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The Stratori

Description: The Stratori are a race most easily described as land octopuses, evolving on what was a heavily jungled planet, the many-limbed Statori move by whipping their limbs onto the nearest available surface and pulling themselves towards it. The number of outwards limbs the Stratori field range in number from six to ten. In rare occasions, they can have up to twelve. What is absolute is that two of the tentacles are the ‘feeder’ tentacles, these are thicker than the other and usually centred around its main body area. These wrap around food and secrete an acid to break down the food and ingest it. Apart from feeding much of their energy is gained through a form of photosynthesis, through pigments secreted they collect up energy from the sun and convert it to energy. This species communicates through fluorescent rings on their tentacles.

Having come to evolution, on a planet which is slightly higher in gravity than earth these beings, while frail looking are in reality quite strong, their tentacles able to crush other beings. Roughly in size, their main bodies range from two to five meters in length while being roughly one meter in height. They have no sense of smell but slightly compensate for that with a vision which ranges beyond the visible light spectrum for humans, dipping into the ultraviolet. Age can vary but generally, they live to roughly one hundred and forty years

These beings evolved following the innate mental rule of strong and sneaky since during their early years of evolution they were an aggressive and strong predatory species. They would mark for themselves a territory in the surrounding forest, shaping the branches to be perfect for their bodies, yet each shape was unique in its own way, created out of the individuals surrounding ideas of beauty. Inside that territory the individual would make its abode, there were many types, but with all two made the most regular appearance, ones which were straightforward and easy to protect, these were guarded by the strength of the owner. The other type was that of preparation focusing on traps to ward off bigger members of their species.

Colonies expanded and eventually grew in number, the Statori beginning to create societies in which the hunted food was gathered and herded together. Eventually, they learnt how to use tools and many of the civilisations began to develop, growing in intelligence and power. The apex predator was now the unrivalled species on the planet. Their early history which features the rise and downfall of the first empire is covered in a layer of constant conflict, lairs growing in size and complexity. In these early years, the two most valuable resources were food and sunlight, as such battles and shows of strength were driving others away from the treetops.

A space-faring ship belonging to a species the Stratori nicknamed the progenitors crashed down onto the planet near the Violet Ring Tribe, it was supposed to be an observation vessel for exploring the planet and studying native species. Unfortunately, it had been struck by an asteroid and crashed down onto the planet below. The survivors were quickly dismembered by the Stratori on the ground, which began the process of simply scavenging it as they would anything else until one came upon a machine meant to give intelligence and knowledge to lesser species in order to easier learn about the planet and converse better.

It was this event which gave birth to what the race became. Previously a simple apex predator with larger than average intelligence they now had intelligence and knowledge to become a spacefaring race. Kinetic weapons developed at an alarming rate, alongside machines and far more advanced habitation. Space Faring was only a few steps away and within a hundred years the first vessels capable of limited space travel was available, designed to look as similar as possible to the species themselves.

The rules of society changed drastically too, they were no longer alone, nor were they the apex. Under these realisations, unification came quickly, under the leadership of a council created from the three most important Colonies.

Swarms became an important part of their new culture with each massive superstructure holding in its centre the council hub from which the councillor for that Swarm lived. In the new society any member of the species could become a counselor by killing the previous one, however, these were guarded by a multitude of traps and devices. Spaceports were constructed in the exact same shape as the ground versions, with their base facing inwards towards the nearest planet they were orbiting. A standard Swarm holds at maximum capacity fifty million Stratori. Planetary capital Swarms hold roughly Seventy Million Stratori. Any travel between solar systems is done via a single main warp-hole generator which opens a small portal between systems and allows the ships to travel through. It means any travel has to first go through the warp hole system. The Stratori currently only have one available which is a leftover from the Progenitors, however, they are constructing more.

Genetic enhancements are strictly forbidden and taboo in Stratori society, their bodies are sacred and not ones which should be changed. They will either peak at their own strength or fail.