A species native to the radiation belt surrounding a gas giant world in the galactic core, the Az’arc’a are energy beings... and proof that life can take some very strange forms indeed.

What Humanity Knows...

Humanity knows almost nothing about the Az’arc’a beyond the name and the fact that they’re energy beings from a planet whose life forms are all energy rather than flesh. That information comes primarily from Ironclad and Herculan, who fought Az’arc’an “animals” in the Malvan arena and learned a little about the Az’arc’a from gladiatorial gossip.

Biology

The Az’arc’a are energy beings; they do not have flesh. An Az’arc’a looks like a spherical or circular mass of pulsing rings and/or loops of plasma occupying a volume of up to 10 meters across. “He” (not even the Malvans know if the Az’arc’a have genders) communicates with other Az’arc’a by radio, light pulses, or inducing vibrations in metal structures to create sound. If an ordinary, flesh-and-bone, sentient wants to “speak” with an Az’arc’a, he needs a translator device or an object/ structure the Az’arc’a can safely vibrate. As energy beings, the Az’arc’a cannot live on most planets, but can move through normal space at velocities up to the speed of light, survive in environments that would kill physical lifeforms, and absorb and project energy to defend themselves. As such they can be considered “superpowered,” though they do not seem to manifest additional powers.
The Az’arc’a reproduce by splitting apart. Each of the two new Az’arc’a retains all the memories and mental Skills of its parent, which means many of them have memories millennia old.

Homeworld

The Az’arc’a don’t actually have a home “world” per se; entering a gravity well as strong as a planet’s is harmful (if not fatal) to them. They evolved in the intense radiation belt surrounding a large gas giant in a system in the galactic core. They’ve never identified this world to other species nor allowed them to visit it. However, the radiation belt apparently supports a full energy ecosystem, since Az’arc’an “animals” are sometimes traded to the Malvans for use in the gladiatorial arena.

Society

As essentially immortal beings, the Az’arc’a have a highly-developed, and yet also oddly limited, society and culture. Their methods of communication allow large numbers of Az’arc’a to “talk” to one another simultaneously, resulting in a quasi-hive mind that led to a species-wide government relatively early in their history. (However, comments made by Az’arc’a indicate that occasional schisms and “splinter groups” arise within society and split off to form their own governing bodies on occasion, though most eventually rejoin the Az’arc’a “collective” in time.) Leaders apparently rule based primarily on logic, issuing logical instructions that are carried out in a logical manner by their underlings and society. However, the Az’arc’a are not slaves to base reasoning; they’re capable of emotion and creativity like most sentient species. Their art mainly consists of music, which utterly fascinates them. Most Az’arc’a attend “concerts” at least once a week (if not more oen), and an acclaimed composer enjoys great prestige within society. Their literature is also highly developed, and they can make permanent sculptures out of a plasma-like energy.
The Az’arc’a have a profound knowledge of mathematics, physics, astrophysics and cosmology. They also know more than a little about the history of the Milky Way thanks to their long lives (many Az’arc’a claim to have witnessed first-hand battles between the Malvans and the Elder Worm hundreds of thousands of years ago). Individuals trade physics data, astronomical information, or chronicles of galactic history for things that interest them: music (via radio), mathematical theorems, codes, detective stories, new prime numbers, and the like.

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