Praxiar
by Caltern
GEOPHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
PLANETARY SYSTEM: Relivar
PLANET: Relivar
DESCRIPTION: Relivar is an M-class planet known for its lush plains, high mountains, and extensive canyon systems. It is also known for a unique weather feature known as the "Phaser Storm", a term given to it by the first Starfleet crews visiting the planet. Phaser storms, which actually have more in common with disruptors than phasers, resemble orange beams of energy lancing down from the sky. They are dangerous to most Starfleet species, and they have been found to be the reason for the canyon systems' existence.
Relivar is also known for a large quantity of ruins and recently, Federation archaeological digs. The ruins are from Relivar's Golden Age, a time when Praxiar men and women explored the stars and built an empire. The origin of the fall of the species is unknown, however, the cost was great: in addition to the loss of knowledge, the Praxiar have also lost the ability to bear male offspring.
Relivar is 4th of 12 from the star, which is yellow-white. An artificial asteroid belt (debris field) drifts between the 7th and 8th planets. It is comprised similar material to the ruins dotting Relivar, and according to the Inseminary is the remains of a mobile starbase. Only the 4th planet is M-class. The interior 7 are solid planets of various designations, while the remainder are gas giants. There are ruins on all 7 interior planets, and evidence of gas mining platforms on all the giants.
It is clear that the ancestors of the Praxiar had settled the system thoroughly, and that Relivar was the final bastion of that race. The records from that era are lost to irreparable data corruption, though the Inseminary had external storage mediums plugged in physically from which everything not related to reproduction was learned by the surviving populace.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
APPEARANCE: As human, but averaging a height of 7 feet, with exotic eye coloring. Purple, vivid green, and orange are the predominant hues. Praxiar hair, grown long and normally braided, naturally has a shine akin to silk, but is surprisingly heavy: their hair appears to share their body's natural resilience.
PHYSIOLOGY: Praxiar have a similar physiology to humans, a clear sign that their world was also a site of the Progenitors' tampering. Their skin tends to feel a bit more dense to the touch than humans overall, with a resiliency born from millennia of living on a world wracked by Phaser Storms. This resiliency translates into a remarkable ability to shrug off most of the effects of phaser and disruptor fire, with their skin's density allowing for some mediocre resistance to being cut. A side effect of this unusual energy resistance is that most direct energy-based interactions with Praxiar physique are affected. A transporter takes twice as long to beam a Praxiar, or a combination of two transporter beams is required, a difficult and dangerous procedure. A biobed or a tricorder similarly has difficulty so a highly trained (and patient) operator is required. Force fields, shields and area energy effects however are just as effective ans on any other standard lifeform.
Praxiar physiology is also notable for the reinforced nature of their nervous system. Each nerve is thicker than a human's, and at each nerve origin, the biological equivalent of capacitors can be found. These nerve nodes may be the secret to Praxiar resilience to energy-based weaponry, however, it is uncertain at this time. Basically, directed energy that is intended to intersect/penetrate their physique is affected by those capacitor nodules. Energy that is not intended to intersect or penetrate in a focused manner however works just fine. A Praxiar would be pretty hard to stun with a phaser (only a close range stun III setting in the widest dispersal firing pattern will affect them and even then, only as would a level I setting on a Human; lower settings don't affect them at all); but a Praxiar would be contained in a brig as easily as anyone else.
To compensate for their larger size, Praxiar have a larger, stronger heart, and a circulatory system built to handle the output of this organ.
MATING: Via their holy site, the Inseminary. As all Progenitor-touched races, Praxiar can mate with other humanoids via the usual method. Due to cultural methods involved in procreation, the act of mating is treated as a sacred rite.
DIET: Primarily revolves around fruit in the way that 20th century America relied on meat, however they are omnivores. Praxiar honey, derived from the secretions of an edible locust-like creature, is highly prized among many Federation member worlds for its plesant texture and sweetness.
LANGUAGE
NAMING: Thea, Jeia, Kayr, Yahlar - Praxiar names are single words, with no punctuation marks or surnames. The selection of name, as there is no father, is entirely on the mother, who consults the historical records within the Inseminary for the last month of their pregnancy. The names then are thousands of years old, unaltered by the passage of time. Selection of the name varies from mother to mother, however the Praxiar tend to choose names that "feel right". An important historical figure, the symbolism of the name, how it feels rolling off the tongue, these are all considerations Praxiar dwell upon during this period. Because of this traditional month of consideration, changing your name is considered shocking, even taboo in some Praxiar sub-cultures.
WORDLIST: Valiar, ehya, fwen, kalar, edel, anea, helo, chelar - Praxiar words tend to be short and vaguely melodic. It has been determined that the suffix "-ar" denotes "of". The letter "i" appended to it, carries an informal tone, while the letter "v" appended to it carries a tone of deep respect. It is important to understand that Federation scientists are still working with Praxiar historians to discover who or what "Prax" and "Reli" are.
SOCIETY
SOCIETY: Praxiar society is based around the twin concepts of art and war, creation and destruction, though they do not view them as separate entities. For the Praxiar, every work of art is a lesson in martial prowess, every dance also serves as a kata. Even their own body's development is not exempt from this, as every girl from the time she is able to stand on her own two feet begins learning the dances and the arts of combat.
Praxiar cities are modern, with a great deal of open space. There are no tight corners, even when considering their larger size, and there are fewer sharp angles in their architecture than is Federation-typical: the Praxiar find smooth, flowing lines to be more desirable. Their architecture also typically has a lot of opposing curves, which Starfleet believes to be yet another expression of their twin concepts of art and war.
Praxiar do not fear the Phaser Storms, at least, not in the conventional sense. It is the drumbeat to their rhythm, an essential part of their existence. Those members of Starfleet who count themselves Praxiar are known to wear earrings which produce the telltale "tingle" of a nearby storm, created by a low level phaser emission from the device. The device also emits a deep pulse of aural energy, patterned after a favorite Phaser Storm. Praxiar are able to adapt to being away from the rhythm of the Phaser Storms and the Earrings, however, for a long period of time, the Praxiar is disoriented, as if moving under the effects of vertigo. Even when they've adapted, a Praxiar without the Rhythm appears a bit sluggish when compared to others of her race.
The Praxiar culture finds the concept of logic to be offensive to them, which often places them at odds with the Vulcans. Praxiar culture is deeply rooted in spontaneity and the "feel" of the moment. They are taught that this feeling is attunement to the "truth", that all paths of logic are enticing but ultimately deceptive.
GOVERNMENT: Council-based. The concept of concentric circles most adequately describes Praxiar's governmental structure. Praxiar women form councils which are translated as "Circles", which report and are part of a higher circle. That circle in turn reports to and is a part of the next highest circle, and so on. The more globally important the decision, then, the more circles are involved, and the longer the process of consideration.
RELIGION: Praxiar engage in the worship of their species' past, with the Inseminary the focal point for this worship. As the largest, most intact piece of technology from their Golden Age, the Inseminary's databases are invaluable to their personal searches for the history of their species, while the genetic material it can replicate is the entire reason for their race's survival throughout the millennia.
MYTHS: Praxiar myth is few and far between, as they have the Inseminary's vast databanks, as well as several other older Golden Age remnants to quickly confirm or deny such things.
RELATIONS TO THE FEDERATION: Cordial, overall. The planet of Praxiar was brought into the Federation in 2403 as a result of the Praxiar Accords. These Accords are notable in that they state that Vulcans and Deltans are not permitted on the planet Praxiar itself. A subsequent amendment to the Accords state that Deltans who have sworn the Starfleet Oath of Celibacy and applied the chemical applicant daily would be exempt from this rule.
HISTORY
WARS: Praxiar had been in conflict with the Orion Syndicate since the early 2400s, ever since it was discovered that the Orions were attempting to capture them to sell in their slave auctions. The Orions managed to capture only two women during this period, out of a planned capture of hundreds, due to a miscalculation: they had not known about the Praxiar resilience to energy weapons. Praxiar Ancestor-class ships still scour the galaxy in search of those two missing women.
EARLY HISTORY: The Praxiar are an ancient race, having been a spacefaring species long before humanity learned to use fire. However, they also lost their civilization in a beyond tragic catastrophe that nearly ended their species. Roughly 20,000 years ago, the Praxiar Empire collapsed, the cause of which has been lost to legend and myth and poor translations. This catastrophe was discovered to have rendered all Praxiar women incapable of giving birth to males. They survived thanks to the Inseminary, a sophisticated artificial insemination facility which stands as one of the last great artifacts of that era.
Federation scientists examining the Praxiar DNA structure have noted the influence of the Progenitors to be very strong, and it is postulated that the Praxiar are an offshoot species of them, in the same way that Romulans are an offshoot species of Vulcan. If so, the race is even older than first thought.
Between 20,000 years ago and present day, Praxiar society fragmented into several "circles". These circles warred with each other for centuries, both for practical means, and because of what they describe as the "demands of rhythm".
MODERN DEVELOPMENT: It wasn't until the arrival of the first Orion and Federation contact into Praxiar space that the Praxiar eased up on inter-Circle conflict. At that point, the Praxiar realized that the ways of past conflict would need to be left behind, in favor of these new species, however, the rhythm was quickly reestablished with the aggression of the Orion slavers and the aid received from Starfleet.
SPACE EXPLORATION: The Praxiar have known about their surrounding star cluster since before their Golden Age, thanks to the database stored within the Inseminary. This has made exploration easy for them, and less "romantic" than for humanity. There was little "unknown" to step into. Just a chance to visit places described within an old database. Nonetheless, Praxiar expansion continued until they joined the Federation, looking for more artifacts of their ancestors.
WARP DEVELOPMENT: Warp technology has been available to the Praxiar for thousands of years, the information deemed vital enough to be placed in the Inseminary at its creation. Their ships use an efficient "tripod" configuration of warp nacelles that Starfleet has recently begun evaluating for possible application in future starships.
FIRST CONTACT: 2371, USS Prominent, Excelsior-class - This was especially notable in that the first contact involved several male Starfleet members.
