Last year at the end of August I provided the Pllvm, a species that exist in multiple alternate universes, just to show that humanity weren’t the only ones that get that privilege. Well, this week I’m doing it again with another multiversal species.

Living on various alternate worlds called Tefd, the Lehss are a race of six-legged, shelled creatures with a single large eye and two arm-like limbs with manipulating digits. On all these worlds they are a slow, ponderous species that devote a lot of their lives to philosophical thought experiments. Their society is loosely knit, they spend a lot of time alone, but close together in tunnels near the planet’s shores (the planet has few large continents, but many, many small islands). None of these alternate versions of the Lehss have developed any form of music.

Yab Dag is a star mapper. Many of the Lehss are convinced that there is some way to divine important things in the motions of the stars, so Yab Dag has painstakingly created charts of their movements for years and carved the findings onto cave walls. Though, in that time, Yab Dag has grown less certain that there is actually any meaning in the movement of the celestial bodies, it is still pleasant work that seems like it could be potentially useful someday, so Yab Dag enjoys it.

Universe: Green

Dipwut is a drug addict. On this version of Tefd, there grows a hallucinogenic plant that the Lehss have taken to using to go on “mind journeys”. Dipwut has gone on such journeys many times, preferring the space in imagination over the harsher real world. Sadly, the more Dipwut tries to take the drug, the greater their tolerance for it, and then the greater the need for more. If Dipwut is going to continue using this escape from reality, they may need to start doing underhanded things to get their hands on the drug.

Universe: Red

Mak is a designer of puzzles and riddles. This is a risky occupation, because if your riddles are too easy, nobody cares, and if they are too hard your customers may believe you have given them a puzzle without an answer, which is a great crime among the Lehss. Mak specializes in the thought experiments that are provided to the young to educate them, which is less risky because the adults will be able to confirm that there is a true answer, but Mak really desires to create complex riddles that would stump even experts. For now Mak keeps those riddles in mind, perhaps to be revealed one day when the time is right.

Universe: White

Ebo Ebo is a wizard. On this version of Tefd, dark magics have been unlocked by the Lehss, and they use them to enhance their lives, but sometimes at great personal risk. The use of magic on this world has attracted certain spirits from beyond that want to toy with the species that presumes it understands the magic. Ebo Ebo has been tempted and tricked by these spirits, but has learned from those mistakes and is now one of the foremost protectors against those beings.

Universe: Grey

On this version of Tefd, predatory species that have been wiped out on other versions are still alive. Lobey and the others here must try harder to stay alive, and consequently don’t have the time to engage in deep thought that the species desires. Traditionally the Lehss of this world have focused on defensive methods of protecting themselves, but Lobey is thinking more offensively, designing chemical weapons to fight back. But could this use of chemicals cause more damage to the world than it is worth?

Universe: Orange

Doviderans

The planet Bo Dovi Exxus is home to a species that call themselves the Doviderans. These people have evolved to live in an environment of dense plant-life that we would liken to a thorn bush. Doviderans have four limbs, all of which can be used for locomotion or for manipulation. They are also have a vertical symmetricity that allows them to change their orientation while climbing without ever being “upside down.”

In their youth, every Dovideran is given a pet, a creature called a Mome Doriinty that resembles a cross between a pig and a squirrel. The young Dovideran is meant to care for this pet and thus learn all they need to know about life. Nik Po Tori learned early about death. When his pet died, Nik Po became shamed. Even though the death was no fault of his own, the superstitions of the world have people convinced that one whose Mome Doriinty dies will never be able to adjust to the pressures of life. In spite of this stigma, and motivated by the death of the beloved animal, Nik Po has dedicated his life to preventing death where possible. Fighting against the opinions of others, Nik Po has studied the medical arts and is trying to become the worlds most proficient designer of new and useful medical techniques.

Eab Mo Bofix is a judge. It is his job to investigate crimes, locate the criminals, and dole out judgement. With a team of about a dozen assistants, Eab Mo holds his offices in one of the largest populated areas in the northern hemisphere. During his career, he has solved robberies, caught murderers, and exposed swindlers. He has recently been on the trail of a serial arsonist, and he is going to be disappointed to learn that the culprit is, in fact, one of his own assistants.

In spite of their ease at climbing, most Doviderans make their homes on the ground in dug-out holes covered with slabs of stone. Maug Ep Arb is an exception, living in a hanging structure high above a river. Maug Ep works as a water desalination plant, an esteemed occupation on this world, and has been so successful that her certain eccentricities have been accepted. Still, people talk behind her back about how crazy she is, though Maug Ep likes being thought of as a “weirdo” and cultivates the image.

A Fact About Doviderans: The spoken language of the Doviderans is extremely complex and spoken very quickly. As a result, the part of their brain that deals with aural language is extremely advanced. They can concoct codes and ciphers nearly on a whim, and many play code games as a pastime. Poetry is another popular entertainment for them. All the languages that arose on the world in the olden days have now blended together into a single tongue that contains all of them. For Doviderans, picking up other languages is extremely easy. Though they have not yet ventured off their homeworld, they have detected life on other planets and begun communicating with them. They have also developed extreme xenophobic hatred of a couple of species they have learned have no spoken language at all. Again, it’s a good thing they haven’t left the planet.

Universe: Brown

The Laogrup

The planet Shekko Laotance is a world packed with extremely tall tree-like plants, their canopy covering almost the entire landmass, very little light makes it to the ground beneath them. But life thrives even there in the darkness, including the Laogrup, a bipedal species with four hands and a shell on their heads. The Laogrup do have small photosensory organs on their hands, they have no other eyes and do not rely on sight almost at all, instead perceiving the world largely through sound and smell. In human measurements, they stand roughly a metre tall. A large part of their diet is made up of meals cooked out of various forms of a moss-like growth abundant at the bottoms of the large trees. Laogrup tribes, generally democratic in nature, dot the dark surface of the world. In some places they live in rocky caves, but mostly they build homes out of stone.

Muppley Treg is a member of a tribe that is in near-constant warfare with another tribe. The territories of the two groups are separated by the downed remains of a few of the massive trees that fell many generations ago. Muppley Treg is a scent-marker, a job that entails rubbing spit onto various landmarks so that those who pass by can tell what tribe owns them. This is dangerous work, it keeps Muppley Treg on the outskirts of the tribe’s territory, but it also gives them high status in the community.

Gibit Gri is a prisoner in the planet’s largest prison, known by a name that would translate as “The Place of Unheard Shouting”. This prison, which is jointly used by several tribes, could be described as an oubliette city, with its one entry point highly guarded and no other means of escape. Gibit Gri and all other prisoners are their for life, and the only way for them to survive is to form tribes and act as though civilized. Gibit Gri’s role in this is to examine newly arrived prisoners to see if they seem mentally stable. If not, they must be killed.

Kednar Gets lives with a tribe on an isolated peninsula. Theirs is one of the few places on the planet where a view of the sky would be possible along the horizon, if they had the means to see it. The tribe, being near the sea, has access to sand, which other tribes do not. They like to ritualistically bury things, and Kednar Gets in particular buries tools for later use, with the superstitious belief that they will be more effective.

A Fact About the Laogrup: The Laogrup expel their waste through a sphincter on the top of their heads. To do so, they lean over so that they are almost upside down, then fire the liquid waste several feet away from their bodies. Usually, they will try to aim for a river or stream that has been designated for such a purpose. It is considered a source of some humor to talk of spraying waste on enemies instead.

Universe: Indigo

Ixkruns

The Ixkruns are a small lizardlike species native to the planet Szunkring. While the technologically advanced Szunkruns would be seen as the dominant species of that world, communication between the Szunkruns and the Ixkruns makes it clear that they are each intelligent beings. The Ixkruns are content to coexist with their planetary brethren, but the Szunkruns don’t care enough to even think about it. If something makes a profit, that’s what the Szunkruns value. Unfortunately, that means that the jungle homes of the Ixkrun have been invaded by Szunkruns seeking resources for short-term gains. Mux is an Ixkrun.

Vep lives a peaceful life in the dense jungle of one of the planet’s remotest islands. This is the ideal existence that all Ixkruns wish they could have. Vep has no sense of the troubles that other Ixkruns over the world are facing, and no idea that they could eventually reach even that little island paradise.

Har lost his home when the jungle he was born in was demolished by a Szunkrun rich person who wanted more warehouse space. Now Har is an “Urban Ixkrun”, trying to eke out a living in the unnatural environment. Often, those in this situation have to resort to stealing, and Har is no exception, having to live one step ahead of the security robots just to survive.

Dop could be called a traitor. While most Ixkruns are happy to spend their days in the wilderness, Dop wants power, and gets it by working with the Szunkrun Council of Bosses. Nobody thinks anything about an Ixkrun wandering around in the jungle, so Ixkrun is able to get close to the secret bases of the outlaw hero Montoroloxi and report what he finds back to the corporate masters.

A Fact About Ixkruns: All Ixkruns are biologically male until mating season, during which some will take on female traits if they are the dominant part of a mating pair. After mating season or gestation ends, they return to male form.

Universe: Orange

The Flartians are probably the worst jerks in the universe. Certainly they are the most numerous. Their empire spans multiple galaxies and there are more individual Flartians than any other species in their universe. The Flartian Empire is ruled by an immortal giant floating face called Flarzom, and they are hungry for conquest. This led to a war against the Space Army that was unlike anything seen before. Though a peace has been achieved, the Flartians are just biding their time until they feel confident enough to try again. In the meantime, there are teams of commandos that still do covert operations that advance the Flartian cause. Here is one such team:

Soldier Mep

A veteran of the war, Mep is a loyal soldier and would not have stopped fighting no matter what peace was brokered. As long as the enemy species still existed, they had to be fought. Rather than let an unstable Flartian risk political incidents, Flarzom rewarded this loyalty by placing Mep in charge of a commando unit.

Exploder Ko

At some point in history, the Flartians tried to start a rumor that they were the universe’s best chefs. That’s untrue by a long shot, but they thought it would make them look good to all the lesser species. To this day, Flartians still try to become good chefs to back up their claim, and that’s what Ko was attempting to do, but accidentally learned how to make explosives. Ko is the team’s demolitions expert. Ko is too young to have fought in the war, and was depressed about that until the chance to do war in secret came up.

Fighter Jayt

Jayt is trained in martial arts and unarmed combat. The truth is that the war was rough on the Flartian Empire. Resources within the Empire are low, and what they do have is best used rebuilding their armies. With a lack of weapons and ammunition, unarmed troops like Jayt are being used (many of the Commando’s missions actually involve stealing weapons).

Office Dek

Office Dek is the Flartian assigned to unit as their office worker. Dek’s job is to write up reports about their missions and expenditures and send them back to Flarzom. Though trained in combat, Dek doesn’t get to carry weapons or wear a traditional war helmet, because those would eat into the budget, so Dek prefers to stay out of the fight and stick to the office on their spaceship.