Piiporae

The **Piiporae** are a race of large insectoids native to the planet Piipor. Piiporae larva possesses a winged, carbon-absorbing form until they cocoon themselves to metamorphize into adults. Despite their fearsome appearance, mature Piiporae are mostly a self-conscious and thoughtful race, possessing a philosophical culture. Because of Piipor's location in the Tridesxt Belt, the Piiporae are represented in both the OGC and Oubdis Alliance.

## Biology and appearance

The Piiporae are a race of large insectoids native to the planet Piipor. The main body of adult Piiporae has a layered body that ends with a double-barbed needle-like tail. The body segments taper around a softer underbelly. The underbelly has ten pairs of arms that transition into six sets of legs. Most of the arms are small and useless, while two of the arms are extremely large and used as the Piiporae's main appendages. The entire exoskeleton is thick enough to provide substanial protection. Piiporae are a very large species standing at 2.4 meters tall on average and weighing 262 kilograms.

The Piiporae's head is wide and lacks any organs for smelling and hearing. The mouth lacks any teeth, instead having an underbite with barbs originating directly from the exoskeleton. The two eyes have large lids and are yellow in color with black, slit pupils. The head, like most other parts of the Piiporae's body, is barbed on the top and bottom. The top of the head ends with several barbs and transitions directly to the segmented body. Most Piiporae also have spines that grow from their chin, giving the appearance of a beard.

Most of the Piiporae's arms are single segmented, with two stubby digits that are incapable of grasping anything. The two largest arms are over ten time the size and reach down to the ground. The hands have large claws with three digits, two fingers and a smaller thumb. The legs have sharp ends that are capable of supporting the body, but make the Piiporae slow overall. The exoskeleton is overall high density, with a softer underbelly and tail. The exoskeleton is typically black in color.

The eggs of the Piiporae are soft and jelly-like, unlike the adults. The eggs hatch after around two weeks into the Piiporae larvae. The larvae have a completely different form than the adults, being a pale blue, winged insectoid with soft skin that lacks any major organs. The only organs the larvae have besides the wings is large filter that absorbs carbon. The larvae survive and collect carbon until they cocoon themselves. The larvae remain in the cocoon for up to five years, after which they emerge as an adult.

Like most species, the Piiporae have two sexes that are assigned at birth, males and females. There is minimal physical difference with the females having a more curved head. Piiporae are long lived, with the adults living over 200 years on average. The main trait that changes over their life is their size, with the Piiporae gaining size when they occasionally molt.

## Society and culture

One would expect the Piiporae to have a war-focused society based upon their fearsome appearance and sulfuric homeworld, but this is not so. Piiporae are mostly a self-conscious and thoughtful race, with a society built upon democracy. Piiporae society is open and allows those who they perceive as "will-minded". Piiporae that are aggressive are often exiled off-world.

The Piiporae have advanced technologies, but these are mostly hidden underneath their seemingly primitive cities. The cities host many public gathering spaces with ornate carvings carved out of volcanic rock. The many free thinkers are allowed to give public teachings in designated "speaking gardens" filled with lush plants imported from off-world.

Piiporae society as a whole pays little heed to it's young. Aside from creating the eggs themselves, the Piiporae are much like another metamorphizing species, the Ladog, in that the larvae have their own areas to develop completely separately from society.

The main language of the Piiporae, Piipo, has a rough sound but a fanciful text, making it commonly used in more eloquent writings.

## History

The Piiporae first evolved from an insectoid predator on the planet Piipor. They developed sentience and were able to develop space travel by 80 YBO. They remained an unaffiliated race for over 700 years afterwards.

The Piiporae have a unique status in the galaxy in that they reside in the highly contested Tridesxt Belt. The Piiporae remain a member species in both the OGC and the Oubdis Alliance. The Piiporae became a member of both of these governments when the Coalition, Oubdis Treaty was signed on Piipor. The Piiporae have both a Shareholder and a Rector representative in the governments.

## Piiporae in the galaxy

Because of their philosophical nature and their membership in both the Oubdis Alliance and the OGC, the Piiporae can be commonly found in both of these governments. Unfortunately, because of their culture's laws, many off-world Piiporae have the aggressive nature one would assume they would have due to their appearance, making criminal Piiporae common in the underground.

Off-world Piiporae are versatile, typically working in physical labor because of their strength, or in an intellectual job, because of their culture. Most of the famous philosophers in galactic history are Piiporae. The Piiporae have been the basis behind the modern concept of philosophy, contributing just as much to intellectualism as the Gephew have done for science.