Post by The Kortl Rheus on Jun 30, 2014 6:52:25 GMT
Kortl, the Kortillian race, sometimes individually, a Kor.
Their home planet is named Aso, a Gas Giant with two medium earth-like moons (Vekk and Tero) orbiting within the enormous middle-outer layer of breathable Carbon Dioxide atmosphere. The Kortl have been able to transit between the planets through flight for the last two thousand years and inhabit both heavily. Tero, although separate, has a similar plant biodiversity of life as Vekk, having received bacteria and plant spores from the sister moon over the last billion years. Vekk is their historical home, and Tero is the newer colonized one.
Biologically, the Kortl are similar in shape, but generally shorter than an average human and stand at about four and a half feet tall. Kortl, also like humans, show a variety of skin colours mostly between grey, amber and pale green and the various combinations of those tones. Kortl have no gender. After birth, the Kortl are able to adjust their skin colour over a process of years through diet. Each tone generally signifies the role within a set-group of Kortl. Grey are generally scientists and academics, amber are politicians or charismatic figures of culture, and green are those who work and toil in fields or other manual labour. Although Kortl may adjust their skin tone to white, it is anathema to do so. While the Kortl have no gender, there is a large amount of variance within the species and some can reach as high as six feet, while others can be as diminutive at three, and often rely on electronic or cybernetic augmentation for mobility. As one might expect, the larger Kortl will apply themselves towards labour, while the smaller will push towards scientific pursuits.
Instead of pairing off as most other species do, Kortl interact in family-sets, called septs, which consist of a group of three to twenty Kortl. They cannot reproduce within a set-group and require mingling with other groups to exchange genetic material, it's not clear how this takes place as they are not forthcoming about the rituals involved. Somehow, these groups then determine which group will become set-parent to the new Kortl child. It's not entirely clear how genetic material is exchanged, but when examined, DNA will demonstrate a clear selection of material from any number of sept members from either grouping. Similarly as with the white colouring, it is extremely rare for Kortl to exist as individuals outside of a group. Groups that have illness or death or discord within will be immersed into other groups. In a population of billions, there are less than a few hundred who subscribe to an individual way of life for any long period of time.
All Kortl posses a emotional and communicative telepathy where they can transmit thought to other Kortl receivers who will experience the emotions and thoughts of the sender. If a telepathic speaker is malicious, they can actually attack and cause damage this way, although there are similar forms of offensive and defensive telepathic martial arts to both boost and prevent such attacks. All Kortl are educated to a basic level on both offensive and defensive telepathic arts. The Kortl still can communicate vocally, and do so often. Generally telepathic communication is considered a more intense form of communication, and when in an argument it is often that a Kortl might switch between spoken and telepathic communication often, but when at a market, they would almost exclusively speak vocally. Alternatively, within a set-group all communication is telepathic as the members are tuned to eachother, indeed, it requires deliberate effort (or a few miles of distance) to turn off telepathic communication within a set.
Historically, around two thousand years ago, there was a culling of dark grey skin variants in order to purify the race, despite the knowledge that all Kortl could adjust their diet and become grey over enough time. The event went on for about forty years across the two habitable planets of their gas giant and ended twenty million lives and plunged the species into a three century long dark age. Since then being a very light shade, the ones who persecuted the darker toned Kortl, has slowly become a symbol of that same intolerance, but not to the extent that darker is better, just that there is a certain point where diet must be deliberate in order to achieve such light shades. Previous to this, the light shades had been signs of great affluence within Kortl society as it required huge wealth to afford the dietary requirements to become white. Today it is much easier, but avoided. Since it takes years to adjust the colour of one's skin, the choice is almost always deliberate when one goes beyond a socially acceptable lightness of skin tone.
The Kortl have always had a strong interest in astrophysics and astronomy, and given their two thousand years of post-industrial civilization have taken considerable time to map out the known universe and observe and categorize all planets and objects in the known universe, a project long since complete. However, the nature of their gas giant's atmosphere has presented considerably more challenge in reaching an escape velocity. The relative expense and technological challenge was considerably greater for them than most others, resulting in their acquisition of both a good knowledge of the entire galaxy and exceptional propulsion techniques. Even their industrial capability had to be exceptional in order to finally make space exploration, finally, possible.
Religiously, Few Kortl still subscribe to their ancient shamanistic belief system, where certain sets served as three-Kor seers whom connect to spirit-guardians of natural aspects of their world. Instead, the Kortl find reassurance within their Rheus, a strange entity, about which almost nothing is known as it is singular and apparently immortal. The language barrier here is extreme as there are entire grammatical structures and concepts that simply have no translation. Perhaps more can be learned with further interaction with their species.
Their home planet is named Aso, a Gas Giant with two medium earth-like moons (Vekk and Tero) orbiting within the enormous middle-outer layer of breathable Carbon Dioxide atmosphere. The Kortl have been able to transit between the planets through flight for the last two thousand years and inhabit both heavily. Tero, although separate, has a similar plant biodiversity of life as Vekk, having received bacteria and plant spores from the sister moon over the last billion years. Vekk is their historical home, and Tero is the newer colonized one.
Biologically, the Kortl are similar in shape, but generally shorter than an average human and stand at about four and a half feet tall. Kortl, also like humans, show a variety of skin colours mostly between grey, amber and pale green and the various combinations of those tones. Kortl have no gender. After birth, the Kortl are able to adjust their skin colour over a process of years through diet. Each tone generally signifies the role within a set-group of Kortl. Grey are generally scientists and academics, amber are politicians or charismatic figures of culture, and green are those who work and toil in fields or other manual labour. Although Kortl may adjust their skin tone to white, it is anathema to do so. While the Kortl have no gender, there is a large amount of variance within the species and some can reach as high as six feet, while others can be as diminutive at three, and often rely on electronic or cybernetic augmentation for mobility. As one might expect, the larger Kortl will apply themselves towards labour, while the smaller will push towards scientific pursuits.
Instead of pairing off as most other species do, Kortl interact in family-sets, called septs, which consist of a group of three to twenty Kortl. They cannot reproduce within a set-group and require mingling with other groups to exchange genetic material, it's not clear how this takes place as they are not forthcoming about the rituals involved. Somehow, these groups then determine which group will become set-parent to the new Kortl child. It's not entirely clear how genetic material is exchanged, but when examined, DNA will demonstrate a clear selection of material from any number of sept members from either grouping. Similarly as with the white colouring, it is extremely rare for Kortl to exist as individuals outside of a group. Groups that have illness or death or discord within will be immersed into other groups. In a population of billions, there are less than a few hundred who subscribe to an individual way of life for any long period of time.
All Kortl posses a emotional and communicative telepathy where they can transmit thought to other Kortl receivers who will experience the emotions and thoughts of the sender. If a telepathic speaker is malicious, they can actually attack and cause damage this way, although there are similar forms of offensive and defensive telepathic martial arts to both boost and prevent such attacks. All Kortl are educated to a basic level on both offensive and defensive telepathic arts. The Kortl still can communicate vocally, and do so often. Generally telepathic communication is considered a more intense form of communication, and when in an argument it is often that a Kortl might switch between spoken and telepathic communication often, but when at a market, they would almost exclusively speak vocally. Alternatively, within a set-group all communication is telepathic as the members are tuned to eachother, indeed, it requires deliberate effort (or a few miles of distance) to turn off telepathic communication within a set.
Historically, around two thousand years ago, there was a culling of dark grey skin variants in order to purify the race, despite the knowledge that all Kortl could adjust their diet and become grey over enough time. The event went on for about forty years across the two habitable planets of their gas giant and ended twenty million lives and plunged the species into a three century long dark age. Since then being a very light shade, the ones who persecuted the darker toned Kortl, has slowly become a symbol of that same intolerance, but not to the extent that darker is better, just that there is a certain point where diet must be deliberate in order to achieve such light shades. Previous to this, the light shades had been signs of great affluence within Kortl society as it required huge wealth to afford the dietary requirements to become white. Today it is much easier, but avoided. Since it takes years to adjust the colour of one's skin, the choice is almost always deliberate when one goes beyond a socially acceptable lightness of skin tone.
The Kortl have always had a strong interest in astrophysics and astronomy, and given their two thousand years of post-industrial civilization have taken considerable time to map out the known universe and observe and categorize all planets and objects in the known universe, a project long since complete. However, the nature of their gas giant's atmosphere has presented considerably more challenge in reaching an escape velocity. The relative expense and technological challenge was considerably greater for them than most others, resulting in their acquisition of both a good knowledge of the entire galaxy and exceptional propulsion techniques. Even their industrial capability had to be exceptional in order to finally make space exploration, finally, possible.
Religiously, Few Kortl still subscribe to their ancient shamanistic belief system, where certain sets served as three-Kor seers whom connect to spirit-guardians of natural aspects of their world. Instead, the Kortl find reassurance within their Rheus, a strange entity, about which almost nothing is known as it is singular and apparently immortal. The language barrier here is extreme as there are entire grammatical structures and concepts that simply have no translation. Perhaps more can be learned with further interaction with their species.