El-Aurian

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

El-Aurian
Four Letter Code	ELAU
Federation Status	Neutral
Planet of Origin	El-Auria
Encountered	Star Trek TNG & Star Trek Generations
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	N/A
List of Named El-Aurians
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The El-Aurians are an ancient humanoid race, nomadic due to the loss of their homeworld.

History

See also: The Eccia

Located near the border of the Beta and Delta quadrants, El-Auria was invaded and assimilated by the Borg in 2265, causing all surviving El-Aurians to flee and disperse throughout the galaxy as displaced refugees and wandering nomads.

In 2293, a group of 415 El-Aurian refugees aboard two separate vessels attempted to journey to Earth, following their escape from the Borg, when they were caught in and subsequently destroyed by the Nexus energy ribbon, near the Sol system. The attending Starfleet vessel was able to rescue just 47 of the 415 refugees.

Description

El-Aurians are indistinguishable from Humans, sharing the same range of skin and eye colour. They are generally regarded as a people of 'listeners', with exceptional communication skills.

Physiology

They have a lifespan of several centuries and age very slowly - a 200 year old El-Aurian could easily pass as a youthful 20~30 year old Terran. Due to their long lifespan, they have a low reproductive rate compared to other species, and take longer to be socially considered mature; only around 40 or 50 is a growing El-Aurian considered fully adult, with the decades before that comprising their adolescence.

El-Aurians are extraordinarily sensitive to disturbances in the space/time continuum, and will usually remember the original version of history if a change is made in time. It is unknown if El-Aurians possess any emphatic or telepathic abilities, but the generally-held theory is that most don't.

The hippocampus (which stores memories) of the El-Aurian brain is extremely dense having about 10x the normal neural pathways allowing for greater storage of memory. Furthermore, it is linked to both sides of the brain with even stronger connections to their auditory senses. The extensive networking of neurons in the hippocampus are not present at birth but develop at puberty and continue to grow until the end of puberty.

El-Aurians are prone to eidetic memories (about 60%) of their race. 58% of these eidetic memories do not develop until the onset of puberty. The way that humans can use scent to trigger memories, El-Aurians have a stronger trigger to recover memories with auditory stimulus. When they remember things they have a fuller and more robust mental image.

Genetically, El-Aurian genes and traits are dominant when breeding with other humanoids, however the passing-down of their trademark longevity and their ability to perceive space/time continuum disturbances remains unstudied and unverified.

Psychology

El-Aurians are natural lore-keepers, and use their phenomenal lifespans and memories to collect the stories and life experiences of various sentient beings. They preserve this knowledge for their own kind, and only occasionally share it with non-El-Aurians. They are considered a race of natural ‘listeners’, and their long life spans and powerful memories have given them a reputation for insight and wisdom.

Their long lifespan has had one major effect compared to other races - their culture took quite a long time to effect social change. Their generations were centuries between each other, and as such old traditions became ingrained deeply.

Many surviving El-Aurians have found their way into the Federation territories and soon into the ranks of Starfleet, although seldom, if ever, in positions of leadership, as they usually prefer to operate quietly in support positions.

Religion

Little is known of formal El-Aurian religion, as few speak of it to outsiders. They seem to follow female figures, however, with many of the El-Aurians praying to a single Goddess figure. Even the Eccia, who worship the Three, see their deities as entirely female.

Among the El-Aurian diaspora, some have become adherents of Transcendimensionalism, an acknowledgement that there are higher-dimensional beings and that the rich fabric of reality is akin to a story told by such beings.

Society

As the remnants of El-Aurian society have been scattered in diasporas, El-Aurians have begun to consider any others of their species to be parts of their larger extended family. As an acknowledgement of this interconnectedness and as a sign of respect, younger El-Aurians might call their elders "Uncle" or "Auntie," even if they are not directly related.

Culture

See also: The El-Aurian subculture

El-Aurian Buildings

El-Aurian art is notably nonfigurative, with most of their art being patterns of flowing, interwoven lines. They tend to favor strong, dominant colors with only a single accent; much of their tech was white with blue accents, their clothing one color with a slight underlay of another. Decoration tended to come in various shadows of the dominant color or in patches of pattern or textured fabric.

Hats were common among El-Aurian women, and were typically large, covering much of the head and hair. Even when not wearing hats, having a decoration woven into their hair was more common than not.

The El-Aurians have a reverence for light in all its forms, and their homes are often designed to allow for the travel of sunlight. Spiritual and private rooms are often decorated in candles or small lamps. Their buildings were often built deeply into nature and supported in the tall canyons of El-Auria, so that even the most technically advanced buildings were filled with light and the sounds of nature.

Originating from the Phraatian Empire on El-Auria's eastern mega-continent, the martial art of Tworin grew extremely popular with the rise of Phraatian Orientalism and was eventually exported to other worlds when the El-Aurians achieved spaceflight. It was brought by El-Aurian refugees to Earth where it has become a vibrant sport practiced by El-Aurians and non-El-Aurians alike. Tworin is fought with fought with steel blades similar to the Chokutō of the Japanese Samurai but with a flat end for the rectangular blade, made for hacking and slashing instead of thrusting and piercing. The blades are swung powerfully and widely and the match does not end at a single touch. Unlike many martial arts, Tworin uses the original configuration of the Phraatian blades which were made for war, not sport and have not been modified other than being blunted.

Technology

Much of the typical El-Aurian tech of old is lost.