Horbhorb

On the planet Foreygo are the Horbhorb, a species of large four-legged species who stand over twenty feet tall at the shoulder. Horbhorb vision extends well into the ultraviolet and infrared ranges, so they can see much more than humans. Their skins, and the fans on their heads, are decorated with colors that we just can’t see, which is a shame because they look very pretty.

Horbhorb society is one in which individuals are assigned an occupation at the end of their education period, which they must do as their penance for being born, and thus becoming a burden on others. If one rejects their assigned occupation, they go into exile, living on their own in the wild.

Mallo is an assigner, which is perhaps the occupation most important to Horbhorb society. When a child comes out of the education system, the child and the trio of educators assigned to it will meed with Mallo and discuss what occupations are needed to be filled in the world, and what skill the child has shown. Mallo is a particularly socially conscious Horbhorb, who genuinely puts the good of society at the forefront of decisions, but many other assigners are somewhat corrupt, and will be influenced by bribes.

The Horbhorb have the ability to take in food and compress it into dense balls which they can then regurgitate and eat later. But who has time for that in today’s fast-paced modern life? Blusmar is a professional regurgitator, who spends the days gorging on food to create foodballs for others to use when they get hungry. Blusmar’s tail decorations look especially nice to Horbhorb vision, so Blusmar manages to land quality mates every mating season.

Qwedy is a Waker-upper, which is an occupation based around staying awake all night to wake up others when they need to arise for their jobs. Essentially, Qwedy is a living alarm clock. Qwedy loves the job, since it allows one an excuse to be active in that relaxing period when most of the population is asleep.

A Fact About Horbhorb: Horbhorb count in base-568, which is based on the fact there are 284 days in one of their planet’s years, during which each day and night has an individual name, from which the words for their numbers are derived. Binary has been becoming popular among philosophers, but rather than replace the usual system, it is seen as a compliment to it (and the connection is made to night and day cycles).

Universe: Green

The Muchsufferers

In Universe Silver, all mortals are playthings caught in the whims of the Space Gods we call the Astrolympians. Most mortals are lucky enough to not know that, but on one planet there is a species that has developed a sense that allows them to interpret the divine. They can detect the movements of the Space Gods and that has left them fully aware of how small they are in comparison.

They call themselves the Muchsufferers. They are an aquatic race, though roughly humanoid in shape, with big heads and three digits on each limb. Their form of propulsion involves shifting various internal organs around as ballast.

Xixogoz wants to rise to the level of the gods. Since the Muchsufferers can actually see that level of existence, it makes sense that one would think it was attainable. Though none has ever ascended to a state above mortality, there are tales of old days when an individual’s hubris would make the gods take notice of them. That sounds like a good starting point for Xixogoz, who is striving with plans involving the planet’s most advanced science, solely as a challenge to the gods, with the intent of trying to study, or even capture one when they manifest.

Vindoobi wants nothing more than to serve the gods. Unlike the religions of Earth, the Muchsufferers have concrete evidence that there are spiritual entities that control the mechanisms of the universe. In a lot of ways, it would be foolish not to want to serve them. Vindoobi starts every day consulting the oracles, asking for some indication of what the gods want, and then spends the day trying to do their will. Some of the gods have actually taken notice of Vindoobi’s actions, and are totally messing with him. They’ll tell the oracles that they a hole must be dug in the mud on the outskirts of town, and they’ll laugh as Vindoobi spends a day doing it. The next day, they tell the oracles the hole needs to be filled with different mud, and Vindoobi spends a whole day doing that, and they get to laugh again. Vindoobi would be devastated to learn this, but in the meantime at least feels useful.

And then there’s Wusselll. Wusselll is one of the most gifted sculptors in the universe, capable of conveying emotion with an abstract hunk of rock. The gods pay attention to this mortal because they actually appreciate the beauty of the works, and several gods have rewarded Wusselll in order to entice the artist into creating works dedicated to them. Other Muchsufferers see how the gods favor their fellow, and they can grow jealous, which sometimes puts Wusselll in danger.

A Fact About the Muchsufferers: Muchsufferers have a mouth-organ on their chest that they keep covered by their clothing except when they are eating, which is an important ritual. Meals are taken at temples and large portions are sacrificed to the gods. Their diet consists largely of star-shaped vegetation that grows in bushes with sharp thorns that are gathered during a ceremony in which the Muchsufferers sing their prayers.

Universe: Silver