Name of Species: Talorians


Physiology:



Talorians are humanoid in appearance, standing just slightly taller than the average human. As a once primarily aquatic species, they retain many of the features associated with marine mammalia, such as webbed digits, increased lung capacity and smooth, mostly hairless skin.

There are some notable differences between the sexes. Females are dark-eyed, whereas their male counterparts are much lighter, often with a soft glow. However, males are no longer born with ganglia on the ears, while females as a result have a heightened danger-sense and when threatened their ears will flatten and they will emit a foul-smelling, black liquid.

Though they have lived for millennia out of the underwater cities of the beginnings of their civilisation, they are still very comfortable in water. Almost every household on Talor Prime boasts a pool of some kind, and many of their social activities will involve water.

Reproduction:
Mammals, single births, horns and ears on males turn pink when ready to mate, females become a more teal colour. If a bonding produces offspring it is considered successful, and that pairing is often repeated. If there is no offspring produced, multiple new pairings may be made.


Culture:
The Talorians are a very ritualistic species, and perform ceremonies for almost every life event or achievement. V'tra is the period of time celebrated when a Talorian is thought to come of age, or "into wisdom", as they refer to it. K'fra is the cleansing ritual used after taking the life of a victim or beast, and the Rite of Do'Jamme is the ceremony to prepare the departed for the journey to the afterlife.

Outsiders are not permitted to participate in any of these rituals or ceremonies, but have been permitted to observe on occasion. There can be no invasive examination of the body following death, and many medical practices are forbidden to be performed on members of the royal family; the taking of blood samples, for example.

Talorians often live together in extended family units, but are only expected to eat together once a day. Breakfast is an extremely important time for them, and all are supposed to gather once the sun has risen to eat and speak of their coming day. Their homes often consist of several separate living areas and are joined together by labyrinthine passageways.

For millennia, they have been ruled by a monarchy, but in recent decades the people have been calling for more equal representation. There now exists a two-party democratically elected parliament, though the balance of power shifts frequently in its infancy.


History:
The origins of the Talorians begin in a binary system, some one hundred thousand light years from the Talor system they now call home. Many generations lived and died in transit as their species travelled with no home in sight. They were on the precipice of facing extinction when the decision to settle in the already inhabited new system was made.

They exposed the native species to their technology, and easily dominated them as they established superiority on the first habitable planet, the world that would eventually come to be known as Talor Prime. Even after their long trip across the stars Talorians maintained many of the traditions of old, as well as a few modified ones, created out of necessity during harsh years of searching.

Over the following centuries they would continue to grow and evolve, but traditionalism and isolationist rhetoric was still very much alive in their society. During shortages the people would consume the beasts they raised and slaughtered in total, including the organs, which they often believed would fortify them and give them strength. This eventually became a practice they expanded to include their enemies. In the year 2380, Princess Orya and her retinue ruled that a return to the older, traditional ways would best serve their people and cement their superiority in the quadrant.

The last known member of the royal family at that time, the Princess and her ship, the Dies Irae, were suspected in the murder of the crew of the Jupiter Star. The Federation starship USS Mac investigated, and followed the Dies Irae to the newly discovered Talorian system. After a brief exchange of firepower, the Mac was ordered from the system by Primary L'Sho, Supreme Commander of the Talorian Armada.

Since that event, the Talorians have blamed the Federation, specifically the crew of the USS Mac, for the murder of their Princess. The UFP have made overtures to the Talorian people in the hopes that they would join the fold, but many issues remain. Relations between Starfleet and Talorians are very strained, but so too are those between the two opposing parties on Talor Prime.

Recently the late Princess Orya's half-sister was discovered, coronated and encouraged to take up the mantle. Princess Elana joined Primary L'Sho on the USS Mac, which was transporting the Talorian delegations to talks on Argus Major. The short trip was plagued with political incidents, not least of which was the murder of Primary L'Sho's diplomatic advisor.


Other important/useful information:
Vocabulary:
Arp'uk - Cleansed and blessed waters from the East Mountains, the purest source on Talor Prime
Bataq - Off-worlder/outsider
Chu'pra - Youngsters who favour clothes all of the time
Do'Jamme (Rite of) - A ceremony to prepare the body for its final journey to the underworld; the light of the sun is supposed to shine upon the body one last time, from head to toe, as they descend into the waters to journey to the Gates of the Underworld
Garal - A seaweed
Ha'la - Bodyguard
JumJum fruit - Pink fruit with a purple liquid inside
Kam'Do - Respectful form of address to ranking official; "Your Grace"
Kamara - Go; ascend
Let'ki - Sea creature, not unlike Earth's eel; a delicacy served boiled and with garal
Ma'tam - Assassin
Mart'k - A land beast native to Talor Prime; its blood is used to create a spicy beverage, while secretions from its adrenal gland are used in the Rite of Do'Jamme
Mart'k'tep - A hearty drink, made from the spiced blood of the mart'k beast, warmed
Ramba Wine - Red liquid sweet with a slight burn
Shrivel fig - Fruit with a dried shrivelled outer layer
Sroc - An unintelligent, extinct animal; idiot