Alvalios

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Bigjoe5
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Alvalios

#1 Post by Bigjoe5 »

Alvalios (al-VAL-yos) Singular: (male) Valiara (val-YA-ra), (female) Alvalia (al-VAL-ya), (unspecified) Alvalios

Introduction: An avian/aquatic race that gained sentience as subjects of the Experimenters.

Physiology: An adult Alvalios is approximately 2 feet long and 6 inches wide at its thickest point, to which is attacked the dorsal fin. It's wings/lateral fins are about 7 inches long and located exactly half-way along the torso. It's dorsal fin is about 5 inches long and located about one-third of the way along the torso from the front. It's body is somewhat flexible; it is able to bend 20 degrees in any direction. Its wings/fins exhibit the same level of flexibility, but it does not have voluntary control over its dorsal fin. It also has three posterior fins which protrude outwards at 45 degrees from the torso at the back end where its width is about an inch. They are 120 degrees apart,with the top one pointing upwards. These fins are about 3 inches in length and are used to redirect the jet exhaust it emits from its ½ inch posterior orifice, it's main method of transportation.

It's mouth is circular and 3 inches wide. It has no teeth, but rather a strong substance that separates the carbon from the rest of the elements present in what it consumes. The carbon passes through a biologically generated selective force field where it undergoes fusion at extremely high temperatures and is propelled outwards as gaseous magnesium. This reaction provides energy for the entire body as well as acting as a method of propulsion. The other elements reach this orifice via a different route and are likewise propelled outwards in a gaseous form, though some of those elements are used to increase the Alvalios' size and mass and maintain other functions.

The Alvalios has a tactile sense that is active on the entire exterior of the body, and they are able to sense the level of carbon in what it has consumed. The Alvalios' dorsal fin has the ability to emit and detect any frequency on the electromagnetic spectrum. This is both how it detects objects and communicates. The Alvalios requires sleep to restore the effectiveness of its nervous functions, particularly its ability to manipulate objects through telekinesis, which they use to tear significantly larger prey into smaller, edible parts. Some Alvalios have also developed forms of “object language” based on this ability.

An Alvalios will either have a small orifice either four inches from the front on the top if it is a Valiara, or four inches from the back on the bottom if it is an Alvalia. Alvalios find it extremely comfortable to lie atop one another (upside down) in such a way that these holes are in direct contact and the Alvalia's bottom posterior fins are cradling the Valiara's dorsal fin. When sleeping in this position, the Valiara will emit genetic material due to a mixture of chemicals constantly given off by the Alvalia. When an Alvalia is impregnated, her reproductive orifice closes and she stops giving off the chemicals that activate the Valiara's reproductive system. The gestation precess requires a mere 7 hours, after which a fully fueled Alvalios flies/swims out of its mother, usually while she is in flight/swimming.

An Alvalios is considered dead when it's fusion reaction ceases. If death is of natural causes, this occurs well before the force field stops being generated so as to avoid the release of all the energy stored within. It is possible for a chain reaction of explosions to kill several Alvalios at once. However, Alvalios are fairly sturdy internally, so while there is the possiblity of receiving severe burns and possibly being killed, there is little chance of an Alvalios exploding if it is more than a few meters away from another exploding Alvalios.

History: Long ago, the Alvalios were a weak, non-sentient aquatic species. They were the prey of most of the larger organisms on their planet. Their population was dwindling, and it seemed as though this weak, misfit species of herbivores was doomed to extinction. By a stroke of fate however, the precursor race known only as the Experimenters happened across their planet. Though nobody can say why, the Experimenters chose to genetically manipulate them, giving them extremely advanced bio-mechanisms including their internal force fields, fusion reactor, and telekinesis. They also bestowed upon them the power of flight, and not least of all, the gift of sentience.

The home planet of the Alvalios, a huge Tundra world, had very great biodiversity. Since the Alvalios was no organism's main food source, the ecology of the planet remained largely the same except that the Alvalios were now at the very top of the food chain, capable of consuming any thing, and able to destroy any predator. As knowledge of their creators passed into history, two factions of Alvalios arose: Those who believed in the existence of their creators and wished to find them, and those who either did not believe in their creators, or simply thought that they were no longer relevant and wished to forget about them. Gradually, tensions rose between the two factions, and each gravitated towards its own type and set up its own leaders until they had become entirely separate nations, with very poor diplomatic relations.

At last, small scale espionage and terrorist attacks evolved into a massive war, utilizing their most fearsome machinery and the full extent of their telekinetic powers. The extreme heat let off by hundreds of thousands of exploding Alvalios served to make matters significantly worse, transforming the planet nearly to an ocean planet for a short time, thus killing a great deal of the life on their planet. In the end, those who seeked their creators emerged victorious and set about rebuilding their civilization and cultivating the remaining life on their planet. It was then that the name that those Alvalios had used for their planet became it's official name: Nalvania'novolos, meaning in their language: God's Laboratory.

Having experienced the horrors of a telekinetic war, all use of telekinesis directly upon the body of any sentient being is strictly forbidden as the greatest crime an Alvalios can commit, and all young Alvalios are firmly indoctrinated with this belief by their elders.

As they grew more advanced, the dream of going into space to seek out their creators, who were now firmly entrenched in Alvalios history and culture, became a possibility. It became the goal of the Alvalios to reach space, find their creators, and discover the reason for which they were brought into existence.

Culture: The Alvalios have no notion of family. Instead, all youths are guided communally through a compulsory educational system, at the end of which a committee determines the occupations of all young Alvalios. Their government is a simple oligarchy, with 18 elite known as the “Wise 18” making all the important decisions. When one of the Wise 18 dies, the others choose a successor from among the brightest young Alvalios. The Alvalios are not overtly war like, but neither are they passive. When there is a difference of opinion, they will quarrel brightly until an agreement is reached. The councils of the Wise 18 can often be seen from many miles away, even through the icy walls of their council chamber.

Alvalios tend to live in large complexes with others of the same occupation. There is no cultural taboo against speaking to or even sleeping with a member of a different occupation, but they will still tend to fraternize with those of their own kind.

The Alvalios abhor the idea of using telekinesis directly upon the body of another individual, defaming it as a violation of that individual's free will. As such, most Alvalios will not use their powers in this way, even in a matter of life and death. Secret government organizations however, disregard this and train their agents to utilize this skill to its full potential, unbeknownst to the general population of Alvalios.

Alvalios are not Xenophobic, but they tend to be very stubborn. They like making deals with other races, but only if they get their way. It often takes a great deal of haggling for even a small change in the terms of the agreement.

Gameplay Effects:

Alvalios are Highly Explosive. All exploding ships will cause damage to all other ships in the vicinity. This might affect ground combat/espionage as well...?

EP is Tundra

Alvalios excel at ground combat due to their high mobility and telekinetic abilities

Alvalios have increased spying abilities due to telekinesis

Alvalios citizens generally like making trade agreements with other races, but if another empires counter-offer varies too greatly from the original offer, the citizens will oppose it

Alvalios are not very good at research due to their low patience, but they receive a bonus to researching force field and fusion related techs due to their biology

Population growth is high due to ease of reproduction and short gestation period

Mining, industry, and farming are average



My third race so far. Thoughts?
Warning: Antarans in dimensional portal are closer than they appear.

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eleazar
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Re: Alvalios

#2 Post by eleazar »

Maybe it's just late, but i'm having a real hard time picturing how these guys look.

Comparing them to something familiar and then describing the differences would be helpful, or if there is nothing similar even a crude drawing or diagram would help.

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