Rhapsodian

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Name:  Rhapsodian

Homeworld:  Rhapsodia VII

Notes:  An evolved species of mollusk, Rhapsodians are an interesting species.  With traits from almost every type of mollusk, Rhapsodians have tentacle like limbs and tail that, thanks to having loose joint connections and a skeleton closer to cartilage instead of bone, allows them to stretch these five appendages to amazing lengths.

Having experienced first hand first contacts with other species that went poorly, the Rhapsodians engineered a series of concealment technologies that allow them to walk among populations of other species.  The most recent of which was with the co-operation of Surajji and designed to use Surajji genetic material to generate a genetic morph that allows a Rhapsodian an easier method of hiding in plain site.  However, this still has its flaws;  for example, the pollen of some plants have been known to interact with the morphed Rhapsodian and render the Surajji based morph invalid and unable to activate.

Like morphed Surajji, disguised Rhapsodians are able to utilize their natural traits in the body they are disguised as, sometimes involuntarily.  For example, it is not unknown for them to commonly stretch their limbs.

Rhapsodians are naturally telepathic, and evolutionary hold over from before they evolved to their modern form.  It is unknown what prompted their ancestors to evolved vocal chords and develop the ability to utilize spoken words for communication.  However, they have not yet really lost their telepathic abilities as of yet.

Another interest trait, thought to date back to when they were a deep sea dwelling species, Rhapsodians are capable of biolumination.  Currently, this is useful as it makes Rhapsodians capable of being their own flashlights.  This trait is available when morphed into other forms and, historically, has blown the 'covers' of many Rhapsodians when they 'forgot' themselves and utilized it.

Modern Rhapsodians, as part of the evolutionary path taken by their ancestors, are capable of feats of strength surpassing humans and a lot of other species.  Like the bioluminescence, any Rhapsodian in disguise must watch themselves to avoid blowing their cover with unusual feats of strength.

One of the most interesting traits of a Rhapsodian is a unique allergy to chocolate.  Whenever a Rhapsodian ingests chocolate, it sets off a chemical reaction in their gastrointestinal tract that causes 'fire' to be belched out, usually not all at once, until the reaction is neutralized.

When the Zodiac Empire came across the world of Rhapsodia VII and had an official first contact with the species, it was uncovered the Rhapsodians had been aware of the Zodiac Empire for at least a century and had some of their number scattered across Zodiac Empire worlds.  Surprisingly, even those less capable of hiding their true nature were able to befriend enough locals that no one had been turned in to the local authorities.  These facts surprised both sides and was intriguing enough to the Rhapsodians that they volunteered to join the Zodiac Empire.

Currently, Rhapsodians are looking into the Surajji technology to 'lock' morphed individuals into their altered forms instead of staying in their Rhapsodian bodies.  This is due to relationships developed by morphed Rhapsodians with members of other species that the parties involved in each were unwilling to break apart.  The reasoning behind this research is to allow the morphed Rhapsodians to have a genetically compatible body so as to allow offspring for these loving families.