The Pol'
From Axalon RPG
Work in Progress - B.B.
- Capital City: Huan
- Official Language: Chromatics
- Population: ~ 600 000
- State Religion: Sun worship
- Government: Lugal
- Geography: One main, large continent surrounded by five small islands and several uninhabited, much smaller landmasses.
- Economy: Barterring
- Military: No organized military to speak of.
The Pol' are a philosophically advanced, but technologically primitive group of beings who habitate the floating continent of Ju'l, which circles Lith's magnetic North Pole.
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Terminology
Because of the unique communication system that the Pol' use, all words stemming from their language, including the word Pol' are merely approximations to their true form. Their written forms have been created by Pol' interpreters as a means of simplifying inter-species communications.
Biology
The Pol' are bipedal creatures with rigid skeletal structures, several internal organs, two circulatory systems, a muscular system remarkably similar to other Lithians, and three types of external tissue.
Evolution
The Pol', like all wildlife native to the Northern continent, evolved from the fungus commonly called the Sunshroom. They are the most intelligent species native to the region, although their cognitive capacities compared to other Lithians are a point of dispute. The species closest to them in the region is the Magdragon, which appear to have co-evolved with the Pol' from a common ancestor for the last three million years. However, due to the high decomposability of all Sunshroom-descended tissue, no fossil records are available to verify this hypothesis.
Physical Characteristics
Pol' typically reach a height of seven feet for males and six feet for females, although this can vary by several inches. The average weight of a fully-grown Pol' male is 160 lbs and that of females is 120 lbs.
Tissue
Every Pol' has three types of external tissue, each with its own function, as described below.
Photovoltaic
The photovoltaic tissue covers approximately one third of a Pol' body. It almost entirely covers the back, shoulders, outer arms, forehead, chest and thighs. This tissue absorbs solar energy with moderate effeciency, and electrically charges the ionic fluid running through the Pol' primary circulatory system, which then supplies energy to all other systems in the body.
Carapace
This insulating tissue is the least dominant on the Pol' exterior. It covers the abdominal area in order to keep it cold, as well as the sides of the head for the same reason.
Elastic
The elastic tissue which covers most of the Pol' body is soft, dry, and sponge-like, not unlike the flesh of more common Lithian fungi. Due to high melanin-like polymer saturation (as an evolved defense against DNA-destroying ultraviolet rays), this tissue is mostly black, with patterns of dark purple, brown, and grey. These patterns are known to be a means of differentiating individuals amongst the Pol'.
Organs
Pol' organ systems are radically different from Lithian, save for the Muscular organs which might be likened to the heart.
Electro-Retentive
Previously thought to only be a means of storing excess solar charge for the Pol', it is now known that the electro-retentive organs also function as primary energy suppliers to the Pol' physiology. These organs, which act very similarly to batteries, are common to all 'animal' life on the Northern continent.
Muscular
Pol' have two muscular organs which act as pumps for their two circulatory systems. The first pumps an ionic fluid through the primary circulatory system, providing energy for tissue. The second pumps a refrigerant in the area of the electro-retentive organs and a section of the brain whose purpose is not known.
Reproductive
Limbs
Upper Arms
Lower Arms
The Pol' lower arms are connected to the body where a Lithian's kidneys might be found. They are not nearly as muscular as the upper arms, due to their specialization. Female Pol' use these arms to tranport young and provide supplemental energy during the developing months. Male Pol' use the arms in both combat and hunting as a primary means of attack and defense. These arms, or rather, the palms of their small, three-fingered hands, are connected to the electrical organs and can either emit or receive charge. The Pol' do well to act conservatively in using this weapon offensively, as the "ammunition" is also his or her life. The palms of the hands are rippled, like the underside of a mushroom and are brown on most Pol', but can vary according to genetic disposition as a result of geographical location.
Legs
Wings
These wings, which are vestigial in males and manifest only has short bone growths from the upper spine, are considred to be signs of virility in both sexes. Females' wing length can vary from hip- to ankle-length, depending on multiple factors such as age and genetic make-up. The wings are almost always collapsed during the female's lifetime, except during pregnancy and child-rearing, during which time they provide the supplemental energy that a growing baby Pol' needs. The wings open into semi-ovular rigid photovoltaic panels, which have the unfortunate side-effect of making pregnant females and females carrying young obvious to the Pol' natural predator, the Solspider.
Head
Eyes
Chromatic Glands
The chromatic glands, of which there are four on either side of the forehead photovoltaic panel, are the primary means for Pol' communication. By varying the colours emitted by these glands, the Pol' are able to transmit highly complex messages between eachother, from which only the basic concepts of tone, grammar, and language are presently intrepretable by properly educated Lithians.
Magnetic Receptors
These receptors, which resemble gills along the side of the head, allow Pol' to approximate magnitude and direction of a surrounding magnetic field.
Nourishment
Hunting Practices
Farming Practices
Habitat
Ju'l is a dry, atmosphere-less, desert wasteland that is almost always subjected to sunlight.
Communication
Due to the nature of their communication, Pol' must be looking at each other in order to transmit information effectively. They are known to stamp the ground in order to gain the attention of those to whom they wish to 'speak'. As it is written above, the basic concepts of tone, language, and grammar have been translated from Chromatics into most Lithian dialects, but the remaining information translated by Pol' would be erroneous to the common Lithian. Pol' scholars are unable to qualify the higher concepts of their language into terms any Lithian might understand.
Society
Population Distribution
There are approximately 600 000 Pol' living on Ju'l, the vast majority of which inhabit the primary Northern continental landmass directly above the magnetic pole. The rest are evenly distributed amongst the five surrounding isles which circle the primary landmass. There are known to be disputes amongst the isles, while the main landmass remains a neutral body in the conflict. The "city" of Huan, population 100 000, is the considered to be the capital merely because it has the highest population; there is nothing special about Huan to give it this title, as there is no infrastructure to speak of which would need a base of operations.
Transportation
The Pol' have created a fraternity between themselves and the less-intelligent Magdragon common to Ju'l. When simply walking somewhere will not suffice, Pol' seem to be able to summon their biological brethren from the sky so that they may ride on the backs of those winged creatures.
Government
The Pol' as a collective people do not have any governing body, but each grouping of peoples follows a Lugal (great man) system of governance. The Lugal may rotate according to relevance of the task at hand, and Pol' are generally able to come to peaceable consensus concerning who the best leader for the time is.
