Codex Ctho (Universe Eternity)

[Caveknight32]

A race of serpent/worm-like beings that use nuclear energy to power their bodies. The Ctho come from the planet Anzif of the Frlo system.

THE PLANET

Anzif (a combination of the Ctho words anll meaning “ray” and ziful meaning “riches”) is an Earth-sized world with earth level gravity orbiting the blue giant star Frlo (meaning “maker”). With the atmosphere being 50% H2, 40% O2, and 10% HE.

The planet is about 68% barren rocky areas, with large heavily concentrated mountain regions, with the rest being oceans. One of these areas is “Cuiesset”, meaning “Challenge of the navigator.” Originally in the ancient past Anzif was an ocean world, however, this changed due to how the electrical activity in the system acts, and how it acts on the planet. These electrical effects, such as Birkeland currents made craters, and moved and concentrated large amounts of material into dense regions, leading to there being large subterranean areas, caverns, and caves. Which caused most of the water to go deep underground, with most of the water still on the surface either being turned into other materials by electric forces or was made into vapor and/or burned off the planet by radiation.

This has lead to many different forms of wildlife to form in these areas, with more traditional life along with plant life forming underground, with the environment being a mix of great rivers and plains/forest areas with some rocky areas, while life on the surface evolved to handle the mountains, such as being either sky, or land-based and having their bodies designed to move around these areas, such as air based life using electromagnetism to fly. While major electric based effects rarely happen, small-scale ones happen often. Examples include Auroras, extreme weather such as lighting, small-scale burst of radiation, and elemental transmutation. The last example along with the change in the geology of the planet has lead to the many heavy and light elements to form and appear on both the surface and low underground areas. One of these major effects that do happen is called “the great light.” An event that happens every 50 years where huge amounts of electromagnetic radiation, mostly ultraviolet, and x rays happen across the planet, which leads to the planet to be temporarily irradiated for a short time along with some of the life out in the open killed outright. In addition to this, the electrical effects cause large-scale transmutation to some of the surface material, both organic and inorganic, and some changes to the geology of the planet. Which is how the planet got the name “ray of riches.”

[Caveknight32]

BIOLOGY

Ctho are carbon, boron, and sulfur based. With the size of a Ctho when they reach adulthood being 7 meters in length when completely flat and being over 8 meters in size, and weighing over three hundred kilograms, with them reaching up to over 15 meters in size and 10 meters in length, and weighing at over eight hundred kilograms. And can slowly grow even larger than that over time as they get older.

Despite The Ctho being a flying species, they physically resemble worms. Being somewhat flat and elongated much like a flatworm. This is because of the lack of open air, along with needing to get into areas that traditional flight based life can’t reach, leading them to have this form. Another difference is that instead of using wings, they use electromagnetism to fly and change direction, they do so by sending an electric current through conductive materials across its body, it also acts as a shield against particles and radiation, as well as cancel out gravity to an extent, which contributes to there large size.

The current is generated by the same energy that is used to keep a Ctho alive. Across the body are eight legs/arms ending in four claws made of sulfur and diamond, allowing a Ctho to cut even the hardest of materials, and with the “front” having four eyes on both sides, with eye colors varying from blue, to deep yellow, and can see in both the infrared and ultraviolet range.

Perhaps the most interesting and defining of Ctho biology is how it gathers energy, that being from both nuclear fusion and fission. Using a combination of electromagnetic signals and a type of bacteria in their “stomach”, which is essentially a magnetic bottle, they can cause nuclear fission or fusion of any element lighter or heavier than iron and can do so up to iron. This produces mostly x and gamma rays and plasma which is processed into electricity using ball like objects to “feed” the Ctho, and the energy that’s not in use is put into energy storage systems, while the rest of the material becomes the next element on the line, this is also why the magnetic field a ctho makes is needed when it comes to radiation. Along with this, the material that is used can be made to transmute into a certain element or elements using a cluster of its nervous system to manipulate either its signals or the forces acting on the matter in order to change it into the desired material. It does this in order to gain materials to help in its development, much like how humans use vitamin c or d for their development, and the Ctho process these materials using sacs connected to the stomach. They can also be expelled out of the body, which has allowed the Ctho to advance considerably.

It is believed that the reason for them to have this ability is that due to most of the area being barren and being littered with inorganic materials, plant and animal life being small and hard to get to, and both small and large-scale changes in the planet's geology. That relying on chemical-based energy or constant/stable sources of nutrients is impossible, and so they evolved this method. The majority of the nervous system is decentralized, with the rest in clumps in certain areas of the body, this is mostly due to the way the body is designed, it is also to allow a Ctho to have another sensory system besides their eyes, and to have one that can allow them to see in all directions. Connected to the stomach is a long tube that ends in a opening on the top of the head, this is used to vent out excess energy or any energy that can’t be used, which appears as a flame, it can also be released out of the tail and holes located in certain areas of the body, that can be used to assist in flying. Located in the under/front area is the mouth, in the mouth are rows of teeth much like that of a shark, the teeth are mostly made of the same materials that their claws are made of, with the inside of the teeth and mouth having conductive materials for current to pass through. This is used for two things, the first being a field to weaken molecular structures, and to produce an electromagnetic field that makes the teeth and mouth act as a magnetic press, this increases the strength of the teeth and to allow inorganic materials to be processed.

Ctho reproduce by having a large tube with a bulbous-like sac in the center form between a pair of Ctho, in this bulbous area is where the baby forms, with both parents feeding in nutrients, and energy to their offspring. After twelve months the baby breaks from this sac and is raised by both parents until the age of 20.

[Caveknight32]

CULTURE AND GOVERNMENT

Ctho society is incredibly advanced and industrious. Thanks to their biology and their knowledge around that biology, they have access to materials and great amounts of rare earths, that humans could only get from space or extreme mining methods, which has allowed them to form into a powerful people early in their history, they even were able to process elements into other ones, besides there biology thanks to their technology. Though this along with how there planet works has caused them to neglect their mining tech somewhat. It has also allowed them to go into space early as well, with them even sending ships to other star systems during the time of the ancient Greeks. However, while they were performing space travel before humans they didn’t have FTL drives due to not having Eternity, that they didn’t discover/used until the late Twentynine hundreds, which has kept them from expanding as far as humanity has.

The Ctho have also made some unique techs based around their biology, one of those being them using the energy their bodies make to power some of their machines, this and with their size gave them access to energy weapons early in their history, as well as lead to a job in Ctho society called “power worker”, that involves them powering machines and devices by having cables attached to them. Another aspect of Ctho culture is fashion and food, with clothes that humans in the twenty-first century would see as luxurious or flamboyant, though there are cases where there clothing or parts of it look dull, this is due to the Ctho being able to see colors in other ranges, so while to others they look dull but to the Ctho there colorful and stylish. There fashion also revolves around the fire that comes from their heads, often injecting chemicals into them to make them smell a certain way or have a certain color, along with using headwear that changes the shape and position leading to some interesting and often times ridiculous forms of hats.

And making many varied forms of meals and dishes, with some being lethal or inedible to most species. Recycling is a very big part of Ctho society and industry. Often reusing materials for many uses, this extends to there way of life. An example of this is funerals, when a Ctho dies almost everything is taken to be used, such as the bodies being formed into buildings and ships, believing that they’ll give them and the structure strength and power. Another part Recycling takes in is in the “light festival.” A festival that revolves around the great light, in addition to what is expected from a festival each and every Ctho take things to the surface to be affected by the event.

Ctho government is based on a combination of both a hereditary and elected monarchy. Where five candidates, usually from families of great power are elected to perform the primary and majority of actions who are called “oujiux.” with their descendants given the title and handle these actions after their parents. And if they and their parents are seen as great rulers then their descendants are given the title and rule after them. Anything that isn’t handled by the oujiux is run by members called “selpneii”, who are appointed by the oujiux and are granted some autonomy. With the rest of the appointed officials being Ctho of varying fields called “grulote.” Who advise and assist the oujiux and selpneii, as well as help teach and educate the oujiux’s children.