Cepheids

An extremely violent species that ranked among the most advanced beings of the BZH years, the Cepheids originated in and emerged as the dominant civilization of a region of space called the Alpha Chain, with their home world being the disaster zone, Zreda Minor, in the heart of the Lost Galaxy.

An arsenic-based araathi life form that evolved from a vicious animal called the mor'kri, the Cepheids were highly intelligent but their biochemistry, heavily saturated with kreichan (a substance unique to their kind, the result of which was akin to gallons of adrenaline being pumped permanently throughout their bodies), left them always on edge and full of insatiable rage, accounting for their brutal warlike ways in the early days.

Imposing, broad creatures standing 15 feet tall or more, characterized by smooth bronze or copper skin, soft dark hair, reptilian eyes, wolf-like fangs, twisted holes in the torso over the heart where the birth cord was attached, and thatches on the hands and feet (rough patches that functioned as gravitational adhesives, allowing them to climb straight up or down a vertical surface or to jump from one location to another with impossible skill), the Cepheids were biologically unparalleled in their region of space, possessing greatly enhanced strength, speed and gravity-defying agility. This made them natural conquerors and, for a time, a major threat to even the Xilon.

Cepheid mating is a violent process called rok'sha, during which the males go into heat and are driven to reproduce. During this cycle, which occurs once a year and normally lasts for three days, the male pursues and catches the first Cepheid female it can find, injecting a cluster of eggs into her abdomen through a set of retractable tendrils, which emerge from the palms during a state of arousal. The process is short, lasting only a few minutes, but is extremely painful for the receiver. The eggs gestate for a period of 4 - 6 weeks, during which time they are slowly moved into a protective pouch outside of the body, which grows to surround the female's stomach. When the infants are fully developed, the entire section detaches from the female's body and the surviving newborns must claw their way out.

For the better part of the BZH years, Cepheid existence was marked by civil war, invasion of other planets, the enslavement of alien species and general self destruction. When working in organized troops, their modus operandi was to either wipe out the population of a desired world and terraform it for themselves, or simply turn the planet into an outpost of their own empire, using the locals as forced labor.

Requiring a chlorine atmosphere and liquid ammonia to survive, Cepheids were highly susceptible to the conditions of most alien planets; however, advanced military exosuits protected them from exposure and, coming from a high gravity environment, the ease with which they moved through the atmospheres of other worlds, combined with their size and innate physical abilities, made them virtually unstoppable. For a time, a subspecies called the Syrilen fought for peace and attempted to improve their lot by dulling the effects of kreichan but were destroyed before they could complete their work.

After the Battle at Gandaranoc, the Cepheids slowly began to unite and eventually learned how to control their violent tendencies through medication and rigid social constructs, continuing the revolutionary work of the lost Syrilen. By the late Expansion Era, after a massive reconstruction effort, the species emerged as an extremely powerful but respectable empire that went on to spread across numerous galaxies, ultimately becoming close allies of the Xilon. Alien Species: Kilyels  >>