Vyro-Ingo

The **Vyro-Ingo** are insane yet sapient crustaceanoids that were brought up on the planet Izanagi V in the Kessari Quadrant, although this is likely not their homeplanet. Their ancestors were non-sapient until their upliftal by the Precursors, during the process though they were split into two species - the Vyro-Ingo and the VUX, causing them to "lose" DNA. This caused the Vyro-Ingo to be left with a sense of genetic inferiority that lead to a form of insanity that displays itself as a type of schizophrenia. Each Vyro-Ingo is made up of two distinct 'personalities', one of which is gruff and insulting and the other of which is kindly and polite.

## Biology

The Vyro-Ingo are a mad race of quasi-crustaceans, something of an odd cross between a shrimp and a crab. Like earth decapodans, Vyro-Ingo have ten legs, with the first pair modified as feeding palps, and the second as large, food manipulation claws. The other legs seem to be relatively undifferentiated. The long tail, which hangs flacidly besides their main body, probably contains peripodites for gas exchange, as well as the reproductive organs. It is not known why such organisms would retain their long tail; crabs, who they appear to be close to in every way except for the tail, have long since done away with their tails by folding it under themselves.

Very little else is observable about the Vyro-Ingo, save one, clear feature: The Vyro-Ingo are utterly insane. Thanks to Precursor genetic tampering before the last cycle of Feeding upon the then unsentient Vyro-Ingo ancestors, the crabby species has struggled to sentience with the glaring handicap of being clearly schizophrenic. This largely interferes with their negotiations with other races, but is characteristic of the entire species, and cannot be resolved through intellectual means.

## Culture

The Vyro-Ingo are aware of their genetic curse, and expend vast energies directing their frustration and helplessness at innocent and understandably confused strangers. Their open hostility and contempt for others, often based on simple external features, is unwarrented in almost every incidence, and can only lead to inevitable conflict between them and all races they deal with. The Vyro-Ingo do not willfully reject company, but their maddening insults must have annoyed their Kessari neighbours to no end, relegating the Vyro-Ingo into veritable hermitage. The insults have but one purpose: To make the Vyro-Ingo feel worth anything. They put down to build themselves up.

This inconsolable feeling of worthlessness and low self-esteem has so haunted the crabby race that they even created the Hierophants of Genetic Lore, to "establish" their genetic link to the Precursors, even though they have no evidence for this, and no way of substantiating their claims. They probably don't want to. There is no link to the Precursors, and they probably know that. But they will not reveal such knowledge, nor will they admit it to themselves.

In essence, the hostile and mean Vyro-Ingo are the perfect complement to the VUX. Neither race tolerates the company of other species, and feels vastly superior to all whom they meet based on what they perceive to be physically different enough from them to pick on. Given both races' unique life form, their targets are many.

## History

The Vyro-Ingo have a long history, and have indeed been visited by the Precursors, but they are not aware of this. Beyond the initial "honor" of such an interaction, nothing significant has occurred in Vyro-Ingo history, and in that sense has been rather dull. This is certainly related to their open contempt of other races, making any meetings and collaborations eventually break down into open combat and a trend to ignore the crab-like race.

The Precursors, in an attempt to understand their own genetic potential, experimented on what they considered likely candidates for future sentience, given luck and enough time. They happened upon the Vyro-Ingo, and apparently removed what they considered to be the vital genes of sentience. They missed. Whatever genes they removed, they did not remove enough to rob the Vyro-Ingo of their Precursor Potential, and inevitable sentience was the result.

It was this initial tampering, conceivably benign but left long unchecked by the unsentient Ortogs, that relegated the Vyro-Ingo to the hermited state they have been in sense. Undoubtedly, First Contacts with their Kessari neighbours were tense and openly hostile, with the result that all other races learned to leave them alone (although the thin-skinned Owa almost certainly opened fire upon the Invaders immediately following an insult). The Crux did attack the Vyro-Ingo, but apparently without vigor; they were probably stalled by the considerable power of the ships, as well as the realization that there was really no need to tangle with the crabby species. The Vyro-Ingo have no friends. The Crux could polish them off later.

The Vyro-Ingo did interact with the League, with the same hostile result. They were tolerated, but were never a productive race, chiefly because habitable worlds were scarce, and the Arilou La'leelay's advice on how to approach the twitchy Vyro-Ingo came too late to profit much from their association. In addition, their mood swings, notably when confronted with incontrovertible evidence of their genetic flaws, kept them from forming a stable relationship with the League. Ultimately, their Encrustation Matrix was fused with that of the VUX, the two races met, and realized that only through close mutual association could the two races become whole once more. That process, much like the Process of the Chmmr, will take time.