Ael'id

## BASICS

● Name: The Ael'id, or 'Aeli'

● Homeworld: Thul'tea

● Lifespan: Approximately 40 cycles, or 55 earth standard years.

## GENERAL INFORMATION

● Planet(s) Inhabited: Ael'id are native to Thul'tea and have spread to the surrounding planets in the Aumnea System. They have also colonized various worlds in the nearby Pallas and Savaran Systems.

● Current Status: Spacefaring

## APPEARANCE

● Description: A race of humanoids with impressive stature, Ael'id tend to have angular, sharp features and long, pointed ears that are primarily vestigial since they possess an inner-ear bone that transmits sound and no longer require them. Their hair and eye color runs a range of colorful options, though the majority will possess hair on the darker end of the spectrum and eyes that have a slight bioluminescent glow.

● Height Range: Between 6'4" and 7'2" on average, with outliers.

● Weight Range: 280 to 360 lbs, due to increased muscle and bone density.

● Genders: Female

## Stat Bonuses

+1 Vitality, +1 Endurance, +1 Strength, -5 Skill Points

## LORE

**Early History**

The earliest history of the Ael'ids is quite the mystery, even to themselves. While it is thought that the majority of the ancient texts which describe their most early attempts at civilization are kept and guarded by their religious leaders there is no firm evidence that points to this being the case. Therefore the history presented here is a summary of what young Batch Sisters are taught during their time within the Collective Commune and should be taken as such:

It is taught that, in their infancy, the Ael'id were a juvenile race of humanoids possessing of a much less developed evolution. The scholars of the Vrai'les Caste speculate that their ancestors were possibly survivors of another race who crashed upon Thul'tea and were forced to adapt to the planet's harsh environment to survive. There has been some evidence supporting this in excavations within the northern hemisphere of the planet, though nothing concrete has ever been uncovered to suggest prehistoric spacefaring on the part of their progenitors.

Recorded history suggests that during their infancy they found themselves struggling to survive upon the surface of the hostile world. Their predecessors mainly lived in caves or the thick jungle, rarely venturing out during the hours when the nearby star shone upon the surface and acting as scavengers for the most part. This changed, however, when early Ael'id discovered the resting place of a great beast upon Thul'tea which came to be known as "The Sha'kar". The Sha'kar, both it's title and race, was a massive birdlike creature that soared above the skies of Thul'tea. It's wingspan measured near to a kilometer, a necessity given the high gravity of the world. The wingless bird, with it's massive hooked beak and bulbous growths along it's back, had no predators on Thul'tea. It was a singular creature, with no relatives nor young ever discovered in the history of the Ael'id.

The fate of the Ael'id changed when their fledgling race discovered this strange apex existence. The Sha'kar became the benefactor of the Ael'id. During their early days they traveled beneath it as it slowly flew a lazy circuit across the skies of Thultea. It's presence was a deterrent to predators and it's moderate rest cycles gave the young race time to study it and, in some cases, harvest from it. It's massive body constantly shed materials that were collected, processed, and utilized by the Ael'id. This included scales, flesh, teeth and, in some instances, blood. The true history of the Ael'id begins with the Blood of The Sha'kar.

Early in their history the Ael'id began to revere the Sha'kar, treating the massive creature as if it were a guardian of their people and a protector. This was further compounded when the collection and utilization of it's waste materials began to become commonplace amongst them. Scales and flesh were made into primitive armor, reed-like teeth were shaved into spears, and blood was consumed ritualistically in order to hopefully gain the power of the sacred beast. However, in collecting and drinking the blood of the strange alien creature as a collective, the original ancestors of the Ael'id doomed themselves to extinction.

Generations passed and birthrates declined. Though the Ael'id grew stronger with every generation, the blood of the Sha'kar strengthening and fortifying them against harsh Thul'tea, it also took it's price from them. Knowing full well that the blood was effecting not only their lifespans, but also their ability to reproduce, the burgeoning civilization of the Ael'id sought an answer for their dilemma. That answer was The Sha'kar, once again.

**Gul'ir Zha'xa**

The leaders and scientists of the Ael'id, in an attempt to beat their own impending extinction, began to exhaustively study the physiology of The Sha'kar. This led to a plan which would be named "Gul'ir Zha'xa" or, roughly translated into Origin Language, 'One for the Collective'. The Ael'id gave up on their male counterparts. The blood of the Sha'kar, which had given their females strength and vitality to survive the brutal environment of Thul'tea, had weakened and undermined their counterparts. Under Gul'ir Zha'xa they began to develop and experiment with the idea of removing the need for the males of their species entirely. This proved more difficult than originally thought, as their bodies were evolved to require a male gamete in order to trigger reproduction and they had neither the time nor the understanding to alter their biology to suit reproduction through parthenogenesis.

The solution to this, and the cornerstone of Gul'ir Zha'xa, was the Sha'kar's extremely advanced regeneration. Utilizing the study of this phenomenon the Ael'id developed a form of pseudo-cloning technology that utilized their own ovum as base material to be catalyzed by the blood of the very creature that they worshiped. Through the successful utilization of this fledgling technology, the Ael'id gave birth to the first generation of what would come to be known as "Chae'nar", or 'Unblemished'. These 'perfect beings' were a harmonious merger of their own existence and the Sha'kar that they had come to rely on so heavily. While the Chae'nar were originally a minority, generations of continued use of this method of 'assisted reproduction' would eventually cause the race that was originally the Ael'id to die out completely and be replaced with what, in their mind, was a perfect evolution.

**Development**

With the issue of the continuation of their race resolved, albeit using extreme methods, the new Ael'id race rapidly grew in population. Their bodies, now far more suited to the rough terrain and high gravity of Thul'tea, were able to thrive and settle. No longer bound to live nomadic lives following the Sha'kar, they settled and began to form static communities where they could begin to rapidly grow their technology and culture. Due to it's important part in the survival of their species the Ael'id continued to revere the Sha'kar, their leaders building the foundation of their culture around the idolization and worship of the massive creature as they continued to study and learn from it throughout the generations. Though their lifespans were relatively short their ability to quickly produce offspring through the use of a single 'superior ovum' cloned for the purpose of reproduction meant that they were able to rapidly weed out genetic imperfections and begin a subtle eugenics that would see them become uniformly powerful and wholly reliant upon their own central leadership.

Their society developed a government steeped heavily in the religion centering around the Sha'kar, raising up spiritual leaders to guide their citizens while scientists worked around the clock to reverse engineer the mysterious physiology of the creature to better serve their needs. Through this they developed a sophisticated cloning technology that, through incubation in the potent blood of the Sha'kar, was capable of quickly producing entire body parts in a matter of a day and, sometimes, even hours. This caused their medical technology to stagnate. Things like surgery, precision medicine, and chemical solutions became unnecessary to a society that could quickly and easily replace any body part that developed issues or was damaged due to accident.

Study of the Sha'kar was further applied to their study of aerodynamics and kinematics. Through this research the Ael'id developed flight, long-distance travel and, eventually, spacefaring technology that allowed them to begin to leave the heavy atmosphere of Thul'tea and begin to explore the solar system that surrounded them. As their technology reached it's near pinnacle, their society grew and was shaped into a well-ordered machine designed to ensure that every individual could provide benefit to the whole of their people.

**Structure**

The Ael'id, as they grew more advanced, developed caste systems in order to specialize the training and raising of their race to best suit individual tasks. Their short lifespans but easily replenished population meant that they were in a constant state of development and rearing their upcoming generation to best take on and accomplish the tasks that were set forth. To this end their society became segmented into various parts which will be reviewed now.

Upon the creation of a new generation of Ael'id, a single cloned ovum is used in conjunction with Sha'karin, the blood of the sacred Sha'kar, to produce a group of new young, each of which are referred to as "batch-sisters". This batch usually numbers approximately fifty to seventy, depending on the veracity of the ovum as well as monozygotic twinning, which is fairly common with approximately a 30% rate among batch-sisters. These batches are created and cultivated within special facilities known as Collective Communes. These Communes, large facilities that make up sometimes as much as half of an entire city upon Thul'tea, take responsibility for the birth of their batches as well as their education and care for the first ten to twelve cycles of their lives.

During this time of formative care the batches are matured quickly and taught basic history, language, and cultural studies. It is during this time that they are expected to develop their own identities and begin to consider their futures. During this stage of an Ael'id's life they are given a generic name, indicative of their batch and their number in it. Translated to basic Origin language, these names are formatted by a single number as a first name, followed by the batch name and number. An example would be, "Six Ser'as-Nine". Six is the individual number of the batch-sister, while Ser'as-Nine is the name of the batch itself.

Once they reach the end of their studies between the age of ten and twelve cycles usually, depending on growth rate and individual study, they are allowed to choose a caste to which they want to be bound to. While some caste accept all batch-sisters, some are more selective and require exhaustive testing before they will allow any young one to enter their ranks. Once a batch-sister is accepted into a caste they leave their Collective Commune and are taken to the facility of that specific caste. Each caste will house and care for their batch-sisters, now referred to as 'junior sisters', while they are trained for their specific role within the caste and raised to take their place within the whole.

While many castes exist for various purposes, some stand above others as being more important, or influential, in Ael'id society. These castes will be listed, with a brief description of their purpose and roles given. In parentheses next to the names are the symbols that are traditionally tattooed upon the individuals to indicate their caste to other sisters.

* Il'dir (Diamond) - Also known as 'Arbiters' among the Origin, the Il'dir are a caste made up of highly antithetical 'jack of all trade' Ael'id. The Il'dir Caste is considered one of the most difficult to join due to it's high aptitude requirements and the intensive amount of training and education required to quickly learn and master everything necessary to it's position. Il'dir are equal parts warriors, diplomats, peacekeepers, and leaders. Among the Ael'id, most positions of authority are held by Il'dir outside of specific tasks requiring more specialized training.
* Vi'muth (Triangle) - The Vi'muth Caste exists for the sole purpose of battle. Despite their relatively peaceful history, more recent generations have grown rebellious, seeking to stray from the shadow of the Sha'kar and sow discontent and mistrust among their fellow sisters. The Vi'muth are the shield that protects the Ael'id from these seditious elements, as well as from any influence outside of the system. They are trained solely for combat and possess great aptitude in all weaponry and armor, be it personal or large-scale.
* Du'car (Teardrop) - The Du'car are the 'Operator' cast. One might also call them 'Engineers', though this term is too specific and does not do justice to the scope of their abilities. Du'car are trained to operate the many ships and vehicles within the Theocracy. As a caste they are unique in the position they hold due to the extensive modifications they undergo during their training in order to interface with the Ael'id Theocracy's Dez'ra'ka, their organic space-faring ships. To this end, all Du'car are heavily 'scarred' in accordance to the cultural perception of the Ael'id. Their scarring, however, is less sitgma and more seen as honorable sacrifice. It often manifests as visual blindness, longer more pronounced ears, and various scars on their shoulders and upper-arms.
* Sha'dir (Chevron) - The Sha'dir Caste are the religious leaders of the Ael'id. Those sisters who join this caste are further educated in the ways of history and the glories of the Sha'kar, to better serve their fellow sisters as representatives of the government and their great spiritual leader, Asha'vira.
* Kas'anvir (Circle) - The Kas'anvir Caste are both scholar and scientist. Similar in many ways to the Sha'dir, the Kas'anvir work closely with the government. They develop new technologies while maintaining existing ones. Kas'anvir sisters are common within the Collective Commune, where they maintain and cultivate the next generations of their sisters while further honing their expertise in cloning and genetics to further benefit their people.
* Gol'ara (Three verticle lines) - The Gol'ara Caste are a general labor caste, often called upon for jobs involving less specialization and more physical conditioning. Those of Gol'ara spend their formative time within their commune honing their bodies, much in the same way as Vi'muth, though their purpose is not for combat but for utility. Gol'ara often serve in various areas with other castes, performing their duties silently and efficiently to honor their name.Ara
* Anin'far (Lower half circle) - The Anin'far primarily handle mining and excavation. As a caste they exist to discover, collect, and process the abundant natural resources within the Ael'id Theocracy's controlled territory, contributing to their people's material wealth as well as ensuring they never lack for the natural resources to continue thriving. The Anin'far are easily one of the largest castes of the Ael'id, and the most abundant throughout the three systems under the Theocracy. They operate out of planetary outposts, orbital facilities, and even specialized "Kav'far Sha", massive ships designed to operate as mobile refineries that move through the system collecting and processing raw materials before shipping them to their destinations.
* Fris'dan (Upward arrow) - The Fris'dan Caste exists to handle the manufacturing needs of the Ael'id. This caste is specially trained to receive and utilize the various resources collected by the Anin'far in order to further benefit the Ael'id Theocracy. They work closely with the Anin'far and also the Kas'anvir in developing new technologies, providing the engineering and mechanical expertise to the concepts delivered by the Kas'anvir and the materials supplied by the Anin'far. These three castes are collectively known as the Grez'id Union, and together hold as much influence as the Il'dur or Sha'dir castes do by themselves.
* Many other castes exist, such as agricultural, service, entertainment, and more.

Among each Caste the Ael'id are also assigned ranks to indicate their achievements and their positions within their own organization. Though the ranks are, on the surface, very simple, each Caste also possesses an inherent rank. Two sisters of the same internal rank still possess authority over each other and another depending on their Caste as well. Two sisters of the same Caste and rank are, for all intents and purposes, equal. One of a few exceptions to this involves an Il'dir who has been assigned to a ship. The Il'dir tasked to captain a ship is assigned an honorary rank placing her higher than any sister of normally equivalent rank, to prevent conflicting orders and a dispersion of responsibility in case of incident. The ranks are as follows:

* Junior Sister (Aes'i Halla) - This is the lowest entry rank into any caste. The Junior Sisters are responsible only for their growth within the caste. They are rarely given responsibilities beyond simple chores around their communes and attending their various classes and training programs.
* Young Sister (Aes'i Kes'tra) - A Young Sister has spent years learning within her Caste and is usually on the cusp of sixteen cycles upon being given this rank. At this stage the caste will usually assign them to work under a sister of higher rank, or within a group of similarly ranked sisters.
* Middling Sister (Aes'i Vera) - This rank is reserved for those who have the time within their caste to no longer be considered Kes'tra, while not having distinguished themselves enough to be given a higher rank. It is a probationary rank, most often used during peace time or for castes not involved actively in conflict. It is also used as a term of address for a sister who is unaware of her fellow sister's rank and would like to be polite, as it indicates nebulousness and is not offensive unless used after the correct rank has been identified.
* Elder Sister (Aes'i Shara) - The rank of Elder Sister is the highest normalized rank within a caste. It indicates time, mastery, and distinction in equal parts. It is a rank that is associated with one who is skilled in their chosen specialization and has stood out within their caste.
* Eldest Sister (Aes'i Sharia) - The first of a few honorary ranks given to create special distinction. The title of Eldest Sister falls to an Il'dir who has been given command of a ship. This prevents another Il'dir of the same rank, who may be aboard the ship on a different assignment, from being able to issue conflicting orders to the Aes'i Sharia's subordinates.
* Blessed Sister (Aes'i Di'ra) - This rank is only used within the Sha'dir Caste and is always used to distinguish those of normal rank within the caste with those who have ascended to a position of serving directly under Asha'vira, the title of spiritual leader of the Ael'id. This rank can be considered equivalent to that of a bishop, or cardinal, within conventional religions. They possess a great deal of authority, able to overturn or supersede the commands of most other Ael'id regardless of position or circumstance.
* Touched One (Asha'vira) - This is equal parts rank and title, assigned to a single Ael'id who is ascended to the status by the will of the Sha'kar. Chosen by the Aes'i Di'ra, the Asha'vira can be picked from any caste and acts as the public face of the Sha'dir and the government. This status is usually denoted by pale hair and pale eyes, which are very uncommon among the Ael'id and often seen as a sign of 'divinity' given the similarity to the Sha'kar's own eye and skin color.

**Discrimination**

In the present the Ael'id are a race defined by structure. This structure, which has served them for generations, has allowed them to rapidly advance and reach out to the stars. However, the faster the creation, the more flaws show in it's design. Ael'id society is colored by an ugly stigma. One that stems from their overuse of cloning technology in the field of medicine. The Ael'id still refer to themselves as their ancestors did, occasionally using the name 'Chae'nar' in reference to their belief that they have purged any imperfections from themselves through the use of the Sha'kar. As a culture that prides itself upon this perfection and embraces the name 'Unblemished' or, if literally translated, 'Without flaw', the Ael'id tend to see any form of imperfection as a gross defect.

This fact has caused discrimination to run rampant throughout the castes between the Chae'nar, those who are perfect and 'whole', and the Dis'nar, otherwise known as 'The Scarred'. The Dis'nar are marked by having had parts of their bodies replaced by cloneflesh, either through accident, caste failure, or combat. These Ael'id usually possess very precise, almost perfect seams along parts of their flesh. These marks represent areas of their body that have been precisely carved away and replaced with manufactured flesh in order to return them back to themselves. While the cloneflesh possesses no known detraction, nor downside, compared to the original, those of the Chae'nar often look down upon the Dis'nar and treat them as failures, those who have had to give up parts of their bodies due to personal weakness or a lack of discipline or health.

This discrimination is the most prevalent among the Il'dir. The caste of Arbiters, which pride themselves upon having a great pedigree and a wide array of skills and expertise, are the hardest upon the Dis'nar that they consider to be a constant reminder of not living up to the expectations of their caste. Conversely, the Vi'muth seem to put the least emphasis on the gap between the Chae'nar and Dis'nar. As warriors who constantly risk life and limb in near endless battle, the scars of those they fight alongside mean little when they have been present for the inception of each and every one. While, officially, there is no distinction between the Unblemished and the Scarred, pockets of discontent exist within most castes and there is a great deal of hardship for any Ael'id who is forced to undergo treatment within the Cloning Commune.

**More to come.**