Physical Description

Note: The following information about the species was recorded by a v579 Hermes that crashed on a planet. The simple AI was carried around by a vah'rah who mistook it as a good luck charm. The AI was able to stay powered for ten years, including two years after the vah'rah lost it off its homeworld. It was then picked up by a researcher who tracked down its distress signal.

Due to the simple (relative) intelligence of the AI it is unknown how much of this information is accurate and how much of this information is a misunderstanding. Sightings of a species that matches some elements of this species have been reported since the notails achieved spaceflight but this does not confirm their existence.

> What the shape of the species you saw?

Animals, but like landscapes. The vah'rah are approximately 6 feet tall. Their bodies are covered with scales and fur which gives them a reptilian appearance. Their heads look like those of snakes.

Their necks are very long indeed. They extend past their shoulders and can wrap around the rest of their body twice before coming back down again. The neck is has a few branchlike flesh outcroppings which are very ridged.

The vah'rah have five arms, each ending in a sharp claw. These claws were strong enough to tear through metal armor without difficulty. Each arm also contained three fingers along with two large thumbs.

Their mouth opens by splitting in four ways. Each section has an eye.

> Where did you last spot one?

There was a large one growing near a hillside.

Note: The vah'rah have been implied by the AI to "grow like a tree" while being made of flesh. It seems they can "take root" into the ground to grow.

Personality

> How did this species act towards each other?

They are friendly towards each other. They play games together and share food together.

> Do they have leadership and what is their leadership like?

There's a group who appear to be wearing some sort of uniform. Their leader looks very old, almost gaunt looking. He wears a crown on his head and carries around something similar to an axe. His eyes glow red whenever he speaks or laughs.

> Why is it so hard to find a vah'rah?

Their society is very secretive. All members must be registered before being able to exit the village and even then only those who are officially allowed in may leave their homes unaccompanied. Anyone caught leaving without permission will face severe punishment such as exile or death.

Vah'rah's society is run by a council known as the Council which consists of five elected representatives each from the Five Towns Alliance. Each representative serves for life and cannot resign their position.

The vah'rah are also highly intelligent creatures and possess many tricks and strategies for survival. Because of this, most information regarding the vah'rah is kept secret from outsiders.

> What is their general temperament?

The vah'rah are generally peaceful creatures and never attack unless provoked. However, if someone does harm them in any way, they will take revenge on whoever did it, their family, and even their whole species. This includes killing innocents if necessary. They are also extremely loyal to their alliance partners.

History

> Do you know anything about their history?

The vah'rahs believe that they were once slaves under an Empire. When that empire fell, so did theirs too. They decided to form their own nation-state called Nalin.

> How was Nalin built?

Nalin was founded by a group of vulgars (a race of short bipedals) who wanted to escape their miserable existence under the oppressive rule of the Empire. After several centuries of peace, the vulgars finally succumbed to warring factions. One day, a group of barbarian species attacked their villages. The vulgars fought bravely against them, but eventually they lost control over most of their territory. The vah'rah had enough of the fighting.

The vah'rahs massacred every single person living in the villages. They burned houses down, killing everyone inside. Only the vah'rahs who live rather wildly with barely any shelter survived.

> You said in a past interview that the Ebon Citadel is important to this species, what is the Ebon Citadel?

The Ebon Citadel is said to be a place where gods live forever. There have been many attempts to reach this mysterious location, but none have ever succeeded. The only thing known about this place is that it exists somewhere above ground level and contains several floors filled with treasures. Some contain treasure chests full of gold coins, others hold magical objects such as staffs and staves that allow people to cast powerful spells, still others house statues of gods or goddesses who control various aspects of nature itself.

> What happened to the vah'rah? Do they still live?

Over time, the vah'rah population grew stronger and faster than anyone could keep up with. They would reach space by unknown means, but an unknown alien race was spotted in the area. Vah'rah seem to be friendly towards aliens. In fact, they tend to prefer them over other races. This may be due to having once lived among aliens themselves. Until of course, they killed them all.

Home Planet

> What is the homeworld like?

Nalin is a planet covered with forests and lush jungles. It has an atmosphere that has very little pollution. Its oceans are filled with drinkable fresh water. There are several cities scattered throughout the land including two major ones called Teckleville and New Haven.

Teckleville is a large city made up mostly of wooded areas surrounded by mountains. Its center lies near the mountain range known as the Teckleville Mountains. The city itself was founded by a group of vah'rah who wanted to escape their harsh lives underground and enjoy nature again.

New Haven is a small town located deep within the forested hillsides. It was once home to many families until a plague wiped out most of them. Today, it remains quiet and peaceful as it always has been before.

> What are the fauna like on the planet?

Note: The AI proceeded to give a list of fauna. It is believed that most if not all of these are misinterpretations by the AI. As the vah'rah did not name their animals due to it not "being the right thing to do" these placeholder names have been given.

Bear: These creatures resemble large bipedels with bear bodies and notail heads. They usually live in groups and are fierce fighters when angered.

Wolf: Wolves are small beasts with wolf-like faces. Their eyes glow red when angry and they growl loudly when frightened or surprised. Wolf ears twitch back and forth while their tails wag slowly.

Cat: Cats are small furry mammals with cat-like bodies. They have long whiskers at the end of each finger and a tail that resembles a snake.

Dog: Dogs are small muscular mammals with dog-like features. Their fur ranges from white to black and they have three toes on each paw. Dog noses point straight forward while their mouths hang open, revealing rows of sharp teeth.

Dinosaur: Dinosaurs are massive creatures that resembled giant lizards with dinosaur-like necks and tails. Some were bipeds while others walked on all fours. All dinosaurs had two clawed fingers and five fingered hands, each ending in a hand axe or mace tip.

Anchorite: Anchorite are huge creatures that resemble enormous whales. They have whale-like bodies and fins for swimming. Anchors can breathe air and water.

Alien Creatures: These creatures are very different than anything you've ever seen before. They're completely alien looking, but they have some similarities with humans.

Note: It is believed the last one is another unknown species.

> What other info do you know about the homeworld?

It seems that there is something strange going on on this planet... Something terrible! The people here seem to be suffering from some sort of plague or disease. There has been an increase in violent behavior by those under its influence.

There is also a flower that grows on Nalin. It covers many areas. It looks similar to a sunflower, but much larger and redder. When touched by someone, this flower causes them to become happy for several hours. Anyone who touches the flower becomes extremely friendly towards everyone until they die of exhaustion or hunger.

Subspecies

Underground: Lives underground and uses its special sense organs to detect life forms below it.

Seafloaters: These creatures live above ground and use their sense organs to detect living beings above it. They are carnivorous, eating anything edible and liquid.

Special

No use hiding: The vah'rah have a number of special sense organs which allow it to see objects which can be classified as invisible and sounds that are typically inaudible to even some of the best hearers. It is unknown how the organs work.

Trivia

• They appear to love music and dance. Their dances involve moving slowly while tapping their feet together rapidly.

• The vah'rahs skin is extremely tough and flexible. It takes multiple blows from a blunt object to cause damage to the vah'rah.

• Some believe there is a whole network of species that exist in the universe that has not been contacted by any means except by individuals who cannot prove what had happened. While this is unlikely, groups are attempting to mount evidence these species exist. During a vote while 89% of the Federation did not believe in a network of hidden species in space, 76% of Federation members did believe the vah'rahs were a real species and voted them into specieshood despite the lack of evidence of their existence. Many who are still trying to get their people approved as a species express extreme distaste for the passing, believing it to be a universal joke that gives them no laughter.

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