Silyph

Silyphs are an amphibious humanoid spacefaring species from the swampy moons of the gas giant Hauliin. With a population heavily skewed towards females they form large family structures, and put an emphasis on empathy and communication due to their tendril-like appendages capable of transmitting emotions, memories, and thoughts.

The abnormally high concentration of magic energy in their local sector has given rise to psychic abilities among a relatively high portion of the population, although their magical ability is in general, not that powerful. Outside of this development their evolution also gave rise to bodies suited to the swamps and bogs of their home moon including features such as: webbed fingers and toes, ears suited to hearing in liquid and gaseous environments, and a membrane that protects their eyes when underwater.

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Silyph Overview
Home System	Aphyril
General Characteristics
Average Height	Male: 165 cm Female: 172 cm
Average Weight	45 - 55 kg
Life Cycle	Child: 0-10 years Adolescence: 11-16 years Adult: 17-60 Senior Adult (Typically, only female): 60+ years

The Silyph began as an attempt to replicate the feats of the precursors. Drunk on their perceived freedom from the shackles of their ‘overlords,’ a nascent empire, whose name is long lost to the annals of time, plundered as much information and technology from the failing Precursor empire as possible, and in an effort to demonstrate their newfound strength, attempted to ascend a species to sentience.

The project began on various moons around Hauliin- specifically, the five moons designated for terraforming. These moons were already mostly habitable, as there was previous precursor infrastructure built on these moons; the precursors used these moons originally as a research point for portal technology, but as the massive Gates were established and built over time, the moons turned into minor maintenance stations, and eventually, they became lost to obscurity as the precursors were embroiled in maintaining their existence.

What fell into obscurity, however, proved to be immensely beneficial to those who proclaimed themselves to be the successors to the now-fallen empire, and this nation took advantage of not only the advanced technology they looted, but also a hidden asset: A precursor female, hidden deep within the nearly defunct hypergate. They took advantage of the precursor’s genes, and the nascent wildlife in the five moons, and began their project.

So thus the Silyph were born; perhaps due to this nameless empire’s lack of experience the project produced, at the time, hidden defects within the genome. Primarily, the distinct instability of male genes. But the flaw was covered, long enough to surpass this nameless usurper’s existence.

Eventually, this empire too fell, as they could not withstand the trials of chaos and time that awaited them. But the Silyph’s rapid development continued; raised by a foriegn hand, and aided by the remains of a society far more advanced than they could ever hope to achieve, they were able to progress through the prehistoric eras of evolution at an astonishing pace.

First the stone age; the period where the Silyph’s genetic defects were not readily apparent. Here, their focus was primarily on survival, as between the dangers presented by the technologies of the precursors and the natural dangers arising from the meddling of the usurpers. This era proceeded, rapidly, however, as time and adaptation began to quickly set in, exposing the flaws in everything the usurpers had created. The apex predators started dying off, the larger herbivores began to grow smaller and smaller, and the Silyph themselves began seeing the dimorphism between sexes start to grow.

The Silyph’s second age consisted of them discovering the properties of aluminum mixed with bronze- primarily, its high resistance to corrosion to salt water. This discovery propelled them onwards, and hastened their urge to explore the ruins of whatever greater society was around them; furthermore, boatmaking became a burgeoning business as peat rose more and more in demand. It was also during this time period that members of the species began gathering together to form tribes, and the males began to become more and more valued as their survival rates began to decline. And finally, this was perhaps the only age where bloodshed on a larger scale happened, as males reached peak prestige and status as prized individuals- not as leaders, but as a status of how well a tribe could survive.

The next age, or their equivalent of the ‘iron age,’ actually resulted in them reverse-engineering some parts of the advanced buildings that surrounded them, as they became aware of stainless steel- specifically, steel mixed with high enough quantities of chromium and nickel to mitigate rust. It was also during this time that the Silyph’s more empathetic tendencies became more prevalent- many believing it being nurtured by a greater being. As the abandoned buildings became more and more inhabited, and the concept of exploring the more dangerous ruins as collective groups became more enticing, Silyphs also made another incredible discovery: Portals. Portals to other worlds, where there were amazingly the same species, with different colorations, different variety. There was a brief moment as different ways and cultures collided, but again, the almost overwhelming empathy they were developing stifled any sort of real conflict that might have occured.

With the connection of the different worlds, arts began to flourish, and the Silyph culture experienced a jump in arts, sciences, and, to a lesser extent, different ways of philosophy. Primarily, in concern to their advancement of the sciences and history, they began experimenting outside of the discoveries made in the ruins. But their genetic instability also reached its peak, as this was the era where one generation was the one in which no males were born. In a panic, adventuring parties went deep into the ruins, searching for answers or cures- many didn’t return. But then, after the initial panic had faded, a group found a curious level in a derelict building where still-filled vats were bubbling- with Silyph. Out of the two dozen vats in the room, approximately four had Silyph- three females, and one male. And there, the Silyph found a temporary solution to their extinction crisis.

Some might have assumed that this would have started a power struggle, with each tribe in this developing world descending on this wondrous ruin to try and secure their future. But again, that overwhelming empathy prevented the moons from descending into chaos, and a treaty was brokered between the tribes- the building was to be used by all. And with that, a city, maybe the first true city the Silyph had, started forming around the building. And as more explorers journeyed into the depths of the building, they found more floors filled with these same tubes. Ultimately, around 200, specifically 273, working ones were found.

It was also around the end of this crisis’ resolution, and construction of the city, that the Silyph found out how to galvanize steel- or, to apply a zinc coating to standard steel in order to prevent corrosion and rust. With steel no longer a rare and valuable commodity, cities began to rise in many locations, and the Silyph finally began truly capitalizing on the technology in their own rudimentary way; though, it didn’t remain rudimentary for long. Waterwheels and Steam turned way to electronics in a matter of decades, and shortly afterwards, from analog electronics to rudimentary digital electronics.

There was a rather major problem still in the society- there was actually very little growth in population. And, more importantly, the tubes’ growth of males was still low. Out of the some 270 tubes, only ten would produce males on average. Despite a growing interest in genetics, they still couldn’t solve the issue of dimorphism, a problem which was a core part of their genetic code, apparently; though, thankfully, many noted that their genetic code hadn’t ‘degraded’ in quite some time. But the problem still remained: How do they fix the issue?

Two schools of thought emerged: One was focused on learning the Silyph genome and repairing and learning how to synthetically make more children. The other rose out of a belief that there was life outside their planets, and they could essentially piggyback off of those aliens’ males. For quite some time, the latter theory was in the minority, especially after the ‘terrorist’ attack, in which the Silyph genome was modified slightly to ensure that their species would be dominant in any cross-species interaction, and spread it via various grand dispersal towers.

This resulted in many sicknesses, as the body adapted to this sudden change, as well as a sort of derision against those who believed in this theory- the leverage of ‘bestiality’ was a common one used against adherents. But at the same time, this newfound wariness of genetic alteration also adversely affected the adherents of synthetic population growth. Shortly after the ‘terrorist’ attack, the impetus given to the synthetics, they had actually managed to do it- they restored a tube, and somewhat reverse-engineered the materials and technology needed to create more Silyphs. The only problem was that it degraded the already fragile equilibrium of the Silyph’s DNA.

The adverse media and blowback from this resulted in no real progress being made on either aspect for quite some time- during this time, Silyph infrastructure and economy was largely prioritized. But ultimately, those believing in space travel got the big break they needed. A tribe approved of a space program. It was easier than expected, reaching space, thanks to the lower gravity and slightly lighter atmosphere, as well as abundance of old tech that helped advance rocketry to an advanced level. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on who you asked, the first real big impediment for space travel was met: Most of the moons, excepting for one, were practically surrounded by a shield of tiny rocks and debris. It proved to be a boon economically, and helped spur more growth towards space exploration, but very little interest was given to ‘deep space exploration.’

The moons of the gas giant Hauliin are a soggy mix of bog, swamp, muddy deltas, fens and cold marsh biomes, creating an overall landscape where the land is dominated by water infused with potassium acetate, with the few patches of land being largely unstable muddy land. While there is some terrain that offers some differentiation from the waters, such as the occasional mountain set, or giant lake, the overall biome of these moons is shallow water broken up by trees, mud, and reeds to create giant fields of wetlands.

Such moons are what most Silyph have known for all their lives, as even when they achieved spaceflight, the Silyph were never inclined to explore far beyond their moons due to the numerous asteroid clusters surrounding their moons proving to be a rather difficult navigation hazard.

The Silyph are a bipedal, slightly digitigrade, mammalian species that also emulate many features of amphibians, in that they metamorphose over the course of their lifespan from different forms, their skin both absorbs oxygen and secretes an epibatidine-based toxin, where each specific compound is unique to each Silyph member; this toxin is secreted through granular poison glands centralized along their extremities, including arms, legs, and tongue, a nictitating membrane that allows them to see underwater, as well as specialized auditory systems reminiscent of amphibians.

Their overall body appearance is very similar to humans, with some notable differences. The base of their fingers and toes are webbed, though this webbing does not extend fully, but rather stops well before the first finger joint. Other notable differences include mostly black tendrils that extend from the sides of their heads, in the temple region, as well as a very similar tendril-esque tail that extends from the base of their spine, and short pointed ears that give them an elven appearance. Their blood typically runs a blueish indigo, due to the fact that copper is so present in their blood, intermixing with the fewer iron particles they have.

While a Silyph’s exterior skin is more reminiscent of an amphibian’s, their interior structural makeup becomes more similar to a cat’s- their spine is very flexible, and contains flexible, elastic cushioning disks between them, as well as their throat muscles being able to move their vocal cords, though not as much as an actual feline’s.

A Silyph’s organ system, while reminiscent of the standard setup, features some anomalies. Primarily, they lack an appendix organ, and their kidneys are smaller than average; this in turn allows for more space for other organs, such as air sacs for their lungs, as well as a specialized organ dedicated to creating their toxin. Furthermore, Silyph have a small ‘side’ organ attached to the heart that is connected to a small flexible tube that leads to the brain, giving the brain an extra, direct source of circulation. And finally, their tongue organ is generally longer and more flexible than a human’s, in order to draw out the nectar from the Ifivus plant.

A Silyph generally stands slightly shorter than an average human, with the tallest generally only barely reaching up to six feet, and the shortest up to five feet, on average- this does not account for any radical mutations, such as Achondroplasia, or some other growth-stunting mutation; these things constantly affecting the males of the species, thus rendering them shorter than females on average. The weight of the species is much lighter than a human, mostly due to the fact that their bone structure is very porous, almost to the point where it looks similar to bird structure, as well as thin, while not retaining the same density ratio that an avian creature has.

Ever since the near-extinction of the males of their species, the Silyph have worked tirelessly to genetically engineer themselves in various ways in an attempt to avert the extinction of their species. However the genetic code of a male Silyph is incredibly, incredibly unstable and fragile- any natural genetic mutation normally causes much worse side effects and other mutations to pop up, which in most cases lead to a chain reaction, and artificial gene tampering leads to the same result, with either the genes dying off, or unintended side effects botching the project. In either case, this usually results in a nightmarishly pitiful creature that usually expires within days.

As such research into altering the male genome has faltered. This did not deter their scientists however, and as much work as possible was done on the female genome. It has helped to strengthen their cells and protect them from anomalous harmful mutations and helped them live longer. Controversially a rare breakthrough which allowed for a plasticity in child conception that has made them compatible with other sapient species of similar physiology was forced upon all Silyph by a rogue group in a ‘terrorist’ plot. Though it isn’t exactly perfect depending on who you ask as the child will always be a Silyph and nine times out of ten the child will be female. Still for many this is seen with great hope, even if many in the first generation who were exposed to this change suffered temporary illnesses in response as their bodies adapted.

The gestation period of the species is typically around seven to ten weeks, whereupon the embryonic infant then proceeds to immerse itself into a designated pouch on the sides of the mother, normally located on the hips and lower waist area. The child then develops inside the pouch for up to eight months, whereupon it becomes independent of the pouch. After exiting the pouch, the child then proceeds to develop into a full adult, being considered one at 17 years.

A female Silyph typically lasts anywhere between one hundred and one hundred and twenty years naturally, barring anything such as life-extension procedures. A male Silyph typically lasts for much less longer, normally surviving around sixty years, barring any potential death by means other than old age. And to boot, their genetic and cellular structure is too frail to support any life extension procedures.

Silyph are omnivores, requiring both plants and meat to survive.

In regards to meat, they generally cannot convert the more fatty red meats as efficiently as another species; also considering how they need less iron, but more copper, and it begins to make some sense that Silyph primarily use fish as their source of animal protein. While they can eat red meat, it generally causes them much more harm than a human.

In regards to plants, while Silyph can eat a variety of plants, one particular honey-like nectar deriving from the Ifivus plant- and variations of it- give the Silyph the sugar they need in order to maintain their high metabolism and body temperature.

The main way that Silyphs differ from each other aesthetically is primarily by hair, eye, and skin color, but also poison color. Their skin color generally ranges along a monochromatic color scheme, going along a spectrum from stark white to dark grey; however, they display a much greater variety in their poison color, leading to their arms, legs, and tongue to oftentimes be a variety of different, bright colors. Their tendrils can also differ from each other, taking on differing, lighter shades of grey patches depending on scarification, as well as a common skin mutation causing small white patches in areas.

In terms of hair, a Silyph’s hair variation generally follows a violet spectrum, ranging from darker, almost neon-like reds to a deep blue; however, their brightness saturation can also vary, which can lead to colors such as white, silvery grey, or black. The eyes themselves are also catlike in construction, due to the fact that the planet’s ecosystem is more prominent around evening and night time. The coloration can range from a bright yellow, oranges and reds, stopping at a deep purple, just before coloring on blue.

All members of the species possess tendrils on their temples which can connect them to another creature’s mind so as to share emotions, memories, and thoughts. These tendrils are essentially nerve superhighways capable of transmitting and receiving an extremely large amount of mental data wrapped up in a protective soft flexible leathery membrane. The tip of this membrane can open, revealing smaller specialized nerve tendrils which can either wrap around and connect with another Silyph’s tendrils or force their way past soft tissue to interface with the brain tissue of other lifeforms.

Males of the species often possess the ability to use telekinesis, a form of magic which allows them to manipulate loose objects in their surroundings with their mind. Generally speaking this ability is capable of lifting and moving everyday personal objects such as rocks, lighter furniture, and personal electronics. However some males possess more talent or raw ability than others and with training have been noted to be able to utilize telekinesis on larger and heavier objects. Some such males have been employed industrially for the moving of heavy machinery or even militarily despite their generally weaker physicality.

Some Females also demonstrate psychic abilities, though, never telekinesis. Notable examples of the psychic phenomena that have been documented include retrocognition, psychometry, and a form of mediumship. Most who possess one or more of these abilities require extensive training to make sense of the phenomena and utilize them properly, otherwise the data can often be interpreted as a jumbled mess, cause mental trauma from synapse overload, or worse. See below for details on the four categories of psychic abilities possessed by some females of the species.

Retrocognition is the ability to perceive imprints of past events. How these psychic impressions are left is currently unknown and though many theories exist none are as of yet provable. Those who possess the ability have described it as if the past is overlapping the present. With training it is possible to isolate the phenomena and make sense of it. Most of these impressions are not temporally stable and can come and go, or appear for a short time only. It is extremely rare for one to last indefinitely, but those that have been located are often used as training sites for those with the aptitude to see the phenomena.

Mediums were once thought to be able to speak with the souls of the dead, however in modern Silyph society it is understood as a subdiscipline of retrocognition in that the “dead” are actually an impression left behind. These impressions are often like viewing a recording though some advanced practitioners are able to interact with the impression to a certain extent if the impression left is strong enough. That is to say the impressions can be asked questions and provide answers. However answers given are not always coherent or intelligible.

Psychometry is the ability to view past impactful histories surrounding an object or person rather than a place. Documented far less among the population than retrocognition, the ability to read objects and people through touch is rather rare. Those with the talent have described it as ranging from emotional impressions to full visions, indicating that it may have some overlap with the ability to see past events. More importantly however, what details can be gleaned are often limited to strong emotional events, meaning mundane objects will reveal little to nothing. Objects with emotional significance will however reveal details to varying degrees with respect to the event which left those emotional impressions. Sadly this means they are often tied to traumatic events, even though joyous imprints can be left as well.

Characters with psychic divination abilities present an interesting opportunity to provide details to your players in a new way. These details can range from the barely useful to the elucidating to the misleading. Have fun with it. That being said, in the case of a plot thread, it is the GM who decides when and where these abilities are able to be used and what information they provide.

For non managed open roleplay it is up to you the player to use these abilities responsibly which means that you should still adhere to common courtesies and rules of roleplay such as not metagaming. For example, do not utilize these abilities to learn more about another player’s character without their permission or to simply discover hidden details you wouldn’t otherwise be privy to without permission from the appropriate sources.

In general the Silyph race is characterised by a strong commitment to the family unit and the greater community at large. From a young age they are taught to care for their elders, to assist in the raising of their many siblings, and to honor the past. They are in general a society which is community oriented. As such selfishness is perhaps one of the most frowned upon societal ills to them. This does not mean that individualism is shunned but it is certainly given less priority when weighed against the community.

They have a distinct reverence for the preservation of history, and learning lessons from the past. Emotionally: compassion, understanding, and empathy are valued by their society while selfishness, open aggression, and contempt are looked down upon. In essence individuals are called to support their family and the community before themselves. While this has led to strong family bonds and community ties, it has sometimes led to individuals suffering in silence. However the prominence of this is not well documented, and with large family support structures issues are often given attention and aid before they lead to problems.

When it comes to sexuality the Silyph species runs the whole gamut of sexual expression. However Interspecies breeding is a point of contention. Frowned upon by many, those in opposition to it call it ‘beastiliaty.’ Whereas proponents of it believe it as a path of salvation for the species. Interspecies breeding with other sentient beings is not illegal however, and despite the prejudice towards the concept, there are many who look to the stars with hope that others are out there.

Love however, is a much more complicated topic from a human perspective. The disparity of lifespans between the two most common genders has led to an interesting phenomenon where it is not uncommon for family units to shift as one male dies and either a new one joins the family or the women join new families. Still it is fairly common for the women who were bonded to the male or males to simply not rebond and maintain their family. Likewise it is expected that males of other species will join their wife’s family unit or at the very least that the child be raised among other Silyph.

Notably when it comes to love, the connecting of temple tendrils together is seen as a very intimate act. Something typically associated with deep bonds, and seen as an act signifying that emotional connection with a physical one. The depiction of this concept is often portrayed in Silyph media. One film in particular was temporarily censured in some communities due to its fictional depiction of a Silyph connecting her tendrils with an alien.

Haulii is the primary language spoken among the Silyph and while it has a dialect for each moon within the council, it is a derivative language of the Precursor language, and is the direct result of governmental efforts. A mix of ancient Silyph and Precursor tongue, it was eventually standardized and is now taught to all Silyph regardless of moon of origin. Though other languages unique to each moon do exist, they have all been nearing the status of dead languages for some time now and are largely not spoken outside of preservation efforts and historical society circles.

All Silyph have a given name and most tend to add on their tribal affiliation to their name, though some take on a clan name in addition to or as a substitute for their tribe's name. Generally Silyph names are constructed of flowing vowels and consonants. They often have a soft sound to them such as Fiona, Mysa, Liala, or Saya for girls and Raiya, Esaimi, Ioro and Wasa for boys.

In ancient times, the great ruins of exotechnologic marvels sparked divine reverence, mythos, and grand speculation about their origins. This eventually bled into religion and worship. Though there are many splinters and different takes, the Silyph religions of yore shared a few common beliefs: The structures were built by the gods, a select few known as shamans could commune with the gods near these structures, and that the structures themselves were sacred places.

However as time marched ever onward, more and more of the species developed the psychic abilities which made the shamans special and science began to emerge and give way to study and understanding. Still such understanding and diversification of the power to commune with the past did not eliminate faith and religion. Beliefs changed and altered with new understanding even as those that held to faith began to decline.

In the newer eras of Silyph society the belief in a mother figure, who watched over and guided the species began to gain traction among the remaining believers. It is believed that she helped steer them away from bloody conflict and into empathy and cooperation. However another sect which blends science and religion believes that she is simply a xenobeing with a deep love and care for her child species. Many among these believers are the strongest proponents of searching the stars for other lifeforms and species.

It was allegedly such believers who, when motivated by extremism and financed by an eccentric individual, set out to and succeeded in altering the Silyph genome to be more compatible with xenolife. However retribution against their sect was swift, and even the non extremists faced discrimination and hostility for some time.

The smallest group of Silyph’s is a family, families form tribes (regional family groups) then the tribes form into clans (lunar groupings) which constitute the Silpyh as a whole. In general family groups are composed of individuals who often but not always come together out of love with the purpose of forging lasting bonds for the raising of children. These groups are extended families consisting of parents and their children, with elders often living among their children and their children’s children. Large family homes are not unusual and individuals often do not move out of their childhood home until they are ready to start their own family. This usually occurs once a pair forms their first bond and is typically associated with a male-female pair or a male and several females. Though sometimes they remain in the family home until it becomes too cramped. It is not unusual for multigenerational families to live together. The practice of arranged bonding is not uncommon among the Silyph, though most opt for dating and love to be the primary methods of forming families.

While the smallest groups are composed of those related by blood and bonding, larger groups are gathered by geographic region into ever larger designations. At the base are family units. Families form tribes with other geographically close families when they grow large enough. Tribes join together into clans which represent their moon.

Government leaders are elected by all eligible adults within a tribe at the tribal level, tribal leaders elect their clan leader from among their own members, and the clan leaders form a council which navigates interclan politics, logistics, and policies. Due to their longer lifespans it is typically females who have already raised their own children that are chosen as political leaders. What qualities make for a strong candidate is similar to many other species in that charisma and leadership tend to draw attention and votes. Though rare to be elected, those who have not raised their own children are eligible to run for office as are males.

While war was carried out in their ancient history, the great scare of possible extinction due to a lack of males pushed the species away from direct conflict. While things heated up when the portal discovery was made and the species connected with their long lost brethren of other moons, diplomatic means soon prevailed. However the struggle for power and position didn’t simply cease, it only changed. Indirect methods of conflict such as espionage, sabotage, assassination, and misinformation became the new tools of conflict. While diplomacy still reigned supreme among the species, these new tools were quickly sharpened and added alongside it.

As an isolated species they have yet to be tested on an interstellar scale.

• Over Yandere (Yandere) created this on 2021/08/11 19:30.
• Silyph Owners: DarkFox202 and Over Yandere (Yandere)

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