Iegans
Table of contents:
Homeworld: Iego 7, a moon in the Iego system, covered in extremely tall forests and treacherous mountain ranges with some oceans. Most life is adapted to flight or exists as an arboreal species. It is in very close proximity to Iego 6.
Known sentient species: The Iegans of Iego 7, have several sub-species, the most common known being Angels, Dark Angels, and Demons. these designations are purely symbolic and hold no ethereal or supernatural bearing on the species in question.
They evolved placental avian-mammalians birds.
They are all humanoid, bipedal and bi-ocular, with varying dietary needs and social structures.
The Angels (Iegan Avian)
Artisans, scholars, musicians and scientists, the Angels of Iego 7 have the most academic society on Iego 7. As peaceful as they are, they've no by means weak, and long ago, won a great battle against the Demon clans, exiling them to Iego 6.
They enjoy a peaceful treaty with the Dark Angel tribes, but mostly remain as separate territories.
Abilities:
• Flight—Blessed with feathered wings that allow flight at great speeds, with exceptional aerial maneuverability, their eyes have natural membranes that protect their vision from high pressure winds.
Their wings can fold and compress neatly against their back and shoulders, allowing them to be covered under normal clothing, but without special made flaps, clothing will restrict their ability to fly on demand – some Iegans who have grown up as orphans away from other Iegans, sometimes fail to learn this folding ability.
Their bodies are entirely suited for flight, with great flexibility, coordination, and tolerance for varying levels of atmosphere and altitude.
Their skeletal structures are as strong as most bipedal beings, but somehow lighter, aiding their aerial mobility. The cause of this, is possibly due to naturally occuring carbon fibres in their bones, which match the strength of most beings, with a fraction of the weight.
• Enhanced respiratory system—Angels have compound lungs and can hold their breath for up to an hour, survive at high altitudes and deep sea pressures (the latter only applies if they have an air-supply).
They also have high resistance against airborne toxins, and smoke inhalation. Due to the efficiency of their lungs, they have above average stamina.
• Perching—Their feet can curl around and grip to most surfaces and retain their hold even when asleep, allowing them to perch on strong branches, ledges and the like.
• Electromagnetic sense—Also of note, is the inherent bird like quality of detecting the magnetic poles of a planet, giving them a sense of north and south without the need for a compass. This aids them in navigation when traveling long distances, and can also be used to detect electronic devices, and hidden power lines
• Longevity—Iegans age as humans do, until they reach maturity. From there, they can live potentially forever, as long as they stay within the Iego system, on any of the moons, but if they ever leave Iego, as many do when they feel that they've lived long enough, they will begin to age, and live for about 700 to 1000 years.
If an Iegan or part Iegan leaves the Iego system, but returns later, they regain the years they aged, reverting to a state physically equivalent to a prime of life adult.
The Dark Angels (Iegan Nocturna)
The Dark Angels are a tribal people who live in tune with nature, and eschew what they consider to be unnecessary technology. They are hunters and gatherers, and do not tolerate outsiders for long.
They will allow someone who is in need of temporary sanctuary, to stay for a time, but visitors are warned not to wear out their welcome. Some rare non-Iegans have managed to join their society, but must prove themselves worthy.
They enjoy the same potential for eternal life within the Iego system, and many travel across the moons of Iego for new hunting challenges, or even to outside systems.
When one has felt they've lived long enough, they will look for a final hunt of impossible odds, one that will test their mettle and skill. Death in such circumstances, is seen as the highest honour.
They are very similar in outer appearance to their Avian relatives, with the exception of their wings being "bat-like," and possess all the same abilities as Iegan Avians, except they do not possess electromagnetic sensory abilities, but instead, have short, retractable talons in their fingers and toes.
It is known that they suffer nausea when they smell or ingest saffron.
The Demons (Iegan Corruptous)
On the neighbouring moon of Iego 6, exist a nightmarish Iegan sub-species.
Little is known of the Demon clans due to research parties usually found dead, if at all.
Bearing scaly, almost reptilian skin and sharp, 2.5 inch talons and averaging a height of 6'2" to 7', these beasts of flight were at first believed to be a different species completely, until a skin sample found from a corpse of a demon showed a clear relation to the Nocturna family.
It is believed that five centuries prior to the Naboo-Galactic War, a Sith by the name of Darth Eresh'kahn, visited a tribe of Dark Angels, who sought to conquer the tribes, and eventually, the Angels themselves.
Eresh'kahn offered increased might, in exchange for their loyalty, and succeeded in doing so, forever changing their genome, increasing their physicality.
The new sub-species now known as the Demons, waged war against the tribes, but were inevitably outclassed by the Angel's superior strategy. All sides suffered great losses, but in the end, the Demons lost and were exiled to Iego 6, a harsh and desolate moon, with terrible beasts, that even the Nocturna avoided.
Eresh'kahn left the Demons, having seen their failure in the war, as deeming them unworthy, but he vowed to return some day, when and if he found a means to improve them further.
The Demons now stranded, in fact thrived over the centuries, asserting dominance over the native creatures, and eventually built temple structures, with some awaiting the return of Eresh'kahn, while others have splintered in to separate clans.
Abilities:
Demons have all the same abilities as Angels, except they do not possess electromagnetic sensory abilities, nor their exceptional flexibility, or lighter skeletal structure, which limits their mobility in flight, compared to Angels and Dark Angels.
Other abilities of Demons:
• Strength—2 to 3x peak human, depending on size and training, some larger demons even reach 4x peak human.
• Mild radiation resistance—Possibly one of the enhancements of Eresh'kahn, or possibly an adaptation, to some areas of Iego 6, that are radioactive.
• Increased digestive ability—Demons can eat raw and even rotten meat without harm, although it's not the preference of all Demons.
Like Dark Angels, they have a similar reaction to Saffron. They also find that salt water against their skin, is like bleach against the skin of a human, and for this reason, avoid the ocean where possible.
All Demons find light side powers such as healing, to be quite painful.
Additional notes:
All Iegans possess regenerative stem cells found in their vital organs and curiously, in their wing structures allowing them to fight almost any form of cardiovascular disease and to gradually re-grow damaged wings over a period of time.
This however, does not cause them to heal faster than humans, nor aid in metabolic functions.
Cross-breeding:
Iegans in general, can't crossbreed with other species, at least not without a great deal of medical assistance.
Part of this is due to their chromosomes being different to most mammalian species. As they are Avian-mammalian, they do not possess typical X and Y chromosomes, but like birds, follow a system similar to the ZW sex-determination system: ZZ are male, ZW are female, and thus, it is actually the female who determines sex.
For this reason, Iegans are rarely, if ever, manage to have offspring with other species, but some exceptions exist.
The Sith of the Harbinger project, altered the DNA of male Pureblood Red-Sith, in such a way, that his sperm to carry X or Y chromosomes that could adapt to the Z and W chromosomes, of a female Iegan.
This enabled the conception of Deanta Aislinn, a unique ZX being. Thought by most xeno-biologists of the time, to be utterly impossible, and yet Deanta went on to live a full life, while being the mother of many children.
The existence of Deanta Aislinn led the discovery of Iegan-hybrid chromosomes that shared her father's chromosomal adaptability, causing all of her children and grandchildren, to have no issues crossbreeding with species of X and Y chromosomes.
As Deanta Aislinn could pass on an X or adaptive Z, also known as the Z-Alpha or Zα, her children who were made using the DNA of a male Gaian, had the following possible combinations:
XX (female)
XY (male)
ZαX (female)
ZαY (male)
The next example of half-Iegans, are seen in Kaida Akiko and Nathaniel, the children of a male Gaian and female Iegan Avian.
As the male Gaian was not altered, there was a medically aided process to help his X and Y chromosomes to form a stable zygote, with the female Iegan's Z chromosomes, as it seemed impossible to adapt the female Iegan's W chromosome.
The process was somewhat more involved, compared to the Sith's method, and even called for assistance in the form of Jedi mysticism.
Many attempts were needed, but eventually, a successful pair of twins were conceived, who also developed adaptive Z chromosomes, or Zα, which effectively acts as an ersatz X chromosome.
Kaida is ZαX, while Nathaniel is ZαY, and it is believed that both will be similar to Deanta Aislinn, and have no issue crossbreeding with X/Y beings, if they ever choose to do so, as they would follow the same combinations as Deanta (XX, XY, ZαX, and ZαY).
This still leaves many unanswered questions about what would happen with a male Iegan, or if the female Iegan's W chromosome, can ever be adapted.
Mystics (Iegan Avian-Seraphim)
Thought of by most outside of the Iegan System, to be nothing more than myth and legend, there are the incredibly rare Iegan Avian-Seraphim, often shortened to Iegan-Seraphim, otherwise known as the Iegan Mystics, or just Mystics.
Biologically, they are virtually indistinguishable from standard Angels/Iegan Avians, as they are not a truly separate sub-species, but rather, a unique bloodline that has branched off from regular Angels, and spread to encompass a number of clans, but they are greatly outnumbered by other sub-species of Iegan.
The only visible differences between Mystics and Angels, are the Mystics' horns and talons, but even these are not definite signs of a Mystic, as they can choose to not allow their horns and talons to form. The same process that enables all Iegans to regenerate damaged or lost wings, allows Mystics to cause the growth, or shedding of these unique protrusions. In fact, some Mystics deliberately choose to keep these traits hidden, when blending in with other Iegans, or when venturing out in the galaxy.
There are some Mystics however, who see their horns as a trait of great beauty, and display them proudly. Their horns and talons are from a dormant genetic trait, that was prevalent in earlier stages of Iegan evolution, and Mystics who are trained, can activate this gene using the force, but only in oneself—it cannot be forced upon another Iegan.
The other trait that marks Mystics as unique, is their strong affinity for the Force, as they are all born force-sensitive, which has greatly influenced their society, with traditions similar to those found in Shamanistic cultures, and Sprit Adepts, making them greatly in tune with nature, and spiritually aware.
While they can use the force both, offensively and defensively, their ways are not focused on combat.
All other sub-species of Iegans have a limited chance to be born with the Force, but with Mystics, it is a given—but if never trained, a Mystic will sub-consciously suppress their connection to the Force, and likely believe themself to be non-force sensitive. Examples of this happening however, are all but unheard of, and it is not currently known if a Mystic who is never trained, can be trained later on
The majority of Mystics withdrew to a secluded area on Iego 7, following the Angel/Demon war. Despite the Angel's victory, Darth Eresh'kahn unleashed one final act of retaliation, and used the dark side of the force to corrupt the land of the angels, causing it to be unbearable for the Mystics.
This desecration was eventually undone by Brigit Aislinn, an Iegan-Seraphim who, instead of being raised as a Mystic, was trained as a Jedi and had eventually become a Master, but by that time, the Mystics were already settled in a new location. It was after this time that she created her own Holocron, that eventually found it's way to Sage.
Hunter Angels (Iegan Venandi):
A variant of Iegan Avian created by Darth Seer, under the alias of Darth Eresh'kahn. After the success of Jannah, Seer intorduced the same augmentation for many other Iegan Avians.
Abilities:
Iegan Venandi possess all abilities and weaknesses of Iegan Avians, except electromagnetic sense, plus the following.
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Flight: They can achieve sub-sonic speeds of flight using retractable feathered wings that extend from their shoulders, and can fold away against their body, compressing to the point of appearing as skin markings. As a result of her flight ability, they can breath in thin air common to high altitudes.
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Enhanced physicality: Increased agility, they can leap twice their own height and perform acrobatic feats. Their reflexes and physical strength are at a level similar to a peak human athlete, who engages in regular intensive exercise.
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Hunter sight: With concentration, they are able to see in the infra-red spectrum and in low light conditions, but not total darkness.
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Hunter stealth: With concentration, they can regulate her breathing and heart rate, slowing both down to being far less detectable by life sign detection.
Iegans and half-Iegans with profiles: