Satabborian

Satabborians are a sapient telepathic species from the planet Satabbor, which orbits the red star Sanarda (a.k.a. Antares).

Their species is divided in two castes, the Abbars and the Alphads.

Biology
Satabborians are tall creatures with three legs and five arms. Their hands have two digits with multiple joints, all capable of bending in any direction. The head is positioned at the end of a sinuous swan-like neck, and sports several sense and vocal organs, including (but not limited to) three eyes with oval pupils, small drooping ears with complex lobes, a rudimentary nose, and a small mouth. The three eyes glow with a green phosphorescence. Above the eyes, in the place where eyebrows would be in a Human, Satabborians have three sets of semicircular marks, each of a different coloration. The top of the head is adorned by a red crest, similar to that of a Roman helmet. Female Satabborians in particular have been described as having "most peculiar" anatomical traits, although not unpleasant to the eyes.

Satabborians are also known for their telepathic abilities, which allow them to read the thoughts of other species and to disguise their appearance by assuming the illusory form of another being.

Satabborians are omnivorous, and their diet includes the fruits of mobile predatory vegetation, the structure of which combines traits of animals and vegetables. Satabborian food can be safely consumed by Humans, which suggests a similar chemical composition. Satabborian blood is light green.

The Satabborian species is divided in two castes: the Abbars and the Alphads, the former being significantly more numerous. The Alphads are taller, being over 7 ft (~ 2.13 m) in height, and have bright opalescent skin which changes color continuously, as if their skin was constantly in flux. Although both castes have male and female individuals, only the Abbars are capable of breeding, whereas the Alphads are sterile. As such, Abbar mothers give birth to both Abbar and Alphad offspring, the caste of the offspring resulting from the injection of chemical serums at the time of conception. Some Satabborian cultures, dismissed by others as "the lowest aborigines", don't have any Alphads. This fact strongly suggest that, without chemical treatment, all children will be Abbars, which in turn implies that the Alphad caste is not a natural phenomenon, but was created artificially at some point in Satabborian history.

Culture and society
Satabborian civilization is extremely ancient, antedating the formation of all life on Earth.

Like Humans, Satabborians have several cultures and nations, as opposed to a single worldwide culture, and speak multiple languages. Most nations are ruled by Alphads, which consider themselves physically and intellectually superior to the more numerous Abbar caste. Being sterile, Alphads are born from Abbars, but have no filial loyalty to their parents. They regard the Abbars as inferior beings, fit only to act as servants and menial workers. The breeding of Abbars is supervised by the Alphads, who utilize chemical injections to control how many children will by Abbars and how many will by Alphads. Although they cannot reproduce, Alphads still experience romantic love and engage in sexual activity.

Some Satabborian kingdoms are polytheists, one of their most respected deities being Cunthamosi, the Cosmic Mother, who is considered to have given birth to the stars, the planets and even the meteorites that frequently crash on Satabbor. In the kingdom of Ulphalor, both Abbars and Alphads are considered particularly superstitious, and place great importance in religious ceremony and prophecies. The king of Ulphalor carries with him a rod that is one half red and one half green. The red end can emit a death ray, while the green end emits a healing vibration capable of curing almost any kind of illness.

Satabborians wear no clothes and have no use for decorative accessories such as jewels.

The biggest Satabborian nations are monarchies ruled by a king or queen, but since the monarchs are Alphads and therefore sterile, the rulership isn't hereditary. How successors are chosen is unknown, although in at least some cases, individuals have been granted king status based on prophecies.

Appearances

 * "The Monster of the Prophecy", by Clark Ashton Smith (1932)