Poliesu

Poliesu
Species Info
Homeworld		Ayun-Ji
Empires		United Republic of Ayun-Ji The Grand Tide
Life Expectancy (Max)		100 (200)
Average Size		5-7 Feet

Overview

The Poliesu are a race of shark and shark-like humanoids native to the ocean-world of Ayun-Ji whose culture revolves around the glorification of conflict. Tribalistic rivalries between the five major houses--Shiksen, Nymara, Kelkirik, Bojun, and Umbra--permeated the Poliesu’s history since their early formation and continued even well beyond the confines of their own homeworld as colonization efforts began several centuries ago.

They are considered a very proud warrior race that seldom surrender due to their collective belief of reincarnation - that when a warrior dies in combat, they are immediately reborn to begin anew--a factual result of the exorbitant birthing and growth rates Poliesu were capable of.

Due to their predisposition for combat, it is common to find a Poliesu working as security or para-military across the White Belt and surrounding regions.

For the Secession War, the five houses--united formally as the Ayun-Ji Shinai (Raging Waves of Ayun-Ji)--had temporarily put aside their differences to engage in combat against the combined Interstellar Treaty Organization, following repeated Rokhandan incursions after the Poliesu declared neutrality. Poliesu were considered formidable in combat in space-borne environments, with their voidcraft vessels capable of exceptional agility and speed. Their planetside martial forces had focused heavily on regional-denial saturation of long-ranged weapons preceding a mass-charge of melee combatants into the field. Oftentimes this required a distinct element of surprise through which the artillery saturation made possible on multiple occasions. When it failed, however, the Poliesu usually suffered catastrophic losses that prevented further actions from being undertaken until large amounts of reinforcements were deployed to the combat zone. Their natural birth and growth rates allowed for quick replenishment across the different fronts the Poliesu engaged in. This understanding of their biology led to the application of the gene-bombings that comprised the Praxis Incident, which resulted in wiping out billions in population across multiple colonies on the edge of Poliesu space and stunted growth rates in survivors. This resulted in the Poliesu withdrawing and focusing more on a defensive war of attrition solely against the Rokhandans to prevent further advances into Jingashi.

Involvement in the Secession War lasted until the collective leadership of the Shinai was wiped out in the devastating sabotage and explosion of the capital-class vessel Wau-Shui above Atol-Jul - which simultaneously resulted in the complete erasure of millions of lives in the explosion. The successors to the Shiksen, Kelkirik, and Umbra houses declared their surrender - this was seen as a betrayal of core values by the remaining members of the Nymara and Bojun, both of which pulled away from Ayun-Ji to redress their wounds and continue the fight under new leadership.

The Poliesu now see themselves split between two factions - the United Republic of Ayun-Ji, which became a neutral entity holding few colonies following the war, reformed under supervision by the ISTO due to their protectorate status; and the Lo-Shudai--the Grand Tide, a splinter faction comprised of the fanatical remnants of the Nymara and Bojun houses dedicated to continue fighting the ISTO and the Rokhandan Directorate, more especially.

Biology

Poliesu are sentient bipedal mammalian creatures, genetically derived from the progenitor species they refer to as the Polienos. They typically have furless, leathery skin that can feel moist to the touch. While they are physically functional on land, they find themselves more at home in seaborne and oceanic environments, and are surprisingly adaptable to null-gravity. Poliesu who spent more time living in the oceans of Ayun-Ji would commonly be seen wearing purpose-made All-Condition Stillsuits, which regulate body temperature and moisture to allow for comfortable environmental conditions for as long as they wore them.

The average height of a Poliesu is between five and seven feet. They, like other species, are omnivores capable of surviving on diets of meat and vegetables. Skin tones often vary based on tribal and regional upbringings; as an example, a Poliesu born under House Shiksen may carry more natural skin tones similar to Earth’s various shark species--factors involved may also include the region within the oceans of Ayun-Ji that one was born in. Likewise, Poliesu born on colonies away from home are usually found with much lighter tones.

There is an almost-equal distribution among the different genders. It is not uncommon for there to have been mixed-gender Poliesu possessing both male and female anatomy.

Galactic Opinion

Seen to be quick to anger, many choose to avoid direct confrontation with a Poliesu due to their reputation as strong warriors. Their renown as good soldiers, however, has made finding jobs in relevant fields easier due to this stereotype. The freedoms afforded by intergalactic travel and the intermingling of cultures have helped the Poliesu come to see other races as less of a threat, but they still treat most of the galaxy warily. For some Poliesu, these stereotypes hold true, and this is through no fault of their own as the highly militaristic culture of their homeworld has ingrained these qualities into them from a young age. However, the injection of new cultures and ideas into the Poliesu realm have helped foster a growing intelligentsia.

Many organizations and galactic factions are keen to invest in developments on Ayun-Ji thanks to its vast deposits of gold and silver. Even since before the Secession War, the Poliesu are notoriously obtuse about allowing outsiders to build on the planet's surface, and only a scarce few corporations had been granted permission to begin mining operations under the surface of Ayun-Ji's seas. This difficulty has irritated some empires seeking to negotiate with the United Republic of Ayun-Ji and has helped contribute to a flourishing smuggling trade that tries to rob supplies and ore from the unevenly defended Ayun-Ji. This is entirely dependent on luck, however.

Naming Conventions

The Poliesu utilize their own language to name themselves, but to prevent confusion with other races they employ secondary names easily pronounced and understood by intergalactic translators. Naming conventions of Poliesian primary names loosely emulate Mandarin Chinese and Southeastern Asian cultures, while secondary names emulate Western English conventions.

Etymology

Poliesu

Pohl-LEE-soo

Poliesian

Pohl-LEE-see-ehn

The name Poliesu is derived from the commonly-accepted name of the progenitor species, the Polienos, and was adopted as the identifying term of the species as the Poliesu developed further understanding about themselves and their world through the study of genetics.

Style Guide

Please see the Appearance Guide for non-race specific guidance and rules.

Poliesu should appear similar to a shark or a fish or other aquatic animal. Some heads that can be used for this are the SKNK Sushi, the Cerberus/BBMM Selachi/Morpha Shark, or the Avenity Shark heads. Fins are optional, and they can be represented as folded inside clothing if a player wishes. Poliesu have tails; however, if a player wishes not to represent them on their avatar they may. The natural color pallet is quite wide for Poliesu allowing for natural tones such as browns, whites and greys but also allows for colored markings such as purple, green, red. etc.