Phoenixians
From 910 Arena Wiki
The phoenixians were created in response to the question: What would be the biology of a "perfect" being? In the arena they do not exist as a single character but rather as a number of beings with the same general workings. In the future there will likely be many changes to, and possibly variations within, the species.
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Species Abilities
Body structure
Due to the phoenixian's physical construction they are able to take massive amounts of damage and still remain active. The one and only area of their body that absolutely needs to be in good condition for them to be active is their brain and as such their skulls are designed as the strongest part of their bodies.
Physical appearance Phoenixians are mostly humanoid in appearance. The primary differences are the conical shape to the back of the skull, a somewhat thicker back with a third eye, and a 6'6"(2m) tail with a four part claw on the end. For other differences see the Phoenixians' shapeshifting abilities.
Neural system: A phoenixian's brain and spinal cord are both far larger that that of a human. These differences do not grant the phoenixians' any increased capacity for intelligence but instead are used for increased physical control and the ability to operate their various other functions.
Starfarer Species
Being a species meant to both survive in space and on any imaginable planetary environment has made Phoenixians highly resistant to a number of conditions.
Vacuum: Phoenixians are capable of indefinite survival in vacuum. They do lose some electrical generating capacity as they require atmospheric gases (usually oxygen) in order to metabolize conventional food.
Radiation: Due to the high levels of radiation in space, Phoenixians have adapted well enough to it to not only not see it as any danger but to view it as food. However, while Phoenixians are immune to low and mid-range levels of radiation, high levels of radiation will cause their biological functions to slow down. It is theorized that the Phoenixians' radiation resistance is due to their body being more mechanical in nature than that of most other lifeforms.
Extreme heat and cold: A Phoenixian's cellular structure is far more elastic than that of a human. This means that, among other things, a Phoenixian may survive when their body fluids have been completely boiled or frozen. However, intense heat will damage their proteins and extreme cold will slow their movements. It should be noted that the same elasticity that provides increased temperature resistance also give Phoenixians a resistance to blunt impact.
Immune system: Due to differences in biology, Phoenixians are immune to most diseases and most non-corrosive poisons. However, Phoenixians are affected by corrosive toxins and certain diseases that can survive inside their blood. Diseases and poisons can be specifically engineered to affect Phoenixians but will have little or no effect on anything else. It should also be noted that due to these same biological differences, Phoenixians are unaffected by most medicines and healing spells but are affected by spells designed to work on both machines and living beings.
Second body
Primary: While in space, a Phoenixian's body will continually grow. This growth eventually reaches the point where the Phoenixian cannot return to a planet. When this happens the Phoenixian's body splits in two; a smaller portion for planetary activity and a larger portion for spacial activity. Each separate body is able to regenerate the other.
Appearance:The Phoenixian's secondary body is a massive, silver thing the size of a gas giant and the mass of a large moon. Oddly, its shape is something like that of a flower. Three gigantic teardrop petals, each one larger then most planets, surround a concave disk that while not quite as large, is not all that much smaller either. From the arms that connect the petals and disk to the central mass, several tentacles shoot out. Each tentacle is capped with a four part claw and covered by what first appears to be fur but in actuality is millions of smaller tentacles each the width of a freight train and several miles long. What is described here is a Phoenixian's secondary body --- also know as a "Starflower" --- in it's third stage of growth. The Starflower goes through four stages of growth. Each stage may be recognized by its size, mass, and number of tentacles.
Meteor & asteroid defense: A Phoenixian's secondary body is shaped so that they can move any body part out of the way of most oncoming object and has good enough vision that it can see anything big enough that it has to change course in time to do so.
Micrometeorite defense: Phoenixians have the ability to cover their bodies in a special oil. The oil is a form of non-Newtonian fluid that hardens when impacted and the harder it is hit the stronger it gets. However, the amount of force the oil can take is dependant on how thick it is and a Phoenixian can only build up a thin film of it at any given time. (If they are allowed enough time, they can build up thicker layers but the process can take days.)
Radio communication:Phoenixians use radio signals communicate between their bodies. This allows them to have multiple bodies while effectively remaining one being. There is no limit to the amount of bodies a phoenixian can have but every additional body creates more information to be transmitted and processed and as distance increases so too does the time required for the signals to reach their destination. If the various bodies cannot process each other's information quickly enough their personalities will begin to separate. This can also happen within a single body if it becomes large enough. At the same time phoenixian bodies that are closely exposed to one another while transmitting their will slowly grow closer in personality, eventually sharing the same personality.
Additionally, because of the radio link, some phoenixians will attain a rather cavalier attitude towards death reasoning that since all their thoughts are being constantly transmitted even if they die everything they are will be preserved in the radio signals.
Electro-biology
Primary: A Phoenixian's body is almost entirely electrical in nature. Their cells use energy to produce an electrical charge. This charge is then directed into their body's electrical network. From there the electricity may be used to power the Phoenixian's muscles, neurons, and organs; sent to the capacitors scattered throughout their body; or used to charge a layer of highly conductive material beneath the skin. Should a Phoenixian run low on electricity his bodily functions will begin to slow down in order to conserve energy.
Generation: Phoenixians may generate electricity in a number of ways. These include eating food, heat exchange, absorbing electromagnetic radiation, and direct absorption of electricity. Note that when using direct absorption, a Phoenixian my take from a direct current but not from an alternating current. The system for each kind of electrical generation varies.
Properties of the subskin electrical layer: Just beneath a Phoenixians skin is a highly conductive layer of material. This layer is divided into sections that may be charged separately of bound together in order to generate the "skin effect". From this layer thin, highly conductive hairs extend through the skin. When sections are charged separately, they may be used to operate electrical equipment and absorb certain kinds of energy. When the sections are linked together they may be used to generate massive electrical arcs or to defend from electrical attacks.
Minor shapeshifting
Primary: Due to an odd system of hollow bones, crystallizing blood, and specialized blood vessels Phoenixians are able to reform their limb structure to a massive degree. In addition, a modification of the same system exists on a Phoenixian's back. This allows them to form various styles of wings.
Wings: While a Phoenixian's wings are capable of shapeshifting, they are only capable of taking forms supported by both the Blood vessel architecture and the muscle attachments within their wings. The two most common forms of wing are a batlike structure that provides atmospheric flight and a group of three wings formed into teardrop "shields" and the lower right wing formed into a circular "shield" (although it is capable of contracting into a lancelike form) all of which are connected to the main body by the same arms seen in the "Starflower" form. The back of the wings are black and the undersides are silver with the exception of the lower right wing which is completely silver.
Blood properties: Phoenixian blood's ability to crystallize has a number of properties attached. First, it may either fully crystallize, expanding as it does so, or it may assume a state akin to cartilage expanding slightly less. If exposed to the air Phoenixian blood will crystallize almost instantly. Crystallized Phoenixian blood also has a catalytic properties on most other forms of life. If it makes a wound, the areas touched by the crystallized blood will themselves expand and crystallize dealing additional damage. It can also crystallize flesh merely by touching it but the process is slow and the affected area is relatively shallow.[/spoiler]
