Aado Vvuk

The Aado Vvuk are an aquatic species that evolved in the oceans of a world they call Mnaara. The Aado Vvuk have five tentacles, two functioning as we would call arms and the rest, though still functional, are more rigid and are used primarily for motion. They have one eye, which they can bulge out to improve their peripheral vision, and their stomachs can be extruded from their body (from around the “armpit” region) to engulf food.

Aado Vvuk culture is highly ritualistic and the vast majority of them have daily routines that they prefer not to vary from if at all possible. Acts such as eating are personal, so the length of the involved rituals can vary from person to person, but more public acts, especially those involving the election of government, are more consistent. Almost all rituals involve a stupid amount of chanting, though.

Shntaa is on a quest to circumnavigate the oceans of Mnaara in the hopes of gathering together the pieces of an ancient artifact that have been spread all over the world. The Tubes of Aaanaaav are spoken of in stories in various Aado Vvuk cultures, supposedly a device that could generate power unlike anything seen to this day. Shntaa’s research has determined that the Tubes were broken during a conflict between two communities and the pieces were spread as symbols of friendship to the leaders of various other communities and so it has been down the centuries. Shntaa dreams of tracking down and reassembling the Tubes and being a rich energy provider. Unfortunately for Shntaa, the Tubes actually created only small amounts of energy that, while impressive back in the day, have been greatly exaggerated by legend and actually pale in comparison to modern technology. Hopefully, when Shntaa learns that, the archeological victory will be comfort enough.

Nnntn is a butcher, an occupation very similar on Mnaara to its equivalent on Earth. The fish-like livestock of the Aado Vvuk are given to Nnntn, who then chop them into the good bits and gives them to consumers. It is good, honest work and Nnntn finds it rewarding, if unfortunately messy. Cleaning up after a bloody mess is harder underwater than in the air.

The badly scarred Rrrntr is a veteran of the most popular “sport” on Mnaara. The sport involves a performer standing before a crowd and committing various acts of self harm. Generally, when it comes time to retire, these self-harming athletes will perform a final exhibition in which they damage their eye and live the rest of their life being supported by their fans. Rrrntr was fairly successful, gaining a fan following that still respects the aging athlete to this day, but the idea of being blind has no appeal. It may result in a lost of respect from the fanbase, but Rrrntr would rather be able to see.

A Fact About Aado Vvuk: Since they live beneath the surface of their oceans, the Aado Vvuk do not study celestial bodies by the light that reaches their world (though they know of their sun, at least), but they have begun to get a sense of their stellar system by close study of the effects the moons have on the tides. They are developing a great understanding of gravity.

Universe: White

Sopachoans

The Sopachoans are a humanoid species from the planet Sopacho. With hairless green skin and four digits per hand the Sopachoans seem fairly standard for a humanoid species, but at birth they are implanted with technology that grows with them, essentially making them robots on the inside. Their fusion of flesh and technology can be via the panels on their chest, but for the most part is as natural to them as a skeletal system is to us. One other feature of the species is the barbs that grow on their elbows. This is a vestige of a venom-distributing spike that the species had as a defense mechanism long ago, but they no longer contain enough venom to harm anyone. It is not uncommon for Sopachoans to have their elbow barbs removed if they get infected.

We have seen one Sopachoan before, in the form of Groff the bounty hunter. He first tried to capture the multiversal adventurer Jenny Everywhere, and after that failed he was forced to live in the desert where poor people live and got mocked by Little Choy. What a coincidence that he was always wearing something that covered up his computer panel…

Umbow is an advisor to the Sopachoan government specializing in issues relating to interplanetary conflict. Generally, Umbow is in favor of such conflict. It keeps him employed, after all. If Umbow had his way, the Sopachoans would just be in a perpetual state of war with every alien planet that has ugly aliens on it.

Professor Forg teaches environmental theories at the university in the town where smart people go. Sopachoan professors are treated fairly well, given their own palatial estates with servants and luxuries that most of the world doesn’t have access to. This makes sense to them, since the professors are there to raise the intelligence level of the populace. Unfortunately, Sopachoans aren’t willing to spend money on financing the education of any but those youths who seem guaranteed to be successful, so there is not really much benefit to the process. But Forg sure isn’t going to complain about it.

Marjog is a money destroyer. Sopachoans use electronic credits as currency and, to keep them valuable and rare across a planets-spanning society, the government pays people like Marjog to seek out unnaturally large accumulations of wealth and to delete it from existence. As could be expected, those who have the greatest wealth are usually able to afford means to protect themselves, but Marjog’s skills as a hacker are truly something to behold. Now the rich ones are just trying to have her killed.

A Fact About Sopachoans: For the first five times that the Sopachoans established a colony on another world in their system, they did it by taking a physical chunk of land from Sopacho and transporting it across space to the other location. Though they eventually gave up on that expensive process, it is still an important idea among their culture of bringing part of their homeworld to other planets.

Universe: Green

Fanwavers

The species has four legs, with their equivalent of a torso positioned at what would be the back on an Earth-quadroped. In addition they have two arms positioned for dropping berries and such directly into the large mouths near the base of the torso. They also have three eyes and large nostrils. They don’t have any ears or other auditory organs, though, instead communicating by waving the colorful fans on their head.

Because they do not have an audible language, the names of individuals and places found in this entry are translated into the language of a nearby species called Toborians who are likely to make first contact with the planet in the near future. (And that contact will go better for the Toborians than for the Fanwavers.)

Mopin Vowe is a healer who specializes in the treatment of leg injuries. As with most jobs among the Fanwavers, Blot Ber was assigned this task after an election was held. When a Fanwaver declares that they want to serve their community in some fashion, the Fanwavers of the community vote for what job they think the individual should have, based on that individual’s skills and what the community needs. Mopin Vowe has so far done very well in the job.

Cairda Vee has survived being struck by lightning six times. There has not been any reason that anyone can think of why Cairda Vee should be struck so often, and most Fanwavers in that part of the world are not especially superstitious, but people are starting to wonder if there could be some kind of curse or something involved.

Some Fanwavers, such as Blot Ber, are born with an instinct to go into isolation. It’s strange, because you would think that instinct would have been bred out as they don’t produce offspring, but somehow these Loners continue to come into existence. Loners are not well respected among Fanwaver society, but some have contributed great things to the culture, such as works of art or scientific inventions that could only come from those who think outside the norm. Blot Ber has not yet contributed anything of value, but has certainly enjoyed the solitude.

A Fact About Fanwavers: The mating rituals of the Fanwavers involve the egg-layer creating a colorful, often jewel-filled, cave in which to wait for fertilizers to be attracted by the display.

Universe: Indigo

Earks

The Earks are a technologically-advanced race that are in the process of spreading across their star system. These bipedal, beaked creatures have evolved a hand-like appendage on their tails. Their feathery fur keeps them warm and they have big eyelashes that helps protect the massive eye-like organs on their faces. Their society is divided up into hundreds of states, most of which are ruled by families that claim to have been chosen by divine forces to rule. Eark language is made up of loud barking noises, though they have a second, more musical language that is used exclusively in scientific and mathematical phrases.

The Eark homeworld, which they call Rronk, is the third planet in the system, and the Earks have managed to colonize the second and fourth planets. Hyzzo of Nelear works as a cook on the space liners that travel between these three planets shipping goods and passengers. The nation of Nelear, Hyzzo’s home, is the location of the biggest spaceport on Rronk, and when the liner stops there, Hyzzo can get out and enjoy some downtime, but Hyzzo has not yet ever visited the other planets that the liner visits, only ever having seen them from orbit.

Adeea of Teccs is a part of the ruling family of Teccs. Earks are an egg-laying species and the state of Teccs has decided that to increase their global power, they need to increase their population. To that end, Adeea has organized a team of special operatives whose job is simply to create as many fertilized eggs as possible.

Zabnis of Ered is a technical support worker, whose job it is to maintain the technical devices in the state of Ered. If only there was a way to measure it, it would be known that Zabnis is the smartest Eark on the planet, but since no such measurement currently exists, Zabnis will continue to do menial support jobs.

A Fact About Earks: Earks enjoy a coffee-like beverage they call Con. The drinking of Con has become ritualized into Eark culture so much so that there are celebration of a young Eark’s first taste of Con and it is given as a gift at other special occasions.

Universe: Blue

Deltoids

Planet Deltoi is something of a paradox. It is a harsh environment, the kind of place where only the hardiest of life could survive, but it also is a planet teeming with life. Any life that was strong enough to live here also had to be strong enough to survive all the other life that was strong enough. By the time this life evolved into the Deltoids, it had become some of the hardiest life forms in the entire universe. Deltoid society is based entirely on rewarding strength and toughness and now even the average citizen of this world can defy physics by sheer force of will. The ruler of the Deltoi is the incredible Muscle King Grotorr, of course, since nobody else could be tough enough. Grotorr is a just ruler, and in many ways is the only thing keeping the Deltoids from becoming a great destructive force in the universe.

The galaxy that planet Deltoi is in has no other inhabited planets. If there ever were any, they’ve gotten the heck out of there.

Bonto is not one of the strongest Deltoids by a long shot. Still, being tough isn’t only about brute strength. Bonto may seem like comic relief when he hangs around with his tougher friends, but he has also designed a special martial art that allows him to focus his energies in all sorts of ways. He can deflect projectiles before they come near him, he can send opponents flying away with invisible force waves, and he can focus his energy into a beam that can carve through solid steel like light through air. This sort of energy manipulation does require that Bonto take in a lot of food, though, so his appetite is enormous.

Murdericus is a Deltoid who relishes killing enemies more than anything else in life. No day goes by without Murdericus fighting one of the planet’s aggressive beasts in a fight to the death, and he hasn’t lost yet. But this kind of fighting only sates Murdericus’s bloodlust slightly, and what he really loves is killing other Deltoids, since they’re the worthiest of opponents. Grotorr’s more peaceable policies have minimized the amount of lethal challenging that Deltoids can do to one another, so Murdericus only gets to feel the thrill of the kill on rare occasions, and that isn’t going to be enough forever. It’s pure coincidence that his name includes the English word “murder”, though. In Deltoidese, his name means “Enjoyer of Sunny Days”.

Captain Kurdax is a leader in the Deltoid army, the toughest of the tough. She is fiercely loyal to the traditions that say the strongest must rule, and so she is loyal to Grotorr. If she ever saw a moment of weakness in the Muscleking, Kurdax would not hesitate to challenge and overthrow him, not because she is disloyal, but because she honestly thinks that only the strongest should be allowed to rule. That said, she has never had any reason to doubt Grotorr’s might.

A Fact About Deltoids: Deltoids are powerful enough to escape their planet’s gravity just by jumping into outer space, and they can survive out there for a very long time with no ill effects. It is entirely possible for a Deltoid to leap to some other planet. They still haven’t set up colonies on other worlds, though, because no other planets have ever had challenges enough to keep them entertained.

Universe: Bronze