Efrosian

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

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

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

Physiology

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

The average Efrosian has a copper skin tone, but the actual range of skin tones can vary from a dark, ruddy color to almost as white as the snow they walk. Males tend to have blonde or white hair, and females have darker browns and blacks, though the opposite is not unheard of. Both sexes prefer long hair, and both sexes are capable of growing facial hair. Traditionally, males grow long beards or mustaches and long fluffy eyebrows. Both males and females are short, the average for males being 5’ and females being 4’10”.

Efrosians have crests, similar to Klingons, but they tend to be more subtle. Patterns can be complex or simple, but those with Klingon ancestry will display more complex patterns. The cranial plating is meant to be extra protection for the skull.

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

In order to maintain their immune system, an Efrosian must eat at least three servings of Levithi nuts a day. The nuts are jam-packed with nutrients that perform various functions throughout the body, such as maintaining blood pressure, and regulating the digestive system. The most important feature of Levithi nuts is their ability to strengthen an Efrosian's immune system. An Efrosian without the nuts will have varying symptoms.

After a few days, he/she will experience constipation/diarrhea, nausea, heartburn, some shaking, and cramps. Typically these are symptoms of withdrawal.

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

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

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

Most Efrosians have weak eyes and will go blind by middle age. Although it’s perfectly preventable and fixable, Efrosian culture does not see blindness as a disability since most communication is aural, so not many Efrosians get their vision fixed. Some choose to wear special mechanical glasses to fix this and others rely on making clicking and whistling noises. Efrosian hearing and sense of smell makes up for the poor eyesight.

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

Efrosians have two vocal chords that allow them to speak with a unique double voice.

Psychology

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

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

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

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

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. A note higher means that which nourishes. A note lower means infertile soil. Two notes lower, a tundra or permafrost, so on 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.

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 as one entity and go 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 stuff, to just plain old death, and it almost always ends in going to the fiery 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.

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. 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. Klingon rule inadvertently improved Efrosian technology. 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 something like 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.