Species: Spalpadh
Appearance: Gold skin with silver hair, or silver skin with gold hair. Humanoid with pointed ears and small, sharp, hard opalescent wings. Generally taller than humans, standing between 6 and 8 feet tall.
Lifespan: 120.
Wings: Flightless. Wings are ornamental, used for communication and courtship. Wings shed microscopic scales that produce a glittering powder.
Blood: Golden in color, thick.
Gealadh: A glittering powder collected from Spalpadh wings and skin. Spalpadh are obsessive about grooming their wings and collecting the powder. Considered deeply private and personal, surrounded by cultural mythology and superstition regarding another person acquiring powder from a Spalpadh’s body. In their ancient history, stealing Gealadh from other Spalpadh was an act of aggression, used to hurt or control. It’s uncommon in modern Spalpadh life.
Spalpadh produce large amounts of Gealadh and must scrape their skin daily with a special hard-edged stone (traditional grooming tool). Without regular grooming, the powder becomes clumped, flaky, and scaly across the body. This is considered filthy and deeply embarrassing.
Exchanging Powder: Spalpadh only give their powder to close family members, spouses or lovers, children, or individuals they deeply cherish. This affection is never tied to dominance, but instead reflects love between equals or toward someone under their care, such as a child.
Giving another Spalpadh their powder is an act of love, loyalty, trust, and bonding. Powder from another Spalpadh’s body is protective and beneficial, part of their biology. A Spalpadh cannot meaningfully collect and reapply their own powder once it has been shed, it gives the producer of the powder no benefits.
Biological Effects of Gealadh: Powder naturally coats the skin and wings, giving Spalpadh their glittering sheen. Protects against disease, helps regulate body temperature, and keeps the skin clean.
Bathing: Spalpadh bathe only in dry materials, such as fine sand. They clean themselves through sand bathing and rubbing their skin with Gealadh.
Dislike: Water. Spalpadh despise getting wet and avoid water touching them (they do not wash their hands, take a bath or shower, swim).
Like: Social grooming, platonic closeness, and physical contact.
Reputation: Spalpadh can seem off-putting to other species because of their tendency to stand very close and seek physical contact, even with strangers. Crowding together in lines or public spaces, despite ample room, is completely normal behavior for them and extremely difficult to suppress.
Known for Galaxy Alchemy.
Species Traits: Graceful, curious, cunning, playful, affectionate.
Water: Spalpadh can enter water, but doing so is deeply uncomfortable. Water washes Gealadh from their bodies, exposing them to skin irritation, infection, and difficulty regulating body temperature until the Gealadh regrows over several days. They dislike the sensation of water and it would be unlikely they knew how to swim.
Diet: Drink only ionic liquids and require little liquid to survive, eat food heavy in minerals and carbs. Consume little meat or vegetables. Have a salt and carbohydrate heavy diet.
Galaxy Alchemy: Spalpadh create powders, tonics, and alchemical compounds carried in canisters worn on belts, sashes, or layered clothing. Each family maintains its own recipes, specialties, and closely guarded techniques. Spalpadh always carry canisters, starting around 12 years old; they may gift these, trade, or sell them.
Symbols: Silver crescent moon.
SB-5 Military Pact History: Discovered by the Skolexari recently, only 800 years ago. Invited to join the SB-5 Military Pact. Being neither technologically advanced nor suited for warfare, they were instead accepted as protected Star-Seeds. They benefit from the Empire’s trade networks and military protection. They have little involvement in the military or broader war machine.
Clothing: Wear fitted uniforms with decorated sashes and belts almost always in the opposite color of their skin (gold or silver). Prefer earthen colors (dark greens, browns, blacks).
Homeworld: Saln.
Saln: Has a lot of granite and other stone, Spalpadh traditionally carve the stone into beautiful art and buildings. Has almost no fresh water but ionic liquids (liquid salts).