The Liquari
Liquari are liquid based space fairing alien life form from the distant planet Liquaria, around which is the moon Etharia. Liquari cellular structure is closer to that of amebas, with the cilia acting as Velcro to hold them together. In order to maintain a shape a fluid medium is required, said medium is contained within a thin coating of the Liquari’s cells. This thin coating of cells is also used as the Liquari’s main and in fact only sense organ, relaying external chemical transmissions (smell/taste), vibrations (sound), pressure differentials (touch), and energy readings (Sight).
Liquaria is 97% water based; as such this is the most common form of Liquari found throughout the universe. Liquari on Liquaria live their lives in within the vast sea, sharing all their specie’s accumulated knowledge between them telepathically. Liquari, on Liquaria communicate and function as a single individual, however once separated from the hive consciousness Liquari often develop completely unique personalities and may even begin to gender identify.
The Liquari people travel though space in suspended animation as large comets. This process is possible by them super compressing their liquid mediums and creating a solid shell around their core cells. Once they reach land they choose a new form based on the local fauna, they may also change their composition based on the local liquids available to replenish their body. Liquari are natural shape shifters but will normally pick a primary form and two to six secondary forms based on local fauna. Should no local fauna exist, they will fall back on using local flora, and should they arrive on an otherwise dead world they have no problem propagating new species. The primary mission of all Liquari who have left their home world is to foster organic life, and learn as much as they can.
Once they have noted the dominate species on the planet they will attempt to find a solitary individual and commingle (join with it to share collected knowledge) with it. The act of commingling with a solid is awkward and disorienting for both parties, with the solid will often believe it is being consumed by some kind of monster. After the process depending upon the mental status of the solid and the newly acquired personality traits from them, the Liquari may leave them unharmed, consume them, or befriend them.
Liquari of one type of fluid will share physical characteristics such as horns. claws, and tail spades. Individual Liquari within a fluid type will vary in body size, shape, limb length, and wing presentation. The most common Liquari are made of mostly water. Within this subset there is a great range for things such as salt water, foetid(swamp) water, polluted water, and muddy water varieties. There is also room for varieties made of derivative substances such as jello, ink, blood, kool-aid, and juice. All such Liquari have a tendency to shed droplets of their base form at standard temperatures. At lower temps they will begin to form solid plates, and higher temps they will begin to shed wisps. Some Liquari are able to control such features and use them to their advantage, such as using shedding wisps to help generate lift, or creating solid plates for defence. Liquari of these varieties have a wide range of personalities, but tend to over all be even tempered, with one or two personality quirks.
Liquari made of materials with lower boiling points, such as liquid nitrogen, are less common planetside, but when they are found such often seek out cooler habitats to help prevent their form from boiling off. Such Liquari tend to be smaller than average, very transparent looking, and often shedding wisps of their base material. Liquari of with lower boiling points tend to be introverted.
Liquari made of materials with higher melting points such as lava, or molten metals, often display hardened plates of their base material. Such Liquari are more common planetside, but prefer extreme environs such as volcanoes when they are. Rarely do these types of Liquari leave their homes, and can be extremely aggressive when confronted or forced from them. Especially when the chance that their base material may harden and leave them trapped as a solid form.
Liquari personalities vary as widely as their shapes and forms but all Liquari share several features. Liquari are able to acquire nutrition from many sources besides other life forms. Liquari may choose to live as a parasite or a symbiotic with in a solid life form for increased protection in exceptionally harsh environments. Liquari are unable to feel pain, non-energy weapons are ineffective against them, and are able to reform if broken into several pieces. Liquari however are extremely susceptible to energy weapons, and can be killed by evaporation if done fast enough to prevent their cells from going into hibernation.
The Liquari are a genderless species, however they can reproduce in several ways. The first way they can reproduce is simply by budding, in which a single Liquari produces several human fist sized cell clusters, and drops them in various liquid mediums. Each cell cluster forms a new Liquari with all the memories, and personality quirks of the original. The second manner of reproduction is for two or more Liquari to commingle and then bud, the new Liquari formed from these cell clusters will have the memories of all the individuals who formed it, but will have unique personalities. The third manner is rarely undertaken, the Liquari will shoot a parasitic bud within the nearest living fauna. Liquari that result from this method carry only the basic memories of the parent Liquari, and all of the host’s memories and personality.