Loreskus

The Loreskasa (singular Loreskus) were a sentient species of native to Urs Azza in the.

Biology and appearance
Mostly in their configuration, the Loreskasa were nonetheless immediately distinguishable by the long, frond-like "hair" on their heads. Most females had at least six; males could have up to a dozen. While females generally had hair fronds in dull colors, males' fronds were often brightly colored. Males evolved brighter coloration as a mating tool before the ancestors of the species became sentient. Hair fronds, as an extension of the flesh, were sensitive to pain and pleasure, could be consciously moved by those with sufficient muscular control, and often stood up straight and stiff as a sign of fear or aggression.

Apart from their hair fronds, Loreskasa were also distinguished by their multicolor flesh (usually shades of blue, green, and gray in varying levels of brightness) and their large eyes. Unlike Humans and similar species, a Loreskus' eyes could take up between a quarter to a third of his face. Females tended to have slightly larger eyes than males.

The omnivorous Loreskasa had gestation periods of only five months, but newborn Loreskasa needed to be soaked in nutrient-rich solutions for many hours a day for the first three months of their lives before they were fully developed. Loreskasa biologists concluded that this was an evolutionary leftover from ancestors of the Loreskasa who dwelled in Urs Azza's swamps, marshes, and coastal regions. Loreskasa reached maturity around fifteen standard years of age.

Society and culture
Ornamenting hair fronds was a common fashion technique among Loreskasa, analogous to wearing finger or toe rings in other species (though Loreskasa did that as well). A number of different fashions arose for wearing the hair fronds themselves, though keeping them flush to the skull was universally regarded as demure and humble.

Loreskasa married for life in pairs and, given the initial three months of a Loreskus' life when it was totally dependent on its nutrient solution, created a joint parenting situation endorsed by most governments. During the initial three months, male Loreskasa would take leave from work to care for their offspring; when the infants were developed enough to consume food orally, males would return to work and females would take the next three months for breastfeeding. As a result, most Loreskasa who came from two-parent households were equally close to both their parents, far more than most other species in the Golden Empire.

Albino Loreskasa, or those born with only a single body color, were at various times in the species' history reviled as oddities, enslaved, regarded with curiosity, or even held up as alternatives to "traditional beauty". The rights of "monochromes" were a hotly contested and historically sore subject in many regions of Urs Azza.

History
The Loreskasa evolved as scavengers, and from amphibious species, though the modern Loreskasa were unable to live underwater. The only species on their homeworld to develop sentience, they used their superior eyesight in dark places and knowledge of tools to kill off their natural predators.

Due to their ancestors' instincts to compete for mating with bright displays of color, sentient Loreskasa had a subconscious attraction to those with impressive displays. As a result, early conquerors often staged elaborate parades to show off the treasures of their conquests, and those assuming power threw elaborate feasts and festivals, both to secure office and to keep the people happy afterward. Loreskasa tended toward strong executive governments, and took easily to the Golden Empire when its diplomats arrived.

In the galaxy
Aearbo Manitani was a Loreskus Centurion and Royal Guard of the Golden Empire and a veteran of the Nightmare War.