Alias: None
Origin: Geba (continental heartland, urban centers, imperial strongholds)
The Geban (Homo gebansis imperialus), known as the imperial conquerors, form the ethnic core of the Geban Empire, originating from Geba’s central continent where they unified warring nations and imposed their identity across the planet. Biologically adapted to Geba’s high-gravity environment, they exhibit polyphasic sleep patterns, extended working lives (up to 20-hour daily cycles), and exceptional resilience, allowing them to endure diverse biomes from equatorial jungles to polar shelves. Present since the earliest recorded settlements, they rose under Emperor Vaer’karesh to establish the Geban Empire, naming the planet after themselves and systematically erasing pre-imperial histories to enforce a unified narrative of certainty and imperial dominance. Unlike other populations (Ngorrhali Frost Sentinels, Thazvaari, Jeyrhan, Berinese, Kelan, Ukhaalstaag cliff-dwellers), they represent the conquering ethnicity that standardized language, currency, and governance, driving aggressive expansions into Ngorrhal, Thazvaar, Jeyrha, Berinu, Kela, and Ukhaalstaag. Their culture prioritizes structure, loyalty to the Empire, and conquest, frequently clashing with assimilated groups like the Thazvaari—viewed as lesser due to their isolationist naval traditions and prolonged resistance—or Ukhaalstaag cliff-dwellers, dismissed as primitive remnants of devolved lineages. Jeyrhans and Berinese are regarded pragmatically, valued as tools for their bio-engineering expertise and naval capabilities to achieve imperial objectives. The Frost Sentinels of Ngorrhal, however, command authentic respect and reverence for their endurance and genetic contributions to the Engineered lines; they are the second most populous group in the imperial capital, integrated as elite guardians and warriors. The Geban form the backbone of imperial institutions, from the Emperor’s Shadow and elite military units like the Eyes of Venar’Tal and Emperor’s Wrath to the covert Shadow Rulers, with a history marked by demographic crises, genetic engineering, and clandestine governance that reshaped planetary society, including targeted suppression of Seraveth and Velcrith Vessels to control narratives surrounding He Who Allows.
Imperial Gebans dominate Geba’s central plains, urban centers, and fortified strongholds, extending their influence to conquered regions such as Thazvaar’s coastal zones and migrating infinitude deserts, Berinu’s river deltas and temperate plains, Ngorrhal’s frozen mountain passes, Kela’s polar shelves and subsurface vents, Jeyrha’s lush plains and coastal shallows, and Ukhaalstaag’s cliffs and ancient ruins. They thrive in habitable zones with established infrastructure but require Engineered classes or advanced technology for survival in extreme environments like stratospheric peaks exceeding 60 km, subsurface caverns hosting devolved ecosystems, migrating deserts that engulf biomes, or Saethera’s polar forests with constant twilight and luminous organisms like Glassbloom and Boughstriders.
Imperial Gebans endure elevations from sea level to 21 km in relay outposts and mountain fortifications, climates ranging from Berinu’s warm temperate (15–30 °C) with humid tropics to Kela’s polar cold (–30 to 0 °C) with glacial drifts, and weather phenomena including plasma halos and auroral flares from Izhara’s intense radiation, prolonged droughts and thermal migrations driven by Zhaerys’ crustal stretching, or constant twilight fostering uninterrupted photosynthesis under Saethern’s tidally locked gaze. They depend on advanced infrastructure—relay communication grids, intercontinental naval bases, and reinforced subsurface tunnels—to mitigate stellar disruptions, triple tidal interactions causing catastrophic floods, migrating dust storms with horizon distortion, and seismic events from ancient mantle upheavals.
Imperial Gebans live 120–150 years, reaching maturity at 15–20 years. Reproduction was heavily structured by imperial edicts during crises, notably the male collapse (70:1 gender ratio) that led to the Insemination Edict and the establishment of Lira as a reproductive and medical hub, ensuring sustained governance, military campaigns, and population recovery amid persistent gender imbalances that later stabilized at 25:1 in the modern era.
Imperial Gebans exhibit standard human variance, typically 5–6 feet, blending seamlessly with Tactician-Class and Scout-Class Engineered in appearance, though lacking their predictive cognition or extended sensory perception. Their posture reflects disciplined training from elite units like the Eyes of Venar’Tal, exuding command presence and strategic poise honed through centuries of conquest and governance.
Males typically weigh 70–90 kg, females 50–70 kg, with builds optimized for Geba’s high gravity, supporting roles in conquest, administration, and labor. They are less robust than Assault-Class or Destroyer-Class Engineered, whose dense musculature and reinforced skeletal frames, derived partly from Frost Sentinel DNA, are built for extreme combat and environmental endurance.