Original Fire Aliens. The Leonapeds
The lead Fire Aliens and naturally, they live in Fire City.
Power cells, space port
Max growth, summer, red hot, burning, sky scrapers, rockets and or space elevator, very technologically advanced in their decorations, cubic mile city based on the shape of a tree on the inside but very triangular on the outside.
Yang:War arts, power, ships, weapons and shield technology and use. They themselves don't build them much but they use them. They love to party and have many Los Vegas like light center party areas in their building.
Yin metallurgy, rank.
Biology
The Leonapeds look like someone took a baboon and added the head and tail of a leopard. They have big feet with flexible toes. Underneath there are large walking pads. Most of the time the vicious claws are pulled up in the space between the ground and the toes.
These aliens evolved by hunting in packs in trees. A leader would direct each one to cut off all the exits from the trees with some guards on the ground to catch any that just leap. They then corner and kill the fast food animals in the large tree. This gave them the 3d sense to pilot spaceships with ease. They live in trees most of their lives in nature but do go to ground for a hunt and are fast runners.
Leonapeds like to be with others and are highly social but also love the lone hunt and can spend years by themselves without caring or even noticing that they are alone.
The body language is often like that of a cat. Tail straight up with a little drop at the top mean hunger for food or to meet an old friend. With a hunched up tail for play, the end twitching and ears forward means great attention and excitement, the whole tail switch means anger, ears back means a fight, relaxed ears with a smile on the lips means happy, they rumble when happy and contented. Puffed up means fear. They sit on their hunches like a baboon and use tools this way. When relaxed they sit around in loose groups and talk while sitting. There young do ride on their backs too.
They have a system of strict rank and breaking it means a challenge to the death or submission plus punishment. They all were rank insignia at all times, when in public. When two Leonapeds are at about the same strength but of different rank the lower one will challenges the upper one to a rank fight, this is not to the death but can be deadly (death results in strong punishment). If he wins he gains rank. Plus Ranks can be granted by a high leader for extra skills, knowledge, acts of bravery or public service. Outsiders are all of the lowest rank unless they challenge and win and know the social skills of the Leonapeds or are given a Plus Rank. Plus ranks are treated as if they are really are of that rank, with full respect and honors.
Ruler
They are ruled by a dictator that has the good of the people at heart but rules with an iron fist. He can only be challenged once every five years. This gives the race a system of government that is stable enough to progress and advance their own goals strongly. He appoints all other members of the government or lets his underlings do it for themselves.
Economy
They are helped by wood
They help earth
They work for water
Work for them metal
Fire City
Fire city is high in the mountains. A place that the Leonapeds think of as safe. It is also a place that is good for spaceships to land and take off from or for the attachment of a space elevator.
The main city is one massive building with a triangular base. Each side or the base is almost a 500 meters (ΒΌ mile). The building twists as it reaches for the sky. On top of the building are 3 towers one on each corner in a pyramid sort of look but to sides flat to the outside of the building. Into the center runs the space elevator. The building has three main doors, one on each side. The doors are large triangles. Much of it is underground. Between local levels there are tree like structures that are used to climb up and down. Some trees are down others are up in busy areas. The internal layout is like a tree with branches in the upper part only reachable from going down to the base (trunk area of the building).
Viewed from the outside it looks like a lot of pointed spires and triangular rooftops.
Inside it is spartan in a sort of Zen style with lots of white and glass. Small fires burn all around in the center of conversation pits.
The richer ones have their own trees growing in their private areas. They invite many others to spend time there with them including sleeping. They hang large triangular hammocks between the limbs and sleep there. Less rich Leonapeds just have the hammocks but without the tree to go with it.
They tend to tie things to branches or hang them from them. In closed spaceship spaces things still tend to look branchy and tree like.
The sun they come from is very weak in the red spectrum thus the plants tend to look orange to red in color like deeper water seaweeds
The doors are square but cut diagonally and slide apart to open.
Leonapeds like to sleep up high in a place of safety often with many brothers and sisters touching them.
Colors used: red, fiery orange, violet, purple, black and white.
Very light and open with lots of fires, candles and lights. They like it warm and bright like their home tree. They like it cozy but open.
Lots of triangle shapes are used on the inside.
