Post by limi on Nov 16, 2016 23:28:44 GMT
At Geralyn's request, I am posting the Ilth'nari species particulars. It is, as with all things, always a work in progress.
As I have stated many times now, Limi is of the Ilth'nari, a species that is not a part of the Federation. She, however, has been sponsored in and serves in Starfleet as a manner of attaining her goal, which is the exploration of society and culture of other races.
The Ilth'nari are a peculiar species. They draw traits from insects and plants, while throwing in a little bit of the unknowable alien into the design. So I will start with that.
They are a horde species, and it is not uncommon for them to refer to the nest, the hive, the horde or the swarm in reference to the Ilth'nari. They are diverse, as the Ilth'nari have become natural masters of their own genetics, relying heavily on natural manipulators that can play the inherent adaptability of the species to a particular end.
Species: Ilth'nari
Types: Influenced heavily by spacebug and certain aggressive plants, mixing traits of both.
Genders: The Ilth'nari are monogendered, in that every Ilth'nari can serve the role of host body for procreation of their particular type. Bodies differ, depending on purpose, role or personal desire. (It should be noted that while I have designed all of the breeding mechanisms, I won't be getting into it for the purposes of this info dump. No need, really. )
The Ilth'nari do refer to themselves in split language, with language typically reserved for feminine/female states used to describe the sentient humanoid section of their species, and language typically reserved for masculine/male states used to describe the intelligent but nonsentient non-humanoid section of the species. (This is not meant to be offensive, so I attribute it to translation differences. But it should be kept in mind that they are built around the concept of needing a Queen to be whole.)
Physical Attributes:
The sentient humanoid Ilth'nari are typically bipedal, sporting digitigrade legs, with thin point feet. They have a common standard of two arms, with multiple fingers and a thumb on the hand, though it is not uncommon to come across an Ilth'nari with four arms. Ilth'nari are capable of growing hair, though it is a purely cosmetic function of the carapace. Their faces are typically sharp, with lines of the carapace stiffened to give the edges that the Ilth'nari find attractive for themselves. Eyes are black, with a colored pupil visible.
Physicality will differ based on role, within the Ilth'nari. An explorer like Limi will have a body that is more readily adaptable to its surroundings, as well as medium level defenses and light level natural weaponry. However, while strength varies, all Ilth'nari are capable of some version of the following: Carapace, Projectile Chemical Glands, Natural regeneration/rejuvenation, Genetic Restructuring (Adaptation), Fiber Tissue construction.
Carapace: All Ilth'nari have an outer layer of fiber tissue that can be softened or hardened consciously and unconsciously. It is what is responsible for the bulk of their toughness, both on the humanoids and non-humanoid Ilth'nari. In its default state, it is soft enough to feel like average human flesh. In its hardened state, it functions like hard ablative armor. Thinner variants, like what Limi has, can only stand up to damage for so long. It can withstand several rapid projectile hits (around the 9mm range), cracking and splintering to absorb the kinetic force before the carapace gives way. Several being 5-7 before it loses its ability to deflect and the projectile would punch through. Slower kinetic strikes can be absorbed in much greater quantities, giving her considerable resilience in melee combat.
As you transition upward to the heavier Ilth'nari strains, the carapace becomes much, much tougher, even serving as heavy hull armor for ship-sized Ilth'nari.
The Ilth'nari do not need to breath, as they are space-dwelling. However, facial organs and openings such as the mouth and nose are generally closed to prevent damage when exposed to a vacuum. The carapace is capable of sealing over openings in the body. Its last major function is that the fibers that make up the carapace can be vibrated at a low frequency on the outermost layer, allowing an Ilth'nari to shake apart or "swim" slowly through earth-like environments.
Projectile Chemical Glands: This is the primary armament of the Ilth'nari. On a small level, such as Limi and the other sentient humanoid forms of the Ilth'nari, it is relegated to either a chemical spit that can be expelled in order to injure eyes or aggravate wounds, or through orifices in the extremities that can be used as ranged weapons.
There are two other tiers where this particular natural weapon comes into heavy amounts of play. There are the ship form Ilth'nari, where they have great quantities ready for battling other vessels or large beasts, as dwell as the turret walker form Ilth'nari that can have a great range of sizes. In a lot of cases, most ships have turret walker Ilth'nari set into their hides for added defense/offense.
The chemical itself has a couple of different functions. A sentient humanoid cannot form the most destructive arrangement of chemicals on their own. While they can form mildly corrosive blends, the electrified acid seen in ship to ship engagements requires an added source, so for most who need to be armed, weapons have been grown that excrete the second source. Between blending the two of them, they can create a fairly potent armament on the small scale.
The larger Ilth'nari function in much the same way, mixing the two chemicals when they are firing upon something big enough to require it. The liquid projectile ends up as an electrified corrosive goop that clings together until it strikes something, then ruptures and spreads to burn through as much as it can. Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the Ilth'nari themselves do not seem to be burned by this fluid in any of its forms.
Natural Regeneration/Rejuvenation: The Ilth'nari heal quickly, reforming missing pieces of their bodies simply by regrowing the fibers that crafted the organs, carapace, supporting structures or what they have in place of bone. It is not instantaneous, most Ilth'nari would require weeks to rebuild from grievous wounds, though something like a cut could be fixed up in a matter of an hour.
Perhaps the most controversial of the Ilth'nari traits is their natural cellular rejuvenation. Their cells are constantly replacing themselves with very little energy lost. This allows the Ilth'nari to exist for an obscenely long time, effectively immortal, though they are far from invincible. Consider if you will, the reason for this design choice. They are space bugs at their core. With such vast distances to cover, existing for a short lifespan would not make sense for the bulk of the Ilth'nari. There are shorter lived variants, but they are typically grown quickly without intelligence for the purposes of shock-troops.
((I have said it before, the Ilth'nari are effectively immortal but not invincible. They will simply keep existing until they have run completely out of energy (which is a long ass time) or until something specifically kills them. Old age is not an enemy to the Ilth'nari, but I will never let them be played as invincible.))
Genetic Restructuring (Adaptation): At birth, an Ilth'nari body is nothing. It is a blank canvas in the form of a colorless grub. They are then exposed to particular conditions or specifically modified to allow for certain types of Ilth'nari to be formed. Typically speaking, the Ilth'nari remain within their strains. If born of a non-sentient, non-humanoid strain, they will remain such, though it has been known to occasionally produce a new type of Ilth'nari.
Sentient, Humanoid Ilth'nari bearing children have the opportunity to naturally mix the genetics of both parents to create genuine offspring. However, all Ilth'nari can be modified in the first several weeks after birth to correct deformities or to trim out traits that are considered harmful.
They are also able to undertake restructuring once during their adult lives, adding or taking away. Once the second restructuring is complete, their genetics will refuse alteration and attempting will permanently injure the Ilth'nari undergoing the process. This is often done to allow for an increase in status or role, when the Ilth'nari shows great promise for a path not along their chosen line.
Fiber Tissue Construction: Ilth'nari bodies are formed out of nano-sized filaments that wrap themselves around each other to form flesh. The internal organs are all connected in this manner, though without a microscope, it would be impossible to tell. The space inside an Ilth'nari's body is filled with these unwrapped fibers suspended in a sort of inert fluid, which are most often used to support and heal the carapace. The supportive structure that the Ilth'nari have in place of bone is made up of some of the densest wrapping of these fibers, wrapped and compressed on top of each other. The carapace has a similar construction, though it can be shifted to soften or harden.
Added note: Limi, as an explorer role Ilth'nari, has a body that has medium defenses, light armaments, is highly mobile and is able to be restructured to fit her environment. In particular, the structure of her extremities (bone) are segmented but not hard-connected, removing the ability for her bones to be broken. This also means her legs can be switched around, and is how she currently assumes the form she has.
----
Mental Characteristics: The Ilth'nari have a linked mind unlike most of the horde or swarm type species. Linked and communicating through what they call the Songthought, they are born as individuals and inducted into a great community. It is through the Songthought that they exist most vividly.
It is also the method in which the sentient Ilth'nari link and control the non-sentient Ilth'nari. They have roles for mystics which protect or manipulate the Songthought bonds, as well as mystics that induct new children into the Songthought and help to form their minds so that the new individual is fully realized. Bonds can be made stronger between individuals or families, allowing for more than communication.
Two Ilth'nari who are strongly bonded can feel what each other feels, know what each other knows, sense their partners location and emotion, or see into their memories. It is a sacred thing, giving a bond of this strength, and most often taken between lovers.
There are two dangers of note when it comes to the Ilth’nari mind. The first being that it is extremely dangerous to poke and prod around in it uninvited, as a telepath of another species. Beyond the mystics that guard the Ilth’nari Songthought, touching the wrong node in the Songthought can trigger the full weight of trillions upon trillions of sentient minds crashing down upon a single person as a reflexive action, seeking to make a new connection.
It has killed or burned a person’s telepathy out before, which is why an Ilth’nari that becomes aware of a telepathic person’s presence will do their best to make sure the warning is understood. If the access point (an actual Ilth’nari) is aware, they can soften that a great deal and make it far less dangerous for the non-Ilth’nari.
The second danger is more insular to the Ilth’nari. An Ilth’nari child MUST have the Songthought to form properly. Without it, they will, without question, become hollowminded. Hollowminded Ilth’nari are incredibly destructive. They will nest, they will breed, they will kill and feed. And that is it. This branch evolution of the Ilth’nari is so abhorred by the Ilth’nari as a whole that they will sacrifice anything to root them out when the hollowminded Ilth’nari are found. Explorers like Limi are vital, as they quietly integrate into the rest of the galaxy, keeping an eye out for new children born of Ilth’nari lineage that may have been forgotten, or to keep an ear to the ground for a hollowminded infestation.
It is not a matter of hatred for the hollowminded, but that of disgrace. The Ilth’nari see it as their sacred duty to clean up the Ilth’nari mess that comes when hollowminded Ilth’nari get rooted. For, after all, they are still Ilth’nari.
Social Characteristics:
The Ilth’nari are ruled by the council of High Daughters. At one point they had sought a being that the Ilth’nari only knew as the Mother. It was the sole driving point of their species being, to reunite that which was lost. But now, they have a tier of leaders that determine the best course for their people. The tiers are as follows:
High Daughters - There are nine High Daughters at any given time within the Ilth’nari who serve as the council of leadership that determines the course of all Ilth’nari. They are generally wise and aged, having tempered their impulsive behaviors through experience. Most are First Daughters who have been elected to fill a High Daughter position by their peers. It is not something that can be run for. One seat of the High Daughter council is held permanently by a High Daughter that comes from the ranks of the Second Daughters. Current High Daughters named: Pem, Alent.
First Daughters - These Ilth’nari are trained to manage others, and can be found on every ship and colony as high ranking administrators. Below the High Daughters, there is not an Ilth’nari with authority to challenge a First Daughter on general matters, though the matter is different within the field of the challenger’s work. A First Daughter will not override a ship’s captain in regards to the operation of their ship, nor would they override a Doctor in regards to their place of work or patients. It is their purpose to streamline the other departments and areas of work, and offer a final authority in matters that cannot be handled otherwise. They are Governors.
Second Daughters - The number of Second Daughters are few, but they are exceptionally important to the Ilth’nari as a whole. For the Second Daughters are the mystics. Psionics of skill and finesse, they see to the defense of the Ilth’nari against non-physical means as well as lore-keeping and tending to the spirituality of their race. The Second Daughters have no specific place where they serve, but most ships that would fit into the capital class will have at least one. Within the ranks of the Second Daughters are the Watchers, those rare few with the ability to detect when new children are born that require the Songthought. It is the Watchers that direct the Joiners and Ilth’nari forces to retrieve or eliminate these new children. Theirs is a burden that few want, but all do with grim stoicism.
Third Daughters - The Third Daughters are also quite specific. They are the Ilth’nari trained to raise younglings into the Songthought, and as a result of this function… they are well-respected. No child of the Ilth’nari develops properly without proximity to a Third Daughter or an Ilth’nari instructed by a Third Daughter in an emergency. When it comes to the Forming of younglings, born into the Ilth’nari or brought from the greater universe… no one has authority to challenge the Third.
Below the named Daughter ranks fall the other divisions within the Ilth’nari. Likened to Departments, there is a grouping for nearly everything and tasks are designated to those groupings.
The Military Grouping follows from Captain, First Officer, Second Officer, Department Heads and then Soldier. Soldier covers all fighting forces. If the chain of command has fallen to the ranks of Soldiers, another Captain or higher officer would assume command via Songthought.
Then come the civilian groupings, most of which can be found on every ship, station, colony or planet.
Tenders - which see to living needs of the Ilth’nari. They are a varied group. Ilth’nari doctors, nurses and medical aides. Tenders also see to the growth of the grublings that provide the majority of Ilth’nari food, as well as the health of the Ilth’nari ships.
Joiners - These are beings from the greater universe that have chosen to give up everything to become part of the Ilth’nari. In most cases, they are folded into the Tenders based on their skills and then redesignated as they have proven themselves capable. Some Joiners choose to remain outwardly as they were, and are tasked with traveling the greater universe. To seek the Mother or to find children who carry trace remnants of Ilth’nari bloodlines.
This wraps up the organization of the sentient Ilth’nari. There are a good number of other types that are more simple. The ships themselves are Ilth’nari, as are all structures and stations. While they do have minds, they are very simple and form a symbiotic relationship with the Ilth’nari Tenders. As do the grublings that produce the nutrient rich super-meats that is the basis of the Ilth’nari diet.
As I have stated many times now, Limi is of the Ilth'nari, a species that is not a part of the Federation. She, however, has been sponsored in and serves in Starfleet as a manner of attaining her goal, which is the exploration of society and culture of other races.
The Ilth'nari are a peculiar species. They draw traits from insects and plants, while throwing in a little bit of the unknowable alien into the design. So I will start with that.
They are a horde species, and it is not uncommon for them to refer to the nest, the hive, the horde or the swarm in reference to the Ilth'nari. They are diverse, as the Ilth'nari have become natural masters of their own genetics, relying heavily on natural manipulators that can play the inherent adaptability of the species to a particular end.
Species: Ilth'nari
Types: Influenced heavily by spacebug and certain aggressive plants, mixing traits of both.
Genders: The Ilth'nari are monogendered, in that every Ilth'nari can serve the role of host body for procreation of their particular type. Bodies differ, depending on purpose, role or personal desire. (It should be noted that while I have designed all of the breeding mechanisms, I won't be getting into it for the purposes of this info dump. No need, really. )
The Ilth'nari do refer to themselves in split language, with language typically reserved for feminine/female states used to describe the sentient humanoid section of their species, and language typically reserved for masculine/male states used to describe the intelligent but nonsentient non-humanoid section of the species. (This is not meant to be offensive, so I attribute it to translation differences. But it should be kept in mind that they are built around the concept of needing a Queen to be whole.)
Physical Attributes:
The sentient humanoid Ilth'nari are typically bipedal, sporting digitigrade legs, with thin point feet. They have a common standard of two arms, with multiple fingers and a thumb on the hand, though it is not uncommon to come across an Ilth'nari with four arms. Ilth'nari are capable of growing hair, though it is a purely cosmetic function of the carapace. Their faces are typically sharp, with lines of the carapace stiffened to give the edges that the Ilth'nari find attractive for themselves. Eyes are black, with a colored pupil visible.
Physicality will differ based on role, within the Ilth'nari. An explorer like Limi will have a body that is more readily adaptable to its surroundings, as well as medium level defenses and light level natural weaponry. However, while strength varies, all Ilth'nari are capable of some version of the following: Carapace, Projectile Chemical Glands, Natural regeneration/rejuvenation, Genetic Restructuring (Adaptation), Fiber Tissue construction.
Carapace: All Ilth'nari have an outer layer of fiber tissue that can be softened or hardened consciously and unconsciously. It is what is responsible for the bulk of their toughness, both on the humanoids and non-humanoid Ilth'nari. In its default state, it is soft enough to feel like average human flesh. In its hardened state, it functions like hard ablative armor. Thinner variants, like what Limi has, can only stand up to damage for so long. It can withstand several rapid projectile hits (around the 9mm range), cracking and splintering to absorb the kinetic force before the carapace gives way. Several being 5-7 before it loses its ability to deflect and the projectile would punch through. Slower kinetic strikes can be absorbed in much greater quantities, giving her considerable resilience in melee combat.
As you transition upward to the heavier Ilth'nari strains, the carapace becomes much, much tougher, even serving as heavy hull armor for ship-sized Ilth'nari.
The Ilth'nari do not need to breath, as they are space-dwelling. However, facial organs and openings such as the mouth and nose are generally closed to prevent damage when exposed to a vacuum. The carapace is capable of sealing over openings in the body. Its last major function is that the fibers that make up the carapace can be vibrated at a low frequency on the outermost layer, allowing an Ilth'nari to shake apart or "swim" slowly through earth-like environments.
Projectile Chemical Glands: This is the primary armament of the Ilth'nari. On a small level, such as Limi and the other sentient humanoid forms of the Ilth'nari, it is relegated to either a chemical spit that can be expelled in order to injure eyes or aggravate wounds, or through orifices in the extremities that can be used as ranged weapons.
There are two other tiers where this particular natural weapon comes into heavy amounts of play. There are the ship form Ilth'nari, where they have great quantities ready for battling other vessels or large beasts, as dwell as the turret walker form Ilth'nari that can have a great range of sizes. In a lot of cases, most ships have turret walker Ilth'nari set into their hides for added defense/offense.
The chemical itself has a couple of different functions. A sentient humanoid cannot form the most destructive arrangement of chemicals on their own. While they can form mildly corrosive blends, the electrified acid seen in ship to ship engagements requires an added source, so for most who need to be armed, weapons have been grown that excrete the second source. Between blending the two of them, they can create a fairly potent armament on the small scale.
The larger Ilth'nari function in much the same way, mixing the two chemicals when they are firing upon something big enough to require it. The liquid projectile ends up as an electrified corrosive goop that clings together until it strikes something, then ruptures and spreads to burn through as much as it can. Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the Ilth'nari themselves do not seem to be burned by this fluid in any of its forms.
Natural Regeneration/Rejuvenation: The Ilth'nari heal quickly, reforming missing pieces of their bodies simply by regrowing the fibers that crafted the organs, carapace, supporting structures or what they have in place of bone. It is not instantaneous, most Ilth'nari would require weeks to rebuild from grievous wounds, though something like a cut could be fixed up in a matter of an hour.
Perhaps the most controversial of the Ilth'nari traits is their natural cellular rejuvenation. Their cells are constantly replacing themselves with very little energy lost. This allows the Ilth'nari to exist for an obscenely long time, effectively immortal, though they are far from invincible. Consider if you will, the reason for this design choice. They are space bugs at their core. With such vast distances to cover, existing for a short lifespan would not make sense for the bulk of the Ilth'nari. There are shorter lived variants, but they are typically grown quickly without intelligence for the purposes of shock-troops.
((I have said it before, the Ilth'nari are effectively immortal but not invincible. They will simply keep existing until they have run completely out of energy (which is a long ass time) or until something specifically kills them. Old age is not an enemy to the Ilth'nari, but I will never let them be played as invincible.))
Genetic Restructuring (Adaptation): At birth, an Ilth'nari body is nothing. It is a blank canvas in the form of a colorless grub. They are then exposed to particular conditions or specifically modified to allow for certain types of Ilth'nari to be formed. Typically speaking, the Ilth'nari remain within their strains. If born of a non-sentient, non-humanoid strain, they will remain such, though it has been known to occasionally produce a new type of Ilth'nari.
Sentient, Humanoid Ilth'nari bearing children have the opportunity to naturally mix the genetics of both parents to create genuine offspring. However, all Ilth'nari can be modified in the first several weeks after birth to correct deformities or to trim out traits that are considered harmful.
They are also able to undertake restructuring once during their adult lives, adding or taking away. Once the second restructuring is complete, their genetics will refuse alteration and attempting will permanently injure the Ilth'nari undergoing the process. This is often done to allow for an increase in status or role, when the Ilth'nari shows great promise for a path not along their chosen line.
Fiber Tissue Construction: Ilth'nari bodies are formed out of nano-sized filaments that wrap themselves around each other to form flesh. The internal organs are all connected in this manner, though without a microscope, it would be impossible to tell. The space inside an Ilth'nari's body is filled with these unwrapped fibers suspended in a sort of inert fluid, which are most often used to support and heal the carapace. The supportive structure that the Ilth'nari have in place of bone is made up of some of the densest wrapping of these fibers, wrapped and compressed on top of each other. The carapace has a similar construction, though it can be shifted to soften or harden.
Added note: Limi, as an explorer role Ilth'nari, has a body that has medium defenses, light armaments, is highly mobile and is able to be restructured to fit her environment. In particular, the structure of her extremities (bone) are segmented but not hard-connected, removing the ability for her bones to be broken. This also means her legs can be switched around, and is how she currently assumes the form she has.
----
Mental Characteristics: The Ilth'nari have a linked mind unlike most of the horde or swarm type species. Linked and communicating through what they call the Songthought, they are born as individuals and inducted into a great community. It is through the Songthought that they exist most vividly.
It is also the method in which the sentient Ilth'nari link and control the non-sentient Ilth'nari. They have roles for mystics which protect or manipulate the Songthought bonds, as well as mystics that induct new children into the Songthought and help to form their minds so that the new individual is fully realized. Bonds can be made stronger between individuals or families, allowing for more than communication.
Two Ilth'nari who are strongly bonded can feel what each other feels, know what each other knows, sense their partners location and emotion, or see into their memories. It is a sacred thing, giving a bond of this strength, and most often taken between lovers.
There are two dangers of note when it comes to the Ilth’nari mind. The first being that it is extremely dangerous to poke and prod around in it uninvited, as a telepath of another species. Beyond the mystics that guard the Ilth’nari Songthought, touching the wrong node in the Songthought can trigger the full weight of trillions upon trillions of sentient minds crashing down upon a single person as a reflexive action, seeking to make a new connection.
It has killed or burned a person’s telepathy out before, which is why an Ilth’nari that becomes aware of a telepathic person’s presence will do their best to make sure the warning is understood. If the access point (an actual Ilth’nari) is aware, they can soften that a great deal and make it far less dangerous for the non-Ilth’nari.
The second danger is more insular to the Ilth’nari. An Ilth’nari child MUST have the Songthought to form properly. Without it, they will, without question, become hollowminded. Hollowminded Ilth’nari are incredibly destructive. They will nest, they will breed, they will kill and feed. And that is it. This branch evolution of the Ilth’nari is so abhorred by the Ilth’nari as a whole that they will sacrifice anything to root them out when the hollowminded Ilth’nari are found. Explorers like Limi are vital, as they quietly integrate into the rest of the galaxy, keeping an eye out for new children born of Ilth’nari lineage that may have been forgotten, or to keep an ear to the ground for a hollowminded infestation.
It is not a matter of hatred for the hollowminded, but that of disgrace. The Ilth’nari see it as their sacred duty to clean up the Ilth’nari mess that comes when hollowminded Ilth’nari get rooted. For, after all, they are still Ilth’nari.
Social Characteristics:
The Ilth’nari are ruled by the council of High Daughters. At one point they had sought a being that the Ilth’nari only knew as the Mother. It was the sole driving point of their species being, to reunite that which was lost. But now, they have a tier of leaders that determine the best course for their people. The tiers are as follows:
High Daughters - There are nine High Daughters at any given time within the Ilth’nari who serve as the council of leadership that determines the course of all Ilth’nari. They are generally wise and aged, having tempered their impulsive behaviors through experience. Most are First Daughters who have been elected to fill a High Daughter position by their peers. It is not something that can be run for. One seat of the High Daughter council is held permanently by a High Daughter that comes from the ranks of the Second Daughters. Current High Daughters named: Pem, Alent.
First Daughters - These Ilth’nari are trained to manage others, and can be found on every ship and colony as high ranking administrators. Below the High Daughters, there is not an Ilth’nari with authority to challenge a First Daughter on general matters, though the matter is different within the field of the challenger’s work. A First Daughter will not override a ship’s captain in regards to the operation of their ship, nor would they override a Doctor in regards to their place of work or patients. It is their purpose to streamline the other departments and areas of work, and offer a final authority in matters that cannot be handled otherwise. They are Governors.
Second Daughters - The number of Second Daughters are few, but they are exceptionally important to the Ilth’nari as a whole. For the Second Daughters are the mystics. Psionics of skill and finesse, they see to the defense of the Ilth’nari against non-physical means as well as lore-keeping and tending to the spirituality of their race. The Second Daughters have no specific place where they serve, but most ships that would fit into the capital class will have at least one. Within the ranks of the Second Daughters are the Watchers, those rare few with the ability to detect when new children are born that require the Songthought. It is the Watchers that direct the Joiners and Ilth’nari forces to retrieve or eliminate these new children. Theirs is a burden that few want, but all do with grim stoicism.
Third Daughters - The Third Daughters are also quite specific. They are the Ilth’nari trained to raise younglings into the Songthought, and as a result of this function… they are well-respected. No child of the Ilth’nari develops properly without proximity to a Third Daughter or an Ilth’nari instructed by a Third Daughter in an emergency. When it comes to the Forming of younglings, born into the Ilth’nari or brought from the greater universe… no one has authority to challenge the Third.
Below the named Daughter ranks fall the other divisions within the Ilth’nari. Likened to Departments, there is a grouping for nearly everything and tasks are designated to those groupings.
The Military Grouping follows from Captain, First Officer, Second Officer, Department Heads and then Soldier. Soldier covers all fighting forces. If the chain of command has fallen to the ranks of Soldiers, another Captain or higher officer would assume command via Songthought.
Then come the civilian groupings, most of which can be found on every ship, station, colony or planet.
Tenders - which see to living needs of the Ilth’nari. They are a varied group. Ilth’nari doctors, nurses and medical aides. Tenders also see to the growth of the grublings that provide the majority of Ilth’nari food, as well as the health of the Ilth’nari ships.
Joiners - These are beings from the greater universe that have chosen to give up everything to become part of the Ilth’nari. In most cases, they are folded into the Tenders based on their skills and then redesignated as they have proven themselves capable. Some Joiners choose to remain outwardly as they were, and are tasked with traveling the greater universe. To seek the Mother or to find children who carry trace remnants of Ilth’nari bloodlines.
This wraps up the organization of the sentient Ilth’nari. There are a good number of other types that are more simple. The ships themselves are Ilth’nari, as are all structures and stations. While they do have minds, they are very simple and form a symbiotic relationship with the Ilth’nari Tenders. As do the grublings that produce the nutrient rich super-meats that is the basis of the Ilth’nari diet.