Velka --Climate-- Made mostly of jungles and lakes Velka is one of the most lush and green places in the universe. Velka is also covered in the ruins from the predecessors of the Velkin race...several dozen archeological discoveries have been found and it is widly considred an acheologist's paradise. There are two major deserts however, one on the northern half and one on the southern. --Physical Appearance-- Velkins are generally tall, lean and tend to be stronger than most other species. Velkins come in a variety of shades, mostly pastels though. Blues, Greens, Purples and the odd teal are the most frequent colors, though with interbreeding other colors can appear. Their eye color can be almost any in the rainbow, generally darker than their skin color. The thing that really marks the species different than some of the others in the universe are the small scales lining parts of their bodies. The scales cover the sides of their arms, their spines, the outsides of their legs and they have a large cluster covering their brow ridges and heart. Typically these scales have given them a degree of protection against projectile weapons as well as bladed weapons, some Velkins are even rumored to posses the ability to stop a tadillen dagger with their forearm. Baby Velkins don’t posses scales, typically growing them around the same time as their teeth. Initially the scales are soft and easily punctured, but around their thirteenth year the scales begin to solidify, at this time some Velkin fighters will scrape their scales off because when they grow back they’re even stronger than before. The scales on a Velkin vary in color but tend to be darker than their skin color as well as being a different shade. The Veklin race is generally no longer lived than humans, living only about eighty years with current medical technologies. However some older Velkins choose to accept death and enter into a fight expecting to die, there are entire squads of elder Velkin warriors that participate in high mortality GASP missions solely for the reason that they would rather die at sixty in a fight, then at eighty in their sleep. --Early History and Early Culture The people of Velka were a close nit species, choosing to live in large populated areas leaving much of their world to the elements, Velkins are a species very concerned with honor. Throughout their history there have only been small conflicts, preferring to settle their problems through competition rather than outright warfare Velkins created a kind of Olympic Games where the greatest of the great would come to participate in sporting events and games. Velkins have very few written laws, preferring to instill their children with a sense of honor and duty; velkins punish those who step outside the bounds harshly. With a low crime rate and quickly advancing technologies Velka was considered one of the more enlightened of the races. Velkins are one of the most powerful races physically, possesing denser packed muscle structure and thicker bones a Velkin is naturally more powerful than other races, and as such they developed some of the most sophisticated martial arts in the universe. Velkin masters are considered some of the most deadly fighters in the universe, possessing an almost supernatural ability to control their movements Velkins are agile and strong. What few wars were fought were usually fought with bare hands due to the fact that Velkins learned to harness their latent Zee energy much faster than other races, combined with their natural armor most projectiles were useless in an all out conflict. During the early days of their people the young males would remove the scales on a regular basis because it would cause them to grow back harder and more resilient that before. It is still not uncommon for Velkin males (fighters especially) to be seen with bloody sores where their scales should be, though they grow back in two or three days it is supposedly excruciatingly painful, on the same level as a baby teething. For this reason it was considered a rite of passage for a young male to begin to remove his scales, to begin the hardening process. During the middle ages soft scales became a mark of the rich and powerful in Velkin society, those with the softest and most supple were considered the richest because they could simply hire others to fight for them…this view fell out of favor though and currently the strongest fighters are considered some of the most powerful political contenders. --The War-- Velka was one of the founding members of the ‘Traders Alliance’ and was also credited with the original idea for the creation of a ‘basic’ language that would allow all races to communicate effectively. Though Velkins are widely considered a warrior race they also have a knack for politics and hold honor above their own lives, for that reason Velkins were an obvious choice for members of the higher court of GASP, consisting of only three other races (Zagonian, Airosian and Norkian). During the initial attempts at treaties that would lead to the formation of The Galactic Alliance Velka leaned heavily towards the Rakins considering the race of warriors kindred in some ways but The Kayooshen’s announcement that everyone would die in a fiery blaze or follow him didn’t sit well with the democratic Velkins. Because of their perceived ‘kinship’ with the Rakin race Velkins felt the blow of betrayal far more painfully than the other races (save Airosians), as such tensions between Velkins and Rakins have been high, even Rakins that aren’t directly associated with The Kayooshen are looked down upon by the Velkins. --Current Events-- After the initial betrayal of the Airosians by the Rakins, Velka lashed out against The Brotherhood long before Airosia rejoined GASP, citing both betrayal by their chosen brothers and misconduct to another race. Velkins still make up almost thirty percent of GASP soldiers (hell of a feat considering there are over a hundred planets in GASP) and due to this Velkins are widely considered the war horse of the Alliance. Despite this Velkins are one of the few races that are still highly concerned with underdeveloped planets and their wellbeing. Though with the gradual spreading of Velkins and their culture many have still retained their lofty goals of universal harmony and peace among all races, sadly there are just as many Velkins ready to make a quick dollar off their natural strength and their people’s carefully cultivated martial arts abilities and have entered into mercenary work, as well as petty crimes such as smuggling. Many Velkins have found love outside their own races, leading to a minority of mixed blooded Velkins. Generally the child takes after the mother in appearance (something to do with the mother’s antibodies fighting off foreign invaders) but will often retain the Velkin’s slightly harder bone structure. In almost the exact opposite tradition of the Airosians, Velkin mixed bloods are generally met with kindness and tolerance by pure blooded Velkins. Velkins have used their power as a political unit to lobby for more funding for relief work for refugees of the war as well as funding for helping underdeveloped planets in need of assistance. Velkins are concerned with the well being of their fellow sentient and do their best to make things fair, sometimes even at their own expense. Generally Velkins are patient and willing to hold off on conflict, but once the preverbal gauntlet has been thrown it is more likely that a Velkin will be leading the charge against their foe. Always willing to test their strength in battle and just as willing to sit and talk with their foe, Velkins are considered the ‘leaders’ of GASP…a title they hold with pride.