Nor'Shizi

The Nor'Shizi hail from a planet called Nor'Het, a harsh desert planet deep in the Gamma Quadrant. Nor'Het is the fourth planet from their sun, Nor. The Nor system has seven planets, the first four terrestrial, and the last three gaseous. The Nor'Shizi are a very old race, much older than Humans. As such, they have very advanced technology, such as organic armor on their hulls, as well as an advanced form of faster-than-light travel: Subspace Phasing. The vessel literally "phases" from realspace to subspace (this process visually looks nearly identical to cloaking.) As such, the entire quadrant could, in theory, be crossed in a matter of slightly less than a year. Though being an old race, this technology is relatively new, and, as such, only their most advanced warships are equipped with this. Their other vessels are equipped simply with a very fast Warp Drive, capable of reaching WF 9.995.

Physical description
The Nor'Shizi typically are extremely similar to Humans, with the only differences being the arrangement of internal organs as well as having differing colors of hair. Even their reproductive systems are very similar. Usually, very dark, midnight blue is the most common hair color - it almost looks black, but with a blue sheen. Other colors, belonging to a smaller amount of people, are dark green, black, and burgundy. The Nor'Shizi have a tanned, golden-brown complexion.

History & Culture
The Nor'Shizi started out on their harsh desert world as tribal hunters, usually hunting large, silicon-based lifeforms that fed on the rich mineral deposits of Nor'Het. Due to the lack of water, Human-style agriculture did not come into being until much later in their history. When an alien ship crashed on their world, belonging to a Species know only as the Borg's designation, Species 8472, the Nor'Shizi quickly gained a wealth of technology and information. They learned how to organically "grow" their ships, and soon became a large empire that easily rivaled The Dominion. However, a couple of decades ago, the Nor'Shizi were attacked on their border with the Dominion. The Nor'Shizi fought greatly against one of the other most feared powers of the quadrant. The war generally ended with a stalemate - however, the truth is, the Nor'Shizi had a greater capacity for war. But, the continuous mistakes of one of their military leaders had caused the Dominion to be able to hold it's own. The Nor'Shizi gained some areas of space and lost some. With the onset of the Federation/Dominion War, the Nor'Shizi looked on with curiosity and patience, wanting to strike back at their old enemy and take back their lost space - and take some extra in the process, if not completely defeating the Dominion.However, again - blunders high up in the chain of command delayed the fleet from being able to strike before the war was over - now, with a new War Council and Emperor, the Nor'Shizi look hungrily at the Dominion. But, with the incoming Federation, the Nor'Shizi have even greater resolve to take back their old gracelands and deal a crippling blow to the ones who embarassed them, and to drive out the newcoming Federation who could very easily spoil their plans for dominating the entire quadrant. Nor'Shizi culture is that of a Warrior Empire - every Nor'Shizi is a warrior in some regard, even if the connection is oblique. There is no discrimination between the genders, and men and women are encouraged to fight for the Empire. They usually wear Asian-like robes when not in the military - the military wear formal, militant, and imposing uniforms with collars and epualets, but refrain from being guady. Warriors prefer to fight with a huge, three and a half-foot long, curved sword, with deadly perforations on the trailing edge. In short, the Nor'Shizi are driven, imposing, and dangerous.

The Kei
The Kei - a small technological shell of biological make. The Kei was used in Nor'Shizi custom to nurish thier dead. With it's suctioning tentacles, it would connect itself to as many as a hundred tombs at a time in one Catacomb; feading anti-nutrients to service the bodies. It was way to honour thier dead. These devices were built by ancient Nor'Shizi, and many of them were kept within many Nor'Shizi Catacombs.

Nor'Shizi Naval Ranks

 * Supreme Commander
 * Overseer
 * Commander
 * Sub-Commander
 * Lieutenant
 * Sub-Lieutenant
 * Spaceman

Ship Types

 * War-Cruiser
 * Starfighter Launcher
 * Sword-of-War
 * Destroyer
 * Light Cruiser

People

 * Commander Haza Tinashi
 * Sub-Commander Lyn Ry'Mor
 * War-Master Hitok
 * Emperor Ag'Non
 * Overseer Mongata
 * Lieutenant Soth Na'Vo