-Zephorian Clan Sentient: Ikarus-
The Ikarus are best-known for their system of belief, called the Balance System; that aside, the way they used the technology shared by their allies in order to execute some rather impressive feats of sabotage and assassinations. The Ikarus were the first on a list of long-lived friends with the Arokians, and the Arokians didn't approach them with the alliance proposal; rather, the Ikarus made their own way to them, and right during a dire need too! Despite still suffering through their own civil distresses - that is, the squabbles within their still-questionable government and social standards - the Ikarus are will to hear out the troubles of anyone who comes to them; although, their disdainful take on foreigners doesn't guarantee assistance.
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Image: A depiction of a low-ranking Ikarus Baton Guard.
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Appearance and Biology
The Ikarus are a distinct, insectoid/reptilian race. They have long necks and elongated heads equipped with two sets of pincers - the outer set longer and more flexible than the first - six eyes on each side, and strange, pincer-like horns that act similarly to an animal's head frill. Their chests have a strange, ridged appearance; a result of the many muscles for their arms and the three sets of insect wings upon their backs, layered over one another. The wings can't grant true flight, but can beat rapidly to propel an Ikarus for quite a distance; they are often used in ambush attacks. The abdomen is thin compared to the rest of the body, giving the species an almost anorexic look. The pelvis is small even for females as eggs are laid very early on, and the tail is slightly longer than average and tipped by a poison bulb resembling a flowering plant on their homeworld; this bulb is framed by two bony growths similar to branches or antlers, giving camouflage and protection. The arms and legs are limber, with the latter being noticeably longer, with four sprawled, stiff toes on either foot and four fingers on each hand in a similar fashion, yet being much more flexible with smaller claws. All Ikarus have a form of round, bony plating along the dorsal side, though the coverage of these plates varies between individuals; sometimes they're only along the back of the individual, while other times they can cover almost the entire body except for the ventral side. Ikarus can be any color between yellow-green and turquoise, and drastically vary in saturation; the plates tend to be any color from brown to grey to black.
The eyes - which have all of their muscles synced up - have a much more limited color range of yellows, greens, and greys. Despite looking like compound eyes Ikarus actually have a curious "bubbly" layer to their eyes, which helps to diffuse light and neutralize very bright or dark areas; vital for navigating the impressive jungle ecosystems that they live in. While this does make their eyesight rather bland in terms of contrast, it emphasizes the true colors of whatever they're looking at, making their art rather... interesting. The Ikarus additionally have long, double-jointed antennae on their heads, which is the only way they can smell and hear, and their voices lack the proper chords for speech similar to most creatures; instead they are restricted to shrill chirps, warbles, screeches, and clicking, similar to birds or dolphins. This has made their language more contextual and dependent on precise punctuation; rather than learn the complications of the Ikarus language and look like idiots mimicking their consonants, most aliens understandably choose to rely on universal translators, something that has become a standard of use in Ikarus society. It's also fairly common to meet an Ikarus wearing armor, and their regiment of baton soldiers is legendary. The "baton" is actually a special type of weapon, which resembles a staff with a blade on either end for melee combat and laser heads at the very tips for long-range attacks. The entire weapon can sheathe in a form small enough to safely wear on the back or even throw out like a type of giant shuriken! Ikarus armor is sturdy and lightweight, and improvements are being made to a new type of suit armor that sheathes similarly to the infamous batons. Only soldiers, hunters, the authorities, and sometimes explorers will wear this armor though; your average citizen will wear anything from casual synthetic-leather clothes to sweeping gowns, cloaks, and dresses that give them an impressive stature. The wealthier the Ikarus the more gaudy the clothes tend to be, and it is a common joke among foreigners about how "eyeburning" or "retina-searing" the Ikarus royalty is, especially the "thrilling headgear" of the Queens.
The eyes - which have all of their muscles synced up - have a much more limited color range of yellows, greens, and greys. Despite looking like compound eyes Ikarus actually have a curious "bubbly" layer to their eyes, which helps to diffuse light and neutralize very bright or dark areas; vital for navigating the impressive jungle ecosystems that they live in. While this does make their eyesight rather bland in terms of contrast, it emphasizes the true colors of whatever they're looking at, making their art rather... interesting. The Ikarus additionally have long, double-jointed antennae on their heads, which is the only way they can smell and hear, and their voices lack the proper chords for speech similar to most creatures; instead they are restricted to shrill chirps, warbles, screeches, and clicking, similar to birds or dolphins. This has made their language more contextual and dependent on precise punctuation; rather than learn the complications of the Ikarus language and look like idiots mimicking their consonants, most aliens understandably choose to rely on universal translators, something that has become a standard of use in Ikarus society. It's also fairly common to meet an Ikarus wearing armor, and their regiment of baton soldiers is legendary. The "baton" is actually a special type of weapon, which resembles a staff with a blade on either end for melee combat and laser heads at the very tips for long-range attacks. The entire weapon can sheathe in a form small enough to safely wear on the back or even throw out like a type of giant shuriken! Ikarus armor is sturdy and lightweight, and improvements are being made to a new type of suit armor that sheathes similarly to the infamous batons. Only soldiers, hunters, the authorities, and sometimes explorers will wear this armor though; your average citizen will wear anything from casual synthetic-leather clothes to sweeping gowns, cloaks, and dresses that give them an impressive stature. The wealthier the Ikarus the more gaudy the clothes tend to be, and it is a common joke among foreigners about how "eyeburning" or "retina-searing" the Ikarus royalty is, especially the "thrilling headgear" of the Queens.
Society
The Ikarus make their home in the most exotic, overgrown jungles of their homeworld; which it doesn't exactly lack in. They avoid being near the ground where massive predators reside, instead constructing their homes suspended between trees of surreal proportions and living out their entire lives there. At first glance a city of Ikarus - called a hive - can look busy, chaotic, and disorganized, while just like any other city it is rather well thought-out. Some Ikarus customs that have been retained throughout time give the first impression that the Ikarus are still stuck in a medieval-style past, such as the still-used barter system, the construction of mass outdoor marketplaces, and the condensation of living quarters. Ikarus ranchers have a limited range of species they can grow, most of them being aerial and - coincidentally - unruly, so hunters still exist in society, forming groups still called "packs" and venturing down near the jungle floor or beyond the city limits on the hunt for rarer treats. Despite the simple lifestyle, many Ikarus take advantage of their newer technologies by making the lifestyle both simple and convenient; with fast transport, advanced medicine, and refined culinary skills.
The Ikarus are more industrious than artistic, choosing to get things done by working with their hands all the time; something accomplished in the mind is never good enough for these vigilant creatures. A bored Ikarus endures more stress by sitting around doing nothing than doing something mindlessly, day in day out, doing pointless practice exercises or something mundane to pass the time with little hope for the future. Part of this is due to the hive mindset and socialization of the Ikarus. Like an insect hive, Ikarus like to be around other people, and those people are more often than not seen as either coworkers or comrades, extra numbers to help get a job done, and will even share the spoils of the work with everyone who contributed without a second thought. While this mindset does psychologically cripple an Ikarus who needs to do things but is completely alone, it is a boon in the event of mass-organization. Most Karitzuians are introverted, feeling drained when around too many people at once, but Ikarus are extroverted, meaning the numbers empower them and help them to focus; put an Ikarus in charge of a group of people and it can manage them with surprisingly-little effort! This makes the Ikarus great leaders, in a sense, as they can keep track of each group member up to the hundreds, then assign tasks in the most efficient manner by keeping their numbers straight, and when the task is done they treat everyone equally based solely upon their workload and productivity.
Despite their collective mindset though, an Ikarus still needs a quiet place to be when the day is done, and this... happens to be a cocoon hanging from a tree. Well, whatever works for a bug alien. Speaking of, Ikarus don't need to sleep often, though this is more in part of how their society works rather than a biological function, as they often say that "productivity comes in its greatest form... when you are half-asleep". That basically encourages sleep-deprivation, which has contributed to their death count, but more significantly, to their psychological industry. Before, the Ikarus were hardly interested in the workings of the mind, but the hallucinations and eccentric behavior caused by sleep deprivation fascinated them enough to make it one of the top most widely-researched topics in their communities.
In concern to their government, the Ikarus are militaristic monarchists; to an extent, anyway. Every settlement that isn't a major city is under the jurisdiction of a major city that it chooses to align itself with, and every one of these cities is ruled by a Queen. Each of these Queens forms a Cabinet that are ruled by another, slightly-more powerful Queen, residing in the capital of whatever Region they are in. The hierarchy follows that pattern until it reaches global proportions, where the High Queen rules the entire planet. Each Queen has a private regiment of soldiers, and these regiments build up to form the High Queen's army. There are no funky slight-species-differences here like with an actual insect hive, although Queens are always female, and can choose only one Drone to be with (thankfully, dynasties are not common here). For a short while Queens could choose anyone they wanted, though after the Ikarus began trending toward being more and more militaristic, Drones have inevitably become military commanders and high-ranking generals. Once a fairly-equal balance of industry and artistry, the shift toward sterner, blunter rule began rather late in the Ikarus's history, before there was a High Queen.
The Ikarus are more industrious than artistic, choosing to get things done by working with their hands all the time; something accomplished in the mind is never good enough for these vigilant creatures. A bored Ikarus endures more stress by sitting around doing nothing than doing something mindlessly, day in day out, doing pointless practice exercises or something mundane to pass the time with little hope for the future. Part of this is due to the hive mindset and socialization of the Ikarus. Like an insect hive, Ikarus like to be around other people, and those people are more often than not seen as either coworkers or comrades, extra numbers to help get a job done, and will even share the spoils of the work with everyone who contributed without a second thought. While this mindset does psychologically cripple an Ikarus who needs to do things but is completely alone, it is a boon in the event of mass-organization. Most Karitzuians are introverted, feeling drained when around too many people at once, but Ikarus are extroverted, meaning the numbers empower them and help them to focus; put an Ikarus in charge of a group of people and it can manage them with surprisingly-little effort! This makes the Ikarus great leaders, in a sense, as they can keep track of each group member up to the hundreds, then assign tasks in the most efficient manner by keeping their numbers straight, and when the task is done they treat everyone equally based solely upon their workload and productivity.
Despite their collective mindset though, an Ikarus still needs a quiet place to be when the day is done, and this... happens to be a cocoon hanging from a tree. Well, whatever works for a bug alien. Speaking of, Ikarus don't need to sleep often, though this is more in part of how their society works rather than a biological function, as they often say that "productivity comes in its greatest form... when you are half-asleep". That basically encourages sleep-deprivation, which has contributed to their death count, but more significantly, to their psychological industry. Before, the Ikarus were hardly interested in the workings of the mind, but the hallucinations and eccentric behavior caused by sleep deprivation fascinated them enough to make it one of the top most widely-researched topics in their communities.
In concern to their government, the Ikarus are militaristic monarchists; to an extent, anyway. Every settlement that isn't a major city is under the jurisdiction of a major city that it chooses to align itself with, and every one of these cities is ruled by a Queen. Each of these Queens forms a Cabinet that are ruled by another, slightly-more powerful Queen, residing in the capital of whatever Region they are in. The hierarchy follows that pattern until it reaches global proportions, where the High Queen rules the entire planet. Each Queen has a private regiment of soldiers, and these regiments build up to form the High Queen's army. There are no funky slight-species-differences here like with an actual insect hive, although Queens are always female, and can choose only one Drone to be with (thankfully, dynasties are not common here). For a short while Queens could choose anyone they wanted, though after the Ikarus began trending toward being more and more militaristic, Drones have inevitably become military commanders and high-ranking generals. Once a fairly-equal balance of industry and artistry, the shift toward sterner, blunter rule began rather late in the Ikarus's history, before there was a High Queen.
Recent History
The planet used to be split by four factions, and the cause was religious interpretation: the Ikarus have a widely-accepted belief that everything works based upon balance, and balancing things out leads to a serene, prosperous life. One Queen dictated that this balance could only be achieved by making everything exactly the same; monochrome, dull, and boring, because then there was no variation to upset the balance. Her rule was strict, rigid, and enforced depression in her cities.
Another Queen, however, argued that balance had to be achieved by keeping everything radical, because if you mix black and white you end up with grey, right? Her rule was also strict, but in a more unusual way, by forcing charity and letting criminals get away easily; she had less depression but a lot more stress and chaos. The two other Queens were neutral, with one leading more toward the strict rulings of the monochrome Queen.
At first it was simply a clash of opinions, but as the two Queens expanded their territories it began to feel a little cramped. The monochrome Queen decided to attack her outrageous neighbor, finding her obscene rulings to be a blight on the planet and impeding the progress of her own "pure" society; the other Queen retaliated by spreading propaganda about how putrid and sickly her rival's territories were. Enough of this jabbing at one another and a war broke out, which quickly embroiled the neutral Queens in the conflict, as the most-neutral one was sandwiched in between thanks to geographical convenience and the other Queen chose to ally herself with the monochrome one. The war continued for several years, and with neither Queen wanting to give in despite their tactical disadvantages it seemed it would continue for many more. Then one day a foreign object came hurtling out of space and struck a no-man's-land where the borders of the two warring territories met.
The monochrome Queen claimed that her rival was now using airspace illegally against her, as before the entire conflict a few decades prior, the leaders of the nations at that time agreed to never attack one another using any weapon that penetrated beyond a certain point in the atmosphere; essentially, if went up too high for someone to breathe, it was banned. This was due to such weapons that they were making having a disastrous influence on the ecosystem, but that's beside the point; the radicalism Queen was outraged by her rival's claim and tried to make a point of innocence by throwing more ground troops at her.
Now, this foreign object came from an Arokian spacecraft that had disintegrated in the atmosphere upon entering it, thanks to a nearby battle and several months of spacial drift. The object managed to survive, and miraculously, was still outputting the distress signal that was first activated before the ship was blown to pieces. The Arokians knew what caused the tragedy, but were surprised to find that the piece led them to a new binary system, with an unknown planet, which was claimed by a race embroiled in a civil war; with the object between them and the intercepted media clearly showing the Ikarus's interest in it, you can imagine what kind of lunatics the Arokians thought they were looking at. They were ones to clear things up, so they decided to formally meet what they thought was the more sane leader at that time - the un-allied neutral Queen, with her territories in disarray - and explain what happened. When she in turn explained the religious causes of the Queens' warring, the Arokians decided to mix themselves up in the conflict and solve the problem with a simple idea: why not both? Grey and grey makes grey, and black and white make grey, and clearly a society based upon only one method wasn't working! They were blunt: the monochrome Queen was a tyrant and the radicalism Queen let anarchy run loose!
At first the Queens felt like responding to these random foreigners by kicking them off the planet, but a tentative peace treaty gave the idea time to sink in; a good Queen listens to her workers, and they were already sick of the war and the way they were being treated on both sides. Some even had sob stories about renouncing their oaths and loyalties to their former Queens to join her rival, just to be disappointed by their choice! By a miracle, the Queens finally decided to set down their weapons of war and try a new system of ruling, by allowing the neutral Queens to influence their choices and vice versa; in case tensions arose again, they wisely kept their militaries in top shape, but in the end they just ended up with a lot of excess firepower just kicking around eating up their treasure vaults. After some years had passed with a semi-successful system, the Queens decided to elect a High Queen to help maintain the new global balance, and barely a month in office she already had a big choice to make: whether to help the Arokians with their new Zorg problem? It didn't take her long to decide - after all, those purple, feathery nut-jobs gave her a peaceful world to rule - and after making the alliance with the Arokians official all it took was a little help on the technological horizon and the Ikarus became a space-faring race, ready to aid their new allies on a bigger, much more important war.
Another Queen, however, argued that balance had to be achieved by keeping everything radical, because if you mix black and white you end up with grey, right? Her rule was also strict, but in a more unusual way, by forcing charity and letting criminals get away easily; she had less depression but a lot more stress and chaos. The two other Queens were neutral, with one leading more toward the strict rulings of the monochrome Queen.
At first it was simply a clash of opinions, but as the two Queens expanded their territories it began to feel a little cramped. The monochrome Queen decided to attack her outrageous neighbor, finding her obscene rulings to be a blight on the planet and impeding the progress of her own "pure" society; the other Queen retaliated by spreading propaganda about how putrid and sickly her rival's territories were. Enough of this jabbing at one another and a war broke out, which quickly embroiled the neutral Queens in the conflict, as the most-neutral one was sandwiched in between thanks to geographical convenience and the other Queen chose to ally herself with the monochrome one. The war continued for several years, and with neither Queen wanting to give in despite their tactical disadvantages it seemed it would continue for many more. Then one day a foreign object came hurtling out of space and struck a no-man's-land where the borders of the two warring territories met.
The monochrome Queen claimed that her rival was now using airspace illegally against her, as before the entire conflict a few decades prior, the leaders of the nations at that time agreed to never attack one another using any weapon that penetrated beyond a certain point in the atmosphere; essentially, if went up too high for someone to breathe, it was banned. This was due to such weapons that they were making having a disastrous influence on the ecosystem, but that's beside the point; the radicalism Queen was outraged by her rival's claim and tried to make a point of innocence by throwing more ground troops at her.
Now, this foreign object came from an Arokian spacecraft that had disintegrated in the atmosphere upon entering it, thanks to a nearby battle and several months of spacial drift. The object managed to survive, and miraculously, was still outputting the distress signal that was first activated before the ship was blown to pieces. The Arokians knew what caused the tragedy, but were surprised to find that the piece led them to a new binary system, with an unknown planet, which was claimed by a race embroiled in a civil war; with the object between them and the intercepted media clearly showing the Ikarus's interest in it, you can imagine what kind of lunatics the Arokians thought they were looking at. They were ones to clear things up, so they decided to formally meet what they thought was the more sane leader at that time - the un-allied neutral Queen, with her territories in disarray - and explain what happened. When she in turn explained the religious causes of the Queens' warring, the Arokians decided to mix themselves up in the conflict and solve the problem with a simple idea: why not both? Grey and grey makes grey, and black and white make grey, and clearly a society based upon only one method wasn't working! They were blunt: the monochrome Queen was a tyrant and the radicalism Queen let anarchy run loose!
At first the Queens felt like responding to these random foreigners by kicking them off the planet, but a tentative peace treaty gave the idea time to sink in; a good Queen listens to her workers, and they were already sick of the war and the way they were being treated on both sides. Some even had sob stories about renouncing their oaths and loyalties to their former Queens to join her rival, just to be disappointed by their choice! By a miracle, the Queens finally decided to set down their weapons of war and try a new system of ruling, by allowing the neutral Queens to influence their choices and vice versa; in case tensions arose again, they wisely kept their militaries in top shape, but in the end they just ended up with a lot of excess firepower just kicking around eating up their treasure vaults. After some years had passed with a semi-successful system, the Queens decided to elect a High Queen to help maintain the new global balance, and barely a month in office she already had a big choice to make: whether to help the Arokians with their new Zorg problem? It didn't take her long to decide - after all, those purple, feathery nut-jobs gave her a peaceful world to rule - and after making the alliance with the Arokians official all it took was a little help on the technological horizon and the Ikarus became a space-faring race, ready to aid their new allies on a bigger, much more important war.
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