Blazes

NEW NOTES:

The dominant species of heteropoly acid-based alien life hailing from the distant Earth-like megaplanet they call Omidel-ka. Their species is composed of six distinct 'breeds' whose wildly unique features and abilities all play integral parts with one another in supporting the entire race and uniting its diverse ways of life to strengthen the synergetic relationships within them. Having both brains and brawn, they combine emotion-based psionic abilities and supercomputer-like neural networks with strong, durable bodies adapted to digest and absorb metal in place of water--the result of an evolutionary history spent turning themselves into overwhelmingly powerful weapons of war.

Once a uniform species of small, quadrupedal, mammal-adjacent carnivores, their first ancestors lived in large colonies that used a scent-based communication system to coordinate swarm operations, like ants on Earth. A colony could hunt animals much larger than themselves due to their overwhelming numbers, but they were frail and easily crushed or mauled by anything that caught one. A single individual would lead the colony, but physical traits like size or strength did not decide who was to be the leader--it was all dependent on whose pheromone signature was the most attractive to others. The colony's biggest and strongest instead protected the leader directly and kept it out of harm's way, risking their lives for its safety. A colony could not function without a leader, as individuals would aggress one another with no common pheromone signature to identify as a uniting party. Established colonies were also known to war against rival colonies, the winners assimilating the survivors and cannibalizing the fallen.

The one thing that differed this ancestor species from all other present life forms on the planet was the fact that their triple-helix DNA was incredibly unstable--nearly fifty times more mutagenic than an average life form--that allowed them to evolve at a much faster rate and make the changes they needed to become more successful. As time passed, swarms shrunk into tribes as individuals became larger, stronger, more intelligent--and as the increase in size also increased their demand for food and territory, they began to scatter and migrate all across the planet, searching for niches in their new environments to settle into and eventually dominate. Smaller extraneous limbs with slender digits began to sprout from their collarbones and chests, allowing a new realm of dexterity to create tools and complex markings. Their dependency on the scent-based colony communication system adapted itself in tandem with the development of their brains and the remoteness between tribes, evolving into a primitive psionic sixth sense that could "broadcast" an individual's thoughts and feelings to others within a certain range. The oldest records of an established "language" from the species' history are thought to have come from this time, where sharing memories became oral tradition and stone carvings depict glimpses into this world's ancient past.

The evolutionary toils of many generations revealed the first stages of the six breeds known today:

Roaming the volcanic desert wastelands belting the world's equator were the first Fersefze, whose name translates best to "landbound comet-tail". They are known as Chariots in English.

High atop the chain of skyward isles scraping the planet's stratosphere were the first Heleh-heleh, whose name translates best to "[all] the moons' eyes". They are known as Justices in English.

Nestled within the misty plateaus of an isolated alpine range were the first Omoumou-leh, whose name best translates to "enlightenment in [the/a] parental bond". They are known as Empresses in English.

Surviving the frigid glacier fields on the planet's poles were the first Zazumou, whose name translates best to "fearsome mountain". They are known as Towers in English.

Hidden away in the abyssal depths of the world's waters were the first Delkineuh, whose name translates best to "[the action of] forces unseen". They are known as Magicians in English.

Infesting an ancient, irradiated crater long overgrown by an ecosystem adapted to its intense fallout were the first Gia'aseth, whose name translates best to "a suffering that mends". They are known as Devils in English.

While each breed had their own unique evolutionary paths, the colony instinct to serve one 'queen' individual remained universal; and eventually their triplex DNA responded dramatically, introducing a new metamorphic transformation to create super-specimens known as Champions. The largest and strongest of the whole breed, a Champion served to gather its entire population under its psionic influence, unifying them as kin and preventing unnecessary conflict within their numbers. Champions were regarded as godlike beings--powerful souls whose minds, bodies, and emotions governed primordial forces that sustain life on their planet and by proxy life on other planets. The health, strength, and stability of a breed's Champion was always an utmost priority; as without a Champion, the population was left scrambling to keep themselves from aggressing one another again until another rose to reunite and control them.

While the metamorphosis that created a Champion included biological immortality [lack of senescence] as one of its many upgrades, Champions could still die from means other than physical age. When a Champion approached the end of its life, it sent out a string of complex brainwave patterns to a single individual of the breed that instructed the individual to eat its brain upon its death while forbidding all others present from doing so, simultaneously planting a sort of psionic 'launch code' that activates specialized growth hormone glands in its brain and begins the metamorphosis needed to become the next Champion as soon as the brain matter--and the previous Champion's DNA--is digested and absorbed. It is known as the Champion's Gift, and while there were many theories as to who was considered a potential recipient, the selection process consistently seemed out of the control of both parties involved. The metamorphosis itself took on average one to three Omidel-ka years [~3-10 Earth years] to complete, during which the Champion-to-be was to remain isolated and hidden away from any potential threat to it in this vulnerable state. It had to rely on other members of its breed to provide it with sustenance and protection; but when it was ready to emerge as a full-fledged Champion, it did so with a great surge of energy that sent nothing short of a psionic shock wave through the minds and souls of its entire population, reclaiming its empire's strength and unity.

As far as it is known, this legendary first generation of Champions were only addressed as the forces they embodied, their titles living on as the official names of the great psionic influences they used and passed on to future Champions:

The World's Pulse drove the Fersefze with the blazing fires of passion and fury.

The World's Voice commanded the Heleh-heleh with the light of truth and clarity.

The World's Embrace guided the Omoumou-leh with the gentle warmth of ubiquitous and unconditional love.

The World's Scar forced upon the Zazumou a great burden of seething malice and the unshakeable chill of all-consuming terror.

The World's Will whispered to the Delkineuh upon currents flowing from deep within the darkest unknown.

The World's Nerve rallied the Gia'aseth with the promise of intense pains and pleasures yet to be experienced.

Individuals were instinctually loyal to their Champion and formed empires around their might and presence, taking advantage of the remoteness that psionic communication under the Champion's ever-reaching influence allowed. Naturally, such successful remoteness meant that expanding an empire's territories was very easy to do provided a neighboring empire did not manage to fight them off; and naturally, if five of the six total breeds were trying to expand territory, conflict was bound to be plentiful. Battles between empires and tension between breeds were constant and commonplace in this time, and all but one breed's Champion consistently vied for the ultimate goal of global domination. The five warring Champions stirred tribes into agitated swarms using their executive psionic command, leading them into combat over territory, food, resources, status, and glory.

--

With the majority of the breeds locked in an ages-long evolutionary arms race with one another, their adaptations prioritized combat over survival; and when the Fersefze reached a breakthrough in evolving the ability to consume metal in place of water, combined with the technologically advanced Gia'aseth using their extensive research in nuclear power and direct DNA editing, soon the World's Embrace and its peaceful Omoumou-leh tribes were practically left in the dust, forgotten by the warring empires in a new age altogher.

The adaptation to eat metal was, in terms of biological weaponry, nothing short of a monumental advancement. Apart from the ability to thrive in environments with no water, each breed instinctively preferred the most plentiful metals available in their native territories and benefitted from unique features granted by the properties of said metals. For example, the founding Fersefze breed developed this adaptation naturally to prevent dehydration-related deaths in the water-scarce deserts of their homeland, now digging up and smelting deposits of tungsten and iridium whose high melting point and tensile strength allowed them to withstand the sweltering heat with ease while soaking up heavy blows from enemies, dealing damage tenfold in return. In an exchange to expedite the spread of this miraculous mutation across its entire population, the Fersefze Champion at the time agreed to form an alliance with the Gia'aseth empire and allow them to replicate the genetic code so it could be directly implanted into the DNA of those in either empire who did not have it. Soon enough, however, the Gia'aseth formed other alliances and was at one point usurped by force, having unintentionally caught up the remaining three warring breeds with a metallovore diet. In doing so, each breed gained access to an efficient new weapon with which to eliminate one another, and terrifyingly so--this new byproduct created by their very own bodies in abundance would irreversibly change the course of the species' history:

Metallochyme, an alloy of digested metals liquefied by a special enzyme in their saliva and stomach acid.

By and large metallochyme was meant to be the "hydration agent" that circulated through their bodies and flushed out cellular waste when expelled. It filled into their organic cells the same way water would, and with particles of metal bolstering every fiber of their physical being they became heavier in mass and exponentially more physically durable, extending their lifespans to absurd lengths and even allowing their bodies to reanimate themselves after death within certain circumstances. Though metallochyme could easily be smelted and reconsumed free of the bodily toxins from its supplier, it was much more efficient to expose the metallochyme to oxygen, the universal catalyst for all strains of the byproduct, and allow it to detoxify itself through the various chemical reactions each breed's strain possessed. These reactions varied wildly from one another: from high-heat combustion to deep-freeze cryogenesis, electromagnetism to ozone corrosion, all were utilized and weaponized to their fullest potential by their respective breeds.

However, with its boons also came its deficits, and the cost for such a powerful ability was devastating.

As battles raged on, the species' general population only continued to shrink despite many efforts being taken to increase the already low birth rates into an uninviting and war-torn world. With little to no success, eventually they learned that while their bodies were still capable of distributing fertilizing gametes, the metal-eating mutation barred the production of receptive gametes as the auxiliary stomach previously used to carry developing embryos was unintentionally repurposed into an internal reaction chamber for their metallochyme, making it dangerously unfit for birthing young regardless.

Apart from their inability to impregnate one another, the warring breeds found themselves saddled with another weakness that further hemorrhaged their numbers: a deadly intolerance to radiation of any kind, severe enough to even cause damage from the UV radiation in sunlight, forcing them to adapt and overcome their new Achilles heel. While some breeds simply retained a nocturnal lifestyle to avoid the sunlight, others combatted this weakness by producing melanin in excess, growing reflective fur, polarizing sensitive body parts, or a combination of all and then some. However, for the Gia'aseth, whose native region allowed their DNA to prematurely develop an affinity for irradiated environments, their one solution was as effective as it was simple: a complete immunity to radiation damage, even going so far as to benefit from feeding exclusively on radioactive metals [and lead, which other breeds find inedible] in their metallic diet, turning the species' greatest weakness into their ultimate weapon. Many empires sought to coerce the Gia'aseth to impart this immunity upon their genepools, but as much as they tried, they could not replicate it to the same extent without severe and detrimental complications. Of course, this incited extreme caution towards the Gia'aseth and their highly advanced technology in comparison to the forces of other empires, but the one breed who refused to yield to the fear of excruciating death by radiation poisoning was the one breed who ended up taking over the world in a dominant reign of fear itself.

Under the terrifying influence of the World's Scar, the Zazumou empire finally won over all others and united the five warring breeds as one global army. The Union of Fear had taken hold, seeping into the minds of the remaining four Champions and by proxy permeating into the minds of all their subordinates.

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The Union of Fear was a haunting permafrost that chilled to one's very soul--a presence that was quiet and still yet constantly looming over those trapped in its icy clutch. The deathly calm after a long and violent storm, the World's Scar suppressed the might of all other Champions using its fearsome and hateful influence, making a grisly example of anyone who dared challenge its absolute rule. In this time of tense stalemate, empires began hesitantly working together to combine forces and create new innovations to advance their society as one cohesive military movement.

It took the abilities of all five metallovore breeds to create a means of interplanetary space travel, and once that was achieved, there was no stopping the unified army of hyper-evolved psionic beasts. They spread like a terrible plague upon the ten remaining planets within its solar system that sustained any form of life, terrorizing them and slaughtering everything that opposed their aggressive invasion. With exception to the Zazumou, the remaining four warrior breeds' Champions frequently deployed themselves in large-scale battles with the more advanced native species, proving themselves to be especially destructive and difficult to eliminate.

Zekoth, the World's Scar, had its sights set on conquering new worlds--using every last bit of force on the one it already dominated.




--

General Biology:

NEW NOTES:

-Standard features consist of one* head, four 'mobility limbs', four 'dexterity limbs', one* tail, and at least two pairs of clasper organs. A head typically has two ears, two nostrils, and four to eight eyes depending on breed. Mobility limbs are large, strong, quadrupedal sets of legs, wings, or flippers depending on breed. Dexterity limbs are smaller and leaner, resembling two sets of arms mounted on the collarbone and behind the anterior set of mobility limbs respectively. The dexterity limbs have hand-like paws with long digits and opposable dewclaws, each ending in a sharp claw that may or may not retract depending on breed.


-Long tails are a constant throughout the species, though each breed's tail possesses properties unique to them, varying wildly from one another in both form and function.

-Fur coats are a constant throughout the species, though each breed's fur possesses properties unique to them, varying wildly from one another in texture, density, color, purpose, and hygienic upkeep.

-The species has adapted to consume metal in place of water, but still operates on an obligate carnivore diet for its organic intake, and each breed has its own way to hunt and eat its prey. They are capable of ingesting plants and fungi, but must eat meat to satisfy their bodies' nutritional needs, and only eat them for extra flavor or garnish in their meals. They are also ritualistic cannibals, opting to consume their dead in place of burying or incinerating their corpses; as apart from their beliefs regarding the soul of the departed and the life it lived in the body it left behind, they still retain the ancient instinct to cannibalize their fallen, and perhaps more consciously they prevent any opportunity for the corpse to reanimate itself.

-The species possesses third eyelids with polarized metallic film, reflecting and diffusing glare from bright light. This adaptation was universally implemented by the Devils [Gia'aseth] and their fluency with gene editing technology--an adaptation pioneered by the Magicians [Delkineuh], primarily thought to conceal their eyes while cloaked and further shield their photosensitive retinas from sunlight while surfacing for air. Nature's sunglasses?

-Prehensile, antenna-like 'clasper organs' sprout from the base of the species' bottom jaw--a sophisticated multipurpose organ that contains their reproductive system and dense clusters of specialized neurons that are capable of broadcasting, detecting, and deciphering brainwaves at precise frequencies. These claspers are the 'eyes' or the 'ears' to their psionic sixth sense, and are an incredibly vital part of their anatomy. Right-side claspers are more attuned to positive emotion, and left-side claspers are more attuned to negative emotion--if either side's claspers are removed or otherwise nullified, the individual will no longer be able to experience the type of emotion that clasper was responsible for. That being said, the 'positive' right and 'negative' left claspers also physically differ from one another--left claspers open to reveal a 'stamen' that deposits fertilizing gametes, and right claspers contain a 'pistil' that encases the stamen to collect them, ushering them further into the body where receptive gametes would await fertilization. All breeds possess both types of these claspers and can exchange fertilizing gametes, but the Empresses [Omoumou-leh] are the only remaining breed able to produce receptive gametes and become gravid.

-While having a brain and a central nervous system, the species benefits from distributed intelligence throughout the entire body; heightening their reflexes and reaction time to a level that a human brain would process as entirely involuntary or even in anticipation of the stimulus. If a part of its body is severed, the amputated part can be reattached with relative ease in the Omidelki field of medicine, and will continue to respond to nerve signals from its owner's brain until it is reattached or dies from lack of circulation.

-Their brains are on par with advanced supercomputers in terms of speed, processing power, and memory, all connected together by the 'psychic internet' that the World's Embrace currently sustains serving as the 'master brain' for her semi-hivemind species. Through her unifying psionic influence, and her breed's aid in amplifying its range, remote psionic communication between members was finally possible in space or on other planets again since the Union of Love began--so long as an Empress [Omoumou-leh] was present to act as a 'server'.

-The species lacks a true 'exit' from their digestive tract as they no longer produce organic waste--instead, metallochyme expulsion flushes cellular waste and bodily toxins while unabsorbable material and leftover water from organic foods stuck in its intestinal loop is ejected back into its auxiliary stomach*, where a secondary acid similar to the piranha solution found on Earth immediately decomposes it and reduces it to gaseous elements. It leaves the body as a colorless, odorless vapor dense with moisture, escaping through sets of nostril-like 'gastric vents' that can open and close freely. In cases of intense poisoning, they are also capable of reverse peristalsis [vomiting], though it is considered highly unnatural and extremely distressing to them. In a metal shortage, they can fill their auxiliary stomachs* with metallochyme and draw in air with their gastric vents to make it react with oxygen and detoxify itself in the process, immediately recycling their most vital resource.


-Juvenile specimens grow clear, optical fiber-like hairs that blend in completely with the rest of their pelts until their bodies begin producing the hormones necessary for reproductive maturation. At the follicle of each clear hair is a collection of specialized cells that become bioluminescent when their bodies start producing gametes, colors and intensities varying by breed and individual morphologies. When the clear hair of young adults begin to glow, it will continue to glow for the rest of their lives, as they are technically capable of producing viable gametes until they die.

-No longer exclusive to Champions thanks to the metallovore mutation, all members of the species never experience senescence, meaning their bodies do not deteriorate with age. Instead, it is the instinct and duty of a Champion to summon individuals to its seat when they sense it is time for their souls to move on to the next life, in which they will gently and mercifully induce ego death. Unlike humans, who can physically and mentally recover from such an experience, ego death fully convinces their minds and bodies that they are no longer capable of sustaining life, releasing the soul contained within. During this final moment between individuals and their Champions, their brains release a chemical that behaves similarly to dimethyltryptamine in humans and other life forms on Earth. Combined with the Embrace's ubiquitous psionic warmth, it is meant to be an intimate display of a Champion's undying love for its people, the acceptance of a soul's departure to rest and reflect on the lessons it learned in that life before being sent into the next. When it comes time for a Champion to die, it will induce ego death on itself or allow Omidel-ka to induce it, exercising her duty as the 'master brain' that sustains the Embrace.

Psionic Influence:

NEW NOTES:

-The species is capable of using their psionic sixth sense to not only broadcast and receive brainwaves to communicate, but also to somewhat override the brain activity of other sentient life forms with its own implanted inputs, using certain emotions as a vehicle into the subconscious. That being said, their methods of capturing the minds of others vary by breed--each influence realizes itself differently in terms of emotions used to assume control. Certain breeds' influences also have higher success rates than others depending on emotions used, and individual psionic strengths within members of a breed can also increase this variable's range. Champions use this ability with their overwhelming psionic strength to establish absolute unity and control their populations; and average individuals can do so on a more modest scale, in small groups or with other animals.

-Above all others, the Empress [Omoumou-leh] breed stands as having the strongest influence--its psionic sense is biologically the most developed of the entire species; and with its influence using unconditional love and acceptance as its vehicle, its Champion singlehandedly smothered Zekoth the World's Scar in a great tsunami of positive emotion to purge the whole species of all fear and hostility. To this day, Omidel-ka the World's Embrace takes hold over the remaining Champions and connects all members of the species in a Union of Love.

-Because their psionic abilities rely on emotions and sensations as a source and brainwaves as a vehicle, it is only effective on beings with a brain [or neural network capable of emitting and detecting brainwave-adjacent frequencies] and the ability to perceive emotion. This caveat ended up nearly being the cause of their extinction after picking a fight with the psychopathic silicon-based life on the magmatic planet Agelix Lur in their age of interplanetary conquest, immune to a great portion of what made them such a terrifying force to begin with.

Language:

NEW NOTES:

-Omidelki is a language that is felt, not spoken. It uses a precise and extensive vocabulary of brainwave frequencies to express direct sensations, memories, thoughts, and emotions; attempting to adapt it into a language with letters, words, and grammar proved to be quite difficult. Written Omidelki is comprised of a library of characters that represent general brainwave frequency ranges to cover all words that might describe certain sensations, emotions, or memories that provoke brainwaves within that range. For different languages and even for different cultures who use the same language, Omidelki is a difficult language to translate and retain its contextual meaning.

-An Omidelki 'name' is a repeatable instance of a sensation, emotion, or memory that an individual is most characterized by, essentially 'earning' their names as they grow and develop as opposed to choosing or being assigned one. When translated into spoken languages, they present themselves more as titles consisting of a few words, reminiscent of the naming convention [and anglicization] of a number of Native American tribes. The name using Omidelki characters and its translated version can be used interchangeably or both at once--for example, Kiilne translates to Molten Jaw, using both as Kiilne the Molten Jaw.

General Culture:

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OLD NOTES:

-Incredibly advanced in some areas, but strangely primitive in others--they blend together to create a new idea of what it means to live on the top of the food chain in every respect, the apex of evolution.

-Neo-tribal shamanic futurism: a society of evolutionary maximalists who still very much rely on the bodies and abilities they spent many eras perfecting, giving up agriculture and use of currency for optimizing their hunting/foraging lifestyle and trade/barter economy. Goods and services of all kinds can be collected and hawked freely all across the planet; deals are usually only agreed upon if all parties involved come to a mutually beneficial compromise about the exchange. There is no such thing as being 'rich' or 'poor' on Omidel-ka: one may adopt a hedonist lifestyle given the resources to sustain it, but material corruptions such as wealth have no importance to a culture that values love and harmony between kin over all else.

-Champions are regarded as demigods who stand above all others as the ultimate specimen of their respective breeds.

Technology/Medicine:

NEW NOTES:

-Technology is biomechanical in nature, using organs harvested from dead Omidel-keleh to reconfigure to an artificially-built metal body and serve as vital internal hardware. They have a strange mix of organic and futuristic elements in design and operation. Machines containing a brain to act as a computer-like operating system have the ability to 'imprint' to specific individuals, refusing to operate unless they detect the brainwave signature that grants it permission.

Religion:
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Notable Historical Events:
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Notable Championships:
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Interplanetary Relations:
CONCISE [NEWER] NOTES:

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OLD NOTES:

-Once a race of savage conquerors capable of intergalactic space travel, they invaded and terrorized many planets until Omidel-ka's love seized control over the fear-based rule of the warmongering Zekoth, summoning all raiders and colony settlers back to the home planet in peaceful retreat. They haven't traveled outside of their planet in a long time, only recently beginning to try and reach back out to make amends. So far, their endeavors have not been very successful--most planets they've tried to return to have nearly started wars with them all over again, viciously defensive and unwilling to trust them after receiving such deep and lasting trauma the first time they appeared.

-Earth is the first new planet they've discovered since their warring days, and their first fresh start on their pilgrimage of peace. Where in the world will they touch our planet's soil for the very first time--which country will get the honor of Earth's first extraterrestrial visitors making first impressions of mankind with its language and culture?

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Biology:

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OLD NOTES:

-Tall, cervine/giraffid body with alpaca-like features: elongated and graceful extremities with ethereal, luxurious fleece and a silky mane that runs in a streak down its neck and back, a forward-heavy build with a wide ribcage built to support the weight of carrying young in its womb-like auxiliary stomach. Its mobility limbs consist of slender but steady legs that end in four hoof-like metal toes adapted for steep alpine terrain. Its tail is thin and highly flexible, making up over half of its total body length, tapering down to a wispy tuft of fur that conceals its secret weapon--a sharp barb of metalbone that leaves a nasty wound when it whips its tail at high speed. It has multiple exaggerated clasper organs, most naturally have six while others mutate or opt to get their genes edited to have more. Its horns are very thin and fragile, but continuously branch and grow into beautiful natural filigrees that develop with exposure to a special hormone produced exclusively while pregnant--more fertile individuals will have more elaborate filigrees and thus be considered more attractive as a successful repopulator.

-It is the only breed within the entire species that produces receptive gametes and can successfully carry and rear young; as such, it is revered for its fertility. However, because of the augmentations first made to this isolated breed's genepool to allow it to eat metal and produce metallochyme, it is not as fertile as it once was. It is capable of producing receptive gametes, but like a muscle the glands required for production need regular stimulation to keep them from atrophying in performance. To provide stimulation, they keep their own claspers constantly locked together unless interlocking to breed with other individuals. It is also the only breed that can be loosely considered parthenogenetic; able to fertilize its own receptive gametes and bear clones of itself if it does not collect fertilizing gametes from another individual. Because of the natural instability of the species' genome, Empress clones tend to be considerably more prone to developing dramatic mutations, and are considered nature's competition against artificial gene editing technology.

-It has an instinctive priority to feed on metals such as silver and bismuth, generally nontoxic metals that pair mildly with relatively fragile biology compared to other breeds. Those who indulge in more of these metals alongside a rich intake of organic nutrients are said to be the most prolific and fertile of all.

-While its metallochyme does not exhibit wild properties when reacting to gaseous elements in the air, it it the only strain that is immediately available for reconsumption after expulsion, gently denaturing all bodily toxins when exposed to oxygen. It sweats out this metallochyme through specialized pores hiding beneath its fur, moistening it with a shimmering dew laced with attractive pheromones, intended for other individuals to lick off of it while grooming its coat in the process. It is generally discouraged to smelt this type of metallochyme back into solid metal, as the immunizing antibodies and excess organic nutrients carried within it are burned off and no longer available to those who consume it. Primarily used to feed young pups until they can eat solid food, but can be stored as emergency rations aboard starcraft, it is essentially a very rich and nutritious milk with a metallic base. It is currently unknown if this 'omi-milk' is safe for human consumption, but its pheromone content makes it a revolutionary new ingredient in perfumes and colognes.

Emotional/Temporal Alignment:
CONCISE [NEWER] NOTES:

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OLD NOTES:

-On the emotional spectrum, it is the most positively-aligned of all the breeds, and its welcoming broadcasts inspire strong feelings of love, safety, and acceptance. Those under its influence are emotionally rewired to prioritize its safety and stability over all else, and will protect it with their lives.

Breed-Specific Culture:
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Home Region:
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Champion's Seat:
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Champion's Trial:
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Biology:

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OLD NOTES:

-Streamlined, semi-equine body with cheetah-like features: sleek snout and lean build with a deep chest and strong legs, each ending in a four-toed paw with retractable claws and modified pads of hoof-like solid metalbone. It does not have a mane, but rather a spiky collection of hackle-like guard hairs that stand up on its neck and shoulders. It usually boasts one pair of moderately-sized clasper organs, sometimes two. Its horns are slim and pronged, growing slightly outward only to curve back inward toward the tips.

-Legs reinforced with cardiomyocyte-like muscle cells that are immune to fatigue, programmed to make movement while running almost as involuntary as its heartbeat. It can even sleep while running thanks to a specialized theta-brainwave function that puts its body in autopilot, similar to dissociating or daydreaming while driving a car. It can maintain speeds averaging around 75mph when running long distances, 60mph for running while asleep, and 95mph at a full dashing sprint. Chariot Champions spend their lives constantly running laps around the entire megaplanet's equator at nearly double the speed of an average individual, where solid land stretches all the way across to create a well-worn path the breed considers sacred to them.

-Large lungs, two powerful hearts with the ability to syncopate rhythms at high exertion, and a specialized circular breathing behavior allow it to provide its blood and muscles with a nonstop flow of oxygen while running. Its lungs are also big enough to aid in regulating internal body temperature with constant airflow, cool air coming in and hot air going out.

-Fun fact: it sneezes with the force of a sawed-off shotgun round. Be careful.

-Its metallochyme is the only one that re-smelts itself, denaturing all bodily toxins within it through an intense combustion reaction that occurs when exposed to oxygen. While it is expelled as a flaming liquid, it will cool off and become a solid metal alloy after the reaction is over, safe once again for reconsumption. It is a common practice for Chariots to 'siphon' their metallochyme into airtight containers to be used as a means of powerful, recyclable fuel for vehicles, especially starcraft.

-It has an instinctive priority to feed on metals with high melting points such as tungsten, iridium, and osmium [rare metals on Earth, but plentiful on Omidel-ka] to bolster its body's immense heat resistance, but a diet of dense metals means it tends to be quite heavy for its proportions. However, this also means its bones and muscles also share in the metals' durability and tensile strength--those who include more of these metals in their diet alongside a heavy caloric intake of fats and proteins are heavier, but also much physically stronger and healthier than others, full of energy to burn.

-Because its cells' metallic base is comprised of metals with high melting points, primarily tungsten, its body is capable of handling much higher internal temperatures than biologically possible--it can warm up to as hot as 6170F [3410C] at its absolute physical limit, any hotter and its body will become molten. While their average body temperature does not even remotely reach such intense heat normally, it has the ability to activate its metallochyme's combustion reaction inside its otherwise vestigial auxiliary stomach by closing its gastric vents and forcing the air in its primary stomach downward. Its metallochyme reservoir bladders have tubes that lead in two directions: small openings underneath the tongue for oral expulsion and a 'backflow' that fills its auxiliary stomach in small amounts to create the intense blast of fire that surges back up through the mouth and/or gastric vents when air is introduced. This function superheats its body to absurd temperatures, a weapon and defense mechanism that are both equally terrifying.

-Extroverted and highly dependent on social interaction; if isolated for extended periods of time, the accumulation of stress hormones in its body will force it to superheat itself until its head becomes molten and splits away from itself, forming into two separate heads when cooled back down. A traumatizing ordeal, 'split' individuals are rare and often times deeply tormented by their mutation; their lifespans tend to be shorter than their single-headed kin as a result of both heads wanting the other one gone so badly that they will attack each other to the point of decapitation. Because of the nature of the metamorphosis that turns individuals into Champions, Fersefze Champions are always 'split', and the current Champion is no exception.

-Like hummingbirds, their metabolism is on par with their constant energy burning, and must eat much more frequently than all other breeds. They also go long periods of time without physical rest and instead enter torpor states when they need it, an approximate 12:1 ratio of hours spent in constant motion versus lifelessly still.

Emotional/Temporal Alignment:
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Breed-Specific Culture:
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Home Region:
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Champion's Seat:
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Champion's Trial:
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Biology:

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-Sturdy, sauropod body with polar bear-like features: large head with powerful jaws, fearsome branching tusks at the base of its jaw, and drooping ears that naturally conceal its eyes. Its mobility limbs consist of ursine plantigrade limbs with non-retractable claws, 'cleated' pads, and massive shoulders that make its head appear to hang lower than its withers. It has dense, shaggy fur with razor wire-like guard hairs to insulate its body while also protecting it from unwanted contact. It is the largest breed and is evolved to survive the frozen wastelands on the planet's poles. Because it only eats once per Omidel-ka year [~3 Earth years], its metabolism is incredibly slow, and spends most of its life in hibernation. While its body lies dormant, its brain is still very much active--it is considered to have the strongest psionic influence of the emotionally negative-aligned breeds, and coupled with behemoth size and strength it is easily the most inherently dangerous of all breeds.

-It no longer exerts its own body to hunt or search for metal, instead it has developed a unique psionic technique in which it 'commands' members of other breeds [primarily Chariots, excluding Empresses] to bring it sustenance by sending them haunting broadcasts that will loom in the individual's mind and grow in urgency until they do what has been requested of them. It will only send out these commands when it needs to eat, and because they seldom need to eat, receiving a command grants mixed responses among those that receive them--some will consider them an honorable service to be done, while others might consider it a curse or an inconvenient chore. It is said that if these commands are neglected or disobeyed, the one who sent them will have a bounty put on the offender to be taken to it and promptly cannibalized--needless to say, there are some who purposefully disobey in hopes this will happen.

-Prefers to live in complete isolation but does not mind the company of other breeds, the sole exception being others of its same breed. Its status as carnivorous megafauna meant that it had to stake out vast plots of hunting ground for itself, and its solitary lifestyle meant that interactions with others of its kind were most often territorial struggles or fighting for the right to breed with an Empress. This instinct is still very present in their genetic code, and it will compete for control over groups of other breeds if met with a rival.

-Flexible veins/arteries and esophagus, jointed larynx, and a telescope-like cervical spine allow it to extend its neck out at equal length to its tail. Its heavy head counterbalances with the large club of frozen metalbone on the end of its tail when extended outward, allowing it to lift its tail club off the ground and swing it. This is an offensive position that makes its vital areas more vulnerable to attacks, but the thick fur on its neck is coated with a beard of thousands of sharp metallic icicles formed from leftover metallochyme in its saliva while grooming--a true counterattack that deals just as much damage as it can take. It mostly keeps its neck retracted in its defensive position, where the extraneous fur and skin clumps up into a protective dewlap, keeping its head and vital areas insulated and well-armored. The older the individual, the more impressive the icicle-beard.

-It has an instinctive priority to feed on metals such as chromium and titanium, incredibly hard metals that give it the physical durability of a fortress. It also includes a healthy amount of copper in its metallic intake, as its thermal conductivity help regulate its volatile body temperature. Those who eat more of these metals alongside an organic diet high in vitamin and mineral content are known to be especially hardy and unaffected by the conditions of their environments, able to keep their cool anywhere they decide to live and work.

-It is the only breed to be loosely considered ectothermic in that its internal body temperature remains shockingly low for a creature of its size [avg. 0-10F], but its body contains intensely high concentrations of antifreeze proteins while also relying on insulating fur to keep it from completely shutting down while it hibernates. However, when it exerts itself in travel or combat, its massive body generates lots of heat very quickly as a large amount of energy is burned to support its bulk and strength. To combat the risk of overheating, it has evolved to biologically replicate a complete refrigeration cycle using specialized organs and the ability to excrete small amounts of its metallochyme into its lung lining to activate its refrigerant properties with the air inside it and cool it down.

-Because its metal-based cells do not contain any moisture from water, with the additional aid of its antifreeze proteins, it can remain alive and even mobile [to an extent] with internal temperatures far below the freezing point for water. To survive the heat in climates other than the brutally cold polar wastelands, it took a page out of the Chariot breed's book and can also trigger its metallochyme's refrigerant reaction internally to keep its massive body cool. Like the Chariots, it weaponizes this technique for use in combat--the massive lumbering deep freezer versus the blazingly wild blast furnace, it can superchill its body to temperatures as low as -220C [-364F] at its absolute physical limit, any colder and its vital organs will freeze and shut down.

-Its digestive system is unique in that its stomach has multiple [4-5] chambers, but only the one connected to its intestinal loop produces digestive fluids and actually breaks down food and metal. The preceding 'pseudo-stomachs' are meant to store portions of its last big meal at its body's cool temperature, preserving them until they are to be digested inside its actual stomach and intestinal loop. Each stomach chamber is of equal size and holding capacity, as the portions stored are meant to be 'extra meals' that can be relied on for nutrition until next year's hunt. Prey that is swallowed alive can theoretically survive inside its gut until eventually dying of hypothermia, dehydration, starvation, or entering the final chamber.

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-It has the ability to manipulate the negative spectrum of emotions quite fluently--almost as much so as the Empress breed with positive emotion. Its most powerful psionic broadcasts inspire catatonic terror in those who detect them, obeying out of fear of whatever consequences that may come from insubordination.

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-Aquatic, mosasaur body shape with narwhal and leopard seal-like features. It has a wide head with a pharyngeal jaw, two rows of serrated teeth, and a pair of metalbone 'tines' that protrude from the snout in place of nostrils, instead possessing a blowhole. It has six eyes with W-shaped pupils similar to a cuttlefish: one peripheral set, one forward-facing set, and a set of upward-facing eyes at the crown of its head. These eyes are not only adapted for vision in extreme darkness, but are capable of using the naturally-occurring electromagnetic currents within its body to use an MRI-adjacent field of vision. Its mobility limbs consist of four flippers that it uses to navigate marine territory with ease. Its powerful tail ends in an opposing set of 'tines' that arc outward into a horizontal fluke.

-Its fur is short, dense, and velvet-soft to the touch. The second-softest pelt of all the breeds, it is also exceptionally reflective in nature and has the ability to bend light away from it, allowing it to cloak itself and seemingly vanish into thin air [or water]. This feature can be enabled and dismissed at will to phase itself in and out of sight; and though the process involved to do so is currently unknown to the general population, the breed's ability to manipulate electromagnetic charges may have something to do with it.

-The 'tines' on its head and tail are not meant for physical combat, but for manipulating electromagnetic currents--its entire body is a living superconductor that changes polarities and strength of its magnetic field at will. Such intense and volatile charges working in tandem with the breed's negatively-aligned psionic influence also serve to scramble its brainwaves and 'encrypt' them from the prying minds and claspers of others.

-Its diet ideally consists of marine prey rich in fat and magnetic earth metals such as iron and neodymium.

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-Chiropteran body with raptor-like features: large ears and a short snout connect to a long neck and slim, bipedal frame. Its mobility limbs consist of two powerful wings reinforced with plate-like 'blades' of metalbone at their tips, giving them a razor's edge; and zygodactyl hind legs with hook-like retractable talons and crushing grip strength. It typically has six eyes: a peripheral set, a forward-facing set, and most curiously a set of downward-facing eyes in its bottom jaw just before its claspers. [Currently trying to find a way for horns/tusks/whatever to make sense looking/acting like satellite dishes?]

-It has an instinctive priority to feed on metals such as aluminum and zinc, lightweight metals that mix well together within the body to create durable structure with minimal density for efficient flight. Those who predominantly consume those metals alongside the lean proteins and fatty acids found in fish and avian prey are known to have exceptional resistance to the conditions at extreme altitudes, as well as increased speed and agility while flying.

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-Wiry, spider monkey-like body with serval-like features: long, spindly limbs ending in hand-like paws with spindly digits and miniscule claws--instead, it mainly uses a needle-like modified retractable claw that comes out from its wrists. Its snout is short but its mouth parts are complex: concealing a pair of large, spider-like fangs in its upper lip/jaw and a thin, retractable metalbone-tipped proboscis in place of a tongue within a feline-adjacent face. It typically has eight eyes arranged on its head in an arachnid fashion, though individuals with more scattered across their bodies are certainly not unheard of. Its tail is perfectly prehensile and ends in a hand-paw similar to those on its other eight limbs; essentially giving it a longer, stronger, and more flexible ninth arm. The modified needle-claw on the hand attached to its tail is slightly curved outward and is exclusively connected to its venom glands, posing as an intimidating 'stinger' when it arches its tail forward and threatens to kill with a single poke.

-It is the smallest, frailest breed of the species; having evolved to live symbiotically with other breeds of Omidel-keleh, clinging to their bodies and injecting them with chemicals in exchange for feeding on their blood. Humans might consider them toxic parasites, but those who host one have nothing but good things to say about them--giving a bit of their blood is a small price to pay for a hormonally-regulated body in near perfect health and immediate access to the ultimate pain relief. Even in the imperial era of great civil war between the breeds, it was one of the first to make peace and blend its borders into universal territory, primarily because nobody else had the heart to attack its medicine and biotechnology-focused empire or risk aggravating a potential bioweapon in secret development.

-It has an instinctive priority to feed on metals such as mercury and gallium, as their liquid state at room temperature is easy for them to ingest and aids in seamless integration of chemical additives from the glands within its body, becoming a vehicle for injecting said chemicals into the bodies of others. It also has a tendency to prefer eating solid metals with low melting points and high toxicity, like thallium and cadmium, to bolster its body's immunity to organic pathogens and poisons. Those who favor these metals in their diet alongside the nutrient-rich blood of healthy animals and fellow Omidel-keleh are known to have a more developed range of biochemical synthesis as well as a purer and more potent product.

-On top of its resistance to organic toxins by feeding on metallic toxins, it is the only breed that can consume lead without the consequence of severe indigestion; and as such its evolutionary path exploited this mutation as much as possible. Overcoming the species' greatest evolutionary hurdle, its adaptation to combat its intolerance to radiation was to develop a complete immunity. Today's specimen boasts a specialized organ that filters digested lead from the rest of its metallochyme before filling into its reservoir bladders, collecting in a separate organ that uses it to synthesize a special metallochyme that aggressively binds to irradiated cells and smothers them, nullifying the progression of radiation poisoning in others when injected. It does not reverse damage, but it stops a case from getting any worse--the sooner it's administered after exposure, the better it will perform.

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