Ishtari

The Ishtari are a race of mostly female humanoid aliens native to the planet Innana.

Physiology
Both male and female Ishtari have appearances similar to that of humans. Most have blue skin, with some rare instances of different shades of purple. Instead of hair, the Ishtari have cranial flaps that overlap the top of their heads.

A unique feature of the Ishtari is their ability to change their shape. While this ability is close to that of a changeling, the Ishtari are limited in several ways. The Ishtari are unable to change shape outside of their gender. A female Ishtari could not change shape into a male of another species. At the same time, the Ishtari can not gain or lose a considerable amount of mass when changing. Seen as an evolutionary advantage, this ability only works with other specials. Ishtari are only able to revert back to their regular state and not that of another Ishtari.

Life Cycle
The Ishtari have a lifespan of around 1,000 years. Because of this, it is not uncommon for Ishtari to mate very late in their life cycle. Another leading factor of this is that female Ishtari outnumber males on a scale of 500,000:1. The same evolutionary trait that gave them their long life spans also reduced their ability to produce male offspring. Many times, male Ishtari are used as breeders in order to continue repopulating the Isthari race.

Status
The Ishtari culture was broken up into several major castes that worked in harmony in order to further the advancement of their race (with the exception of the unwanted). Each caste had their own roles and duties within the Ishtari Empire. While each caste had their own specific duties and jobs, there were many smaller castes, such as entertainers, that were made up from a mix of Ishtari from the major castes.

All castes answered to the Ishtari Matriarch, the leader of the Ishtari.

Politicians
Politicians made up the largest caste of the Ishtari. Usually a caste for older Ishtari (usually around 700 years or so), the politicians voted on day to day affairs. Ultimately, the final decision for laws and dictations would be handled by the Ishtari Matriarch.

Workers
Young Ishtari (usually up to 300 years old) made up the most of the worker caste. Workers would building anything from buildings to capital ships for the Ishtari navy.

Military
All Isthari enlisted in the military after their education ended. Enlistments started at a minimum of 20 years per branch, with at least 1 mandatory branch. If an Ishtari wanted to make a career in the military, they would choose a life enlistment, spending at least the minimum years in each branch. It was uncommon for an Ishtari to re-enter the military after completing enlistment.

Students
All Ishtari underwent education from age 10 to 80. Upon completing their education, they were no longer considered students and eligible for the military caste.

Educators
Ishtari that became educators continued their own pursuit of knowledge while educating the younger generations.

Breeders
Due to the low number of male Ishtari born, many male Ishtari became breeders after their military service. The sole purpose of the breeder caste was to ensure the continuation of births of the Ishtari species. Because of this, the breeders were considered an important part of Ishtari culture and it was expected of female to Ishtari to visit one at least once in their life. A single breeder could be expected to produce up to 10,000 offspring in their lifetime.

Unwanted
The unwanted were a small caste of Ishtari that refused to enlist. Because military service was mandatory in the Ishtari culture, those that did no enlist were denied jobs and effectively barred from the major castes. Less than 1% of the Ishtari race made up this caste.

Language
The Ishtari language consisted of an alphabet of twenty characters, which were based around sounds that could be produced by their vocal cords. When translated, Ishtari language was brief and to the point, often including only an action and a subject. Yet, the Ishtari are able to mimic other languages, most notably Galactic Basic, with ease.

Sexuality
Because male Ishari were rarely born, the Ishtari evolved with the notion that sexuality was not tied to an individual's caste or gender. They viewed gender as an identity, but not one that would alienate them from any other Ishtari when it came to relationships.

Joinings
Ishtari marriages were known as joinings. Joinings could happen between two Ishtari, regardless of their gender. For joinings with two females, it was expected that they would visit breeders if they chose to reproduce. A female Ishtari that joined with a male was expected to only reproduce with that male Ishtari.

Business
Within the Ishtari culture, sexuality was used when binding strong contracts between individuals. Ishtari law was centered around this, where if a contract that was bound by sexuality was broken or altered illegally, it was punishable by death. The thought process came from the interactions of two Ishtari during sexual contact, while common due to their culture, were still considered personal and intimate.

Use of Breeders
The user of breeders in the Ishtari culture was extremely common and even encouraged if an Isthari wished to reproduce. The only time the use of breeders was considered unethical is when a female Ishtari had a joining with a male Ishtari.