Skrell Culture

The Arts

For obvious reasons due to their biology, skrell give a lot of importance to music: It is actually quite rare to meet a Talum-Katish who does not at least possess average singing skills. While it would be impossible to describe their entire musical history, a few major points can be mentioned; First and foremost, skrellian music has abandoned tonal considerations, both in harmony and melody, centuries ago. While the skrellian artists are still looking to produce enjoyable music, they prefer to avoid the restrictions of a codified system, allowing them more freedom in their creations, at the cost of more work to develop proper musical structures. Secondly, rhythm. While it is still very much existent in skrellian music, rhythm too went through a long phase of deconstruction in the musical process. In the last few centuries, the trend has been to subtly (sometimes not-so) shift the rhythm of their music over time, meaning a musical phase that starts as slow can finish very fast. The process is, however, not random. Lastly, voice plays a very large role in their music. Because of the specifics of their written language, skrell did not develop a printing system until very late in their development, meaning knowledge had to be spread either by handwritten books or orally; in the latter case, songs quickly became the norm to transmit that knowledge. skrell do have a large array of musical instruments, most electronic, to serve as a support to the vocal lead, but generally, voice stays at the forefront of mainstream skrellian music. On the topic of written language, skrellian literature has also evolved greatly over time. With the rise of advanced means of communications during the first centuries AC, its use as a narrative medium has slowly faded and nowadays, most of the new books published are poetry. In the last few centuries, skrellian writers have taken a step further down the road, by slowly removing narration itself from their work, using the visual impact of their complex, intricate written language to convey their message.

In the domain of visual arts, the skrell have a long, complex history of painting and sculpting. In their early days, they used to spray dye made from their local, diverse vegetation onto small ponds, using the water as their canvas. Such works were ephemeral at best though while more stable platforms have now been widely adopted pond-painting is still a mainstay in skrellian art. However, the method did evolve over the millennia: the chaotic ponds were slowly replaced by artificial pools, complex colouring agents replaced natural dye… In the recent centuries, the art form evolved to a new stage, with molecular painting gaining popularity: three-dimensional paintings made in tanks of variable sizes have become more and more common in high society, a hybrid of painting and sculpture whose fragility is only matched by its cost.

Sculpting itself has seen its share of changes. While ancient painters were busy with their ponds, early skrellian sculptors saw potential in the massive Kol’mo, mushrooms that could be found on most of Qerr’balak’s surface. An easy material to work with, the Kol’mo stayed popular until the middle of the industrial revolution, with skrell developing new tools and materials for their creations. However, the emblematic mushroom experienced a curious resurgence at the beginning of the second century AC, with the rise of genetic engineering in the scientific field; quickly, the Talum-Katish adapted to this new practice and thanks to the very primitive genetic code of the Kol’mo applied it to artistic expression, growing surrealistic mushrooms while completely bypassing the need for any physical sculpting. The practice still exists to this day, although the skrell use many more plants for manipulation. This practice has not entirely replaced traditional sculpting methods, and great Kol'mo works can be seen in city states across the stars.

Fashion

Despite having a very pragmatic society, skrell are still concerned about showing good taste and leaving a good impression on others, and this is especially true for Qerr-Katish and Talum-Katish due to the nature of their castes. Like humanity, skrell have different outfits for different occasions: A Kanin-Katish certainly wouldn’t show up to receive a commendation or a formal award in their coveralls and work uniform, and nor would a Qerr-Katish wear their formal, expensive outfits during their entire waking hours. With that being said, the style of skrellian outfits is very different from humanity’s, and what is perceived as good taste can vary quite a bit in different parts of the empire.

Due to the native flora of Qerr’Balak being composed mostly of a variety of mushrooms, fungal silks and fibers of varying degrees of quality were often used as the main raw material of which clothing was manufactured since the earliest records of skrellian civilization. With time, their technique and the garments that they were able to manufacture slowly increased in quality. One of the greatest advancements in skrellian fashion came with the colonization of Qorr’gloa, one of the continents in Qerr’balak, and the discovery of the many species of bioluminescent fungus there. Those exotic fibers and silks were quickly adapted into the skrell’s usual attire, a trend which continues even today and is especially popular among Talum-Katish due to the unique, colorful look that they provide.

As technology advanced, so did the tailoring processes which allowed for clothes of increasingly greater quality to be made. Many advancements were made as more and more different dyes and fibers were discovered, and soon came the idea to add shiny metallic bits of gold and silver to their outfits, a style that Ki’Maqrerr Inc specializes into, giving rise to a new generation of colorful, resistant and quite beautiful garments that continued to improve as time went on.

Today, a number of exotic materials are used in the production of skrellian attire, which range from simple, plain fungal fibers and silks to biocarbon ceramics, refined metals, and synthetic fabrics, with many different styles that are mostly explored by Talum. Even today, simple bright or dark bases with hints of rich, bioluminescent colour are still popular among all castes.

Another important aspect of skrellian fashion is that ‘normal’ clothing stores are almost non-existent. Due to the different nature of each caste, skrell often prefer to have their own outfits custom-tailored and custom-made to ‘suit’ their own interests. While a Kanin, for example, would prioritize resistance and mobility in their work attire, a Qerr may prefer something a little more presentable, as they often have to deal with diplomacy and keeping a good image is important. As such, Tailoring is even today an widespread profession among mainly Kanin and Talum, and also a very popular hobby that skrell of different castes enjoy practicing from time to time. Some are even quite good at it.

Incredibly experienced and talented Talum are also able to channel their Psi into something unique, imbuing certain clothes and garments with feelings that are able to be felt by those who are nearby. Those services are very sought-after by Qerr-Katish and other Talum-Katish, and those psionically imbued attires are often prized as incredibly valuable possessions and passed down from generation to generation.

Sports

All skrell practice sports to a certain extent, although the specifics generally depend on the caste. While the Kanin-Katish and Raskinta-Katish practice sports that do not shy away from physical effort, the more intellectual castes engage in sports that mirror their strengths. Most skrellian sports are played in teams, and with the exception of the Raskinta-Katish’s activities, often lack an actual adversary, preferring to place the players in front of issues waiting to be solved.

As a warrior caste, it is not surprising that the Raskinta-Katish place a lot of focus on fighting sports. They are, however, often team-based, and with a strong emphasis on coordination and dexterity. The most emblematic of them is Ka’morr; taking place over a pool, two fighters, each accompanied by a carrier, are supposed to fight until one of them falls in the water. They are maintained over water by their carrier, who stays underwater and keeps them standing with two platforms, just large enough to stand on. The carriers are not allowed to fight, but they are otherwise allowed to trick the fighting opponent into stepping on one of the opposing platforms to make them fall. Pairings are not taken lightly: Carrier and fighter generally practice together for years before reaching an acceptable level of skill. Styles vary wildly, with some teams focusing on studied, carefully executed movements, while others adopt more improvisational styles, only relying on the carrier’s ability to read the body of their partner and anticipate their moves.

A number of skrellian martial arts, originally developed by the Raskinta for use in war and refined over the millennia, are now regularly enjoyed as both sport, practice and entertainment beyond their original utility. Not originally conceived as sports, though the fact that they are focused on the disabling of an opponent has led them to, over time, become a competitive sport in some Raskinta circles and beyond. While there are now countless variations and subtypes there are two popular, and well known martial art forms. The first of these, Terr'Mapla, is an ancient martial art from the Qerr'Balak continent of Qorr'Gloa, where it was developed as a deliberate, careful defensive martial art designed to disable an attacker through a series of throws and pins. It is widely known, as it, or a variant of it, is taught to the vast majority of Raskinta-Katish. Given its deliberate, defensive stance, competitive Terr'Mapla is a long, slow, tactical battle focused just as much on the wits of the competitors as their strength and agility. Points in sparring matches are generally awarded for hard pins and clever use of tactics, deception and outwitting an opponent. A second, equally popular martial art, practised almost exclusively by skrellian SDTF's, is known as Xorr'Mapla, and is designed with lethality in mind. Using overwhelming, rapid, aggressive strikes, it is designed to take down an opponent in a manner that is often lethal. As such, it is not venerated as an entertainment as Terr'Mapla is, though it is popular in private Raskinta gatherings and underground circles. Dedicated masters often combine both the Terr and Xorr'Mapla in order to create a fluid, highly adaptive fighting style, though this takes decades of practice.

The sports of the Kanin-Katish are much more based on endurance. Team-based, they often pit the players against environmental challenges. Contrary to Raskinta-Katish sports, they tend to include mild intellectual components, requiring the players to think before they act. The sports evolved along with technology; the rise of artificial gravity, notably, had a profound impact on the playing field. One of these sports, Qel’xi, has actually gained popularity in previous century: Taking place in a specifically-built polyhedron (the actual number of faces depending on the team’s size and other factors such as difficulty), a group of Kanin-Katish must help their leader reach the centre of the room and stay there for a predetermined duration. The difficulty lies in the artificial gravity of the room, each of the faces generating their own in a limited bubble, forcing the participants into struggling against their own, conflicting weights. The centre of the room being flooded with overlapping gravity fields, it requires great endurance and coordination for a team to maintain a proper chain for more than a few seconds.

As expected of them, Talum-Katish merge sports and arts through dance: with a large number of them taking place in or under water, they also evolved a lot along modern technologies, antigravity environments partially replacing the former dancing pools. Waterdancing remains mainstay for Talum-Katish, as water offers entirely different parameters to evolve in. Oddly, skrellian dance often looks very martial, with human sociologists quickly comparing them to the kata of Eastern Asia.

Malish-Katish practice close to no physical sports. They instead focus on very intellectual activities, ranging from visual puzzles to logical riddles. These games are generally played in teams, although the players are often separated and cannot share information with their teammates. Each player has thus the task to complete their own part while having no knowledge of the bigger picture.

At last, Qerr-Katish, just like Malish-Katish, do not practice a lot of physical activities. They are, however, extremely fond of numerous strategy games, where their intelligence and organisation skills are put to the challenge. Countless games exist, with even more variations depending on the planet or city where it is played. With the rise of virtual reality and advanced artificial intelligence the concept was taken even further, with full simulations being developed, both as a training exercise and as entertainment.

Celebrations

While there are countless celebrations, anniversaries, holidays and observances celebrated across skrell space, there are a few that are universally celebrated, mostly to mark milestones of the skrell's progress.

Some are, but not limited to (all dating provided in the human norm):

Skrell Name	Translated Name	Human Date	Description
Xiq'zom'r	Celebration of Discovery	June 15th	This celebration observes the establishment of the first skrell colony on another astral body. Typically celebrated by large gatherings, conferences and symposiums on a variety of scientific subjects and the unveiling of large engineering projects as well as reflection on the progress of skrellkind. It is considered a more formal affair concerned with progress, technology, science and debate.
Xiq'Krall	Celebration of Friendship	August 11th	This celebration is the anniversary of the first sapient species the skrell discovered, the Unathi, far on the unknown side of Skrell space. It has come to embody a celebration of all the sapients skrellkind have encountered among the stars. Typically celebrated by social gatherings with an emphasis on trying new things, or, if available, experiencing something from another species, be that food, or technology or other.
Xiq'Qerria-pli'a	Celebration of War's End	December 2nd	This is the anniversary of the Vol'za war, and the occasion is a solemn one, as the last true war between skrellkind, skrell seek to remember the lessons learned from it, and mourn those who were lost. The observance has come to encompass the idea of peace in general, the tragedy of war, and the loss of life, and is a day of reserved gatherings and remembrances for those who have passed.
Xiq’Mak-pli’a	Celebration of Peace	May 23rd	This occasion marks the end of the Kali’r war and the start of the reconstruction efforts that began afterwards. Much like Xiq’Qerria-pli’a, skrell mourn those who were lost during the fierce battles against the Kharmanii, and memorial sites are often set-up in orbit of Qerr'Balak, which receives a large influx of visitors. This date has come to show the necessity of preparedness and also reminds the skrell of the tragedies of war, allowing for a sad testament of something which should never repeat itself.

Death Ceremony

Skrell, unlike humans, do not typically hold funerals to mourn the passing of their deceased. Instead, they hold remembrances, typically two day long affairs which celebrate the life of the deceased, their accomplishments, feats, friends, family, service and other aspects of their lives. A positive affair, the focus is always on what the other brought and gave to the universe, and what they have left behind. Despite the jovial atmosphere and positive attitudes on display at these ceremonies, it is considered a highly important affair, and the best way to respect the deceased. Over the course of the period, a skrell’s remaining family, friends, colleagues and other related people of import gather, give speeches about the deceased, observe items of significance on display from their lifetime, cherish memories and engage in a feast.

Most skrell choose to be cremated and have the ashes of their bodies dumped in a celestial body. Talum are often a bit more creative, with some choosing for their ashes and bones to be turned into gems and jewelry. Ground-burial is very infrequent within the skrellian civilization, but can be an option depending on the city-state.

Family

The skrell are non-monogamous, preferring a large panel of sexual partners for the purpose of reproduction. As such, the notion of human monogamy is alien to them, although some skrellian border colonies have seen more radical skrell toying with the concept. Despite this, skrell need and enjoy a family structure, leading to another form of union, that the skrell call Bonding. Instead of forming a constant familial structure to which offspring will automatically be attached, skrell make a punctual Bonding when a couple produces a shoal to attach the children to this couple, and only this couple, making them, in effect, a family. This allows legal and social recognition of the progeny by both parents while letting them explore other reproductive opportunities.

The parents rarely stay together after a Bonding, one being designated as the Qarr-Maqa, the main parent, responsible for the children, while the other becomes the Qrri-Maqa, who has more of a support role, financially and materially supporting the Qarr-Maqa.

Relations between two shoals who share one or both parents are quite distant; At best, they will see each other as something akin to cousins, but generally, they will tend to simply ignore each other, only to meet during important family gatherings concerning the parent. On a legal point, however, they do not share any kind of link but the same parent(s).

With such a focus on pragmatism and widespread reproductive partners it would be easy to assume that skrell do not form long term intimate relationships. This is, of course, incorrect, and skrell are very much capable of feeling love for another on the level of a life partner; there is simply no sexual attraction to this particular relationship.

A traditional skrellian family is composed of:

• The Qarr-Maqa, the main parent figure, tutor and caretaker of the children.

• The Qrri-Maqa, secondary parent figure, financial and material support. On an emotional/relational standpoint, they might be compared to a human uncle/aunt.

• The Qarr-Baqa, brothers and sisters from the same Bonding. skrell not having as numerous strong familial as humans, the Qarr-Baqa often share stronger bonds than human brothers and sisters.

• The Qrri-Baqa, children from another Bonding of one or both the parents. Generally having no or almost no contact with each other, their role in the family is non-existent.

• The Maqa’lak, Qarr-Baqa of one of the parents. While being free of any kind of responsibility toward the children, they fill the same emotional niche as the Qrri-Maqa. They do not need the prefix "Qarr-" before their names, for a "Qrri-Maqa’lak" would be so distant from the family that it doesn’t need to exist as a concept.

Typically, skrell do not engage in the production of offspring with those from castes other than their own. When this does happen (which is exceptionally rare) the offspring take the label of Ue-Katish. Other skrell tend to view such offspring with distrust and derision, and the view of the Ue-Katish, especially after the Directorate came into existence, is a touchy topic that most skrell would rather avoid.

For the skrell, gender has no significance outside of reproduction. skrell stopped having gender-specific roles before humans invented the wheel. Sex itself is just as fluid as a concept, with skrell shifting sex as needed for the purpose of reproduction.

Religion

As a civilisation with a long history and a large and diverse population, it would be surprising if the skrell did not develop, at some point, some form of religious thought. Science being such a tenet of skrellian society, however, skrellian religions are generally focused on the metaphysical study of the universe rather than the mythological aspect of religion, often being more akin to 'schools of thought'. As a result, most skrell hold particularly agnostic views, believing that the existence or the lack of an all-powerful being could not be proved, while focusing their attention on one of the many schools of thought available, such as Vallis-Qall. Below are some of the most popular schools of thought in skrellian territory.

Xilar Qall

Xilar Qall is one of the most common religions in skrell space, though not as ancient as Vallis Qall. It is essentially a codification of many modern skrellian cultural features blended with local pantheistic beliefs. This was formalized as religion by elements of the Qerr-Katish in some colonies following the Kali’r war, in an attempt to both minimize strife and enforce discipline and progress in skrellian society.

The teachings are as follows:

• Keep your eyes open.
• Harmony comes from discipline.
• A united society strives.
• Harm only when harmed.
• Stay forever inquisitive.

Vallis Qall

Also known as ‘Star Spiritualism’ or ‘Skrellian Spiritualism’ by those outside their society, and one of the most popular religions among Kanin and Qerr, the Vallis Qall is one of the oldest religions among skrell. Although there are widely different versions of Star Spiritualism all across the skrellian territory, its core principles are comparable to those of modern stoicism and logical determinism. Skrell who follow the ‘Path of the Stars’ believe that the destiny of all beings is already set-in-stone, and that only through knowledge and self-improvement will one be able to defy and change the path that the Stars have set for them. Although uncommon, some of the skrell who follow this school of thought through more literal interpretations also partake in activities such as meditating and praying to the stars.

The core teachings are as follows:

• From betterment comes knowledge.
• From knowledge comes betterment.
• Let the Stars guide you.
• Tomorrow is a result of today.
• Communion is strength.

Pilix’qol Qall

Given the psionic nature of their species, it would be uncommon if skrell did not, at one point, develop spiritualistic beliefs directly related to their Psi. Pilix’qol Qall is not a widely practiced religion, but it is nevertheless worth mentioning. Skrell who believe in Pilix’qol Qall agree that the ‘Investiture’ was responsible for the start of the universe as we know it, and they see the role of the skrell, in relation to the other species of the galaxy, in a paternalistic way due to their inherent affinity with psionics, made to guide other societies to greatness, but never at the cost of their own.

Its beliefs can be summed into the following phrases:

• Those who control the Investiture are made to guide.
• Those who are controlled by the Investiture are there to be guided.
• To the mind, Chaos is the greatest poison..
• Harmony is the greatest antidote.
• Inaction is the greatest precaution.

Medical Technology

Genemods

Although skrell possess the technology to genetically alter themselves, they do not do so for cosmetic purposes. Because skrell are highly traditional and value the whole over the individual, they see very little point in using this technology to change their own appearance and physical traits, which is often seen as some kind of taboo in skrellian society.

Instead, skrell make use of genemods almost purely for medical reasons in order to prevent and outright treat genetic disorders. Ue-Katish will often seek this out, though they may find it difficult to find accommodating clinics in skrell space or affordable clinics in human space. A very rare but nonetheless notable exception is seen from Talum-Katish skrell, who, sometimes, may use genemods to temporarily alter their appearance during a performance. Even then, this is exceedingly rare and only used when holograms and other similar gadgets can not be used.

Aging

Skrell in the modern era can be found living for far more time than their ancestors. Although permanent, gradual neurological decline usually starts at around 200 years of age, the true maximum lifespan of skrell is currently unknown. This is all due to a multitude of factors, including but not limited to general improvement of medical technology alongside a suite of genetic modifications offered to casted skrell, some of which use their Psi to further expand their lifespan. Due to this process aging is a largely non-intrusive event, with a twenty year old skrell appearing nearly identical to a two hundred year old skrell.

Prosthetics

Skrell tend to frown upon the use of prosthetics, much preferring to bioprint new replacements if needed. The exception to the rule would be the Ue-Katish pirates, who can often be spotted sporting steel, whether due to combat injuries or to make up for disabilities, while also enjoying the shock-value caused by such a thing. Common prosthetics range from advanced, bionic limb prostheses, cybernetic organs, and more advanced, experimental prosthetics that include gadgets such as psionic crowns that may have been made by a secret ally.