Spectrans

Born on Spectra, a world orbiting a figure of eight pattern around two equal-sized stars, the Spectrans have been present in the universe since soon after it was born. Legends say that they were born from light, some even say that they were born from the hearts of the two stars the world orbits, but either way they are a race of beings with light in their veins.

The Spectrans are roughly humanoid, although their bodies and extremities are longer, seemingly more stretched-out than their human counterparts, but each member of the species appears to glow from the inside out with an eerie, spectral light. The colour and nature of this light varies between different geographic regions, bloodlines and even families, ranging from cold blue light in the very north of the planet to a warm orange glow at the southernmost point.

In their early days, the Spectrans had a strict hierarchy on the planet, with different Clans ruling over different regions, and conflict raged across the face of their world for centuries. Spectrans of lower-ranking Clans were seen as inferior, and looked down upon, while those of more aggressive Clans were considered leaders.

However, a few thousand years into their history, a rare cosmic occurrence took place, and both stars the planet orbited around experienced violent solar flares simultaneously. This caused havoc on the planet below, destroying technology and wiping out ecosystems, decimating the population of the Spectrans. After this event, the remaining denizens of Spectra saw it best to band together, to cast aside their previous hierarchy and create a truly unified world, peaceful and prosperous.

So began the Age of Light, where the Spectrans worked together in perfect harmony, uplifting their civilisation to become one of the most advanced in the entire universe. They even began to spread their influence across the stars, sending emissaries known as Lightbringers to other planets in an effort to educate and uplift them.

Others, known as Brightshields, were sent to other planets with the express intention of protecting them from outside threats. These members of the Spectran race remained calm, wise and worldly but were also powerful defensive warriors, with one member of the group even managing to fend off an early incursion of The Void into our universe single-handedly.

When travelling to other worlds, Spectrans are able to adapt their physical forms using the light in their veins to approximate the shape and size of the natural denizens of that planet. They still appear alien and otherworldly, but find that making a small change can help a great deal with the attitudes of those they are trying to help.

Most Spectrans are deeply spiritual, with a single religion uniting the race which worships the twin suns the planet orbits around. The closest approximation of the name of this religion in English is Binarism, named after the binary nature of the star system.