[Cosmosdex] The Universal Encyclopedia

[Cosmosdex]

Zodiac

A beacon of hope in the sky.....

The star Zodiaca is, in stellar terms, unremarkable. What makes it different to the teeming billions of other stars is that it is orbited by twelve habitable planets and on every single one, a native sentient species. Together, they are the Zodiac.

Lore

A series of entries containing the lore of the Zodiac System and its varied inhabitants.

History

The Zodiaca system was a tiny, isolated island of life, an unremarkable dot in the vastness of space, untouched by outside forces. Around its flickering star, eleven planets orbited, each one bearing the seeds of life. Each one, developing a species of its own.

Eons passed, and many of the species used telescopes and discovered what they had only theorized before; the presence of life outside their worlds, other civilisations and other beings. Some contacts were made by crude radio, slow and faltering across space, but the limitations of light largely kept people to themselves.

Council

Seated in their grand amphitheater, on the peak of the gleaming council station, the Zodiac Council is the guiding authority of the twelve species of Zodiaca. Its main efforts go towards helping keep the at-times-fractious inhabitants from each other's throats, as well as directing efforts to ensure that both at home and beyond the stars, its member species have a fair and equal chance at life. While there is frequently dissatisfaction with the proceedings or results of the council sessions, the system has endured since long before travel between star systems was a reality, and shows no signs that it will not continue to help billions of citizens for the foreseeable future.

Species
of the Zodiac

The zodiac system is one of the most diverse in the universe. Find out about its native species here.

Aqualisces

They are insecure and shy creatures whose true forms are the "inside-out" versions of themselves. However, ever since they've seen another sentient species that didn't like how they looked, they have hidden this form underneath their more family-friendly interior in fear that others would think the same way. This interior was meant to be used for only a small time and while the Aqualisces are able to be in it indefinitely, it causes uncharacteristic extremism.

Ariesa

The ariesa have two semi separate societies due to their temporal dimorphism, Sun ariesa live in large cities with a focus on a life of peace and quiet, while moon ariesa live in smaller nomadic tribes with a focus on combat and trial by fire. Though the personalities of the two ariesa are quite different, and would normally lead to constant conflict between the two societies, the ariesa have actually come to a peace agreement between one another.

BVo9

BVo9 love to drive fast. They enjoy going fast, and being fast. Despite their crazed appearance and constant movement, they generally have easy-going outlooks on life, requiring nothing more than grass and an open road. They speak in dense lingo. For instance, "waystays" are obstructing people, things or events that are staying in the way of their continued moving around. At most they get mildly annoyed and move around a waystay.

Carcili

While carcili sleep, fragments of their mind drift loose from their body and 'stretch out'. If these fragments encounter another's mind, the cariclli takes control over the mind's body, a process referred to as "being dreamed". Carcili are unable to direct their dreaming at long ranges to anyone they have not already dreamed. At short range however, they are usually able to determine between potential dreams and direct the drift.

Duckarium

Ducklings of the duckariums are generally shy, which is the opposite of adults who are extremely social. Although they wear pots to hide their feelings, they love to make friends and usually will try to make many, and even though they can be irritating and noisy they are never malicious. Sometimes duckariums will suddenly isolate themselves from acquaintances to meet other people. One of the most notorious things about duckariums is the pots that they wear on their heads.

Gemimi

The gemimi is an affectionate and peaceful herbivore. Their love of travel keeps them on the move, they never feel like they have truly found their place in the world, and while for some gemimis this makes them nervous and uncertain, others enjoy the excitement of meeting new people. Gemimi are social creatures, normally they carefully build a friend group that understands them and their needs.

Kapricanus

The kapricani are a nomadic species, travelling along the numerous aquatic landscapes that form their most comfortable habitats. Kapricani have been seen settling along ocean coasts, rivers, lakes, and rarely in swamps. There was one documented case of a clan of kapricani settling in a rice paddy, though the kapricani that were born that year were observed to be stunted and ill, as well as a reduced harvest of rice that year.

Leo

Leos tend towards being a very friendly species, treating other leos and different species alike with respect, so long as it is returned. After all, leos see themselves as being part gods, and believe they should be treated as such. If leos are not treated as at least equals in any group, they may lose sense of any group mentality and may turn to only being concerned with themselves. However, they may lose morale. Though the leo will act independent and proud, it's important to them to feel accepted and needed in their "prides," or crews.

Libraille

The libraille value peace and life above all other ideals, and it is every libraille's personal mission to further that goal on their adventures. They enjoy debate, hearing new viewpoints and ideas, and relax by learning about and spending time around peaceful cultures. The majority of Libraille have a powerful wanderlust, spurring them onward before long to seek out new species and new locations in which to foster peace.

Sagittari

Sagittari are usually friendly people, if you can keep one around long enough to actually chat with them. They are notably shy of other species, usually because they're scared others will see their zombie-like appearance and toss them out the nearest airlock. However, they love making new friends and will gladly befriend anyone willing to look past the fact that they are literal zombies.

Skokakrio

The skokakrio society is a very reclusive and individual-based one. It is somewhat rare to see multiple skokakrio together, as most skokakrio will try to kill another of their species on sight. This is because skokakrio are known to hold grudges, almost to an unrealistic level - if one insults a skokakrio's appearance, expect that skokakrio's grandson, knowledge of that insult passed down through generations, to come seeking revenge on that offender one hundred years later.

Virgora

Virgora are often described as being cold and unfeeling, however the truth is that they don't feel emotion as strongly as most other species. They have a very logic based way of thinking and have very low intuition. Due to this, virgora have a harder time understanding more emotional species in their actions and reactions. Space faring virgora will sometimes try to imitate emotional response from their friends and crew mates, however they're liable to misunderstand, over exaggerate, or mix up certain adjectives to describe their feelings.

Ophiuchus

In ancient times, before they could talk or fly between planets, the inhabitants of the Zodiaca system would see flickers in the corner of their eyes, movement where nothing existed. They never saw it no matter how fast they turned, but everyone knew when it was there. The unknowable fear of all their species, that no matter how hard they tried to banish from their minds would never go away.

Notable
Locations

This section contains the planets and places that make up the Zodiac System.

Anatida

Anatida is a place visited frequent for various things, conflicts, peace, love, friendship, but it is rarely noticed for the curious and peculiar culture of the beings that usually speak QUACK or other similarities of it. It is believed that at the beginning of time, there was a beautiful and unique duckarium in Anatida, without the pots to hide her feelings she wandered Anatida, on a search for a meaning in her life.

Unity

A lush and muggy planet with shallow seas, extensive swampland in low-lying regions, and thick jungle at higher elevations. From space, the effect of a long history of meteor impacts is visible through the numerous ring-shaped mountain ranges. Multiple major meteor impacts have left Unity rock rich in metals, and millions of stayd libraille live and work in a globe-spanning network of tunnels.