cityship | Daligig Society and Biology

The Daligig are, by nature, a very enigmatic people. Due to their relationship with the creature known only as It, they have slowly become a powerful force in the greater multiverse. Yet it is also because of their relationship with It that each and every one of them is on some level a psychopath, capable of doing horrific things without remorse yet retaining the outward appearance of normalcy around non-Daligig. While the Daligig do not share a pseudo-hive-mind like the Ohm, each and every one of them shares the same goals: to bring total and absolute order to the multiverse, as decreed by both It and the Daligig themselves.

To this end, the Daligig have essentially evolved to become master manipulators. Through genetic engineering, they have subtly incorporated physical characteristics that a majority of other intelligent species find attractive. While this doesn’t actually illicit direct sexual attraction in most intelligent species, on a subconscious level it does cause them to trust the Daligig much more easily, as well as garner feelings of protectiveness for them. However, they have never been able to alter the fact that their natural faces are frightening to most intelligent species, due to the fact that they have black, empty eyes and no mouth (theorized to have arisen from their longstanding connection to It), so each one wears an advanced prosthetic mask-like apparatus, which gives them a “trustworthy” face.

In addition, like the Ohm, the Daligig are psychic, but their powers are much different in nature. All Daligig emit a faint psychic aura which, over time, breaks down the mental barriers that cause other creatures to mistrust them. Essentially, the more time a person spends around the Daligig, the less they tend to question what they do. A rare few Daligig, unofficially dubbed “Controllers”, exhibit a much more powerful form of this ability, and are able to exert their will more completely over most intelligent species, being able to consciously direct and control how their psychic aura affects others. It takes an extremely powerful psychic to even detect the Controller’s abilities, let alone to resist them, though it is possible. The only type of people able to escape being completely dominated by the mind of a Controller are what the Daligig refer to as the Chosen, those beings whose destinies are powerful enough to shape the multiverse. As such, all Daligig tend to deal with Chosen by using plain old fashioned subterfuge and manipulation over psychic abilities.

A vast majority of Daligig live on Worldships. These massive, moon-sized ships house an entire, self-sufficient Daligig colony that can move as necessary. A small minority reside in colonies established on certain worlds, generally for research or tactical purposes. Regardless, nearly all Daligig colonies and worldships operate much the same way. Each is a mostly autonomous unit, run by a council, filled with representatives of each major Daligig “family” present in the colony. Each family is really a separate group of Daligig dedicated to one or more specific tasks in each colony, such as research or maintaining control over the vassal species (see below). Though the families are related genetically, it does not have concepts of “father”, “mother”, “sister”, or “brother”, instead being separated by a rather complicated ranking/caste system, which is kept a highly guarded secret from other species.

One thing one might notice if they ever managed to get inside a Daligig colony is that there appear to be absolutely no children to be seen. This is because all Daligig children come from cloning vats, and are kept isolated in a top-secret facility known only as the Crucible. The Crucible is part school, part boot camp, part gladiatorial gauntlet. In the Crucible, the young Daligig are taught the ways of Daligig life, most importantly manipulation, subterfuge, and many other such unpleasant topics. They are taught in a regimented, military-like fashion, and any young Daligig getting out of line is often beaten down in one of the Crucibles many unique forms of punishment so they will fit the mold the Daligig wish them to fill. However, while several thousands of Daligig are born and placed into each “class”, only a few hundred will be allowed to “graduate” into Daligig society. Therefore, it is unofficially “encouraged” that young Daligig eliminate their competition in any way possible, further instilling the ruthless nature of Daligig society into them. Some resort to simple violence, though these Daligig are generally considered crude and thus form the lower echelons of their society. Others instead use their skills in manipulation and subterfuge to sabotage their competition, and those who show the most mastery in these endeavors are often afforded great respect and station should they graduate. Once a Daligig graduates from the Crucible, they are sent to one of the Daligig worldships or colonies as needed to work alongside others of their family, from whom they receive their genetic information. Due to the harsh vetting process of the young Daligig, the race as a whole is relatively small, but each is a master at what they do, which is exactly what the Daligig want.

The Daligig as a whole is run by the Daligig High Command. This council is filled by the highest-ranking members of each major family in the entire race. The High Command is in direct contact with the creature It, and so their word is considered absolute among the Daligig. They also oversee the movements of the entire race, ensuring everything moves according to their plans. Most importantly, however, the High Command is also in direct charge of Project Godhead, which takes priority over every other endeavor the Daligig take.

The Daligig, being exceptionally rare, prefer to have others perform their dirty work for them. Therefore, the Daligig have control of several “vassal” species that perform jobs the Daligig themselves can’t or won’t do. These species are those that the Daligig had originally conquered and subjugated, though over the eons they have come to “engineer” the societies of the vassal species to appear as merely close allies of the Daligig to outside observers. In truth, while they appear to have their own free will, each member of the different vassal species is brainwashed to obey any Daligig order without question.

The most numerous of the vassal species are the Kessek, a semi-reptilian species with tall, heavily built bodies. They take the role of foot soldiers and laborers for the Daligig. Outwardly, they appear to have a patriarchal monarchy and lead an honorable style of life, though in truth they are essentially slaves to the Daligig. They place a great deal of importance on martial prowess, and each and every Kessek is trained fully as a soldier, regardless of their station in life.

The other most important, though far less numerous, vassal species are known as the Ghyyl. These small, physically weak beings are endowed with powerful minds and a propensity for technology. The Ghyyl produce all technology for the Daligig, including their worldships and colonies. However, their most important contribution is that they are a repository of all ancient Ohm technology from before the Ohm and the Daligig split. This knowledge is generally used sparingly to create powerful biotechnology. Though far inferior to the Ohm ships of the past, this technology was used to create the Transmigration ships, including Stacy. Due to their importance to the Daligig, the Ghyyl are heavily protected and guarded, and they are rarely seen by anyone other than the Daligig unless absolutely necessary.

As master manipulators and liars, one of the primary things concerning the Daligig is to be able to place themselves above suspicion in the eyes of other species. An entire species acting as a whole towards one, single, mysterious purpose would be particularly suspicious, and thus when in the presence of others they will put on a “masquerade” in which it appears that there are several different factions with differing opinions and goals. This typically distracts others from anything regarding Project Godhead, and makes them seem like any other species.