Hambone
T H E T E R R O X
Examples of Terrox Armor
Name: TerroxDesignation: Sentient
Homeworld: Unknown
Language: Terroxic
Average height of adults: Male Average = 200-210 cm. Female Average = 190-200 cm.
Skin color: Skin colour is limited to black and dark shades of grey.
Hair color: Pitch Black.
Breathes: Type I Atmospheres.
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Strengths:
- Physically Strong - Terrox are very strong, being capable of lifting their own weight with ease. This is the result of their predatory evolution path as well as lifestyle.
- Durable - Terrox have about 10% of the pain receptors a human possesses, as well as extremely tough skin and denser bones.
- Intelligent - Perhaps more so than an average human.
- Quick Reflexes - The Terrox possess lightning quick reflexes, a result of eons of fighting.
- Intimidating - The general nature of the Terrox makes them fearsome opponents.
- Enhanced Senses - Terrox eyes are capable of seeing in the dark as well as detecting heat. Their hearing is good enough to detect a heartbeat in silence.
Weaknesses:
- The back, and back sides, of their heads are easily damaged when unprotected. Even a moderate blunt blow to these areas of their heads would result in death.
- A profound sense of honor and an unwillingness to back down results in a Terrox never retreating, no matter what the odds. Not so much a weakness unless facing overwhelming odds.
- Susceptible to Cold Environments - Due to their origins on a volcanic planet, Terrox need to maintain a internal body temperature of roughly 50 degrees Celsius. Should it drop a few degrees below that threshold, they will die.
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Distinctions: The Terrox head is different from other races in that there is not much a 'skull', so to speak. There is a hollow framework that holds it all together, but the only concentration of thick bone is at the front, a sort of inner 'face-plate'. This is evident when one looks at the head of a Terrox, as the face almost looks like a mask, with the back of the head lacking much of a noticeable bone structure. The brain almost seems to be contained within a sack that hangs out of the back of the faceplate, with dreadlocks located at the back of the head.
This bone structure is evident in both males and females, though females lack a bit of thickness and density in the face-plate.
Also noteworthy is the bony spikes that adorn the edges of a Terrox's face. These are mainly for display, though they could function as an offensive weapon were the Terrox to headbutt something.
The body of a Terrox is humanoid, almost uncannily so. The bone structure of a human body is almost identical to a Terrox's bar the clawed feet, spiked elbows and lack of two fingers. The biology is vastly similar as well, except for the Terrox's two hearts, two livers and different reproductive organs.
Despite the similarities, Terrox cannot be considered mammals as they do not give birth to live-young. Highly distinctive from other races is their birthing practices.
After the act of procreation, the mother will go to a birthing chamber where she will be locked inside. She will die shortly afterwards, with her fertilized eggs hatching within her. The larvae (numbering anywhere from five to ten) will then consume the mother's body before being collected and taken to a nursery, where they are tended for until they reach adolescence. A larvae is considered to have reached adolescence when it grows a meter long. When they reach adolescence a 'Terexite' (holy man) will sort them into different adult roles before sending them to metamorphosis chambers. These roles are determined through time it took to reach adolescence (anywhere between one and five years), how thick the larvae is and what colour its outer skin is.
In the chambers, the larvae go into metamorphosis. When a Terrox has successfully morphed into its adult form, it will have to break free of its larval skin. This is the first test of its adult life, as the larval skin is extremely durable. The Terrox who do not manage to break free are left to die before being turned into 'fleratae'. The Terrox who do break free are whisked away immediately, having been deemed a valued member of Terrox society. They go on to fulfill whatever role was decided for them.
It is noteworthy that a Terrox is not considered sentient until it reaches the stages of metamorphosis. It is in these stages that a Terrox is educated, via cybernetic implants. Before cybernetic implants were introduced, a Terrox was educated immediately after 'hatching'.
Average Lifespan: 200 Galactic Standard Years.
Races: No distinct physical races, though larvae are separated at birth to fulfill different roles.
Diet: Terrox diet consists of 'fleratae', a gloop eaten twice a day that is made from broken down organic material - usually that of dead enemies or allies. It is supplemented with vital nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
Communication: The Terrox possess functional vocal chords, enabling them to communicate via spoken language. Both males and females sound alike, with deep, resonating, voices. They speak Terroxic, a highly guttural and aggressive language. They are capable of speaking basic, though none have bothered to learn it.
When necessary, the Terrox also communicate via written language. Also called Terroxic, it is only used when issuing orders en-mass or providing information. The only scripture to ever be written in Terroxic that wasn't informational in the scientific or military sense is the 'Gretaraxi', the Terrox holy book.
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Culture: Terrox culture, put simply, is based on violence and warmongering. They are a highly aggressive species with little regard for sentient life. That being said, the species as a whole possesses an immense sense of honor, with acts of cowardice and selfishness being highly frowned upon.
Positions of authority and respect are gained through power challenges, a fight to the death with no weapons allowed. These challenges are limited to the Terrox - no outsider may challenge a Terrox as they are not worthy.
All Terrox follow 'Terexia', a religion that has persisted within their society since they first developed sentience. It is based on the principle that Terrox are the mortal spawn of 'Grephyte's' (their God) image and have been born to purify the galaxy of 'Hertrakt's' (the Devil) spawn. Hertrakt's spawn can be applied to every sentient species that isn't a Terrox. Any Terrox that commit heresy are executed on the spot.
Females are considered sacred, due to the sacrifice they give to progress the Terrox as a species. They are worshipped within the temples of Grephyte but are not allowed to possess any authorative roles due to their relatively short lifespan.
Manual labour is carried out by 'Mektrakts', as the Terrox see themselves above such practices now. Mektrakts are the unfortunate sentient beings who fell before the Terrox in battle and weren't converted into fleratae. Usually prisoners of war, they are stuffed inside mechanical suits and kept alive via crude life support. They are unable to move and are helpless as they slowly waste away within these suits. Older Mektrakts are easily spotted due the occupant having decomposed so much that only their skeleton remains.
An older Mekrakt. The skull of its occupant is clearly visible.
Technology level: Although highly barbaric in their practices and lifestyle, the Terrox are extremely intelligent. Their technology is nothing to laugh at and is quite advanced. Although they are highly religious, they invest a lot of time and resources into answering the questions of the universe and building upon their already substantial technology.
They have managed to advance to this level of science and understanding through hard work and dedication. When a Terrox is given a role at metamorphosis, they will dedicate their entire lives to that goal. Also, despite their refusal to document their own history, the Terrox document anything and everything scientific that they come across.
Their technology is much like the Terrox themselves. Aggressive and violent.
General behavior: Terrox are very silent, only speaking when necessary. They are susceptible to taunts and anything considered even vaguely annoying. Extremely quick to anger and even quicker to use force to quell whatever is annoying them. They are by no means friendly and do not form social groups. Largely independent, but will work towards a common goal.
Very goal orientated and patient. Don't complain much at all. Relatively optimistic species.
History: Terrox history is largely unknown due to a lack of written records and an unwillingness to make them. Any records that were around were lost when a galactic event destroyed the majority of their home galaxy, forcing the Terrox remnants to board sleeper ships and set sail towards the closest cluster of stars, which happened to be the Star Wars galaxy.
Despite this, many elders tell stories of Terrox history at holy ceremonies. These stories are passed down through generations and, like chinese whispers, aren't very credible at all and possibly vastly different from the truth.
The only reliable source of Terrox history is the Gretaraxi, the Terrox holy book, due to its creation at the dawn of Terrox sentience. It has remained vastly unchanged since its publishing, resulting in a direct link to the philosophies and ideals of the Terrox of old.
The Gretaraxi's description of the Terrox is similiar to the modern Terrox, though there is notably less references to extreme violence than in today's Terrox culture. The book, although dictating that the Terrox are the worthiest and best creatures in the galaxy, spoke of subduing enemies rather than eradicating them. It mentions old kingdoms that were run by Terrox with other species subjugated that lived under Terrox rules and enjoyed some semblance of freedom. Despite this, the book fails to provide actual doctrines which conflict with 'eradicate everything'.
This indicates a shift in Terrox ideology sometime during their first steps into civilisation, resulting in their becoming an extremely violent and murderous race. Whether this change is evolutionary or self-inflicted is up for debate.
All stories told by the elders and even the Gretaraxi itself mention their homeplanet, Terraxian, and that it was a mostly volcanic world with a strip of highly fertile, habitable, land ringed around the equator. The stories told by the elders progressively tell of the world's settling down, with eventual worldwide habitation possible.
These stories build in grandeur, with worldwide domination by the Terrox being followed by their first steps into the stars. Apparently they had conquered much of their known space before an awful galactic event, allegedly caused by some Terrox scientists playing god and angering Grephyte, eradicated much of the Terrox population as well as the galaxy.
The remaining thousands boarded sleeper ships and departed known space, heading for the nearest galaxy they knew of.
They have been in suspended animation for eons, cruising towards the story of Star Wars in small sleeper ships maintained for millennia by Mektrakts...
Time will only tell what history they make for themselves when they reach their destination.
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Notable Player-Characters: Ephtrok K'zaar
Intent: To introduce a new menace to the edges of the galaxy and bring some more unique roleplay to the site. Also to get my creative juices flowing.
