Common Core:Exospecies
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This page is a part of the Common Core lore project.
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"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space." - Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Throughout space, dozens of unique species and cultures exist. So much so, that humanity has limited contact with many of them. In this page, details of some of the lesser seen species (to humans, anyway) of the Milky Way are given.
The Vigox
The Vigox are a mercantilist species of Avianoids, well known to the Tizirans but rarely seen in human space. Described as tall, stocky and viciously intelligent carrion birds, the Vigox are imposing, and their nature as obligate carnivores who like their meat raw does little to make them more welcoming. Their home system is located on the opposite side of Tiziran space to Earth, and their home planet of Amadea is harsh, with scrubby foliage and black sands under a baking hot sun, from which the Vigox built a small but powerful galactic empire. A number of valuable goods are produced in their domain, under the control of dozens of corporate entities- who all compete for influence and power. Despite everything, the one thing the Vigox corporations hate more than each other is the idea of being invaded, so in the face of increasing risk from surrounding nations, particularly the Tizirans, they banded together into a loose-knit confederation.
Their planetary leadership is the Central Vigox Directorate, an oligarchic council headed by a president they refer to as the Chief Executive, who is "elected" to their position for a period of 10 years in a bidding war between companies that frequently turns violent. Even when there is "peace" between the various corporations, political violence and assassination is common.
Goods from the Vigox are sold on to nearby states, and then again onwards to proliferate outwards. Humanity gets most of their Vigox-made goods via a particular space-shipping corridor known as the Amadea Run, running through Tiziran space. As a result, anything Vigox-made carries a heavy premium in human space due to the dues paid to the lizards to get it through- except those that can be smuggled through, which results in an odd situation where the black market for Vigox goods in human space is both cheaper and more well-stocked than legal channels.
The primary goods sourced from the Vigox include:
- A proprietary ceramic-metal composite material, known as Siroc, that is useful for making armour (and is produced by a technique unknown to other species);
- Pearl Lustre and Lustrine, narcotic drug and potent painkiller respectively, considered similar to opiates with a lower risk of addiction;
- A number of exotic and interesting fruits and spices which are now prized in high-class cooking.
The Terintans
The galaxy is an old place, and as such, there are species that have had their time in the sun- taken to space, grown to an empire, and then unceremoniously and inexplicably ceased to exist. The Terintans are one such race of "precursors". An insectoid species, the Terintans were somewhat similar to terrestial beetles. Their wings, hard carapaces, four arms, and compound eyes would have made them an imposing sight on their own, but the Terintans also had another defining physical characteristic- their remarkable height. Estimates place the average height of a Terintan male at around 9ft, and some armour measuring to 13ft has been uncovered. Female drones were somewhat smaller at around 8ft, but the true titans of Terintan society were the Queens, whose chambers in ancient ruins would suggest they grew to around 30ft long.
Evidence points to the Terintans having been a warrior culture, and a particularly bloody one at that. Trials by combat appear to have been common, as well as duels of honour. Much of their society seems to have been dedicated to servicing the military machine, with limited cultural advancement outside of that provided by their dominating religion. Their hive worlds place a lot of emphasis on grand temples and military buildings, with little set aside for living.
The Terintan Empire is believed to have been quite large, even in comparison to contemporary states, with evidence of their existance found from locations as close as the Spinward Sector to some as far flung as the Core Tiziran Empire.
It is unknown exactly why the Terintans ceased to exist, but some evidence seems to point towards a series of disasters hitting the empire at the same time. While weakened, one of their many troubles finished them off, but historians are unsure whether this was a disease, an invasion, or some sort of major ecological disaster on their homeworld killing off an irreplaceable number of Queens, leaving their society to atrophy- certainly, all of these occurred, but which was the final nail is a point of debate. One thing is for certain, however- while they may be gone, they've left their mark on the galaxy. Many ancient hive-worlds still exist, although the ruins are covered over by millenia of erosion. The most well known to humanity is Ancienne in the Spinward Sector, which is remarkably well preserved.