Ethereals

Ethereal
Ethereal	Genus: Vzthzz hmmtzdt Homeworld: Jagåle Central Authority: Dominion of Light Restricted Job Roles: N/A Guides: Guide to races

Ethereals are organic humanoid beings with a blood that has strange luminescent and electrical properties.

Xenoecology Entry: Ethereals - Vzthzz hmmtzdt

Written by Elise Garnier

Origins and SymbiosisBiologyReproductionGrowth

The exact origins of the Ethereals are widely unknown, a majority of this species’ history has been lost through the generations. It is a common myth that Etherials were an artificial lifeform created by the old Mothperson sentinels, the mothpeople who would eventually create the church of light, but there is no solid evidence to support this. Ethereals share their homeworld with the Mothpeople, where they lived in symbiosis in which the Mothpeople would provide the electricity and power needed for them to survive and the Ethereals would produce the light for Moths to follow. While this originally began as a form of co-dependence, for etherials to be a physical lighthouse for lost moths who had entered the coma state. it eventually turned into a form of slavery, as it proved that the dependence of etherials on moths became more one sided as they developed technology.

Ethereals are encased in a firm, shell-like transparent carapace in the shape of a humanoid. A hot, solar-similar energetic fluid fills this carapace to the brim, giving it shape and structure all the while producing a large amount of visible light. By manipulating electromagnetic waves that surround its body it can produce movement, much like a brain sending electrical signals throughout a nervous system. An ethereal sustains itself solely from electrical energy and can absorb it from specially tailored foods (such as high power energy bars), engineering tools, or even directly from the electrical systems of stations and ships.

The incredibly rare event in which an ethereal reproduces is often performed only on the Moth Homeworld, and rarely elsewhere. Whether this is because of tradition or biological requirements is currently still unknown. The process for Ethereal reproduction resembles that of single-celled organisms more than their humanoid or moth counterparts. An Ethereal will choose when it is time for them to reproduce, an Ethereal will first acquire a casing made from grown crystal, natively found on the Moth homeworld. Locally known as “Passing on the Torch”, an Ethereal’s rigid casing will begin to soften and their energetic fluid will fluctuate in brightness and warmth. Over the course of several hours, the touching or “kissing” of the forehead of the casings will transfer a large portion of the parent’s energetic fluid into the casing over time. This process is draining, consumes much of the parent Ethereals energy and by extent is considered very dangerous. Once the process is complete, the newly born ethereal will very closely resemble their parent, with the parent suffering genetic and structural damage to their body akin to aging. Most Ethereals can perform this process once or twice in their lifetime, record cases show somewhere around a dozen, though such cases are incredibly rare.

Each time the Torch is passed on, the resulting Ethereal will resemble but slightly differ from their parent, proving to be an imperfect asexual reproduction which prevents stagnation and “diseases” from propagating through the species. Ethereals have spread out to the deeper reaches of space and have slowly but certainly integrated themselves into society in a symbiotic relationship with other humanoids, much like their traditional relationship with Mothpeople. In adopting the Solgov Lead Federation’s vast amount of cultures and ideologies, any single ethereal will still prove to be an altruist among others. Working alongside other organisms allows them easy access to the energy they need to survive, thrive, and ensure the continuation of their species and plenty of opportunity to help others.

Gameplay

Ethereals are a optional playable race. When you create an Ethereal character, you can customize the color of your glow.

When attacking with their hands, Ethereals deal burn instead of brute damage. Instead of nutrition, they have to keep an eye on their electrical charge - if it gets too low, their glow fades, they become even more vulnerable to brute damage and will start dying.

Their nutrition can be recharged with Cyborg rechargers, by touching lightbulbs, or by consuming special food like High-power energy bars and empowered burgers.

Ethereals that get struck by electric shocks take a little less damage and gain charge.

Roleplay

Ethereals, down to their core, are helpful individuals. There are outliers, of course, but any from the Dominion itself are polite, curteous, and helpful. If not kind to others, usually focused on their jobs and doing their best to accomplish their goals. It's highly rare to find an ethereal that isn't from the Dominion of Light.

Ethereal naming convention is a celestial body followed by two capitalized letters. E.g. "Andromeda XV" or "Jupiter EP".

Etherals are proprietors and leaders within the Dominion's religion. They serve as a guiding hand to the mothpeople and show them the Torch's Light
in all its glory. It's said the Ethereals were the ones who lifted the mothpeople out of the darkness and into the sky where they could truly
blossom into the great society they are today.

They're often found in engineering and science departments and can also be found in command roles as well.

Jobs on
	Command	Captain, Executive Officer, Bridge Staff
	Security	Head of Security, Security Officer, Warden, Detective, Brig Physician
	Engineering	Chief Engineer, Ship Engineer, Atmospheric Technician
	Science	Research Director, Scientist, Roboticist
	Medical	Chief Medical Officer, Medical Doctor, Chemist, Geneticist, Virologist, Paramedic
	Service	Janitor, Staff Judge Advocate, Bartender, Cook, Botanist, Clown, Mime, Chaplain, Curator
	Munitions	Master At Arms, Munitions Technician, Flight Leader, Fighter Pilot, Air Traffic Controller
	Cargo	Quartermaster, Cargo Technician, Shaft Miner
	Civilian	Assistant, Gimmick
	Non-human	AI, Cyborg, Positronic Brain, Drone, Personal AI, Construct, Ghost
	Antagonists	Traitor, Malfunctioning AI, Changeling, Heretic, Nuclear Operative, Blood Cultist, Bloodling, Revolutionary, Wizard, Blob, Abductor, Holoparasite, Xenomorph, Spider, Swarmers, Revenant, Morph, Nightmare, Space Ninja, Slaughter Demon, Pirate, Sentient Disease, Creep, Fugitives, Hunters, Syndicate Drop Trooper
	Special	CentCom Official, Death Squad Officer, Emergency Response Officer, Chrono Legionnaire, Highlander, Ian