Blesh

The blesh are members of the Alliance in the Orion Spur. Unique among the Alliance species (and rare in the known galaxy), the blesh are gestalt beings, a blending of human and nonhuman.

Appearance and Biology: Physically, the blesh are six-limbed bipeds, with some vaguely insectoid features. They appear to made of crystal, with translucent bodies within which their organs (like strangely-shaped decanters) can be glimpsed.  They are likely either the bioroid creations or descendants of a long dead species. Blesh do not reproduce sexually, but are instead grow like fruit from specialized cybernetic “trees” on their homeworld.

History: Until their “Great Awakening,” the bioroids were a post-sapient species; they had long ago broken the strange-loop of self to live edenic lives in the tranquil gardens of the totally controlled biosphere of their homeworld. All their needs were provided by the techno-organic trees they tended. Sometime in the dark age following the Great Collapse, a slower-than-light ark, launched from Old Earth long ago, crashed on their world. The trees dutifully downloaded the refugee human minds from the ark and (reading the ark's purpose) began distributing the minds to their charges/gardeners. The blending of the human minds and the minds and bodies of the bioroids formed the merged entities who call themselves blesh.

Psychology: There were 1803 human minds recovered from the ark. Every blesh is one of these minds blended with a bioroid post-sapient to form a new consciousness. They name themselves by combining the name of the human mind, a number designation related to the tree they grew from, and a monosyllabic prefix. Blesh are a peaceful species with respect for other sophonts. They have not historically been explorers, but they believe their culture to be enriched by learning about other species, and they are interested in galactic stability. Perhaps from the human elements in their minds, they have a great curiosity about ancient human artifacts. Though the blesh have the memories of the human part of their composite mind, these memories belong to someone long dead and have for them a dream-like quality; they feel like visions of the past rather than events actually experienced.

Stats: Blesh have a minimum Intelligence and Constitution of 9. Due to their synthetic biology, they have a +1 to saves against most poisons and diseases. Their integument provides AC 7 against weapons Tech level 3 or less. Their bodies heal slowly, however, without the aid of their engineered trees (+1 to all roles for length of time required for healing).