Andeer

( WIP PAGE ) **Andeer** are an Enderian species - or a species originating from what is now known as the End - most closely related to Endermen. While Andeer were conquerors pre-Apocalypse, modern Andeer have been left weakened and scattered across the three worlds.

## History

Prior to the Apocalypse, the Andeer were a race of Enderian conquerors who traveled the End in large ships in order to overtake smaller civilizations for the purpose of stealing resources and strengthening their conquest. They believed themselves to be superior to other races, even other Enderians. Despite their often violent and brutal actions, they were also highly intelligent scholars who frequently adapted found technology to suit their needs. That being said, they struggled to create inventions of their own, and often relied on stolen technology to further the development of their own technology. Andeer tended to be heavily monocultural, with their larger cities being hubs for disseminating ideas, information, and technologies that were widely accepted throughout their society. Despite this emphasis on unity - even at the cost of other Enderians - there was some dissent at various points throughout history. Members of Andeer rebellions and other criminals were often punished for their crimes by being banished to the Nether or Overworld, an often fatal sentence due to the poisonous nature of water and fire, the lifeblood of the other worlds. It is believed that some of these Andeer survived and eventually formed some of the modern Andeer colonies; due to the sometimes positive view towards ancient Andeer in colonies, however, another explanation for the existence of Andeer colonies is that some Andeer attempted to escape the worst effects of the Apocalypse by scattering.

Andeer colonies are located entirely in areas mostly protected from radiation, often deep underground. While some colonies hold little regard for Enderian history at all - believed to be colonies formed from Andeer exiles -, others admire ancient Andeer and keep meticulous track of their history and ties to the Void and the End. Notably, an Andeer colony's perception of their past in the End has little to no correlation with their views of the Ender Dragon; instead, some colonies pass down legends of a cruel Dragon that selfishly ended all worlds dreaming of immortality, and some colonies worship a mother Dragon who cared so for her young that she would've ended the worlds for them. Regardless of the cultural views of individual colonies, there are a few constants: Andeer colonies are isolated and many Andeer never leave the safety of their colony. It is believed that the hidden, isolated nature of Andeer colonies protected them from radiation exposure and allowed them to remain physiologically and mentally unchanged as a species since the Apocalypse, contrary to many other species. Andeer colonies all often have a group of individuals chosen from their ranks to explore, scavenge, mine, etcetera. This group - called Searchers - is responsible for the majority of Andeer interactions with other modern origins.

## Appearance

Andeer are nearly identical to Endermen in terms of their appearances. They have dark, ash-like skin, glowing eyes, and they typically stand between six to eight feet tall. Many Andeer have different coloration patterns on their skin, including lighter grey patches, rings, and freckle-like patterns. Their nearly pitch black skin evolved to absorb the ambient radiation of the Void, but the flesh under their thick skin is often bright. Andeer also have distinct coloration between individuals. While all Andeer are born with the same purple eyes and flesh of Endermen, after reaching the age of maturity it is common for them to undergo a right of passage involving the use of magic - such as potions, spells, and naturally occurring elements - to change the color of an individual's eyes and flesh. This is done to further distinguish them from Endermen, though not all individuals will choose to change their colors. Another physical difference between Andeer individuals is the presence of an organ around the sides of and partially within their heads. This organ is used to teleport them, and often resembles horns, fins, or similar protrusions. Andeer with a more fin-like organ have been known to be able to move this organ as a part of their body language. Andeer also lack any hair, though some individuals may wear hoods, hats, or wraps depending on the area in which they live.

## Physiology

Andeer are cold-blooded, often using magma, lava, and ice placed strategically around their homes to keep their bodies comfortable temperatures. As noted previously, they have a large organ on and inside their head allowing teleportation; within the center of this organ is a green-blue Ender Pearl, which is essential in this process.

Andeer only diverged biologically from Endermen during the Apocalypse. Those who were unable to hide suffered the worst of the radiation and destruction, dying outright or becoming nearly mindless Endermen. Those who were able to hide were protected from that fate, retaining their sentience as Andeer. Many members of Andeer colonies have begun to evolve over the course of their thousands of years in the caverns of the Overworld and Nether. While different colonies face different difficulties and might have developed different adaptations as a result, a notable trend in modern Andeer biology is a shorter stature than both ancient Andeer and modern Endermen - who could reach well over ten feet tall - and thicker and more melanated skin. The shorter stature of modern Andeer can be explained by their lives often being led mostly, if not entirely, in caves. The differences in their skin - having skin much closer to pitch black and thicker in comparison to ancient Andeer's ashy purple skin - is caused as a result of more consistent and powerful radiation exposure; melanin is known to absorb radiation, so this adaptation is likely another reason Andeer remain relatively genetically and mentally unchanged.

## Culture

While modern Andeer have vastly different cultures, influenced by how their colony formed, where their colony settled, and which - if any - other sentient species have interacted with them over time, there are a few points that can be noted throughout all Andeer colonies, likely holdovers from ancient Andeer society.

### Families and Heiarchy

Andeer reproduce by having two grown individuals lay and inseminate eggs - Andeer are hermaphroditic, so any two individuals can do this -, and by having all members of that generation of Andeer care for the eggs and the young, when they hatch. Because of this method of child rearing, Andeer rarely know who their direct parents are, instead seeing all members of their parents' age group as caretakers and guardians. The oldest living generation of Andeer at any given point in time are referred to as Elders regardless of their actual age, and are deeply respected for their wisdom and longevity. While all generations of Andeer have individuals perform jobs suited for them, Elders are exempt from all typical jobs and focus solely on educating young Andeer, record keeping, and proposing new ideas to benefit the colony.

### Aggression

Andeer colonies tend to fall within extremes when it comes to aggression and how prevalent violence is in their culture and daily lives. Any individual colony tends to be either entirely pacifistic, teaching new generations of Andeer that violence under any circumstances is evil, or heavily war-like if not war-faring, teaching new generations of Andeer that to be a warrior is noble and you must use your strength to survive. One unifying feature between pacifistic and violent colonies alike, however, is the interpretation of eye contact as an aggression. While Andeer don't compulsively attack those making eye contact with them like Endermen, eye contact is still seen as a show of deep disrespect at best and a direct threat at worst. Eye contact, when combined with other visual cues, often leads to fights.

### Names

Andeer, as another holdover from ancient Andeer society, have two names. One of their names is used only with those they're particularly close to, and the other is used by anyone else. Telling someone their second name is seen as a sign of affection, trust, and deep respect between Andeer. An Andeer's first name - which is used by the majority of people - is given to them when they hatch; this name is decided on by the Andeer's many caretakers and is formally given to the Andeer in a ceremony performed by an Elder. The first names of all Andeer in a particular culture often follow some form of theme or naming convention, typically being a Script noun or verb misheard or misspelled. As an example, a colony with a theme of flowers might name some of its members Liilii, Lylack, Fizle, and so on. Common naming themes include plants, animals, minerals, and violent actions. An Andeer's second name - used only by those the Andeer is particularly close with - is chosen by an individual and may be changed several times before fully settling on a name. These names have no particular themes or patterns, and are often random sounds or letters that the individual likes the sound of.

### Clothing

While ancient Andeer clothing was often form-fitting, with patterns to emphasize height and narrowness, modern Andeer dress depends on the location of a colony and the tastes of an individual. Due to the isolated nature of colonies and their vastly different cultures, no widespread patterns have been noted in modern Andeer clothing, aside from the tendency in colonies that view ancient Andeer in a favorable light to use replicas of ancient Andeer clothing as formal or ceremonial garb.

### Language

Andeer language - called Andeerian or Endspeak - was one of the most widely used languages in the End prior to the Apocalypse, primarily due to their tendency to colonize Enderians that spoke other languages. While many modern Andeer also speak Script - the most common language in the Overworld -, almost all colonies still know Andeerian and speak it amongst themselves.

Andeerian uses the Runelic mod.

Andeerian sentence structure revolves around the subject being first, action being second, and modifiers being third in a sentence. Andeerian also specifies whether a noun is "Like Us" or "Unlike Us". This distinction originated as a taxonomical one, in which mobs that are initially neutral or mobs that are sentient are Like Us and hostile mobs are Unlike Us, though the distinction between mob names has since spread to all nouns in the language. Nouns which are associated with the End - such as Purpur and Void - and nouns for non-mobs which some cultures might view as animate rather than inanimate - such as feathers and the wind - are classified as Like Us in Andeerian, while all other nouns are Unlike Us. Like Us and Unlike Us also serve as a metaphor of sorts within Andeer culture, serving to separate that which is unfamiliar but worth understanding (Like Us) from what is unfamiliar and not worth understanding (Unlike Us) or serving to separate that which is most safe and necessary (Like Us) from that which is more dangerous or frivolous (Unlike Us). Between Andeer colonies, there are differences in what circumstances these phrases are used in and in which group nouns are classified. For example, crops, flowers, and minerals are classified differently depending on the specific colony; notably, colonies that classify crops, flowers, and other stationary plants as being Like Us are more likely - though not guaranteed - to be pacifistic, while colonies that classify minerals as being Like Us are more likely to be more violent.