Mordeth

(MOR-deth) Sapient, spacefaring race. Their home-world is located approximately 6,000 light-years from Sol. The Mordeth control a critical location at the hub of Tradespace, though most races believe they have abused this position, bullying the majority of their neighbors.

Mordeth are bipedal organisms. They are endoskeletal and endothermic. Their skin is a brick red hue, thick and heavy, granting them increased protection similar to that of the terrestrial rhinoceros. The main sensory organs are the eyes, located at the end of a long, extremely flexible eyestalk.

Adults stand between 1.25 and 1.5 meters in height. They are exceptionally strong and durable, giving their stocky bodies quite a bit of weight. This added girth has left the Mordeth rather slow and brutish in their movements.

Mordeth possess four limbs in total. Two are used for locomotion. The legs are strong, and the central body mass is suspended from a shoulder-like ball and socket joint. Each leg terminates in a four-toed foot, with the toes at near-right angles to one another. These toes are flexible and possess a rudimentary prehensile quality.

There are two powerful arms located directly behind and slightly above the shoulder-hip. These arms possess hands with four fingers each: three primary, plus an opposable digit.

Mordeth possess no discernible head. The brain is encased in the torso, behind a strong shield of bone. They have two eyes, a mouth, tiny earholes, and a single nostril.

Mordeth possess the same basic senses as humans, though their thick skin limits their sense of touch. They have the added ability to feel vibrations in the ground through specialized nerves on their feet, allowing them to feel movement in a 360 arc around themselves.

Their eyes are located on a short but extremely flexible eyestalk which gives the an unrestricted field of view. Each eye is independently positionable and possesses traits of both simple and compound eyes. The surface is covered with individual imaging sub-units. These imagers are grouped into three distinct areas which specialize in color, motion and detail. Each eye has trinocular separation, giving the Mordeth extremely superior depth perception.

Mordeth are omnivorous, though they prefer plants to meat. They are strong enough to slay most animals on their home-world, but they are neither quick nor witty enough to catch most of them, leaving them to survive as foragers. Mordeth do not typically cook their food, unless necessary for preservation or sanitation.

Lacking teeth, Mordeth do not chew their food. Instead, they use their hands to crush or tear it into smaller pieces which are swallowed whole for digestion.

The Mordeth are the only race known to regularly consume another sapient species, butchering some portion of their Freyep captives for food.

Mordeth exist in male and female sexual forms. Both sexes feel the urge to reproduce about once every 24 months upon reaching adulthood. Having no concept of friendship or love, they will simply seek the closest available mate. Gestation will last about three months, during which time the female will have a voracious appetite. She will give live birth to a litter of between one and three children. These children will immediately be turned over to the care of Mordeth society, at which point the female will return to her normal duties, retaining no special bond with her offspring.

Mordeth thrive on organization. Everything must have a purpose and place, rank and function, authority and accountability. If that order breaks down, the Mordeth become uncomfortable or even confused. This regimentation is not a cultural phenomenon, but instead a permanent feature of their psychology. From birth, Mordeth need to know where they fit into the scheme of things. This need should not be confused with ambition, as the Mordeth will happily accept and industriously pursue whatever role they are placed in.

Despite their regimentation and unity, the Mordeth are not a truly homogeneous race. They disagree amongst themselves from time to time – particularly when it's not clear who has authority or precedence over whom. However, they rarely let their differences fracture the greater order of society and frown on those who do so.

When venturing outside of their territory, Mordeth tend to remain with other Mordeth. If they ever intermingle with other races, they want to impose their sense of order on everyone. They must know exactly where their place is and tell those perceived as being beneath them exactly what to do.

Mordeth are inartistic and generally uncreative, which seems to be the primary drawback to their conformist minds. This has made many of their great scientific breakthroughs slow to occur and has left them at a tactical disadvantage in war. Despite their dull wits, the Mordeth are unquestionably intelligent, efficient, and very dedicated to their causes.

While Mordeth have strong loyalty to their society and race, they do not develop close personal bonds or familial ties. Such things would only distract them from the tasks they have been given and compete with their dedication to the order of their race.

Mordeth culture has been alternately described as non-existent and simply an out-growth of their brutish psychology. They have little art of any kind, and what they do produce seems rather homogeneous. It is difficult to identify ages, fads, or major transitions within their history.

Everything the Mordeth produce sacrifices form for function. Their clothing is mostly a uniform, its colors and intricate emblems identifying an individual's position in society. Their spaceships, buildings, and even computing devices are all quite blocky in design, albeit admirably durable.

Just as the Mordeth feel compelled to stratify their own society, they have also begun incorporating other races into their worldview. Unsurprisingly, they place themselves as the top of the ladder, believing alien species to be flawed and inferior in one way or another. The fact that other races have clear technological or military superiority is an “aberration” which the Mordeth are confident will work out on its own in good time.

* Mordeth A'Kee