The ardrizi are large, bulky bipedal creatures. They often walk around on two legs, but when it comes to sprinting, or a test of endurance, they will run on all fours. They are hunched over with thickly muscled necks. Their bodies are covered in plush fur aside from their palms and the bottoms of their feet; which are lightly padded. They have long tails that can be fluffy with fur, or thin with a plumed tip. With robust figures, males and females are differentiated by size and mammalian glands. 

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Males stand between 9'9 to 15'7 and weigh 550 pounds to 910. 

Females stand between 8'0 to 12'7 and weigh 420 pounds to 700.

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Fur color and pattern vary from region to region, but the ardrizi can be striped, spotted, plain, and rarely, mixtures of the three. Coat colors range from white to black with all colors between.

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They have short snouts and large nostrils. Their canines are positioned in a way to move like scissors against one another, perfect for tearing flesh from bones. Molars in the back of their mouths are perfect for crunching through bone. Often times their teeth can protrude from their lips with some growing abnormally large like that of a boar's tusks. 

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Eye colors are like that of their coats, sometimes matching, sometimes not. Blues, greens, yellows, browns, and the shades within. Their pupils are vertical lines.

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The ardrizi are a young species in the galaxy and not much more advanced than humans. They have stayed true to their roots and maintained a deep connection with the environment around them.

 

Villages vary depending on their terrains, but most are minimalistic. Wood, stone, and mud structures are packed in tight. To avoid taking up too much real estate, ardrizi build upwards rather than outwards. Structures are stacked on top of each other with bridges that reach from one building to the next. Some villages are built on the sides of trees, valleys, or across rivers. 

 

Farming and fishing provide most food for the villages. Farmed food is stored by the tonnage, while hunted and fished foods are stocked by carefully estimated numbers to avoid overhunting. 

 

There are a few ardrizi tribes that have chosen to forget about their love of nature and have embraced steam power for their planetary presence. These industrialist ardrizi are some of the richest and most known due to their desire to explore and expand. The more homebody ones often remain on the planet, and while accepting visitors, don’t often leave.

 

Despite the careful consideration for their environment, ardrizi are filled with warrior blood. Fighting is cherished among them and is often the decision maker. Their history is packed with catastrophic world wars. Many of which devastated their land and villages.

 

Things are more peaceful between the tribes, though wars still break out. Much of the planet has united under a single flag. Now, there is a festival held twice a year that consists of gladiatorial styled challenges for top warriors of the tribes to compete. These warriors may face not only each other, but monsters captured from around the galaxy along with tackling various obstacles. 

 

Many marriages are still arranged for the ardrizi. These are set up by family patriarchs to strengthen bonds between bloodlines, secure wealth and land, or even seats of power. A lucky few ardrizi, often those who have left their homeworld, may choose their own mate to grow old with.

 

Clothing & Accessories

 

Ardrizi clothing is simple. High quality leather, scaled armor, or plate armor bought or stolen from other species. 

 

Since ardrizi can only see ultraviolet light, they paint their clothes, bodies, and structures with proper paints. Symbols come with meaning for warriors, merchants, and homes. 

 

Piercings are important to their accessories. Many are pierced with fine jewelry and bones. Canines, lips, noses, brows, and ears are preferred locations.

 

Weaponry

 

Ardrizi craft primitive weapons out of bones and titanium alloys. Swords, shields, bows, pikes, hammers, etc. 

 

Ardrizi from steam cities can craft higher quality weapons along with firearms. These ardrizi also secure even better weapons from off world and barter them back home.

 

Technology

 

Most ardrizi villages use wind or water to create and sustain power, giving them access to electronics such as radios, refrigerators, air conditioning, and heaters. 

 

Steam cities are, of course, powered by steam created from hot coals and water. This may cloud their cities of metal skyscrapers, but provides a much more luxurious lifestyle than the primitive villages. 

 

Most homeworld ardrizi cannot craft equipment such as spacecraft, printers, etc. Instead, these are stolen or bought by off-world travelers and salvaged.

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Religion

 

Small wooden shrines are carved and placed throughout the villages and on sacred, historic grounds. There are clay bowls for offerings. Shrines are accompanied by hand carved statues that depict one of their various gods.

 

Small rituals are held at the shrines along with marriages. The ardrizi offer anything they can to please the god of their choice to pray.

 

Zaala - The All-Mother. Matriarch of all of the gods. Goddess of life, fertility, purity, and love.

 

Priika - Goddess of Nature. Beasts, trees, fertility, agriculture.

 

Escedu - God of Wisdom. Astrology, omens, moles.

 

Jyonaam - God of war. Rage, battle, iron.

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The ardrizi have been warriors since their inception. Their homeworld was once littered with some of the deadliest creatures known in the galaxy. They had to fight for their survival every step of the way to become a flourishing, spacefaring species of today. 

 

As such, ardrizi often fought each other with bonds between families taking priority. They are family oriented and follow a pack leader that is usually male and the strongest of them if not simply the most senior. Friendships early on were frail as eggshells. Disputes over territories led to families slaughtering each other.

 

Soon, families grouped together to create tribes. This gave them more power to hold larger territories.

 

These tribes persisted over the centuries. Some disbanded, some expanded. Still wars remained prevalent even with the threat of the animal life around them.

 

When they discovered there was life outside of their planet, some tribes uprooted and left at their earliest convenience. The kindness of the aliens helped motivate many to seek control of entire planets than dispute over small pieces of land. 

 

One powerful ardrizi warrior wanted to strengthen his people. Zokaark Rumax had dreams of becoming lord of the planet. He saw their unity to be their best bet to avoid destruction by the eldiravan if not other aliens that may wish to destroy them. 

 

He started a campaign of war across the planet. He united all he could on his way and those that did not bend the knee to him were slain. Territory by territory, he expanded his reach. Many would call him a tyrant, but he was a just emperor who provided for the needs of his people. Those who saw this, celebrated him. An ardrizi destined to join their gods in the cosmos. 

 

Zokaark Rumax has ruled Tsuara, their home planet, for over twenty years and continues to do so.