Theltren

The Theltren are a nomadic alien species that occupy several regions of the Andromeda Galaxy centered around the eastern portions of the Tixius Cradle. Driven off their homeworld due to their arrogance and ideological divides, the Theltren are still at odds with each other during encounters in the vast darkness of space.

Biology
Theltren are thin, very flexible reptiles with long, vaguely oval-shaped bodies. They average about 9 ft (2.7 m) in length, but are known to grow up to 13 ft (4 m) in some conditions. A Theltren's body is rust-colored and covered in thin scales that are surprisingly soft to touch. The thicker end of a Theltren's body denotes the location of their head, which is very simple in design. Two specialized pairs of eyes adorn the top of their heads: a set of larger, protruding eyes that provide basic vision, and a smaller set of dark black eyes that are extremely sensitive to light, allowing the Theltren to see well even in extremely dark environments. Below these eyes is a vertically-aligned mouth with multiple rows of extremely sharp teeth that is capable of rapidly shredding almost anything that enters it. While the design of their mouths is more suitable for the consumption of meat, Theltren are capable of eating almost any biological material thanks to their extremely efficient metabolisms that can digest food at a rapid pace. The speed of a Theltren's metabolism, combined with their cold-blooded physiology, means that a Theltren's body temperature can fluctuate wildly depending on how much food they consume, as their stomachs produce a considerable amount of heat during their rapid digestion process. This means that a Theltren must carefully regulate their intake of food to avoid overheating, an issue that accounts for the limited food supplies the Theltren carry aboard their ships. Theltren have a pair of front and back legs that end in star-shaped graspers with four digits. The simplistic, highly-maneuverable bone structure within their legs give the Theltren incredible flexibility and agility, and they can move at rapid speeds thanks to the powerful muscle fibers inside their legs. A Theltren can excrete a strong adhesive goo from the bottoms of their graspers to climb on walls and ceilings, giving them significant freedom when it comes to how they construct their spaceships and habitats. The Theltren are a sexually-reproducing species that lay hard-shell eggs on dry land. Sexual dimorphism in their species is low, but in general, female Theltren tend to have thinner, smaller bodies than their male counterparts, as well as a small hump on the lower end of their body that is used for storing eggs as they grow inside the female's body. This hump is the most recognizable part of a female Theltren's body, and is often used to tell females and males apart, since a Theltren's genitals stay retracted inside of their body most of the time.

It is not known to what extent the Theltren's long history as a nomadic spacefaring race has shaped their biology, but deviations from basic Theltren physiology have been found in certain Theltra depending on their technology and ideological convictions. For example, the Theltren inhabiting the technologically-advanced Myzimar Theltra have augmented themselves heavily with cybernetic components, much more so than other Theltren. The mysterious Timinir Theltra is inhabited by a race of Theltren that have genetically engineered themselves to have large feathery wings in an effort to emulate their deities, the Frolavak. This process of biological emulation is something many Theltren have undergone in an effort to mimic other species that possess desirable traits, and it often factors into complex religious beliefs that deify the species in question. This was certainly the case with the infamous Zetylmi Theltra, who attempted to replicate the likeness of the Zetylians after discovering a chunk of a Zetylian colony floating listlessly in space, teleported randomly by a Kaeolian Swapper Bomb.

Homeworld
Details concerning the Theltren homeworld are minimal. The entirety of the Theltren species have been living in space for thousands of years, and have chosen to forget about where they came from originally. Based on their biology, it is believed the Theltren were originally a subterranean species, inhabiting extensive cave systems on their homeworld. This is supported by their excellent night vision and efficient metabolisms, which most likely evolved to help the Theltren survive on a minimal food supply inside of these caves. The interiors of the spaceships most Theltren now reside in are certainly cave-like in appearance, being dimly-lit and distressingly capacious. However, it is not known if this is a preferred environment the Theltren have acclimated to after thousands of years in space, or an attempt at replicating the environments of their homeworld. Some of the older Theltra found in the Andromeda Galaxy have fragments of knowledge about the Theltren homeworld, which has helped to shed light on how the Theltren became the nomadic species they are recognized as. Many hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Theltren had developed an advanced civilization on their homeworld and were moving into their early space age as a species. Unfortunately, the promise of colonization outside the confines of their homeworld had caused tensions between the divided nations of the Theltren homeworld to rise. A war of incredible proportions broke out on the Theltren homeworld, almost destroying their species completely. The surviving Theltren escaped to space and banded together into the nomadic Theltra fleets, deviating greatly in their technologies and ideologies as they became more and more isolated from each other. The Theltren have since confined themselves to lives in space, refusing to form permanent settlements on planets so as to avoid repeating the mistakes of their past.

Rumor has it that the Theltren homeworld is still out there, hidden somewhere in the Andromeda Galaxy. While most Theltren have no intentions of returning to their place of origin, if they even know where it exists, there are some intrepid explorer that have sought to find the Theltren homeworld in the hopes of discovering more about the history of the Theltren species, and possibly uncovering advanced technologies or vast riches that lay undisturbed on the planet. Unfortunately, the isolated nature of most Theltra, combined with their conflicting records of ancient Theltren history, have barred most from getting very far in their quests to find the Theltren homeworld. It is said that a single Zetylian by the name of Maljak Treyomn actually succeeded in this mission and found the Theltren homeworld, but the validity of this claim, as well as any information about what Maljak found on the planet, is up for speculation, since he was never seen again after departing to look for the planet.

Psychology
For better or for worse, the Theltren are infamous for their arrogance and stubbornness. They rarely change their minds about anything and are deeply suspicious of new ideas. These attitudes, which permeate throughout most Theltren regardless of Theltra affiliations, are believed to be the result of their nomadic existences in space. In the closely-knit Theltra most Theltren belong to, cultural identity is retained over subsequent generations through tradition. The Theltren belonging to a specific Theltra operate by a clearly-defined set of rules and principles that give them a sense of unity as a people and help distinguish them from other Theltra. While this has allowed the Theltren to uphold fairly stable societies for thousands of years, their traditionalism has the unfortunate side-effect of antagonizing anyone that does not share in their highly-specific ideologies, which can include both other alien races and other Theltra. Likewise, the Theltren are isolationists, and prefer to keep to themselves than bother with those outside their communities, who, in their eyes, often hold inferior or sometimes dangerous ideologies. This is not always the case, as there are some Theltren that are rather amiable, particularly those that belong to pacifistic Theltra. However, a majority of Theltren want nothing to do with those that do not share in their ideologies, and it is this attitude that frequently leads to conflict involving the Theltren.

While it may seem as though their traditionalism is all-consuming and cannot be changed under any conditions, the core tenants of Theltren behavior start to break down when they are faced with tremendous hardship. No matter how much they despise another individual or group due to ideological divides, a Theltren will almost always drop their disputes and act unnaturally amiable if they are in desperate need of assistance. After receiving said assistance, they will regain their composure and act as though there is still no common ground between them and the other party, allowing their arrogance to set in. Often, a Theltren will outright deny that they had any help after getting out of a bad situation, insisting that it was solely the byproduct of their own ingenuity. This has made the Theltren appear very hypocritical to other species, but most of them justify this behavior through their ideologies. This justification is unique as it is one of the only commonalities between the ideologies of different Theltra.