Glyphus

The **Glyphus** are a race of reptilian bipeds native to the planet Glyreo. Glyphus culture is just as religious as the Bombus, but rather than one god, the Glyphus worship multiple. Most Glyphus wear headwear that covers their eyes for religious reasons. The Glyphus' language, Semi-Glyph, is a unique combination of pictographs and spoken syllables.

## Biology and appearance

The **Glyphus** are a race of reptilian bipeds native to the planet Glyreo. As a bombid, Glyphus possess a bipedal stance, with two legs, two arms, and a head. Glyphus have thicker-than-average legs, and unlike most reptilian species, lack a tail entirely. Glyphus are on average 2.1 meters tall and weigh around 97 kilograms. Glyphus are cold-blooded. One notable feature of the Glyphus, is their heightened reflexes, due to a more intricate nervous system. This makes trained Glyphus soldiers a formidable threat.

The Glyphus' head features an elongated, bumpy snout with two nostrils and a jaw with sixty teeth, of which multiple stick out from the jaw. Though hard to see, Glyphus have two small, beady eyes that have a surprisingly acute sense of sight. Glyphus also have a round head, with single flap of skin that stick out, though this trait is almost always hidden under headwear. A Glyphus' feet has three toes, which, along with their four-fingered hands, used to have claws but no longer. The Glyphus possess extremely scaly skin with large scales that comes in various shades of green.

Young Glyphus hatch from eggs, and mature quickly at only two years of age. Over the course of a Glyphus' 85 year lifespan, they regularly shed individual scales, fully replacing their skin around every four years. Like most species, the Glyphus have two sexes that are assigned at birth. The most notable difference between the males and females is that male Glyphus usually grow to a larger size than the females.

## Society and culture

Despite being an advanced, spacefaring race, Glyphus culture remains extremely religious. The main Glyphus religion is known as the Oracles of Glyph and was developed on the Glyphus homeworld of Glyreo. The Oracles are an ancient religion originally described by the first Glyphus Viziers. The Oracles describe a set of creation myths involving the Glyphus' many gods. One major decree of the Oracles has to do with the "sight of soul", requiring the followers to wear religious headdresses, and to never expose their eyes to others.

The most important figures in Glyphus culture are the Viziers. The Viziers are said to be the new "Oracles of Glyph", and are followed for the hope of a vision of the gods. The Viziers are the de facto leader of the Glyphus, with no other public leaders, and therefore represent the Glyphus in the entire galactic community, helping to spread the religion to other races. All Glyphus Viziers are female.

The Glyphus are much more unified than any other species, with almost all members following the same religion, sharing the same culture, across all of their colonies and tributes. The Glyphus are very devout and may seem like a grim, serious species. This is true, to an extent, but the Glyphus are welcoming to anyone willing to join the Oracles.

Unlike the Bombus' own religion of Bism, the Oracles of Glyph have remained prominent and constant throughout the Glyphus' modern history. Which can be accounted to the Glyphus' refusal to have a Rector opting instead to use their own Viziers. The original Oracles of Glyph are inscribed on ancient stone tablets, and serve as the very basis for the Glyphus' primary language, Semi-Glyph. Semi-Glyph is based on the carvings on the oracle is a unique combination of spoken syllables and pictographs. This makes the language hard to speak for anyone that isn't a devout follower of the Oracles.

## History

Originally evolving on the planet Glyreo, the Glyphus used to be an aquatic species that lived in the underground rivers of their desert homeworld. Once the first curious Glyphus emerged out of the caves, it began the creation of the Glyphus' semi-tribal society in the deserts.

Originally just a series of nomadic tribes, the Glyphus were first united around 10,000 YBO when a young female claimed to have visions, and inscribed them on some stone tablets. This led to the creation of the Oracles of Glyph, with the female becoming the first of many Viziers. Glyreo's massive stone cities, being much more like a temple than a city, were built around the original tablets, with all the Glyphus combined efforts being put towards the advancement of their religion.

The Glyphus first discovered the other species of the galaxy around three thousand YBO. The Glyphus didn't make contact until the founding of the Outer Galaxy Coalition at zero YBO. The Glyphus agreed to join under the decree that the Vizier had to be their representative.

The Glyphus still remain a member of the OGC, with one of their Viziers serving as their Rector. Aside from that Glyphus rarely interfere with events unless a Vizier decreed it. Occasionally, Glyphus would be sent to become soldiers for the OGC. These Glyphus would be the outliers to their culture.

## Glyphus in the galaxy

Despite joining the OGC early on, the Glyphus are an uncommon species due to their religious culture. Most Glyphus rarely venture out beyond Oracle temples, reserving themselves to a religious lifestyle. The Glyphus that can be rarely found beyond are usually out as missionaries or for political reasons. It is difficult to talk with the religious Glyphus due to their difficult to understand language.

Rarely, a Glyphus who decided to not follow a religious lifestyle can be found. These extremely rare Glyphus usually become bodyguards or criminals due to their reflexes.