Species name: Cassid (Plural Cassids)
Full name: (Animalia-Exoteric) Pouliomimo Cassian Cassid
Average dimensions:
Average Height: 2.5m
Average Length: 4.3m
Weight: 60kg
Description: Tall, slender beings. Cross between reptilian and avian, with slight feathery ruffles along their backs and chest and elephant-like skin elsewhere. Incredibly light, their bones are most likely hollow. Appearance-wise, they look very similar to the extinct, Earth-based Ornithomimosauria dinosaurs, particularly Struthiomimos, except far more upright. Their back legs are standard bipedal legs with an opposable inner digit. Their arms are exceptionally long, with three fingers and a thumb, all with small claws and reaching almost to the ground. Cassids also have incredibly long tails, which are mainly used for balance. There is a small amount of sexual dimorphism among Cassids. Females always have larger hips which are closer together, while males have wide but thin hips. Males have longer tails and an incredibly small bony ridge that runs down their spine. Females have a bony ridge only along the back of their neck, but they have a secondary, larger ridge that runs down their sternum – this is the primary way of differentiating between genders.
Colouration: The majority of Cassids are somewhat dull in colour, often a murky brown, green or grey, occasionally slipping into murky blue, black, orange or turquoise. Colours are inherited from both parents. Their feathery tufts though are brightly, almost randomly coloured, covering most of the colour spectrum. Claws and teeth are an off-white or light grey. Eye colour matches their skin colour, with an orange flare around their black, round pupils. Cassids have no stripes or other markings on their bodies.
Abilities: While Cassids are generally thin and frail, their long, slender bodies mean they can run extremely fast over long distances with ease. Cassids are also incredibly intelligent, far smarter than any other race.
Temperament: Cassids are peaceful but somewhat jumpy, heavily social beings. Cassids are almost always seen in groups and quickly become weak and depressed if they spend extended periods of time alone. They are incredibly open to all other races, even humans, although they become visibly nervous when meeting with Banikans and Thanatians, but this quickly dissipates once a confrontation has ended, otherwise they appear happy and content. Conversation is big among Cassids and their towns and cities are always filled with chatter. Cassids always prefer flight over fight and will back down from any fight, even ones they have a chance of winning.
Diet: While Cassids are biologically capable of eating flesh, they have a strictly vegetarian diet, a side effect of their overly peaceful and non-confrontational ways. Meals include multiple leafy dishes, garnished with fruits and berries. Proteins and carbohydrates are obtained via leya, which is much like human soya extracts. Cassids will occasionally have more exotic food in the form of raw fruits and imported fungi and beans.
Life Cycle: The average Cassid can live for up to 200 years, although this may mostly be due to their enhanced technology. The longest living Cassid managed to reach an age of 316 years. Cassids lay eggs and keep them in incubators. Eggs are generally long and thin, 10cm long by 5cm round, take 4 months to hatch and are laid in clutches of between two and five. Child mortality is incredibly low. Cassids have short fertility periods and can only lay eggs twice a year. Babies are looked after by both parents until they are 15 years old, and are still supported by their parents until they are 25. Cassids will work until retirement at the age of 170, switching from full time to part time at the age of 150, or 125 if they work a labour-intensive job.
Culture: Cassid culture is mostly built on creating and encouraging peace among themselves as others. They have two simple rules, to bring peace to all and to treat others as you would yourself.
Government: The Cassids have a simple, democratically elected government, consisting of a prime minister and 100 ministers who represent roughly 10 million people each. They have a supreme court with 5 judges, all elected for at the same time as governmental elections.
During elections, Cassids vote 7 times, once for a prime minister of their preference, once for their local minister and five times, one for each judge they’d like to appoint to the supreme court. All votes are counted equally. Candidates can only spend a maximum of 1 million Evra on their political campaigns.
Each new law or amendment must go through the government on its own. It is illegal to try and add unrelated amendments onto a bill that is currently trying to be passed.
There is a distinct lack of political parties among Cassids. Anyone trying to run for a position of power is judged based on who they are, what they have done and what they can do.
Technology: Cassids have technology vastly superior to that of any other race, including humans. They have perfected the creation of superconductors and the use of electromagnetism. Their advanced transportation and AI technology gives them the monopoly on the related industries within the Maza solar systems, earning them a lot of revenue.
Economy: The Cassids are phenomenally wealthy. Their entire society uses very little resources and almost everything that can be recycled, is recycled. After an economic crisis 200 years ago, the Cassids organized strict trading and business laws. Taxes are based on one’s profits and income, with all earnings over 5 billion Evra being taken as tax for the government. This allows people with very low or no income to not have to pay taxes at all.