Codex: Xhelarfog

Name: Xhelarfog (singular and plural)

Sexes: Male, female, occasional occurrence of sexless individuals.

Height: Usually smaller than humans - 4’0” to 5’6”

Weight: 55-110 lbs (25-50kg), not accounting for scale weight.

Body composition (Flesh): While perhaps not obvious at a first glance, Xhelarfog are a semi-gelatinous species. Though they do not possess the remarkable shape changing powers of a galotian, they are certainly capable of sealing shut and quickly healing any wounds they attain, and their boneless bodies are easily able to contort through small openings and survive much greater falls than other races.

Xhelarfog have, at present, only been observed to possess opalescent, pale skin.

Their flesh is known to be rather sticky - a feature known to let them cling, gecko-like, to walls - though they are able to secrete a substance that prevents their exterior ‘skin’ from adhering itself to anything they touch. It should, therefore, be noted that it is extremely unwise to attempt to penetrate anything but the sexual organs or mouth of any individual, unless you have a fetish for awkward medical appointments - as separating oneself from them is known to be quite the ordeal.

Body Composition (Scales): Due to the gold-rich environment of the Xhelarfog home planet, individuals end up taking in a great amount in their diet. Rather than excrete this as waste, it has been observed that they instead organise it into clumps, which then rise to the surface of their flesh in formations that appear like, and are often referred to as rough, uneven scales.

This is thought to be an unusual defense mechanism, as this process never really stops - the eldest observed Xhelarfog have been known to be almost completely covered in these ‘scales’, saving only the palms of their hands and feet, the underside of their tails and the horn-like protrusions on their head.

It is theorised that should a metal other than gold occur in greater proportions than it in an individual's diet from infancy, they would instead develop scales of this metal - but no testing has been done due to the more recent discovery of the race.

Eyes: Breaking away from the humanoid norm of two, or at least an equal number of eyes, Xhelarfog possess three - one central eye providing most of their vision, and two smaller eyes beneath it allowing for superior peripheral vision. All three of the eyes are golden by the time an individual reaches adulthood due to high concentrations of gold entering them, to no known detrimental effect.

Tail: They possess a single, relatively short, thick tail, the top of which often being coated in scales while the underside is always the same, gel-like flesh. The most notable feature of their tails though, is that (aside from sexless individuals) they house the genitalia of the species - and in females is the location that their eggs are stored until they are fully developed and ready to hatch.

Feet: Whilst plantigrade, Xhelarfog have feet clearly differing from the Terran average. Their longer, more maneuverable front toes and presence of a rear-mounted one on each foot shows that they have become more specialised for gripping and climbing, rather than walking on flatter surfaces.

Homeworld: Anon-Xusya B

Appearance

Xhelarfog are almost completely androgynous, at least when viewed from the front. All sexes lack breasts (though some individuals comfortable with the concept of modding choose to gain them, but lack ability to lactate without extensive, custom modwork). None of the three sexes have any noticeable differences in stature or general body shape, and as such, the only way to distinguish them is normally assumed to be viewing the underside of the tail - genital slit, close lipped pussy, or lack of any features at all. This isn’t quite true though, as there is one other slight difference, also hidden in the tail - females have slightly thicker tails than males or sexless individuals, as it also contains a cavity similar to a womb used to incubate eggs during their early development.

At present, Xhelarfog have only been observed in a whitish, opalescent color with (literally) golden scales and three eyes. The scales first appear in an almost corset-like pattern over their midsection, before coating the overside of their tails. From that point on, there does not seem to be a regimented order to the growth of their scales, filling in across the rest of them over their lifetimes.

They have a tendency to push chunks of metal, usually gold, into the ends of their fingers and toes, acting like makeshift claws. It’s far from their only natural weapon - as near carnivores they possess sharp, canine-like teeth in place of incisors and premolars, their only blunt teeth located at the very back of their mouths, specialised for crushing rock. Alongside this, the horn-like protrusions sported by the Xhelarfog are tapered to a fine point, making them more that a little dangerous should one choose to charge. Thanks, however, to their nature leading far more towards curiosity than aggression, most UGC citizens have nothing to fear.

Reproduction

Xhelarfog are born sexless, with the majority of individuals developing their genitalia as they reach the age of sexual maturity. This allows for the species to adapt to any imbalance in the current sex ratio - abundance of males leads to more juveniles developing into females and vice versa. Individuals that remain sexless tend to signify times of plenty - occurring in highest numbers while Xhelarfog tribes possess abundant resources - presumably a form of population control, as rapidly growing numbers can lead to overconsumption. Due to this, sexless individuals are regarded as symbols of good fortune, and are often revered.

Due to having tail mounted, rather than crotch mounted, genitals, a face to face approach to non-oral sex is difficult, if not impossible, for the species. As such, sex is usually performed with partners facing away from each other, small movements of the tails of both individuals allowing for the thrusting motion necessary for the male to ejaculate.

Once fertilised, a female develops a clutch of between three and five eggs, stored in the cavity in her tail for around four months, then laid and externally incubated for about two months.

Society and History

The environment of Anon-Xusya B is inhospitable to the point that the first Rushers to encounter it thought themselves the victim of an elaborate prank when they began receiving curious, though primitive radio messages from its surface. Despite this, the first few craft to touch down discovered this not to be the case as they were soon greeted by a small tribe of the native Xhelarfog.

Thanks to the high availability of metal, and frequent electrical storms, they had grasped the concept of electricity at a stage in their scientific development that was far earlier than the average. This is often seen as a saving grace for the species, as once word of the unusual civilization got out, they were swarmed by anthropologists - preventing mining companies from being able to take advantage of the time before the natives were declared legally sapient.

Since then, the Xhelarfog have formed a fledgling full-planet government (under supervision of the UGC), and have integrated well into galactic society, thanks in part to an arrangement signed between themselves and the SteeleTech company - allowing them mining access in return for high level technical education. The deal is reported to have been agreed on incredibly quickly - no doubt thanks to Victor Steele personally overseeing it after existing escapades with the Xhelarfog, having been one of the original Rushers to discover the planet.