Otherian (Classic Journeys Era)

=Introduction= Otherians are ape-like humanoids native to the planet Otheria. They were engaged in war with the Kretonians for 200 years until a Vanguard scout vessel, the Gettysburg, destroyed their star system in 2651. General T'ralthon, commander of their military, escaped to find his way to the known worlds, where he found help to rescue the survivors of his people. They lived for a time on Galactix until finding a world to settle in 2651. Very few know the location.

Otherian Supreme Chancellor, T'ralis died from complications to injuries suffered in the June 5, 3001 bombing of the Nall ship Sal'thrla

=Physical=

Otherians appear as upright gorillas, with a leathery face and hair everywhere else except the pads of the hands and feet. The hair ranges in color from chocolate brown, gray, white, black, and colors in between. As they age, their hair turns a silvery to whitish gray. They have extraordinarily long lifespans, with individuals living to 750 years of age not uncommon. The last Otherian king, Otherius I, was recorded to have reached the age of 698.

=Culture=

Otherian culture has long been based on understanding the harmony between nature and the universe. Thus their art, science, and their religion center around nature. When the warmongering Kretonians evolved on Kreton after the cataclysm, their passion for violence, and the Otherian's passion for peace and harmony, was one of the key factors that triggered their war.

The Otherians, fitting with their pacifistic nature, did not maintain a standard military until the war with the Kretonians. Faced with the threat of total destruction if they did not resist, they grudgingly built a fleet to engage in what was to become a long standing interplanetary war. This shaped their culture greatly. Forced to give up their pacifism for survival, young Otherians began to slowly move away from their religious upbringing and begin exploring technologies that earlier generations would have never considered. This was tolerated for the sole reason that it would keep the Otherian race alive.

When Otheria was destroyed, the Otherian culture as it stood was completely obliterated. The survivors, faced with having to adapt or perish, began to rethink their values and beliefs. When the new Otherian colony was founded, they adopted a culture of secrecy, keeping their settlement as undetectable as possible, a drastic change from their once open philosophies. Even through all of this, their basic belief in nature has not been tarnished. They still choose to find harmony where they can, but even the eldest have learned that slight deviations from the faith must be accepted, lest the Otherian race vanish forever.

Since the Otherians did not travel with Sanctuary, and their colony was built before the invasion, their population was able to continue to grow through the three centuries Sanctuary was gone. By 3000, their numbers had risen to 2 million, and is continuing to grow, protected by their remote location and their defenses against detection.