Sapient
Dhinkaid
The regal Dhinkaid hail from the planet Ruka in the Ruci Sanjaru system. These noble warriors value honor above all else and have so far managed to keep out of the mess of the other systems. This hasn’t been a terribly difficult task for them considering the best route through their planet passes near a black hole. They do some trade with outsiders but it is heavily sanctioned.
Dhinkaid are humanoid. They stand a little taller than most humans and have thick reptilian skin. They have only three fingers on each hand, and gills on their neck. There is very little in the way of sexual dimorphism between male and female Dhinkaid. There is not very much diversity in the way different members of the Dhinkaid look and so beauty is often displayed in dramatic garb and flashy jewelry.
The Dhinkaid have lived quietly on their world for generation upon generation, staying out of the politics of the rest of the sector. When humans first arrived in the sector war broke out between the two after the Dhinkaid refused to allow humans on their planet. After the scream, both sides were weakened and the humans agreed to stop fighting if the Dhinkaid would allow trade. Reluctantly, the Dhinkaid put sanctions in place to allow trade to happen in specific places on the planet. These legal landing zones are highly sought after and the Dhinkaid have made a fortune in recent years.
Ova
Ova come from the planet Mauses. They appear very snakelike. They have long, muscular bodies with no limbs, crushing jaws with pointed fangs, and they lack eyes. Ova reproduce in pairs by laying a single egg within a living host which hatches after about a month. The host can be any living organism, though is usually something similar to the child's parents.
When an Ova hatches it has already been interacting with its parents for quite some time and is already able to communicate. From there it takes about eight months for an Ova to become a full adult. During those eight months the Ova child slowly assimilates itself with it's host, creating a hybrid creature that shares physical similarities between the host and the Ova. When the assimilation is complete the Ova is considered an adult.
Ova are opportunistic feeders and will eat just about anything they can fit their mouths around.
Ova observe a very strict matriarchal society and take up different roles depending on their community. Between all Ova communities there is a great respect for their oldest females who generally make decisions for the community and interact with other communities. Some Ova communities are very strict about the hosts their offspring use, other communities will take any host they can find that is deemed as having some use once there is an adult Ova within it. Lacking eyes, Ova use a refined method of echolocation to "see" their environment. They have a special organ just below their jaw that creates a low tone which resonates throughout the environment and bounces back to their specialized eardrums.
Ova only have a basic understanding of structures, weapons and tools. Many inhabit species without thumbs and live a very animalistic lifestyle. Others who do have thumbs (or other manipulating appendages) have started getting a handle on wooden and stone tools and weapons but to the knowledge of human scientists have not progressed past that. Nearly every community of Ova have their own slightly different culture, most prominently shown in their hosts, but also in rudimentary art. Ova are known to apply body paint, make carvings in wood and stone, and even in some rare cases use piercings and tattoos.
The Ova were only a recently discovered sentient creature. Originally thought to just be another animal on Mauses, when settlers first arrived their sentience was discovered after a horrific attack on a settlement. The attack forced the rest of the settlers to take their homes onto the water. Since then the Ova have been left alone for generations. Occasionally a settlement that passes close to land will catch glimpses of Ova on the shores, but the creatures seem very averse to travelling in water.
Dynoite
Dynoites are humanoid creatures with six sets of limbs: two legs, and four sets of arms. They have two large eyes sitting near the top of their head and a mouth which opens 'side to side' as opposed to a humans 'up and down. They have no discernible nasal features. Their mouth is large and extends from just below their eyes to just above their clavicle and can open to consume food up to half their size. Dynoite bones are incredibly dense which is very useful in surviving falls from great heights, but makes it impossible for them to swim without aid.
Dynoites are asexual creatures, and reproduce as such. They have no concept of male, female, or otherwise and use a form of reproduction similar to parthenogenesis. A single Dynoite can produce up to 2 eggs a year. When they are born Dynoites are limbless and while fully capable of moving and burrowing to forage for food, are mostly in need of care from their parent. During their sixth or seventh year Dynoites will spend some time in a mucus cocoon, cared for by members of their colony, until they emerge (between 6 - 10 months later) as a smaller version of their adult self. During the next few years they will grow until they finish maturing at around twelve years of age.
Dynoites live in caves primarily but have also been known to make their homes in the many forests of their planet. Dynoites have been determined to be omnivorous, eating everything from animals to plants to fungus.
Dynoites are currently in what humans would consider a "stone age". They have a rudimentary language (which has been mostly deciphered), use tools to create weapons and shelter. They hunt, and fish in shallow water, as well as care for wild fungus which they use in nearly all their meals. Dynoites have also been observed practicing religion. They revere Dynomen's two moons as sources of mystical power.
With the latest efforts by several organizations to "uplift" the planet, Dynoites have been forced into aggressive conflict more than once. The species is seen as 'primitive' and 'uneducated' by many and are often treated as such. There have been several unfortunate situations where groups of Dynoites have been captured and transported off planet to work as slaves in mining colonies. This has not been overlooked by the Dynoites and many hold a distinct dislike of outsiders and offworlders.
Still, there are a select few Dynoites who have chosen to leave the planet and enter the terrifyingly large sector to see what all the fuss is about.