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DOMAIN
Mithraeho Domain
CLASS
Species
SPECIES
Mithraeho
AUTHOR
Devin Deng
LAST UPDATE
September 1st, 2021
The Mithraeho are a sophont race of heptapods originating from the nearly tidally locked planet of Dakhara. They are one of the primary Newborn Races of the Galactic Commonwealth with their current government being the Mithraeho Spheres.
The planet of Dakhara was one composed of a scorching side, frozen side, and a life-filled band in between the two. It is a planet that is nearly tidally locked, meaning that it would rotate very slowly on a geological time frame. This meant that most of the life born on Dakhara had to adopt nomadism, traveling every few years to stay within the habitable zone.
The Mithraeho possess seven limbs consisting of a tail, four arms, and two legs. The tail and legs act to help maintain balance and move the Mithraeho around while the arms are used to manipulate the environment. The rear and fore structures each possess their own rudimentary brain to allow for more advanced control. Meanwhile, the primary brain is situated within the head, an elongated structure possessing three eyes and a four-part mouth. The head is mounted on a neck that is dotted with spiracles for both communication and breathing. Scattered along their backs are tubular structures that extrude growths known as “blooms”. These are essentially autotrophic appendages utilized by Mithraeho to help vent heat as well as collect energy from sunlight through photovoltaic cells. These appendages are common amongst Dakharan species, used to attract mates in ritualistic dances. While these blooms are no longer needed by Mithraeho due to their domestication of many species and the increased amounts of meat in their diet, they still act as sexual ornaments.
Mithraeho are hermaphroditic and utilize a form of spermatophore to mate. Once the eggs are fertilized they will spend a few months formulating an egg. This egg will have a shell composed of photovoltaic cells and thus can develop on its own.
Ancient Mithraeho societal status placed heavy emphasis on one's control over the various domesticated animals of Dakhara, with the animals serving as both currency and beasts of burden. This was due to the need to transport large amounts of people and goods during migratory periods.
The ramipede was the center of Mithraeho civilization, its unique physiological traits leading it to be bred to fill many different niches. Mithraeho culture emphasized total usage of the carcass of a ramipede, from using its carapace as armor to its bones as building material.
Hammerhead ramipedes were bred to be short, stocky, and heavily armored. This led to its extensive use in clearing foliage, demolition, and as a war mount used by shock cavalry.
The treader ramipede specializes in carrying loads and thus was bred for endurance. They lacked most of their armor, possessing only small scales of vestigial plating. Harnesses such as saddles and photoworm mills were mounted on the backs of these creatures. It's not uncommon to see a Mithraeho leader travel by having their hut placed on a mobile platform and having hundreds of treader ramipedes tow it. Treader ramipedes abilities and applications gained them the moniker “zed takthakna”, meaning “walking civilization”.
The gluttonous ramipede were the equivalent of human cattle for the Mithraeho. They were engorged on photoworms and plants and thus were forced to be quite fat. It was said that in only a few thousand years, the gluttonous ramipede went from a twenty percent average body fat to four hundred percent average body fat.
Tracker ramipedes are the smallest breed of their brethren. They had extremely strong senses of smell and speed, allowing them to run down prey for their handlers quickly.
Photoworms were mobile autotrophs that were flat and moved by expanding and compressing themselves. Photoworm colonies often sync their crawl rates to maintain a specific position in relation to the sun, allowing for nearly non-stop crawling. To gain a height advantage, photoworms would also climb onto tall plants and other animals. Photoworms served as one of the primary food sources for Mithraeho and ramipedes and were often ground up into a jelly for preservation.
Jeweled beetles were small, brilliantly colored insectoids that were used as a symbol of wealth and status within Mithraeho culture. Their value stemmed from both their beautiful shells as well as their difficulty to maintain. Their shells would be used to adorn clothing while live specimens would be placed in jars to act as jewelry.
Mithraeho mating rituals consist of a series of rapid flapping and blooming between prospective partners. Larger and more colorful fronds would be chosen as mates due to it displaying their ability to survive in spite of their handicap.
Due to the incredibly strong winds that would flow from the hot to the cold side, Mithraeho would make extensive use of windmill technology. This often came in the form of modular photoworm grinders mounted on the backs of treader ramipides.
Due to the manner in which Dakhara rotates, two opposite ends of the planet are in a state of perpetual habitability, providing ideal locations for static cities and civilizations to establish themselves. The Mithraeho people in these areas would live in deep holes and caves to protect themselves from the strong winds and storms of Dakhara. Due to the large amounts of rain, these holes would have sewer systems that drained into underground oceans, which themselves provided the Mithraeho with food and natural resources. Multiple holes would sometimes be interconnected over time via trenches and tunnels, forming slot canyon civilizations. Nomadic Mithraeho also used similar holes and canyons to act as waystations.