Races of Eden: The Dromidae

Alien scholars and wizards who’s minds are difficult to comprehend, the Dromidae have imposed upon themselves the burden of discovering much of Adel’s history and secrets. From their wholly biological cities in the Forlorn Void, the Dromidae evolved into a race of powerful arcanists who employed what they call “the power of life” to create their floating empire. The Dromidae’s incredible intellect comes with the price of social dysfunction in Adel. Outside the range of their Queen’s telepathic presence, Dromidae find it difficult to be emotive, and when interacting with non-Dromidae they can have trouble communicating ideas and feelings across. Nonetheless, their appearance has made a marked change in the culture of Adel.

Physiology

Most Dromidae look quite readily alike, and without close examination of features, such as precise hair color, eye color, skin tone, and the length of the individual’s head hair, two Dromidae of the same gender would look very alike. In fact, unless entirely nude, Dromidae of different genders would also look very alike, as all of them are very effeminate. Dromidae are upright-walking humanoids quite resembling of human beings. The only real alien touch to their external anatomy is the addition of long, ribbon-like antennae. Dromidae vary in height, but are never much taller than five and a half feet. Their physique is never imposing – Dromidae find it very hard to build muscle and fat. Most Dromidae are rather slender.

Dromidae have certain features that make it seem as though all of them are mass-produced. To start with, their skin is either pale or brown, with no exceptions. Their eyes are either red or gold, again with no exceptions. Their hair is either pink, red or white. Their hair is either back-length (usually straight) or neck-length (usually in a bob). Some Dromidae who’ve been around Adelians might adopt their hairstyles, and these tend to wear ponytails. These features have no variation. It’s either one or it is the other, but aside from the combination of features, most Dromidae won’t seem too unique.

All Dromidae faces look very alike, though there can actually be minor variations in say, the length of the nose, or the shape of the head. Their faces are rather oval or round and feminized as a rule. Despite looking “the same” Dromidae have distinct identities and presences that people pick up on. If you have been around the same Dromidae for some time, when you meet another, regardless of how similar they are, you’ll be able to tell them apart. This is part of the same mechanism that Dromidae use to tell each other apart readily, and is perhaps magical in nature.

Dromidae reproduce sexually and undergo mammalian birth. Dromidae courtship and the way they “fall in love” are both rather odd and sometimes spontaneous, but immigrant Dromidae on Adel can accept any race as a suitable mate. Imperial Dromidae do not – they reserve themselves for another Dromidae. During their lifespan, Dromidae grow at much the same pace as humans do, but remain rather short until fifteen to twenty years of age. Dromidae do not age much at all. Female Dromidae’s bodies develop only small amounts of curvature, and the frames of male Dromidae do not bulk up much during their lifespan. Dromidae’s faces and bodies are mostly hairless, without so much as stubble through their lives.

There are some few Dromidae who never enter their growth spurt, and will look pre-pubescent or pubescent even as adults. The only way to tell their age reliably is to look at the length of the antennae, which is proportionate to the growth of a “normal” Dromidae. Dromidae who possess this “mutation” are often perceived as being of superior magical power (which they often are) and intellect (which is a superstition), but are more prone to illness and physical fatigue.

Though they seem like humans on the outside, a Dromidae’s innards defy explanation. Most of their body seems like a shell of human form, masking an interior of purplish-yellow coiled organs like masses of ropey worms tied together. Even the Dromidae’s brain looks like a mess of ropey worms. Physicians believe that the Dromidae were, at some point in their past, aberrant worm-like beings that evolved humanoid form. Now their old physiology is atrophied and encased within the human shell. Very few Dromidae dissections and autopsies have ever occurred, so most people are not aware of this fact.

History

The Dromidae began life in the forlorn void as, it is believed, aberrant lifeforms trudging through the darkness and the spilled debris of distant, broken worlds, carried there by the violent forces of the Crawling Chaos. Remains of void monstrosities found on the floating space debris show several different creatures that could have been progenitors to the Dromidae, but none have been conclusively proven. Most of them were long, grey creatures, some with fins as though large aberrant fish, others merely featureless worms, many tentacled horrors. Any of these could’ve been the proto-Dromidae.

What is known is conclusively known is that the Dromidae were not entirely humanoid before, and unable to use tools. They began as a race that utilized the powers of their minds to shape their environments. Soon, however, they had built shelter and protection for themselves, and interacted with other creatures, some hostile, but all more suitable for labor than they were. The Dromidae conquered the haphazard food chain of the void and used these creatures for their own labors, twisting them to better shapes. Their shape, too, changed as their environment became more comfortable and protective and as they settled into their roles as Masters of the void, until they resemble what Adelians can see today.

The first contact with the Dromidae happened before the Intolerable War. The Aptoan military began to spot unidentified magical objects in the skies around Adel. When one of these vessels finally landed, the Adelians launched an attack upon it. They were quickly and efficiently destroyed by the Dromidae, who, amazed by the novelty of these simple creatures, met with their leaders and quickly informed them that though they stood absolutely no chance of defeating the Dromidae, they wouldn’t have to, because the Dromidae surrendered. This, unfortunately, led to the Dromidae officers being abused and tortured, rather than the Dromidae’s expected outcome of peace. A few more ships appeared, and a few minor scuffles later, and the Dromidae surrendered again, this time with seven vessels ready to gas the Imperial capital in Emderuer with acid until all life in it was eradicated. This final surrender was graciously accepted by the Adelians.

Though their relationship started off bumpy to say the least, the Adelians quickly took a liking to the Dromidae. The natural curiosity and inquisitiveness of the Dromidae, as well as their great knowledge of their own history and powers, inspired the Adelians to seek theirs. The Aptoan Empire began to subsidize a massive rush to record its history and culture, delve into its darkest places for long-sleeping secrets, and advance its magi-technological prowess until they could match the Dromidae. Even in the present, this dream is still far-off – the most efficient Prism Vessels of the Adelians, which can float in the sky like Dromidae vessels, would find a battle with a Dromidae vessel to be very difficult, and require numbers in order to win.

The Dromidae advised the Adelians in the effort, their cold logic tempering the hopeful fires of the Aptoan’s passion. The attitudes of the Adelians, however, were infectious. This meeting marked the next phase of the Dromidae’s evolution. They had humanoid bodies, and powerful tools. Now what they wanted was to develop culture, like the Adelians had. Their concept of beauty was efficiency, but this was changing. They saw the many works of the Adelians, and the strange significance that these held with the population, and they envied it. The Dromidae began to seek their hearts rather than their brains. This evolution continues to this day, but certainly, the Dromidae first met by the Adelians were far less emotive than the ones alive now.

The Dromidae have grown so much that they understand (and feel ashamed of) of their gaffes during the first stages of contact. Though they pay no particular attention to the Dromidae tortured and even vivisected by Adelians during the very brief Aptoa-Dromidae war. They have since developed their own culture as they never before had one, with unique art, music and stories. They discovered religion and found their own things to worship, alongside Adel’s spirits (such as their priestesses and Queen). There no longer exist wholly unemotional Dromidae – each successive generation has contributed to the cultivation of a unique personality for the Dromidae, still strange and seemingly dysfunctional to the Adelians, but slowly improving.

Way of Life

The Dromidae are through and through the “city-slickers” of the Eden world. They are loath to perform rough physical labor, often using their magic powers to take care of it. All Dromidae are capable of at least a mild telekinetic push, even the youngest of them. As they grow older, their natural magic only gets more pronounced. Since Dromidae physique is entirely against them in these aspects, Dromidae tend to give up on physical labor. All Dromidae-made games and sports use magic. Dromidae warriors fight with their weapons either through biological tricks (their weapons are organisms, so for example, a Dromidae sword might spit natural poison) or, if saddled with a mundane weapon, by wrapping telekinetic force around it to increase the oomph of an attack. When unable to do magic, Dromidae are unlikely to bother accomplishing anything.

In their own worlds, Dromidae are all considered nobles. They do no labor – they develop biological organisms, mass-bred slaves, to perform their work. All Dromidae perform intellectual or light service duties. Dromidae born on Adel and living in Adel’s societies tend towards the same roles. Dromidae will perform either creative, academic or administrative endeavors. If a Dromidae becomes a cook, he or she will probably find that an artistic endeavor, so many things can be rationalized that way, as long as they don’t involve harsh physical labor. But for the most part, Dromidae take on bookish roles.

Most Dromidae can be seen as a little naive. At first, they can also seem somewhat awkward and dysfunctional. It’s as though they are trying to understand others, but gleefully coming to (and applying) wrong conclusions. They may laugh at inappropriate times, become insulted and hurt by seemingly normal things, sarcasm might go over their heads. Many Dromidae have blank or dispassionate natural facial expressions, and look very strange and fake when they try to smile or laugh. They have little conception of social roles, and unless told it’s wrong or unwanted, they might, say, walk up to a political figure for a chat. In artistic endeavors, they tend to create works with injected, overly-complicated themes that come off as an artificial (a Dromidae might paint an abstract landscape, and then come up with an obtuse explanation of why it represents misery and dreadfulness). Not all Dromidae behave this way – some are more or less adjusted to Adelian culture than this.

Dromidae hate filth and disease. Their phobia ranges from the subtle (wearing gloves so as not to touch things with their hands) to the insane (torching all tools after they’ve been used by someone else) depending on the individual. Dromidae tend to wear full-body garments and robes, along with long stockings, elbow gloves and high necks. Their faces are the only part they leave uncovered. However, Dromidae can overcome this and wear other clothing if they truly care about another person and wish to impress them or adhere to their social norms. For example, it is said that if one can coax a Dromidae into wearing a light evening dress, then that Dromidae must be madly in love with you.

The above saying is fitting for any Dromidae. Dromidae’s biological sexes are only mildly differentiated (by sexual organs) and their bodies always tend towards the effeminate. Therefore “cross-dressing” (the concept of cross-dressing as something odd or taboo is mostly unknown to Dromidae) is common, and either sex can develop either gender identity, with no real social repercussions among Dromidae. In Adel, it’s a little strange, but accepted. Dromidae’s conception of “marriage” or spending their life in a more committed or exclusive relationship with a specific other, comes in the form of a psychic “click.” It is very rare that two Dromidae of the same sex feel the “click” – the probability, in fact, borders on the impossible. However, Dromidae can still have casual engagement with same-sex partners of their own race. Not only that, but Dromidae can “click” with same-sex partners of a non-Dromidae race. The reasons for this complex relationship are poorly understood. Two Dromidae who “click” together will court each other, since both feel the “click.” However, a Dromidae that “clicks” with a non-Dromidae race can be rejected, and the feelings from that are very alien and hurtful to Dromidae, far more than to any other creature. If the Dromidae ever recovers, he or she might “click” with someone else.

Social Standing

Dromidae tend to have luxurious positions in Adelian society. In their own society, every Dromidae that isn’t the Queen or a Blood Priestess, or placed in a position of command by them, is entirely equal to every other Dromidae. But Dromidae on Adel find entire communities that they are of “higher class” than. As Dromidae have immigrated to Adel, the rare Dromidae villager or townsfolk have appeared, but most Dromidae are still “on loan” (however indefinitely) from the Empire, and acting out certain duties, such as researching Adelian culture, copying (by hand) Adelian books on important magic (this is, for example, the sad fate of the Dromidae Exarse Gaul in Andaliel, who’s duty to copy certain magic texts from the Points of Light church are constantly delayed by the Church’s refusal to let him copy anything), or studying Adelian governmental models, acting as advisors in the government (for the novelty of it – they find all Adelian politics abhorrent compared to their biologically-mandated system of governance). Dromidae therefore have very strange positions in Adelian society.

Damakran and Dromidae get along poorly. Dromidae classified Damakran as a slave race to the Iomadi and Rhonnu when they first began to study Adelian culture. This was their attempt to rationalize Adelian’s society using their own models. It has unfortunately stuck. Dromidae seem to believe Iomadi and Rhonnu to be a rough equivalent to their “rulers,” Cuporo, Athirua, and everything else to be their equivalent of “citizens” and Damakran to be burly slave labor that is being humored with social rights by the benevolent creatures truly in charge of the Adelian world. Dromidae who are around long enough realize this isn’t true – but they then scorn Damakran for being “stupid” and having “nothing interesting” to afford them.

Dromidae get along best with Iomadi, who are the most populous race in Adel and therefore hold the most promise for the Dromidae. Rhonnu appreciate the Dromidae’s constant and ignorant stroking of their ego. Athirua can at first believe themselves kin to the Dromidae, but are quickly turned off by Dromidae’s strange personalities and especially their biological triggers for lasting courtship, which tend to clash with the Athirua’s romantic views.

Dromidae In Play

Dromidae offer the player an alien “other” in Eden, trying to fit in with a different society. Dromidae are aberrant, beautiful, magical and rather insane. The particular peculiarities of your Dromidae will be what sets him or herself apart from others, more than appearances and powers. Come up with personality quirks and push them three steps further than they would be in a human being. Don’t be afraid to play, in part, a caricature – in a sense, Dromidae are a race trying to have culture and emotion by applying caricatures they see in the lives they are studying. Dromidae can be awkward and strange and even “fake.” They are aliens trying not to be alien. Choose how familiar or unfamiliar you want to be, design a personal history, and give yourself a goal. Develop the relationships with other player characters, and assign them (erroneous) social roles. As your character develops, your hierarchical gaffes may remain or may be washed away as your character’s bonds with others tighten.