Serphiads

The Serphiads are a species of large, extremely intelligent organisms from the frigid ice planet Serph, in the Andromeda Galaxy. Naturally curious about the universe, the Serphiads created a civilization with arguably the greatest legacy in The Cluster, which was eventually destroyed by Red Six Trillion, an invading Vuokra tribe.

Biology
Serphiad biology is very unique, and as such they cannot be placed into a conventional classification of life. Their bodies are very uniquely shaped, resembling nothing more than a thick, flexible tube with various smaller tubes and tentacles attached to the tops and bottoms. A Serphiad moves by using the tentacles on the bottom half of its body to pull itself along the ground, while its top tentacles are used for manipulating objects. The ends of a Serphiad's tentacles are fitted with a large opening that functions as a mouth, which is lined with small, highly-maneuverable feelers that can be used to grasp and manipulate objects more precisely. All of a Serphiad's tentacles have these features, and they are all the same size relative to the Serphiad, meaning that a Serphiad can move and manipulate objects easily even if it is rolled on its side or flipped upside down. Serphiads can grow anywhere from 5 to 15 tentacles on the tops and bottoms of their bodies (the number of tentacles on either end is always the same), and they typically range from 15 ft (4.6 m) to 18 ft (5.5 m) in total height. Larger Serphiads tend to grow more tentacles than smaller ones, though the size of each tentacle decreases with number. The flesh of a Serphiad is extremely dense and pale-white in coloration, capable of stretching and bending in a similar fashion to rubber. Serphiads are vertebrates, possessing a highly flexible spinal cord that runs the length of their central tube. The gigantic brains of the Serphiads are coiled around this spinal cord in a helix-like fashion, and are capable of bending along with their spines. Serphiads have poor eyesight, but they are extremely sensitive to vibrations and noise, as well as changes in temperature.

Serphiads reproduce asexually through the use of special spore-like growths that appear at tops of their bodies, directly above the tiny eyes that surround their bodies. These growths are bulb-shaped, and grow around the circumference of the Serphiad's center tube, forming a "crown" of black bulbs. These bulbs grow at varying rates, and once they are fully grown, a Serphiad can pick one of their bulbs off and place it on the ground, where it will anchor itself and absorb nutrients, eventually growing into a tiny, immobile "proto-Serphiad" that must be fed before it can reach maturity. Serphiads spend about a quarter of their lives in this stage, which, considering the average lifespan of a Serphiad is about a millennia, is a very long time. A proto-Serphiad is usually looked after by other Serphiads until it eventually grows large enough to break out of the ground using its bottom tentacles and enter society as a fully-grown Serphiad. Serphiad bulbs must be placed in a very cold and dry location in order to grow, as these conditions simulate those found on their homeworld. After being picked, a Serphiad's bulb will grow back, allowing a single Serphiad to create numerous children. Serphiads typically do not create major connections to their children due to their communal nature as a species, so any newly-grown Serphiads are instead considered children of the entire Serphiad community as opposed to a single individual.

Homeworld
From an outside perspective, the planet Serph appears absolutely inhospitable to life. It is covered in vast sheets of ice and is incredibly cold, preventing most complex lifeforms from appearing. This did not stop the Serphiads, however, from dominating the surface of their planet. Thanks to their extremely efficient digestive systems, the Serphiads were capable of sustaining themselves on nothing more than the microbe colonies found underneath the ice sheets. Due to the extreme temperatures on the planet, the Serphiads were accustomed to coming together as a species and forming closely-knit communities, which grew over time as the Serphiads developed a civilization and industrialized, allowing these communities to merge. Serph was gradually transformed into a hub of Serphiad progress, covered in towering laboratories and archives that sought to document and investigate the findings of the Serphiad Union. The icy environment of the planet was incorporated into the design elements of most Serphiad infrastructure, giving it the characteristic smooth white-and-blue look associated with most Serphiad technology.

Near the end of the First Vuokra Invasion, Serph was in peril. Numerous attacks made by the Vuokra had withered away the fragile defenses of the planet, driving the Serphiads underground just to survive. Serph continued to act as a planet of great importance to the Serphiads during this conflict, and both Tixax and the Zetylians were engineered in underground laboratories on the planet. To finish off Serphiad civilization, the Vuokra used a gargantuan Void Gun to completely destroy the planet and turn it into invisible dark energy, ending the planet's long legacy.

Psychology
Considering the inhospitable nature of their homeworld, it only makes sense that the Serphiads themselves value cooperation and community in an effort to improve their own survival against incredible odds. Serphiads are very social creatures, always working together to achieve their goals, and selflessly making whatever sacrifices are necessary to keep their communities safe and stable. This allowed them to become a highly-developed, industrialized civilization extremely quickly, as they were not beset by wars or conflicts within their civilization between various groups. In terms of mentality, the Serphiads are very similar to the Kaeolians due to their inherent psychological unity. Unlike the Kaeolians, however, the Serphiads are not narcissistic, and do not consider themselves the superior lifeforms of the universe. They are curious about minor civilizations and ancient galactic history, and go to great lengths to discover interesting stellar artifacts. The Serphiads value discovery and curiosity, believing it to be an indication of true sapience. Though their civilization came to dominate the entirety of The Cluster at the height of its power, the Serphiads were always careful to not damage the integrity of minor civilizations they came across, establishing themselves as discoverers, not conquerors.

This way of life was threatened with the invasion of Red Six Trillion, the second Vuokra tribe to invade The Cluster following Pink Two Trillion. Up until this point, the Serphiads had never encountered any outwardly hostile lifeforms that were as powerful as them. The Vuokra forced the Serphiads to become fighters, something they had never been accustomed to doing. Though their technology was almost equal to that of the Vuokra, the Serphiads were not prepared for the conflict, and were quickly destroyed by the Vuokra. This is where the Vuokra derive the title used to refer to them in The Cluster. Since they were quickly able to destroy most of Serphiad civilization (at least until they were trapped in a pocket dimension by Tixax), a rumor emerged among the survivors of the First Vuokra Invasion that the Vuokra are simply a stronger version of the Serphiads, who are considered to be the most powerful creatures to ever appear in the recent history of The Cluster.