Xer

"Most see the Xer as the least prolific of the great species, foolishly ignoring the fact that, despite their lesser numbers, the Xer are the only ones to truly successfully impose their way of life on the species who live under them."

-The Great Atlas of Life in Our Galaxy, the Kra'lq Republic, 476 AC

The Xer a carnivorous reptilian-type sapient species originating from Jura. They are considered one of the three "great species" alongside the Zuhl and Gavzan, though they are the least numerous of the three. The Xer predominantly inhabit the Universal Technocratic Commonwealth, where they form a plurality of the population.

Biology
"I did not think much of the calm little sky-creatures until I saw one entering a pit fight whilst preparing for Endurga. In the end, al that was left to gaze upon was a rather messy pit, one Cynn who was mangled and a lot more with empty pockets."

-The legionnaires' account of the Endurgan war, 280 AC

Physiology
Xer take the form of comparatively small reptilian predators, standing at a mere 1,4 meters on average. They generally possess a somewhat hunched stature and moderately long tails. Other characteristic features of the Xer include their long jaws and diversely patterned skins. Whilst their physical strength is somewhat greater than their size would suggest, it is still not very noteworthy compared to most sapient creatures. Nonetheless, the Xer have historically been extremely adept hunters due to several other traits; first amongst these is their large number of natural weapons, including sickle feet claws, powerful jaws capable of shattering the bones of similarly sized creatures and bladed tails. Xer are furthermore capable of impressive burst of speed and energy, though their long-term stamina is comparatively lacking.

Some biological traits which may vary between racial variants of the Xer include skin texture, which might be soft or more coarse and hard, overall posture, which might be more hunched or upright, and foot shape, which is either more suited for combat or climbing.

Cognition
An aspect which has been considered much more notable than their appearance and physical traits is the cognitive system of the Xer. This is due to the fact that Xer broadly possess two mental states: a measured, calm deliberate state during normal circumstances and a wild, instinctive and aggressive state during highly stressful circumstances. These states, known as the preparatory mind and the resolution mind respectively, are deeply rooted in the evolutionary development of the Xer, which shall be discussed later.

Whilst in their more common preparatory state, Xer are known to be highly calculated creatures with an impressive ability of long-term thinking. Furthermore, Xer have a greater tendency to grasp subjects related to engineering and spacial awareness. Although these traits are certainly beneficial in civilised life, it does cause Xer to tend towards overthinking and needless suspicion, making Xer relatively susceptible to conspiracy theories and overly complicated reasoning.

Whilst in their resolution state, on the other hand, Xer become susceptible to their extreme fight-or-flight response and tend to behave unpredictably. Whilst Xer possess impressive reflexes in this state, they are unable to reliably think in a coherent way. The features of this state of mind have historically made Xer very potent fighters, but has also made it so that their capacity to perform under stress is miserably lacking compared to other sapient species. This has had the ironic consequence that, as fearsome as Xer are in a natural fight, they are poorly suited for frontline roles in modern warfare, especially when it comes to leadership positions. This mental state has an even more extreme variant known as terminal mind, which is activated when a Xer is mortally wounded or in a clearly unsurvivable situation. In this state, the Xer in question is overwhelmed by a singular drive to damage its assailants as much as possible with no regard for its own safety, often breaking its own bones with its wild manoeuvres whilst internal processes rapidly break down as the body is overwhelmed by surges of hormones and signals. It is very difficult to make a Xer survive such a state and inevitably leaves the individual with permanent damage.

A final quirk in the Xer way of thinking is an ingrained desire to apply one's own model of thinking on whatever community, society or organization they are a part of, which has lead much of Xer history to be filled with idealistically based power struggles.

Evolution
The precursors to the modern Xer evolved in an isolated environment on the Island Cenzoic on Jura. The island harbours a lush environment which gave way to an extreme degree of competition between local predatory species, amongst them the ancestors of the Xer. These ancestors, known as the Xer-Phanzoch, developed many of the key features of the modern Xer as a means of advancement in the harsh ecosystem of Cenzoic. The Phanzoch gradually evolved into a smaller but more communal species whilst the development of effective natural weapons kept them individually competitive with other predators. The resolution mind seems to have been the dominant state of mind during this time when aggression was an essential trait to have, whilst the terminal mind is believed to have developed as a last-ditch strategy both for protecting threatened nests and to make it more costly for other predators to attack Phanzoch groups. This set of traits eventually allowed the Phanzoch to come on top in the fight for the island and emerge as the uncontested predator species. Most of the acquired traits would have most likely atrophied over time if this event did not coincide with another momentous event: the appearance of a land connection with the main Juran continents.

The emergence of the land connection allowed the Phanzoch to spread across Jura and invade local ecosystems all over the globe. Due to the species' competitive edge and acquired instinct to go after other predators, the more docile predators of the mainland were driven to extinction in rapid succession by the Phanzoch. After a certain point, the Phanzoch started to diverge into various Xer sub-species which started to compete amongst each other. The previous aggression inherent to the Phanzoch became a general detriment in this new competition due to the steep cost of any confrontation. To compensate, the preparatory mind started to develop itself to enable more indirect means of gaining an edge. In the subsequent cognitive arms race, the cognitive capacity of the Xer species would continuously grow as groups became more organized and actions more elaborate. During the later stages of this competition, the usage of traps seems to have become a prominent means of pursuing conflict, heavily favouring individuals capable of developing and recognizing such traps, which is believed to have led to the Xer affinity towards engineering and somewhat distrustful attitude. These trends ultimately culminated in a cognitive revolution amongst the Kaxlarn subspecies, paving the way for organized society and ultimately the extinction of all other subspecies. Beyond this point, the Xer-Kaxlarn would diverge into several racial variations, such as the soft-skinned plateau Xer.

Culture
"Perhaps the most confounding aspect of Xer culture is its artificiality: it has gone through so many imposed changes, uprooting revolutions and forced adaptions that it is hard to tell if as much of a shred of it can still be called organic."

-Excerpt from 'In the Shade of the Beacon: a Thorough Guide to the Xer Commonwealth' by Hesokur xenologist Hak'mne, 226 AC

As with all species, it is not possible to assign a universal cultural identity to all Xer. Still, we can analyse certain universal aspects amongst Xer cultures which emerged due to biological factors or were imposed due to the many instances of top-down cultural and social alterations.

Domestic
The domestic culture of the Xer differs from most species due to the overall lack of social significance of biological bonds. Due to this, the common familial, reproductive cornerstone of domestic life found in most species is absent and being substituted instead with the inconstant pack system. This form of domestic organisation entails the cohabitation of unrelated individuals on the basis of various shared factors such as employment or general social amicability. Whilst a degree of organisation within packs does exist, the exact nature of internal hierarchy and cohesion varies from pack to pack, some putting emphasis on seniority whilst others might value public rank more. It is furthermore common for individuals to switch between packs at certain points in their life, reflecting a change in social status, employment or geography. Due to the more fluid nature of packs, there are some packs that persist for centuries whilst consistently cycling through membership. Mating between individuals also occurs most commonly within their own pack, although this does not carry any particular significance.

The subject of children and upbringing are considered to be a broadly professional duty, having historically been handled by specialised tutors within a community and having remained broadly the same to this day barring the shift from communal responsibility to state responsibility. Newly laid eggs are generally delivered to a local nursery station, where they are cared for until hatched and then assigned to a professional tutor. Such a tutor may manage up to 10 children at a time, being tasked with teaching basic life skills such as language and social ability. The bond between a child and their tutor is the closest thing to a familial connection which exists in Xer societies and it is not uncommon for such a bond to persist into adulthood.

Cuisine
For most of history, Xer cuisine has been relatively simplistic. Their carnivorous nature meant food did not need much preparation and culinary culture thus did not really take off. It was only during the Age of Misery that this started to change due to a radical shift in the Xer diet. Due to the increasing shortage of farmland, the consumption of meat had become untenable for the growing Xer population, forcing a switch towards plant-based food. Whilst this food was processed in such a way as to be edible for the Xer, its taste was notoriously miserable. In order to compensate for this, people increasingly turned to the use of spices to alter the taste, gradually giving way to a highly developed spice-based culinary culture. Although improvements in the processing methods lead to a great improvement of the taste of the new plant-based diet, the acquired taste for spice stuck around into the modern-day, supplemented by alien spices found outside Jura. The Xer desire for spice has become so notorious that it is often said that whenever the Xer discover a new planet, they send over a scientist, a bureaucrat and a spice merchant.

Names
Throughout their lifetime, a Xer is given 2 to 4 names, each granted by different people for different purposes. This system of naming is a holdover from the time of the Shamanate when naming was standardized across Jura for administrative purposes.

The first name a Xer receives is their birth name, which is chosen from a set list of names by local administrators. A Xer's birth name is considered the least significant of all, existing mainly as an administrative formality and for their tutors to distinguish them during childhood.

A Xer's second name is their earned name, which is granted to them upon maturity by their tutor(s). This name is based on a Xer's actions during childhood, usually being highly anecdotal in order to be as personalised as possible. A Xer's earned name is the most important name they possess throughout their lifetime, being the primary way of address in both formal and informal occasions.

A Xer's third name is their remembered name, which is given to them by their friends and colleagues after their death. A Xer's remembered name is made to reflect their personality and character during their lifetime and is primarily used for informal remembrance by those that knew them. The grand majority of Xer receive a third name, with only highly reclusive individuals as the exception.

The last name a Xer can receive is their honoured name, which is given to them by the state in recognition for any extraordinary achievements or service to the Commonwealth. An honoured name is by far the least common name for a Xer to have, being reserved for only the select few the directors consider deserving of such an honour. The granting of honoured names has been carried over to none-Xer as well, being first granted to Cyqvar Lytalk, who was granted the honoured name of Zutap (unifier).

An example of this system can be seen through the UTC's first prime director: Whose full name was Gac Xal-Vo(dust runner) Kurac(farseer) Klandrax(igniter). Through his life, he was referred to as Xal-Vo, which is a reference to the fact that during adolescence he made consistent boasts of being able to outrun duststorms. After his death, his colleagues gave him the name Kurac, in reference to his consistent long-term mindset and behaviour. His honoured name, Klandrax, is the name by which he is now remembered. The name was granted in recognition of founding the UTC in its current form, which is often symbolically portrayed as him igniting the beacon of Epochianism.