The Amorusk

[Josasa]

The Amorusk

((Here is a rough first sketch of them))

Index

• Physiology - Biology
  
• Genders and Reproduction - Sociology
  
• Home Planet - Cityscape
  
• Communication - Individualism
  
• Plant Art
  
• Fighting
  
• Foreign Relations - Shipbuilding
  

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Physiology
The Amorusk are about 3 feet tall, but roughly 10 feet long, giving them a long, but low profile. On average, the Amorusk weigh about 200 lbs because of their heavy exoskeleton, along with an skeleton to support the vital organs that are located throughout the body. More on that in a bit.

At the very front of the Amorusk are what almost look like two shields. For the most part, that is the purpose these giant mutated claws actually serve. However, their tips come to a fine and sharp point, allowing them to pierce through materials and providing the Amorusk with a powerful natural weapon. At the same time they provide a good deal of defense as this is the area where the strongest armor is located. The chitin here is roughly three inches thick and can stop most things a Amorusk comes into contact with.

Behind these claw shields (not pictured) are two manipulating appendages that have tiny graspers on the ends. This allows the Amorusk to interact with its environment on a more intimate scale.

The head of the Amorusk appears to be sunken. This feature allows the Amorusk to extend the claw shields if provoked by an enemy. Two large eyes sit on this head, along with two sensitive antennae that can protrude over the claw shields if necessary. Several tentacle-like feelers hang down from the head of the Amorusk , which actually surrounds the mouth. These feelers alert the Amorusk to food and help the Amorusk locate its next meal.

The Amorusk is split up into roughly seven different segments although this can vary depending on the sex. Six main legs propel the Amorusk about, while another pair of smaller legs provide support when necessary further down the tail. At the very end of the Amorusk is a sharpened pincer that can be used to attack, although it lacks any venomous substance.

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Biology
-Nervous The center of the nervous system is a brain located in the Amorusk's head. Nerves extend along the back, although these are somewhat ineffective unless the chitinous armor has been pierced. Otherwise, these nerves do not help the Amorusk much. The Amorusk lacks and real pain sensing nerves in their claw shields, but they do have pressure sensors that alert the Amorusk if the claws are bumping into something or if they are being attacked. The belly of the Amorusk is the most sensitive because this is were the least armor is located. The antennae, feelers, and eyes of the Amorusk all serve as sensors to gather information.

-Digestive The digestive system starts with the mouth of the Amorusk which is located directly below the head. Almost immediately it is subjected to chemical breakdown as it travels along the gullet of the Amorusk which runs along the belly. Almost at the exact center of the Amorusk is a large sac that serves as storage for the Amorusk's food. This can hold a good amount of food, and allows the Amorusk to eat large meals one day and go without eating the next. Further down are a series of intestines which absorb the nutrients and the waste eventually exits near the end of the tail.

-Exoskeleton/Skeleton This is one of the systems that makes the Amorusk unique. The Amorusk has an exoskeleton which provides it with a natural armor and general support. At the same time, it also has a skeleton which supports the inner organs of the Amorusk.

-Muscular The muscular system of the Amorusk has nothing special about it. It is similar to most other races in that it allows the Amorusk to move about through the contraction of these muscles.

[UFO King]

Sweet, I love lobsters. (No, not as food.) Funny how the Amorusk aren't too well in the nervous department, while lobsters are actually very sensitive to being boiled alive. I can imagine them as being sold on the black market as a delicacy, kind of like the Omic only bigger.

[Josasa]

It could happen, I guess, if other races are in to that kind of thing. The meat probably wouldn't be as delectable as a real lobster, but it could be close.

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Genders and Reproduction
One of the major differences that separate the Amorusk from a majority of other races (if not all), is the fact that the Amorusk have three distinct sexes, all of which are required to produce a fertile offspring. There are only two major chromosomes, designated the Y and the Z, which make up the Amorusk species, but the three possible combinations of these chromosomes is what determines which sex the Amorusk will be at birth.

-YY (Aran) These Amorusk are generally the largest and strongest of all the Amorusk, but they are generally lacking in the brains department. Amorusk of this sex tend to favor jobs that demand hard labor, such as construction, the military, and other tasks of this nature. They provide the protection and the muscle for the rest of Amorusk society.

-YZ (Eren) These Amorusk are the 'females' of the group, in that they are the ones who are actually impregnated and carry around the eggs for a short period of time. Other than producing offspring, these Amorusk specialize in care giving and are the general nurses, educators, and caretakers of Amorusk society.

-ZZ (Irin) These Amorusk are somewhat smaller, but what they lack in power they make up for with their brains. These Amorusk tend to take jobs dealing with science and technology, along with trading and handling money in the basic economy of Amoruskian society.

Sexism is a blatant thing in Amoruskian society, but everyone recognizes this and accepts it. Certain Amorusk have certain capabilities, and they realize that they would do best in a certain job.

Reproduction takes place when three Amorusk come together. The process if very deliberate and normally preplanned. From their earliest stages of life, Amorusk search for mates and eventually settle with two other Amorusk of both opposite sexes. When this is done, this triplet will stay together for life.

When it comes time to consummate, the three Amorusk do their thing, but all three are required to produce offspring. The 'female' is typically pregnant for about two months until she lays the eggs. Afterward, she must incubate them for another two months before they start to hatch. In the meantime, the YY stands constant guard over the nest while the ZZ goes out in search of food for all three of the parents. The average litter contains twenty eggs. In ancient times, the survivability was roughly 30%, but in modern times the survivability has risen to 90%. This has created a large population boom that has required the government to intervene and impose family planning on the Amoruskian population to keep it under control.

Sociology
The Amorusk are very community oriented, especially among their tri-groups. All of the Amorusk are ruled over by the Tri, the name given to their leading triplet that is designated at birth to take control of the Amorusk. These three are forced to remain abstinent so that they can better focus on doing their jobs and making the decisions for the Amoruskian race. In earlier times, there were numerous Tri competing for dominance among their home planet, but for the past several hundred years, the Amoruskian race has been unified under one Tri. This has remained the same, even after the Amorusk have managed to explore and colonize several different systems within their neighborhood.

The Amorusk stick with their tri-groups for their entire lives, but they are still very social among these groups. In general, the different sexes choose jobs that they are best fit for, as mentioned above. In this way, Amoruskian society prospers in that they have the best fit Amorusk for specific jobs.

[Josasa]

Home Planet - Mimya
The home planet of the Amorusk is known as Mimya. Out of ten planets, it is the fourth from the sun, and the only one with natural life on it. This is the cradle of Amoruskian society, and is held in high esteem throughout the Amoruskian Conclave. Indeed, most races look to their home planet with deep love and compassion, but the Amorusk far surpass this. Their love for their home planet approaches religious fundamentalism. Although there is no real faith that any Amorusk follow, this is the closest thing they come to in that regard.

The home planet itself is full of water. A good portion of the land are swamps, which the Amorusk prefer. Since the Amorusk are at home on both land and in water, they are able to put to use a good portion of their home planet, including their coastlines and continental shelves that jut off into the ocean.

The rest of the planet is quite varied with several rain forests, grasslands, savannas, deserts, and mountainous regions. For the most part, the Amorusk can survive in any climate their home planet throws at them, as long as they create the right shelter and have the necessary resources around.

Cityscape
The Amorusk are very organized in their city design, although it may not look that way to an outsider. In many cases, their cities look similar to the hives of insects. Most of the buildings are located within a giant mound-shape structure. In the past, this structure would be made out of dried mud and various plant materials, but ever since then, these structures have been constructed in concrete, making them large and very sturdy, to say the least.

At the center of every city is the 'heart'—a giant open cavern that allows for a large group of Amorusk to assemble at one time. This is generally where speeches are given or celebrations are held. Surrounding this heart are numerous dwellings for all kinds of Amorusk. There is no real caste system, meaning that all Amorusk are equal to each other. Only the Tri is considered greater than the other Amorusk, in that they make the decisions and are followed without question. These dwellings make up almost all of the above-ground constructions, although several businesses and laboratories are sprinkled throughout.

The center of the underground structures are the barracks. These house the soldiers of the Amoruskian city and provide large areas for them to train. If the city ever comes under attack, the soldiers are quickly alerted and can respond within several minutes. Also below ground are the farms that produce nearly all of the food for the city. This includes growing several different plants, and the domestication of numerous species adapted to live underground. Several giant warehouses can also be found below ground.

Transport throughout the cities relies on several major 'arteries' that extend throughout the city itself. These branch out as need be, and also provide a way to get in and out of the city itself. Numerous offshoots extend throughout city, although these are smaller and can become quite cumbersome if transporting large objects.

Transport between different cities is normally down underground as well. Thanks to the domestication of the Inga, a native species on Mimya, the Amorusk have been able to create giant tunnels below ground with relative ease. These Inga are massive creatures, generally thirty feet in length, and seven in diameter. For the most part, they are giant worms, with the capability of tunneling through the underground with little trouble. In older days, it wasn't uncommon for Amorusk miners to stumble across networks of Inga tunnels. Back then, this was cause for alarm, as the Inga were omnivorous, and would devour anything in their path. Since then, thanks to domestication, these beasts have been relatively tamed, and put to work by the Amorusk.

[DarthGrievi]

Wow, you've gotten a lot of information up. I've read through about half of it so far, and what half I have is quite interesting.

Now I have to wonder, how do they communicate?

[yuu]

Homey homes are homey.

I'd so like to get the chance to visit one of those cities. : 3

Also, ride a giant worm.

[Josasa]

Done and done.

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Communication
The Amorusk, like many other species on their home planet and elsewhere, are able to communicate with each other with their vocal chords. They have an established language to distinguish what means what in order to transfer ideas between each other. This is generally used for intelligent applications, such as in education and business matters.

But the Amorusk also use pheromones for a more simple and primitive way of communicating between each other. These particles are better at indicating emotions and are much more common for colloquial language. At the same time, there is a universal "not" pheromone that can be used in conjunction with any other pheromone to mean the opposite of the indicated subject. In this way, the Amorusk can cover a variety of subjects while only using one pheromone to cover two things. For example, there is one pheromone released for 'happy' whereas that same pheromone is used in conjunction with the "not" pheromone to mean 'bad.'

These pheromones are not noticeable to most other races. The Amorusk have a highly adept sense of smell, and the pheromones themselves are dilute. An Amorusk could be reeking of a pheromone yet it wouldn't be recognizable to a being from another race.

Because of this secondary communication, it is not uncommon for Amorusk to sneak hidden meanings into their sentences carrying out a conversation. Foreigners can often get lost in the conversation if it suddenly takes a negative turn, seemingly out of nowhere. Chances are, one of the Amorusk started leaking out anger or aggressive pheromones signaling a sour mood. But the foreigner would be totally oblivious.

Individualism
At first glimpse, and outsider would probably see the Amorusk as being hiveminded and devoted to the continuation of their race. This wouldn't be completely incorrect, but there are several errors in these statements.

The Amorusk are very individualistic, but not in the normal sense. Each Amorusk sees their triplet (themselves and the two opposite sexes) as an individual. Foreigners would point out that this is not individualism at all. But from the Amoruskian perspective they are nothing without their mates. Because of this, the Amorusk are still very self interested, but in the sense that they are motivated to benefit everyone amongst their triplet.

However, there is no going against the Tri. What they say is law. Fortunately, it is an unspoken creed that the Tri refrains from developing too many laws or rules that would limit Amoruskian society to oppression.

[UFO King]

These guys are incredible. Do you think their physical similarities with the Yerxe could lead to a friendship?

[DarthGrievi]

Ha ha, I foresee diplomatic tensions until a comprehensive translator is developed

[Josasa]

I can see all sorts of friendships and alliances forming across the board, but I'll probably let the RP deciding that, rather than just basing it off of looks. I've always preferred things to go their own way, I just hope to provide a consistent creature from the perspective of the Amorusk.

And I'm actually looking forward to working their pheromones in the RP. Should be interesting to have a group of Amorusk chatting behind everyone's back without them even knowing it .

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Plant Art
One of the largest and most prevalent forms of art among Amorusk society is gardening. As mentioned above, the Amorusk live in large mound-shaped constructions that can be several kilometers wide. Massive tunnels stretch through these mounds as the arteries of the city, allowing Amorusk to move about with relative ease, but that's not to say that these tunnels are barren concrete walls. The Amorusk are very orderly in their city design, and at the same time love the beauty of nature found on their home planet (one of the many ways they worship their home planet). Because of this, the tunnels are ornately decorated with plants of all varieties. Giant trees stretch up to the ceiling, acting as supports, with large vines snaking around the trunks. Numerous flower beds can be spotted throughout the city, with no two designs the same. Bushes and smaller leafing plants are often arranged and trimmed into their own art forms.

But it's not only plant life that goes into the decoration. Intricate stone and sand pits are setup with the plants to add a touch of earth to the scenery. River beds are often seen running down the center of the larger tunnels with a variety of waterfalls and bends worked into the path. Normally, these small creeks will actually drain into a larger pond found at the intersections of important tunnels. These creeks are actually used as directions to help navigate through the cities. If you are very lost inside an Amorusk mound city, all you need to do is follow the flow of the river. This will eventually lead to an important intersection. From here, a larger river drains from the collected ponds, and down into even larger (and more important) intersections. Eventually you end up at the heart of the city, where a large lake resides.

[Josasa]

Here is a crudely drawn picture of the art description above:

((Pictured here is the 'heart' of an Amoruskian mound-city. There are examples of the plantlife, trimmed bushes, stonework, and the rivers which flow into the central lake, which can be seen at the bottom of the massive cavern. Numerous rivers flow into this lake and provide directions to the exploring foreigner.))

[Kitkat]

Sounds like a pleasant place to walk around

[crazen]

if your a kind of lobster people, and I only know a few...

Individualist Collectivists! Subterranean plants that grow in underground pools! you beat me to it, Josasa (I mean this in a lighthearted way)

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how do they fight?

[Josasa]

Well that depends. I guess I can give a rundown of both situations.

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Fighting
Fighting without weapons is a common practice within Amoruskian society, be it for pleasure, sport, or something based on anger. When fighting without weapons, it is very much like fencing. The Amorusk will clash, using their claw shields as shields to block their opponents attacks. The general strategy is to force your opponent on to their back, exposing the weaker armor and cutting off their ability to effectively parry any attacks you may make. If the fight was for sport, flipping an opponent is considered a win. If the fight was a matter of life or death, the sharp point that the bottom of the claw shield comes to is quite deadly and can puncture the skin of any creature with relative ease.

At the same time, in a battle for their lives, the Amorusk will often use their pincer tail to attack. This is very sharp as well, if not sharper than the claw shield. In sporting purposes, the pincer is normally covered to reduce the chances of accidentally fatally stabbing the opponent.

((More on their military in the next update))

[yuu]

Man, I'm loving these guys more and more! ;D

Any chance of the Amorusk accepting foreigners into their communities, as in a conversion of citizenship?

I could see some people wanting to get a change of pace in their lives by moving into these locales.