Efrosian

Efrosians were a species of hardy and spiritual humanoids that resided on Efros Delta. They had a rich, unique culture that resisted years of Klingon occupation and even flourished as they became warp capable and began their exploration of the stars. It was their religion that kept them from giving up during their toughest times.

They were the first and possibly the only known species to have achieved warp before inventing a written language. Although Efrosians drew pictures and sometimes used pictograms, most forms of communication were through song and their libraries resembled most other species’ musical archives.

An alternate name for the Efrosians was the Deltan people, or Albino Deltans.

Physiology

Even Efrosians weren't 100% sure where they came from. Their method of keeping history, through songs, wasn't always accurate. The prevailing theory in science suggested that Efrosians evolved from an aquatic mammal, similar to the dolphin on Earth. It was believed that the planet’s rapidly freezing oceans forced the proto-Efrosians out of the water and onto land. There were also theories that said the Preservers transferred the Efrosians to their current planet shortly after they began to walk on two legs, a theory that ancient Efrosian mythology supported.

The average Efrosian had a copper skin tone, but the actual range of skin tones could vary from a dark, ruddy color to almost as white as the snow they walked. Males tended to have blonde or white hair, and females had darker browns and blacks, though the opposite was not unheard of. Both sexes preferred long hair, and both sexes were capable of growing facial hair. Traditionally, males grew long beards or mustaches and long fluffy eyebrows. Both males and females were short, the average for males being 5’ and females being 4’10”.

Efrosians had crests, similar to Klingons, but they tended to be more subtle. Patterns could be complex or simple, but those with Klingon ancestry would display more complex patterns. The cranial plating was meant to be extra protection for the skull.

Efrosian internal anatomy was mostly unremarkable except for a few traits. It was rumored that Efrosians had two stomachs, but this was untrue. Efrosians typically had one very large stomach that allowed them to eat more than the average humanoid. From there, most of the food an Efrosian ate either went to nourishing the body or creating blubber. Very little was left over. Blubber was a means to keep the body warm in the harsh cold of Efros Delta.

In order to maintain their immune system, an Efrosian had to eat at least three servings of Levithi nuts a day. The nuts were jam-packed with nutrients that performed various functions throughout the body, such as maintaining blood pressure and regulating the digestive system. The most important feature of Levithi nuts was their ability to strengthen an Efrosian's immune system. An Efrosian without the nuts would have varying symptoms and after a few days, he/she would experience constipation/diarrhea, nausea, heartburn, some shaking, and cramps. Typically, these were symptoms of withdrawal.

With a lowered immune system, he or she then started to show symptoms of one or more sicknesses. Most of these were not deadly on their own, but in tandem could cause death. Infections become very common. Most Efrosians responded to infections with the usual symptoms, and if in a warm environment, a fever.

Levithi sickness could be avoided with a steady supply of Levithi nuts, or the nutrients and oils contained in the nuts.

The average resting body temperature of an Efrosian was about 105F, and one was said to have a fever at 109. Fevers were rare, and most Efrosians responded poorly to fevers.

Most Efrosians had weak eyes and would go blind by middle age. Although it was perfectly preventable and fixable, Efrosian culture did not see blindness as a disability since most communication was aural. So not many Efrosians had their vision fixed. Some chose to wear special mechanical glasses to fix this and others relied on making clicking and whistling noises. Efrosian hearing and sense of smell made up for the poor eyesight.

Women carried a baby for seven or eight months average, and they usually gave birth at the end of seven months or the beginning of the eight months mark. Efrosian young grew very rapidly in the womb. Infants were often born with birth defects. Every infant was born without a properly functioning immune system. They relied on the Levithi oils in the mother’s breast milk to survive for the first few months. It was tradition to not name a child until their first year alive in case they died before then.

Efrosians had two vocal chords that allowed them to speak with a unique double voice.

Psychology

The harsh climate of Efros Delta necessitated a level of hospitality towards strangers that seemed disconcerting or creepy to other cultures. Conversation, even between strangers, involved very little personal space and lots of touching. Sharing your body heat was considered polite, sharing your home even more so. Efrosians were highly social and emotionally complex.

Sex was considered a social interaction or social obligation. It was a means of eliminating stress, something one did with a friend or many friends to kill time, improving social bonds, helping a female friend get pregnant if she wants children, etc. Flirting and openly admiring other people’s bodies was not only considered polite, but /not/ doing so (or not being sexually attracted to someone) was seen as rude or offensive. Most Efrosians who went through Starfleet Academy were given a talk about the social norms in the Federation just to prevent a mass flooding of sexual harassment claims. Sometimes, this led to an inability to say ‘no’ to unwanted advances.

Having gone through a worldwide struggle, Efrosians avoided fighting between villages. Even interpersonal conflicts were frowned upon. As a result, Efrosians tended to show dislike in passive aggressive ways

Perhaps the only true conflict Efros Delta purposely exacerbated was the one between the Federation and Efros Delta. The Efros religion was their identity, their culture, and their government. Losing their culture was a major concern among Efrosians of all ages. They disliked allowing strangers on their planet for anything other than trade. They were unabashedly xenophobic, private, and secretive when it came to non-Efrosians. It was believed that the Efrosian religion required rituals that were unacceptable by Federation standards, typically including child sacrifice and cannibalism, but since no non-Efrosian ever participated in these rituals without death, it was impossible to say. Consequences for spilling the beans were immediate exile and a bounty placed on one’s head, as well as an afterlife filled with eternal agony and suffering.

Uniquely, Efrosians that betrayed their culture were actually more likely to end their own lives or turn themselves in to their own government than they were to be killed by Efrosian officials. This sort of loyalty-to-the-death attitude to their government was a trait shared by Cardassian culture. Efros was one of only a handful of Federation races to display such overtly statist attitudes.

Language

The Efrosian language is notoriously hard to translate and speak. In order to speak it, one must either have two vocal chords, or be trained in some form of throat singing. The main voice is slightly louder than the secondary voice and indicates tone and emotion. The secondary voice’s key in relation to the first voice’s determines the meaning of the word in question. “Fallan” with both voices on the same key, means earth, soil, or dirt. The second voice one note higher than the main voice means either a cave or a hole in the ground. A note higher means that which nourishes. A note lower means infertile soil or permafrost. Two notes lower refers to an ecological biome, and so on.

Emphasis also determines the meaning of a word. Using “Fallan” with emphasis on the last syllable is a different word than “Fallan” with emphasis on the first. The former is soil, the latter is a word that refers to any material treasure.

Some words are also affected by how long the word is drawn out, whether the main or secondary voice goes down or up throughout the word, the location of clicks in the word, and whether or not the singer drones their second voice.

Efrosians tend to speak all together instead of waiting for someone to finish speaking. Their brains can process multiple sources of speech at once without much difficulty. Efrosian speech tends to sound like whale song if sung by a good singer and like a giraffe giving birth to an elephant if sung by a bad one.

Efrosian naming conventions typically dictate that every Efrosian have three names. The first is an individual name, the second their mother's name, and the third is the name of the city, town, village, or province they were born in. It's considered impolite to use only the first name when addressing an Efrosian. Those born on ships and star bases will sometimes be named after either the mother's birthplace or the ship, resulting in odd names such as Mel-Tsulon-Starbase 137.

The universal translator has a mostly-complete database of the Efrosian language, but since Efrosian speech does not share the usual statement-response style of conversation that most races have, the UT will sometimes fail to translate if more than one Efrosian is speaking at the same time.

The Efrosian language also contains a huge breadth of words that do not translate to Standard very well. These words are divided up into two categories by federation xenolinguists: contextual and non-contextual. The contextual category is mostly comprised of words that refer to religious doctrines and teachings. These words sometimes do translate, but have no real meaning in Standard unless given context. The non-contextual are words that simply have no analogue in standard and are mostly made of names, words to describe emotions, certain sports-related terminology, and words that describe snow, ice, and permafrost.

Home World

Efros Delta is also known by the name Efros, and less commonly, Efrosia. It is the fourth planet in the Flarset system and home to the humanoids commonly known as Efrosians. Its diameter is 14,373 Km. It has minimal axial tilt, an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, and very little difference in climate throughout the planet. Although it is categorized as a class P planet, the recent end of its ice age makes Efros a candidate for reclassification to either Class O or Class M. It has two moons, Erros and Uos. The two moons pull on the planet throughout their orbits, causing tectonic disruption. This creates plentiful geothermal energy. As of now, most of the planet is icy, dotted with great glaciers and mountains. The equator, where most of the population resides, is water for most of the year. Although the current land mass percentage is 36%, projections show that, as the ice age ends and water levels rise, the percentage of land mass will drop to 10% or less.

The planet rotates around the Flarset star at an average 304.3 days per year with 29 hour days Because of its minimal axial tilt, the planet experiences little seasonal change. Its two moons orbit Efros at two different speeds. Erros is larger and slower, and Uos smaller and faster. It is believed that the Flarset and its planets formed after a nearby white dwarf went supernova. The remains of the supernova are still visible in the Efrosian night sky some parts of the year as a large purple-green veil. There are seven total planets in the system, but only Efros lies in the ‘Goldilocks’ zone’.

It is theorized that early in Efros’s development, the planet made impact with multiple small asteroids and experienced an extreme amount of pull from its neighboring planets. The pressure created a volcanic, hot planet that began to cool as the other planets in the Flarset system migrated farther away from one another. Fossils from Efros’s early development are difficult to come by, due to the entire planet being covered in mostly ice. What little fossils have been discovered suggest that Efros Once had seven times the biodiversity it has now, and most of it was aquatic. Some evidence suggests that Efrosians evolved from an aquatic mammal, but it is impossible to ignore the amount of evidence that suggests the planet was seeded by the Preservers.

It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact beginning of Efros’s ice age by looking at Efros alone. By studying Flarset Four and Flarset Five, scientists are able to conclude that early in the solar system’s formation, a very large planetary object pulled the orbits of Flarset One, Two, Three, Efros, Flarset Four, Flarset five, Flarset Six, and Flarset Seven away from their star. All planets except for Flarset One experienced an ice age at about the same time. Millenia afterwards, the natural movement of Flarset around the center of its galaxy pulled the solar system away from the planetary object, which moved too slowly to keep up. The planet’s elliptical orbit meant it strayed from Flarset and began to wander on its own. Scientists now identify this historically important planet as Flarset Eight, now a class R planet. As a result of the loss of Flarset Eight, planets One, Two, Three, Efros, Four, and Five are slowly moving closer to their sun. Six and Seven’s orbits are wobbly, and scientists predict that in a few centuries they will begin to drift too.

The majority of Efros’s population lives around or on the watery equator, in huge cities frequently clumped together. The rest of Efros’s population resides in their traditional provinces, with boundaries decided by both geographical constraints and political conflict both ancient and recent. Each province is given a name, which is often the same as the largest town or village within the province. Some Efrosians choose to form living quarters deep within cave systems, but this is considered dangerous, unorthodox, and undesirable. Despite this, Efrosians who live a mining lifestyle tend to be wealthy and have a higher quality of life than their rural counterparts. About 74% of the population is Efrosian, 11% Klingon, and 15% other or transient visitors.

Currently, Efros is slowly beginning to warm up. The water level of the entire planet is rising. Because Efrosian live evolved and developed mostly during the Ice Age, this comes as a calamity to the entire ecosystem of Efros. Currently, the north and south poles keep temperatures of -90C and are uninhabitable even by Efrosians. Most rural provinces are located around slightly warmer areas, varying between -30C to -10C during the day and -30C to -60C at night. The equators can vary between 5C to 20C during the day, and -10C to 0C at night. Efros has many mountains with deep, intricate cave systems that extend many kilometers below the planet and are not fully explored. The valleys in between often have boreal forests with trees built to survive in constant snow. There are relatively large bodies of saltwater towards the center of the large landmass, divided into three large oceans whose official names are both incomprehensible and unpronounceable by most humanoids. Other ecosystems include tundra and ‘desert’ conditions. Most of Efros’s biodiversity is located in the very deep caves or very deep in the sea, though there are species that survive away from these relatively warm areas

(Note: All names, such as Flarset, Efros, etc. are an approximation. As the Efrosian language does not clearly translate over to Standard, they may not accurately represent the traditional names given. All planets in the Flarset system were given Efrosians names, but all except Efros are untranslatable and thus the name of the solar system and its proximity to the Flarset star are used to discriminate between planets. Flarset one orbits closest to its star, Flarset two is second closest, etc.)

Culture & Customs

Efrosian culture is not easy to write about. There are entire courses offered on the subject and even they aren’t quite complete. It’s best to envision Efrosian government, religion, and culture, all three of which can be referred to as 'Efros', and continue from there.

Efrosians are dedicated to their oral history, which ties in with their language. Song and oral history are important. They have have either one very big epic song or several smaller ones that are their 'bible', which contains rules on how to live one's life. In general, Efrosians were happy to know other life existed and participated enthusiastically in educational and cultural exchange. However they’re secretive and guard their religion and culture jealously. You’re never at home on Efros if you’re an Outsider. This is because after finding out that their religious beliefs were unacceptable in the eyes of most other races, Efrosians were faced with a choice: either drastically alter their religion or hide it.

Hiding it became easy enough to do, and the most obvious choice. Efros Delta is ruled by an oligarchy, with shaman-warriors presiding over communities. Because their government is technically a theocracy, altering the religion drastically could actually cause a huge political upheaval that would see a lot of people losing esteemed positions. Although the common people probably didn't want to change in the face of their new contact with the outside world, it was more than likely the people in power who made sure that their religion would be secret, by issuing new laws and new interpretations of old ones that disallow sharing of culture, religion--of Efros with other people.

However what is and what is not considered banned to speak of to foreigners isn't always clear. Some take it to mean that they shouldn't even have foreigners on the planet. Some think it means keeping the spiritual aspect of your culture to yourself. The punishment for breaking this law is severe though. Depending on the area, it can range from some really horrific, creative forms of torture, to just plain old death, and it almost always ends in going to the fiery, windy version of afterlife to suffer forever.

The most remarkable thing about the Efrosian culture is that when one breaks the rules, spoken or unspoken, they’re more than likely to carry out their own execution. The dedication to their own people is admirable to some, frightening to others.

What is known about the Efrosian culture is that they hold nature in high regard. The health of their planet has always been top priority. To Efrosians, animals are companions, and if one must kill an animal for meat, it’s respectful to use every part of the animal for something. Likewise, death of Efrosians due to wildlife is seen as a natural and good way to die, even if it is sad. It is a way of repaying the cycle. Efrosians often offer up gifts to the spirits of certain animals, packs, plants, or ecosystems. Due to this particular belief, the recent global warming crisis on Efros is especially damaging to the Efrosian identity.

History

Long before Efros Delta became a Federation planet, Efrosians were just a relatively small population surviving on a frozen hunk of a planet. They worshipped spirits of nature and held a deep respect for their wildlife and ecosystem, they lived in tribes led by shaman-priestesses, and they occasionally fought among themselves. They developed recording and playback instruments for communication, were developing large towns and even a city, and were perfecting the art of agriculture in greenhouses. Most importantly, the high mountain ranges that stretched across the planet were supposed to be full of rare and precious metals. Efros Delta was right on the edge of both Federation and Klingon territory. In the year 2278, the Vulcan crew of the USS Surak were the first to make contact with the Efrosians. Efros fell to the Klingons later that year.

The Klingons subjugated the people, as conquerors do, but they were more interested in the resources Efros had to offer. Klingons are tough, but they did not have the cold resistance or the expertise to find anything deep within the frozen mountain ranges. Efrosians were frequently harassed or corralled into mining operations, controlled by various houses.

Efrosians frequently formed rebellion groups and would launch brutal attacks on the Klingons and their resources. Where the Klingons were strong, Efrosians were on their home turf. It was ugly for both sides. Efrosians often brought back pieces of Klingon technology from battles as war trophies and as object of study. Klingon rule inadvertently improved Efrosian technology in this way. Before long, Efrosians began the first of their space travel adventures, and became warp capable when Razul-Xillin-Gensolli reverse-engineered a stolen craft from the Klingons.

At the end of the Four Years' War, in the mid 23rd century, the Klingons released many planets that were previously under their control to the Federation. Efros was one of those planets. Just as Efros became a Federation planet, the High Council on Qo'nos finally reviewed the crimes of the houses on Efros. Each of them were considered dishonorable and were forbidden from returning, which meant a small population of Klingons remained on Efros.

Today, the culture of the Efrosians is still experiencing some shell shock. At about the time the Klingons let go of Efros, the planet began to experience global warming. The ice age had ended. At the same time, they made contact with the federation, which accelerated their technological progress. Because all this change was happening so fast, the culture began to experience a conservative whiplash. Although Efrosians generally welcome technology with open arms, they also began to cling more stubbornly to their religion and culture, often reviving traditions that had not been practiced in ages. There's almost a constant distrust of everyone who is not Efrosian—in fact, there is a whole array of slightly offensive slang for anyone who is not Efrosian. (and a whole slew of nasty words for Klingons.)

Government & Military

The government of Efros is a theocratic oligarchy. There is a council of twelve Lamanes who act in a manner similar to the Roman Catholic Pope, as figureheads and as leaders. Lamanes do not actually make new rulings, but they are the ones who officially announce them and distribute them. Typically Lamanes will take new names upon their crowning.

Below the Lamanes are two groups of equal importance, or nearly so. There are they law-makers( the Kheyanar) and what is referred to as the House. Both groups can write laws, but the Kheyanar have to approve the writing of a law before it becomes canon. The Kheyanar may not write a law without consulting the House, and the House must have a certain number of yes votes, otherwise a law will not pass. Also on this level are the publishing companies that actually distribute the Lamanes announcements, televise the House-Kheyanar debates, and provide nonbiased coverage of all government goings-ons, such as civil and criminal lawsuits and public events. There are other organizations that organize and control economic development, the military, the space program, etc, but ultimately major decisions are left to the House-Kheyanar

Those that make up the House are the Gothi. Gothi must have been a priestess-shaman , Raice, and a Matriarch before they are crowned Gothi. Gothi represent groupings of provinces. Their territories are usually divided by geological features. The frequently spend time consulting with their Raice before heading to the capital to make laws based on the issues presented to them

Also at the level of the Gothi are the civil and criminal courts. Civil and criminal courts are actually a leftover from Klingon society, twisted to suit Efrosian needs. Civil and criminal cases that can’t be resolved by one’s local government come here. Civil court is widely known among Efrosians to be the single most boring televised program known to Efros-kind. Since neither court actually get many cases, a single case can take a very long time.

A Raice must be a Matriarch and shaman priestess before becoming a Raice. She travels among all villages in her province and holds a position similar to governer. Usually the job of creating or interpreting local law falls to her, though she holds counsels of Matriarchs to advise her.

A Matriarch must be a shaman-priestess before she becomes a Matriarch. She travels among two or three villages to understand their needs and make requests on her villages’ behalf. She has the unique ability to absolve the sins of her people. The only other group of people who can do this are the Lamanes. Any organization that has been found guilty of some crime or sin heinous enough must not only go through criminal court or civil court, but must answer to a court of Matriarchs. This is rare and considered scandalous. Individuals often come before a Matriarch to have their sins washed away.

Shaman Priestesses reside with their villagers and act as the spiritual adviser and ritual leader. In times of war and danger, she’s often a field medic, a soldier, and a general. In between, she’s also a midwife, babysitter, psychologist, family therapist, matchmaker, occasional chef, village diplomat, and chief wine-taster. They’re much beloved by their people and held in high regard. It’s a common superstition that shaman-priestesses hold telepathic powers.

Shaman-Priestesses, Matriarchs, Raice, and Gothi are all female-only positions. About 80% of all other positions are also female. There are sociologists who argue that Efros is a Matriarchy, but most Efrosians don’t really understand or care for the concept.

Efros does not have a significant military, due to not having a very high population to begin with. What they do have could be considered reserves.

Technology

Efrosians are a warp capable species and have access to all the wonderful technologies that make the Federation great. Strangely enough, many rural villages will only make due with a replicator, some precautionary shielding technology, and some medical technology, if that. They will embrace technology, but distrust the Federation and would rather build their own using Federation knowledge. Manufacturing is not a big industry on Efros, so Efrosians are left with high demand and low stock

Efrosians do have tech to boast about though. They have a defense grid set around their planet that appears efficient enough to negate the need for a military. Efrosian-build ships are few and far between, but what is built are usually sturdy ships that can be dragged through hell and back and still be in one piece.

The most important technological development on Efros would be their reliance geothermal energy. Stations located across the planet gather energy across the planet with an efficiency rate not seen in Federation geothermal stations. Additionally, the greenhouse gases usually produced while drilling are collected and either sold or used.

Mythology

Efrosians do not like to share their mythology much. What is known is this;

Contrary to most creation myths, Efrosians were not originally created by their gods. The spirits created Efros and ruled it for a very long time without any one dominant life form. They reportedly could not get along well with one another. According to legend, Efrosians were brought to the planet by the Wise Ones, masters of the unknown. They were deposited on Efros with the mission to keep balance on the planet. The word ‘Efros’ literally means a crucial balancing element or keystone. How Efrosians were actually created varies, there are many songs that describe the creation of Efrosians differently.

The main job of the Efrosians is to balance rule between the spirits. Spirits are more numerous than the stars themselves, but are all organized into four categories: land-dwellers, sky-dwellers, ocean-dwellers, and “those that creep”. All life on Efros is categorized in the same way; land-dwelling mammals, avians, all aquatic life, and any plant, insect, or fungus. Efrosians fall into none of those categories, but are tasked with the responsibility of keeping each domain and living in peace with the spirits and one another. Efrosians rely on numerous parables that are sung the way lullabies and children’s songs are today to teach their young how to live.

Special Notes

Conservative Efrosians generally distrust the Federation, despite relying on them for protection and development. the more liberal of Efrosians have a more welcoming attitude towards the Federation. Attitudes regarding the Federation are currently undergoing a cultural shift as more and more Efrosians realize their planet is warming and their current lifestyle will be forced to change. Many see the Federation as the only hope Efros has to either combat their current melting crisis, or find a new home.

Further Reading and Notes from the Author

• Memory Alpha
• Memory Beta

Efrosians were created to fill in a gap in Star Trek canon. The page on Efrosians on Memory Alpha is painfully devoid of information regarding the race. All information here was written up using Memory Alpha as a scaffold and Memory Beta as an inspiration.