Jian'Tur

The Jian’Tur (zhan-tur) are an amphibian race from the planet Gan’Gan, in the Triangulum Galaxy. They are notable for being one of the oldest sapient races in The Cluster, having developed an interstellar civilization, the Jian’Tur Federation, around 800,000 B.C.E, which lasted for many hundreds of thousands of years under the Magnificent Balance of Peace.

Biology
Many civilizations that encounter the mighty Jian’Tur Federation are surprised when they discover the comparatively small size of its benefactors. The Jian’Tur, as a species, have a very diminutive stature, never growing larger than a foot or so. At the front of their bodies, Jian’Tur have a flattened, short head with small, beady white eyes that point upwards, as well as a long tongue that they can extend outwards up to 1.5 ft (0.46 m). They only possess two limbs, a pair of strong, extremely nimble arms with 4-digit graspers. In between their digits is a thin webbing that makes their arms suitable for swimming through thick, algae-ridden ponds and streams. Using these arms, Jian’Tur can pull themselves along the ground with surprising speed and efficiency. Most of a Jian’Tur’s body is its tail, which starts immediately at the base of their arms. This tail tapers off near the bottom, and, much like their arms, has an extremely high muscle density. Combined with the Jian’Tur’s simple skeleton, their tails are capable of moving with considerable force and speed in degrees of motion not normally available to the tails of other creatures. This had led the Jian’Tur to develop a rather ingenious method of covering long distances or reaching high places. By curling its tail underneath its body, and then suddenly extending it, a Jian’Tur can fling itself in any direction. With practice, this skill can be honed and improved upon, eventually allowing a Jian’Tur to reach places inaccessible to their clumsier, larger predators. Jian’Tur constantly excrete a thick slime around their bodies that keeps them lubricated on dry land, and their bodies are naturally a pale, dark-red color intermixed with small black spots. Aside from the slightly larger size of Jian’Tur females, there is no significant sexual dimorphism between the male and female variants of their species.

The inside of a Jian’Tur’s body is just as interesting as their exterior. The xenobiologists of many civilizations are amazed at the sheer density of a Jian’Tur’s internal organs, especially their brain. Despite being no more than 1.8 in (4.6 cm) in total diameter, Jian’Tur brains contain an extremely condensed network of neurons and synapses, which accounts for the natural high intelligence of the Jian’Tur as a species. The density of their brains and other organs cause the Jian’Tur to be very heavy comparative to their small size, a trait that is emphasized on the high-gravity conditions of their homeworld. A large portion of a Jian’Tur’s weight comes from their extremely dense muscles, which give the Jian’Tur tremendous strength for their size, enabling them to move very quickly despite their considerable weight.

Within the jungle ecosystems of Gan’Gan, the Jian’Tur are low-level omnivores, accustomed to eating small insects, fish and various plants. They are hunted by several of Gan’Gan’s larger predators, but their intelligence and agility have allowed them to avoid these predators rather effectively. For much of their developed history, the Jian’Tur lived in specialized habitats built within high treetops, keeping them safe from the predatory creatures stalking the jungle floor below.

Homeworld
The planet Gan’Gan is a world of unparalleled greenery, with thick jungles covering a majority of its surface. In fact, the planet’s name translates exactly to “Green Green” within the Jian’Tur language. The cause for this massive abundance of life is attributed to the planet’s geological history. Millions of years ago, most of Gan’Gan was covered in vast oceans, which have since receded, leaving behind huge continents of sediments and fossilized matter from the planet’s oceanic age. Rich in nutrients and biomass, this sediment allowed life to flourish on its surface, giving rise to the sprawling jungles that now cover Gan’Gan. The only place on the planet’s surface that is not covered in foliage is near the planet’s equator, which has remained a scorching, inhospitable desert due to the intense heat of Gan’Gan’s massive red star. A select few rivers run through this desert to seas on either side, and serve as the only connection for life between the northern and southern hemispheres of the planet.

Jian’Tur industrial development did much to change the ecology of Gan’Gan. The endless treetop surfaces held up entire Jian’Tur cities, which were firmly anchored into the foliage beneath them. Much of Gan’Gan’s equatorial desert was hollowed out and turned into a gigantic artificial chasm in which the Jian’Tur constructed their gargantuan warships. This chasm, in turn, connected to a vast network of underground tunnels and complexes that housed a majority of the planet’s population. During the reign of the Jian’Tur Federation, social status on their homeworld was largely determined by where one lived. The wealthiest and most influential of their society were allowed to occupy the luxurious treetop cities, while the impoverished masses labored constantly under the planet’s surface. During the First Neo-Serphiad Invasion, the forces of Red Six Trillion made especial use of Gan’Gan’s industrialized nature by slicing the planet in half via numerous Maximum Impulse Bombs deposited within the planet’s artificial chasm. The two halves of Gan’Gan have since collided back with each other and crumbled into a cluster of lifeless asteroids, carrying with them remnants of the once venerable Jian’Tur civilization.

Psychology
Like many species that evolve within competitive, high-stakes environments, the Jian’Tur are a ruthless and efficient species, making any and all sacrifices necessary in their pursuit of supremacy. Having lived most of their lives gazing down from treetops on the vicious jungle environment of Gan’Gan, the Jian’Tur harbor a natural sense of entitlement to positions of dominance over others. They see themselves as the only race fit enough to wield political and/or technological supremacy within the Triangulum Galaxy, and thus, it is their duty to prevent lesser species from attempting to gain supremacy and usurp this balance. They are perfectly comfortable with using violence to achieve their goals, and were known to have been engaged in countless brutal wars within their own species even during their space age, prior to the formation of the Jian’Tur Federation. Even when unified, there was still considerable strife among the Jian’Tur, though this was kept in check by their vigilant, intimidating police force. Though the Jian’Tur Federation was presented as a benevolent institution to other alien civilizations, it was clear that the Jian’Tur usually preferred to rule through fear. Despite their subjective malevolence, the Jian’Tur truly believe their cause is just, and will go to any lengths necessary to protect it. This zealous devotion to maintaining supremacy is what allowed the Magnificent Balance of Peace to last for such a long time.

Unfortunately for the Jian’Tur, their notions of superiority are undermined by their small size. Many other sapient species find the Jian’Tur amusing when they see them in their true forms, as it is difficult to comprehend that such small creatures could have created one of the strongest and most venerable civilizations in the Triangulum Galaxy. To avoid this embarrassment, the Jian’Tur have taken to engineering tremendously large machines and vehicles as a way of compensating for their size. Often, when they meet other species in combat or in diplomacy, they are clad in massive, extremely advanced suits of power armor that tower above all but the largest races. The design of these suits radiates power and authority, allowing the Jian’Tur to intimidate alien diplomats into complying with their demands with their imposing appearance. Other races frequently assume the Jian’Tur are in fact mechanical beings, just like the Delth, due to the design of these power armor suits. The amount of species that have actually gotten to see the Jian’Tur as they truly are is minimal.