Hytenu

The Hytenu are an intelligent species of deep-sea cephalopod native to the planet Thenebria, a rogue planet deep within The Scar. The Hytenu are considered one of the most isolated species in the Crucible Galaxy. Their homeworld is difficult to reach due to the lack of nearby stars, and the aquatic environment in which the Hytenu are native to makes it almost impossible to develop the tools needed to develop space travel.

Thenebria is covered entirely in ice, completely uninhabitable on the surface, but deep below are extensive oceans. The Hytenu live in nomadic clans which cluster around deep sea geothermal vents. With the lack of a parent star, heat from the planet's core is the only source of energy available to them.

The almost complete isolation of the Hytenu have led to much of their culture being influenced by the question on whether life exists elsewhere in the universe, or even if the universe extends beyond their planet.

Religion

The Hytenu practice an animistic belief system where they view their planet as a cosmic egg with the surface ice being the egg shell. They believe that one day, this egg is destined to hatch which will allow the Hytenu to ascend to a higher plane of existence. This great event is known as the Hatching.

While many Hytenu do posit the existence of the rest of the galaxy and the universe, some traditionalists believe that the universe ends at the ice shell, and nothing exists beyond Thenebria except a void of non-existence. As such, the Hatching is argued as either the next step in Hytenu civilization or as the end of their world.