Sandbox/Aluxia/III

Shaidan Biological Homeworld Makõmarsu Classification Sentient Diet Omnivore Languages Hausa Physical Height 198.1–219.4 cm (6'5"–7'2") Weight 98.8–121.1 kg (218–267 lbs) Skin color Dark brown Hair color Black Eye color Grey Distinctions Reinforced skeletal system Superior physical strength Keen senses and eyesight Psionic abilities None Lifespan 129.1 years (average) 61.3 years (male) 67.8 years (female) Societal Affiliation Shaidan Dominion

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The Shaidan (Latin: Bellatores magni) are a near-human species native to the planet of Makõmarsu in the Tsari system. They were created by Jamilah Burja.

Biology

Physiology

The Shaidan are by far the tallest inhabitants of the Civilized Worlds, standing on average 2.1 to 2.4 meters in height. They are as a species are all-female, and reproduce asexually much in a manner akin to that of Earth's flatworms. They are also about the most physically powerful individuals in known space, boasting muscle strength ten to fifteen times that of a baseline human. Their bones and muscles are highly dense, and are on a molecular-level structured similarly to carbon nanotubes with their hexagonal structure. Uniquely, this means that though the density of the Shaidan's body is far higher than that of a baseline human, the design of the cellular structures in their body cuts back significantly on the weight they would possess under typical circumstances found in humanity. Individual Shaidan growth stronger and taller over their lifespan, and this is noted to increase with the number of physical encounters they accomplish, such as through fighting and reproduction, both of which can be exceedingly violent. As a result, the most powerful of the Shaidan are typically three meters in height, weigh nearly 150 kilograms, and have hundreds of offspring and personal victories under their belt.

Psychology

Shaidan are incredibly aggressive, this anger linked to the hormone and adrenaline produced in the brain. The brain of the Shaidan continues to produce this hormone at a near limitless rate, allowing the Shaidan to remain at a permanent state of anger and aggression.

Society and culture

Religion

Like their mother, the Shaidan are an atheistic society bearing a hostile stance toward religion and its adherents. The roots of the disdain for theism can be traced to the painful past of Jamilah herself, originally a Muslim from northern Nigeria on Earth. Jamilah had been a victim of the religious conflicts in that nation, kidnapped and sexually abused by Islamic militants in the region of his birth until her escape from captivity. She developed hostile views toward religion, believing the ideology to be a major source to the pain she had gone through and the suffering of humans in general throughout the world. As such, Jamilah made it her personal mission to forever cleanse the universe of faith and theology, a mission she passed on to her offspring. As such, the Shaidan have no tolerance for religion and view it as both backwards and unnecessarily restrictive upon modern civilization. This has unsurprisingly resulted in conflict with the hyper-devout Khemeti and Mikaeans as well deeply spiritually-minded Elysians; though the Shaidan have found a natural ally in the logically-minded Polarans.

Jamilah also viewed religion as a handicap on the progress of civilization. Having witnessed firsthand the influence of religion in her society, Jamilah felt that it was a dangerous obstacle to political power and "poisoned" social development and advancement. The idea of religion clashes also with the "waste no, want not" values of the Shaidan, who view time spent praying, worshiping, and evangelizing as wasteful activities that take away from more productive pursuits in life. For the Shaidan, religion serves no useful purpose in their society, and is thus viewed as entirely useless to them as both a way of life and a concept as a whole. Rather, if anything could pass as worship in Shaidan society, it would be the Shaidans worship of war and the strategic brilliance of the mind to overcome all obstacles of the known universe. As a whole, the Shaidan are brutal materialists, who view themselves as the handiwork of Jamilah's personal genius rather than any metaphysical deity. Persecution of the religious unfortunate enough to be trapped within Shaidan space is rife, and both well-known and condemned throughout the region.

Family and marriage

The concept of traditional family and marriage within Shaidan society is almost non-existent. The idea of "marrying" another individual is absolutely unheard of within Shaidan society. For them, one takes what they wish to have, and lose what they cannot hold onto. Jamilah believed that only the strong have the right to pass on their genetic legacy, and thus built the entire reproductive system of her creations around the principle of social Darwinism. A Shaidan seeking to reproduce will simply take another Shaidan by force and attempt to impregnate them via rape. The two Shaidan will engage in what is known as fafitikar, or "struggling", until the victor successfully penetrates the other and forcibly impregnates her. From this point on, the victim is legally obligated to serve the victorious Shaidan until the birth of the child. So as to ensure that no abortion is carried out, the life of the unborn child is directly tied into the vital organs of the carrying parent, with pregnancy biologically tied to the crucial life support systems of a Shaidan mother. This means that should the child be aborted, the vital organs of the carrier will shutdown resulted in a relatively shift yet painful death.

Family to the Shaidan seemly means the individuals who one has particularly close blood ties too, such as parents, siblings, and offspring. What passes for "marriage" is in fact a simplistic power-based relationship, with the dominant rinjaye and submissive hõrarru serving as the pairing within Shaidan culture. These unions are not voluntary, with a Shaidan seeking to building a familial unit known as a jiki, simply forcing a far weaker Shaidan into the arrangement and forcing her to bear the offspring. Because of the brutal application of social Darwinism into Shaidan culture and civilization, this activity is completely condoned by the ruthless populace of the Shaidan. These families always have a single rinjaye at the top who controls as many hõrarru as she can keep in line. Hõrarru typically have tracker devices implanted within them, and are treated more like sex slaves rather than spouses. The children of these unions are treated no better, as they are left completely to the arbitrary whims and violent temperaments of their rinjaye parent, who's insatiable sexual needs and lack of empathy for those weaker than themselves leave the offspring in scores abusive households.