Erisin

The Erisin Species is a space faring Imitalian, meaning they are shapeshifters. Their home planet of Erisi is located in the Chao system of the Perseus Arm. The Chao system is in the furthest quarter of the Perseus Arm, edging towards the outer territories. The planet of Erisi is terrestrial with a multi-biome system similar in climate to Earth but with longer orbital period and a higher global humidity. Due in part to a magnetic core with some unusual rotational behavior relative to the planet's overall rotation, the tectonic plates are mostly small and highly fractious strips. The resulting land masses are very narrow as a result, with small oceans and large lakes dividing regions with large numbers of mountain ranges and very few large flat spaces.

Description
Erisin, as a species, are difficult to identify. As a species of shapeshifters, they can alter their forms to mimic the generic forms of other sapient species. They are unable to mimic specific forms, but are able to take on the general shape, making blending in with other species an easy task for them. When they are shifted, the only known way to correctly identify one is by performing detailed surgery upon them to locate misplaced, missing or extra organs.

In their natural form, Erisin are able to change small details about themselves with little issue, having no true 'base' state except that which they prefer. Height, weight, skin and hair colors are difficult to average, as they shift too often. Traits that are historically common amongst all Erisin are small horns, completely black eyes without visible pupils, and patterns along the sides of the face and neck, stretching down past the collar bone onto the upper torso.

The horn lengths usually average between an inch and 3 inches in length. The number of horns varies, depending on which clan they come from. They usually number between two and five, though more have been seen in some clans.

Most Erisin who interact with other races regularly will shift their eyes to being more acceptable to other species, giving themselves a clearly defined iris surrounded by white sclera. Those that engage in this practice have a tendency to do so even while in their base, natural form, regardless of the presence of others.

The Clan Markings on the sides of their face are naturally occurring, not tattoos. When an Erisin joins with a new clan, it has been recorded that the markings will shift to represent those shown by their new clan. Erisin claims that these occur without effort are suspect.

Civilization
Erisin are the fastest evolution of a sapient species on record. While Humans were first beginning to understand the basic principles of gravity during the pinnacle of ancient greece and egypt, a massive extinction event on Erisi led to the rapid evolution of the species that would become the Erisin. Doss Observer records show the first evidence of sapience and basic tool use in the species within only a few short generations of the emergence of bipedalism.

Within a short few centuries, the children of Erisi had developed civilizations, cities and written language. Spurred on by their observers' findings about the extremely rapid cultural evolution to the point where Anemi escort and military support was deemed largely unnecessary, the Doss Triumvirate acted. Doss-Erisin First contact was attempted with several large settlements in rapid succession.

It is worth noting that first contact occurred during a period that saw the majority of the Erisin experiencing intercontinental travel and long ranged oceanic navigation for the first time, as part of what a human observer might compare to a Norse Civilization during the periods of Viking expansion, complete with brutal maritime raids and exploratory expeditions to lands not previously visited. During this period, the various Erisin clans were in a constant struggle with each other and cross-clan raids were an active cultural stressor.

With this fact in mind, it should come as absolutely no surprise, then, that the Doss' first several attempts at contact resulted in ships being stolen, hastily converted, and used to immediately attempt to either raid their neighbors or expand the territories of the capturing clan into space.

Upon gaining space travel, the Erisin clans began to close together, combining into larger clans. In the decade following first Doss-Erisin contact, Erisin clans stole several hundred craft of varying sizes and capability. Reacting harshly, the Doss retaliated, first with the creation of a blockade around their planet in -2035 FC and then with a subsequent orbital bombardment of any large planetary settlements that were thought to be responsible for the thefts (-2035 to -1932 FC).

Doss missions of compassionate aid to the surface increased during this time, resulting in continued ship theft and, consequently, further bombardment, though escapes from the planetary blockade did continue to decline until aid missions to the planet were stopped altogether in -1930 FC.

The need for survival in the face of increased military action during this period caused nearly all large groupings of off-planet Erisin to group together, forming flotillas out in space, in a space-borne imitation of the clans they formed on their home world. Huge migrations of ships, oftentimes numbering in the dozens or hundreds, would form together into clusters, forming mobile space platforms cobbled together to survive in the vacuum of space. Using these as bases of operation, Erisin raiders became a major thorn in the side of Doss, and later Human supply routes, landing or docking only long enough to trade for, steal, or take by force what they needed to resupply.

For all that the Doss often paint them as violent and barbaric raiders during this period and afterwards, Erisin nearly always prefer the use of stealth or subterfuge when engaged in re-supply runs. They most often perform these 'raids' covertly, not overly-taxing the infrastructure of any one planet or system, under the disguise of a Doss or an Anemi ship.

The majority of Erisin Flotillas have no centralized form of government between them, and are loyal to neither each other nor to the Cygnium Accords. Only one Flotilla has sworn to the Cygnium Accords, known as the Titan Flotilla, as it has anchored its ships around the moon of Saturn known as Titan, effectively right next door to the human colonies on Ganymede and the Jovian JOP platform network. They have significant connections and a healthy trade relationship with Humanity and are given free merchant license within all human territories, despite being kept under close scrutiny by the Doss.

Most Flotillas are named after the largest combined ship in their fleet. Considering that these ships are often times themselves made up of different ships, these names can be complicated or make little sense to the actual species. One particularly infamous Flotilla's name translates to "Voyager Seeker of Uranus" via combination of a human probe, a Doss scout ship and a derelict Human carrier vessel.

Reproduction
Within their species, Erisin will shift sexes to procreate, depending on what is needed. They usually produce one to two offspring during a given mating, and most children will often not know (or care) who their true parents are. As a matter of cultural practicality, all children within a flotilla are raised by the entire flotilla.

Erisin are the only known species which are universally able to mate with other species, as their malleable physical nature allows them to change their form to fit the reproductive requirements of any chosen partner. In spite of their ability to overcome many prezygotic barriers, however, they remain unable to reproduce to term with oviparous species, such as Cambrians and some Anemi. So-called "Live" birth - a shared commonality between Erisin, Humans, Doss, and Anemi - seems to be a limiting factor

While attempting to court a non-Erisin, most will take on the form of the sex that will carry a fetus through gestation and return to the flotilla to give birth, though it is not uncommon for an Erisin child to be born to a member of another species -- Erisin always breed true, even if gestation occurs within a non-Erisin mate.

When such things happen, usually the Erisin parent will take the child back to the flotilla to be raised. In the event of the child being left with the non-Erisin parent, the reaction varies. In an overwhelming majority of Doss and Anemi cultures and subcultures, such children are seen as attacks on the well-being of the society, or even as abominations; parents who opt to keep the child are viewed with scorn and pity, and may be faced with charges of dishonor or even treason if they serve in a governmental position. In human cultures, the reactions are (usually) less severe, but vary widely depending on local sentiment.

Many Erisin flotillas periodically send scouting parties to retrieve abandoned Erisin children for induction into their clan and culture, should they find out about them.