Rindhalu

Rindhalu

General Apperance
Multi-legged predator with a hard exoskeleton, Spider-like

Patron Species
None (2nd advanced species in the galaxy long after the Elders ascended)

Client Species
Jeraptha, Ajackus and Vreen

Tech Level
Tier 1

MBoP Nickname
Spiders

Introduction
The Rindhalu are the second known advanced species, after the Elders, to inhabit the galaxy. They are currently the most technologically advanced species. They have been in a millennia-long conflict with the Maxolhx, whom they originally nurtured and helped develop. They have three client species that are known, the Jeraptha, the Ajackus and the Vreen. Like the Maxolhx, they use their client species to conduct a proxy war. The Rindhalu have a spider-like appearance, causing them to be nicknamed "Spiders" by Skippy and humans.

The Rindhalu are a multi-legged predator with a hard exoskeleton, a predator that inspired instinctive fear and disgust. Even the Jeraptha, who were covered in the leathery remains of an exoskeleton, thought the Rindhalu were somewhat revolting and creepy.
Unlike any other known intelligent species, the Rindhalu retained their hard exoskeleton, though they had evolved an internal skeleton. When the Maxolhx first met their older rivals, the Rindhalu had already bioengineered themselves so the exoskeleton was thin but hard as diamond, and embedded with sensors that projected outward like fine hairs. Those hairs moved independently, constantly sampling the air around them, and flexing in the way of tiny tentacles. The sensor hairs added an extra-revolting element of creepiness to an already creepy species. It did not help that the Rindhalu also were large, the tops of their bodies a head or two taller than the Maxolhx. The rare events when a Rindhalu went aboard a Maxolhx ship, they made a point of ducking down when going through doorways, even though there was plenty of clearance.
They are big. They are ugly. And they smell bad. The air around a Rindhalu carries an acrid tang of woodsmoke and sulphur. The woodsmoke is not the pleasant, homey aroma of a campfire. This smell is that of rotted wood mixed in with something too wet to fully burn. Plus the reek of sulphur. Rindhalu did not stink, the smell did not make the eyes of other species water and sting. It is more of a vague presence, something other beings became aware of after a while. And it *is* distracting. Unlike many unpleasant scents, a person does not go ‘nose-blind’ after a while. The opposite occurs, where the person grows more aware of the stench over time, and that is the worst part of it.

Naturally cautious, methodical and phlegmatic, the Rindhalu developed their civilization quietly before making contact with the Maxolhx. When they found the Maxolhx, they nurtured them for a millennia, helping them . Unfortunately the Maxolhx were by nature more militaristic and believed that they were the true masters of the galaxy and secretly built up an empire and a supply of salvaged Elder weapons. These were used in a devastating offensive which cost the Rindhalu much of their territory, including their Homeworld. The Rindhalu retaliated, devastating several Maxolhx star systems in a war which was only concluded when the Sentinels awoke and retaliated against both sides, almost fully exterminating both them and the Maxolhx and sending both species back to the stone age.
The Rindhalu and Maxolhx have designated six neutral meeting places across the Galaxy for them to meet when needed.