The Vookurek are a spacefaring race of notoriously violent and sadistic creatures with an affinity for technology.


History

Vookurek history is relatively short, but exceedingly bloody and brutal, filled with endless conflict. The Vookurek race ascended to space in only a few thousand years after acquiring sentience, quickly spreading out across the universe in search of resources, new technology, and other species to prey upon. At first, the Vookurek remained extremely secretive, carefully isolating themselves from other intelligent spacefaring races, quickly disposing of those that got too close. During these times, they were Space Boogeymen. They went to great lengths to only start conflicts with other races they knew they could overpower technologically, using these other races as well as their technology and resources to fuel their own rapid advancement. When they were certain they could hold their own against anyone that might do them harm, the High Tinkerers that led the Vookurek decided that it would be beneficial to the race as a whole to start largely peaceful relations with other intelligent spacefaring species. Since this time, they have prospered as never before, finally adding a diplomatically acceptable method of advancing themselves, alongside their tried and true resource wars and pirate raids.

Physiology

The average member of the Vookurek species stands at around seven feet tall and weighs approximately 250 pounds. It has a long gaunt body with leathery charcoal black skin pulled tightly over its skeleton, giving it the appearance of a charred corpse. Its fingers and toes are tipped with small sharp black claws and its head is decorated by two rigid horn-like growths that sprout from either side of its head. The design of the horns vary from individual to individual. A Vookurek's most striking features are its glowing red eyes that sit deep within its eye sockets, and the permanent toothy grin they seem to share as a race.

Vookurek possess a basic humanoid skeletal structure with particularly dense bones that are difficult to break in most circumstances. Their skin is thick and leathery, affording them a small degree of natural armor. Vookurek have a standardized set of organs, such as a heart that pumps a dirty violet colored substance throughout their bodies, plus a few duplicates for redundancy as well as a brain that can withstand a significant amount of damage before it begins to have serious adverse effects. By most standards, Vookurek are very resilient creatures.

Although having no visible noses, they retain a sense of smell in the form of small organs located within the mouth. Their lips are too short to be able to touch, thus the reason for their trademark grins. Vookurek eyes sit deep within the eye sockets and naturally produce a dull bio-luminescent red glow. This glow is perhaps an early evolutionary leftover. Being without eyelids, the eyes themselves produce a near transparent red jelly that keeps the sensitive organs moisturized as well as protected from the environment. One can actually tell a Vookurek's mental state through the solidity of this jelly. Mentally unstable members of the species are discerned by the glowing red fluid running down their faces.

Vookurek see entirely in the infrared spectrum, allowing them to see perfectly in pitch blackness.


(Picture drawn by thetallestblue on deviantART.)



Sexual Dimorphism

Vookurek are androgynous creatures with no obvious distinction between males and females, except in exceedingly rare cases. Normally, the only surefire way to tell the difference is to dissect one and study their reproductive organ. This reproductive organ is connected to the esophagus and either produces eggs, or male genetic material, which is vomited out in a very unpleasant manner. Vookurek can change gender at will, the change completing in only a few days.

Occasionally a mutant Vookurek is born that possesses genetic artifacts from a time when the race apparently actually reproduced and reared their young in a manner similar to that of certain mammals. These mutants are always female and possess a pair of obvious breasts as well as a hip structure suited for live birth. These females are sterile and their reproductive organs are always malformed and do not function.

Psychology

Vookurek seem to be in a perpetual manic state, always laughing and cackling even in particularly dire circumstances. They rather enjoy their existence and strive to do what they love to do above all else, further their race through technological advancement, and inflict pain. As a result, they focus on weapons development. Vookurek actually have a psychological need to inflict harm and can potentially go into a withdrawal induced psychosis if denied this need for too long. Vookurek have no concept of fear and care little about pain and discomfort. This, however, doesn't mean they're stupid. If they come across an enemy they cannot defeat through conventional means, they will withdraw and return with superior numbers and firepower. They're simply more prone to suicide tactics, such as one-way boarding parties and mad charges toward enemies with powered melee weapons. They rather enjoy being up close and personal.

Vookurek in Society

The Vookurek as a whole are a very reclusive and secretive race, preferring to keep to their own kind. Generally, only High Tinkerers and the more gifted and individualistic Vookurek deal with other species, and most of the time this is only out of convenience. However, many of these individuals form small social networks with members of other species. Their views of the rest of the universe are much broader than the average member of their species, who believes other races exist merely for them to prey upon.

To help with their relations with other species (as well as to kill them more effectively), the medically inclined Vookurek Surgeons study members of other intelligent species and build extensive xenobiology databases. These databases are shared amongst colonies and added to a primary database after all the data is sorted through, combined, and edited. Some Vookurek even go to the incredible lengths of creating and maintaining cultural databases as well!

Most civilized races look upon Vookurek as less than pleasant company, finding them to be aggressive, violent, and extremely volatile. They're just as likely to come up with a good reason to kill or otherwise harm an individual as they are to find someone to be amusing, or interesting. In turn, the same attributes that make Vookurek difficult to get along with make them excellent mercenaries, assassins, or simple hired muscle. It's important to keep in mind that Vookurek care little for traditional forms of currency. They will only exchange their services for technological knowledge.

Culture

Vookurek society is one built almost entirely on violence and technological advancement. Knowledge, creativity, and brutality are revered qualities. Despite their grim focus, Vookurek are a united race and act surprisingly civil towards each other. Even though they regard one another with respect, they still get into heated disagreements and get a good laugh when a starship engine falls on one of their mates. Their nigh-legendary hostility is reserved for members of other species, which they've been preying upon since their ascension to space.

Vookurek live in colonies that are developed in whatever suitable location they can find, usually near a prominent source of resources. Colonies can be space stations, planetside cities, and even particularly large spacecraft. A colony is ruled over by an exceptionally large, gifted, and intelligent subspecies of Vookurek known as a High Tinkerer. High Tinkerers have ultimate authority over a colony and are quite nearly revered as gods by the colony's inhabitants.

Because of their Technological Creed, a Vookurek's knowledge is his wealth. Data, such as weapon schematics and ship blueprints become currency. Most Vookurek horde and jealously guard their designs and schematics, storing them within the computer of their personal backpod until another Vookurek comes up with something they want. Certain inventions that would benefit the race as a whole are added to a common pool, free for any Vookurek to study, build, and expand upon.

Vookurek look upon those that utilize weapons and other technology they do not fully understand with revulsion and disdain. One has no business using something they know nothing of. Vookurek are severely punished for this act and are branded for the remainder of their lives, at least until they can prove themselves worthy of forgiveness (Usually by inventing something that impresses their colony). In regards to technology acquired from other races, a Vookurek can only use the item in question if it is thoroughly reverse engineered and understood. The individual must be able to build and maintain the item properly.

If there's one thing a Vookurek loves just as much as building his weapons, is to use them against living targets. Warfare plays a big part of a Vookurek's existence. They thrive and prosper on it. Every bit of scrap and resource recovered and every prisoner taken accelerates their research and development. Vookurek attacks are usually small lightning fast strikes against lone ships or small fleets, but they're no slouches when it comes to large scale conflict. Battles with entire fleets of the black Vookurek ships have been recorded as well as full planetary sieges. Vookurek are more prone to send small strike forces than actual armies, deploying them where their assaults will be most effective, like teleporting full squads of soldiers onto command ships and inside planetside military headquarters. If an objective is important enough, elite troops clad in advanced power armor make the scene.

Vookurek are particularly religious creatures that hold monotheistic beliefs based around a being known simply as the "Bloody-Eyed God." This god, they believe, created them in his own image, and tasked them with advancing as a whole to the point that they can utilize a series of schematics created by the god himself.

Occupational Roles

Each Vookurek upon reaching maturity is given a specific role that is decided upon by the teachers and instructors of their kind. Young Vookurek are very receptive to new information, and when tested, always display a certain knack for any one of the roles. The few that show a knack for multiple roles tend to become leaders of their kind. These types are as follows.

Soldiers
Many Vookurek in a colony show a distinct aptitude for destruction. This notable lust for blood leads them down the path of a soldier. Although not as frighteningly intelligent as other types, the soldier makes up for this in sheer cold brutality. After being taught how to build and maintain a standard selection of weapons, armor, and other equipment, soldiers enjoy a grueling regiment of extensive combat and weapons training. During their education, their physique is bolstered by intense physical training coupled with cutting edge chemical therapy. The end result is a thick-skinned, thickly muscled living weapon. A soldier can kill just as effectively with its bare claws as it can with a rifle. Soldiers manage to discard the racial-wide gaunt appearance of most Vookurek and are instead hulking brutes.

Tinkerers
Put simply, Tinkerers are the mad scientist-like inventors of a colony. Tinkerers develop the weapons, armor, and other technology used by the rest of the colony. On the battlefield they tend to be better equipped than soldiers, although, perhaps not as savage. They utilize fantastic and usually destructive high tech devices ranging from force screen generators, to teleporters, to anti-matter rifles. Tinkerers are the most common type of Vookurek.

Surgeons
The ever-eccentric medical specialists. Surgeons develop the medical technologies used by the colony and treat injured and wounded Vookurek. To better quell its normally overactive idea fount, one of a Surgeon's favorite pastimes is performing experiments on captured sentient lifeforms. Included in these experiments are forced cybernetic grafts, the administering of experimental drugs, and the eventual conversion of the subject for use as guards or cannonfodder in battle. With no sense of empathy or morality, they freely conduct whatever horrible procedures or experiments their twisted, yet brilliant minds can come up with. These Vookurek are ever curious and build expansive xenobiology databases for the rest of the colony to utilize.



High Tinkerer
By some miraculous system designed by nature, only one High Tinkerer is ever born to a colony, until its usually untimely demise. The High Tinkerer is the undisputed ruler of a colony. They stand at about nine feet or more in height, but retain a relatively gaunt physique, that is unless they have their bodies modified. They are the most disturbingly intelligent of the Vookurek types and always have the best weapons, armor, and other equipment, which they build themselves. The tech they build is always unique. No two High Tinkerer inventions are ever exactly the same. Generally being highly eccentric scheming masterminds, these Vookurek are rarely seen outside of their inner sanctums. They're much too busy and perhaps too important to make personal appearances, unless of course they like that sort of thing. They're very individualistic. High Tinkerers are always a sight to behold, more often than not clad in fantastic and usually ornate suits of power armor and surrounded by their most favored of followers. A High Tinkerer gives off an almost divine aura of significance and awe. They are believed to be amongst the Vookuri, the chosen of their god.

Maladjusts
Although not an actual willing life choice, these types are still important enough to describe in detail. These terrifying creatures are the result of what happens when a Vookurek's psychological need to inflict harm goes unsatisfied for far too long. Put simply, they're the clinically insane among their kind. This is usually the fate of prisoners or Vookurek captured for study. Such is also prone to happen when a Surgeon or Tinkerer becomes too obsessed with personal projects and ignore their base needs. The individual becomes overly aggressive and violent, lashing out at anything that might scream or bleed, even fellow Vookurek. This condition is easily diagnosed by the protective eye coating leaking down their faces. Maladjusts make for excellent shock troops and are sometimes deployed against enemies, proving themselves especially effective in close quarters. They prefer to dispatch foes by leaping onto them and literally ripping them apart with teeth, claws, blades, and in many cases, force weapons. Some Tinkerers turned Maladjust even have enough mental clarity to make use of some of their gadgets, including personal force screens.

Language

Vookurek language consists of spoken words coupled with guttural growls and even timely placed chuckles and other forms of laughter. It is believed to have been created by the first High Tinkerer council. Outsiders that learn their language are perceived differently by different colonies. Sometimes it is considered a flattery, and other times it is an insult punishable by torture and/or death.

Family Life

A Vookurek colony is the closest thing to a "family" a Vookurek knows, and a High Tinkerer is the closest thing to a father or mother figure a member of the species can have. Vookurek never know their biological parents and don't particularly care. They hold no such loving attachments to others of their kind, aside from those they form with the High Tinkerer.

Vookurek think of reproduction as a time consuming chore and only do so out of necessity. When instructed by their superiors, a Vookurek will begrudgingly drop whatever it is they might be doing and make thier way to the colony's spawning pools. There, they will approach one of the many nutrient pools, and depending on their gender, will either regurgitate eggs, or male genetic material into the pool. When they finish this, they will promptly leave and return to their work.

In time, the eggs will develop, growing to several times their original size before they hatch, resulting in a number of Vookurek infants. The infants will climb out of the pool and will begin their lives as nothing more than extremely intelligent and clever animals, spending their carefree days of youth playing with each other and hunting free-range animals imported from all over the galaxy. Much of a Vookurek colony is actually designed as a habitat for their young. Vookurek children are allowed to wander the colony as they please, only restricted from entering the labs of the eccentric Vookurek surgeons as well as the High Tinkerer's inner sanctum.

In a little less than a decade, Vookurek children reach maturity. At this stage of their lives, the children are soon rounded up by Vookurek instructors and are given a solid foundation of knowledge from which they can expand upon. As they teach, the instructors carefully watch each student for potential in one of the established roles in Vookurek society. After basic schooling, a young Vookurek moves on to be trained as a Solider, or taught as a Tinkerer or a Surgeon, depending on their particular strengths.

Diet

Vookurek are strict carnivores with little care for how their meals are prepared. Most are content to eat their food raw, while it's still warm and moving. Vookurek have a taste for all manner of animal life, but have been known to dine on senient intelligent creatures. Some even display a preference for this type of meal.

Technology

Vookurek utilize a large variety of different technologies, ranging from slugthrowers and the use of fossil fuels, to plasma weapons and fusion reactors, to the utilization of anti-matter. Some of the things built by the skilled hands of a Tinkerer or High Tinkerer verge on the edge of technological magic. Vookurek force screen and teleportation technology is particularly advanced (Although not quite perfect!), allowing for extensive personal use of these technologies. Vookurek ships tend to have more powerful shields than those of other spacefaring species, but have less hull armor.

Trivia
* Vookurek have over 300 words for Eviscerate!
* Vookurek have a tendency to become artists and musicians due to their highly creative minds.

Good to see you are resuming this .

I think we go ahead with making this mod.

Reposting the current state of the actor again.

Reposting my jetpack, Now with a sliver version and some cool jet effects.




Please just try it out.

Also, i going to try to sprite some of the weapons, What colors are they?

Generally gunmetal, black, silver or gray. Basically stock colors. Riggers don't care about the appearance of their weapons as long as they kill living things in particularly brutal ways.

Nice.
I think this could end up really cool, maybe give them an emitter on their head. (so they can ram things with horns!)

Yeah, the horns points to the back, not towards the front.

shh.

Anyway, what plans do you have for the tinkerers?

I got some early previews of the saw.

Also, 4 versions: Jaged Dark, Flat Dark, Jaged Light, Flat Light

Wich one do you like best?

The blade needs a bit of touchup, i will fix that when i code it on saturday(Got an essay to finish that is due on tuesday and iv put it off for 2 weeks).

That is a small Sawblade... Make it bigger!

Mrm. I'd have to see them more closely, but the fellow who first jumped on this idea, who isn't ChJees, called dibs on the saw XD Flat dark looks pretty good now that I look at it.

Edit: Updated the first post with two more weapon concepts, the Tinkerer Rip cannon (Or better Rip cannon) and the Heavy Cutting Laser, which I'm not so pleased with, but I really wanted to express its bulkiness and the way it's held. I think I'll include a sniper weapon when I get a good idea of what it'll look like. Feel free to toss concepts or reworks of the weapons at me :3 I still have no idea what the doodads on the guns do. I'm pretty sure the scope-looking bits are scopes.

Hey here is my sprite of rigger.

Tell me what you think.

Whoah. I like. I'd very much like to see how the thing moves. You even captured the slight hunch I imagined them having. Just needs the horn-like bits.

Is it that thing in the back of it's head?

And i'm coding it now.

Wasn't chjees already doing it?

Technically it has two of them, one on either side of its head, and yes, but seeing as it's a community project at the moment, it's open to anyone. They should all really join forces though.



Mrm. Well, they're supposed to be heavily armored Riggers in bulky powered armor. There was talk of making it breakable, but I'm not sure how easy that is to do.