Xai

The Xai are the first and foremost of the first-generation Novus, and the children of the Numen, Malakai Madora. They live on the world of Xyon, and rule the empire known as the Xai Ascendancy, and inhabit six of Xyon's nine realms. The Xai are the most populous of the Novus, and the most powerful, having held such a position since the First Xyon War in 642 AE. Notable facts about the Xai include their distaste for the light, their obession with the color black, and the fact that they have three sexes instead of two.

Biology & Appearance
See also: Novus

The Xai are like the rest of their Novan brothers and sisters in the fact that they are undying, lack senescence (the process of aging) after 250 years of age (equivalent to a 25 year old human), and are three-times stronger tan baseline humans. The Xai have dark brown skin, and their hair is always black (notable exception being Kiman Madora, whose hair is white). The Xai typically stand 1.5 meters for women and xanith, to 2.1 meters for men. They are most notable for their eyes, which are black, with glow purple rings where the iris is. Their eyes allow for unrivaled night-vision, but are highly erritated by light. While this is not a handicap for them, as Xai are perfectly capable of function in bright areas, it is uncomfortable, and thus greatly avoided if at all possible. Also, the Xai don't not blink.

The Xai possess crystalline growths called Sardonikium, which cover their forearms down to their hands. They begin to show when the Xai reaches the age of 30 (three years of age for a human). They continue to grow until they cover the entire forearm by age 70. The Xai may chose to have it remain beneath their skin, in which their crystalline claws and hands remain visible. These claws are retractable, and can be set at different lengths. They are usually four to five inches long for women and xanith, and two to three inches long for men. For some Xai, they may undergo a process in which their body is transformed into sardonikium, overwhich artifical skin is overlaid.

The Xai possess three genders: male, female, and xanith. The men sex is smallest, though men are the strongest and smartest of the three. They are used for overseeing every aspect of Xai civilization, and are purest form of the species. Without them, as Malakai intended, the entire race would collapse. Men produce the most children, as by law, must have at least four or five spouses to aid in the birth of more men. Their numbers are tiny since Malakai intended on having a large female population he could play with (before maturing upon his marriage), without hurting his fellow "brothers". He made up for that permanent "curse" by giving the men powers only they are permitted to have.

Women make up 60% of the Xai population, and are the most common Xai one will encounter. They are on par with Novus of the other races, and the most general representation of the species as a whole. The third gender of the Xai are xanith; female in form, but male in terms of reproduction. Their job was to pick up for the men as they were too few to do so themselves. They were made female in form as women were the only templates he cared to take time to work with, and to better fit with his original concept for the Xai. They are somewhat unforunate, as they have male desires, but have troubles acting them out properly as they sometimes act like women. Some in desperation simply act out their sexual desires violently, and have been the main cause of the Xai's extravagent rape statistics.

Xai organs are black (with women and xanith having their permanent black "lipstick" lips), and their blood too is also black, with an almost oily texture to it. Their blood is highly toxic, though the level of toxicity depends on age and sex. Their teeth appear like obsidian, and are capable of chewing through rocks and metal. Their blood is acidic, with a pH level of 0.3, close to that of battery acid. The Xai also possess a natural defensive ability. They can fire destructive beams of energy from their eyes, electricity from their fingers, and flames from their mouth. Their claws are equally capable of cutting through metal without breaking.

Reproduction
The Xai do not reproduce in the same manner as many of the Novus. Women instead lay eggs, 15 to 30 at a time, and the maturity rate of these eggs is about two to three months. However, she must be fertilised before she can do anything. Malakai chose it as a way of outnumbering his opponents, and using the population growth as justification for increasing the size of his empire faster than the other Numen. Given that the laws of reality do not apply in the dimension of Xyon, a pregant Xai does not show on the outside, while her insides would tell a different story. A female Xai is capable of producing eggs indefinitely. These eggs are stored either in a purpose-built nusery in their homecity, or in a room designated for such a task at their private residence. These eggs are filled with a glowing blue liquid, and are protecting by a practically indestructible transparent embryonic sack.

Male Xai are too few in number to take on an active role in reproduction, though they may choose what sex they want their child to be (choosing a boy works, but requires several periods of intercourse for before the child is born). Despite this, men are aesexual, and produce children seperately from the rest of their species. They perform this through mitosis, by using a piece of their DNA (typically by cutting off a finger) to grow the child from themselves. The process takes only a week to complete, with the child generally appearing in the form of a seven year old. They cannot produce more men themselves (while possible it is rare), with the majority of these births being female or xanith, the latter more common than the former with every two out of three children being xanith. Xanith cannot reproduce on their own, and must rely on a female of any other species to give birth to their children. Any children they have will be Xai, and will either be xanith or female, never male.

Society & Culture
The Xai are rather outgoing and friendly to an extent, but vary greatly in terms of their personalities and despositions toward others. They are rather hospitable and caring as a race, though they can only be pushed so far before they react in kind. The Xai are considered to be the most adventurous of the first-generation Novus, followed closely by the Vashti and Izanagi. They travel the galaxy extensively, and have the most populous colonies on Earth, seeking to one day claim the planet as their own. However, they are by far the most secretive in their dealings, and do not like to open up to others. Despite this, dealing with a Xai is far easier than with any of their cousins.

The Xai are a technocratic species, preferring to have a society that operates purely on skill and merit. Ascending in Xai society is thus tied to how successful one was in their previous occupation or trade, and those with millennia of experience are considered the true celebraties of their people. However, many of their beliefs and ideas are directly tired to that of the Numen, Malakai Madora. The Xai can thus be somewhat irrational and peity depending on the mood of their father. Sadism amoungst the xanith population is common, and female Xai are known for their part in the actions as well.

In the Xai family unit, the head of the household (xanith) is given the upmost respect, and the wife is regarded as submissive to him/her (xanith use both objective forms). The mother is given many freedoms, though most Xai wives and mothers prefer to stay in a position that is viewed upon respectfully by others. Children have little say in the running of the family, though their thoughts on family matters is considered as useful in bettering the way the family is run. Unlike in many other species, the father is viewed as the most important, and the children naturally gravitate toward him instead of the mother. The father is also considered the paramount caregiver as well as the breadwinner.

On another topic, Xai religion, as with those of the other Novus, is based around the worship of their respective Numen. The Xai have built massive statues deticated to Malakai and his wife, Belisari. They reason that as he is their creator, he is owed such devotion, a feeling which is not uncommon as with the rest of the Novus. However, the statues and respect are the extent of such worship, as Malakai himself stated that he was not comfortable with such worship of himself, and as a former Baptist, he felt that there was only one true god, to whom he himself had to answer too. Thus, the level of visible religiosity in Xai communities is remarkably lower than that in other Novus areas. However, the level of devotion to their father is beyond human comprehension.

It should be noted that rape is epidemic, with the xanith; unable to control their sexual desires because of Makalai's mistake of solving the issue when he created them, going on sprees across cities that have resulted in a number of additional Xai floating around without a clue as to who their father is (the mother, however, knows). Such a crime is not viewed as unforgivable, as the populace and victim see little wrong with it. Murder, however, is unacceptable, and for those xanith who commit such a crime find themselves in Kordan in short order. For these reasons, few outsiders with scant knowledge of these issues are found in the Ascendancy.