Worked on the species first.
Species Name:
"Ilhoul"
Proper:
Rlhoul
Demonym: Ilhouli
Species Physiology:
"I'd never seen such industriousness capable in organisms, forced as it was. Employing the Ilhoul to work factories otherwise run by machines was an incredible sight."
--Aetherian Journalist
The Ilhoul are a race of bipedal, six-limbed organisms, noted most for their highly variable sizes and biologically-based non-eusocial strict hierarchy. The stratification of Ilhoul individuals occurs through a process known as
Competitive Tensoreceptive Release in which competing Ilhoul experience hormonal changes in their body according to, quite literally, the perception of other Ilhoul around them on their status. As an Ilhoul displays qualities of leadership, strength, or success, other Ilhoul naturally and subconsciously pass specifically generated pheromones into the air which spur on the growth of the well-performing Ilhoul in question. Ilhoul, unlike humans or other species, do not naturally generate growth hormones throughout life, and instead rely on "praisal" pheromones tailored to their own scent (Ilhoul have a keen sense of smell, able to distinguish individuals purely by scent, and thus generate pheromones that conform to the Ilhoul they respect) to grow after their infant stage.
Ilhoul who are subjected to these pheromones literally grow in size and strength, becoming increasingly bigger the longer they inspire other Ilhoul and the more individuals they inspire. The Ilhoul caste system is divided according to the perceived size of Ilhoul, with the largest at the top of society, and the smallest at the bottom. This creates a rather beneficial modem of determining order within Ilhoul society, as only those that are genuinely looked up to actually reach higher stages of society. The largest Ilhoul, generally classified as Clan leaders, grow up to thirteen feet tall on most occasions.
To keep up with the possibilities of having four arms and four eyes, Ilhoul have brains naturally adept at multitasking, able to process multiple actions at the same time with relative ease, without needing to divert attention to a single task at a time. Ilhoul process light in the same wavelength as humans, seeing in the visible light spectrum alone.
As opposed to oxygen, Ilhoul perform cellular respiration using the oxidizing agent
Chlorine, and thus require a steady supply of the gas to remain breathing. While on their original home planet chlorine gas was abundant and easily renewable, Ilhoul on Tanzobran are forced to wear gas masks lest they suffocate in the alien environment. Most other gases are non-toxic to them, save for ammonia, and thus they can "breathe" in a place such as Earth, but will nevertheless lack the chemical resource they need to live for longer than a few seconds.
Ilhoul are vaguely sexually dimorphic, with females being distinguished by a slightly flatter skull and more angled pairs of eyes; otherwise their sexes are hard to detect by other races. Ilhoul themselves easily distinguish sexes, as their scents give it away quite clearly. Females bear offspring after approximately six months since conception, and generally have at least two to three children per pregnancy. They undergo live birth, and mature within ten years. Lifespan of Ilhoul ranges depending on their "class" (or rather, their size), with larger Ilhoul living increasingly longer lives than their smaller counterparts. The smallest Ilhoul generally live around 30 years, while the largest can live up to 80 (though this generally decreases as elderly Ilhoul tend to lose their stature, and thus degrade slightly in size and therefore lifespan).
Their diets are often considered "carnivorous" by outsiders, though they in reality also consume a type of organism one could equate to the Earth-fungi equivalent of their ecosystem. They are rather hardy, able to survive on smaller amounts of nourishment for long periods of time before degrading in health. Regardless, this sort of fasting is not encouraged, and Ilhoul regularly eat daily.
Species Culture:
Ilhouli, being hierarchical, thus tend towards a highly feudalistic culture in which the lower castes are governed by higher castes, so on and so forth. Leadership is determined singularly by a combination of reverence and strength (which inherently go hand in hand through their physiology). At the lowest tier are the
Gulli, smallest among the Ilhouli. These are generally either made up of either new adults or Ilhouli who have not made a name for themselves. Above them exist the
Hiko, Ilhouli noted for their skilled abilities in any one or multiple fields. While not exceptional and renowned, they are respected by Gulli and trusted by their superiors.
These superiors, the
Oshitam, are exceptional beings indeed, known far and wide for their skills, leadership, and ruthlessness. Their word is law to all those beneath them, and their place in Ilhouli society has afforded them an average size of 8 feet tall. Above them exist the Clan leaders, the
Oshitam-narrul. These hulking Ilhouli command what are the equivalents of nations in their society with unwavering power. Their notoriety amongst Ilhouli has them revered less and simple leaders and more as god-kings. To become an Oshitam-narrul requires not only leadership and respect, but a level of combat prowess and intelligence unseen by their peers.
As the power of an Ilhouli requires presence among others, success in Ilhouli culture is rarely achieved by being idle; one must be continually present in their field, be it science or warfare, to receive the onslaught of pheromones granting them growth as an Ihouli. There are no breaks for a successful Ilhouli that wishes to keep their stature. "Money" is an aspect of society permeating only the two lowest levels of Ilhouli castes, as any individual above them is granted whatever they desire so long as the Oshitam-narrul allows it.
Little is different, in terms of society, between male and female Ilhouli, as both are considered more than capable of performing the same feats of intelligence or strength as the other. Pregnant females are given a bit of preferential treatment, regardless of their class, as all children born possess the same chances at clawing their way up society. A pregnant Oshitam-narrul and a pregnant Gulli's future children are treated relatively the same; both parents stress to their children that they have to start from the ground up, as is natural for Ilhouli physiology. A child born from an Oshitam-narrul might have a name behind them, but their endeavors are as blank as anyone else's, and thus they must prove themselves to grow properly.
Ilhouli are passively and naturally respectful of their superiors, even if they plan to exceed their position; were they to fail, their former respect would at least grant them a safety net under their superior. It is understood that ascending the class system is a noble mission, and few would discourage Ilhouli from trying. However this level of almost subconscious respect causes a large number of issues with other races, as the respectful language and gestures missing in other races often severely offends Ilhouli. This situation is noted by Ilhouli, however, and so they pay special attention to those aliens who take the time to pay their respects visibly, feigning or not.
With multiple Oshitam-narrul existing within the total Ilhouli race, Clan divisions cause a large amount of rivalry. While claiming "alliance" to one another in times of extreme war, they are not truly considered a single nation though they may function in exactly the same way. When tensions become highest between Clans, literal duels to the death occur between the two Oshitam-narrul, with the victor absorbing the deceased Ilhouli's clan. When a Oshitam is recognized as a new Oshitam-narrul, duels occur between the original and the new, though the fight is rarely fatal. The original Oshitam-narrul may judge their opponent, and if they deem them worthy, grants them a large swathe of underlings to form a new Clan.
While outside races do not possess the same physiological processes as Ilhouli, they nevertheless label outsiders with appropriate titles based on their knowledge of the outsiders achievements or leadership. Though "higher-ranked" outsiders are not necessarily given the same treatment as Ilhouli, they are afforded a level of freedom and respect in their society. Alien world leaders are offered places to stay in the company of notable Ilhouli, for example.
Current Ilhoil sentimentality leans closer to xenophobia, though alien races have perfectly attainable chances of being respected by Ilhouli culture so long as they present themselves as generally peaceful.
Home-world: Tanzobran
Home-world Description: Tanzobran is a generic terrestrial world, albeit with a larger portion of its surface being made of up cold deserts. While not their original homeworld, the Ilhouli currently call it as such due to their singularly large presence on the planet. Massive industrial projects are working towards terraforming the planet in such a way that chlorine gas can reach air content levels reflecting their original home, though such levels have yet to be achieved.
Species Background:
The Ilhouli were first discovered by the Aetherius Empire nearly 2000 years ago, and at the time their technology was only just attempting to reach the space age. Their industriousness, however, was noted by humans and soon their kind were heavily employed in factory work to supply the Aetherius Empire with a steady stream of various heavy products, especially weapons. Continued uprisings on their homeworld led to an enormous planetary war massively in favor of the humans. With the world devastated and huge swathes of the Ilhouli population wiped out, the Empire opted to evacuate the remaining Ilhouli to another colony also highly populated by Ilhouli. This planet, Tanzobran, became their "new" home, though it was largely their prison as they considered it.
Ilhouli society remained highly subjugated from then on, as the Empire desired
not to need another devastating war like the last. The Ilhouli, with their honor shattered, kept quiet for many long years. When the Great Collapse transpired, Ilhouli were left without a formal leadership, leading to a long period of internal strife in which individuals continually scrambled for the top positions. The Leaderless Strife, as it is known today, continued for about 400 years before finally settling. Though lingering human technology remained since the collapse, the Leaderless Strife prevented any significant technological advancements beyond simply utilizing the weaponry left over.
As the Strife ended, endeavors into reverse engineering certain simpler human technology allowed the Ilhouli to jump-start their progress towards a new space-faring age.
