Nyr

"My people have the determination to survive and thrive in this forbidding region of space as our forefathers and their forefathers did. That is far more useful as motivation than greed and imperialistic fervor shown by the people of Xania. That is why the Nyr will never be exterminated from the stars."

- Malakai Madora

The Nyr are a humanoid species native to the ice worlds of the Hyperion sector of the Virgo Cluster. Tracing their linage back to the original humans who fled Old Earth during the Great Exodus, the Nyr are the descendants of miners and dissidents that left the Xanian Empire, and colonized the planet of Cybria in 252 ATE. They also colonized the neighboring planets in the Kaldheim system – Ix and Sirius, and established several small governments within the star system while paying tribute to the Xanians. They rebelled after decades of oppression by the Xanians, and established the Unified Nyr Federation, which successfully gained its independence in 514 ATE.

Today, the Nyr are one of the most powerful races in known space, the first race to gain their independence militarily, and the first ever to defeat the Xanians on the field of battle. Having waged and won six conflicts with the Xanians since 514 ATE, the Nyr are widely feared and respected by their neighbors, and have earned the respect of even their old enemies of Xania. The Nyr prefer cold environments and often cyroform planets they intend to colonize, which leads to conflict with those who are not as adapted to the freezing cold as the Nyr are, and who also plan on colonizing the same planet. Viewed as the "big brother" of known space as opposed to the "big daddy" Xanians, the Nyr are represented as bullies who have their hearts in the right place, but go about accomplishing their goals in a poor manner.

Biology and appearance
"I wonder what those walking ice cubes are up to this time."

- A Xanian commander speaking of the Nyr

The Nyr are a humanoid species with features similar to those of the ancient human race from whom they are descendant. Nyr have black hair and blue eyes, and dark brown skin which is flawless in appearance, if somewhat pale due to the environment they hail from. They are about the same height as ancient humans with an average height of 1.7 to 1.9 meters. However, they weight considerably more with an average weights of 58 to 82 kilograms. This is a direct result of their denser muscular system, which is about two to three times the muscle density of a human being, as well as a greater reserve of oxygen which permits increased energy to the muscles. Additionally, their bones are metallic, coated in an unknown substance which is both imperishable and resistant to all elements and corrosion, with an atomic structure that has been fixed in place in which no change can take place, meaning that Nyr bones literally cannot be broken.

Thus, these two factors increase the weight of the Nyr in comparison to their size. However, this means that the Nyr are both three to five times stronger than the average human, possess great endurance to physical stresses, and can produce much greater kinetic energy thanks to their stronger bones and muscles, making them very dangerous in hand-to-hand combat. Added to these greatly enhanced abilities, Nyr are capable of performing other physical feats which surpass those of ancient humanity. They highly agile and flexible, with the ability to jump about 25 feet into the air from a standing position thanks to their enhanced muscles. Also, they possess lungs with superior efficiency, stronger heart muscles and a brain with can operate at 5% capacity as opposed to 1% in humans, making the Nyr much smarter than their human ancestors. Also possessing enhanced senses such as taste, sight, smell, and hearing, the Nyr are also resistant to most known diseases, though they are still susceptible to them.

The body temperature of the Nyr is -10.8°C (12.4°F), permitting them to reside on some of the coldest of known worlds without much physical protection. However, their blood, steel blue in coloring, is similar to anti-freeze in function as it keeps their bodies from locking up and turning into ice. Thus, blood loss in a Nyr will result in their body freezing quickly and breaking apart, a fate no Nyr wishes to face. On warmer worlds, the Nyr wear environmental gear that keeps their bodies refrigerated, though they don't require any type of bulky suits or arcane gear to do this. The highest tolerable temperature a Nyr can deal with without environment gear is 14.4°C (58°F), and the highest tolerable temperature with the gear being 65.5°C (150°F). The lowest with and without the gear are -112.2°C (-170°F) and -73.3°C (-100°F) respectively. As a result of their biological needs, the Nyr cyroform most of the worlds that they colonize, often at the detriment of the species they may often find residing on the planet. Because of their lack of internal body heat, Nyr breath is crisp and visibly frosty.

Nyr burn more energy than humans did due to an increased metabolism, which benefits their status as a cold-dwelling species. Thus, obesity within their species is unknown as well as regarded as alien by the Nyr. The average Nyr lifespan is about 250 years maximum without cybernetic augmentations, which can prolong the life of a Nyr to about 500 years before additional augmentations are deemed life-threatening, putting too much on the nervous system of their body which the augments are linked to as well as their remaining internal organs should they still have any. Nyr reproduce in fewer numbers than humans did due to environment, as their homeworlds can only support so many Nyr before it becomes overpopulated in relation to the planet's accessible resources. However, their gestation period is considerably faster than in humans, with a five month gestation period as opposed to nine months in humans. Nyr children learn faster than human children would have, and are considered mature around age ten mentally, and physically mature by age thirteen.