An Introduction to the Hylotl

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This sub-aquatic species has lived and developed in peace for millennia, watching life prosper with a mindset of innocence. The Hylotl first made contact with the Avians, meeting the rest of the races over time. While some of the other races had left warnings about the Florans, the Hylotl didn't believe a species could be so hopelessly violent. Thus, when first contact was made with the Florans, the Hylotl were unprepared, leading to the Floran incursion and loss of their homeworld, once known as Kyasekai.

Since that time, the Hylotl have recovered and resettled elsewhere. The incursion has made the Hylotl more cautious, meaning only the most trusted outsiders are allowed into their core space. For this reason, foreign relations are generally handled by proxies of the government near the edge of Hylotl space.


Society

The Hylotl are an underwater dwelling species who value pacifism over violent solutions. Even after the brutal destruction of their homeworld, the Hylotl have held firm in their non-violent beliefs. Hylotl guards in the core worlds can be found using advanced non-lethal technology, quelling crime with an astoundingly low rate of injury. Hylotl tend to hold their pacifistic beliefs firmly, so even those who travel out of Hylotl space will typically retain their culture.

The majority of Hylotl society is divided into clans. Each clan is a large family controlled by a clan leader. These clans all pitch into the government, discussing matters in a fashion similar to a parliament. The clans are also required to levy a portion of their defensive forces to protect Hylotl controlled worlds from all threats. Despite their peaceful ideals, the clans have improved techniques and technologies since the Floran incursion, making their defense formidable.

As individuals, they are generally raised to value art and science, in addition to being very community minded. Hylotl reproduce in the same manner as frogs, so children are hatched from eggs en masse in special spawning pools. Because of this, a Hylotl will usually never know who their parents were. The clan typically works together to raise the children, each person taking playing a role in caretaking. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Clan leaders and wealthy members of society will typically have private spawning pools where individual pairings will fertilize their young, leading to the creating of a nuclear family unit. If a Hylotl can name the pair who spawned them, they are almost always the product of important or rich parents.

Culture

Left in peace for many years, the Hylotl have developed fine arts, literature, cuisine and entertainment industries catering to many tastes. Zen, a type of thinking which encourages meditation and intuition, plays a key role in Hylotl's non-violent ideals. Pagodas and shrines are readily available for Hylotl, where they can meditate to maintain a calm of their emotions. In the eyes of the Hylotl, unchecked emotions lead to brash and unintelligent actions. Most of all, Hylotl strive for perfection in everything they do, from architecture to defence. However, in the eyes of the other races, this philosophy can make the Hylotl seem somewhat pretentious.


The Hylotl are a sub-aquatic species with an average lifespan. They come in a wide range of colors and fins.

* Hylotl can hold their breath in for a longer period of time under water, up to an hour.
* Webbed feet and hands for increased swimming speeds.
* The Hylotl are known to heal faster than other races, due to their high metabolism.
* Use some kind of slime, mucus or moisture to be able to keep their skin moist.
* Have difficulty surviving in dry and warm conditions, requiring more water than a normal human being.
* Three eyes provides a large field of view, allowing them greater visibility underwater as well.
* Have a typical respiratory system, mouth and two small nose slits. Vestigial gills are present but at the current evolutionary stage of the Hylotl, they are not useable.
* Expected lifespan of 150 years.
* With a quickened metabolism, they train more easily and reach maturity quicker than other species.
* Being herbivores, Hylotl exclusively eat vegetables and other non-animal foodstuffs. They get sick from consuming red meat, white meat and non-sentient aquatic beings.
* Hylotl are cold-blooded creatures, meaning colder environments are extremely difficult to survive in for them.


Hylotl are considered the number one source for defensive technologies and entertainment, ranging from personal energy shields to karaoke machines with over a quadrillion songs. They also provide a large portion of the medical equipment available for hospitals, as the Miniknog exclusively keep their more advanced equipment to themselves.

Hylotl have actually made some advances militarily as well. Due to their pacifistic nature and small standing armies, war is something they would prefer to keep at arms length. Thus, the typical Hylotl conflict will often involve masses of automated drones and lethal, widespread chemical and biological weapons. In the closing years of the Hylotl-Floran war, these devices were used to great effect, killing billions of Florans and cementing the rivalry between the two species. However, such devices are only rarely used in the present day.