Wraiths

Domed scalp, talons, tall and quite thin

The original Wraiths were hunters, who settled in the middle of vast preserves and only ate what they caught. As their methods advanced, so did their other aspects: technology, society, etc. When they achieved spaceflight, it led the Wraiths into a new era of development. Their natural cloaking ability and aggressively suspicious nature immediately made them disliked by nearby cultures, but through their ancient ways of hunting and killing for honour and recognition, the Wraiths drove out most of their neighbors and settled a number of star systems. Developing new relationships with larger powers and friendlier races, the Wraiths accepted their place among the stars as destiny, and hoped to one day prove worthy of their continued existence.

The Wraiths are an advanced predatory species from another dimension, presumably one that the Darkarians have not found.

Quadrant: Unknown USI Status: Friendly

First Contact They were first encountered by the USI Orton, when it was on a mission to scout the USS Harbinger, a long lost Galactic Alliance vessel, testing a new Quantum Singularity drive. The entire crew was missing, and there was a large amount of damage. It was discovered that a group of invisible aliens were aboard, and they managed to kill some of the Orton's away team. A little girl was found found hiding in the galley. As it turned out, the crew was not dead - they had been transported to a Wraith holding cell. Also, the little girl admitted to actually being a fleeing Wraith, a rebel. The Wraiths would, in fact, release the Harbinger, it's crew, and the Orton crew members if she returned herself. She gave herself up, much to the disappointment of the crew.

Wraiths are typically very tall humanoids, ranging from 7 feet upwards to almost 8 or 9 feet tall. They are bipedal, with long arms, legs and talons. Wraiths have no hair, and a dome-like head that is often susceptible to physical blows, like a nasty fall. This can affect them in a mixed variety of ways. It is understood that they are all incapable of Psionic powers, because their brain is so formed to fit into their skulls. The Wraith's main special ability is the ability to become invisible, to 'cloak', at will. This renders them impervious to most things, but ways have been found to detect them, through some classified methods. Wraiths can see other cloaked Wraiths. In addition to this, Wraiths are strong, have above-average stamina, heightened reflexes, and have good recuperative powers. However, this has to account for the fact that despite their warlike nature, they are quite physically prone to injuries: they bruise easily. A Wraith's skin is less than 5 millimeters thick, and very porous to account for the effectiveness of the cloaking power, and thus is easily cut open. The fact that this hinders Wraiths, especially with their limited medical technology and skill, means that they train hard, and to last through a large skirmish without a mortal wound is a great accomplishment. The Physical shape and design of Wraiths is mainly for hunting, their ancestors hunted for practically all of their lives, and the Wraiths still use the ancient bladed weaponry today, the most well-known being the Hunting Blade, approximately a meter long, with sharp, curved blades on the ends. Because of their thin skin, many disputes are settled by a duel fought with bladed weapons. This is particularly deadly and dangerous all of the time, and are fought with an almost religious reverence. Younger Wraiths' growth is very rapid, taking three or four stages, from baby to infant, infant to teen, and teen to adult. Each stage is separated by a mega-spurt that increases their mass and size in a matter of seconds, but the process is quite painful and unexpected. This means, in effect, that a Wraith of about four standard years is the physical maturity of a young Terran adult.

Wraith technology is almost all centered around combat and hunting, therefore their ships have strong tactical sensors, weaponry and engines, but mostly have very poor scientific and medical facilities. The Wraiths do possess shielding technology, although it may not always seem like it: even their few best scientists can't seem to fathom a strong design for energy shields. Most of their defense comes from the ultra-strong Wraith metal alloy that is in common use. Wraith ships are strong in combat, especially in predatory attacks using cloaking screens. These work on a similar principle to the natural cloaking ability, so can be detected with special methods. The Wraith Military force is a fierce and well-respected power, and has been proven in combat with the Darkarians.

Wraiths live, it has been established, by a format whereas the eldest Wraith of a Family (always Master class or above) is the leader, and the rest are Warriors. Each Family, or House, is run by a feudal system, with many Houses fighting decades-old conflicts. The basic hierarchy is as follows, from lowest to highest: Student, Warrior, Master, Master Knight, Elite Master (Only four Wraiths have ever been endowed with this title) The Wraiths were led by a Council of Elders, formerly headed by Formedine Chaapen, a well-respected Elder, but the High Council's inner circle was assassinated, plunging the whole Wraith Empire into Civil War, the rebellious malcontents (funded from an unknown source), against the strongest, most respected Houses. The provisional leaders of the Empire have elected to form a more Democratic form of Government and adopt more isolationist policies regarding many other races, although relations with USI have strengthened thanks to the number of Wraiths that have joined USI. Currently, a Non-Aggression Pact exists between the two, so that no ship may enter the other's territory. Wraith Religious beliefs are strictly atheist in nature: the typical view is that no supreme being has control over anyone's destiny, and that each person lives his own life. Many Wraiths hold the belief in Espiritu, mythical ghostly spirits that roam on other dimensional plains, and influence the minds of even the strong-willed. Marriage, or Blood Unions as Wraiths tend to refer to them, are usually to either link a House to another, or by the wishes of the House Elder. Occasionally, Wraiths have been known to join with another for love, but it is usually rare and not as acceptable. Wraith reproduction is completely different to most other species. Either of the Wraiths may secrete their venom, contained in older Wraith's talons, into the body of the other. In simpler terms, the male would scratch the female, allowing his venom to seep into the wound. This is how genetic material is passed on. If the venom enters a female correctly, she has a 50/50 chance of producing offspring. Adverse side-effects of venom have been known to affect other races, causing mutations of the person's DNA.

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