Ecology: The atmosphere of Leptax is over 90% nitrogen, although oxygen is also present. The planet’s surface is primarily a series of swamps, lakes, and jungle covered mountains. At the poles, cold swamps and marshes exist. Global weather tends to be very humid and generally unpredictable. The itself planet has sparse resources although several large fields of petroleum exist beneath the larger lakes. Research and development of high technology is the main industry of Leptax. People: Leptax is home to the Leptaxian race. The Leptaxians are oxygen-breathing trichordates and are herbivoral. An average Leptaxian stands 1.3 m high and can lift roughly 23 kg. Leptaxians are recognized by their large, egg-shaped green torso circled by their narrow feeding slit. Food is placed into this slit and left to slowly digest in a wash of nutrients and solvent acids. Leptaxians are radially organized and have three tentacles attached to the torso, as well as three bulbous eyes and three flipper-like feet, each set placed equidistantly around the axis. Their language, Lepteza, is based on musical melody and rhythm.
Leptaxian
religion is also based upon the Grand
Crystalline and its creators. The faith holds that the engineers
of this wonder arrived over 45,000 years ago. The leader of this
group is said to have personally shared several crucial new technologies
with the Leptaxians, including fire, simple machines, agriculture, and
astronomy. This leader, now known simply as Ëa
(Goddess), is also reputed to have departed
Leptax with her own people shortly after the final construction of Grand
Crystalline. The religion of Ëa
also states that Grand Crystalline
will reveal its deepest secrets at a time in the future when it has
finally been fully utilized to advance Leptaxian technology. Though
the time period associated with these events is obviously fallacious,
science cannot disprove the basic tenets of the religion.
The Leptaxian social order has not changed at all since those times, although science has far eclipsed its former levels of development. In 1356, Leptaxians created the first steam engine, using designs bestowed on them by Grand Crystalline. Following advances were the introduction of factories and standardized machine components in the early 15th century. Discovery of electricity and its applications followed the research of magnetism in the laboratories of Grand Crystalline. In 1766, the first electronic devices were being created. Nuclear research was well under way by the early 19th century, and spaceflight began in 1872. Leptaxian
science and exploration truly blossomed after the creation of the hyperdrive
at Grand Crystalline in 1903.
The race quickly began running exploratory missions far afield from
the Centauri binary. Leptax was had been charting new worlds with
its Leptaxian Solar Survey
for almost thirty years when they first contacted Tarnak
near Epsilon Delphini in 1952.
This resulted in many technological exchanges, the most profitable of
which was the trade of Leptaxian star charts and hyperdrive systems
for Tarnaci starship designs. The Trifederate
was chartered with Corillia and Tarnak
in 2053 in order to protect the members' interests collectively.
In 2138, Leptaxians studying Phylus encountered
a similar Terran research team and began to form diplomatic ties with
Earth, laying the foundations for the Solar
Alliance, chartered in 2174. Leptax became a founding member
of the Interstellar
Organization of United Imperial Worlds in 2277. Today, Leptax
University is home to the Imperial
Solar Survey and is the driving force behind the terraforming experiments
on selected Imperial worlds.
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Civilization:
Leptaxian society was originally based around small families, each of
which lived in homes hollowed from the trunks of ancient swamp trees.
This society was rather static and did not develop any significant technology
for thousands of years. Even when tools came into proper use about
6,000 years ago, the Leptaxians were restricted to whatever use was
possible due to their tentacles. It was approximately 4,000 years
ago that technology was introduced to the primitive Leptaxians by an
unknown source, and civilization developed around a huge metallic city
placed in Leptax’s highest mountains. This city is known as the
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