Scoloraphele

## Physiology

The Scoloraphele (Scoh-lore-ah-phell) are a humanoid insectoid species that have evolved largely as intelligent scavengers due to their high tolerance for a wide variety of ecosystems and environments. Scoloraphele undergo rapid adaptation within their body structures, which is partly why they have such an adaptable continence. This same feature lends Scoloraphele to having regional-based physiology as well, adapting body structures to blend in with the most prevalent species of an area and developing to best suit their surroundings. As such, Scoloraphele are seen as incredibly useful source of labour by the Galactic Community at large. If one cultivates a Scoloraphele population for a generation or two, an easy feat given their shorter lifespans, before too long, you have a work force adapted to the necessary labour at hand.

While exact features can vary, all Scoloraphele possess mandibles designed for communication and the breaking down of food as well as glass-like black eyes and a green carapace-like skin. Beyond this, Scoloraphele have proven capable of growing hair in various places of their body, have anywhere from two to sixteen limbs on their body, including bladed mantis-like limbs in some of the more aggressive war-prone colonies, and in some cases have adapted their vocal structures to be able to speak Galactic common.

## History & Culture

Prior to their integration into the Galactic Community, Scoloraphele largely split themselves into two distinct groups: *Iljuk* & *Ildusk*, frequently translated as Blue & Red. Some biologists have theorized the Iljuk and Ildusk Scolorephele may in fact have begun as two distinctly different species that blended together due co-adaptation, but concrete evidence of this has yet to be found. Within the colony structure, Ildusk served the role of warriors and aggressors within the structure, providing brawn and frequently engaging in aggressive and territorial behavior. Iljuk in turn served as the passive part of the colony, centered around rational and education. They would educate and provide, largely for the Ildusk to serve as better warriors.

In their early days of intergalactic travel, the Ildusk leadership of the original Scoloraphele planetary colony began a campaign of conquest, intent on taking in as much territory as possible in the name of the Scoloraphele. This campaign led to conflicts with a great number of entities with far greater technology than the still relatively fresh Scoloraphele and the numbers of the Ildusk were greatly diminished in a number of futile land wars. These great number of losses scattered the Scolorophele’s population, with many shattered fleets becoming scavenger populations on whatever planets they could reach on their incredibly damaged ships.

Eventually, as it became clear the dreams of conquest of the Ildusk were a fantasy, the large population of Iljuk remaining on the home planet performed an elaborately-planned coup against the existing leadership and quickly formed peace treaties with many of the populations they had attempted to annex from at the promise of vassal populations of Iljuk, desperate to end the pointless wars they were entrenched into. Over time, these vassal populations would develop into immigrant colonies and before long, it was not uncommon for Iljuk populations to dot various points of the galaxy, no longer dependent on their Ildusk brethren to protect them. Very few Ildusk remain now outside of squatter colonies, with many of the known Scoloraphele populations within the Galactic community being Iljuk.