Irisian

Homeworld: Iris, a planet twice the size of Earth. The planet orbits a G-type sun about midway out in the Perseus arm of the Tekrea galaxy(the Milkyway).

Climate/terrain: like their terran ancestors, the Irisians can survive and thrive in any climate due to the support of technology. However, they prefer the giant forests in sub-tropical and temperate climates, only a few having chosen to settle in the tropics.

Mental abilities: the intelligence of the irisians goes over the same range as with humans. Due to that they have evolved and engineered themselves for life in the trees of their homeworld, many irisians also find it quite uncomfortable to spend more than a few hours at the ground at a time.

Special Abilities: high-level telepathy and empathy, some also have telekinetic skills. Those rare Irisians who have the talent to become magic-users are usually sent to a suitable offworld school to receive proper training, usually shortly after their fifteenth birthdays.

Society: in order to ensure their survival, the society of the Irisians split into two groups only a few decades after their ancestors settled the planet.
The majority of the Irisians live in large cities along the coasts-- using bio engineered trees to build their cities in, some of these trees being large enough to ensure that as few as four fully grown trees are strong enough to support a city with close to a million inhabitants. While the Irisian government have taken certain precautions to avoid polluting their world, the level of technology is quite high in the Irisian cities-- everything being run by the solar energy gathered by the leafs of the city trees or imported energy crystals. City Irisians have frequent contact with offworlders, import and export being quite important for the echonomy of most cities.

However, the other group of Irisian are those who have allied themselves with the native draconic lifeform known as Iridescents-- these living in small communities between the cities and the wildforest. Most of the people in these communities have been chosen by an Iridescent as its companion, and the chosen Irisians are responsible for making sure that none of the more hostile wildlife at Iris come within telepathic range or any of the cities. A Irisian/Iridescent pair is a formidable team who's capable of fending off most telepathic attacks-- there are also facts suggesting that a well trained pair may be able to breach through most mental defences.
Life in these communities is usually simpler, and those living in them generally choose to live without most higher technology, both because the majority of the Iridescents doesn't feel comfortable around it(especially the young ones fresh from the wilds) and the fact that the mere presence of an Iridescent may disturb electronic technology.

Description: although the relationship between them and humans is obvious, the irisians have engineered themselves to make life easier in the giant forests of Iris-- their arms and legs are longer and their feet are more flexible, making them more capable of moving in and between the giant trees. As getting ones hair tangled can be fatal, the Irisians have very little hair, it rarely grow any longer than a few centimeters anywhere on their bodies, and the color of their hair is usually blonde, red or brown, while their large eyes most often are blue, green or even lilac. Their skin is pale with a hint of opalescence, it have also been determined that the younger generations of irisians are capable of changing the color of their skin to blend in with their surroundings, a trait which has evolved rather than being put into them through genetic engineering.
Specific Physical Statistics.
Size at birth: 40-50 cm long.
Size at maturity: 1.5-1.8 meters tall.
Time to maturity: 12-15 years.
Natural lifespan: 100-120 years.

Combat: due to their telepathic skills, Irisians rarely rely on mechanic or electronic weapons during larger combats and wars-- knowing very well that there are just about no barriers or shields which can withstand a concerted efforts by a team of well trained Irisians and Iridescents. During attacks, they will usually make mental assaults on the enemy-- exploiting personal fears and phobias to create panic among the enemy troops, or simply take control and make the enemy leave their solar system or colony world.
In direct fights, individual Irisians are likely to make use of their in most cases superior agility and speed to defeat an opponent-- either with bare fists or by using any suitable weapon they have available. If facing more than one opponents, an Irisian will also make use of his or her telepathy, even the weak ones will know ways to push doubts and disturbances through mental shields.

Race weaknesses: used to life in the trees and the slight swaying even the largest are subject to, and having lots of space all around, Irisians almost always feel uncomfortable when walking at the ground. Particulary those who live in communities along with the Iridescents will feel uncomfortable at the ground, for some it may also be almost impossible to get used to it.
Another problem that has surfaced during the last few centuries is that Irisians cannot truly shut out the thoughts of telepathic offworld races, and even though there are methods to strenghten their personal mental shields, it's not always effective over long periods of time as their telepathy somehow adjust. Through time, there are several cases of Irisians who have gone insane due to this.