Ithraal

The Ithraal are a four-eyed, quasi-reptilian species which come from the desert planet of Oxal. A recent entrant into the galactic rat race, the Ithraal are notably a race that pride intellect and scientific achievement above all else. They are also known to possess a highly advanced nanotechnology, tuned to their physiology which allows them to manipulate energy and matter in their immediate vicinity, often perceived as magic by what they consider to be the 'unenlightened races'.
== Biology ==
Broadly, Ithraal are divided between two distinct subspecies, known as 'Pureborn' and 'Tankborn'. Although there has only been anecdotal evidence of having seen a pureborn Ithraal without their characteristic, yet featureless masks and clothing, it is generally accepted that both pureborn and tankborn Ithraal share a very similar bodily structure, as follows:
The Ithraal are a race of slender, bipedal and digitigrade omnivores, with a tail Their skin is leathery and devoid of any body hair, allowing them to absorb a sizeable amount of water in the air through their skin. The skin is most oftenly pigmented with blue, green, and tan tones, though, reds and purples, although much rarer, are known to exist. Their eyes are lizard-like, and in lieu of hair, have a hood-like growth extending from the back of their head, attached to the base of their necks. There are few outwardly visible signs of sexual dimorphism between members of the species, with females often having wider hoods and shorter tails than males.
After Ithraal reach a certain threshold in their age, their body does not just begin to wear down, but actively decompose whilst still living. This end-of-life period lasts for about 5 to 10 years before death by natural causes, though advanced cybernetics, this process can be mitigated, with full systems of the body supported or replaced by these mechanical components. It is theoretically possible to double or even triple their lifespan this way, where the body ends up as little more than a meat soup operating a metal suit. Other races question how much of the body can be replaced before the individual can even be considered more than a robot.
=== Pureborn ===
Pureborn are the larger subspecies between the two, commonly between 198 cm (6'6") and 230 cm (7'6") in height, though individuals up to 250 cm (or roughly 8' tall) have been recorded. Although their height would make them seem imposing, pureborn are actually surprisingly light, if a bit heavier than the average human. This leads to them being comparatively quite brittle for their height, when compared to other races such as Khergians 
Pureborn Ithraal are, as the name would suggest, naturally born members of their species, and are able to live for very long periods of time. The average natural lifespan of a pureborn is roughly ~500 Terran years, though this can be heavily extended through the use of the Unity's cybernetic enhancements. The other side to the coin, however, is the exceptionally low birth rates of pureborn Ithraal, in part due to naturally low fertility, and also due to the nature of Ithraal culture not giving much time to the act of procreation.
Pureborn are often regarded as highly intelligent, but emotionally cold individuals, with little inflection in their voice, and none visible behind the masks that they wear. Because of both the longer lifespan and low birth rate, the pureborn are those most often seen in leadership roles. It is unlikely to ever see a pureborn Ithraal take up a frontline role.
=== Tankborn ===
Tankborn are the smaller, but by far more numerous subspecies of Ithraal. As implied, the tankborn are artificially fertilized eggs, bred in batches of thousands at a time, in order to counter the notable, looming hurdle of spaceward colonization. Tankborn are more in line with the height of a standard human, from 165 cm (5'5") to 190 cm (6'3") on average. They are however, on the heavier side, matching the equivalent weight of their pureborn cousins. Pureborn are also significantly shorter-lived than any pureborn Ithraal. Their lifespans more closely resemble that of a human's, with natural lifespan often ending around ~130 Terran years. 
Through numerous generations of study, testing, and observation, it was determined that the best way to raise tankborn Ithraal was through simply allowing adoption and raising them as natural children. Any other way was found to lead to unchecked mental 'quirks' which would be nonbeneficial for the expansion of the Unity.
As such, many tankborn inherit the same cold, erudite disposition as the pureborn that raise them. Many more, however, particularly those raised by the first, second, even third generations who were being raised as they were still guinea pigs, adopt a more emotion-positive outlook. They more closely represent the average, run of the mill sapient in the galaxy, and as such, are far and away the more common of both types to encounter outside of the Unity, as few of them outside of it there may be.
=== Yl'sa'ven ===
The Yl'sa'ven (trans. 'Path of the Shaper'), commonly described as nanite magic by the rest of the galaxy, is both the highest achievement of the Ithraal, and their most closely guarded secret. It gives them the power to, through the use of small nanite swarms, manipulate matter around them. Everything from lifting objects, to raising and lowering the temperature of them within degrees of accuracy, all with a thought. It is with these powers that the Ithraan believe that they are able to not just build from the materials that exist already, but surpass them and create new ones with an ease as of yet unheard of.
While they have yet to do that, magic does still come in handy. The downsides come in many forms. The ability to actually manifest these powers, even after rigorous mental training and testing, comes down to being the brightest in a bright bunch, possibly taking years after the fact before an appreciable . On top of that, actually using them requires the user to place themselves under great mental strain in the short term. In the long term, it rapidly accelerates the aging process with constant use, putting many users into what are dubbed 'extension bodies'.
A small price, many would say, in the pursuit of progress.
== History ==
Much of Ithraal history is still extensively catalogued by the Unity itself. Early Ithraal history is punctuated by the species still being highly nomadic, due to a now-extinct species of giant worms beneath the sands of Oxal which were a permanent threat to any permanent settlement. Very little war during this period was intraspecies war, but instead interspecies war, fought against other, more primitive populations on the planet for the Ithraal to 'assert intellectual superiority' over them. The final of these wars were initiated against the worms beneath the planet, killing most, and driving the far enough beneath the surface to render them non-threats. 
Thus, began the 'Age of Discord', as wars were beginning to be fought between the craft families of the Ithraal over the merit of their ideas. It should be noted that, in spite of the name, many of the wars during this period were significantly smaller in scope than say, wars that humans had fought between one another, and with relatively few casualties, as much of military development had been sunk into rudimentary robotics technology. Despite the name, the Ithraal still expanded during this time, and was beginning to colonize the other planets that lay in their solar system.
The Age of Discord was swiftly ended when a pirate fleet, flying in from the Renegade Quadrant believed that they were hitting a colony. The Ithraal were totally unprepared, something that was more advanced than them was attacking, and completely smashed them. The city was plundered for all the riches and slaves that it was worth by pirates and they left as quickly as they arrived. As the entire race reeled from shock, they began to put their minds together, beginning the Age of Unity, and the War in Heaven. A decade later, when a second fleet bearing the same markings as the first arrived in Ven'ethel, it was met by a barrage of railgun fire by a fleet twice its size.
With its own borders secure, the Ithraal were given a not-unfounded theory that the rest of the galaxy would be totally hostile to them, and gave their rapidly expanding fleet, the Providence Fleet, open season on any unidentifiable ships that entered their slowly expanding sphere of systems. By pirates, it became known as the Black Sector, for the only thing that one could gain by crossing into it was death.
. . .
File:Ithraaltroopers.jpg|Ven'Ethel Unity Troopers
File:Ithraaltroopers2.jpg
File:Ithraalheavywarsuit.jpg|Unity Dominator Warsuit
File:Ithraal aod.jpg|Ithraal Warrior from before the Age of Discord. Variants of these armors are still in use in a ceremonial fashion.
File:Ithraalunmasked.jpg|Ithraal, unmasked specimen.
File:Ithraalfullbody.jpg|Ditto, full body shot.
Category:Races