Overview
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The Kibriani are a sentient species indigenous to a planet they call Kibria.
While Kibria has been enveloped by the territories of the Imperial Combine, it has never been annexed. This is due to a combination of a low prevalence of resources the empire requires, and the much higher value of the Kibriani remaining friendly to the empire. The Kibriani people are considered honoured allies by the Imperial Combine. Most who request transit visas for the many worlds are granted them without question. The Kibriani are unlike most other cultures found across the combined worlds, and they have an extremely cohesive and harmonic society. Regardless of the unity and peace they shared at home, many Kibriani have left the homeworld and travelled to other Imperial Combine planets, with at least one known to be serving in Tanker Regiment. |
Culture
Kibrian society is one of the most civilised and calm the Imperial Combine has ever encountered.
While they are a very intelligent and technologically sophisticated people, the Kibrian philosophy veers strongly towards a harmonic relationship with each other and the natural world. Their technology, accordingly, operates mostly in the background. It is often concealed within the structure of homes and workplaces.
The reproductive cycle of the Kibriani people does not lend itself to massive population explosions, nor is there any evolutionary advantage for them in reproducing fast enough to become the dominant form of life. This has apparently had cultural effects — while individuals may wander far out of curiosity, there is no concept of travelling for the purpose of tourism, and mass transit is simply not required.
The Kibriani as a whole are recognised for their wisdom and a desire to understand everything with which they come into contact.
While they are a very intelligent and technologically sophisticated people, the Kibrian philosophy veers strongly towards a harmonic relationship with each other and the natural world. Their technology, accordingly, operates mostly in the background. It is often concealed within the structure of homes and workplaces.
The reproductive cycle of the Kibriani people does not lend itself to massive population explosions, nor is there any evolutionary advantage for them in reproducing fast enough to become the dominant form of life. This has apparently had cultural effects — while individuals may wander far out of curiosity, there is no concept of travelling for the purpose of tourism, and mass transit is simply not required.
The Kibriani as a whole are recognised for their wisdom and a desire to understand everything with which they come into contact.
Biology
Morphology
Kibrian physiology is markedly different from most of the animal species known to humanity. Morphologically speaking individuals of the species are either hexapods or quadrupeds, depending on how one looks at it.
Their torso is upright, with human-like shoulders and two arms. Their abdomen however is elongated and horizontal, with one pair of plantigrade forelegs and one pair of digitigrade hind legs. The abdomen tapers at the posterior to an upward-curling point.
Like the Shaeld Hratha, Kibrians can use their forelegs for some basic manipulation in addition to locomotion. The limbs are far less adapted for these tasks, however, and the effects are more crude than those enjoyed by the Shaeld.
The overall form of a Kibrian adult is graceful and elegant, but they are capable of great speed and precision as well as explosive power. They should not be underestimated. Their faces tend to remain serene and very few clear facial expressions have ever been recorded by humans. The head of a Kibrian is crested by two triangular sails or plates, which extend upwards and outwards from the midline of the skull.
Kibriani who travel among the many worlds are very aware they all look identical to other sentient species. For this reason, many who live and work among humans or other Combine species will adopt a particular pattern of facial markings. The exact mechanism by which they achieve this is not yet understood.
Their torso is upright, with human-like shoulders and two arms. Their abdomen however is elongated and horizontal, with one pair of plantigrade forelegs and one pair of digitigrade hind legs. The abdomen tapers at the posterior to an upward-curling point.
Like the Shaeld Hratha, Kibrians can use their forelegs for some basic manipulation in addition to locomotion. The limbs are far less adapted for these tasks, however, and the effects are more crude than those enjoyed by the Shaeld.
The overall form of a Kibrian adult is graceful and elegant, but they are capable of great speed and precision as well as explosive power. They should not be underestimated. Their faces tend to remain serene and very few clear facial expressions have ever been recorded by humans. The head of a Kibrian is crested by two triangular sails or plates, which extend upwards and outwards from the midline of the skull.
Kibriani who travel among the many worlds are very aware they all look identical to other sentient species. For this reason, many who live and work among humans or other Combine species will adopt a particular pattern of facial markings. The exact mechanism by which they achieve this is not yet understood.
Tissues, Organs, and Systems
The eyes of a Kibrian are entirely black and featureless. They have translucent skin, which is so permissive to light transit that the dim shapes of organs and skeletal structure can be made out under daylight. Purple, blue, green, and red light emissions can often be seen within those internal structures. These are a metabolic by-product of the symbiotic microorganisms residing within the Kibrian body.
Kibrian skin, flesh, and musculature are distinctly different from that of humans, indeed they could hardly be more different. The outer skin of a Kibrian body is more like packaging than an organ — it is a thick, transparent sheath which has an extremely tough, rubbery texture, and appears to support no metabolic processes whatsoever.
The Kibriani immune system evolved to make full use of symbiotic microorganisms living within the species' bodies, and has shown itself to be extremely effective at combatting pathogens both old and new. The representatives of Kibria did not even bother to take hygiene precautions when meeting humans for the first time, to no ill effect for themselves.
Kibrian skin, flesh, and musculature are distinctly different from that of humans, indeed they could hardly be more different. The outer skin of a Kibrian body is more like packaging than an organ — it is a thick, transparent sheath which has an extremely tough, rubbery texture, and appears to support no metabolic processes whatsoever.
The Kibriani immune system evolved to make full use of symbiotic microorganisms living within the species' bodies, and has shown itself to be extremely effective at combatting pathogens both old and new. The representatives of Kibria did not even bother to take hygiene precautions when meeting humans for the first time, to no ill effect for themselves.
Reproduction
The vast majority of all living Kibriani — and sometimes all Kibriani in a single generation — are female. Their reproduction is parthenogenetic, and the emergence of male offspring is an exceedingly rare event. When males do appear they are protected as sacrosanct assets, for they are the only way in which the species can maintain genetic diversity.