Iestyn Nova
Flock together
Name: Lovalla
Designation: Sentient
Homeworld:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Volik
Language: Their own three native languages (generally they know all three, one for each Race) and Basic. They have a remarkable aptitude to learn languages
Average height of adults: 1.85 Female 1.75 Male
Skin color: Colourful, hue varies based on emotional/hormonal state. Typically they are gold and blue with mottled stripes. Pink tends to indicate pleasure at meeting a friend or colleague. Brown's and greys are rarely seen and tend to show negative emotions. Deep scarlet is particularly amorous Lovalla and isn't often seen (only one day every four months and they tend to stay out of public view on these days).
Skin is able to emit a faint glow when particularly strong emotions are felt.
There is a mild level of conscious control over this and those trying to attract a mate are often prone to colourful displays. Mated pairs are almost always the same hue when together.
Hair color: Bright silver through to white (though since finding it they have become quite fond of bright hair dyes).
Breathes: Type 1
Strengths:
Highly intelligent
- Empathic bonds between mating pairs
Race specific racial traits
Weaker and less robust than a human (an exception is when a mate is under threat, a sudden burst of hormones can make one stronger than a typical human during this period. [roughly double])
Slow breeders
Quickly get bored of any manual, repetitive task
Distinctions:
Intellectual
Non-violent
Hue shifting skin
Mate for life
- Tight family groups
Fertile only three days a year
Slender, but more accentuated features than humans
Races:
Varnesh:
From the southern continents are typically slender with more pronounced markings. These markings can be a combination of thicker and brighter colourings. They are more nimble and graceful, prone to contorting their bodies in the most impressive of ways with exceptional flexibility than a baseline human. They have been rumored to be gifted with eidetic memory, allowing them to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory after only a few instances of exposure, with high precision for some time after exposure, without using mnemonics. They have a long history of academic progress and are often aloof compared to the others.
Si’nesh:
From the western north. Generally of stockier build than the other races. Generally known for having a culture of humour, where laconic wit it seen as a necessary life skill. These are more apt to try far more colourful hues for hair dyes, enjoy the arts, and have been known to have voices that rival Hapan songbirds. It is said that when they sing, their vocal cords produce pitches specifically designed to disrupt brain waives, instilling a hypnotic compulsion and confusion in even the strongest of sentients; many claimed that much like the Maelibi, their singing was so sweet and the embodiment of music itself, with none being capable of eluding their siren call.
Dresh:
Eastern North, stretching to cold mountainous regions. Darker colourings that the other races, generally more delicate facial structure. The Dresh have a higher tolerance to cold weather, allowing them to survive in the most brutal of winters. They also have a unique trait unlike the other two races, in the form of nictitating membranes that would protect their eyes and allow them to see into the ultraviolet range of the spectrum. These also protected their eyes from intense flashes of lights as well as flying debris. With nimble, dexterous fingers and brilliant minds for innovation, this culture known for having something of an obsession with high technology.
Estimated Population: Very rare, spread across Galaxy. Colonies still on their home world, but they are natural explorers.
Diet: Vegetarians. Due to the changing climate they evolved in they can eat almost anything as a herbivore. They typically graze through the day rather than eat sit down meals, but will adjust to fit in culturally.
Communication: Verbal. However mated pairs maintain a telepathic/empathic bond but this doesn't permit conscious direct expression of words. The exact nature is unknown, but thought to involve both a telepathic connection and there is also a pheromone exchange that tends to tie the emotional state of pairs.
Culture: Lovalla are a long lived species who general breed slowly. Intelligence is highly prized as a trait. As such intellect and wit are seen as particularly attractive characteristics over and above physical strength. They see physical sports are remarkably crude pursuits and very rarely find interest in these. However, challenging board games, card games and other such pursuits are very popular. They often work in academic vocations. A Lovalla company on the homeworld will often have a relatively open, rather than hierarchical culture. The working day typically starts with group discussions and idea sharing.
Family culture is a very important part of their lifestyle. Pairs mate for life and have very few children over their ~200 year lives. 1.3 is currently the average. They tend to couple off early in the thirties and stay together for life. Being apart from a mate for more than a few days is physically harmful, so they will often work together. Often seen in groups of three: parents and adult child, until the child has found a partner.
Technology level: Galactic standard. Have few well known technologies of their own. However, typical standard of living for a Lovalla is high due to their culture of intellectual and academic pursuits.
General behaviour:
Having evolved without predators they're typically thought of as very placid. They very, very rarely turn to violence with the exception of when a family member is threatened. They're very fond of music and word play. If anyone listens to one speak for long enough they'll start to pick up an almost musical rhythm in their speech patterns. They like wordplay and intellectual humour in speech is a valued part of their culture. Crass and simple jokes are disdained.
They're often found in scientific professions, though mediators and ambassadors are common given how calm they usually are.
History:
Evolution: During the early years of Lovalla evolution the ecosystem on Volik changed in relative short timescales. Lovalla lived in a world with few predators at this point and overpopulation was often a problem when the delicate ecosystem swung back to favourable conditions. Geneticists have shown that these led to several near-extinction events in their past. Over time they evolved to have less children and formed monogamous pairs and tight family units. They have long reproductive cycles (three years) and are known to only be fertile for one day every four months. They are slightly odd in the fact that they show absolutely no interest in the act with the exception of this one day. They are not compatible with humans and due to their empathetic bonds show no romantic or sexual interest in other species.
The partnering between a pair of Lovalla is remarkable. Some have commented on whether this is almost a symbiotic relationship. The hormonal cycles of a pair of Lovalla will start to become co-dependant. Over the course of a few years a male-female pairing who stay close will start to synchronise until their fertile dates match.
A mating pair typically become incredibly close and will stay together for life. Their colourings start to match and an empathic bond is formed such that they maintain an awareness of the emotional state of the partner even over short distances.
When kept apart from a mate for more than a few days a Lovalla will typically start to lose their colouring, turning to muted shades of grey and brown. If kept apart for much longer than a week they will start to fall into depression. Often they will start to exhibit physical symptoms as well and lose weight. It is entirely possible that if a pair who have been mated for many years is separated that neither will survive the experience. For this reason most civilised nations have laws to prevent employees sending Lovalla away from their families for long periods of time. Employing them as pairs into the same workplace is often encouraged.
Found by galaxy ~4,000 BBY as a pre-hyperspace culture, they quickly adapted to life as part of the Galactic community and spread far and wide due to a natural instinct to explore. During the Gulag plague they were mostly isolated from the wider community and due to their reproductive cycles mostly died out away from Volik and several nearby worlds. During the Rapture many Lovalla temporarily lost their partners to the Netherworld. When they were returned to the same plain, often in different parts of the Galaxy they were tracked down vehemently.
They're currently seen as quite a rare. Youthful Lovalla exhibit something of a wanderlust and often head out to explore the Galaxy. Again this is an evolutionary trait from the time that Lovalla had to travel great distance to find plentiful food sources during climactic shifts. In some cultures seeing a colourful pair of Lovalla together is considered good luck. The phrase firm as a pair of “Lovalla” has become quite a common way of describing a happy marriage. Hutts have unfortunately become quite fond of Lovalla and their colourful displays. Early on they kept single creatures before discovering it quite led to muted hues. Now many Hutt palaces will have a well-kept, mating pair of Lovalla to brighten up the scenery and are as highly prized as Twi’lek dancers
Notable Player-Characters: [member="Iestyn Nova"] [member="Veronika Nova"]
Intent: Create an interesting species for roleplay inspired by lovebirds. No combat connotations here.
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