Vorsyt

The Vorsyts (//) were a sentient species native to Uyiq-Mest in the.

Biology and appearance
Vorsyts were non-. They had legs capable of propelling them several meters in one bound from a crouch, and walked with digitigrade motion. Most Vorsyts' normal standing posture was with their legs slightly bent; when they straightened their legs, they could easily add several inches to their heights. Their arms were evolved to support their weight in stationary positions for long periods, and their hands ended in sharp digging claws. Vorsyt arms also had very strong tendons and ligaments in their joints, preventing tearing even under fairly intense stress.

Vorsyt head were roughly conical, wider at their tops and tapering to a narrower section at the bottom. Their mouths were located at the tapered end, and were full of flat teeth, as the Vorsyts were herbivores. Vorsyts had two hearts; one handled circulation to internal organs, while the other provided blood flow to muscles.

Fairly uniform in coloring, all Vorsyts had flesh that was white or shades of gray. Their skin was resistant to cuts, roughly equivalent to the strength of or Zaractok skin. All Vorsyts had blue eyes, and the hair which grew on their heads was white or shades of blond and gray.

Female Vorsyts carried their young for roughly eight standard months. Babies were born with arms and legs disproportionately long for their bodies. Traditionally, newborn Vorsyts clung to their mothers for several more months, hanging on their backs for hours at a time to develop arm and leg strength. When young Vorsyts ceased this practice, they were usually ready to walk or even jump on their own.

Society and culture
The nuclear family was the basic unit of Vorsyt society, and Vorsyts were generally very independent. Prior to the arrival of the Golden Empire, dictatorship was practically unknown to the species. Their societies were usually strict or representative democracies, and most Vorsyts only supported those laws absolutely necessary for the efficient maintenance of society; if it could be done through ingenuity without government help, it would be.

The evolution of technology on Uyiq-Mest led to some societal changes and resulting cultural debates. When Vorsyt cities arose and the Vorsyts were no longer required to move about on rock faces every day, some Vorsyts began rearing their children in nurseries rather than the traditional practice of carrying them on their backs. This led to arm and leg muscles developing less than they did in Vorsyts reared traditionally, which in turn gave birth to an industry of "strength rockers", tubular gadgets designed to mimic the shape and dimensions of a female Vorsyt's back to allow Vorsyt infants to cling to that instead. Though initially panned, mechanical substitutes caught on over the centuries to allow female Vorsyts to pursue careers without taking along infants. Many Vorsyts, however,

Though tolerant of visiting offworlders and agents of the Golden Empire, the Vorsyts in general came across as somewhat xenophobic, contributing their dues to the Empire but preferring to otherwise be left to their own devices.

History
Ancient ancestors of the Vorsyts lived below Uyiq-Mest's fog line, but the Vorsyts had lived above it for millennia before the species was contacted by the Empire. They evolved as nimble climbers, leaping from one rock face or sloped mountainside to another in search of vegetation. Most traveled only with their immediate families, though sometimes two or more small groups would band together. This arose not from their trademark independence but from the scarcity of food; indeed, later anthropologists suggested the Vorsyts had developed their independent streak because of food scarcity regularly driving them apart.

Even after they developed primitive tools, early Vorsyts were reluctant to build cities, as chopping down trees for lumber would eliminate the trees and their vegetation as food sources. As a result, cities began in or near the fertile mountain valleys where food grew abundantly. When word of the development spread, some Vorsyts cautiously explored the new cities and moved in. Others carried the idea away to different fertile lowlands, building cities of their own.

Uyiq-Mest's rocky geography made the construction of roads impossible and contact between cities arduous and inefficient. Trade and transport were also difficult—anything carried between cities had to be physically carried by the Vorsyts themselves—and cities arose only where resources were both present and sustainable. The few wars of conquest led by Vorsyts were usually very abrupt; since the infeasibility of maintaing supply lines made protracted sieges impossible, most "warfare" consisted of single attacks that were either successful or repulsed.

The development of flying technology was a great leap forward for the Vorsyts. Though it took centuries to create vehicles useful for war, even early flying craft allowed the transportation of small quantities of resources. More importantly, flight also allowed the much more rapid interaction of cultures and ideas. Communication among Vorsyt scientists allowed the expansion of cities and eventually bridges spanning the gaps between mountains through the refinement and use of Uyiq-Mest's native.

The Golden Empire arrived at Uyiq-Mest in 104 ABY. The Vorsyts were unenthusiastic about pledging themselves to an overarching authority, but a combination of the desire to access the Empire's vast resources of new knowledge and an awareness that they could never defeat the Armada led them to join. Queen Rin Sakaros soothed some of their fears by assuring the Vorsyts that her Consuls would continue the practice of limited legislation.

In 108 ABY, the Empire built the Royal Observatory on Uyiq-Mest. Vorsyt scientists relished the opportunity to study with some of the finest astronomers in the Empire, and the Observatory's presence provided additional income to the planet.

In the galaxy
Two Vorsyts won fame throughout the Golden Empire. One was Tesshen Manytrek, a Centurion and Consul whose death on began the Vagaari War. The other was the distinguished Legate Tarse Medrego, who successfully commanded in both the Vagaari War and the Nightmare War.