Xianzhou Native

Xianzhou natives (Homo celestinae) are a long-lived subspecies of humans originating from the nine ships that left the distant Xianzhou homeworld in search of the Aeon Yaoshi. In the present day, they are one of the three long-life species that compose the Xianzhou Alliance, the other two being Foxians and Vidyadhara.
==Description==
===Origin===
The Xianzhou natives originally came from a planet ruled by the Primeval Imperium. At some point before the fleet originated, they had a great battle against the wingweavers, a Denizens of Abundance race. The sovereign raised armies to defeat the wingweavers, and became fixated on immortality after obtaining "miraculous recipes" from captured wingweaver magicians. A fleet of nine ships were constructed and sent out into space to search for Yaoshi the Abundance in order to obtain immortality.
Yaoshi bestowed the Ambrosial Arbor upon the Xianzhou Luofu. The Xianzhou people ate the Arbor's fruits and thus gained immortality. However, this came with a heavy price, as the people felt the long-lasting negative effects of immortality, which they called "Mara". They began to resent their longevity, as it turned them into monsters.
===Biology===
While Xianzhou natives are nearly indistinguishable from short-life humans in terms of outward appearance, their internal biology differs significantly. Xianzhou natives stop physically aging once they reach adulthood, and can remain in this unchanging state for upwards of a millennium if they are lucky. Though theoretically limitless, they have an average lifespan of about 800 years. Inevitably, however, all Xianzhou natives eventually succumb to the degenerative condition known as mara.
Because of their altered physiology, Xianzhou natives also have regenerative capabilities far beyond those of most short-life species. A nameless swordmaster was barely able to survive decapitation shortly after his head was reattached. However, this comes with its drawbacks — many implants and body-altering technologies used by short-life species are entirely rejected by Xianzhou natives' bodies, which always revert back to their "default" state before long. 
Xianzhou natives have an organ known as their Core Esse, regarded as the engine of the body, which is believed by some to be the source of their regeneration and immortality. Some sources say that inner qi cultivation requires meridian circuits and a Core Esse. The spinal meridians can be used to control flying swords using qi. According to an unnamed heliobus, activating a person's core meridians will allow them to attain a century's worth of martial effort in no time.Saga of Primaveral Blade Swordart Escapade: Ghosts, Ghouls, Wraiths, and Wights Under duress, Jingliu felt something surge and churn in her Core Esse, and when she felt like her Core Esse was boiling, she conjured a sword made of ice. After Jingliu was mara-struck, Bailu felt a dark current running and pulsing between Jingliu's core esse and her veins.
Xianzhou natives are capable of great feats of strength. Yunli can effortlessly lift a thousand pounds, allowing her to wield her broadsword Old Mettle. The Shard Sword forged by Yingxing weighed as heavy as three thousand catties, yet Jingliu was able to wield it single-handedly in combat.
Xianzhou natives cells can shift as needed between differentiated cells and stem cells. This conversion obeys specific rules that will never create a single error. The rule dictating this conversion is not set according to internal hormonal levels or any other parameters, but a "standard" set in stone the moment the individual was born. As cells shift between differentiation and omnipotence, the person's bodily characteristics are forever set at their original "standard." This phenomenon, which goes against the fundamental creed of biology, is called the miracle of the Plagues Author. At a certain critical point of the long-life species' life cycle, this power from the Plagues Author will suddenly enter a new stage — the original standard will be over-written and the body will start to develop catastrophically, turning a civilized "human" into a mindless "abomination." This is what is commonly called "mara-struck."
The blood composition of Xianzhou natives is not relatively known, though one short-lived species member from Nada, the "Void Existence," managed to gain immortality after killing and consuming the blood of 3,120 Xianzhou natives.
The very first Xianzhou immortal, known as "Primus Immortus," is presently still alive and imprisoned at The Shackling Prison in stasis. Their body routinely grows various bodily structures, such as wings, limbs and bone spikes.
Some doctors believe that because the people of the Xianzhou have immortal bodies, their memories accumulate until no more can be stored in the brain. Only the most vivid and extreme memories persist, but such memories are usually ones of regret, hatred, grief, and other negative emotions. That's when the symptoms of being stricken with mara begin to show. It is also believed that veteran soldiers are far more likely than everyday citizens to be stricken with mara, due to post-traumatic stress.NPC Dialogue: Dahao
Xianzhou natives with disabilities are known as "Incomplete Ones." Those born with missing limbs can have non-invasive prosthetic limbs attached, but for people with internal issues such as Dan Shu, non-intrusive methods are of little help. Attempting to replace a person's biological organs with artificial ones will result in the body eventually rejecting it, causing extreme pain for the person. Dan Shu was able to see with her transplanted eyes for about eleven days before they failed.
Mara-stricken "Incomplete Ones" have been known to recover from their disabilities upon onset. Dan Shu noted one such case where a man born without limbs completely regrew them after being struck with mara. She also notes that there are no "Incomplete Ones" among the Borisin, another species with strong connections to the Abundance.
===Culture===
Because of their long lifespans, Xianzhou natives do not place much value on funeral ceremonies. Ordinarily, people approaching the end of their lives are guided to the Hall of Karma by the Ten-Lords Commission, before any symptoms of mara appear. They then wait for their time to come and peacefully give up their lives. However, there exists a funeral rite called the "soul-soothing ceremony," similar to "the Returning" of the Foxians, where the deceased person's belongings are placed on an empty starskiff and sent off to sail between the stars. This ceremony is usually performed for Cloud Knights who have died in battle or become mara-struck. Some Xianzhou Natives have also adopted the Foxian birthfate custom.
On the Xianzhou, individuals have to take a series of examinations in order to qualify for our rite of passage such as volunteer community service programs and if they don't clock enough effective on-the-job hours, they won't be considered an adult. Two hundred years old appears to be an important benchmark in a Xianzhou native's life, possibly that of adulthood. Xianzhou natives under two hundred are said to still have room for growth and Fulie, at age 249, was considered unusual for not having completed having completed his right of passage.NPC Dialogue: Fulie Certain Butterfly Immersia are also age-restricted to 200-year-old and above.Realm-Keeping Commission Chancery: InteractablesSerious Officer: "I'll check... Oh, this one is restricted to 200-year-old and above..." Those barely over 200 years old are also qualified to join the Cloud Knights, and are considered far too young to become mara-struck.
==History==
==Known Xianzhou Natives==
===Playable Characters===
===Upcoming Characters===
===Other Characters===
===Former Characters===
* Xueyi — Inhabits an Ingenium body after death
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
==References==
==Navigation==
vi:Người Xianzhou