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| Alien Species: Qwiedes; The Modern Form | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Thursday, 30. July 2009, 16:25 (349 Views) | |
| Deleted User | Thursday, 30. July 2009, 16:25 Post #1 |
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Qwiedes Origin The race originates from a lonely planetoid called Icanur [ee-KAN-er], submerged in a troublesome nebula that covers much of their home sextant. Though not all powers in Sculptor agreed on any one measure, the term 'sextant' is used by qwiedes [kwayd+s] to illustrate that the Sculptor Dwarf galaxy, which they call Risgdanar [RIHSg-de-nar], is fragmented, navigationally, into 6 equal parts(inspired by political borders)- split through the middle and the opposing halves made up of smaller, sector-like divisions. Icanur, as well as Risgdanar, however is the origin of a history more than a millennium in the making. A rather detrimental turn of events caused their distant ancestors, a group of what could be termed refugees, bound for a much closer galaxy, to find themselves not only having missed their target, but separated from their evacuative convoy. The only precise information the race has of it's homeland, as well as any information prior to their arrival, has been copied from the database of the the original vessel that took them to the Milky Way. After approximately 532 years, a rough span of 43 generations of servitude to the Fasere [fay-saer], primary race of the substantially declined Unified Pretense of Fass (formally Fass Eclecticy), qwiedes have settled in the inner Alpha Quadrant of the Milky Way as founding members and denizens of the Icanuran Colonial Combine. Qwiedes, despite never having been spurred by the Ancient Humanoids, resemble Milky Way humanoid species in enough ways to have very well been. It is known that this was not the case prior to the Enslavement, where qwiedes shared only loose resemblances thereof. They bore closer resemblances to more stocky six-armed therapods or paravians (with/without extended feathers). Long before leaving their own system, let alone Sculptor, genetics proved that their species descended directly from what was called a Tyrant Dragon- Ydesg Ydesg scientifically- a land-based species of large lizard in domestication since the appearance of the first primitive qwiedes. During the later centuries spent in servitude as one of several 'subordinate' species, qwiedes were found to be especially genetically flexible, and were subject to genetic manipulation many times over. This was done not only to create forms that appeased the Eclecticy's populace, but made them a versatile workforce as well. Certain qwiedes garnered such qualities as high resistance to electricity, ability to metabolize additional materials through respiration, near-humanoid height, or spectacular feather coloration. The modern potency of these qualities varies, of course, due to dilution of bloodlines, but the generalized result is described in the following. |
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| Deleted User | Thursday, 30. July 2009, 16:26 Post #2 |
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Anatomy Today, the height of an adult qwiede falls between 102 cm (40") and 130 cm (51"), and weight at 29 kg (64 lb) to 57 kg (126 lb). Their proportions are humanoid to a close extent, having two legs rooted side by side at a pelvis, and four arms rooted as a pair to both sides of the upper abdomen. The tallest recorded modern qwiede was Hrejoth, just before his death 8 years after the founding of the Combine, measuring at 162 cm (64") at 29 years of age. The shortest recorded qwiede, having died only two years ago, stood at 58 cm (22") while standing at 40 years of age. Qwiedes have 6 immediately visible limbs: four arms and two legs. Each of the four arms have elbow joints and hands consisting of two forward digits and one opposable thumb. The legs are designed similarly, having a forward-bending knee joint and semi-right-angled feet that look to be another set of thicker hands, as primates tend to exhibit. At rest, a qwiede normally stands with the heel up and walks entirely on its toes and frontsoles, but in more proper interracial proceedings, will rest the heel on the ground as well. At the base of the spine, there is what is often confused as an undeveloped or receding tail, when in fact, it is the qwiede's tail in a compressed position. In what is also called the docked position, it is, on average, a thickness one third the breadth of the hips, extending not much lower than the buttocks. This appendage is not a vertebrate extension, but is made up of quasi-vertebrae made of cartilage set in an abbreviated musculature and dense erectile tissues. These vertebrae are interlocked in docking, only to become dislocated from one another with the expansion of tissues. While muscled, making it prehensile if used regularly, the tail is usually extended to improve balance, as while using the cumulative limbs to 'gallop' or manage more complicated physical activities. Despite it's apparent expressiveness, the tail has continued to show it's usefulness, and role in the prominently physical qwiede personality. Even in the vastness of humanoid organisms, a face still plays a vital role for notoriety. The second hardest qwiede bone, the skull has a thick wall protecting the primary brain cavity, forming the brow and leading between the wide-set eyes in a very thick, blunted taper, gradually curving until peaking at the rounded tip of the nose. A qwiede nose, as such, connects directly to the brow by bone, instead of a fibrous cartilage bridge or dorsum. It is a heavily modified, but unshaken likeness of the original, more animalistic qwiede snout, still strong in the distinct slit nostrils at front. After the tip is a rounded slope past the slits to the lips. These are commonly very thin, barely lip-like at all, and the jaw, while longer than a humanoid's as an ode to a once strong biting predator, tends to be slightly over bitten. Their skin, not unlike a humanoid's in texture, is covered with genetically specific patterns- ranging from dotting, streaking, and blotching- having a faint ambient color that tends to vary to any corner of the spectrum. Darker regions are usually seen running from the forehead and down the back to the tip of the tail, the shoulders and outward arms, most of the back, and down the back and outward legs. The solidity, texture, border design, and shade of these regions is as unique to a qwiede as a fingerprint is to a human. Sensory Characteristics The anatomy of the eye is, in itself, another oddity when compared to humanoid form, though it appears to consist of all the familiar parts: sclera (whites), pupil, iris, and cornea. The iris occupies the forward 34 degree radius of the sphere, feigning an eerie domination. The iris sports a very broad capability to manage light reception, allowing feasible sight while looking at near stars or in what are considered 'pitch black' environments. As light increases, the liquid in the anterior chamber glazes black even as the pupil contracts. In decreased light, the iris moves so close to the edge of visibility that it merely frames the pupil. In both extremes, the superficial observation of the corneal area is near to complete black, so only in certain range of light would one see the coloration of the iris clearly. A bitingly anti-excessive physiology, with no unique markings or ridges on the head for example, it is noted that qwiedes have no ears, and instead hear via vibrations detected by small dermal sacs arranged on and back from the temples. They use canals exiting through the dermis, separate from the serous liquid inside, being little larger than a humanoid pore, and serving little more purpose than to distinguish pitch, where the sacs themselves determine volume from beneath the epidermis. A layer of feathery structures can be extended all over the skin, known to be extremely smooth in the direction of growth, but highly resistant oppositely, like hairs of a broom. They are termed as feathers only in their appearance, but in no way serve to enable a qwiede to fly, nor has this ever been their purpose. In fact, the only things they seem to do is display color, protect the body, and supply a layer increasing the sensitivity of the skin. While extending, reflexively, out of the skin when a qwiede is exposed to excessive heat, as well as excessive cold, these feathers are within a qwiede's conscious control. Being the closest in appearance to humanoid 'hair', qwiedes will sometimes train their feathers to extend in certain regional patterns to achieve a matching aesthetic effect. The nasal cavity is allowed to occupy a rather large space inside the head, accounting for a broad olfactory sense. As a side effect to this expansive cavity, the region corresponding to the humanoid 'bridge of the nose' can produce a hollow percussive noise when tapped. This is, however only possible after the age of about 6, wherein a hormone specialized receptors become fully developed. This event is not the onset of, but is a notable precession of sexual maturity, and is often regarded with fanfare. |
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| Deleted User | Thursday, 30. July 2009, 16:27 Post #3 |
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Reproduction and Youth There are few differences that can be immediately observed between the three sexes. Any race not familiar with them will usually find themselves wondering why a ship is run by a crew of children, as is an annoying, but understandable preconception. The qwiede physiology is streamlined, unfavorable of excesses such as protruding noses, genitalia, and other such extremities. A ready example is the mammary glands shared by each gender, with nutrients given through a porous region of skin on either side of the neck. The sexes do differ, of course, though qwiede androgyny makes it difficult to establish superficially. There are males and females that can procreate heterosexually, as well as a third gender, called abiates (who are often regarded by other races as female, as it is closest in nature). An abiate's body produces the cells necessary to conceive internally, and does so automatically shortly after adulthood, usually at 8-10 years of age. For their lack of any sex drive, as well as many other counterproductive emotions a gender may be known to entail, they are valued for roles in leadership. This entire gender was once a genetic rarity, but due to selective breeding and gene manipulation during the second half of the Enslavement, approximately 1 in every 5 qwiedes are of the abiate persuasion. As for their children, they are still affected by this fractionating and experience no more publications or advantages than those born to male-female parents. Rather than a clone, the mother's dominant and recessive genes form a new, unique individual (on occasion, certain pseudo genes have been reactivated by an abiate mother). The gestation period for both abiates and females lasts, on average, 13-14 weeks. The emergence of a fetus' empathic abilities, or 'kindling', most commonly occurs in the waning one or two weeks before birth, but can happen at any point beyond the first trimester. When a baby kindles early, it is either an abiate (nearly all abiates will do this), or a considerably psionically aware male or female. While the experience of empathic awareness in the womb will not necessarily be remembered by the child, it does give it a cognitive advantage by exposing it to psionic ambiance and other qwiedes' projections before it's brains are fully developed. Just before birth, the child's umbilical, which doubles as an empathic conduit through its mother, severs, allowing the child to move out of the womb. Needing little assistance, some mothers allow their baby to exit on it's own and instinctively climb to the shoulder. A healthy newborn is expected to fall between 1.6 and 2.7 kilograms in weight, and measure 17 to 25 centimeters from head to toe. For the first 4-7 weeks, a baby spends most of it's time clinging to mother or father to suckle and grow used to other foods. The end of this stage is usually accompanied by babies chewing incessantly on what hard materials are available, an actually healthy habit directly assisting the young qwiede's ability to mimic speech by exercising the mouth muscles. As evidenced, the baby knows how to move at birth- or presumably prior to birth- and the default crawling becomes able walking, slinking or galloping about three month's time. By then, the child will have gained about 55% its eventual height and weight. Transcending the 11-week mark, true social activity becomes evident in a toddler almost as quickly as analytic and language comprehension. The body begins to take its unique shape while the brains' capabilities unfold, and by the first year, most qwiedes are talking in complete sentences, some sooner if they are able to understand and convey more abstract projections. The use of the 'sound thought' is frequently used at this age to augment the comprehensibility of words and terms. Qwiede toddlers, despite the ironic use of the title, are highly exploratory at this age if not earlier, and relish whatever knowledge they gain on their own, rather than that learned from others, just one of many ideals that comprise the need for independence that, at one time, was all too necessary. Qwiede young are famed for their ability to make a 'toy' out of anything, which accounts for the lack of specialized practices or childrens' entertainment in qwiede society. It also accounts the estrangement they often feel when observing these traditions in other cultures. As a child continues to grow, their idea of a 'toy' tends to become that of 'tool', and they quickly understand and embrace the possibilities even simple objects hold through practical use. With minds and bodies as lively as this, a qwiede child is said to be, and is often successful in being, 'ready for anything' by age 4. It should be noted that qwiedes are very protective of their children, capable though they may be in early age. Their empathic abilities create a strong bond between each other as is, but when faced with matters of the maternal nature, qwiedes of all genders tend to become very single minded. All throughout qwiede history, the primary concern in troubled times has continued to balance on the well being of their children. However, this does diminish with the onset of adolescence at this age. As the rate of growth slows from the relativistic human rate of 3.25 and settles into the commonly accepted 2.55, a qwiede child develops a continuously stronger sense of independence as a natural adaptation to the reduced concern of their parents. It is not uncommon that the familiar interchange between qwiede adults and children alike begin around ages 4 and 5. At this time, qwiedes are driven to seek out new social environments different from their own. It is understood that this instinct comes from the qwiede conflict with the Plant more than 16 000 years ago, when qwiede constantly moved throughout continents attempting to find weaker points along the Plant's territory. Up to and beyond ages 7-9, with the onset of adulthood, qwiedes tend to slow or end their interchange, and have usually established individual personalities. While abiates will begin to live as they will for the remainder of their lives, males and females now begin to establish the qualities they will look for in mates, as they will only be capable of reproduction until around the age of 20. Abiates, by comparison, will commonly conceive only once between ages 8 and 11, and as late as 14, with severely diminished odds. |
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| Deleted User | Thursday, 30. July 2009, 16:28 Post #4 |
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Communication Almost 60% of modern qwiede communication relies on empathic projection, taking ideas and emotions and being able to direct them outwardly. For this, qwiedes are prized for their roles as interpreters, often landing them as critical benefactors in political negotiations. Given the plethora of communication methods in any given sector, qwiedes see the champion has continued to be 'mind to mind'. One would be hard pressed to argue against this, as the ability demonstrated by the race branches into other fields as well, including literal translation, investigation, sub-sapient relation, passive psychology, and tracking. The empathic ability of a qwiede does not lie in a specialized lobe of either brain. Most creatures, while lacking the specialization, are nonetheless able to receive projections, and largely unable to stop their own psionic ambiance. This means that, from a qwiede's perspective, every being capable of meaningful thought is always generating mental noise. Not to be confused with probing, influence, or melding, the 'reading' qwiede exhibit make them more akin to receptors, processing this noise as one would any other sense. Moreover, just as one may talk idly or cup ones hands around the mouth, qwiede regulate their own ambiance in a way allowing them to focus it along space. With practice, this skill has been honed by specialists to enable clear projection within a 20 cm diameter as far as 350 m away. As it is, they are limited by many cultural differences. For example, to fully translate a conversation involving mathematics or technology, which vary from culture to culture, a qwiede needs a basic understanding of all involved versions, be it memorized or actively referenced from a computational device. If the conversation were, instead, about things like feelings of hatred or love, or particular people and their actions, a qwiede can easily understand and convey because such subjects are abstract, not specific or linear. In the event that a qwiede is required to speak (usually in the case of distant communication or that with persons uncomfortable or uneasy with qwiede projection) their voice is variant, only somewhat childlike as their appearance. Their true language is quick and concise, but usually detectable by any universal translating device. Unfortunately, a qwiede communicating through a translator would appear to be speaking very fast. Speaking in an average humanoid speed is a painful process in their language, so it is preferred, instead, to use a more simplified dialect when speaking to other races. This is generally their own, but with a lot of 'filling' noise to create the illusion of consistency. Their biotechnology allows them to command their ships with projection in much the same way the Federation's LCARS system does with speech. Finally, there is the written language, which has only recently settled into a linear form after centuries of revision. The pattern is focused on combining symbols that, again, depict emotion and thought, into concise volumes. The arrangement of the writing is completely dependent on the intended forum, such as records of important political dealings or statistics being very strict, easy to read and categorize by being limited to a grid-like base. Others, however, like theatrical productions, use the arrangement of symbols to lead the eyes, imply movement and time, and to artfully describe a perception. While both variants can be found in any text, the latter is more widely used for casual communication, journalism, and literature. Technology Technology, to qwiedes, has long been a necessity. Technology was vital in the taming of ancient Icanur, but only their much later technology was widely acclaimed by other races of Sculptor, as well as the Milky Way for many reasons. One such reason is their spin on FTL propulsion, being the only known type that could traverse the Icanuran Cloud. Another, their innate understanding of biological/mechanical relationships, which is evidenced in most every aspect of their applied technology. It is well known that much of their technology developed here in our galaxy has been improvised, as well as largely borrowed from, and inspired by local sources. The story goes that, when their enslavement was undeniably imminent, the last of the free qwiede were able to hide the Fogoumer (the original ship ferrying the race from sculptor) in the comet that has since been named after it. About a decade before the ratification of the Conjoined Autonomic Accords, the fleet commanded by Eratenn Juedna recovered it and it has been used as a template for nearly every technology implemented by the qwiede of today. |
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| Deleted User | Thursday, 30. July 2009, 16:35 Post #5 |
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Tactical Information Fighting has long been the cursed duty of the qwiedes, and it stands to reason that, even as they are enlightened, violent force is kept a close ally. The combat ability of a qwiede is, of course, dependent on the availability of weaponry, as any race. The armory of an official Jicde vessel is usually stocked with multiple types of firearms, but most common are the more biologically detrimental poneu and transvitiator types. Despite having only three fingers per hand, most known firearms do not require a full humanoid set, making a qwiede's main disadvantage their size when using a weapon meant for larger species'. Melee tactics have developed to accommodate this disadvantage, and usually employ the entire body. Blade-like claws can be retracted and extended from the tips of every digit as easily as the qwiede feather, but are mainly used as a means of improving traction. A race adapted from predators, as many are, these claws contrast with the goals of mental enlightenment, as they provide a qwiede with an efficient killing tool. For this, the claw has largely become a symbol of negativity in religious circles, often being removed in ceremonial purification. During the enslavement, the Pretense endorsed such a practice to ensure the safety of a qwiede's owners and neighbors. Many qwiede today, those not religiously devoted this way, dull the claws for hygiene, aesthetics, and as common courtesy. |
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| Deleted User | Thursday, 30. July 2009, 16:36 Post #6 |
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Fashion, Custom, and Media Various forms of clothing are utilized in conditions denoting harm, involving extreme temperatures, and situations where clothed persons (or persons preferring to be clothed) are in attendance. For example, Jicde officers and ship goers in general are required by protocol to wear their uniforms or clothes until removed from a starship to a predominantly qwiede station, colony, or an area that-thereof. Otherwise, they must follow local practices on the subject. The more easy going qwiede of your typical residential sector will lean towards either less or lighter clothing such as gowns and robes of thin, usually partially translucent fabrics. The entity known as the Colonial Combine is a growing 'collaborative' currently consisting of 55 colonies and 14 planets in 12 systems. While individual races are not considered 'members' in the Combine, those with dominant presence include Arriles, Fasere, Gengotese, Ha'ens, Nogi-ee, Qwiedes, and Yologali. The Combine currently borders the Thedanthe Prerogative, United Pretence of Fass, and unclaimed space between Anofenann and the Galactic Barrier. The political system of qwiedes in particular has endured many changes in every shape and aspect, but at present, resembles an intercolonial aristocracy, which is required to constantly evaluate the populace for potential leaders. Those chosen convince the existing Collates that they are capable of the responsibilities granted by a place among them, in a conference held in rough intervals of 63.8 (Earth) days, or precisely two months ICh (the Icanuran Chronome calendar). This solicitation is usually done discretely by the Potential itself, who can very well refuse to solicit their leadership ability, and/or be kept in the running to become a Collator at all. In extreme circumstances, especially wartime or when there are not enough contesting Potentials to fill needed places, the current Collates are able to select and draft up to 9 Potentials regardless of their will. Three of the current Collates, as of 1994:2:14 (PE), were elected in this manner, and have served as well as their colleagues. This may resemble a representative system, but is quite more refined. The career of a Collate, and indeed of most any government official, is not made primary above anything else. In fact, the conferences rely very heavily on an eclectic combination of ideals and work experience among it's members. These aristocrats are intentionally collected from every major recognized craft, including construction of starships, agricultural duties, medical practice, and, in great respect, those employed in juvenile quartering (such as the AJQ). One among the group of Collates representing a given craft is chosen by their peers to take the group's intentions and viewpoints to the highest level of government as a Premium Collate. While this bi-monthly evaluation is intended to maximize individual creativity in discussion, a Collate who is steadfast, spirited in their debate, and friendly in their manner can essentially retain membership for decades before being discharged. The longest recorded amount of time a Collate has served is held by one Caydqeldin Joroge, who spent 19 years in service, second only to Fenc. Juedna herself, who is not credited due to a revision- one which she,herself supported- to the structure of the Combine wherein a fleet officer of any of the three Encompassor ranks is not eligible for Collate status. The first ideal upon which this system was built was the protection and leadership of each member race's colonial holdings, which enveloped the holdings on their home worlds in a technicality regarding that no known race is the only native to an entire planetoid. Even the oldest settlements are considered 'colonies'. The second ideal implied that a politician is corruptible, and that only a civilian should be granted the power to lead it's peers. In that spirit, those already employed as lawyers, mayors, law enforcers, governors, and Encompassors are never considered for Collate status, but are reasonably used as Collate advisers. A term commonly used to refer to this type of government is Direct Democracy, wherein the governing body does not rule according to its populace, but consists of its populace combined into a literal autonomic 'self rule'. |
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