Stratum 1 - The King

The first and highest Stratum had only one member - the king. These images show King Loreval the Magnificent, the uniter of the Nine Strata and the most legendary ruler of Thror. He was responsible for Thror’s Golden Age, but his glorious facade hid dark and terrible secrets. His multi-layered robes and ornate golden mask combined materials imported from different galaxies. His tomb was known as the most glamorous and exquisitely designed in all the known galaxies. This is the tomb that Carter and her friends will risk everything to uncover. Read Digging in the Stars to find out if they do!

Stratum 2 - The Nobility

Members of the Second Stratum, the Nobility, held most of the wealth and power of Thror in their webbed hands. The Vizier was always chosen from among the Second Stratum. Their impracticably long, ornate beaks, flowing robes, and floor-length, iridescent cerata were a mark of their privileged position and life of luxury and leisure. They were all ambitious, competitive, and dreamed of occupying the throne.

Stratum 3 - The Military

The third Stratum was occupied by the Military - the army of planet Thror. Their armor was designed to maintain the necessary level of moisture for long journeys on dry land, and was light and flexible enough for both running and swimming. Each of their sensitive cerata was enclosed in an individual sheath of pure Bjornium plates. Their scaly masks had short, sturdy, practical beaks. Their main weapons were poison darts and collapsible nets on long poles.

Stratum 4 - The Treasurers

The Treasurers were responsible for maintaining, calculating and increasing the wealth of the Nine Strata. They established trade relations with many other galaxies and were valued for their intellect, quick-wittedness and diplomatic abilities. One of the most famous Treasurers of ancient Thror, Vanadival, left behind extensive chronicles that are among our main sources of information about the Throrian Golden Age.

Stratum 5 - The Scientists

The Scientists created all the scents of Thror. That included personal scents, mood scents, formal scents for public speeches, and dark scents such as poisons and nose-clouders. Although they were among the Middle Strata their secret power was immense and they bore no fragrance of their own. As the Throrians say, “Silent of step and silent of scent, such is the way of the Scientists.” Always engaged in the process of creating and blending new scents, Scientists never traveled far from their lab without garlands of vials, sachets and portable burners. The nose plugs built into their work masks protected them from some of the more dangerous products of their trade.

Sea Slugs and Hairstyles

Now that I’ve shared some of the preparations for my journey, I believe it is time to reveal more about the civilization that I am actually exploring. I am planning a series of in-depth posts about the species that inhabit Planet Thror, their appearance, their cultures, food preferences, traditional costumes, art and languages.

Today’s transmission is all about the Stratinites, an ancient culture that inhabited Thror for centuries and left behind a wealth of mysterious subterranean chambers, beautiful art and some very dramatic historical records. But today we will not be talking about revolutions, brutal assassinations, and horribly disfigured corpses.

This post is about hair, or lack thereof. Instead of hair, the Stratinites had something similar to the cerata of Earthian sea slugs or the external gill rami and filaments of axolotls. The cerata of the Stratinites were just as vibrantly colored and sometimes phosphorescent and they could also absorb oxygen and nutrients from air and water.

As the Stratinites were much larger than our sea slugs (just taller than the average modern human), their cerata were far longer and more powerful and could operate on land as well as underwater.

Fragile and vulnerable, but also beautiful and surprisingly agile, Stratinite cerata were equally a source of vanity and anxiety. They could change color in moments of danger or strong emotion, much as a human face can grow pale or blush. As cerata are much thicker and more sensitive than human hair, Stratinites avoided sharp or constricting ornaments, preferring loose styles and light but bold details.
  

Much thought and effort was lavished on protecting one’s cerata. The Military (left) even wore specially designed armor - each ceras was individually plated with flexible tubes of impenetrable Bjornium metal. The Tunnellers (right) who worked in harsh conditions, digging tunnels and passageways in the planet’s frozen core protected their cerata from flying shards of rock and sub-zero temperatures with thick leather “head aprons.”

           

Some of the busier Stratinites, like Treasurers and Scientists, found innovative and practical uses for their muscular cerata. The cerata of the Treasurer below seem as delicate as those of the sea slug beside him, but they are dexterous enough to hold on to his most precious and secret keys at all times. He never has to let them out of his sight (or head).

 This Scientist has cleverly woven nose plugs into his front cerata, always ready to block out a poisonous or foul-smelling chemical. On Thror, it’s always best to prepared for a poisonous gas attack.

The length, color and condition of one’s cerata are also a mark of status. The higher up a Stratinite is and the less he is exposed to danger and hard manual labor, the more he can allow his cerata to grow long and flow freely. The Grand Vizier (below) takes great pride in the sophisticated blue-rose hue of his fine, floor-length cerata. They are almost translucent like those of this gorgeous sea slug beside him and every bit as decorative. Of course he can’t get far trailing those around after him.
          

Come back next week to find out more about Throrian fashions and the unconventional native materials they use. You never know when you may be summoned to a Grand Council meeting only to find that your ceremonial robes are all out of fashion.