Aurelphins (A1-0)

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Aurelphins

Uplifted Dolphin Clade
Biological Classification
Designation	Sapient; Post-sapient
Classification	Cetacean Uplift Clade
Ancestral species	Earth Dolphins
Physical characteristics
Average height	Most species range from 1.7 to 9.5 meters, but smaller and larger ones also exist.
Skin colour	Depends on the individual's preferred aesthetics.
Eye colour	Depends on the individual's preferred aesthetics.
Hair colour	Depends on the individual's preferred aesthetics.
Breathe	A sizeable number of species breathe oxygen, but many breathe other gases.
Lifespan	Indefinite thanks to longevity augmentations and treatments.
Maturity	Varies by species.
Sexes	Depends on the individual's preference, but typical sexes include male, female and hermaphrodite.
Sociocultural characteristics
Place of origin	Sol System
Star nation	Confluence
Key worlds	Skiiws Bransenderg Goldoph
Marital customs	Monogamous and Polygamous, depending on the culture.

Aurelphins are a diverse clade of uplifted sapient dolphins originating from Earth and one of the major species groups of the Confluence. Aurelphins were originally uplifted in the Sol System during the 2200s CE as part of the earliest attempts in proactive evolution, thanks to their already advanced presapience. After some considerable difficulties due to their extremely different ways of thinking compared to baseline humans, the multiple species of uplifted aurelphins quickly became major players in undersea projects and later on space navigation thanks to their very good grasp of three-dimensional space, despite facing harsh times in the early interplanetary age due to absence of strong laws against more radical coercion of sentient animals.

Multiple species of aurelphins were part of the Sol System's colonization mission of the Trans-Kuiper Topological Defect, and were present in the extra-solar colony ever since its earliest days. After the natural wormhole closed and the colonists were left cut-off in the Lampshade Galaxy, aurelphins quickly rose to play an important role in the early re-establishment of what would then become New Sol, center of the re-developing Terragen civilization. In the current era, Aurelphins are one of the empire's oldest, most diversified and most relevant clades, having established multiple successful colonies and powerful polities. Despite being as diversified as any other clade in terms of societies and cultures, Aurelphins tend to be heavily interested in self-augmentation, and many have ascended to multiple classes of hyper-intelligence.