Name: Rethavok (singular: Rethavok)
Also known as: Rethans
Average Height: 250cm
Average Weight: 100kg
Basic Description: Rethavok are heavily armoured bipedal beings with plating across their heads, chests, groins, arms and legs. They have long tails tipped with armour plating and spikes, and their armour is tough enough to stop low calibre bullets.
Rethan skin is rubbery and warm to the touch, a stark comparison to their cold armour.
Rethavok armour comes in a variety of colours, generally in two tones – a dull black, grey or sometimes silver shade and a brightly coloured secondary shade. Red, blue, white and green are all common colours. Skin is normally black or dark grey, occasionally with streaks of colour that matches their armour plating.
Despite being heavily armoured already, most Rethavok will wear additional armour. A ‘stomach scarf’ is a common piece of Rethan apparel, consisting of a simple fabric wrap worn around the stomach. Other fabric body wraps are also worn on the shoulders and upper arms at times as padding for extra armour.
Abilities and Powers: Rethavok are durable beings with the ability to heal from physical injuries quickly and efficiently. They have high amounts of stamina and durability, capable of surviving for long periods of time without food or water.
Rethavok have very low level telepathy, enabling them to sense nearby beings and send brief telepathic commands to nearby Rethans.
Habitat: The Rethavok are used to hot temperatures and originally lived on dusty plains with little water. As they developed, the Rethavok built simple cities, each individual building their home on a small plot of land.
Rethan homes are incredibly simple, often only having a couple of rooms, the majority of their living space being around the fireplace in the middle of the home.
Diet: Rethavok are omnivores, requiring a varied diet of meat, green grasses and vegetables, and carbohydrates. Stews and soups are their main meal of choice, often cooked in large pots for days at a time. Sausages made from leftover meats are also popular. Rethavok dislike sweet things but do enjoy salty foods.
Breeding: Rethavok are hermaphrodites, having both male and female reproductive organs. A fertilized adult will develop a single egg for a month inside their body before laying it in a nest in their home. After 4 months, the egg, which is translucent and glutinous, will hatch. The young Rethan, known as a kid, is small and underdeveloped, and requires constant attention until the age of one. Growth is slow, with Rethan kids reaching sexual maturity at the age of 15 and being fully grown at the age of 20.
Rethavok are highly protective of their young and are known to brutally murder anyone or anything that threatens their home while they have an egg or young kid.
The average lifespan of a Rethavok is 123 years. Rethavok continue to grow slowly, even past the age of twenty.
Hierarchies: The Rethavok are a militarised race and structure themselves based on military rank, with three ranks of common soldier, lieutenants, captains and generals. The highest rank in their society is that of the High General. The High General is the only elected member of Rethan society, with candidates being chosen from the higher general ranks and being voted for by all Rethavok. The High General, once elected, will pick other generals govern over specific tasks such as the economy, interior defence and external affairs with other races.
Technologies: Technology employed by the Rethavok is crude but strong and reliable, always doing what is required. They are capable of interstellar travel, as well as colonizing other planets. Their most proficient technologies are weapon tech and mining, which are the basis of their economy.
Society: Rethan society is heavily militarised, with every single capable Rethan being a trained soldier and willing to fight at all times. Respect is key among Rethans, and they will work hard to earn the respect of their peers, and potentially earn a promotion as well.
Despite being militarised, the Rethavok believe in equality, and all Rethans are given the same opportunities in life. While some time in the Stratos, the Rethan army, is mandatory for all Rethans, a large number will train for specific duties and careers, and will work those jobs for most of their life.
While Rethans seem quiet, they can be incredibly social and are happy to spend time with their friends, they just require cooling off periods on their own to calm themselves and collect their thoughts.
Religion: Organized religion is strictly forbidden within Rethan territories and is banned in Rethan law, with imprisonment being the main punishment for any being who attempts to start a cult or place of worship. Despite this, private beliefs are tolerated, and free speech is a heavily protected right – one is free to believe what they want but they are not to indoctrinate others on baseless beliefs.
Economy: The Rethavok economy is somewhat stable, as it is based on three things: selling solar power energy, mining for silicon and other useful resources and selling weaponry. Costs of living are incredibly low and unemployment is non-existent, as all jobless Rethavok rejoin the national Stratos (army) until they can get new jobs. There is a universal basic income available for all Rethavok, with a basic home and utilities supplied by the government.