Poliesu

Poliesu Lore Pages
Species Lore Pages		Poliesu
Planet and System Pages		Ayun-Ji
Governments and Organizations Pages		United Republic of Ayun-Ji · The Grand Tide

Example of some Poliesu.

Overview

The Poliesu are a proud, warrior-centric race, indigenous to the ocean-world of Ayun-Ji whose culture glorified and emphasized warfare and conflict. Tribal rivalries permeated Poliesu society even well past the advent of space exploration. It was only during the Secession War that the Poliesu had fought as a united force and quickly became renowned for being resourceful and resilient in the face of overwhelming odds, despite their biological handicap of requiring constant hydration doused on their skin. The Poliesu were forced to surrender their independence to the Galactic Coalition following the catastrophic explosion of the battlecruiser GTNV Wau-Shui above their homeworld's capitol, Atol-Jul. Following their surrender, Ayun-Ji and whatever colonies remained following the Praxis Incident became a protectorate under the Coalition, which triggered a schism among the Poliesu.

The Poliesu are currently split into two factions - the majority of which under the three dominant houses converged into the United Republic of Ayun-Ji, an oligarchic republic reformed under the supervision of the Galactic Coalition due to Ayun-Ji's protectorate status; and the resurgent Grand Tide, which became a separatist faction comprised of the two rebellious Poliesian houses that left Ayun-Ji following its occupation.

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.

Biology

Poliesu are sentient bipedal mammalian creatures whose evolution path largely descends from the Polienos - widely considered to be the progenitor species of all Poliesu, which have very much in common with the Great White Shark on Earth. Poliesu typically have furless, leathery skin that is moist to the touch. The longer a Poliesu is away from water, the drier and flakier their skin gets. If a Poliesu goes too long without staying hydrated, they would experience a rapid deterioration of their mental and physical facilities. For this purpose, many Poliesu are seldom seen without a full-body plugsuit with a filter covering around their necks and over their gills, which they use effectively to breathe underwater. Most Poliesu are equipped with fins either on their back, heads, arms or legs in various arrangements. They can come in a variety of facial structures, which are typically fish-like in nature.

The average height of the typical Poliesu is between five and seven feet. They, like other species, are omnivores, and can subsist on diets of meat or vegetables or both. Poliesu are known to come in a wide array of colors as well, making them difficult to distinguish from some aquatic vatborne. Most Poliesu would take offense to being mistaken for a test tube creation, however. Poliesu, by nature, are great swimmers and are born with a predisposition for underwater acrobatics. Some may find it difficult and sluggish to maneuver on dry land, equating this to having to walk with two left feet, which is a common hindrance among Poliesu who scarcely left their home world prior to the Secession War.

All-Condition Stillsuit

Commonly worn by Poliesu conducting interstellar and terrestrial exploration, the ACS allows Poliesians to travel without need of a nearby, easily-accessible water source for long periods of time. Though a Poliesu may be able to survive without wearing one, it is considered the most convenient solution for a Poliesu to travel long distances away from their homeworld without feeling discomfort. It is considered a requirement, however, for ship crews embarking on long voyages away from Ayun-Ji.

The suit covers the entire body with small tubing being fed to small compartments that wrap snug around each appendage and the torso. A collar worn around the neck is filled with oxygen-rich water which run through the wearer's gills in a closed loop. The water passes through a heat exchanger that keeps it cool as it is fed to the lower compartments in an effort to keep its wearer comfortable in all temperature conditions. The suit and all of its components equally distribute the weight over the entire body, which allows a Poliesu to go about their daily business without feeling any discomfort. A helmet may also be worn that is connected to the loop in order to douse its wearer's face, but many Poliesu that take up terrestrial settlement forego this.

The suit is thin and lightweight enough, otherwise, that it allows for additional clothing to be worn over it. A Poliesu can choose to completely cover themselves with an extra layer of clothes on top without it affecting the operation of the suit itself. It can be thought of as a "second skin" for the wearer. It comes in a variety of styles, the most common being a form-fitting bodysuit.

Lore

An expansive history of the Poliesu leading up to the current setting may be found here.

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 empires 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 New 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.

Relations With Other Races (Accordingly by Political Faction)

It is to be understood that every player character can, and will, be different and go against the ideas presented in the following list. This is merely to be used as a framework for attitudes by Poliesu player characters towards each individual faction.

Galactic Coalition - Humans

Much of the conflict during the Secession War was focused more against the Rokhandans than the Humans of the GC. The occupation and subjugation of Ayun-Ji following the GC’s declaration of the planet and its immediately surrounding territories under Protectorate status drove many Poliesu to develop discord against the GC and its occupying Vatborne legions. Most would look upon GC-affiliated Humans as being untrustworthy right out the gate.

Federatsiya Feniksa/Federation - Humans

At first, the Grand Tide opted to keep out of the affairs between the Federation and the Coalition. Refusal to allow military access to Federation fleets following the raid on the Bastion until entry in the war initially strained relations between the two factions. Most Poliesians would have sympathies towards the Federation following the war but would not outwardly express this. Mercenaries who continued to serve for the Federation would have greater sympathies for the people they fought alongside with.

The Holy See of Visra - Lumii

Though first contact was not under the best terms, the Poliesians eventually saw the Lumii as very close allies as they became involved with the Secession War. The Poliesians and the Lumii maintain a close relationship with one another during the armistice period. Poliesians tend to have a far easier time interacting with Lumii than any other race.

Rokhandan Directorate - Rokhandans

The Praxis Incident permanently soured relations between the Directorate and the Poliesu, though they were not any better even before the incident. What is perceived as the refusal and outright denial of the utilization of Mass Genetic Warfare is another common point of contention against the Rokhandans. It is uncommon for a Poliesu to have anything other than revulsion or hatred towards Rokhandans, and those who are anomalous are regarded as pariahs.

Onk Conglomerate - Gwix

The Poliesians have no desire for material needs, having no drive towards wealth or prosperity. The Gwix of the Onk Conglomerate are seen by Poliesu as nothing more than grifters and scavengers preying on the weak-willed for insignificant material gain, and therefore have little regard or even respect for the Gwix.

Vesreen Holdings - Coathal

The Coathal entered the Secession War to fight alongside the Galactic Coalition, but the Poliesu eventually gained respect for beings that looked similar to them despite being vastly different in cultural and political understandings. Poliesu would look upon the Coathal with suspicion, but would also have no outwardly signs of hatred or distrust.

Roving Sun Fleet - Anahi

The Poliesu cannot have any opinions on beings they had never interacted with prior to and even following the Secession War, so a Poliesu may regard an Anahi with curiosity and suspicion.

Vatborne

Poliesu ideologies drive a cold reception to what they perceive as unnatural humanoid creations. Vatborne are usually looked down upon by Poliesu, but not outright rejected - seeing as many Aquatic-based Vatborne have been accepted as citizens of Ayun-Ji.

Synthetics/Artificial Intelligence

Applying the same principle as directed towards the Vatborne, Poliesian distrust of anything Synthetic is quantified exponentially in comparison. The concept of giving synthetic lifeforms complete free-will is wholly alien to the Poliesu. With this understanding it is generally assumed that a Poliesu would harbor serious distrust towards anything that runs on a quantum computer powering a deep consciousness.

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 head or the Avenity Shark. 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.

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.