Aurin

The Aurin are a race from the planet Arboria that has been overrun by the Dominion. They have fled to Nexus and joined the Exiles in the hopes of finding a new home. They are generally well versed in the natural sciences.

## History

For thousands of years, the Aurin lived simple lives on the forest world of Arboria. Having developed a symbiotic relationship with the trees of their homeworld, the Aurin were fierce and agile hunters that protected Arboria's forests and the creatures that lived within them. Led by an unbroken line of queens that communed directly with the ancient and powerful Mother Tree, the Aurin enjoyed an idyllic existence in their hidden paradise on the edge of the Fringe.

Isolated by the location of their homeworld, the Aurin had never encountered offworlders until the arrival of a ragtag band of humans - descendants of the survivors of Brightland's Rebellion on planet Cassus. Appreciating the good-natured independence of their visitors, the Aurin welcomed them, curious about their colorful stories of other worlds among the stars. The Aurin were happy to trade fresh food and water for the strange new tools offered by the humans, and a friendship born of kindness and generosity quickly blossomed between the two races. Fearful of bringing the Dominion down upon their new friends, the human fleet soon moved on, though from time to time individual ships would return to pick up fresh supplies and visit with Aurin friends.

Despite the careful precautions taken by the rebel humans, the Dominion managed to trace the path of their fleet and eventually discovered the location of Arboria. As punishment for aiding the fugitive humans, the Dominion declared unconditional sovereignty over the Aurin's forest kingdom and sent an army of devastating Planet Reapers to collect the empire's rightful due.

The Aurin fought back bravely against the initial Dominion forces who invaded Arboria - but the Planet Reapers were monstrous mechanical resource harvesters designed to withstand all but the heaviest firepower, and Aurin weapons were no match for the technological might of the empire's military. Suffering heavy losses, the Aurin were forced to fall back, deeply affected by the agony of the trees as the Planet Reapers reduced huge swaths of their beautiful and verdant planet into barren, smoking wastelands. Desperate, their young and newly crowned queen, Myala Everstar, sent out a distress signal to their human friends--hoping that her people might be saved from destruction.

The human leaders received Queen Myala's cry for help and immediately formulated a daring rescue plan. With the help of Granok mercenaries led by the indomitable Durek Stonebreaker, the main body of the fleet was sent to bait Dominion forces, while a second group - manning a flotilla of emergency shuttles - crept past them and landed on the surface. The rescuers quickly loaded as many Aurin as they could onto the shuttles while the Dominion was preoccupied fighting off the battle-hardened Granok mercs, who were more than ready to settle an old score with the empire.

Even with every transport ship available, it soon became clear not all the Aurin could be saved. Queen Myala initially refused to abandon her people, vowing to stay and fight for her beloved Arboria until the bitter end. But advisors like her First Consort, Arwick Redleaf, begged her to reconsider, for the loss of their queen could very well mean the end of the Aurin race. In the end, a brokenhearted Myala agreed to board the transport for the good of the Aurin people, but promised the remaining Aurin she would one day return.

Safely aboard the Exile fleet, the Aurin struggled to overcome the despair they felt leaving their homeworld while slowly learning to adjust to life in space. They embraced the sciences and technology of their new allies, using their affinity with nature to tend and maintain the fleet's agricultural vessels. Despite the tragedy they had suffered, the Aurin were determined to survive. The day would come when they would return to Arboria, drive out the Dominion, and reclaim their beloved homeworld.

## Biology

Aurin are extremely agile and lithe. Their ears give them a great awareness of their environment, their powerful tails are great tools for swinging through trees, branches, and other obstacles, and their eyes have spectacular vision. They also have claws for climbing up surfaces, and fangs for eating or biting hostiles.

### Sexual dimorphism

Aurin are a matriarchal society, up to the physical differences between sexes. Females are much taller than males, and only certain females are able to interact with Primal Energies and "the Weave" to form the spiritual connections necessary for their survival and development. These individuals are called Matriarchs.

Males have more varied fur colours than the females. They are the only ones with speckled patterns, two or more different tones, and faded tips. They have also been noted to be "scrappier" and more aggressive than the females.

### Ear styles

The varied styles of Aurin ears all developed based on the environment they had evolved in. Arboria having been a planet of many habitats, there are varieties better suited for jungles, in caves, or even in deserts.

Females have more outlandish ears than the males, and males in return have ears resembling Earth animals. The difference is so stark it's been said that female Aurin seem to be wearing novelty headbands.

### The Weave

The Aurin believe in and can interact with a force called "the Weave," the energy that connects all living beings. This allows them to make an empathic connection with their environment, allowing them to "talk" with organisms like the trees, feel the health of their habitat in their gut, and feed off of the life energy of the flora.

In turn, they take care of their habitat in a symbiotic relationship.

### Diet

Aurin are omnivorous, and subside on a well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and proteins. They maintain their lithe, fit physiques this way. Though it is technically possible for an Aurin to become overweight, their strict adherence to balances means that a fat Aurin is either an impossibility or a one-in-a-million occurrence.

They react strongly to caffeine. The already hyperactive and chipper Aurin will become a supersonic dynamo, running around full-tilt for what seems like forever after having just one cup of a drink such as coffee.

## Culture

Aurin are a friendly race that pride themselves on harmony, balance, and positivity. As a result, most every Aurin is polite, chipper, and highly tolerant of the other races. This can get grating on their allies at times, but even the gloomy Mordesh yield to their eternal sunshine.

Despite this, Aurin are ferocious fighters who will not hesitate to gut anyone who disrupts the balance, harms their environment (especially trees), or is generally a very bad person. ("Being really mean" is a criminal offense under Aurin law.)

### Care of nature and the trees

Aurin revere trees, being able to "talk" to them through the Weave. They are oftentimes considered family and friends.

As such, they take great care of them, acting as their guardians and nurturers. You do not cut down trees relentlessly or harm an Aurin's habitat, unless you want them to murder you.

### Polyamory

Aurin are polyamorous. Having multiple romantic partners is not an uncommon thing in Aurin society. Monogamy is also accepted; it's really just personal preference with them.

### Matriarchs

Matriarchs are the leaders of their communities, powerful females who form symbiotic connections with the forests around them.

Succession is decided by skill, not heredity; if a matriarch's child is not qualified for the position, the community has no obligation to instate them anyway.

There are three tests to proving the capability of being a matriarch. The first involves finding a community's matriarch totem using a trusted assistant, the second is summoning a beast for their consorts to prove their ability to protect her, and the third is channeling primal life into the roots of the largest, oldest tree in the community.

### Consorts

Consorts are a matriarch's trusted assistants. They may be romantic partners or not, and it is not unusual for children to result from these unions.

### Hunters

Aurin Hunters provide valuable meat, bones, and leathers to their villages, alongside maintaining the balance of the local animal populations. They do not take their job lightly: they emphasize the proper killing of prey - quickly and efficiently. They do not condone the death of harmless prey such as jabbits, and will lambast anyone who does so.

They are fond of sharing stories about their hunts or the hunts of others.

## Notable individuals

* Queen Myala Everstar
* First Consort Arwick Redleaf
* Liara