Langostians

a typical langostian

The langostians (*Nephromo Langostos*) are a species of crustacean-like humanoids who avoided their homeworld's doom and currently inhabit a gigantic space-borne habitat known as Nautilus, where they conduct many forms of activities both within and outside the confines of galactic law.

## Physiology

### **Appearance**

Langostians are humanoids with lobster features, such as hard shells, small black eyes, long whisker-like feelers, and most have a claw for one of their hands, though in exceptionally rare cases, they can have two claws and no hands or two hands and no claws. Their hands only have four fingers, counting the thumb, and each finger is segmented in a similar fashion to crustacean legs. While the exoskeletons covering most of their bodies can be any color with a variety of patterns, the front of their chests is always off-white and plain. They have no hair.

### **Strength**

Most langostians are about as physically powerful as the average earthling, but they are renowned for their claw-hands, which provide them with some of the most impressive gripping strength of any species in the universe.

### **Lifespan**

Langostians live for about 100 years, but every 20 or so years on average, they undergo a process in which they shed their old shell-like skin and grow new skin which takes nearly another full year for finish hardening, but once it does, it becomes stronger than the former. The shells can take centuries to decay and can even end up tougher than steel, and because of this, graves of langostians who lived long lives are often robbed by those seeking stronger materials for whatever purpose they see fit.

## Homeworld Information

### **Overview**

The Nautilus extraplanetary structure is regarded as one of the greatest feats of engineering in Universe 7. Originally built thousands of years ago as a preemptive countermeasure to an impending disaster, it was intended as a temporary habitat for the langostian population until they could find a new suitable homeworld, but over time the langostians grew so accustomed to life on Nautilus that it became more of a permanent solution. The habitat's exterior is roughing the shape of a lobster, and the sectors are separated as such: the Redsea Sector is located in the "body", the Blacksea Sector is in the right "claw", and the Deadsea Sector is likewise to the left. The weather is artificially created, and each sector has it maintained separately.

### **Redsea Sector**

The Redsea Sector is the largest area of Nautilus and is used as the residential district. The weather is set to rain every two days and the temperature is kept around 81°F year-round. Many of the living spaces were constructed in close proximity to each other due to the size of the population and the somewhat limited building space on the habitat, which results in frequent strings of various unauthorized home-entry incidents, be it by simple mistake or on purpose.

### **Blacksea Sector**

Located within one of the two smaller sections branching off the front of Nautilus, the Blacksea Sector is the commercial and industrial hub. No matter the hour, the sector is always bustling with mercantile activity, legal or otherwise. The weather is kept neutral in case of certain goods that would potentially be damaged by water, and the temperature is set just slightly lower than that of the Redsea Sector, but every building can have its internal heat adjusted as is necessary for production and product condition. Some casinos and other smaller gambling dens can also be found within the Blacksea Sector, and are a common yet also dangerous tourist attraction.

### **Deadsea Sector**

Also referred to as "Jones' Locker" after the previous head of the sector who was buried there while still alive, the Deadsea Sector is where all the major gravesites and cemeteries are located on Nautilus. The regional temperature is set to 50°F, and there is a controlled layer of fog throughout the area. Some citizens claim that the Deadsea Sector is cursed or haunted in some fashion, as they claim to hear ghastly noises or see phantasmal figures while visiting certain burial sites, and on one occasion, a massive fire broke out within a single mausoleum and burnt every body it contained to ashes, although this was written off by the Galactic Patrol as a case of particularly spiteful arson against the family it belonged to. There are still some langostians who cling to the more superstitious theory, however, due to the fact that the culprit was never found.

### **The Shattered Planet Below**

All that remains of the former homeworld of the langostians, known as Oceanos, is a broken and lifeless celestial body with its debris drifting through space. It used to be a world which was more than 90% covered by water, and what few land masses it had were often hot, humid, and shored by sparkling sandy coasts. The langostians were not the only major species to inhabit this planet prior to its destruction, as it was also occupied by massive deep sea-dwelling entities known as Charybidians. The charybidians were the ones to predict the fate of the planet, and they shared their knowledge with the langostians via telepathic communications. Whether or not the charybidians were also able to escape extinction is unknown, but a few stories have been passed down among residents of Nautilus, said stories claiming to have witnessed colossal figures rising from the waters and breaking free of the planet's atmosphere just months before the planet was finally torn apart.

## Culture

### **Religion**

Prior to the destruction of Planet Oceanos, many langostians, referred to as Charybdites, worshipped the charybidians as living gods of the oceans, and offered various forms of tribute. Their tributes were often comprised of slain land-dwelling beasts, huge stones which were mined from volcanic deposits then polished, and barrels containing great amounts of juices strained from a multitude of fruits native to the planet. There were some who would also include ritualistic sacrifices involving other langostians in their tributes, but they were generally considered to be zealots whose idealogy was not shared by a majority of the worshippers of Charybdism. A great amount of workers who assisted with the construction of Nautilus were followers of Charybdism, as they viewed the psychically-imprinted blueprint as a vision bestowed by their living gods. After work on the habitat was completed, it was consecrated as a holy site for the religion, and so Nautilus may be considered the largest piece of religious architecture in Universe 7.

Another minor religious group among the langostians is the Order of Vulkannos, who saw the volcanic island chains on the planet as sacred formations of their god Vulkannos that would one day bring their "divine judgement" upon the species. Though there was some truth in their teachings, a sizable portion of the Vulkannon faith was built around the ravings of a doomsaying madman by the name of Genthus.

In current times, both religions still hold a few faithful. The Charybdites having dedicated themselves to uncovering the truth behind what became of the charybidians after their homeworld was annihilated, while the followers of the Order of Vulkannos were radicalized by witnessing the calamitous end of Oceanos. Most of the remaining Vulkannons have resorted to petty acts of arson aboard the habitat as a sign of faith to their deity.

## Known Langostians

* Genthus - The founder of the Order of Vulkannos, largely remembered in langostian history as having been delusional and incredibly egotistical. Despite the infamy he accrued due to his position and personality, his legacy lives on through the religion he founded.
* Morgan - One of three "Grand Captains" of Nautilus; head of the Redsea sector, in which most citizens reside.
* Edward - One of three "Grand Captains" of Nautilus; head of the Blacksea sector, the site of almost all commerce within the artificial habitat.
* Francis - One of three "Grand Captains" of Nautilus; current head of the Deadsea sector, where bodies are buried.
* Matsura - A young langostian mercenary who works alongside Cendier, Kazan, and Laurent, taking odd jobs across the galaxy while seeking fame and fortune. Unfortunately, they tend to be somewhat clumsy, which can cause trouble for their teammates.

## Trivia

* The name of the langostian species is derived from the words *langoustine* and *langosta*, both referring to lobsters.
* The langostian naming theme is based off of the names of real-life pirates.
* The idea of the langostian home "world" of Nautilus was inspired by a few different sources, including:
	+ the Citadel from the Mass Effect trilogy;
	+ the "Doomsday" and "Void Dwellers" species origins from Stellaris;
	+ and the same-named location in Final Fantasy XIII, Nautilus, which also happens to be its namesake (though by that correlation, the same is also true of the real-life creature).