From the inhospitable planet of Xales III, the cursean are large intelligent creatures with interesting telepathic powers. Their round, bald head is perched atop a thick muscular neck. They have four powerful legs tipped with one tough nail, a bit like a horse's hoof, but the underside of their feet is soft and able to stick to near-vertical surfaces. A pair of wiry arms extend from their heavily armored torso. These arms, which are usually kept folded up like a praying mantis', have a thick chitious shield on the portion that would be the wrist and back of the hand, and three very sensitive fingers hidden under the protective shields. They have a bulbous abdomen, similar to a wasp's (but have no stinger). Males and females can be told appart from the size of this abdomen, as females have a rather large "butt", so to speak. On their back, the curseans have a series of bioluminescent organs that can be covered by a pair of small but thick chitinous "wings". These wings appear to be vestigal, as other creatures from the same planetary system seem to have fully-developed insect-like wings, and are capable of flight. These creatures, however, lack the cursean's intelligence.
The curseans, during their life, go through a variety of stages: egg, larval, coccoon, child, adult. They begin showing intelligence during the larval stage, and their psychic powers start manifesting soon before they enter their coccoon stage. A communal species, the curseans build cities of mud-domes and underground tunnels, easier to defend against predators and the harsh environment of Xales III. A female may lay about forty eggs in her lifetime, although many of the larvae will never reach adulthood.
Xales III was recently discovered by a mining expedition, and despite a first encounter that could seriously have gone better, its inhabitants have taken a keen interest in humans. They have managed to hitch a ride on one of the mining vessels, and the occasionnal cursean might be spotted among the inhabitants of some large cities or on space stations, although they remain mostly unknown to this day.
Despite their best effort, the curseans are vastly different from humans in appearance, demeanor and mentality. They are paciffic, but the sheer alienness of the species have often kept people from approaching them. They understand close to nothing about politics, economy and wars, but show a great interest in arts and, curiously, sports.
The curseans cannot speak, their mouth not being made for this. They can make noises similar to a whale's song, but their main means of communication is by telepathic contact. They can also use telekinesis, although they prefer using their hands to manipulate objects.
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