Lutrian

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Lutrian
Lutrianscreenshot.png

Homeworld:

Lutria

length:

up to 2 metres

Height:

up to 1.4 metres when standing

Diet:

Omnivorous

Intelligence:

Sapient

Technology:

Advanced (Class VIII)

Lutrians are a sapient species from Lutria, near the edge of the Viperius Galaxy.

Physiology

Quasi-bipedal mammalians, Lutrians bear a superficial resemblance to Lutra Lutra, the European River Otter. They have silky, close-pulled fur, claws, webbed paws and a flattened tail for swimming.

This fur, however, is different to that of mammals. It is based on pectins, the substances holding plant cell walls together and also the source of dietary fibre. As such, it is stronger and is more water resistant. The tail is often used as a support while standing, when their comparatively short legs fatigue quickly. They have our lungs, as each top lung has a bottom lung fixed on the bottom. There are valves at the top of each, so this structure aids in holding their breath. Also to aid in staying underwater, their blood has far more red blood cells, which have nuclei and are only monoconcave. These cells also stay around for longer than human ones.

Their skin, like a sea cucumber's, contains a special weave which tightens are therefore strengthens the surface while under duress. The skeleton has far higher mineral content than in ours, and the bones have a far more regular structure, often forming hexagonal cells, in comparison to our spongier bone.

Their webbed hands have fingers and an opposable thumb. There are also retractable claws, made from the bone.

Their senses also have different focus- their once-vital keen sense of smell has worsened over time. However, they have developed trichromatic colour vision like our own (while keeping much of their night vision ability) and their hearing is also of a high level.

They have pointed teeth at the front, which are enamel and dentine like ours, but are always growing. However, bony grinding plates exist behind these. There lips are immobile, so they cannot make certain sounds such as 'b' and 'p' (plosive sounds).

Growth for these animals is faster, and ageing, while less obvious, brings about death sooner. They rarely live past 50.

Reproduction

Lutrians are sexual, viviparous animals. Males are a few centimetres longer on average than females.

They mate face to face, the male putting millions of sperm into the female. These swim down to the single ovary, which releases eggs in response.

Gestation takes up to eight months, and between one and four 'kits' are born. They open their eyes aged two weeks, and are fed at first from their mother's regurgitate.

Intelligence

Sapients, the Lutrians have a technological civilisation. They have space travel and great cities.

Society

Lutrian society is sophisticated, with culture and organisation. Their entire society is a single, large nation, having been united after a large war a few decades ago.

They are quite individualistic, and betraying a friend is not seen as a great crime. However, family bonds are tighter. They live in family groups until they become employed, and then are given their own accomodation. Elder members of the family are trusted to make the big decisions, and rarely will they do things for their own gain within the family.

Their homeworld economy is based on bartering, coinage having been removed when they reached space, but those outside their homeworld have joined in with using the Credit and the Lutrian government trades using this currency.. Some Lutrians are far richer than others, and powerful companies are stopped from dominating certain fields by law, to prevent them exploiting the public. A lutrian chairs the extremely successful Aeon Pharmaceutical company, which has grown too big to limit.

The military makes up a large proportion (52%) of adult Lutrians, and also serves as the police force, as security guards, and as the fire service. Many Lutrians sent to Centro have joined the Centro Defense Force. Lutrians are only allowed to leave Lutria if given explicit permission from the government, and military service allows them to see other worlds without needing to complete large quantities of paperwork and sell many things.

History

A million and a half years or so ago, the formation of two giant ice sheets caused a massive loss of moisture. The wetlands where these creatures lived amphibiously began to give way to plains, and they suddenly needed to utilise a drier landscape. They were already omnivores, but now only those which could not only fish and forage but also dig, hunt, and pluck the fruits from the trees survived.

They began to spread out to make the most of the scarce resources, heading out along riversides and towards the sea. There was suddenly a need to capitalise on their social system, which experienced a revolution, becoming far more sophisticated. Culture began to appear. Tools were used- originally traps and spears, but soon slings and shelters. In their new lands, they found new animals- some suitable as mounts, trackers or beasts of burden, so domestication began. And someone came up with the bright idea of planting masses of the vegetables and crops they discovered to eat in one place, and tending them so they grew better. So farming developed on the banks of the various giant rivers of the Tethayan continent.

And where there were many people who had settled down, permanent shelters were built, developing into cities.

From A History of Lutria by Malthi Sanen:

"After the first cities were founded, and the population shot up, competition began along the river banks for the prime locations. There were many wars, fought with clubs and hammers, slings and spears. And eventually, only about half a dozen settlements survived, far from each other. The leaders, or chieftains, of each group came together in the river, and agreed on a covenant- each city built a palisade around its land, and created a standing army. These were both very novel ideas.

The cities flourished, and trade between them made them extremely rich. For currency they used seeds and nuts, which were ever more rapidly traded for resources such as flint, wood, and food. Most houses were, and still are, made from wood sealed with clays.

But the Lutrians were not satisfied. They created boats for exploration, not having the stamina to swim to sea. They began to map the world they had discovered on clay tablets, their first cartography. The boats were powered by oars, then a device which was pulled by teams from side to side like a fish's tail. And then the sail was invented, and explorers brought back stories of antique, rich lands far away. Lured by these ideas of paradise, wealthy citizens of the cities embarked on ships to these new places and founded colonies, stretching around Tethaya, and to the west and south. Wondrous materials were brought back by boat, and traded for supplies for the colonies. Lutrians developed a taste for the foreign, and soon currency was filling the colonist's coffers.

Some of the colonies began to grow larger than the first cities, and their masters began to scheme of dominion. But the Cities were forewarned, and began to invest heavily in a navy and army, all pooling their riches together. Before the colonies could strike, the Cities set sail in their great boats, now with an army greater than any before seen on their planet. They razed many of the colonies around Tethaya, plundering and sending back the spoils. But the remainder now stood ready, and a great naval war began. There was a stalemate for nine years. In that time, the Lutrians built great paths around the continent to reach the opponent, and many sieges occurred. The more technologically advanced Cities forces won with the use of ladders and javelins. The last battle of the war happened in the Western continent, and ending with the razing of all colonies there. The Cities army also erected a great wall of brick and clay that blocked the thin isthmus, to keep the degenerating, feral Lossinayans (from the western continent) out, and built Ceshlag to guard it.

The Cities existed in peace for several hundred years after that. Still worried by the presence of the other nations, they built up their military. It was around this time that they developed metallurgy, and blacksmiths were created around their lands. The armies were issued with metal weapons and armour, for the eventual invasion.

The invasion came by sea, the attackers rowing up the great river and striking between the cities. Faced with superior technology, they were massacred. Swords and spears showed their power against clubs and slings.

However, a series of great droughts caused famine within the cities. They began to decline, and plagues also came into the settlements. Taking this opportunity, the Casayanimin (the attacker's name for themselves) invaded again and took the lowest three cities. The Cities forces could not push them back, and the invaders could make no more progress.

Things settled down, and the two opposing sides began trading again. However, one of the far Colonies revolted against all the others, using newfound metallurgy to equip their troops.

Cities and Casayanimin troops marched and sailed side by side to this colony, and razed it to the ground. All scientists and thinkers were forcibly taken back, to assist the home workers.

Tensions remained between the City and Casayanimin forces, and reached breaking point when the Casayanimin leader was assassinated. This had been the first mission of the Vethren, a group of City nobles trained in stealth and sabotage.

They went to war, clashing on the floodplain of the Great River. The battle lasted two days, and 90,000 soldiers were killed. Both sides withdrew, having suffered great losses.

It was at this point that Lerriun, grand commander of the City troops, claimed he had witnessed a vision of the gods commanding him to fight on and be victorious.

Taking the Casayanimin by surprise, the City troops killed or enslaved them all. Soon after, they marched on and captured the Casayanimin cities, showing no mercy to any resistance.

...*still under translation*"

Technology

Most infantry equipment and land vehicles are supplied to the Lutrians by Paragon Weapons Systems. However, Lutrians have kept their own K-Pulsers, which are rapid-firing assault rifles, though very compact and versatile.

Their colonies and cities are of great size, and can have protective shells built around them. They have virtual intelligences, which are unaware but can converse using pre-programmed phrases.

Spaceships

The Lutrians have Hyperdrive capabilities. Their ships can reach relativistic speeds sublight. Forty off-world colonies have been established, one of which is inside their own system.

They mainly use fusion power, and possess hydrogen bombs which are not used except in emergencies. Missiles are the main weapon used in space warfare. They can build large transparent nano-lattices around ships and structures, which act as shields. They can produce antimatter, but not in sufficient quantities to use it for power generation. There are several classes of ship:

Thayen-class cruisers are the most common ship in the Lutrian fleets. These are 300m long, and equipped with pulse cannons, bombardment howitzers, penetrator missiles, squasher missiles, fragmentation missiles, and attack drones.

Alme-class frigates are designed for patrol and independent attack. 410m long, they have pulse cannons, penetrator missiles, squasher missiles, and attack drones. They are faster and more agile than the cruisers.

Uria-class robotics carriers carry many kinds of drones, for attack, detection, and repair. They are 650m long, with pulse cannons and fragmenation missiles. They carry light and heavy attack drones, suicide drones, repair drones, and sensor platform drones.

Laraya-class battlecruisers are designed for speed and agility, but are not as manoeuvrable as frigates or cruisers due to their size- over 1600m long. They have pulse cannons, bombardment howizers, penetrator missiles, fragmentation missiles, and attack drones.

Iriyin-class battleships can be 2900m long, with pulse cannons, mass cannons, bombardment howitzers, masers, all kinds of conventional missile, antimatter missiles, and several hangars for attack drones. These ships will lead Lutrian flotillas.

The largest Lutrian ships, of which only eight have been made, are the Lathos-class dreadnoughts. These are 4300m long, and possess pulse cannons, mass drivers, mass cannons, bombardment howizers, masers, lasers, all kinds of conventional missile, antimatter missiles, nuclear missiles, and dozens of hangars for drones.

Fleets

The Lutrians have twelve fleets. Four are reserve fleets. Overall, there are over 2870 ships in the Lutrian military, making it the fourth-largest fleet in the Viperius Galaxy (after the Aians, Salsenes, and Iridi).

The First Fleet contains 290 ships. One hundred and forty are Thayen-class cruisers, forty are Alme-class frigates, sixty are Uria-class robotics carriers, twenty-eight are Laraya-class battlecruisers, twenty are Iriyin-class battleships, and two are Lathos-class dreadnoughts.

Lead ship: LNS Sapphire, Lathos-class dreadnought

There are 200 ships in the Second Fleet. One hundred and fifteen are Thayen-class cruisers, forty are Uria-class robotics carriers, thirty are Laraya-class battlecruisers, fourteen are Iriyin-class battleships, and one is a Lathos-class dreadnought.

Lead ship: LNS Emerald, Lathos-class dreadnought

The Third Fleet consists of 200 ships. One hundred are Thayen-class cruisers, five are Alme-class frigates, fifty are Uria-class robotics cruisers, twenty are Laraya-class battlecruisers, twenty-four are Iriyin-class battleships, and one is a Lathos-class dreadnought.

Lead ship: LNS Ruby, Lathos-class dreadnought

Within the Fourth Fleet are 240 ships. One hundred and fifty are Thayen-class cruisers, ten are Alme-class frigates, fifty are Uria-class robotics carriers, twenty are Laraya-class battlecruisers, and ten are Iriyin-class battleships.

Lead ship: LNS Green Sea, Iriyin-class battleship

The Fifth Fleet contains 170 ships. Forty are Thayen-class cruisers, fifty are Alme-class frigates, thirty are Uria-class robotics cruisers, thirty-five are Laraya-class battlecruisers, and fifteen are Iriyin-class battleships.

Lead ship: LNS White Ocean, Iriyin-class battleship

In the Sixth Fleet are 205 ships. Ninety are Thayen-class cruisers, ten are Alme-class frigates, sixty are Uria-class robotics carriers, twenty-nine are Laraya-class battlecruisers, fifteen are Iriyin-class battleships, and one is a Lathos-class dreadnought.

Lead ship: LNS Heliodor, Lathos-class dreadnought

The Seventh Fleet contains 270 ships, of which one hundred are Thayen-class cruisers, forty are Alme-class frigates, fifty are Uria-class robotics carriers, fifty are Laraya-class battlecruisers, twenty-eight are Iriyin-class battleships, and two are Lathos-class dreadnoughts.

Lead ship: LNS Diamond, Lathos-class dreadnought

In the Eighth Fleet there are 200 ships. Ninety are Thayen-class cruisers, twenty are Alme-class frigates, fifty are Uria-class robotics carriers, thirty are Lathaya-class battlecruisers, nine are Iriyin-class battleships and one is a Lathos-class dreadnought.

Lead ship: LNS Amethyst, Lathos-class dreadnought

The First Reserve Fleet contains 300 ships: two hundred Thayen-class cruisers and one hundred Uria-class robotics carriers.

In the Second Reserve Fleet, there are 250 ships: one hundred and fifty Thayen-class cruisers, fifty Alme-class frigates and fifty Uria-class robotics carriers.

The Third Reserve Fleet contains 200 ships, of which fifty are Thayen-class cruisers, fifty are Uria-class robotics carriers, twenty are Alme-class frigates, sixty are Lathaya-class battlecruisers and twenty are Iriyin-class battleships.

Within the Fourth Reserve Fleet are 350 ships. One hundred and sixty are Thayen-class cruisers, forty are Alme-class frigates, one hundred are Uria-class robotics carriers, thirty-five are Lathaya-class battlecruisers, and fifteen are Iriyin-class battleships.

Relations with other races

The Lutrians have achieved first contact.

Aians

The Lutrians met the Aians on one of their off-world colonies. They have a military alliance, helping each other as necessary.

Zyrothans

The Zyrothans also contacted the Lutrians. They share cultural material as well as resources such as refined uranium and fusion toruses.

Deraia

The Lutrians and Deraia have a trade agreement and an alliance.

Lentaa

The Lutrians encountered the Lentaa Fleet and assisted each other against the Kerarans. They are on good terms.

Salsene

The Lutrians met the Salsenes at the same time as the Lentaa. They fought against the Kerarans together.

Keraran

After an unprovoked attack on a Lutrian diplomatic and reconnaissance mission, the Lutrians are at war with the Kerarans.

Detroni

Detroni are present on several worlds with Lutrians. The two races are on good terms.

Vrah

Lutrian worlds host quite a few Vrah, and their services are often used for personal gain or to help in war.

In Fiction