Pishoni

<> ''WAIT! Wait. No shooting. We merchants, profit only motive. No guns, only ghost crew. Interested?'' ---Dimakku, Pishoni Merchant

One of the more shocking truths about the Supernal, discovered on humanity's first, shuddering steps into the stars, is that it is inherently egalitarian-everything is a Supernal symbol of something, even banal or dark things, so long as it has its origins in the Fallen World or Lower Depths. The way this was discovered was when humanity looked upon alien faces for the first time, ones with remarkable similarities in their own legends to the Atlantis story, and seeking the Dragons as well. Naturally, this has since caused the official propaganda of the Silver Ladder to decree that humans, being the most genetically and ideologically adaptable of all known species, are the truest children of the Supernal, which takes all forms and none.

While there may be something true to this, the children of Terra having a society where magic is one of the most central aspects, one of the things that the average Free Inspector quickly learns is that a lot of the time, the Silver Ladder's propaganda is meant more for itself than the common man-and like all self-deception, it omits some very useful information. Such as the fact that because of this lack of connection, Xenos races have developed along technological and societal paths completely different than human ones. While all sapients may communicate on the basis of the Supernal, common to all cultures, just because one speaks a similar language or feels the same emotions does not mean tragedy or hatred cannot result from misunderstanding-it is true for humans, and it is even more true for the children of different worlds.

Case in point, the race the Mysterium's Clergy of Otherworldly Beings has called the Pishoni, though that is not their real name-it's literally impossible for human tongues to speak the language of bioluminescence and electrical impulses they use to "speak".

As a race, it is difficult to determine whether the Styxians evolved normally or were created by an ancient race called "the Ancestors" by the Xenos Clergy-their growth was certainly guided by the Ancestors at one point, but whether this was an intentional genetic alchemy or simply cultural contamination is unknown. In any case, the Pishoni do not care-they travel the universe in their caravans, they obtain the needed materials for their livelihoods, and they trade. They have a rather wide definition of "trade", but still.

Also, they chat with the dead. This sounds strange, given how Pishon ghosts universally do not last that long; they aren't as stubborn as humans, and they're culturally conditioned to accept the "repayment of ultimate debt"-the gods defaulting on the loaning of life to the then-nonexistent. That is, until one realize that they alone have the natural ability to enter what is officially the Immaterial Plane, the dimension most warp drives use as FTL space-or what everyone with actual experience calls the Void, the skies and space of the Underworld. If the Pishoni truly evolved, rather than were created as the ultimate necromancers by the Ancestors in the Antediluvian War against the mysterious Sura, then they must have been traveling to different worlds before they invented the wheel, which to be fair, would explain their obsession with capitalism in all forms.

Biologically, the Pishoni resemble man-sized stingrays with birdlike heads and four limbs (besides the tail), two of which end in crablike claws and two in an array of five tentacles that resemble abnormally dexterous hands when not moving independently of each other (which is rather difficult for most Pishoni without training-each tentacle alone is rather weak). While they normally fly to move, using some innate ability to control gravitons using a strange gland in their tails, they can't fly very high, mostly hovering a couple meters off the ground and gliding from high places for long distance travel. At rest, they "stand" on their tails and claw-limbs, which is why most humans think of a strange, hunched figure in a cloak when thinking of Pishoni-their flaps tend to fold inwards and cover their underbellies when they're standing. To reproduce, male Pishoni find comely and/or wealthy females and try to flirt by engaging their potential mate in a battle of wits, usually though-as with many things-economic competition. If the female is receptive to the male's advances, she flirts back in much the same way, with every round of competition becoming more intense as the pair become increasingly exited. The ultimate goal is for one of the Pishoni to admit defeat and offer a mating contract, at which point the two retire, engage in intercourse, and the victorious Pishon leaves with the fertilized eggs embedded in him or her, a truly trustworthy set of apprentices in the making. This reaction is not necessarily restricted to the same species, which leads to the Inspector proverb "haggle not with the Pishoni, for win or lose, they are going to screw you." Thankfully, one of the few recognizable virtues they have is treasuring the right of an individual-they are repulsed by the idea of forcing themselves or a victim of forcing "asking for it", but still, having a lovestruck alien following one around and sabotaging one's deals until one fails catastrophically or agrees to the no-pants dance is definitely not an optimum state of affairs (unless one is into that. No judgement).

This form of courtship perfectly encapsulates the mentality of the Pishoni-to the xeno stingrays, trade is life, and commerce is existing. They are the ultimate capitalists, to the point where there is almost no fatal interspecies warfare among the traders (well, fatal to the Pishoni-slaves, mercenaries and vat-grown are fair game) as out competing a rival is view as a moral and satisfying victory. Paranoid, untrustworthy, greedy, and proud of it, Pishoni view all forms of trade, from arms to agricultural to slavery to occult to even mercenary work, as fair game (though individuals may object to this on personal grounds-the only kind of ethics the Pishoni acknowledge). They buy, sell, and occasionally pirate anything that isn't part of a planet's crust, and even then a view of the xenos get into real estate as well. Indeed, the basic political body of Pishon governance, the caravan, is essentially a nomadic corporation, with a single administratum serving as the CEO, the factors serving as his vice presidents, and the rest of the caravan the middle managers over their various servants (most of which are genetically engineered or ghosts they've gathered, though there's a few dozen or so living slaves on every vessel, kept alive by their reasonable living conditions-a content worker is a good worker-and promise of eventual "promotion" to a Pishon body, which even happens on occasion). For the right price, the right Pishoni can procure anything, even Artifacts or an undead army...until someone offers them a better deal, at which point "our loyalty" may be haggled over.


 * Under Construction*