Skeletalian

The Skeletalians are a race of skeletal individuals, hence their name, who come from an unknown dimension.

## Biology

Skeletalians are born when an individual dies, reincarnating into a new individual, or when necromancy is used on a dead body. The latter method will, as can be assumed, resurrect the body of the creature that is resurrected, but it can be reformed into a Skeletalian by simply warping their form into a humanoid shape with proper training.

Skeletalian biology (called necrology by those referring to it due to Skeletalians being undead) is somewhat complex, as many of their defining characteristics are physically impossible for most beings.

Skeletalians do not need to breathe, eat, sleep, or drink anything, and are completely immune to poisonous gases or mind control due to not truly having minds, but rather a sort of nexus of energy that controls their movements and strategies that develops as they get older. They also do not show physical or mental signs of age, such as weakness or forgetfulness. They do not feel pain, and are completely immune to physical or mental illness. Skeletalians' bodies are held together by a sort of gravitational field.

The only way to kill a Skeletalian (besides Scronching or other methods easily available to higher beings) is to utterly destroy its head. They can live eternally without sustenance, and removal of limbs will not kill them. Depending on the individual's rank in the hierarchy, it is entirely possible they will simply regenerate that limb. Skeletalians killed will either disintegrate or explode into a violent conflagration of green flame, again depending on their rank.

## Society

The Skeletalian society is fairly simple, divided into the civilians and the military. The civilians live in one of many cities on one of many planets the military has conquered and subsequently wiped of all life. The civilians have no real desire to commit any crime, so they are left to their own devices. Civilians may buy weapons, but they may only be used recreationally (shooting ranges, hunting, parties, etc) or in defense of their planet if it is attacked. Civilians do not tend to wear clothes due to being skeletons, but some wear hats as a show of wealth, as hats are very expensive. Civilians mainly use Spingles as currency, but it is not unheard of for the particularly wealthy to come into possession of one or two Shongledingles simply to show off.

Each civilian planet is ruled over by a governor and his cabinet. The governor is elected by the people, and whichever candidate gets the most votes wins. It is mandatory to vote in these elections. His cabinet is appointed by the military, who send politicians to the planet to assist the governor. The governor can make minor changes to laws, but he mostly exists to give the people a sense of direction and leadership. The laws that must be followed, no matter the governor, are:

* You may not use a weapon to harm another in any way
	+ You may not threaten to harm another in any way
* You may not take what is not yours without explicit permission and/or having paid its owner
* You may only own a weapon if you have a license
* You must obey the Holy Combatants (the name the military gives itself) at all times, no matter your perspective on their orders

Civilians also have political parties of a sort, Liberators and Subjugators. Liberators believe that the military is corrupt and needlessly violent, and should stop their expansion. Subjugators believe that everything the military is doing is the correct thing to do, and they should do it more. Most civilians are not part of any party, but those who are are typically extremely partisan and actively dislike people who subscribe to the opposing party's beliefs, despite never having met anyone on the other party in most cases. These parties often hold meetings in designated meeting areas on planets where these are established. Liberators discuss how they plan to get the military to "tone down the violence," as is their slogan, whereas Subjugators simply express their love of violence and how they plan to make the military "kill 'em deader," as is *their* slogan.

Other, minor parties exist, the two most prominent being the Pacifiers and the Exterminators. The Pacifiers believe that the military should disband entirely and let the citizens defend themselves. Despite its members being easily the most partisan, they are usually very accepting of people in other parties. The Exterminators are in essence the Subjugators but on a whole nother level. They believe the military should draft civilians to further their conquest, as well as train their troops more so they can kill more enemies before falling. Neither of these parties have a singular slogan, but that does not stop them from trying to get meeting areas made for them.

Skeletalian military officers are much more violent than their civilians, leading many to think they are two different organizations. Civilians and low-ranking military officers resemble average human skeletons, but higher-ranking military officials begin to change. They have also recently joined the IDTU along with the R'ag'nhak and the Ski'ttar.

The figurehead leader of the Skeletalians is God-King Karanar Horus te Nos, but the true guiding force is the Teus Hunar, an ancient hatchet dating back to the first 100 years of Skeletalian society. It is imbued with the souls of the greatest warriors of the Skeletalians, which over the years has made the inside of it a conglomeration of several thousand souls. These souls have melded together into a single personality, and can still use their abilities while inside the axe.

All Skeletalians speak Skeletalese, a strange version of Latin mixed with other languages. Some speak English, and even fewer speak Surreal Speak. Fewer still speak Skel'hanar, the predecessor to Skeletalese.

### Habitation

The dimension the Skeletalians inhabit is enmeshed deep within the fabric of reality, not truly in any one plane. It is so remote they are one of the only species (the others being the other races in the IDTU) to know it exists. It possesses a dimensional barrier that automatically terraforms any celestial body entering it into one like the Skeletalian capital or any other world within it. However, it is stripped of any materials it once possessed in so doing, and the Skeletalians must build entirely new structures on it.

Due to this effect, known by LBP Shipping Co. science-bots as the "Conformity Barrier," every world is almost exactly the same, similarly to the Jro'hnak system. Each world contains the same materials and has the same biome, being a gray, barren wasteland.

Planets are divided into two categories: civilian planets and military planets. Civilian planets are covered in extremely tall buildings. These buildings have various purposes, such as apartment complexes and stores. The governor of a planet resides in an especially tall building usually situated on the planet's north pole.

Military planets have all their buildings underground. These are connected by a series of hyperloops. The more important a building is, the deeper underground it is.

### Materials

The Skeletalians use numerous materials to build their buildings, weapons, roads, vehicles, and so on. Their buildings are made of a substance called Jilun. Jilun is naturally a dull grey liquid, but when it hardens it becomes incredibly resilient. Jilun is hardened by exposing it to 6,200 degree Fahrenheit heat, which dehydrates it over the course of a few minutes. As this happens, it is kept in shape by pistons with interchangeable metal plates on them pushing it into the desired shape. The Skeletalians use little else in construction due to Jilun's vast availability.

Weapons, vehicles and armor are made primarily of Skeletalian steel. This material is an alloy of various metals found in the Skeletalian dimension. It is quite strong, though not as strong as other materials. It is naturally black in color, and has a melting point of 15,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It is very versatile and able to be worked with quite easily. It is not prone to warping, cracking, or (when forge welded) delaminating during rapid cooling.

Most other materials are used much less than these two, but a notable one is Mortem Lunhum, a material known for being able to conduct Teus Mortem Weldum very well, meaning it is often used in processes involving the latter.

### Military

The Skeletalian military, consisting of the Jurum Teus Nobilis (Holy Combatants in Skeletalese) and the Jirrum Hirunar (Holy Extermination), is the main ruling caste of the Skeletalians. Its members undergo rigorous mental conditioning to make them battle-obsessed, fiercely loyal killing machines. They are not only willing to sacrifice themselves, they actively wish to die in battle after killing as many enemies as they can. They reside in one of several military planets, or Jurum Furus Harak (Holy Temple World). When they are not needed, they can be found in massive military bases built into the planet. These bases can hold tens of billions of individuals, and some even have planetary barrier and warp technology.

Jurum Teus Huram (Holy Soldiers) live in dormitory-like rooms, where they can typically be seen, heard, and felt blasting heavy metal music through speakers at maximum volume. They can also be seen playing fake instruments along with the song, as well as singing along, but they are typically completely drowned out by the music. When they are not doing this, they are usually setting up bets or games. A common game played among them is Pirram Jkar, or Kill Them All. The rules are as follows:

* Five individuals select one player and set a quota for how many enemies they must kill.
* The player then goes off to battle and attempts (and usually succeeds) to kill the enemies.
* If the player returns successful, they hand off their task to another individual and doubles the quota. If the former is unsuccessful, they do not hand off the task and must deal with the doubled quota themselves.
* The game goes on until all five individuals have played.

Jurum Teus Huram do sometimes visit civilian worlds, and are highly respected. They are given the finest hats as gifts, and are welcomed by the civilians. Military officers do not particularly dislike civilians, most respecting them for who they are, as they realize they are all Skeletalians, no matter their social status. They also tend to side with civilian political parties, but only the Subjugators or Exterminators. Subjugators are more common among the military, but Exterminators do exist.

#### Equipment

The Jurum Teus Nobilis uses a wide variety of weapons, most of which are melee-oriented due to their preference for fighting up close. Guns do exist, but are significantly less used due to their long-range capability. Skeletalians get to choose what they bring to battle, and can select from a wide variety of weapons. Higher-ranking officials have weapons custom-made for them, and most choose to abandon weapons altogether as they are strong enough to do a lot of damage by themselves. The available options for weapons range from swords to war axes, and are too numerous to list. After they select their weapons, they are then issued a uniform, under which is a sort of mechanical exoskeleton that allows them to move faster and stronger. This exoskeleton is necessary because Skeletalians are naturally quite weak and would be unable to fight effectively without it. The soldiers are also issued hatchets, a sacred weapon to the Skeletalians, in case their main weapon is lost or they need it for another purpose, such as cutting foliage.

## Military Hierarchy

### Jurum Teus Nobilis

#### Horjun

The Horjun are the scientists of the Skeletalian military. They modify themselves with cybernetic enhancements, allowing them to connect to a sort of hive-mind called the Horjun Juhul Korna, or Bond of the Wise. This hive-mind contains knowledge spanning absurd lengths of time. They are the ones who design all the weapons and vehicles used by the Jurum Teus Nobilis and Jirrum Hirunar.

#### Junal

The Junal are the basic infantry of the Jurum Teus Nobilis. They typically wield basic weapons, such as swords, axes, and pole arms. Some wield guns, but usually attach bayonets to them for the sake of melee combat. They are capable of spewing green fire from their eyes and mouths via unknown means. They usually use this to emphasize war cries or longer screams while singing heavy metal music.

They are divided into divisions of a maximum of 10,000, further divided into regiments of at most 2,000, which are split into companies of around 500. Divisions are named chronologically by establishment, (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) as well as the planet they were founded on. Earlier divisions tend to have more experienced members due to being older. An example of a more respected division is the Horak 12th division. This is the most populated early division (1-50). Regiments are named similarly to divisions, although with an extra number, an example being the Horak-12 4th regiment. Companies continue this naming scheme, e.g. the Horak-12-4 2nd company.

Each division has a flag, usually being a solid background with a shape in the middle displaying a number. A regiment under a division has a number underneath the first, and companies have a number under that.

#### Junal-Har

Junal-Har are the leaders of Junal companies, distinguished by the long poles jutting out of their uniforms with their company flag flying from them. They typically use more extravagant weapons, such as halberds or double-bladed pole arms. They are also given slightly more powerful exoskeletons, allowing them to move quicker and exert more force in attacks. They are also psychologically conditioned to be more violent, giving them more drive to fight and encourage their underlings.

#### Junal-Hurak

Junal-Hurak are the leaders of Junal regiments, displaying their regiment flag on their flagpoles, called Junmahum. They are also distinguishable by their teeth, which are pointier than those below them. They also tend to speak more Skeletalian than English, as opposed to others, who tend to trend towards speaking English. Similarly to Junal-Har, they are psychologically programmed to be even more violent, and given better exoskeletons.

#### Junal-Toranak

Junal-Toranak are the leaders of Junal divisions. They have Junmahum displaying their division flag, or for earlier divisions, the Exterminus Nobilitus. They are slightly larger than those below them due to introduction to Teus Mortem Weldum, the necromancy used by the Skeletalians. This also grants them naturally greater strength and agility in greater quantities than low-ranking exoskeletons can provide. Due to not needing exoskeletons, their uniforms are tighter.

They also have slight mutations due to Teus Mortem Weldum naturally warping the appearance of those exposed to it, similarly to hydrophosphate omnichlouride. These range from horns developing on their heads to slightly longer limbs, or signs of fusing of hand or foot bones, in some cases even ribcages. They are also cybernetically programmed to be incredibly devoted to their cause and even more violent than Junal-Hurak. The cybernetics also allow them to project their voices far more than normal, allowing their war cries to be heard for miles. These enhancements jut out of their heads, creating a trademark monocle-like mechanism on their eyes.

#### Konum Julk

Konum Julk, who have the same status as Junal-Toranak, are the favorites of most Junal due to their purpose. Their entire duty is to simply play heavy metal music while standing on top of armored vehicles to encourage the soldiers fighting beneath them. They typically do not wear the tops of their uniforms, and play instruments notorious for having deep, heavy sounds. They also sometimes wear long wigs to emphasize their rampant headbanging as they play their music.

#### Koran te Jonar

Koran te Jonar are essentially the super soldiers of the Jurum Teus Nobilis, being very few in number compared to those below them, only numbering in the ten thousands (as opposed to the trillions of Junal in the JTN) and rarely being deployed for anything less than the conquest of a highly-developed race. Due to having a very difficult purpose to serve, they are designed to be as capable of mass destruction as possible, but they are also considerably less suicidal so their limited numbers can be preserved.

The process of becoming a Koran te Jonar involves several steps and can take weeks to fully complete. Due to the vulnerability of the warrior while in the process of being converted, this process is only performed in the deepest bunkers of the military planets. The process goes as follows:

* First, the Skeletalian is frozen to subzero temperatures via an extremely cold gas.
* Their bones are then separated and coated in a material known as Mortem Lunhum, which is then also frozen.
* Molten metal is then poured over each individual bone, which instantly solidifies on contact.
* The layer of metal is made smooth by sanding belts, and another layer is put on.
* Steps 3 and 4 are repeated hundreds of times until the individual bones are 2.5 times larger than they originally were.
* A current of Teus Mortem Weldum is sent through the Skeletalian, causing the armor plating to enmesh itself with the Skeletalian's body, becoming a part of them. This also radically increases their strength and agility and increases their flame-shooting abilities, allowing them to use their mouth like a flamethrower that can reach ranges of over 20 yards.
* Holes are drilled in certain bones, and devices are implanted inside to increase their violent tendencies, as well as give them the ability to shoot off their limbs and use them like grappling hooks. This also increases their battle awareness, and allows them to communicate telepathically with other Koran te Jonar.
* The bones are then let go, and promptly slam into each other.
* A second current is shot through their body, merging them into one cohesive being.

Koran te Jonar are held in high esteem among the Jurum Teus Nobilis, as well as the citizens. When they visit civilian planets, they usually leave in possession of at least two hats.

#### Karnum Harak

Karnum Harak are extremely limited in number, numbering only in the hundreds. They are incredibly strong, most ranking at a St-10 on the LBP Divinity Scale. They are incredibly secretive, keeping mostly to themselves. They only go out in public when a true emergency is occurring, such as an attack by a species that should be dealt with immediately. Due to being as secretive as they are, most civilians don't know they exist, and those who do think they are angels of the Teus Hunar given form. They have been given substantial exposure to Teus Mortem Weldum, morphing their forms heavily. Some have skeletal tendrils emerging from their backs, others have wings, and various other phantasmagorical mutations. They are also incredibly calm, having none of the suicidal berserker mentality or love of genocide that others below them have, as that only limits them. They put strategy in everything they do, and emotion clouds none of it.

#### Teus Custos

The Teus Custos are the direct bodyguards of the Teus Hunar, being only seven in number. They are the only ones in the entire Jurum Teus Nobilis, besides the Teus Hunar, allowed to practice the use of Teus Mortem Weldum instead of simply being exposed to it to increase their strength. The Teus Custos are each the physical manifestation of one seventh of the souls contained in the Teus Hunar. Due to this, they are incredibly powerful. Their appearances are exactly the same, said appearance being that of a humanoid figure with the skull of a deer with no antlers and wearing a long cloak. Their eyes also glow green.

#### Teus Hunar

The Teus Hunar is the true leader of the Skeletalians, the figurehead God-King existing to distract enemies from the true leader. It is the conglomeration of the souls of thousands of great warriors of the Skeletalians, giving it immense power in Teus Mortem Weldum. It is said that if it so wished it could simply conjure itself a new form able to withstand its power. Its outward appearance is somewhat unimpressive, simply being a primitive rock knife fastened to a stick by a vine and covered in dry blood. When it uses Teus Mortem Weldum it gives off a lime green aura.

#### Vehicles

The Skeletalians use a small selection of vehicles, most preferring to simply charge on foot. The only reason vehicles are used is intimidation purposes, but they are also more practical in some cases. This is usually overlooked by soldiers, however. Vehicles are not truly vehicles in a traditional sense, in that they are created from the rearranged bones of a variety of different creatures. This gives them a disturbing appearance, and usually intimidates those the military conquer. The process to create a vehicle is long and tedious. First, they must gather corpses belonging to a variety of species. Then, these parts must be arranged correctly to make sure the vehicle goes together. Then they undergo an armoring process similar to the one used on Koran te Jonar and resurrect them via necromancy. The short list of vehicles is as follows:

* Torujus Norhum, a horse-like vehicle that runs at incredibly fast speeds, usually 80/90mph. They are usually used in conjunction with pole-arm weapons to maximize efficiency, though it is not uncommon for an officer to simply use a sword or axe to slice foes in half. These are constructed by using the skeletons of two Jurnum, a species similar in body structure to a salamander, although taller. They are arranged to form the horse-like shape, and then coated in armor.
* Machinum Mortem, a large, quadrupedal vehicle similar in body structure to a bacteriophage. It has four legs in an X-shape. These are attached to a rotating platform that allows them to walk. These legs are cylindrical, with four "toes" coming out of the bottom of the lower section. These allow them to grab onto uneven surfaces such as hills. This body has a skull emerging from the front, and an arm on either side. The left arm possesses a double-barreled artillery battery, fed by belts that feed into the torso of the vehicle. The other holds an oversized hatchet.

### Jirrum Hirunar

The Jirrum Hirunar (Holy Extermination) is a newly-established branch of the Skeletalian military, alongside the Jurum Teus Nobilis. It is comprised entirely of members of the Exterminator political party who requested that a separate branch of the military be made to accommodate their radical beliefs. This request was accepted, though they were given a few limitations. The first was that they could not draft any Skeletalian that was not an Exterminator. The second was that they were not allowed to interfere with invasions by the Jurum Teus Nobilis. The final one was that they were required to advertise on planets they conscripted recruits from so the citizens were in the loop.

They are less interested in the glory of melee combat than those of the Jurum Teus Nobilis, instead preferring ranged weapons. They also borrow much of their technology from the R'ag'nhak Imperium, claiming "they know how to do stuff right." However, in their own way, they are even more fanatical than the JTN, because, despite their propensity to use "less-honorable" ranged weapons, they are much more xenophobic than the JTN. They actively take glee in massacring and torturing (both psychologically and physically) the inhabitants of planets, sometimes making coats out of their hides or crucifying them on large cross-shaped javelins and firing them at populated areas out of pneumatic cannons. They have a similar hierarchy and organization to the Jurum Teus Nobilis.

Despite their departure from the JTN, they use mostly the same tactics, preferring a strategy similar to bland-reality Blitzkrieg tactics. They do implement more vehicles, and usually take cover and fire from behind it once they gain sufficient ground as opposed to the JTN's tactic of continuously charging headlong into the enemy until there are none left. All of its infantry personnel are equipped with hatchets.

#### Jumar

Jumar are the basic infantry of the Jirrum Hirunar. They wear tight, black jumpsuits. Over these, they have a metal chestplate that protects their ribs. They also wear vambraces, greaves, and boots. These pieces of armor are forged from Skeletalian steel and, using Teus Mortem Weldum, fused to the Jumar's body, allowing them to not feel the weight. They are equipped with SAW-0214 rifles. These weapons fire rounds designed to expand inside a target, dealing lots of damage.

### Jumar-Irrum

Jumar-Irrum are Jumar specialized in fire support. Jumar-Irrum are equipped with SSW-3561 machine guns. These have a bullpup design, with the munition belt feeding into the stock. The rounds they fire are designed to penetrate armor, with a hardened Skeletalian steel core. They also have small solid-fuel rocket boosters positioned at an angle so as to assist the rifling of the barrel in creating a gyro-stabilization effect.

### Jirra-Lumak

Jirra-Lumak are the commanders of a squad of Jumar, consisting of 300 Jumar and 150 Jumar-Irrum. They wear armor that varies in appearance from squad to squad. Regardless of squad, however, the armor is very bulky and lacks a helmet. In place of a helmet is a coating of armor similar to those done on Koran te Jonar. The armor usually displays the Exterminus Nobilitus on it. It also uses R'ag'nhak mech technology combined with Teus Mortem Weldum to ensure that the Jirra-Lumak does not feel the weight of the armor.

They usually carry SCW-0873s, a smaller version of the SSW-3561 with its chamber in front of the trigger mechanism. Due to its smaller size, the SCW-0873 has more felt recoil than the SSW-3561. To compensate for this problem, it has a magnet on the grip that activates when the weapon is held, causing it to be braced by the weight of the armor and thus reduce felt recoil. It also has an optional bayonet attachment point.

### Jhum-Nirul

Jhum-Nirul are the leaders of divisions, consisting of 8 squads. They are put inside massive, impulse-controlled robot walkers that synchronize with the Teus Mortem Weldum nexus inside their heads, allowing them to control the walker as if it was their body. These robot walkers are similar to Machinum Mortem, but instead of four legs they have two. There are also options as to what may be equipped on their arms.

## History

The history of the Skeletalians is long and complex, dating back several centillion years. It, similarly to the K'one Head history, can be broken down into Ages and Eras. Skeletalian history is remarkably complete as they developed notation very early on. The (thus far) recovered history of the Skeletalian race is as follows.

### The First Age

#### The Beginning Era

This Era signifies the beginning of the existence of the Skeletalians, hence its name. The Skeletalians came into existence when an unnamed necromancer revived a tribe of about 120 people on a planet known only as Jun'nar. The newly-revived skeletons worshiped the necromancer as a king until he overconfidently stated that he would abandon them once they served their purpose. As punishment, the skeletons imprisoned him and subjected him to water torture, making him too unfocused to think of deactivating his spell. As they celebrated their freedom, they decided to form a new society. To do this, they found a new necromancer, an old colleague of the imprisoned one, who was willing to help them in exchange for the old necromancer's freedom. The skeletons had him teach their greatest warriors necromancy, and then killed both him and the imprisoned necromancer, then revived them from the dead.

#### The Era of War

A few years after the Beginning Era, the skeleton tribe decided to grow its numbers. To do this, they committed genocide on nearby tribes, leaving nobody left but the children, who they imprisoned until they became adults. They used primitive knives and spears at this time, made from sticks and rocks. However, as the decades passed, they created the first hatchet, which became a sacred relic of war due to its efficiency in killing. As the years went on, they refined the hatchet, making many improvements to its design and construction. As other, larger tribes began taking notice of the skeleton's activities, they sent armies to stop them. The skeletons, however, proved more than a match and defeated these armies. The numbers of the skeletons grew, but they soon realized they were much too weak to continue repeatedly fighting, so they tried to find ways to become stronger. They designated scientists to find out how to become stronger, who began working as efficiently as possible, but made no real advancements for several months.

#### The Era of Advance

After the Era of War, scientists made small advancements in strength enhancement, but they came at the cost of speed. The Skeletalians decided to turn to their necromancers for help, who agreed to share their power with some warriors until the scientists figured out how to increase their strength via technology. As the necromancers did as they promised, the scientists set to work on their technology. While this happened, the warriors rejoiced and began their rampant conquest again, their added strength making them even harder to defeat than they were. They also seized technology from the tribes they conquered, most of it useless to them, but some of it was helpful, albeit hardly so. As they continued marching, they realized their homeworld was much bigger than they thought it was, but were nonetheless determined to conquer it all.