Cielcin [DRAFT]

Physical Attributes

“They have six fingers!” I remember saying, reaching up to transfix the holograph with a finger. “Why do they look like us?” — Hadrian Marlowe ^[2]

The Cielcin are a tall, pale, bipedal species whose bodies look eerily similar to humans but are unmistakably alien. At full maturity, a Cielcin stands between seven and nine feet tall, though their rapid development means that even the children stand taller than most adult humans. They are long-limbed, with narrow bodies and arms that reach almost to the knees when standing upright ^[3]. As the human slur "the Pale" suggests, their skin is milk-white, smooth and hairless, except for the back of the head. There, thick, white hair grows beneath an epoccipital crest of bone, often referred to as a "crown", that rises from the forehead, sweeps backward at a steep angle, and terminates just past the ear holes. Scale-like lumps of skin are present where the forehead transitions from smooth skin to the bony ridge of the crown and horns. Some captives have been seen with their horns sanded or cut off, leaving rounded nubs at the brow ^[2][4][5].

Cielcin eyes are black, and the size of tangerines, set in a smooth facial structure that lacks an external nose or ears ^[6]. Instead, they breathe through four narrow slits where a nose should be, and to hear, sound travels through small holes behind the horns ^[4]. When bared, their too-many teeth appear sharp and clear as glass, set in black gums, and their long tongues are a dark blue-black color ^[5]. Similarly, Cielcin tissue has a bluish hue, with dark blue-black, ink-like blood. Glassy too are the nails on Cielcin hands, each with six fingers, thin and many-jointed ^[2] Their clawed feet look more familiar to hands than human feet. ^[7].

Their physiology appears adapted to darkness. Scholiasts correctly theorize they are a subterranean people, a view supported by their cavernous, unlit oscianduru (worldships) and their ability to see well in low light ^[5].

Reproduction

Within their species there is little sexual dimorphism; the Cielcin are hermaphroditic and display no cultural modesty or division of gender ^[3]. Cielcin are mono-sexed but with twin roles: akaranta (active) and ietumna (passive). They reproduce parthenogenetically, able to conceive without fertilization. The embryo is initially a genetic duplicate of the parent. This embryo can then be implanted in another Cielcin, whose biology alters it through a process called conjugation, which combines traits from both parents. The host may then transfer the embryo again, producing offspring with genetic material from multiple parents. Throughout the Cielcin Wars, it was also proven that humans can serve as viable hosts for Cielcin embryos, though such pregnancies are fatal ^[8][9].

Describe the culture and society of the xenobite. This could include religion, rituals, belief systems, customs, art, language, relationships with other species, habitation, technology, and more. Divide into appropriate subheaders like below.

[e.g. Language]Language

Societal Hierarchy & Personal Relationships

[e.g.PLACEHOLDER Religion]TEXT FOR AETA VS BAETAN, HOW THEY SHOW DEFERENCE, HOW THEY RISE TO POWER]

Oscianduru

[PLACEHOLDER TEXT FOR WORDLSHIP INFORMATION]

Religion

[PLACEHOLDER TEXT FOR THEIR BELIEF IN THE IAZYR KULAH & THE WATCHERS, ALONG WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF THEIR ALTARS AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES; WORRIED ABOUT SPOILERS HERE SINCE IT'S ABOVE THE SPOILER BOX]

Diplomacy

[PLACEHOLDER TEXT FOR GENERAL INFO ON HOW THEY INTERACT WITH OTHER SPECIES. CAN RENAME HEADER, BUT INTEND THIS TO BE ABOUT THEIR NOMADIC, CARNIVOROUS NATURE & HOW THEY AREN'T EXACTLY FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS. EXPLAIN WHY THEY RAID OTHER PLANETS.]

Warfare & Technology

PLACEHOLDER TEXT FOR HOW THEY RAID OTHER PLANETS (LANDING TOWERS & TACTICS)(AGAIN, SPOILER-CONSCIOUS). DESCRIBE NAHUTE, ARMOR, CERAMIC SWORDS, ETC.]

Characters

Factions

• Out-of-universe facts, in a list.
• Remember to cite sources.

• Links to other articles that relate to the xenobite, in a list.
• Only link pages that don't appear frequently in the text above.