Raxilite

• Maintain a large network of friends and acquaintances.
• Always seek to improve upon your ideas and the ideas of others while expecting others to innovate upon your ideas in turn.
• Come up with your own system of nicknames and acronyms to describe people and things that are important to you.

• Assume that you're an accomplished engineer or an ace pilot.
• Think that you and other raxilites can share consciousnesses.
• Underestimate your ability to interact with locations designed for creatures much larger than you.

Raxilites stand around 1 foot tall. Dandelion-like flowers sprout from their round heads, which are particularly large in proportion to their short arms and legs. They're covered in an external woody shell that gradually turns from green to brown as they mature. About once a year, they shed this shell to prevent it from hardening enough to restrict their movement.

Right after shedding is a popular time for raxilites to apply new augmentations, which are fundamental to raxilite biology and society. Two biotech augmentations in particular have been adopted by almost every raxilite: the Internal Mobility Augmentation System (IMAS) and the Lifting Floret Activation Network (LFAN).

IMAS systems are vital mobility aids. They've been around for long enough to affect the course of raxilites' evolution, developing their bodies toward clearly defined arms and legs. An IMAS consists of a set of artificial muscles and a brain stem integration network, allowing raxilites to move at a speed comparable to many other ancestries. Implantation of an IMAS system takes place shortly after a raxilite sprouts.

By contrast to the ancient IMAS, LFANs are less than a century old. LFAN systems are networks of vine-like cables and clamps that extend from each raxilite's back. They're designed to allow their wielders to interact with technology that was built with larger creatures in mind. Innovation in LFAN functionality is a flourishing field of research. As recently as several years ago, LFAN systems could replicate the functionality of a single hand for a Medium-sized creature, but the latest versions feature a parallel processing system that allows them to replicate the functionality of two Medium-sized hands.

Unlike many plants, raxilites don't have leaves. Most raxilites use photosynthesis to synthesize a few vital starches but can't derive substantial energy from the process. Their diet is typically primarily composed of plant matter and mineral-rich soil, supplemented by animal products like meat and eggs. In an emergency, a raxilite can reconfigure their internal anatomy to allow for full photosynthesis, a process that involves rooting in soil and developing a temporary rhizome network. However, this reconfiguration carries a risk of severely damaging the IMAS. It also affects the raxilite's mind, making them lethargic and less aware of their surroundings while they photosynthesize.

The flower atop a raxilite's head retains the functionality of a typical plant's flower. It shifts between two stages: flowering and seeding. Flowering raxilites can both produce and accept pollen, and seeding raxilites typically produce unfertilized pseudo-seeds. When a raxilite chooses to have children, they can work together with another raxilite to produce true seeds. These seeds can then be planted and cultivated until they sprout as newborn raxilites.

The vast majority of raxilites live on the planet of Raxil, a watery world dotted with verdant volcanic archipelagos. Their biological features, like their tiny stature and relatively weak bodies, make most raxilites easy prey for various creatures that dwell on the planet's surface and would naturally prevent them from crossing the vast seas between landmasses. However, as the planet's only native sapient species, they've transcended their limitations through technological innovation. On Raxil, most raxilites dwell in flying sky cities. These sky cities travel around the planet, stopping to gather natural resources from the surface. The largest sky city is Bloom EBS, named for its lead engineer and designer, Egveric Brilliance of Stars. In the decades since first contact between Raxil and other worlds, Bloom EBS has undergone significant renovations, adding multiple spaceports as well as facilities designed to accommodate larger ancestries. Non-raxilites are typically only allowed to visit designated areas of Bloom EBS, while raxilites can freely travel the planet as they please.

The question of how best to approach interactions with other sapient species on Raxil is highly contested. However, the currents of popular opinion have been gradually moving to be more welcoming, and raxilites who wish for a more inclusive policy have been searching for opportunities to invite accomplished individuals from other worlds to see their homes. Though raxilites as a whole tend to be protective of their home world, in part due to the prevalence of the planet-worshipping religion of Raxilism, they aren't inherently xenophobic. Most raxilites who leave Raxil greatly enjoy expanding their horizons by working together with people whose life experiences considerably differ from their own.

First contact has accelerated change on Raxil and in broader raxilite culture to an unprecedented pace. While many raxilites embrace the opportunity to explore the Universe and collaborate with members of other species, others fear for the loss of social cohesion on Raxil. For raxilites who choose to push the frontiers of exploration and development, there's never been a better time to make their mark on history.

Raxilites are often community-oriented, placing high value on connections and collaboration. Typically, the more friends and contacts a raxilite has, the higher their social standing is considered to be. As a result, raxilites tend to exaggerate their number of connections, making a point to remember the names, accomplishments, and personalities of everyone they meet so that they can use this information to prove their closeness. Raxilites often prize connections with great innovators, a tendency that leads to such creators often being well-regarded. While these social dynamics encourage raxilites to inflate their own accomplishments, it's a major taboo for a raxilite to directly lie about their capabilities, as it could lead to others relying upon them for a crucial task that they can't accomplish.

Some of the most prominent raxilite biotech designs reflect this community-oriented philosophy. For example, Raxil's sky cities sprout biotech vines that weave into bridges that allow them to link together. Similarly, raxilite starships are often designed in a modular fashion, with small hive-joining starships that link to form larger vessels. When raxilites collaborate, they build freely upon each other's ideas, being careful to provide credit to the original creators. The importance of offering due credit has even influenced the Raxi language.

Raxi uses acronyms and other abbreviations extensively, and raxilites use these same conventions when speaking other languages. Referring to someone or something by an acronym or nickname is a sign of respect, which carries the implication that the name should be spoken so often that it's worth abbreviating to communicate more quickly. If a raxilite particularly wants to honor someone or sing the praises of their favorite technology, they might adopt a representative acronym into their own name. A raxilite's given name at sprouting almost always has at least two syllables, with one-syllable names being reserved for those who are recognized as innovators or heroes by their community.

Raxi doesn't have gender markers or gendered names, as raxilites typically don't identify with a single gender. They might be agender, genderfluid, or belong to multiple genders at once.

Among the most popular raxilite philosophies is Raxilism, a belief system that involves veneration of the collective life force and biology of the planet Raxil. This philosophy teaches that every living being has a place and inherent value. Most Raxilists believe that the planet harbors its own consciousness, which can best be discerned by observing the movements and deeds of all that live on the planet. Raxilists believe that the role of their species involves using their advanced intelligence compared to other species native to their world to carry out the planet's will. Exactly what Raxil wants its people to do is a matter of debate, but it's commonly understood that collaborating for mutual prosperity and advancement without causing undue harm to other species is a central directive. Raxilites who make transformative inventions are often credited with acting to further Raxil's will, while those whose deeds lead to destructive consequences are retroactively derided as defying the planet's guidance. Which inventors should be lauded and which should be condemned is often a subject of lively discussion.

In the years since their first contact with other planets, increasing numbers of raxilites have adopted other religions in place of or alongside Raxilism. The faiths of Hylax, Oras, Triune, and Yaraesa are all rapidly becoming more popular.
Popular Edicts acknowledge the name and contributions of those you rely upon; if you see a problem, be part of the solution
Popular Anathema destroy another person's creations or ideas (unless they're actively causing harm)

Allonius Cultivator, CQ Dembril Sailspin, Fabrian TMLE, Jatri Driftweaver, LFANantic, Luti Vinegrasp AC, Sprix, Yorifa Enginesong KL

6

Tiny

Dexterity, Intelligence, Free

Strength

Additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive). Choose from the list of common languages and any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent on your home world).

You have a raxilite-exclusive biotech augmentation called a Lifting Floret Activation Network, or LFAN, attached to your brain stem. It consists of a cluster of artificial vines that are part mechanical and part biological. Your LFAN grants you a reach of 5 feet despite being a Tiny creature. When used together with your hands, your LFAN allows you to hold items, wield weapons, and Interact with objects as if you were a Medium creature with two hands. This augmentation doesn't count against your total implant limit.

You can see in dim light as though it were bright light, so you ignore the concealed condition due to dim light.