Noctiliae

SPECIES
Noctiliae
Noctiliae	Play-ability: Round Start General Features: Can only eat cotton, fabrics, and clothes. Positive Features: Faster movement in zero gravity. Jump ability. Negative Features: Can not metabolise iron into blood. More flammable. Damage Weaknesses: Take 30% more heat damage. Damage Resistances: Take 30% less cold damage.

Noctiliae

Noctiliae are a moth-like species from the volcanic world of Zölathi. Their homeworld possesses three moons, but a distant star, making them reliant on the cycles of their moons, and the many volcanic regions on their world for warmth and light. Known as flighty, and dependable, many have ventured out into the galaxy at large, drawn by their species fascination and dependance on the observation and study of space.

Their native and dominant language is Noctil, which is made up of a mixture of clicks, squeaks, and hums. bordering on unintelligible.

Biology

The Noctiliae are a species that resembles the Lepidoptera Order found on Earth. Despite the resemblance physically, biologically they function very differently. They possess an internal skeleton, with their external skin being a chitinous material that serves minimal structural purpose, unlike a real insect. They also possess strong hearts, arteries, and muscles to move their limbs. The Noctiliae have large dark eyes that are very sensitive to light, and antenna that let them 'taste' the air.

One of the primary roles their chitin fills is in forming 'scales'. These 'scales' resemble long strands of fur, but are not made of keratin. They help the Noctiliae shed heat and regulate their body temperature, something that is very important on their volcanic homeworld. Unfortunately, these scales are often naturally dusty as old material crumbles away and clings to the Noctiliae, and this dust is very flammable.

Culture

History

Much of the early history of the Noctiliae is mysterious and lost to time. Their close dependance on the volcanic regions of their homeworld for survival granted them bountiful farmland to cultivate their crop of cotton-like flowers, ushering them into an early agrarian society, but that proximity also made individual groups prone to extinction events which often burned and buried their history. Still, it is known that the Noctiliae have always been a people that looked to the heavens, for study of their moons and the stars was sacred and practical for their survival.

When the Noctiliae were first contacted by the wider galaxy, an accidental discovery by a Cybersun charting expedition in 2271, they had already forged an advanced social and technological civilization. Though not unified, the countries of their world were prone to cooperation due to the harsh conditions of Zölathi which made cooperation and compassion more pressingly urgent for their species to survive. The Noctiliae had already visited their moons by this time and had established a small but stable research colony on the nearest planet to Zölathi, one slightly closer to their star which made it more habitable in some respects.

The Noctiliae's predisposition to cooperation made them eager to ally with the Trans-Solar Federation, though they maintain a large degree of autonomy over their own space and have gone on in the centuries since being contacted to establish five of their own colonies in nearby solar systems, firmly cementing their place in the galaxy at large.

Religion

The Noctiliae religion places a great deal of emphasis on the movements of their moons, and astronomy as a whole. Many natural cycles on their planet are driven by the movement of these moons, and they govern many aspects of the Noctiliae's lives. The most significant of these events is the Ashward Pilgrimages. Once every three months, the three moons of Zölathi stray their furthest from the planet, becoming dim and cold. This event is the Ashbound Night during which the Pilgrimages take place. The Noctiliae clans would travel to the nearest volcanic sites, and pray for warmth while awaiting the return of the Three Daughters.

Noctyris

Mother of the Noctiliae

Cold, pale, but comforting in its embrace. They were born in these conditions, and thrive in them despite all odds. Mother of the Noctiliae, she is unwavering, leading her people through the darkness in their time of need. Her signature plant is the Somnivine, a plant used in rituals, and containing the potent poison Nocturine.

The distant star than Zölathi orbits is believed to be the physical embodiment of Noctyris herself, with the planet's three moons being her three daughters. The movements of these moons are seen as communications from Noctyris herself, messages carried to the Noctiliae by her daughters.

Solrizi

Father of the Noctiliae

Fiery, and harsh, but loving. He is the father of the Noctiliae, when the Three Daughters must descend down into the darkness, they must venture into his arms for sustenance. He tests them, for to embrace him is to live through another cycle. However by passing his trials and worshipping, they are granted the sustenance they require to last them until the moon god leaves them once again. His signature plant, and the sustenance for the Noctiliae on their home planet is Flamsi (Flame-zi).

Family and Community

For much of the Noctiliae's history, their culture remained trapped in a cyclical agrarian society. Frequent migration to account for the moon cycles, between the volcanos and the farmlands below, blunted any attempts at globalization. Still, slowly, industrialization quelled the biological demands of these migrations, until they become only ritual and societal expectation. Electricity allowed for indoor heating, and cooling, allowing the Noctiliae to spread further across their planet into the slightly colder regions.

This migratory lifestyle impacted how local communities formed and functioned, making them very tightly knit. The constant exposure to other disparate communities as they converged on volcanic sites every three months, and the harsh conditions of their planet as a whole, have caused the Noctiliae to develop as one of the most interconnected and cooperative cultures in the galaxy, while still remaining staunch in their individual identities and the identities of their community.

Fashion and Aesthetics

Noctiliae fashion has for most of their history been light, airy, and sometimes exposing. The regions they were capable of habitating were hot and volcanic, while the regions beyond were frigid beyond tolerance. Eventually technology advanced enough for settlement in some of the more cold regions of their homeworld, necessitating much thicker and denser clothing, but the predominant style of the Noctiliae remains loose and breathable. Light and bright colors are also favored, as they are more visible in the darker days on Zölathi.

Their architecture is built sturdy and flexible, able to sway in the wind- or in a tremor caused by the volcanic regions they must inhabit. Many of their structures have flat or only slightly inclined roofs, not needing to account for snow buildup in the winter. By the time they ventured into the colder regions of their world, building materials were durable enough to handle the load, so they never developed steeper roofs to handle the problem. Different groups in different regions developed wildly different styles of architecture, but the most common building material was dark basalt stones, sometimes painted in reflective sealants to make them more visible in the dark.

Mothroaches

There are many creatures native to Zölathi, but the most common- besides the Noctiliae- has a surprising and unnatural origin. Known to the wider galaxy as Mothroaches, or to the Noctiliae as Noctirvum, these creatures were created by the Noctiliae shortly after first contact was made with Humans. The Noctiliae had been dabbling in genetic manipulation for the last hundred years or so, since they achieved space travel but while still confined to their own solar system. This technology was often used for cosmetic or medical purposes, and could extend a Noctiliae's life from an average of 60 years to something closer to 80.

When Cybersun explorers landed on Zölathi, they brought an unintended guest- cockroaches. These roaches quickly spread across the planet, having no natural predators. Seeking to solve this problem, genetic engineers performed previously outlawed cross-species experimentation, blending cockroach and Noctiliae to create the Mothroach. Opportunistic predators who still strongly preferred a diet of cotton and fibers, the Mothroach quelled the growing cockroach problem, being sold as pets commonly before their origin became more well known.

Despite the slightly horrifying implications their creation presented, and the subsequent execution of their creators via being thrown into a volcano for their crimes against the gods, the Mothroaches persisted and eventually became an accepted and loved pet. So beloved, that they followed the Noctiliae into the stars, finding a moderate presence on dozens of other worlds and many spaceships and stations across the galaxy, ironically becoming an invasive species themselves.

Society

Government

When the wider galaxy made contact with them in 2271, the Noctiliae were still divided into nearly 50 distinct culture groups and countries, and their ascent into space has done little to quell this number. Their governments formed a Parliament of sorts, so that equal representation of each of their cultures on the galactic scale could be facilitated. This Parliament of Representation manages the species's colonization efforts and oversees the now 6 worlds under their umbrella. The Noctiliae remain an independent collection of countries even into the 2500's, though their Parliament is a staunch ally of the Trans-Solar Federation.

Economy

The Noctiliae have cultivated a very specialized species of cotton-like plants that they primarily use for food. The traits that make this material bountiful for food harvest also makes it very productive for use in textiles. While Noctiliae only indulge in light and often revealing clothing at most on their homeworld, they quickly adapted their textiles to cater to the much larger markets of the galaxy. Clothes made from Noctiliae cotton are very durable and soft. And tasty.

They also have a long history of genetic engineering, though this is commodified to a much lesser degree due to the proliferation of cryogenic treatment in the wider galaxy. It still sees some use however, especially for cosmetic purposes such as changing someone's hair or eye color. Rich Core-Humans often use these services vainly, as do film studios to make their actors look more like the roles they want them to play.

Trivia

• The Noctiliae homeworld of Zölathi is very extreme, torn between freezing cold and boiling heat. It also has a much more dense and oxygen rich atmosphere, which is what enabled the Noctiliae and some of the other insect-like creatures of the world to grow to incredible sizes. It is not uncommon to see 'insects' nearing 3 feet in diameter on Zölathi.
• They are naturally drawn to warm lights, likely an evolutionary symptom of their reliance on the warm glow of volcanoes to survive the harsh lunar cycles of their planet. There was a societal scare when electricity was invented, due to fears of lamp addiction. Because of this, most electrical lighting used by the Noctiliae is dimmer and colder, and is regulated heavily. These regulations are usually not upheld outside of Noctiliae territory however, such as on space stations.

Attributions: None