Paranid

The Paranid are odd, and fierce looking. Their thick leathery skin is yellow and they have three large bony crests on the tops of their heads. They also have three eyes set in a deep furrow across their foreheads. Their mouth is similar to that of a fish with two fangs emerging from the either side. They also have a series of bone spines that grow from the backs of their heads and appear like twin tusks at the sides of their eyes and mouth.

Their bodies stand very tall, taller than any human. They are also very slim and bony, short of having an exoskeleton. Their appearance has reminiscences of insects, but on the other hand, they’re clearly no insects at all. Their arms have multiple joints, as well as their claws. Their legs are also multiply jointed and their feet are more like very broad hoofs that give the Paranid a very good grip on the ground. They are very strong, and they will win a personal fight against anybody. Their preferred method of killing manually is wrapping their long, multiply jointed arms around their victim, crushing it to death. Nobody in the Community of Planets would pick a bare-handed fight with a Paranid. Paranids do not have different genders, and not much is known about how they multiply at all. It is assumed that this is directly connected to the Pontifex Maximus Paranidia in some way.

The Paranid Empire is quite the enigma, in order to compile this report we required several deep cover agents within Argon Intelligence, even so our information is sketchy at best. The Paranid Empire is a Theology, based around concept of three dimensionality, this is believed to be directly connected to how the Paranid vision cortex translates the information from their three eyes, although the theological basis of the Paranid religion like the rest of their society is shrouded in a vale of secrecy. What is known however is that Religion touches every aspect of daily life, each action has its own protocol, which must be adhered to and satisfied before an action can take place. The Paranid are strong and powerful beasts, their claws and large craniums, are in stark beastlike contrast to their exquisitely decorated flowing robes.

Paranid is society is based on a firm hierarchy, with around one thousand known titles from the serving Pontifex Maximus Paranidia (Priest Emperor) Xaar, the Cardinals or Priest Kings as they are known, Priest Dukes whom are responsible for the day to day running of a sector, down to title of Priest. While all Paranid are considered priests in their own right, outsiders, especially, Bi-ocular aliens are held in very low regard, often described as unclean or unholy creatures. This attitude makes dealing with or coercing Paranid exceptionally difficult as to have unsanctioned dealings with lesser life is to invite a loss of face in a society where reputation means everything. Early Paranid life is spent within an Institution for the Adept, while an exact time frame is not known Paranid children return to their families as full adult Priests, despite this family is considered a sacred bondage, the Paranid have also adopted a ridged caste system, there are few opportunities for advancement, power play is rife within the empire, and even so it is impossible to escape your caste, sectors controlled by so called ‘lesser caste Dukes’ are all but abandoned, as such many open their doors to lower life, in order to maintain an efficient economy. The Technology of the Paranid is surprisingly advanced for a Theology, specifically in the area of cybernetic enhancement and interaction systems. Their ships are designed around their technological strength, choosing metal and technology over biology and agriculture, for most Paranid food is heavily rationed to prevent chronic food shortages.

The Paranid economy is fractured and complex. Many castes refuse to open deal with another, often three or four go betweens are required before a transaction can be completed often at great cost to all parties. Politics is no different; most are simply attempting to enhance their own position, finding arguing amongst themselves over the proceeds from internal trades and resources.

The one exception is the ‘Holy Fleets of the Pontifex Maximus’, whom are given precedence over all others, so that it may maintain the Paranid border defences. The Paranid base their stratagems centrally around the concept of an overwhelming defence, our analysis of their fighters has shown that they have a limited range but are heavily armed and shielded, with a high degree of cybernetic-automation allowing the ships to survive most combat situations. Their carrier ships are capable of deploying deadly shockwave field weapons that cause massive damage to all ships within range.

The Paranid are members of the Profit guild, which solidifies their alliances with both the Split and Teladi , although the Paranid have made little attempt to increase trade or improve relations since the Boron Conflict, instead believing that all races including allies should instead change to fit Paranid society and needs. The Paranid and Argon were once trading partners but the Paranid’s refusal to become involved with the Xenon conflict and subsequent Alliance with the Split during the Boron conflict has driven a wedge between the two, border skirmishes are common but rarely escalate to a diplomatic incident, use caution within their space, Paranid care little for the lives of non-Paranid. The Xaars word is law and any decree can make or break the lives of those in the Paranid Empire, Religion is used as much to maintain the order as to worship the holy dimensionality, the first Paranid attempt at democracy was brutally purged in a sustained orbital bombardment lasting several months, this is by no means the most extreme example of the Pontifex’s reaction to heresy, any perceived dissent can be cause for excommunication.

The Paranid have little respect for other races are will do whatever is necessary to enhance their position in the Universe, as such they are not to be trusted. While it is currently within their interest to align with the Teladi and Split, the Paranid have little interest in loyalty to those outside their own society.

Alongside the Argon, the Paranid are one of the oldest races in the X Universe. Their home planet is situated near to a white star, which means that their natural environment is hot and very arid. Great deserts and mountain ranges straddle the planet. The Paranid themselves evolved from a large species of ancient desert beetles, some of which still scuttle around the desert planet.

The earliest ancestors of the Paranid lived in deep, cool caves hollowed out of the mountain sides, and held strange religious beliefs that involved complicated mystical rites and ceremonies, all based on mathematics and geometry. The number Three is playing a paramount role in Paranid mathematics and mythology. As the race developed, they hollowed deeper and deeper into the mountains, until they had built themselves large complex underground colonies.

Over the years the Paranid, in conjunction with their mystical and mathematical beliefs, developed their own brand of technology, and by the year 50 had made their first ventures into space.

They began to colonize other hot planets in their own solar system and soon built up a large number of colonies. In 130 they made contact with the Argon race. From their first meeting the Argon were always deeply suspicious of the Paranid, and never understood their strange religious rituals and rites. In turn the Paranids could never really understand the culture of the Argons hence relationships between the two races were never friendly, however for many years, the two races managed to trade and tolerate each other.

When the Argons were attacked by the Xenon they turned to the Paranid for help, but after 25 years of deliberation the Pontifex Maximus Paranidia (Emperor of Paranid) refused to join in the conflict. What the Argon never realised was that the Paranid were in an awkward position. Some years before, in 200, they had come into contact with the Split with whom they had fought a short but costly war. Eventually the two sides agreed to a cease fire which led to the formation of trade agreements and military alliances. It was these alliances that prevented the Paranid from coming to the assistance of the Argon in 250, and also tied the Paranid to assisting the Split fight their war against the Kingdom of Boron in 299.

After their victory in the Xenon conflict in 255 the Argon were very bitter towards the Paranid and relationships between the two races sank to an all time low and, as soon as the Argon realised that the Paranid were fighting the Boron, they joined in the conflict. The entrance of the Argon in the Boron Campaign turned the tide and the Split-Paranid alliance began to retreat.

Their eventual defeat in the Boron Campaign proved very costly to the Paranid, and for many years they retreated back into their own territories and rebuilt their depleted space fleet. When the Argon and the Boron formed the Foundation Guild the Paranid once again allied themselves to the Split and, in the year 413, the two races officially formed the ”Profit Guild”.

This alliance led to further threats of war some years later when the Split declared war on the Xenon. After a few initial skirmishes the Paranid refused to enter into any further conflict. For them this war, being fought at the opposite side of the Community of Planets, had no trading or territorial advantages and seemed pointless. They also recognized the fact that the Xenon were a very powerful race, having witnessed their long, drawn out and costly war between them and the Argon many years earlier. Once again the Paranid decided that, as neither side held an advantage, war was not for them. The Split wanted to continue the action and the two races argued. The Paranid then threatened to withdraw from the Profit Foundation unless the war ended. Faced by the dissolution of their trading partnership and therefore destruction of their economy the Split had no option but to declare peace with the Xenon.

This situation put a great strain on relations between the two races and for many years they were deeply suspicious of each other. The admission of the Teladi into the Profit Guild, in 563, helped to reduce this tension but, in 589, the initial refusal of the Split to join the Big Currency Reform once again strained the relationship. Once again, by threatening to withdraw for The profit Guild, the Paranid persuaded the Split to agree with the currency reform on re-negotiated terms.

The Paranid Empire have problems with other races when it comes to diplomacy, they deem all other races who do not have a multiple of three eyes to be unholy. Unfortunately this accounts for virtually all known races.

Although once allied, the Argon Federation and Paranid Empire no longer have good relations, and consider each other neutral, this was after the Argon Federation asked the Paranids for help during the Xenon Conflict, the Paranid refused to assist and so relations broke down.

The Split and Paranids are allied as of the Boron Conflict, however they lost the conflict, but both formed the Profit Guild with the Teladi to counter act the Foundation Guild.

Paranids luckily do not have territories that border Xenon systems anymore, so the Paranids rarely have to deal with Xenon incursions.
The Paranids like all races have had incursions by the Kha'ak, so they too are at War with the invading forces of the Kha'ak.

Despite their many historic disagreements The Paranid are still allied to the Split and, through their membership of the Profit Guild, the Teladi. In addition to being members of the Profit Guild the Paranid allow all other races to trade openly throughout their sectors of space, however relations between the Paranid and the Argon are still very strained, and trade is the only contact the two races have with each other.

Even to this day their strange rites and religious beliefs are a mystery to other races and it is virtually impossible to befriend or even understand them – except if you happen to have three eyes…

These rites also forbid any member of another race settling or living on a Paranid colony, not that many ever want to due to the fact that the Paranid prefer to settle on planets that are too hot for other races.