Huiuxoco (Species)

A Huiuxoco merchant in Altomarian robes

The Huiuxoco were a species that resides in the Rocannic Empire. While the vast majority of the Huiuxoco lived within Tenochticoco Space (a celestial neighbourhood in the outer margins of the Galactic Core), a significant percentage of Huiuxoco nobles and merchants interacted with and/or participated in Rocannic government and society.

## Species Description

The Huiuxoco are tall, hairless, thin creatures that look almost exactly humanoid but with white, light tan, or green skin and purple or green blood. Those with the green skin/blood variant are believed to have the ability to photosynthesize (a genetic experiment designed to create individuals who did not need food). Their skin may also react to temperature change, becoming nearly metallic in intense heat as a method of internal regulation. Their most prominent feature is the jewel or jewels encrusted to the glabellae of their skulls, which is mostly dictated by their planetary origin (House Mictlan primarily uses Watermelon Tourmaline or refracting Calcite, for example). Sexual dimorphism is virtually nonexistent, with variation being very slight and alterable.

Births of the Huiuxoco usually happen in pairs, but the two are separated by likelihood of survival (unless identical). The least likely to survive to adulthood is immediately euthanized, never even bearing a name. Huiuxoco eat just about everything, though the highest castes are said to be able to consume cleaned minerals for sustenance, or otherwise a display of wealth. This species also ages very differently from humans. The rate of aging is rapid for the first 9 years of life (roughly reaching maturity of 18 human years), and then aging slows significantly for the rest of their lives. Because of this, the only telling way to determine the age of a Huiuxoco is that, invariably, the coloring of the eyes slowly fade to white over time. By age 105, a Huiuxoco is completely blind.

The Huiuxoco are herbivorous in nature, meaning that they do not have the ability to digest specific proteins found in meats. This does include their subspecies Tepicotl, who can eat plant material but not meat, though the main Hueyi main species also have difficulty eating even willing Tepicotl. There is also a common misconception that Huiuxoco can receive nutrients from raw minerals and gemstones. While the highest elites do on occasion consume small gemstones and minerals, this is more a display of wealth than a means of acquiring nutrients.

## Historical Information

The earliest evidence of Proto-Huiuxoco species exists around 30 million years PRF (pre-Rule of the First, around 30,026,000 years ago). This species was non-sentient, however they were obligate-bipedal beings (meaning they were most efficient moving on two limbs). By around 15 million PRF, this species was replaced by one of sapience, developing an extensive society across Teotitlaxcala. Genetic engineering in the Late Terminal Phase of this Pre-Huiuxoco species eventually led to the modern group, who quickly out-bred their predecessors by 1.3 million PRF. The survival of this species is also attributed to a sudden increase in volcanic activity, creating an environment that only the modern Huiuxoco could survive in. The Huiuxoco largely adopted their predecessors’ cultures and infrastructures, only expanding them across Teotitlaxcala more efficiently.

### Unification

By around 5,000 PRF, the Huiuxoco species had adapted to multiple different climates and atmospheric conditions, making them able to inhabit planets in nearby systems so long as pressure conditions remain somewhat consistent (regardless of pressure, consistency is required to allow adaptation). This made rapid colonization of Tenochticoco Space possible. The species, believed to be headed by Cuetlaxoc Krul Mictlan and a series of generals, colonized planets across the Inner Systems (Huitzotli, Cuauitl, and Xocos) and forming what would be known as the Xolotlihuacaztecalli Empire. The establishment of this empire would continue to wax and wane over the next several centuries, headed primarily by House Mictlan (supplanting the ruling Coactli Dynasty as they fragmented).

At around 600 PRF, an attempted coup by House Xochitlipahuacactlan revealed cracks in the Xolotlihuacaztecalli Empire’s political power, leading to widespread demonstrations across Tenochticoco Space. Emperor Ahuitec Krul Mictlan conceded after the Xocos system forcibly gained independence. The Xolotlihuacaztecalli Empire would soon be dismantled, beginning a period where planets acted as independent states that would only meet at the Great Bejewelling every century, creating the Tenochticoco Confederacy. This confederacy would be the last Huiuxoco state before Rocan would invade.

### Under the Rocannic Empire

The Rocannic invasion was surprisingly dull, taking place around 400 RF (around 25,500 years ago). The confederacy had been in decline for centuries, and hadn’t even met in over 200 years. With the arrival of the fledgling empire, the confederacy completely unravelled within a month. President of the Confederacy, Hueitlaztlapoc Krul Mictlan, met with the invading forces in an effort to retain his power, while the Huiuxoco armies were collapsing due to in-fighting. The incoming forces from Rocan made the agreement that the existing aristocratic system in Tenochticoco would be able to retain their lands, so long as they both recognize Rocannic dominance and integrate their titles with Rocannic ranks, to be approved by the Emperor directly. Hueitlaztlapoc agreed with haste, with the announcement being sent out on all local transmission frequencies within 4 hours of the decision. Because of Tenochticoco’s location in the Core zone, the Empire is the de-facto power of the region, while the nobility are primarily relegated to social and economic power and forming the Calixtlan Jewel Commonwealth to unify Tenochticoco Space.

The Huiuxoco still retain considerable "purity" in that the vast majority of Huiuxoco society does not partake in many of the aesthetic and political changes that have often wracked the galaxy. The only exception to this is among the merchant class and a few individuals who have adopted the Rocannic Standard language and dress as their primary identity. While the identity of the Huiuxoco is preserved, however, autonomy is nonexistent except on the highly localized level.

## Societal/Cultural Information

### Social Organization

Huiuxoco society is very intensely split between a series of castes. Social mobility is limited, with the upper two ranks being almost completely closed off from the rest of society. The ranks are as follows:

* Altepetlitlatoani: The extant landed high nobility and clergy. Most members of this caste form the Calixtlan Jewel Commonwealth, and approximately half of them live primarily on or very near Rocan to attend to society while representatives or extremely lesser members of families are left locally. There are 15 families of this rank, all intermarrying to one another or themselves to avoid marrying out to lesser ranks.
* Tepitlatoani: Families of lesser rank that are considered noble, usually because of their status on working with or serving the higher nobility (or their administrative work), though they rarely have titles and those without titles are not recognized by the Rocannic Government.
* Ximichipincani: Not nobles, high commoners from “wealthy” families (usually wealthy businessmen, military commanders, or administrators of neutral zones). This is the only class that actually interacts with the upper two classes extensively
* Tlatocayotlimani: Civil servants, mostly working as low-level judges and indirectly interact with their superiors
* Chalchiuximatcihuani: Individuals who work with the refining, cutting, and grading of gemstones.
* Amantecatlihuamani: Artisans of other luxury items.
* Tlamemehuani: Porters/smugglers, works with merchants as transporters and intermediaries
* Calchihuani: Workers of construction and production of androids and equipment of various types
* Pochtecatlimani: Merchants
* Miltecitcihuani: Food producers (farmers, water-harvesters, pastoral workers)
* Milcictihuani: Paid laborers, work menial jobs of unsavory origin
* Nenciscihuani: Non-Huiuxoco inhabitants (Not allowed within the Inner Tenochticoco Zone, only exception are the Emperor and highest nobility)
* Tlamanalistlihuani: Slaves

Intermarriage is the primary means of gaining position. Huiuxoco society follows ambilineal kinship, meaning that an individual may choose to follow their descent from either their mother or their father, but whichever is not chosen is completely unrelated. It is generally accepted that the highest nobility and all religious leaders fall within the Altepetlitlatoani, regardless of race. This is, however, the only exception to the concept of outsiders. Even then, only religious leaders born within Tenochticoco Space are a part of this unless they are nobles.

### Linguistics

All Huiuxoco speak at least 2 languages: Kro’ok-li’pman and whichever other native language their household speaks. The first is the religious language, which is required for any and all religious rites. Standard Rocannic is mostly used by outsiders or merchants (as well as the nobility when not in Tenochticoco Space). High Chalcotapan and Xipehuaztecoman are used by law courts and the noble circles. Standard Rocannic is actually banned within the Inner Tenochticoco Triad, however all necessary documents for galactic governance are translated prior to transfer. Huiuxoco involved in the Rocannic Imperial Government and Imperial Court often still speak their native languages in private circles, some even requiring translators speak for them in official functions. The Huiuxoco also have a different writing system for each language, most of which are logographic with *some* syllabary characters intermingling. This created a system of hundreds to thousands of non-standardized characters that are used for the native languages, while the Rocannic writing system was adopted for the Rocannic speakers.

One brief note is that the Huiuxoco naming conventions are slightly different from others within the galaxy. The ordering is as follows: Personal/Given Name -> House Name -> Clan Name -> Dynasty name. The Dynasty name is not usually used, as for the only caste that it would be applicable is all descended from the same Dynasty. In religious ceremonies, personal/given names are entirely ignored.

### Political Structure

While they are more than officially within the realm of the Rocannic Empire, political rule still roughly resembles the Confederation of Pre-Rocannic rule. The titular Assembly of Tenochticoco Space acts now as a local administration unit that still submits to the senate. Each system is given 3 representatives (only from the top 4 castes) to the Assembly, who choose 3 delegates to represent them in the senate. Unlike their senate representatives, the Assembly meets every day for 4 hours on the planet of Teotitlaxcala. The Assembly is nominally headed by the Lesser Cardinal of Quetzalipoc, a noble from House Mictlan.

### Religion

Alongside Rocannic worship, the Huiuxoco worship gods rooted in both ancestry and geologic events. A particular focus on geologic events is placed by the ruling class, because these events create the goods that they sell at such high profits. One ritual, the centennial Great Bejewelling, is a relic of this Pre-Rocannic religion.

The Great Bejewelling is a ritual in which one male and one female from each of the 15 Great Houses are selected (with their constituent branches on rotation) by the Priest of the Cuetlaxoc Volcano, for a very prolonged procedure in which the teeth of the individuals are replaced with opal, and at each joint is placed a cinnabar crystal. After this process is complete, which usually takes at least two days, a feast is held in which these bejewelled individuals are spoon fed (as the bejewelling process usually renders them permanently immoble), and are treated as vessels for the volcano gods for an additional 3 days. On the conclusion of this, the individuals are carried to the Cuetlaxoc Volcano, and thrown into the mouth to the tune of a series of prayers.

The Primary Deities of the Huiuxoco are as follows (official Huiuxoco common names in parenthesis):

* Spirit of Cuetlaxoc of the Fire Hills (Tletlaltepelticuetlaxoc) - Lord of Volcanism and burning of enemies, patron of the Mictlan Clan and Huiuxoco Species
* Spirit of Tepecahuatli (Tepecahuatli): Lord of earthquakes
* The Broken One (Postecicse): Patron of Jewellers and Gemnologists
* The Flayer of Stone (Xipetetl): Patron of gem miners and cutters
* Cocoatl: Lord of the Fires of Stars
* The Feathered Sun (Quetzaltonatiu): Patron God of the home world of Teotitlaxcala
* The Burned Serpent (Tletlicoatl): Patron of Fortunes and Orogeny

### Clothing

All members of Huiuxoco-specific society adhere to very strict clothing regulations, culminating in the creation of the Xochomi, a unisex, three-layered robe worn on all occasions that would be decorated and ornamented depending on the reason for wearing. Those who are not biologically Huiuxoco, when entering Huiuxoco Space, are very highly recommended to adhere to this strict code, for while not criminally offencible, not doing so often means refusal of entry into non-public spaces and general ostracizing from local interactions. The Xochomi exists in three primary types:

* Hueixochomi - Extremely formalwear, mostly relegated to religious or high formal events (coronations, non-religious but very formal ceremonies, festivals)
* Tlacoxochomi - Somewhat similar to evening wear or formal/ semi-formal wear.
* Tepixochomi - everyday wear

Regardless of rank, this style of dress is composed of 5 primary components:

* Xolopochtli - The “Underrobe,” a long-sleeved garment that serves as the base for all outfits. Regardless of social status, the xolopochtli is always black, loose-fitting at the neckline, and billowing sleeves until tightened at the middle of the forearm. At the end of the sleeves are open cuffs, often faceted together with matching cufflinks that vary in style and ornamentation depending on rank and manner of dress. When not in public and only surrounded by immediate family and servants and very close friends, an individual could wear only this layer at their own discretion. Under this robe would be a form-fitting pair of undershorts.
* Cholopochtli - The “Middle Robe,” a vest-robe that buttons at the front and flows to the floor. Button types are dictated by the occasion for dress: everyday wear is buttoned along the left shoulder with exactly 5 buttons (the last two of which are usually covered by the Mictelopochtli), semi-formal/formal wear is buttoned down the middle of the chest with 12 buttons (with the last two buttons covered by the cuacopochtli, a belt), high formal/religious wear is buttoned with 15 actual buttons offset from the centerline of the torso (the base of the line is decorated with two decorative buttons of a different material usually intertwined with a knot). Embroidered patterns are sometimes worn to contrast with the pattern of the outer robe and the belt, though there is no real rules on the cholopochtli’s fabrics. When not in public, it is commonplace for someone to wear only the Xolopochtli and Cholopochtli as a form of informal wear.
* Cuacopochtli - A belt or sash wrapped around the waist on the outside of the Cholopochtli. Decorations vary depending on manner of dress and social rank. Non-Nobles exclusively wear plain bands of bland colors. Nobles often wear thick sashes, or very decorated tight belts. High-formal/Religious wear usually requires a very thin belt, essentially a decorative ribbon, while nobles enjoy decorated and often bejeweled belts for formal and day wear, and flowing waist sashes for day wear specifically.
* Mictelopochtli - The “Outer Robe,” essentially a short-sleeved loose and open robe that works somewhat as a light but flowing jacket. When in public or at formal occasions, the mictelopochtli is always worn. For the particularly elite individuals, different weaving patterns are used. For the particularly elite, furs are used on some occasions
* Palmecatlipochtli - Ribbon ornamentations that are applied variably, specifically in varying formal wear. In standard formal war, palmecatlipochtli is usually used on the back of the mictelopochtli, while in high formal/religious wear it is manifest on the front of the cholopochtli. A more recent invention is the use of ornamentation to wrap around the main body as though it were a very thin shawl, but this is reserved for the nobility.