Xai

The Xai are a near-human race living within the of the. The Xai have long been hidden away from the general population of the world since the ancestors, runaway slaves led by a prominent bishop, fled to the far west of North America to escape pursuers and the punishment awaiting them back home. Gifted with technologies discovered in the mountains, and unknown to mankind at the time, the Xai developed into the most advanced race of people in the world, building the city of Oxida Nova deep within the mountains, half of it visible today.

The Xai have since revealed themselves, approaching the government of the United States in 2000, seeking to develop a relationship with the government. Difficulties have arisen regarding Xai morals, beliefs, cultural traditions, and overall "otherness", not to mention the immense threat of Xai technology to the U.S. and other nations. The Xai and their wealth of knowledge and power, and their long lifespans have garnered much unwanted attention, and resulted in clashes where people have demanded the Xai share their technology and resources, while the Xai have remained ever defiant in their refusal to do so.

Origins
The Xai trace their history back to the mid-19th century, to slaves in South Carolina and Georgia. A group of these slaves lead by Baptist minister Dominique, a former slave who purchased his freedom, fled to the west following an uprising on one of the plantations. These would make up those Xai who would ultimately reside in the mountains of the American mountain states. During their trek through the mountains while fleeing the Spainards, the refugees came across, according to Edison; "a strange twisted mound of metal, inside which was a tall, well-built fellow clearly not of this world." The being helped them after the slaves fed and cared for it while it recovered. It explained that it was of the last of its people, and was dying. It stated that its name was Xai, and it was happy to have company before it was to die.

Xai gave the slaves access to all of its technologies, knowledge, and resources to help them survive in the mountains, increasing their genetics so as to ward off the effects of inbreeding (as the gene pool was too small to build a society from 32 people), and a host of skills and abilities to aid them in their new home. When the being finally died in 1839, the slaves sought to honor Xai's memory, Edison declared that the runaways would henceforth call themselves the Xai. The Xai were henceforth known by that name. They were able to quickly carve out large quantities of stone from inside of the mountain they were on, and build a city within, founding the government known as the Xai Ascendancy later on.

Genetics
It goes without saying that the Xai possess very few similarities to humanity, altered to the point where they can easily be defined as another species. One notable trait the Xai possess is their genetic memory, allowing them to pass along their memories to their children. Most of their genetics are beyond that of the human gene pool, resulting in many believing the Xai to be of another species entirely.

Biology
The Xai have dark brown skin, black hair, and typically stand 1.5 meters for women, to 2.1 meters for men. They are most notable for their eyes, which are black, with glow purple rings where the iris is, also the Xai don't not blink (the effects of this are still poorly understood. Their eyes allow for unparalleled night-vision, but are highly erritated by light. While this is not a handicap for them–as Xai are perfectly capable of function in bright areas, it is uncomfortable given their history living underground, and thus greatly avoided if at all possible. The Xai do not senescence (the process of aging), and have a far longer lifespan than humans, close to 175 years of age. They are three-times stronger than an Olympic-level athletes, and sustanially smarter than most MIT students.

The Xai wear crystalline growths, called Sardonikium, over their chest, shoulders, and down to their hands. These are capped off by sardonikium gauntlet, with claws measuring from two to three inches long for men, and four to five inches long for women. These claws are retractable, and can be set at different lengths, doing so through a poorly understand method of accelarated crystalline growth. For some Xai, they may undergo a process in which their body is transformed into sardonikium, overwhich artifical skin is overlaid. This is typically done are personal reasons, such as personal defense, peer pressure, boredom, to even the desire to be a better Xai. Xai organs are black (with women having their permanent black "lipstick" lips), and their blood too is also black, with an almost oily texture to it.

Their blood is highly toxic, though the level of toxicity depends on age and sex. The teeth of the Xai appear like obsidian, and are capable of chewing through rocks and metal (though some planning to live abroad may have this covered over to appear white). Xai blood is acidic, with a pH level of 0.3, close to that of battery acid. The Xai also possess a natural defensive ability. Their claws are equally capable of cutting through metal without breaking. Their tongue is sharp enough to break through bone, and given that it can be extended to more than seven feet, and basically one long muscle, these are extremely dangerous (especially given that some women have three).

Reproduction
The Xai do not reproduce in the same manner as humans. Women instead lay eggs, between 5 to 10 at a time, and the maturity rate of these eggs is about two to three months. However, she must be fertilised before she can do anything. A female Xai is capable of producing eggs indefinitely. These eggs are stored either in a purpose-built nusery in their homecity, or in a room designated for such a task at their private residence. These eggs are filled with a glowing blue liquid, and are protecting by a practically indestructible transparent embryonic sack. Male Xai can choose what sex they want their child to be, and their wives can control whether or not they even get pregnant. Human rights activists have stated that the Xai are not human for this reason, though the xai have not responded to these statements.

Language
The Xai speak American English, refined to a point where it is considered "accentless", similar to the Michigan accent, which residents there believe too be "General American English", the standard to which all other American dialects are measured. The Xai do speak one more langauge, Xin, which is impossible to decode or even research, as the Xai possess a number of internal organs which allow only them to speak it. Xin is often compared to a number of shrieks and roars (depending on sex), which tend to alienate the Xai further from the human family. Often when a Xai is mad or wounded, they tend to make such a beastial roar or cry, which usually frightens assilants or onlookers.

Religion
See also: Xai Alithian Church

The Xai are staunch Christians, desendent of a devout group of people led from slavery by a former bishop. Alithism is the state religion of the Xai people, and the guiding force of their actions, beliefs, and behavior. The religion is regulated by the Xai Alithian Church, with all 17.7 million Xai as its adherents. The Xai despise other Christians with the exception of a few, citing the failure of Christians around the world to actually adhere to anything they read in the Bible, or interpret it in a manner that is used simply to reinforce their own selfish desires and goals. The Bible serves as the constitution of the Xai nation, making it the only other Christian nation to do so.

Racism
The Xai remained isolated from outside contact with the world since 1838, and have maintained a very distinct view of the world. The Xai possess genetic memory, and all of the memories of their ancestors are vividly remembered by the Xai today. Their suffering under the cruelty of slavery during the 1800s left a strong mark on the Xai people, resulting in them maintaining a strong hatred of Caucausians. The Xai refused to aid the victims of Superstorm Sandy, stating that they had not forgotten nor forgiven the crime perprated against their ancestors more than a century and a half ago. Critics stated that the Xai cannot remain angry over a matter that was resolved nearly fifteen years after their forefathers fled the American South.

Also, the Xai's belief that blacks are superior to all other races has been a subject of strong denouncement, both by groups of ethnic groups opposed to their views, as well as the lion's share of African-American groups across the United States. Black Americans have stated that the Xai's views are wrong, and that the Xai's views contridict all of the progress made during the 1960s, though the Xai have stated that these groups have adopted the way of their oppressors, and many Xai citizens have come to resent African-Americans for their supposed lack of back-bone, and williness to eat from the hand that beat them for so long.

Xai views of interracial marriage are those of digust and anger. The idea of a white man marrying a black woman is considered horrid, and Caucausian men who ask for a Xai woman's hand in marriage is a matter that is often meet by mobs of Xai family members hunting down the man, often at the behest of the woman. In short, the Xai openly and proudly state themselves to be superior (and rightly so) to humans, but plainly acknowledge their racist views. When critics state that they their views are wrong, the Xai tend to shoot them down by stating all of the reasons why they are superior, and though they have that right, they never bow to the pressure to end the racist bouts which end with them being blasted in the media.

Xenophobia
Also a major subject of debate is that race's strong xenophobic stances toward their neighbors. Though the Xai are frequent travellers of the world, and hundreds of thousands reside in nations across North America, the Xai do not welcome outsiders into their nation. When living abroad, the Xai are often friendly neighbors who maintain the appearence of wishing their fellow residents peace, often allowing them to come over and interact. However, they rarely speak of their homeland, and never speak of the happenings of their lives or those of others living there. Even asking of recents there is considered rude and almost taboo by the Xai, and will not be tolerated for long.

During the 1950s, the eastern portion of Oxida Nova was revealed, though the 20-story black glass wall and ionic barrier prevented American forces from entering it. The heavy defences of the city defeated all attempts to enter it by the Americans, and quickly made appearent the residents refusal to see outsiders. This is considered the first and greatest example of the Xai's xenophobia. They still to this day have not allowed foreigners into their home city, and often respond to threats to break into it with threats, often followed through, of their own. In 2002, the entire region was declared a quaritine zone by the United Nations.