Raetil
 | ||
| Raetil, pl. Raetili | ||
|---|---|---|
| Biological classifications | ||
| Designation | Rodent-like humanoids | |
| Subspecies | Several | |
| Physical characteristics | ||
| Height | 1m-1.5m | |
| Mass | 35kg-55kg | |
| Distinctive traits | Usually including:
or
| |
| Lifespan | 90 Oraen Years (61 Cycles) | |
| Socio‑cultural characteristics | ||
| Homeworld | Orae | |
| Habitat | Historically arboreal and subterranean; now usually adapted for space | |
| Diet | Omnivorous | |
| Language | Raetilik-Formal (Cloud-Tongue) or Raetilik-Informal (Scratch) | |
Physical Description
The Raetil are a series of Rodent-Like Bipedal Mammals with naturally coarse, sometimes curly fur (More predominantly on their head or “mane”.) They typically live for just around 60 stellar cycles (Orae’s year being .7 of a stellar cycle). And typically are around 3.5 to 5.0 feet in height (1 to 1.5 meters respectively)
Notable adaptations that may differ from other mammals of the same category are adaptations for both climbing and tunneling, and while modern tools assist with these efforts, they have not even begun to be phased out by generational evolution.
Their hands and feet sport tough, full bodied claws that are constructed from a mixture of keratin and excess metals digested in their bodies. Metals that would normally be toxic in high doses are processed through a material exchange with the amino acid cysteine, which produces a bio-alloy of keratin and predominantly nickel and copper, though iron, and silver can rarely be processed out in the same way.
While otherwise unassuming, their bodies house an organ that runs along the cardiovascular system. Orae Medicae call this network the “Vintilae Seam” while Xeno-Biologists have named the organ the “Lactic/Amyloid System”. This organ assists with fast-twitch (Type II) and Slow-Twitch (Type I) muscle movements by acting as a direct disposal of Lactic Acid, Amyloid and Tau from the Raetil’s body during periods of high strain or deep sleep. This system becomes active when the structures dilate in response to strain and high heart rate. Conversely this organ also dilates during deep REM Sleep when the body’s blood pressure naturally drops, assisting with restorative sleep by transporting waste products from the brain. This results in the average night’s sleep for a Raetil to be 3-5 hours.
The Raetil had developed into three predominant clades and bloodlines that continue through to the modern era, though with the advent of stellar travel, these bloodlines had become muddled somewhat, with some standard traits mixing and dulling out as populations intermingled and interbred. Some individuals boast that they're carrying traits from a single clade and wear it as a badge of honor, though the importance and distinction is becoming less and less important. History still recognizes three major bloodlines.
Heritages
Toiling Clade - ZahTor: Reflecting Common Rodentia, the ZahTor feature rounded ears, bare, scaly tails with pointed long faces and strong builds. The ZahTor actively worked and lived in the roots and undercrofts predominantly of Oraen Society. They're naturally inquisitive and inclined to high-concept engineering and research roles.
Pathfinding Clade - ZettrineTor: A bloodline fueled by wanderlust, The ZettrineTor, Or "Zatters" in Scratch, are Leporidae-Like Hominids. Slightly taller than other bloodlines, they sport shorter faces, longer ears, and a bushy tail. During their planetary life, they were scouts, traders and, during the age of strife, prolific hunters of beasts.
Sky Clade - ZithrineTor: Diplomats, servants, biologists and royals. The finer things in life gravitate towards the Squirrel-like Zathrine, being shorter, sporting bushy tails, longer, softer fur and uncanny dexterity. They can often be found plying delicate crafts, preserving history, or simply following their whimsy.
History
Early History
The Raetili were, at one point, subterranean and tree dwelling species in their pre-history. Orae is a continental jungle world populated by various megafauna and megaflora, and the Raetili were often underfoot and unnoticed by a large portion of the species there. Titanic bipedal and quadrupedal creatures, both carnivorous and herbivorous, were more environmental hazards than active predators on the planet, and the Raetili’s subterranean strategy allowed large populations to spread and colonize the planet through tunnels and sky bridges.
Every city is often under the roots of massive “Hearth Trees”, and the Raetili formed a semi-parasitic and symbiotic relationship with each tree. As technology increased, the gap between those who lived above in the canopy and those who lived underground continued to grow steadily, though each caste would keep a steady balance between one another, as both were essential to comfortable living.
Underground industry flourished with easy access to primary ores, such as iron, copper, and tin. Bauxite (Aluminum) Refining created an advent of cultural interest with alloy-smithing and engineering improvement that allowed for deeper, more complex tunnels and readily available, lightweight materials used in vehicles, and eventually ceramic-based alloys leading to the Raetili’s first cautious steps into spaceflight.
In the Canopies, governance and religious structures were built alongside the nobility of the species, as well as “Aero-Agriculture” featuring hanging gardens and farms to support rapidly building populations. It was during this time that the first Primogenture Rulers would start uniting the otherwise widespread clans and families under banners and the ruling canopies.
When the initial start of space exploration started, it was celebrated as both a technological achievement and a sanctified act. Both the general population and the clergy backed stellar exploration, citing the importance of global unity, communication, and geographical cartography.
Starting with the blessing from both the clergy and their home-city of Shaelin, The Orae Cartographer’s Guild was in charge of mapping both geographical and geological landmarks to assist with travel between cities. Eventually determined to be a fully neutral party, the Orae Cartographer’s Guild insisted on a “Guild First” Mentality, and refused to partake in greater political plays. To Date, no ranking member of the OCG has held any title of nobility, and upon receiving any status within the guild, an individual is expected to renounce their name and fealty to their family and clan for the greater good for Orae and the Raetil species as a whole.
While initially facing pushback from some of the larger cities, their skills and knowledge of cartography became irreplaceable during Raetil's first forays into space travel. The guild became experts in telemetry and planetary communications, assisted with the deployment of the planet’s first satellites, and eventually became the driving force for space-bound advancements. Within 40 years of the first rocket launch, every shuttle and every satellite bore the insignia of the Guild.
Their crowning achievement during this Era was the deployment of the “Lord’s Reach”, a High Orbit Observatory Satellite that gave an unparalleled view of the galaxy around them. Without cloudcover and inclement weather, this advancement produced an unforeseen era of prosperity. Not only was the satellite assisting with exploration data, discovery of distant worlds, and the composition of their own local system; It also assisted the Clergy and the Starseers in their celebrations and predictions, a clean marriage of science and theology.
The Great Dragon / Age of Strife
A Stellar Calamity took center stage at this time. Unbeknownst to the population, a neighboring star, CGR-692-B had entered the final phase of its lifecycle, and being a mere 3.4 light years away, went supernova. The resulting collapse of the star released a Gamma Ray Burst that “Burned the sky and the stars for an untold distance”, and over the course of months, spilled its stellar matter into a pre-nebula in violent oranges and reds. Deeply superstitious, and naïve to the complex machinations of their neighbors; rumors exploded among both the general population and the clergy themselves. The nebula obscured and eclipsed several of their pantheons, and day by day the vast nebula continued to expand.
Then came the alarm. Orae had been home to fossils of such intense magnitude, extinct species buried into the earth, some rotting in the above vegetation that some thought them to be dragons, beasts that traveled the sky and stars looking for meals and homes for their eggs. As the population grew more educated, those dragons became myth and tales told to children to force them to behave.
But now, seeing a star blink out of existence so violently, a mania spread like wildfire through all castes and clans. The Dragons were real, and one surely was coming for them. The clergy started to strain under the panic, new splinters and sub-religions grew. There was a dragon to slay, a dragon to appease, a dragon to worship that would be consuming their pantheon in bits and pieces. Theological divides sparked no war in heaven, but a war on the ground.
The Cult of the Dragon believed that appeasement and worship was the only way to keep Orae Safe, while the Dragon Hunters believed the dragon to be no deity, but a mortal usurper and a wild animal, something that could bleed, that could be killed. Neither side would capitulate, and stayed locked in a stalemate. Cities were razed, miles and miles of the planet were turned into a barren no-man’s land.
The war ended in a flash. The Orae Cartographer’s Guild had operated in secret for those decades, creating contingencies and gathering data, understanding high physics and new ways to move and wage war. To the onlookers, it appeared that The Final Fortress, Her Fang, simply cracked in half, and caught fire, broke in twine before a massive shockwave tore stone and uprooted her. The OCG made their decision to enter and end the war, dropping a tungsten rod directly on the city. The Cult was beheaded, dramatically, definitively, and calm returned to a near-ruined Orae.
The Stellar Dragon became a memory as real monsters bucked and rebelled against a wounded, but not dead world. Cities that survived and managed to flourish turned to hunting the now-desperate and hostile monstrous megafauna after the collapse of native populations. A single kill could feed a city for years, and slowly those weapons of war became weapons for the hunt. But still, they had to be careful to preserve this tenuous balance.
The OCG turned their attention to advisory and research of new stellar vehicles, ones that could close the gap between stars, and the Flotilla grew, slowly and surely. There would be no throne higher than the ones in orbit, and then over the next century, the ones in yet more distant space.
Orae continues to house a sizable population of Scavengers and Hunters, but the drumbeat in the bellies of starships both great and small continue. Miners, Privateers, Traders, and Hunters alike, bound of a home they might never see again under one creed:
We remember the Dragon that burned our home, that may consume our star. We will find it, hunt her kin, and find use for every scale, fang, and morsel of meat.
Society
As modern times approach, the Raetil find their work and place in alien societies as traders, soothsayers, and industrialists. Social, wary of a journey, Clans are built up on Absolute Primogeniture, Where the first born of a family is the heir to the Clan’s Ship, her people, and the debts to be settled. A Raetil Flotilla can be made up of any number of ships from any race’s make and model, however the Flagship is often a Raetil Battleship, Heavy Cruiser, Freighter, or even an utterly ancient Arkship from old.
The Flagship is the crown jewel of the Raetil Clan and Flotilla, and each generation makes extensive improvements and redundancies to ensure the ship will serve the next generation well. These improvements may be minor or cosmetic, such as a refurbishing of a weapon’s system or a repainting of the hull, or the installation of a new reactor, water system, or even retrofitting for FTL Travel.
A Raetil has three names, One that Honors the Clan, One that Honors the Deed, and One that Honors the Other. It's common for a Raetil to only share their Clan name, which follows a standard "First" of "Last" or simply "Last". If they are boasting, They'll introduce themselves as "First" Who "Did a thing" and do so in quite the grand gesture. But for those who they would call a close friend, lover, or family, they'll share their shorter, informal name, and will do so with great trust... which is saying a lot for a nickname or petname. Commonly Raetil names follow a tempo structure of two-and-one for their first and clan names, but this isn't always the case.
Example "Honor the Clan" Names: Daedil Raer, Lilith Faar, Samuel Kresh, Trevor Mern.
Example "Honor the Deed" Names: Daedil; who broke the dam, Lilith; A Finetooth Comb, Samuel; Impressed his Father, Trevor: Has Three Dragonscales.
Example "Honor the Other" Names: Bright-Eye, Lil, Sammy, Softie
Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors
The Raetil’s religion focused on a pantheon of constellations that were visible from those temples, functioning as observatories whose massive glass domes would focus and magnify points in the sky, where each temple’s own patron would be celebrated when it would be in full view. Holidays were frequent, and an acknowledgement and fascination of the stars would fuel “Starseers”, their role within the clergy were to interpret the stars, their movements, and make predictions that would be as mundane as hopeful harvests, success in love, all the way to important decision making like trade deals, royal births, and declarations of war.
Style Guide and Character Creation
TODO
