Borealin
Borealins are a flightless avian race native to the arctic planet of Great Boreala. They are short, stout, and very resistant to extremely cold climates. Great Boreala's frozen landscapes have offered little opportunities for life, and as such the Borealins have had few natural predators over the course of their evolution.
Borealins are the innate species of the Borealin Kingdom, a subject kingdom within the Solstern Empire. They are well known to be an ambitious but obedient subject of the Innox.
Biology[edit | edit source]
Borealins most resemble Firodland penguins, they are short compared to other races (insert place in size chart here) and are very stout and hardy considering their size. They have overlarge hands, possibly descended from fins or wings and powerful upper body muscles, which allows them to traverse deep snow with ease and manipulate heavy objects as necessary.
Despite their birdlike appearance, Borealins do not sport a cloaca and do not lay eggs, but rather birth live youngs, a curious mammalian feature. Though there's no official record, it is presumed that this was a method of population control put in by the Solsterns during their reign.
Borealins can withstand extreme cold temperatures and situations, as well as survive underwater for extended amounts of time. Their primary diet consists of fish and other sea animals, such as whales, sharks and so on.
As far as appearance, in general they appear close to Fiordland penguins, though the yellow crest is the most common, it can vary between several other natural colors, which has been in the past attributed to superior genetics.
Society[edit | edit source]
Borealin Society has always been very organized and effective. Even during the tribal stage, researchers discovered a significantly larger amount of individuals per tribe than any other species and a complex social hierarchy dating back to primordial times. Unlike other species, the Borealins have also completely skipped their equivalent of the dark ages, maintaining a consistent level of social, technological and intelectual progress throughout the ages.
In modern ages they are a subject race of the Solstern Empire and constitute a significant part of the Solstern Armada, with roles as important as special operations and high officer duties. It is not uncommon to see a Borealin Captain, or even a Sub-Admiral.
Researchers have not found any evidence that Borealin as a species have ever united under any major religion, instead they have been sporting curious minds and keen philosopher like debates as to their creations throughout their history. One thing that stands out though, is magical properties they have attributed to the largest of their whale species, the Fenecian Whale. Whale fat is used in almost any Borealin medicine book, whale hide and guts are told have various enhancing and medicinal properties and whale bones are crafted into charms, runes and other accessories which are supposedly magical in nature. In general, Borealin view the Fenecian Whales as having an air of mystery and magic about them, though the belief has been slowly declining with Innox encouragement.
Military Service is very important in Borealin Society and those who avoid drafts are widely rejected as a whole by Borealin society, most having to go off planet to survive economically as finding a job as a draft avoider is extremely difficult.
The main construction substance for Borealins is the dense Fenecian Ice, with its neatly organized molecules, Fenecian Ice is as strong and stable as concrete and has a very high freezing point, meaning that it does not melt even in the hottest summer, but rather absorbs heat and disperses it throughout the structure, maintaining a cool temperature that even off worlders can enjoy.
History[edit | edit source]
Borealin history focuses less on conflicts and more on progress. Notable history figures include more innovators, philosophers and social engineers than rulers and kings. The greatest even in Borealin history is without a doubt the discovery of Fenecia, a large sub-continent rich with the coveted Fenecian Ice and the waters around of which were teeming with Fenecian Whales, providing ample food, shelter and resources for the Borealins. More enviromentally aware than most species are even in modern days, Borealins have maintained careful hunting laws in regards to the Fenecian Whales and they are the only known people in galactic history to have experienced an increase in their primary source of food's population rather than decrease despite hunting it.
Clever Borealins of the past have been planning their hunts very carefully, steering whales towards other whales intentionally to encourage reproduction, while carefully selecting hunting targets with lower chances of reproduction. Due to these practices, the Fenecian Whale population has never decreased below the point before the Borealins discovered them, on the contrary, it has increased.
Since the discovery of Fenecia, rather than try and struggle for the resources, many Borealins have instead created an effective trading and combined government system to ensure equal distribution of goods and expansion of Borealin society beyond Fenecia.
Though Fenecian Ice has been in decline for a long period of time, Borealins have been successful in artificially producing it centuries prior to the modern era, but even so the decline in it has been so great that prior to the Solsterns taking over, it was feared that they would run out before long. With Solstern technology, the Borealins have been able to produce Fenecian Ice in such amounts that they can afford to export it off world. One of their chief clients are the noble families of Kosha Vron, who consider it to be a great vanity item and make jewels and statues of it.