanced in their use as a species like the Viszikk , they still play a vital role in communication between groups and individuals. As a result, Xidhian smell is incredibly well developed.
The pheromones are produced from the Xidhian's Cylum, it being excreted into the air through thousands of tiny pores. The type of pheromones excreted mirror the individuals thought patterns and reinforce those thought patterns onto those around them, as a result, if multiple Xidhians are all thinking the same thing, their pheromones will reinforce this and other individuals who have just arrived will be more inclined to accept those ideas. However at no point can another Xidhian directly control another through pheromones, however they can heavily influence another person into accepting their thoughts and views by that of suggestion.
Pheromones and Other Species
Xidhian Pheromones have been shown to affect other species, more prominently in females, which their antennae being vital in amplifying the spread and effectiveness of the pheromones. Some races are even shown to be more vulnerable to Xidhian pheromones than Xidhians themselves, while others are not affected at all. Xidhian pheromones affecting the mind often happens with the 'victim' completely unaware they are being influenced. It often starts with one finding themselves more willing to follow a Xidhian, then in conversation agreeing with them on opinions and actions that they normally wouldn't, however if they become aware they are being influenced, the pheromones effects are lessened.Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
Xidhian Constitution
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
The Chosen
During the time period where The Vydar Enclave, Synder Republic and Koron Conglomerate, were still in competition with one another, long before the formation of the Xidhian Constitution, to settle differences the three factions would choose a single individual they deemed most capable athletically and intellectually to competed in the Trials of the Chosen. This would be a series of competitive athletic themed games that challenge the competitor's physical strength and wit until one is determined the clear victor. As a result, only the finest Xidhian specimens end up as members of The Chosen. After the formation of the Constitution, three Chosen were still picked to compete against one another for personal pride and entertainment of the public, however, they are also considered pillars of the community and even high profile celebrities and are looked to as a rallying force in times of conflict. Often traveling around the Xidhian community to give speeches and meet member of the public. The Chosen are also often represented as avatars either through the use of droids, holograms or other media and could be considered interchangeable celebrity personalities in their own right but are also considered major traditional and religious figures, with there being many temples and shrines in Xidhian society dedicated to them.History
The Xidhians as a species began as a colony based forest dwelling arthropod with tentacles that they used to catch prey. Their pheromones used to be a much more important part of their communication and it is considered that they used to, in their primal stages, live as large colonies under the service of a single leader. Somewhere down the line this colony behaviour stopped, with groups of Xidhians breaking off into small groups of roughly thirty individuals.
There was much competition and fighting between these groups, especially as the species gained its sentience and began to advance. Tribal conflicts would be long and brutal, with many subspecies of Xidhians being wiped out as a result. These conflicts continued well into their advanced civilization stages as they took dominance over their planet, several independent nations fought one another for territory and resources. The most precious resource on the planet was Gralk Sap, or its more known galactic moniker 'Ambergelt'. The material, used throughout the galaxy in medicine, was important to the Xidhians as they used it as currency as well as construction resource. With their currency quite literally growing in the ground in the form of all the trees.
The three major nations constantly fought over the forests with the most Ambergelt within, however they always made sure to do their fighting around the forests as to not damage the trees which excreted the valuable sap. The three main powers; The Vydar Enclave, Synder Republic and Koron Conglomerate, were all in fairly equal standing technology and culture wise, each with specific differences, but all stuck to a very rigid moral code when it came to their fighting. That was until Yoruk took control over the Koron Conglomerate.
The Xidhians had their first encounter with aliens long beforetime period known to the galaxy as The Galactic Purge. While they were spared an encounter with the High Tekno, an equally nasty alien race came to try and take advantage of them by enslaving their species and taking their resources. However as things looked bleak for the Xidhians, the invasion abruptly came to an end. It is hypothesized that the alien race who attacked them had their own encounter with the High Tekno and withdraw to defend their homeworld as the purges began.
Following the invasion, things got back to normal fairly quickly, with peace between the three factions breaking down once more. Yoruk however wanted something more. Now it was all but confirmed that they were not alone in the universe, Yoruk had his sights set on greater things. He made it his factions goal to establish communication with the outer galaxy with the intention being to take his people to the next step of interstellar travel. He built massive satellite dishes that beams radio waves into space in all directions, attempting to establish communication with anything that would answer. As luck would have it, years after the project began, a cargo freighter locked onto the signal by accident and ended up crashing on the planets surface in Koron territory.
The crew were humans, an alien race who the Xidhians had never seen before. Thankfully the air composition was stable enough for them to breath, as Yoruk and his people nursed the crew back to health. As they did so, Yoruk learned all he could about the human's ship, how it worked and how he could use the technology to build his own. The human crew also learned of the healing properties of Ambergelt and made some great promises to Yoruk if he could get them some of it to take off planet with them when the ship was fixed.
When the human crew left after imparting all of their knowledge on to Yoruk and his faction, they took a crate of Ambergelt and sold it to various people, one of which included the Sirasion Empire. The Sirasions were so impressed with the healing capabilities of Ambergelt that they got in direct contact with Yoruk and offered him blueprints for a hyperspace capable starship in exchange for more of the material. Yoruk obliged, this being the oportunity he wanted in order to take his people to the stars.
Soon enough, the Koron Conglomerate had converted to use Galactic Credits as their currency and made Ambergelt their primary export resource. The other two nations could not keep up with the expansive growth the Conglomerate was experiencing, nor the technological advancement they were gaining from all of their off-world trade, not just to the Sirasions but to other aliens too.
The Koron Conglomerate had now achieved a fairly successful trade network to a selection of interstellar empires, and as a result rebranded themselves as the Xidhian Constitution. The other two nations on Xidha were by now well behind, and as the Constitution grew the demand for Ambergelt only grew higher. The Constitution moved into foreign territory to claim these resources, taking them by force, but in the process destroying a significant number of trees that produced the sap.
The Oxygen Crisis
The demand for Ambergelt was becoming so high that the Constitution had to resort to cutting the trees down to harvest the sap rather than waiting for it to grow naturally. Despite warnings from scientists they continued this destructive practise, not knowing that the trees which produced Ambergelt were integral to providing the planet's oxygen. Soon people began to report an onset of breathing problems and many asphyxiation related deaths began to occur. The aggressive harvesting practises had been going on for years and by this point it was too late to reverse the damage that had been done, and it was only set to get worse if the harvesting continued. The Xidhian Constitution sought help, and it was the Sirasion Empire who offered it, by this time having won their war with the High Tekno. The Sirasions offered the Xidhians a new world to live on in exchange for their continued harvesting of Ambergelt from their homeworld, now having to use breathing apparatus to simply step foot there. The harvesting of Ambergelt continued but at a much lesser capacity to allow the population of trees to recover, so that the Xidhians may return to their home world one day.Bhagara
The colony world given to the Xidhians was co-habituated by them and Sirasion civillians, with the majority being owned by the Xidhians. Now being an ally of the Sirasion Empire, the Xidhians had access to much more trade, and as their technology developed they could explore ever further into the cosmos. As a result their wealth grew and so did their species reach. While there was definitely descent within the xidhian populace at the fact the cost of advancing their species was the loss of their homeworld, Xidhian peacekeepers as well as Sirasion enforcers kept trouble down to a minimum. As time went on, the Xidhians adapted well to their new lives on Bhagara, with much of the political unrest settling down. Things were all going well until a massive asteroid impacted the planets small moon, shattering it into thousands of pieces. The capital city of Mortesch was the biggest city to be in the path of all the falling debris. The city was hit daily with falling chunks of the moon that threatened to wipe out the capital and all its populace if it continued. With the Sirasions help, the Xidhians built a hasty defence system to shoot down the worst of the space rocks, however this still was not enough for the bigger chunks. A massive orbital turret was constructed that overshadowed the city, nicknamed 'The Thunderhead' after the large and dangerous nebula. The Thunderhead could easily shatter a large asteroid into tiny pieces that would burn up on entry. Manning this gun was an endless day and night task. However even with the Thunderhead the defence was sometimes not enough. The Xidhians began offering rewards to spacers who would go up into the vast asteroid field and break up the larger asteroids with their ship weapons as well as chase down any that were on a collision course with the city. This made Bhagara a popular destination for thrill seeking tourists. The Sirasion Empire's grand solution to the problem was to commission a large asteroid mining fleet to break apart the bigger asteroids as well as erect a large dome shield structure to protect the major cities, but even as the operation begins it is still set to take years before it is safe to de-activate the Thunderhead. ====continued after Great Uprising: final offensive =======Atmospheric Withdrawal
After the loss of their homeworld, many Xidhians have reported experiencing lethargy and general brain fog after having left their home planet. Xidhians born away from Xiddha are often born underweight and are more likely to experience complications during and after birth. It has been shown that a Xidhian returning to their homeworld, even for a short period of time can improve health benefits massively, however that has become increasingly harder to do since the oxygen crisis.
Lifespan
180 - 250
Average Height
1.9m
Average Weight
50kg
Average Physique
Xidhians are predators by nature, they are fast, agile and physically well equipped for hunting prey through thick forest. They have a very fast reaction time and can make split second decisions much faster than the likes of humans. They are not the most physically strong species, unable to pull of incredible feats of strength, however with physical training individuals can achieve great strength.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Xidhians range from light yellow all the way to dark oranges, their skin differing in saturation. Generally the older a Xidhian is the more dull their skin gets, however some can be born with dull, brown skin.
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