P47HFIND3R
Funkersoldaten
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: I found that the Sulituan race was lacking a bit of depth, so I thought adding a unique and flavourful race to Chaos canon would add something to each of them. Not to mention I personally have a character planned, as well as for any other writer to make use of (I find most of the current aquatic races bland). Note: As I submit this for approval, I already have edits for both Archae Teuthis and Sulituan that both add the Levichthen into their lore, as well as expanding each of the submissions significantly.
- Image Credit:
- Valve - Dota 2 (Some images appear to be straight renders from in-game)
- https://dota2.ru/gallery/image/3252/
- https://www.deviantart.com/art/Dota-2-Under-da-sea-337873840
- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=321570106&searchtext=slark
- Canon: N/A
- Links:
Sulituan (Approved Species)
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Name: Levichthen [ Jaeg(er) / Maed(chen) ]
- Designation: Sentient
- Homeworld: Archae Teuthis
- Language: Levisch
- Average Lifespan: 65 years
- Estimated Population: Rare (87% Female / 13% Male)
- Description: Levichthen are a sexually dimorphic species, with the two sexes varying significantly. They are amphibious, though they spend a great deal of time in the water, making them dependent on it, though they possess both lungs and gills (each on the neck). Males are called Jaeger [yayg-aa] or Jaeg for singular; females are called Maedchen [mayd-hyen] or Maed for singular. The proper names for each are Levichtjaeg and Levichtmaed. Jaeger are typically aggressive, while Maedchen have become passive overtime due to growing trade relations and societal growth. Neither make their way offworld very often, though it’s more common to see a Jaeger, if you were to see either at all.
- Breathes: Type I (Air or Liquid)
- Average height of adults: 1.3m (Male) / 2.0m (Female)
- Average length of adults: N/A
- Skin color: Blue-varied (Male) / Green-varied (Female)
- Hair color: N/A
- Distinctions:
Jaeger have large faces with wide shark-like mouths lined with teeth, a blunt nose, and large eyes; they possess webbed fins on their heads that act as ears and protect their gills. Their skin is typically a shade of blue or violet and can be mottled, striped, with miscellaneous other skin patterns. While Maedchen only possess arms and use their tail for propulsion across land and water, Jaeger have legs as well as a small tail. Their clawed, webbed hands and feet imply they are bipedal, though they are well known to crawl on all fours should the need arise. These webbed limbs and short tail make them powerful and maneuverable at swimming, though not particularly fast.
Males are very reclusive, and very territorial. Even during spawning immature Jaeger, called Jaegvier, are often highly aggressive and it is not uncommon for a male to eat their brothers before they mature. They have highly evolved eyesight and an incredible sense of smell, to aid in the capture of the quick prey that live at depths, as well as escape from the creatures that favour the flavour of Jaeger flesh.
It is not often that Jaeger make any effort to communicate diplomatically with alien species (or other species native to Archae Teuthis for that matter), but those who do are most likely to abandon their kin in search of something else among the stars. For all other instances, it is advisable to stay well clear of Jaeger all together.
Levichtmaed
Maedchen are very human like from the waist up, with the exception of their lack of true hair and absence of external breasts (Maedchen do appear breasted but they lack nipples and do not have mammary glands, as they are not mammals). They typically stand about 2m in height and are known for their long tails, which can grow up to twice their height in length. Their faces are very similar to a human's, with small features, at least compared to the Levichtjaeger. Their skin is of similar patterns of the males, though often much lighter and more nuanced, and typically take on tones of green and cyan. Instead of hair they possess intriguing head crests that are often orange in colour; these crests vary spectacularly in shape and are influenced by genetics. They only possess arms as their body transitions into a large powerful tail. They can swim with much greater speed than the Jaeger, though are less maneuverable.
On land they move like something between a snake and a Hutt, with their long tail pushing them along the ground. Of course they aren't ideally suited for land, which is why most do not leave the planet, but they move fairly well across terrain such as sand and can make due with grass. There are a number of ways they can better adapt to onland/offworld living, such as custom-made 'skins' that protect their underside and allow their movements to be more effective in propelling them, or technologies such as those used by the Shell Hutts, with small repulsor lifts. The former option is much preferred.
Maedchen are very communal and tend to live amongst the shallow reefs that are scattered across Archae Teuthis. Here they hunt fish, and gather sea greens for consumption. Due to their much more passive nature than the Jaeger, Maedchen make diplomatic contact with the Sulituaii fairly often, and use the opportunity for trade and the exchange of ideas. This being said, it is very evident that both races of Levichthen are fairly primitive and do not make much use of most technologies, at least when living on Archae Teuthis.
- Races: N/A
- Strengths:
[Both] Strength (When off Archae Teuthis) – Similarly to the Sulituaii, Levichthen have well adapted to the heavy gravity of Archae Teuthis, and as such when in lesser gravity enjoy a strength increase due to their powerful muscles, though being immersed in water inhibits this
[Jaeger] Senses – Adapting well to the intermediate conditions of both the depths and shallows/land, Jaeger have developed great night vision, and a powerful sense of smell
[Jaeger] Maneuverable – With their tail, and webbed claws and feet, Jaeger are very maneuverable in water, and can easily traverse tight corridors in submerged conditions.
[Maedchen] Powerful Swimmer – The large, muscled tail that Maedchen possess allows them to gain great speed while swimming, easily comparable to a bongo
[Maedchen] Graceful – Despite their origins, Maedchen have become quite passive and graceful compared to the Jaeger, which comes across strongly in diplomatic situations; most species will find them agreeable
- Weaknesses:
[Jaeger] Zealot – It would be a very, *very* odd thing to find a Jaeg who was not fanatically loyal to their beliefs in the Goddess Zweichen. In this way they can be easily provoked. Maedchen on the other hand have become far too passive to get triggered by insults to their beliefs
[Jaeger] Senses – Although adapted fairly well between both environments, Jaeger eyes are particularly sensitive to exceedingly bright lights, to the point that a sunny day can be nearly blinding for one without thick sungoggles.
[Maedchen] Legless – Being without legs has its disadvantages; the major one being that moving across rough terrain can prove even painful or damaging for Maedchen. Because of this view Maedchen ever travel offworld. (Terrain which doesn’t provoke this weakness is fine sand, grass, and soft earth. Surfaces such as asphalt, metal, or ship interiors can be irritating though not painful)
[Maedchen] Slow – While very powerful swimmers, traversing any other kind of terrain proves slow and tiresome for them (with effort may be able to keep up with a jogging human)
CULTURE
- Diet: Jaeger are carnivorous, and Maedchen are omnivores. Both enjoy a diet heavy on fish, with females also consume greens such as seaweed and kelp. Offworld foods are rarely available to them, but when available both enjoy white meat and the females treasure delicacies such as fruits. Gluten, starches, and red meats pose particular health concerns, with most standard poisons being quite deadly as well…it should also be noted that any grain-based alcohol is basically a poison to all Levichthen. A special exception to venoms, especially from aquatic creatures that they both have grown accustomed to from some species found on Archae Teuthis.
- Communication: Jaeger are an entirely vocal species, and most are illiterate. Maedchen are vocal, but also created a written language.
- Technology level: Subpar. There society is very small in population, and do not have the manpower to commit to sciences and the like. Their standard for life could be compared to that of Tusken Raiders, with Maedchen utilizing only bare necessities for technology
- Religion/Beliefs: All Levichthen believe in the Goddess Zweichen [zvī-hyen], who blesses them when they commit acts which please her. These 'faithful acts' mostly refer to kills and hunts, which the Jaeger actively take place in. Other acts pleasurable to the Goddess include carnal ones such as spawning children, or the accumulation of wealth. Jaeger take great pride in their faithfulness and usually attribute any good that happens to them as the Goddess blessing them for their servitude. Maedchen honour Zweichen by spawning the 'Goddess' children' to propagate their race.
- General behavior: Traditionally, there is virtually no family life for a Levichthen, and to even known your parents was both trivial and a rare, rare occurrence. A Jaeg typically has 2-3 mates, though this fluctuates with remoteness, population, and the wealth that he carries. The Maedchen lay eggs in hutches on land where the Jaeger will fertilize them; the offspring will then spawn and fend for themselves…it was not uncommon to see cannibalistic behaviours from young males, which kept their population down in earlier times. As their society evolved though and took on more civil aspects, Maedchen tended to start caring for young personally. That being said, to keep with tradition, only one Jaeg in a hutch is kept, with the others cast off.
Although not particularly potent at spawning force-sensitives, those who do are often drawn towards the dark side…it is exceedingly rare to find a light-side Levichthen. Jaeger are less likely to be force-sensitive, with Maedchen comprising of over 65% of known force-sensitive Levichthen.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Sulituaii historians joke that the Levichthen race was spawned from an alien sleeping with a shark-like creature native to Archae Teuthis to make a half-breed...with half becoming the male and the other half the female. The truth is a mystery as their origins started long before the Sulituaii were advanced enough to make scientific observations of them, though it is evident from their physiology that a very long, long time ago the Levichthen species primarily lived on land. The species would then have gradually became more and more amphibious as populations grew and the limited land space forced them to adapt. The disparity between the appearances of the Jaeger and Maedchen was then caused by habits in this early development. As competition between males became fiercely territorial, the Jaeger grew to live in the depths of the ocean where they could live in seclusion. This resulted in a gradual sensitizing of Jaeger's vision making them prefer the dark more, while the Maedchen came to enjoy the light and everything that came with it. As a result, each sex evolved almost radically different, since the Jaeger only came up into the shallows and land to spawn, and the two lived in very different environments.
While it may seem illogical that the shallow-faring Maedchen evolved to possess a tale, and the depths-dwelling Jaeger having legs, it is important to analyze each environment. In the shallows and among the sand banks, Maedchen make use of their tails quite a bit for actually swimming. As there are few predators among the shallow reefs and few islands, Maedchen were free to swim in the open and made travel very quick. In comparison, Jaeger lived among the deep reefs of the ocean, where manoeuvrability was favoured, and the ability to crawl amongst the reef was far more useful. In this way, Jaeger retained their legs as it enabled them to use their environments to a better advantage. Typical living conditions for a Jaeg was 6 months of seclusion, followed by a month among the shallows and on land to fertilize and spawn. Eggs were usually laid by females above water on land, as there are virtually no predators to prey on them there, than in the ocean.
Compared to the Sulituaii, the Levichthen species were much more aggressive and war-like, with conflicts with the Sulituaii being fairly common. Especially during years long before industrialization, many wars were fought between the two species. As time progressed, however, these conflicts and encounters lessened due to a decline of the Levichthen population en masse as waters deepened and their societies became separated. With the Maedchen recognizing this issue, they sought more diplomatic means with the Sulituaii and began their journey to civilization. Straying from a hunter-gatherer commune, Maedchen began to trade and create a society of their own, although they have always traditionally mated with Jaeger in the same way.
Eventually some Maedchen settlements grew large enough to be classified as small cities, spawning Levichthen art, entertainment, and even governmental systems. That being said, these cities are not united and each only governed itself, though all remained fairly neutral and had trade relations with at least one Sulituaii city. Jaeger still remained separate from this society for the most part, preferring the anarchy and shadows of the deep. Those that remained among the Maedchen cities often went blind due to the brightness and lack of protective goggles, and many became sickly from the absence of certain fish species in their diet. Later on in recent times there are advancements in technology and supplements that negate these issues, though most still keep to the traditions that have lasted millennia for the species.
As with the Sulituaii, Levichthen were largely unaffected by most major galactic events, though even less so. As the Gulag Plague hit before established trade relations with the Sulituaii, the Levichthen experienced no casualties to the virus.
Nowadays, Maedchen cities are popular destinations for Sulituaii to tour in the off season (when Jaeger are not around), and many revel in the beautiful art that is created among them. There are some delicacies prepared by Maedchen that are exported to certain Sulituaii cities as well. It is not that uncommon for Maedchen to visit Untersul cities too, though almost none live among the Sulituaii and prefer to commune among their own. Jaeger are still very reclusive, though there is growing trend for some who have begun to adapt to brighter conditions to find their way off world and explore. Most become thieves, smugglers, and mercenaries due to their aggressive nature and attitudes; it can be difficult at time to converse with most Jaeger.
