Shishimi
General Information
Species Name: The Shishimi
Base: Aquatic based land dwelling humanoid
Mode Of Governance: Fuedal (Currently)
Tech Level: (Alpha: Pre Warp. Beta: Warp Capable. Delta: Able to harness ALL available resources. Gamma: Q level.) Alpha/Beta
Physical Descriptors
Humandoids averaging at 2 meters in height. Their smooth hairless skin is a mottled striping of darker and lighter blue tones. Their ears are long, drooping down past their shoulders, with vestigial trailing fins forming a hair-like analogue atop their heads. Eye colour is spread out along warm tones, from red to yellow, and are set alongside a broad flat nose.
Shishimi possess a remarkable regenerative ability unseen in most carbon-based species. It has been observed that major injuries such as the loss of a limb can be completely healed in a matter of minutes. Even the loss of the cranium is but a momentary setback, as a new head will regrow from the body with nearly perfect recall of memory and situational awareness. Myriad experiments with this quirk of biology, in which a Shishimi was cut in half, show that if one half has more mass the lesser half will begin a rapid apoptosis reaction and liquify. It is theorised a chemical marker is emitted during the regeneration process so that every lost skin cell doesn’t just spontaneously clone its originator.
Key Points
The Shishimi, when they are thought of at all, are never associated with the great thinkers of Messier 4. There are very few great philosophers of science, of mathematics among their numbers. This is not to say the Shishimi are not intelligent, nor prone to bouts of cognitive brilliance. It is just that these flares of creativity are aimed towards more baser desires and creatively beautiful outcomes.
If you seek fine art in a million different permutations and forms then you have come to the right species. If you seek vintners of unsurpassed quality, who take the art of fermentation to strange and exotic new places, you have found journeys end. They seek the fulfilment of every hedonistic pleasure and vice there is to know, and have made the discovery of more a societal goal akin to the Space Race.
They also find politics fascinating. A look back at their history shows that they have experimented with many different forms of governmental structure until finally deciding feudalism is the best bet for them. This is because, thanks to the quirkiness of their physiology, a coup in which the reigning monarch is beheaded doesn’t mean he won’t get to enjoy the victors feast the day after.
This general disregard for their own lives, due to this functional immortality, has led to feuds and dynastic squabbles that have lasted centuries. One chain of islands in the southern sea has changed hands so many times, the national flag need only be turned upside down to show the feudal device of either victor.
It is this general disinterest in their greater destiny that had led the Shishimi to being one of the more peaceable vassal races of The Myriad. When the Myriad arrived in their system there was no nascent warp program to sabotage, nor a race about ready to venture into the stars. The Myriad were welcomed as managers of the Shishimi homeworld, and the technologies and vices they brought with them were greedily asked for.
Shishimi consorts are often found accompanying Myriad’s on their travels through Messier 4, as their generally harmless nature and rugged regenerative properties make them ideal first contact emissaries. After all being able to return with a rifle bullet lodged in your heart and report the natives are restless, would have been a very useful skill to have during a species colonialism period.
Worlds Of Note
Shishimi