Phylote

The **Phylote** are a mysterious race of protozoans from the planet Tispa Prime. An ancient race with advanced technology, Phylotes frequently "tinker" with other life forms, often creating new species, or even new sapient races. Phylotes rarely stay in their "pure" form, using pods to transverse due to their amorphous nature.

## Biology and appearance

The Phylotes are a mysterious race of protozoans from the planet Tispa Prime. Their entire body consists of a viscous mixture of cytoplasm and mucus bound by an outer layer of membrane. Phylotes lack a given form, being able to morph into any number of shapes. Phylotes can extend multiple pseudopods that act as arms. The most typical form of the Phylote is a rounded blob form that is usually three meters tall. Though it can fluctuate, Phylotes are typically weigh 12 kilograms.

The "head" of the Phylote is simply the main central segment of the Phylote, containing the nucleus and other essential organs. Phylotes typically have one large stigma, pure white in color. The stigma, or eyespot, can change it's brightness, allowing Phylotes to illuminate dark environments.

Phylotes can change the fluidness of their bodies, allowing them to squeeze through any gap, or become sticky to grasp objects. Phylotes are always black in color with their eye being the only non-black part of their bodies. Phylotes can take up any number of forms, with more open Phylotes taking a bombid shape.

Phylotes have no sexes with most individuals only being differentiated by their chosen form. Phylotes are seemingly immortal, with no signs of aging or diet. The lifespan of the Phylote is unknown, with some individuals claiming to be hundreds of thousands of year old. Whether they need to or don't, Phylotes rarely ingest anything. If they do, a Phylote can engulf and digest almost anything. Phylotes reproduce by splitting a section of their bodies off, with the section becoming a new Phylote after a few minutes.

## Society and culture

The Phylote are even older than the Marae, being one of, if not the oldest species in the galaxy. Phylotes share a view of complete indifference with the rest of the galaxy lacking any sense of morality. Phylotes who venture beyond their home system like to tinker and "play" with other lifeforms, frequently creating new species.

The Phylote have long had open-hostilities with their closest neighbor, the Croboans. This open warfare has resulted in the devastation of dozens of nearby worlds and prevent both species from journeying into the galaxy at large. These hostilities rarely calm down, when they do, it continuously simmers as a cold war.

Due to their age, the Phylotes have technology far more advanced than the rest of the galaxy. This technology is mostly hidden due to the Phylotes secretive nature. Most Phylotes used machines called Phylote pods to move around. These advanced vehicles allow the Phylote more control over their amorphous nature, and allow them a more reliable means of manipulation.

The main language spoken by the Phylotes is Nugelles, a whirred, bubbly language, of which a cruder version called Phylese was based upon. Phylese is spoken by the Phylotes "pet" species, though many Phylotes have taken to speaking it.

## History

The Phylotes first developed from a single-celled species on the planet Tispa Prime. Though they grew over time, their biology has changed very little since. The Phylotes first developed sentience around 500 million YBO long before almost any multi-cellular life developed in the galaxy.

Around 10 million YBO, the Phylotes began to tinker with other species, creating new lifeforms. Despite meeting and engaging with the Croboans around 1 million YBO, the Phylotes have remained practically the same ever since. Despite making contact with the major governments, the Phylotes refuse to engage with any other races, and refuse to acknowledge any of their actions, giving the ancient race remarkably little impact to the galaxy.

## Phylotes in the galaxy

Phylotes are an extremely rare species, remaining largely isolated to their homeworld. Despite being the creators of multiple species, the Phylotes have made little impact to the galaxy due to their refusal to spread or engage with anyone besides the Croboans, making them unknown to most beings in the galaxy.

The only aspects of Phylote culture that has spread beyond Tispa Prime is Phylese, and little bits of their own technology that is often sold on the black market.

Some of the species that the Phylotes made have become common faces in the galaxy, including creatures like the Trollosk and the Zintart, and sentient races like the Monso Pien, and the Llohums.