Name: Just "Forrester", because his actual name is too complicated.
Species: Nemovigilis/Irkallataur (Nemorotriocula vigilantia peverilli; Peverill's Three-Eyed Grove Sentinel)
Sex: M
Age: In human terms, around 20 years.
Role/Job: Xenobiologist mainly, but also works hydro/aeroponics and medbay whenever needed.
Appearance:


Forrester is about 7'4" tall. He has a thick scaly hide of bluish grey with scutes in some places, especially joints, mottled patterns towards the rear of his body, and spines all over the base of his tail. As with all Nemovigila, he has three legs, zygodactyl claws, three complex iridescent blue eyes, two pairs of chelicerae above and below his hidden mouthparts (a three-pointed beak), a pair of manipulating pincers, and antennae. As for his equipment, he wears a special spacesuit for his kind, a visor, respirator, and a pack with three attachment points for tools and/or weapons that he would otherwise not be able to use due to ergonomic issues.



Skills:

• Bears deep knowledge of interspecies biology and evolutionary ecology on at least three major Edenite worlds. Especially good with insectoid/arthropod analogues like the Metacer.
• Having a complex neural system, he can process vast sensory information and cross-reference unfamiliar patterns quickly.
• He can also use vocal mimicry to reproduce phrases, alarms, or equipment noises—sometimes to mess with crewmates, sometimes for linguistics or diagnostics.
• Capable of scaling and navigating ship interiors, tunnels, or even damaged hull areas others can’t reach. Since he hates the feeling of weightlessness brought on by zero-G, he is training himself to navigate better in space.
• Though not combat trained, Forrester would still prove a fairly formidable foe if it comes to that. He is quick, strong, sturdy, and possesses the natural apex predator instinct. Not to mention the fact that he is highly venomous.
• Forrester has a very good intuition for plant-care. He can tell when plants are 'unhappy' or 'ill' by smell and the slightest change in coloration or humidity. Currently working on fungi from two major agri-worlds to use in bio-filtration.
• His fascination with alien anatomy has proven helpful with at least basic care for injuries in certain situations. He enjoys watching medical holograms over and over again, as if they were entertainment.

Weaknesses:

• Being a three-legged, heavily-muscled organism adapted to gravity, friction, and three-point balance, Forrester normally spins out of control or drifts and crashes in even light gravity. He hates spacewalks and catwalks almost equally as a result. Fortunately, he doesn't have to go on either very often. To compensate, he may use magnetized 'shoes' or skates.
• Forrester is used to exploring open areas and forests. Being in the sterile interiors of a ship or station for very long is not his cup of tea. It's caused him to become restless, irritable, and even jumpy. This has resulted in him developing habits that others may find annnoying (i.e., tapping, humming, mimicking equipment and other noises incessantly, bringing sediment or detritus around with him for comfort)
• Forrester will have to use his visor at all hours due to the different light conditions on the ship and other exoplanetary establishments. His eyes were made for the dusky light of forests, UV, and polarized light—not bright LEDs and white metal, which also happens to reflect said bright lights. He knows well the effects.. Head-splitting headaches, disruptions to his sleep patterns. And while the visor helps, it also causes undue fatigue to his eyes.
• Forrester's respiratory system is fairly sensitive, hence the respirator. Used to clean air and plant-based volatiles, he may have reactions to chemical scents, cooling vapors, and artificial scents people might use. He avoids certain parts of the ship due to these dangers.
• Forrester is naive to emotional nuance with other species. He can be rather oblivious to tension or flirtation. He tends to gets easily flustered and defensive, and greedy with knowledge and food, being known for hoarding snacks and reading materials. Among his kind, communication is direct and scent-based, not typically verbal or full of equivocations. Thusly, he is prone to voicing his observations no matter how inappropriate, and may be a very physically invasive presence whenever his curiosity is piqued. Still unaware of conventional apologies work with other species, he usually expresses his regret with odd "gifts".
• Forrester suffers from Imposter Syndrome. Though intelligent, years of prejudice against him and his kind, whether overt or not, weigh heavily. He often second-guesses himself in high-stakes meetings or medical crises. May defer to humans even when he’s right.
• Forrester has had 0 martial training and can be expected to perform poorly in such situations where coordinated combat efforts are required. He will most likely depend on his instincts when there is danger.

Backstory:
Forrester was born in the high canopies of Ancha-Solang, raised in the gentle shade of the lower city. His clutch-parent was a tribal scholar who preserved stories through traditional carvings and anecdotes told through scents. Forrester grew up like most Nemovigila. Curious and bold, eager to understand and integrate with the world beyond their forests. Once, he got lost for three days outside the forest, chasing bioluminescent tree-hoppers. He was eventually found whispering to a moss slug while sketching its digestive system into the wall of an Edenite modular home.

As a youngling, he was always more interested in the nature of living things than in the glitz and glamour of technology and development. When Nelly Peverill’s great research archive was brought to Ancha-Solang, Forrester dove into it with near-obsessive passion, wanting to become like the scientist who by this time, was long gone. He memorized her lectures, read about ecosystems on neighbouring worlds, and often posited strange questions comparing the biology of the three main races of Eden to his own.

When Euphrates fell to the Metacer, Ancha-Solang held on for a good while. But, isolated from the rest of Eden, it too eventually collapsed. There was some belief that the city could be held, but it was impossible. Fortunately, a decent chunk of the Nemovigila population had successfully evacuated through different routes. And if ever there's a chance that anyone survived by fleeing to the vaults under the lower city, Forrester hopes they can last until something can be done about the Metacer.

Anyway.. Forrester was not on Euphrates when the Metacer came, and was instead on Eden for work as he usually was. And because of his work, he was able to get onto an evacuation vessel relatively easily. He got into a bit of trouble for the amount of stuff he was lugging along and was forced to leave some of it, but in the end, all was well. He was alive. And Eden was burning. He stared out the window quietly, watching the dark masses sweep over the city he stayed in--Metacer.. So many of them that they were visible from this altitude. He wondered about them.. And what little flaw they had that could wipe them out all at once.

Personality-wise, Forrester is obsessively curious, to the point of being socially clumsy, though this is a common trait for a lot of Nemovigila. He's quite eccentric, often seen talking to plants and getting offended if someone doesn’t thank them for the air they breathe. He collects various things mostly related to his work, but sometimes also things unrelated but makes excuses for. (i.e., shed hairs, skin, buttons, bits of cloth. He calls them "species leavings.") He loves conventional entertainment, treating them like documentaries or scientific records. He's a terrible liar and tends to over-explain everything.

Despite being physically imposing, Forrester is emotionally earnest, vulnerable, and polite to a fault. He always bows--no matter what species you are--and may mimic voices to sound friendly. He harbors some fear about being seen as no more than a beast, and that is why he works extra as hard to show his intelligence--and why he hides his normal nature unless absolutely necessary.

Species History (If you can be arsed to read this): Irkallataurs or Nemovigila or Forest Sentinels are apex predators native to the temperate forests of Euphrates. They were discovered fairly early on, but never properly understood until a fearless and persistent xenobiologist by the name of Peverill made a breakthrough with them. Turns out, they're quite intelligent and extremely curious. And despite their large size and fierce appearance, these 'Forest Sentinels' were fairly reasonable and easy to get along with.

The Nemovigila are limited to the largest continent and mostly live in the forest where they have elaborate settlements in giant, sprawling trees. After establishing contact, Nemovigila started to exchange knowledge with and cooperate with Eden, and became an integral part of society on Euphrates after about 50 years. While it is very rare for their kind to go to other planets, it's not unheard of. Most stay in Ancha-Solang, which is the combined capital city of their sixty-six tribes.

Over the decades, Nemovigila have started to branch out, serving in different parts of Edenite society in various capacities. And though seen as a generally valuable addition to the alliance, there was still quite a bit of discrimination against them, mostly due to the perception of lesser intelligence and appearance. Ancha-Solang was discreetly prevented by some from obtaining too much advanced technology, and political and cultural rifts were deliberately planted among the Nemovigila to prevent them fully uniting, possibly seeking independence, and forming any sort of viable native military force.

Species Biology: Irkallataurs or Nemovigila are difficult to classify. But according to Nelly Peverill, they are pretty close to terrestrial arthropods, and should be considered chelicerata for obvious reasons.

Nemovigila are adept at both terrestrial and arboreal locomotion. Their three main limbs are extremely flexible and can bend well beyond the expected range of movement. They also have powerful prehensile tails armed with graspers that allow further mobility in their arboreous homes. Equipped with three swiveling complex eyes, Nemovigila are successful in almost all environments, as they can perceive polarised, infrared, and even ultraviolet light. With sturdy, muscular bodies; blistering speed and agility; superior intelligence, and the added lethality of their venom, it's no wonder they are apex predators. They have been known to hunt Euphratean creatures far larger than themselves in unusual situations with surprising success.

Cool Alien Fact's:

• The name 'Irkallataur' comes from early rumours about these triclopsian natives. The Nemovigila were the first to initiate contact, lurking around Edenite settlements out of curiosity. Naturally, their frightening visage, blinding speed, and cacophonous vocalisations struck fear into the colonists. Stories about them dragging people to the land of the dead propagated rapidly, resulting in the name 'Irkallataur' which stuck even after scientist Nelly Peverill made contact and described the species.
• Nemovigila are known to be able to produce a variety of sounds, including human voices and machines. Not all their imitations are perfect, however, and sometimes have a sort of fuzzy, electronic quality to them.