The Rurlough[]
The Rurlough are a race of aliens created by fragrantpharaoh and BenignTuna (Fanfiction.net) for the fanfiction We Need You Around.
Appearance[]
The Rurlough are white with large black eyes. Their bodies are broad, tall, and muscular and they have large, wide hands. The Rurlough do not wear clothes, but seeing as no genitalia is visible (or even present?) it is hardly necessary.
Species Origin[]
The Rurlough are a very old race, much older than many of the races still at large today, with the first records of them dating back more than four billion years ago.
Around three billion years ago, the Rurlough were the most advanced species in their solar system. They had conquered most of the planets in their solar system, and were notorious for their brutality, according to old records.
In the middle of their solar system is a black dwarf sun. Black dwarf suns do not give off heat or light, and had it not been for BFS-2467 (a supergiant sun in a distant solar system that provided them with light and some heat), life would not have been possible.
An illustration of the Rurlough's light-deprived planet, as provided by one of the authors
In the year approx. 3.44 billion years ago, BFS-2467 exploded and destroyed all the nearby planets. The Rurlough planet was far away enough to not be annihilated, but it still received the massive amounts of radiation released by the sun's explosion. This radiation killed off 45% of the population and gave the remaining Rurlough radiation poisoning.
The radiation poisoning made the population anemic, stunted intellectual growth, decreased pigmentation, and ultimately destroyed the Rurlough's reproductive systems.
The population was left weak and unable to sexually reproduce, so they turned to cloning to prevent their population from dying out. This was a good idea in theory, but it was ultimately a bad decision as it passed the radiation poisoning on to future generations.
The current Rurlough now suffer from lethargy, fatigue, low blood pressure, affected brains, and they are unable to leave the warmth of the underground tunnels of their planet for long periods of time. The population is now down to less than 1,000,000.
Life[]
The Rurlough currently reproduce by cloning, and they photosynthesize with artificial light and heat in their underground tunnels.
Unlike the Keronians, their environment needs to be dry and with very low humidity, so they have machines in the tunnels to regulate this.
The Rurlough share a hive-mind of sorts. Like many parts of the same organism, they all share one 'brain', and it is seldom necessary to communicate aloud, though they can communicate through clicking sounds made in cartilage drums in their heads. This ability used to aid in sexual reproduction, though it is now just a communication device. They communicate with species other than their own through telepathy.
