Thalassans

Species Name

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Information
Homeworld	Pelagia
Habitats	Various stratified levels of the ocean
Unique Traits	Extremely varied, but localized to fish and marine animal traits such as fins and gills
Writer(s)	Nikki, Arc, Kay^2

"Just as every molecule of water has its place in the machinery of the oceans around us, so too is each and every one of us instrumental to the world around us. Study your path well, and let us all do our part to maintain this beautiful operation." — speaker at a Thalassan graduation ceremony

Thalassans are an aquatic, humanoid species that varies widely from individual to individual, due to the explosive genetic diversity of marine life. Many have gills, fins, tails, scales, webbing, and other aquatic adaptations. They are a caste-stratified species denoted by the various depths at which individuals live on their homeworld, Pelagia. They are extremely technologically advanced and have been at the forefront of scientific advancement in known space. Their culture combines an almost oppressive work ethic with a deep thirst for knowledge. As a primarily aquatic species, one would imagine that their advancements would be limited, but instead, the opposite is true. Deeply passionate about their life pursuits, Thalassans are appreciated throughout known space as ambitious and competent in many fields, though their ambitions can just as easily take a dark turn.

Core Worldview

Thalassan society centers around the idea of perfection, and striving to attain it in every aspect of their lives. While there can be many differing ideas of what perfection can look like, resulting from the many different Thalassan subspecies and their priorities, the ultimate goal is to achieve harmony among these goals.

Such perfectionism is quite noticeable in the intense, almost oppressive work ethic of many Thalassans, regardless of their chosen field. Tasks are treated with great dedication, and timeliness is of great value, both inside and outside the workplace.

This passion for each individual's field also places a great emphasis on ambition and progress in one's achievements. Thalassans strive to be the leaders in many fields, though their ambitions can just as easily take a dark turn. On a societal level, this has led to many advancements over time, cementing Pelagia as a hub of technology and research.

Lastly, this perfection finds itself reflected in the overall structure of Thalassan society, where order and stability are established as incredibly important concepts. This reverberates across many spaces, making changes to existing systems often slow to implement in order to preserve existing efforts to optimize them.

Physiology and Design

Common traits found across many Thalassans include:

• Gills in some form
• Specialized sensory organs to allow for detection of electrical fields
• Fins
• Tails
• Scales
• Sharp teeth
• Fish eyes Webbing
• Tentacles and other species-specific features

Diet:

Thalassans are omnivorous, carnivorous, or herbivorous. Each variation has differing diets and nutrition requirements, leading to each city and region having 2-3 different cuisines naturally residing and originating in them based on the dominant Thalassan subspecies/variety.

Size and Age:

Size can vary drastically from 2ft tall (i.e. shrimp-based thalassans) all the way to 8ft tall (i.e. whale-based thalassans). Thalassans have some of the longest lifespans out of the other species universe, but their lifespans mainly are connected to what species variation they are. The average Thalassan lives anywhere from 200 - 500 years old, however some variations of Thalassan genetics are able to live anywhere into the 1000’s, with medical advancements being partially responsible for this extension of their lives.

Common Intraspecific Variation

Thalassans of many kinds can be found on Pelagia and her sister planets, even if there are drastic differences between some members within the same variation category based on what region or culture they originate from. Thalassans can be broadly classified into a number of sub-variations underneath the overarching umbrella of "Thalassan".

• The Tiburan
  • This variation dominated in the early warring period of Pelagia. Now they find themselves dominating many fields, being known for their ambition and drive to constantly be moving forward-- whatever 'forward' means to them. This variation is characterized through their sharp rows of teeth, their sandpaper-like skin(dermal denticles), and sharp vision.
• The Neptan
  • This variation is the most common, being able to be found in every environment on Pelagia. Being the most common, they are also the most diverse, with extreme differences being found in each region they reside in. This group made up most of the smaller sects of Thalassan in the warring period. This variation is characterized through their scales, lateral line system, swim bladder, and unique abilities per Neptan variation. For example, a Neptan whose lineage traces back to clownfish is able to change their biological sex through natural processes, and a Neptan found in the deeper water would commonly have bioluminescence. Connie Vixen - Lionfish Neptan and famous Pelagia talk show host
• The Crustan
  • This variation can be found on Pelagia and every sister planet. They're known as the most adaptable Thalassan variation, being incredibly durable and strong. Crustan are able to live some of the longest lives of any Thalassan due to their adaptability and constitution, but the upkeep required to maintain themselves is extremely expensive. This variation is characterized by their chitinous exoskeleton, segmented bodies, larval stages, and many have only legs and no fins.
• The Koppo
  • This variation is not the most common, but it is found in many academic fields, being known culturally for their values on academia. This variation is characterized by their many tentacles, ability to camouflage, their ink sac, and their beak.
• The Valis
  • This variation is known for their larger than average sizes and for being especially sociable creatures. Valis tend to form close family bonds and deeper friendships, and thrive in fields that encourage communication and teamwork. This variation is characterized by their blowholes, size, lack of gills, smooth skin, and their many unique sensory organs.
• The Mylio
  • This variation is most commonly known for their dances; they can be found in many entertainment fields, using their unique wing-like fins to entrance and entertain. This variation is characterized by their unique wing-like fins, horn-like projections, and a whip-like tail that can be either razored or venomous.
• The Usa
  • This variation is known for their many colors and being the most similar to water itself. This variation is characterized by their bioluminescence, stinging cells, and extremely long natural lifespans.
• The Echino
  • This variation is known for slow, methodical movements and decisions. This variation is characterized by their spiny skin, regenerative abilities, and water vascular system.
• The Saporans
  • This variation is known for living on the few pieces of land that are above water. However, this is not their only habitat, as they are able to live in most cities that lie in the shallower areas of the oceans and lakes. This variation is characterized by their permeable skin, unique hearing, biphasic lifestyle, and their ability to undergo drastic metamorphosis. This variation has many differences, but they are able to live both with other Thalassans and well among themselves. Many Saporans do tend to live further away from standard Thalassan society, leading to complications in social and cultural exchanges.

Social Structures and Community

Early Thalassan History: Early in Pelagia the oceans were separated by fear and differences. The many variations of Thalassan led to such separation that the word Thalassan did not exist for much of Pelagia's history, they used different words to classify each other. This is where the existence of names like: Tiburan, Neptan, Koppo, and all the other names for intraspecific variation came to be as they were used for these separate tribes. Those words are not used often anymore as the more united Thalassan is much more popular, but older Thalassans still tend to prefer the distinction. These early tribes in Pelagia are long sense disbanded, but the ripple of the early waring periods of the tribes still affects modern Thalassan society. Groups like the Tiburon, the Valis, and the Koppo still benefit from their early dominance on Pelagia. The wealth they accumulated in those times still benefits their children and much of society is still dominated by these groups. Even though the world is not swayed by war and conflict anymore, those that are the strongest, fastest, and deadly still have more opportunities. Beauty standards, popular culture, fashion, and jobs still tend to be swayed by those ideas.

Pelagia holds many cities, all at varying depth and location to accommodate the many different variations. Variations that prefer depth and cold live in cities closer to the poles in the many trenches that carve Pelagia's surface, variations that prefer warmth live closer to he equator at floating surface cities. The variations that prefer to live in wetlands tend to live in the more rural patches of land that speckle the planet. However, the capital city of Pelagia named Coralia houses the widest variations of Thalassan and even many Abyssals.

Thalassan government operates as a partial representative democracy. Each member representing their own field, from engineering to arts. The members of this large council of leaders is decided by a series of tests according to their own fields and public voting, the combination is used to decide who would be the perfect pick. Issues and decisions are tackled by this group of leaders, each providing their perspective and view of how to make the perfect decision, this leads to many decisions taking a very long time. Each term of ruling lasts a short 42 years.

Families in the past were communally raised, and given independance as soon as a child was mature enough to make their own decision to leave or stay. Some Thalassans still do this, but a rising trend due to the individualistic nature of capitalism is a more closed off family structure. With two parents raising their children and once mature that child is forced out to begin their own path but still tied to their family.

Religion and Spirituality

Thalassan's desire for perfectionism has left their previous spiritualist beliefs behind, belief in invisible forces like in religion or spiritualism is not popular, but it still does exist. Few Thalassans still truly believe but the most popular form of spiritualism is a form of Animism that revolves around the currents, waves, maelstroms, the sun, and their three moons. They believe each of these things along with other natural phenomena have their own will, that their is intention behind the chaos. That entropy itself is achieved through will. There is no singular name for it but many refer the idea as being one of a "blue mind".

Currents are viewed as the push and pull of energy, a invisible force that will guide you to where you need to go but over reliance on it will leave you lost or crushed. The instinctual push and pull of life guides all, and you must move through those currents of life with intention or else the oceans intentions will overtake you. Travelers that get caught in currents may view it as the ocean telling them where they must go, and so they listen while they are within it.

Waves represent the ebb and flow of life, that no matter how large you scale you will crash back down eventually only to be built back up into the next wave. You are not the individual wave, but the whole ocean. You will rise high and crash down, but there is more rising and crashing to follow. This is a very important piece of Thalassan philosophy as with their long lifespans there is a lot of time to fail, and having the reminder that you will exist beyond those is important.

Maelstroms are violent whirlpools, they represent turbulent intersections of energies. Different wills battling against one another, and while destructive in their wake they cleanse the energies of that region of ocean. The churning of the water revitalizes the area and uplifts hidden things. If you come across one it is advised that you avoid and go around, but provide an offering to ensure safe passage. The contribution will assist in the revitalization of the water after it has cleared.

The sun's heating and evaporation is a large cause of many ocean currents, as well as generating winds, and evaporation driving storms. The sun is a vital part of what causes the ocean to not only move, but live. Solar bodies represent entropy with intent, the intent of these solar bodies generates entropy and chaos in all that it touches, uneven heating generates winds, winds generate random currents, those energies push, pull and react to each till they dissipate. Great movers and shakers that despite their almost divine form, each action they take eventually breaks down. Chaos consumes, but in that chaos there is beauty. A reminder that no matter how large or powerful you are, or how small and weak all actions lead to the same result, ever echoing chaos and entropy. Each individual themselves is nothing more than the energy that came before, every action is outputting that energy that they are, and even long after they are gone the energy they put out will still be moving and transferring somewhere. No matter what even if you die, you actions will not, their impact will ripple through the universe forever. As energy can never be destroyed.

The three moons on Pelagia have immense spiritualistic meaning. The moons themselves create the chaotic and turbulent ocean that Pelagia holds, the push and pull against each other to create unique tides and waves every day. The three moons are sisters, their names are Tirina, Shura, and Mira. Mira represents the reflection of the Thalassan people, a reflection of their intent and will. Shura represents logic and stability, she is known to have the most stable orbit with it barely moving even a degree off the equator for as long as its been recorded. Tirina represents destruction, she is blackened by the ash of many asteroids and she is believed to be the cause of many tsunamis destructive currents and maelstroms. She is viewed to be Pelagia's anger. Each moon has different meanings at each phase with their new and full variations. During a full moon Mira is said to be reflecting the joy of the Pelagian people, and that she is providing them a feast, as hunting is most efficient in the bright light of the full moon. A full moon for Shura means that the oceans will be calm, and that tranquility is approaching. Tirina at a full moon represents a dangerous ocean, and that she wishes to watch as beings are crushed beneath her waves. New moons always have an ominous meaning behind them but are inverses of their full phase version.

Technology and Science

Thalassan technology, naturally, integrates water into many of its components. From thermal regulation systems to immensely powerful hydraulics to jet propulsion, Thalassans have figured out how to use water to solve almost any engineering problem, creating an incredibly diverse set of devices and machinery based in the principles of the ocean surrounding them.

A notable problem Thalassans have to work around is waterproofing, as seawater can mercilessly erode anything given enough time. Two competing schools of thought exist with regard to solving this issue, with commercial products insisting the superiority of both: making vulnerable systems watertight or making all components compatible with the water around them.

Modern Thalassan magic tends to be harnessed through very specialized pieces of technology, allowing for control and adjustment to protect the user and allow for optimization. These devices tend to be tailored to the individual using them, with designs ranging from glove-like arm covers to remote mechs (all with a focus on allowing free flow around the user).

Major Thalassan cities and universities host frequent inventing, engineering, and robotics competitions. Those who win these competitions are awarded with massive status and opportunity, though perceived failures are punished with equal intensity.

Traditional Clothing and Fashion

Thalassans have a rather simple sense of fashion. Most civilians prefer lighter clothing of thinner, flowy fabric, a specific type of material that will not hinder their movement but instead grant them ease when swimming while still being considerably fashionable and expressive, even with rich, fancier appearances. Those of higher ranking enforce a more strict form of attire to uphold proper projection and ensure member safety with hydrodynamic gear/outfits (lightweight). These individuals also carry badges on their person, establishing a ranking of position in said company/division. Overall, this leads their attire to be less expressive in comparison to others but still maintains function— if not better. Occasionally, Thalassans hold scheduled seasonal fashion cycles to determine appropriate wear. They create their clothing with what their own world of water offers them. Marine biomass, extracting biopolymers from kelp and seaweed, using silky byssus threads to make sea silk— they use anything at their disposal, often including trade from offworld collaborators.

Occupations

Thalassans find work in an incredibly wide variety of fields, embracing their goal of perfection in just about any occupation they have access to. Those in lower social positions often are restricted to more menial (yet still essential) tasks, where training can often run within families due to the costs associated with professional schooling. Those in higher social positions find themselves at the forefront of their chosen fields, with common aspirations including technological research, engineering design, and academia at large.

Many Thalassan jobs are confined to Pelagia, owing to the uniquely aquatic environment that many individuals find themselves performing best in. Those who do choose to work off-planet are usually at the top of their social spheres, and strive to be seen as leaders in their positions.

An incredibly common feature of most Thalassan workplaces is the implementation of a ranking system among each occupation. Each individual is ranked according to factors like overall performance, efficiency, and reliability, with constant updates as the day progresses. An individual's ranking determines many things about their life, influencing their social standing, pay levels, and ability to participate in the government, with occupational ranking being a major factor in deciding members of the governing council.

Starships and Space Travel

Thalassan space travel is a highly regulated matter in order to uphold the carefully-curated image of Pelagian society with for rest of the known worlds. Most planetary access is through spaceports on the Lightscale Islands, which also tend to act as visitor and business hubs for this reason, though some specialized ports can be found deeper in the cities (such as the Council's Port in Coralia). Tourism tends to be restricted to spaces near the surface of the Lucent Stratum, where breathing infrastructure is most prevalent; however, visitors may gain additional access through a combination of competency examinations and research relevance.

Thalassan spacecraft tend to be very nautical in nature, taking their inspirations from a combination of seafaring vessels and marine life. In addition to space travel, most native Thalassan vessels are also equipped for aquatic travel, allowing unique access to the smaller underwater ports which are also used for domestic travel around Pelagia. Transportation is largely privately-owned, whether by individuals or corporations, but those vessels which are owned by the Thalassan government are grand and pristine, offering immense travel capabilities (though often used for little more than ceremony).

Cultural Quirks and Daily Life

The word Thalassan is relatively new—for much of their history, divisions into each of the Thalassan subspecies were far more common, and some of the oldest Thalassans still tend to use these to describe the world around them.

Old money in the Thalassan social stratification is largely based on evolutionary measures/success (i.e., killer whales, large octopi), while new money tends to have come from unique innovation and technological usefulness (i.e., krill being good with smaller electronics).

The obsession with ranking begins incredibly young, with school ranking being an incredibly competitive pursuit as early as primary school. Senior class rankings are even used to award an honorary position among the council to prepare these students for their future pursuits.

Each group's ranking system has an intricate and unique algorithm to determine where individuals will be placed, with factors ranging from concrete research contributions to peer review statistics.

Rankings are updated in real time as events carry on, and are largely accessed online. Specialized physical leaderboards exist around Coralia, with professional centers displaying their own top 1% and a grand leaderboard displaying the top 5 members of each profession outside the Hall of Perfection.

Thalassan life is incredibly regular, with many individuals carrying out an optimized schedule that they have crafted over many years. To disrupt this schedule is a major faux pas in the upper echelons of society.

Each year, Coralia hosts a festival known as The Day of Advancement, celebrating the progress and achievements made that year in Thalassan society and highlighting the most prolific contributors to that success.

The badges worn by those in Thalassan upper society denote their positioning within society and how close to perfection they have achieved. Each additional line added to the fractal-like patterning on them demonstrates even greater lifetime achievement.

Notable Locations

The Lightscale Islands

The Lightscale Islands are the artificial island-like structures scattered around Pelagia's otherwise mostly oceanic surface which mark the uppermost access points to most major cities. Due to their nature as rare patches of dry land, they serve as the planet's major travel hubs, and the most common routes in and out of Thalassan society. Though the land itself is limited, there are major communities between the islands and the cities proper with significant air infrastructure to allow for collaborative work to be done between Thalassans and visitors. These areas see some of the highest performances of Thalassan perfection culture (second only to the capital, Coralia), with constant cleaning and upkeep involved in ensuring an outward image of perfection.

Coralia

Coralia is the capital city of Pelagia, and the largest city in the Lucent Stratum. Its Lightscale Island is the most significant planetary hub on Pelagia, with many businesses having operating centers there, though access further into the city is heavily restricted to only the finest, most competent individuals. At the city's center is the Hall of Perfection, which acts as the seat of the Thalassan government and is where the ruling council meets. Surrounding the central chambers is a sprawling administrative complex, where many of the minutiae of Thalassan existence are dictated. Much of the rest of the city serves as a research hub, allowing the members of the council to spend their non-governing time contributing to the growth of their individual fields. The city is by far the most orderly space on Pelagia on every level, from the intense cleanliness measures to its overall hub-and-spokes design dividing the space into clear regions based on occupation.

Saltspray Plateau

The Saltspray Plateau is a major hub of Thalassan industry, and the largest city of the Twilight Stratum. This space receives comparatively few outside visitors, with the majority of infrastructure designed for Thalassan locals to navigate most easily. The city has a constant hustle and bustle, leaving few quiet moments for residents. The more industrial sectors tend to focus predominantly on supporting on-world resources, including manufacturing facilities for designs produced in upper layers and maintenance support centers for the rest of the planet. The leisure sectors, on the other hand, are well-known for their neverending nightlife (in part sustained due to the lower light levels at these depths), drawing attention from across Thalassan society to give a break from the stress that expectations of perfection can bring.

The Great Barriers

The divisions of the planet, the Strata separate Pelagia into almost different worlds despite being immediately adjacent to one another. The Great Barriers themselves exist to demarcate these divisions—though they do not actually block access from one side to another, they make clear the distinctions in expectations between the spaces. The Lucent-Twilight Barrier is quite active, and often exists largely for ceremonial and regulatory purposes than anything else. The Twilight-Noct Barrier, on the other hand, sits mostly abandoned on the edge of the Noct Stratum, as residents on either side tend to keep to themselves, with a sort of rust belt surrounding this space where ideas have either risen in the Thalassan ranks or been abandoned out of imperfections.

Interactions With Other Species

Thalassans tend to maintain at least a working relationship with other species, as the resources and ideas that they can provide can prove quite useful in the advancement of perfection on Pelagia. However, this connection tends to be at the uppermost level in both societies, and Thalassans tend to focus primarily on their own success ahead of that of others. Some particular relations of note are listed below.

Abyssal

The Abyssal were once one of the many subspecies populating Pelagia's waters, though in the times before Thalassan unification they were already somewhat distant from the others by nature. Following the unification of the Thalassans and their growing focus on perfection, the Abyssal separated even more, withdrawing largely to the Noct Stratum where few Thalassans tended to go to avoid early Thalassan efforts to include them in their plans for unification. As such, the Abyssal tend to be viewed simply as notable outsiders among Thalassan society, though some have been acknowledged for tremendous potential in their fields (such as thermodynamic research or record-keeping). Despite this, they tend to be viewed with somewhat more trepidation than non-Pelagian outsiders, owing to the Noct Stratum's reputation for chaotic behavior and stories of lurking dangers.

Aurelians

A fellow society proud to maintain an orderly understanding of the universe and innovation, Thalassan attitudes tend to be quite favorable towards Aurelians, especially among those in higher positions on Pelagia. The flow of ideas and tehcnologies between Pelagia and the Eden Construct is quite common, and collaboration between the two is relatively common. Thalassans, however, are quite fond of the ability to control and harness magic, and thus the Aurelian aversion to magic proves somewhat troublesome in collaborative endeavors, leaving Thalassans with a burning feeling that they could be achieving more.

Ferrans

Thalassans look kindly upon Ferrans and their fellow dedication to the advancement of scientific research, and quite frequently engage in trade with them for the many resources they have access to. Some Frame designs have even been used to inspire independent Thalassan technologies in the past.

Lagorans and Cervari

Despite the technological prowess of the Lagorans, relations with the Thalassans have been mixed throughout history. The discovery of warpgate technology on Velora left a sour taste in the minds of many older Thalassans, who felt that it tarnished the reputation of Pelagia as the home of the most idealized technological development. However, following its initial introduction, those who were less inclined to hold a grudge became notable contributors to the more flowlike elements of warpgates (including optimized cooling systems and the use of waterproofing technology to shield the gates from the interstellar void), collaborating with individuals across many species and gaining major social capital for their success back on Pelagia. As a result, relations are now largely positive among younger Thalassans, though far more so with the Lagorans than the Cervari due to their technical expertise.

Inspiration Images

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  Link fix coming soon.

Concept Art

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  Sonya Steele.
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  Maria Steele, a Thalassan player character.
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  Arden Steele, a rather physiologically abnormal Thalassan.