Race Histories, The Inergon
Adult Height: 5'8" (172.72 cm) - 6'9" (205.74 cm)
Adult Weight: 52 kilograms (114.6 lb) - 73 kilograms (160.9 lb)
Skin Color: various blue, cyan, violet, red
Distinctions: Humanoid body; larger eyes than humans, males exhibit no hair, skin pigments continuously alter, slight mist given off from fast movement. Other Nomenclature: Glowee, Glowy, Lighter, Houdini, Ergees, Big Eyes, Black Eyes, Blue guys
NOTE: The following and above measurements are converted into the systems used by each race. The time measurements follow the periods from each homeworld and are converted to the systems used by race homeworlds, not individual colonies.
The Inergon are the most unique of the council races in that they are half pure energy. Their homeworld has been bombarded with constant radiation for over 4000 years. The radiation given off from the star has gradually increased, letting the Inergon evolve to absorb this harmful energy. Several benefits have emerged from their evolution. First, their energy has a directly unique bond to their cellular structure, giving them an exclusive magnetic attachment to their surrounding cells. Over time, the Inergon have learned to channel this energy to other locations, bringing their magnetically locked cells with them. This technique is known as Energetic Relocation Channelling, or simply teleportation. This teleportation is only effective for up to 10 kilometers. Second, when the Inergon evolved to absorb the energy, the stored energy acted as a cell preserver; slowing the aging process. The longer an Inergon is in the presence of energy, the longer their lifespan is. However, this ability cannot be used to harvest energy from living beings. The energy must be harvested from raw sources (stars, generators, ship cores). The ratio between energy absorbed and lifespan increase is estimated at hour:day. Research into any harmful effects from prolonged exposure or overexposure to energy has reveiled that the beneficial effects from absorbing energy diminish as the Inergon ages. The longest an Inergon has lived for is 500 years. Lastly, when an Inergon dies, the exclusive magnetic attachment between their energy and their cells is broken, and the Inergon simply fades into a mist.
Roughly 4000 years ago, the nearby star that Inergos orbited expanded to a blue supergiant,destroying the inner worlds. Inergos was one of the far outer worlds and miraculously was in the right spot to support life. When the sun as the sun expanded, the ice planet melted to reveil landmasses underneath. The pre-Inergon were not used to this heat and most died off. However the ones that did survive were the ones that evolved. It took 1000 years for the Inergon to evolve to their current status. The pre-Inergon were already intelligent beings. They new basic industrialization at the time but followed dictatorship rule. After the intense climate change, the Inergon survivors formed new tribes and rebuilt themselves with democratic governments. Roughly 1000 years ago, the Inergon were already beginning to colonize several of Inergos' moons. Merely by chance, a small Inergon ship encountered an Aelern scout vessel. This was the Inergons' first contact with an extra-terrestrial race. After several months of exchanging ideas, the Inergon and Aelern formed an alliance and the Aelern shared their technological advancements with them. It took roughly 200 years for the Inergon to begin expanding to other systems. By then the six main races were all discovered. As time passed by, the Inergon empire began to fall apart. Many colonies did not want to be part of the empire. Most simply declared themselves independant. Others waged civil war on each other. The Inergon homeworld remained untouched however because it had the largest fleet. The independent colonies formed the basis for the various legions. Starship captains contacted, and were contacted, by other starship captains and the first legions were formed.
In the early years of the Inergon, there were only simple tribes lead by chieftains. Much like Earth's North American First Nations tribes, tribals would have to go on a spiritual journey and only return when they have discovered who they are. However, instead of finding your name (which for the Inergon was the name you were given at birth) you would only return when you have discovered your purpose, and then you would pursue your purpose when you returned. The tribes waged war on each other, formed alliances, or chose to leave each other alone. The number one goal was survival. The secondary goal was to have the largest territory. As time passed, and the Inergon became more tech savvy, the tribes banded together to form the first cities. However the chieftains of each tribe involved all wanted control, and slaughtered each other for it. The chieftain who survived tended to favor his own tribe and neglect the others. Thus, assassinations were frequent, and the diplomatic trade was a bloody one. This went on for several centuries until the star started expanding. The Inergon cities were ill-prepared for the chaos that would erupt from it. Many cities were destroyed in the fight for food, shelter, and protection. When the dust settled, the Inergon had driven themselves into a post-apocolyptic state. The ice sheets they had built their cities on had melted and their cities crashed into the newly formed oceans and landmasses. This was a lesson that the Inergon learned the hard way. Thankfully, they learned it well and reformed into a unified government with multiple officials that would make the decisions. It took several centuries for the Inergon to fully recover from the apocalypse, all the while they were evolving into the energy beings they are now.
It is generally accepted by the Inergon that pure energy is a holy tool by their god. There are many religious theories as to the sun's sudden expansion 4000 years ago. Some think that their ruthless nature angered their god and sped up the sun's expanding process. Others believe that the sun's expansion was a blessing from their god because it eventually allowed them to harness the holy tool. What all theorists do agree on is that their sun should not have expanded so rapidly. Over time this has also lead religious people to believe that the sun is the holy temple of their god, and that when they die, their bodies turn to mist and join with their god. However the holy men of the Inergon religion warn not to take advantage of this fact. They say that there is a dark force that had a role in the sun's expansion. The religious story goes that the sun is the holy temple for the Inergon god. He has many servants that assist him in looking after the Inergon. However one servant became jealous of this and attempted to destroy the Inergon by expanding the sun. However the Inergon god had planned this, and had placed Inergos far enough that the sun could cause no harm to it. The servant was cast out into the blackness of space. The servant vowed to return to 'claim what is his'. If an Inergon chooses an evil life, they are cast out of the holy temple into the blackness of space. When the Inergon began discussions with humanity, they found many similarities between their religion and humanity's. This has formed a spiritual bond between the two races.
The Inergon hold a strong value on family. They tend to do what is best for them, even if it means their own death. Another race being considered part of an Inergon family is one of the highest honors one can receive and is also the highest form of trust. It is very difficult to alienate yourself from a family once you are part of it. However, to betray a family is the highest form of treachery one can do, with the exception of betraying the race as a whole. You are branded a traitor by the family and are disgraced by the family and friends. This social tendency makes Inergon very powerful bodyguards. When they form a bond with who they are supposed to protect, they are willing to do almost anything to protect them. Although this has been considered exploitation by the Inergon governments, use of this trait still continues.
The Inergon Military prefers flanking tactics when it comes to warfare. They have the bulk of their forces distract the enemy while the rest sneak behind from multiple angles and hit their weak spot. Inergon generals are common, even among other racial forces. Their advanced battlefield tactics rival the Konqul's. A common tradition among Inergon leaders is to keep the dog tags of fallen friends, Inergon, or otherwise. Long time Inergon leaders tend to have at least a dozen dog tags with them. Military superstition is that the dog tags carry a small portion of the Inergon soul. Keeping the dog tags considered a morale boost, because it shows that you intend to avenge your comrade, and that somewhere, your friend is watching over you.
- Inergon have a slight fear of relays, because it channels and focuses the ship's energy. They sometimes think that they might be accidentally 'sucked in'.
- Collecting dog tags is a way to keep fallen friends alive.
- Some Inergon who can trace their ancestory back to the ancient tribes have the tribal symbol tattooed on them.
- Inergon can't hide in the dark
- Because of the Inergons' black eyes, some religious humans feel a bit uneasy around them.
- Konqul and Inergon generals have a habit of comparing their service records.
- You shouldn't play chess with an Inergon
- Some Inergon males wear wigs (because males are incapable to grow hair).
- On rare occasions an Inergon is born red. This is a simple defect in their skin pigment gene and does not affect their health.
- Some Inergon have attempted to teleport from one planet to another... but have missed.
Aelern - Technlogical trades and diplomacy
Human - Religious Similarities
Konqul - Military Prowess