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::''"We are one, that is enough."'' | ::''"We are one, that is enough."'' | ||
:::a Pandronian proverb. | :::a Pandronian proverb. | ||
:The Pandronians are one of the most unusual species in the galaxy as they are in reality a plant colony which requires seven individual | :The Pandronians are one of the most unusual species in the galaxy as they are in reality a plant colony which requires seven individual organisms to combine together to create a single humanoid individual. | ||
==Homeworld== | ==Homeworld== | ||
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The five subspecies are as follows: | The five subspecies are as follows: | ||
*Thinkers: This is the head portion of the body. The thinkers were originally the most intelligent of the species, with the best senses and reasoning. Usually one exists per colony, its role is to be the center of the hive mind and to collect sensory input through eyes, ears and nose. This section has the only full brain of the subspecies, though it cannot provide enough power to use it unless connected to the rest of the body. Also the location of the vocal cords. | *'''Thinkers''': This is the head portion of the body. The thinkers were originally the most intelligent of the species, with the best senses and reasoning. Usually one exists per colony, its role is to be the center of the hive mind and to collect sensory input through eyes, ears and nose. This section has the only full brain of the subspecies, though it cannot provide enough power to use it unless connected to the rest of the body. Also the location of the vocal cords. | ||
*Graspers: These are the arm and hand portions. These creatures developed great dexterity and strength and so they became the workers of the colony. There are usually two per colony, one of each gender. | *'''Graspers''': These are the arm and hand portions. These creatures developed great dexterity and strength and so they became the workers of the colony. There are usually two per colony, one of each gender. | ||
*Walkers: As their name suggests, these are the leg and feet portions of the body. Built for speed and endurance, they support the rest of the colony, though they provide little in terms of intelligence. Each colony typically has two walkers, usually one of each gender. | *'''Walkers''': As their name suggests, these are the leg and feet portions of the body. Built for speed and endurance, they support the rest of the colony, though they provide little in terms of intelligence. Each colony typically has two walkers, usually one of each gender. | ||
*Thumpers: The chest of the Pandronian colony. This is the powerhouse of the body, and also the reproductive section. Rather than blood, the Pandronian colony uses a type of thin sap to transport glucose and carbon to the different extremities. The thumpers house a large heart to pump the sap through the body. Either Male or Female. One per colony. | *'''Thumpers''': The chest of the Pandronian colony. This is the powerhouse of the body, and also the reproductive section. Rather than blood, the Pandronian colony uses a type of thin sap to transport glucose and carbon to the different extremities. The thumpers house a large heart to pump the sap through the body. Either Male or Female. One per colony. | ||
*Grumblers: This is the abdominal section, and it holds the colony's digestive system. A large mouth sits where a human naval would be, directly connected to the stomach. Sugar and Water are pulled out of the food and turned into sap, which is pumped through the body by the thumper section. Non-gendered section, and there can only be one per colony. | *'''Grumblers''': This is the abdominal section, and it holds the colony's digestive system. A large mouth sits where a human naval would be, directly connected to the stomach. Sugar and Water are pulled out of the food and turned into sap, which is pumped through the body by the thumper section. Non-gendered section, and there can only be one per colony. | ||
====Reproduction==== | ====Reproduction==== | ||
Pandronian reproduction is very strange to most humanoids. The strange mix of genders can be confusing to outsiders and is a very private thing in their society, so it is rarely discussed. It takes two full Pandronian colonies to create a | Pandronian reproduction is very strange to most humanoids. The strange mix of genders can be confusing to outsiders and is a very private thing in their society, so it is rarely discussed. It takes two full Pandronian colonies to create a '''bask''', or group of offspring. A typical bask is 15-20 eggs. | ||
=====Genders===== | =====Genders===== | ||
There are technically six Pandronian genders, though only two are necessary for reproduction. Walkers and graspers hatch as either | There are technically six Pandronian genders, though only two are necessary for reproduction. Walkers and graspers hatch as either '''lefts''' or '''rights''', and thumpers as either male or female. Thinkers exist on a much more fluid gender plane, one without any chromosome difference, and grumblers have no gender. | ||
The thumpers control the reproductive aspect of the Pandronian biology because they are the only section to have sexual contact with another body. The nature of reproduction is very much the same as any sexual reproduction in the galaxy. After conception, the female delivers the tiny fertilized eggs, which are then incubated and cared for by the community. | The thumpers control the reproductive aspect of the Pandronian biology because they are the only section to have sexual contact with another body. The nature of reproduction is very much the same as any sexual reproduction in the galaxy. After conception, the female delivers the tiny fertilized eggs, which are then incubated and cared for by the community. The eggs can hatch into any of the five subspecies with differing degrees of probability. Graspers and walkers are the most common, each at a 30% chance of hatching. Then thumpers and grumpers each have a 12% chance, and thinkers are the rarest at 6%. | ||
Walkers and graspers have a different sort of gender. | Walkers and graspers have a different sort of gender. They require more compatibility than the other sections of the colony, so they are usually a mated pair. The two walkers and the two graspers are connected to each other directly to ensure faster communication. | ||
====Joining==== | ====Joining==== | ||
Each of the seven sections of the Pandronian colony can exist for a while as a closed system. After the eggs hatch, the very young organisms are kept in '''creches''' where they are tended like plants until they are old enough to be joined. | |||
The joining process is a relatively simple matter. The membrane folds at each '''joint''' open to allow the tentacle-like connectors to reach out and intertwine with each other. Each tentacle contains a large sap vein and thousands of nerves, which connect to those in the next organism. The membranes then close around the connected joint to seal it closed. These seven distinct parts of the whole can be disassembled and reassembled with other parts over and over again to create a new colony collective each time. This effectively ends the existence of the previous unique Pandronian. | |||
The | |||
===Psychology=== | ===Psychology=== | ||
As colony creatures, Pandronians existed as cooperative beings made up of discrete organisms. Consequently, the concept of an individual holds a unique meaning for Pandronians, who referred to the colony as "this one" instead of the more expected "I" used by most humanoid species. The separate organisms that constituted a unique Pandronian may have also, over the course of time, "disassembled" and reassembled with other creatures creating a new colony and effectively | As colony creatures, Pandronians existed as cooperative beings made up of discrete organisms. Consequently, the concept of an individual holds a unique meaning for Pandronians, who referred to the colony as "this one" instead of the more expected "I" used by most humanoid species. The separate organisms that constituted a unique Pandronian may have also, over the course of time, "disassembled" and reassembled with other creatures creating a new colony and effectively creating a new unique Pandronian at the cost of the former. | ||
Due to the unusual nature of their collective mental functions not much is known about any mental health issues that they may suffer from. | Due to the unusual nature of their collective mental functions not much is known about any mental health issues that they may suffer from. Conflicts in the cohesion of the colony can affect the stability of the hive mind, and attempts to join different combinations of the organisms has unilaterally resulted in mental instability. The thinker can be replaced just like any other part of the organism, but any mental issues tend to exist in the hive as a whole, rather than in just one section. | ||
===Abilities=== | ===Abilities=== | ||
====Levitate==== | ====Levitate==== | ||
Each individual part of the | Each individual part of the Pandronian collective can assemble and disassemble at will. When doing so each part can levitate in order to move slowly from one location to another. This seems to be a natural mental ability developed with in the primitive functions of each section through evolution. This ability consumes a massive amount of energy and adrenaline, however, and is rarely used. | ||
Pandronian individuals rarely have the complete cohesion of mind necessary to use this ability while joined. Elder Pandronians have been known to master it, though, and there are legends of ancient gurus who can levitate other objects. | |||
====Hive Mind==== | ====Hive Mind==== | ||
Each separate part of the Pandorian collective has its own | Each separate part of the Pandorian collective has its own central nervous system with minor, fauna-level functioning. To compare them with Terran animals, the thinker has the intelligence of a rat, the graspers that of a monkey, the walkers that of a horse, the thumpers that of a cow, and the grumpers have about the intelligence of a sheep. | ||
However when they join together into a single individual all | However, when they join together into a single individual, the nervous systems all connect to the large brain housed in the thinker, and they become a unique individual, one with a personality, intelligence and knowledge that is an unusual combination of the entire collective. They do not have telepathic abilities, rather the hive mind is formed through neural connections between each organism. | ||
==History and Culture== | ==History and Culture== |
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