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Description
Dojos are a race of hexapoadal entities who have the unique disposition of having evolved on the surface of a moon of a pyloid, a planet without a star. When their mother planet, Fio (about three times Jupiter's size), was cast from its original solar system, it carried many of its moons with it. One of these moons, Sassu, would be the home of the dojo race. Sassu is a roughly earth-sized moon with a very thick atmosphere and higher surface gravity. Sassu is similar to Io in that it is subject to extreame volcanism due to Fio's gravitational influence. Several times in the early history of the moon, the surface was seemingly entirely melted, and as a result, remains radioactive to this day. Sassu probably would have suffered a similar fate to Venus of the Sol system, had Fio not become a pyloid. The volcanos, along with extensive radioactive decay, a thick insulating atmosphere, and a good amount of sodium in the crust, has kept Sassu warm enough to sustain a liquid ammonia thalassogen.
Life is diverse on Sassu as on all other multicellular biosperes. Vast plains of thermosynthetic mat-like growths blanket the terrain in many meters. Long-lived radiosythesizers dot the landscape. Beasts of varying phylems roam the moon. Due to the extreame volcanism, the moon is dotted with archipelagos, subcontinents, islands, and various other small land structures. Plate tectonics are faster-paced, and continents collide and separate within thousands of years.
Dojos are well suited to their natural enviornment. They move with legs sprawed about the sides, as an upright creature would not fare well against constant tremors and earthquakes. The back-ends of their bodies contain vibration sensors to alert them to serious quakes and predators. Reproductive organs are folded within three hevily muscled skin flaps at the very tip of their behinds. They are also sensitive to certain chemicals associated with volcanic activity, such as carbon monoxide. The dojo body consists of two parallel/horizontal spinal cords which connect at three main pelvic gurdles. They have no 'top' or 'bottom' symmetry, and a dojo may flip over on his/her other side and continue their travels without hinderence. The three pairs of legs are acually rearrangable. Elastic, telescoping tendons allow the legs to slide along the spinal midsection. The legs cannot strech more than half their length away from their respective gurdles. Mouths are located at the ends of each of their appendages. Dojos evolved from the equivilent of insectivores, their 'foot-jaws' are narrow enough, and their 'lip-pads' are dextrous enough to fish-out amoebiforms in deep cracks and crevaces. Dojos pocess a shaft-like lung system which has nothing to do with respiration. They absorb gases directly from the atmospere through speciized patches of skin along their gurdles. The 'lungs' were originally a bouancy system for thier swimming ancestors. It is now thier prime method of communication. The lungs attatch and fill a myriad system of small air-pockets within each of the three body cavities. The 'lungs' slide to each of these and inflate each system with air, and these in turn will exchange, pulse, deflate, combine, and deform with the concious mind of the dojo. Sine one of their primary senses is sonar, they easily 'see' through to these air-sacks and so communicate with an intricate display of internal body language. The dojo's other main sense is vision. Dojos see through the radio proportion of the spectrum. The sources of this radio are the surface of their own moon, and Fio. They detect this with three telescoping eyes on their heads. The head itself can spin indepentently of the body with a ball-socket joint. All dojos are born female. They become males at about midlife. The lay purse-like eggs which hatch into dependent young. Young with hitch rides with their mother's by clinging to her choacal reigon with specialized 'baby-teeth' on their first pair of mouths.
Today, dojos have teraformed many pyloids in serveral galaxies. There are many subspecies and species, including the space-adapted overseers. The individual in the illustration is a baseline expectant mother, carrying her egg in a artificial pouch now raised on her terciary gurdle to reveil her genitals. She is currently vacationing in a space hotel with a large view of her home pyloid system. Her only clothing includes a watch and glasses. She dances in a zero-g room accompanied by a transapient yohi.

Description
Dojos are a race of hexapoadal entities who have the unique disposition of having evolved on the surface of a moon of a pyloid, a planet without a star. When their mother planet, Fio (about three times Jupiter's size), was cast from its original solar system, it carried many of its moons with it. One of these moons, Sassu, would be the home of the dojo race. Sassu is a roughly earth-sized moon with a very thick atmosphere and higher surface gravity. Sassu is similar to Io in that it is subject to extreame volcanism due to Fio's gravitational influence. Several times in the early history of the moon, the surface was seemingly entirely melted, and as a result, remains radioactive to this day. Sassu probably would have suffered a similar fate to Venus of the Sol system, had Fio not become a pyloid. The volcanos, along with extensive radioactive decay, a thick insulating atmosphere, and a good amount of sodium in the crust, has kept Sassu warm enough to sustain a liquid ammonia thalassogen.
Life is diverse on Sassu as on all other multicellular biosperes. Vast plains of thermosynthetic mat-like growths blanket the terrain in many meters. Long-lived radiosythesizers dot the landscape. Beasts of varying phylems roam the moon. Due to the extreame volcanism, the moon is dotted with archipelagos, subcontinents, islands, and various other small land structures. Plate tectonics are faster-paced, and continents collide and separate within thousands of years.
Dojos are well suited to their natural enviornment. They move with legs sprawed about the sides, as an upright creature would not fare well against constant tremors and earthquakes. The back-ends of their bodies contain vibration sensors to alert them to serious quakes and predators. Reproductive organs are folded within three hevily muscled skin flaps at the very tip of their behinds. They are also sensitive to certain chemicals associated with volcanic activity, such as carbon monoxide. The dojo body consists of two parallel/horizontal spinal cords which connect at three main pelvic gurdles. They have no 'top' or 'bottom' symmetry, and a dojo may flip over on his/her other side and continue their travels without hinderence. The three pairs of legs are acually rearrangable. Elastic, telescoping tendons allow the legs to slide along the spinal midsection. The legs cannot strech more than half their length away from their respective gurdles. Mouths are located at the ends of each of their appendages. Dojos evolved from the equivilent of insectivores, their 'foot-jaws' are narrow enough, and their 'lip-pads' are dextrous enough to fish-out amoebiforms in deep cracks and crevaces. Dojos pocess a shaft-like lung system which has nothing to do with respiration. They absorb gases directly from the atmospere through speciized patches of skin along their gurdles. The 'lungs' were originally a bouancy system for thier swimming ancestors. It is now thier prime method of communication. The lungs attatch and fill a myriad system of small air-pockets within each of the three body cavities. The 'lungs' slide to each of these and inflate each system with air, and these in turn will exchange, pulse, deflate, combine, and deform with the concious mind of the dojo. Sine one of their primary senses is sonar, they easily 'see' through to these air-sacks and so communicate with an intricate display of internal body language. The dojo's other main sense is vision. Dojos see through the radio proportion of the spectrum. The sources of this radio are the surface of their own moon, and Fio. They detect this with three telescoping eyes on their heads. The head itself can spin indepentently of the body with a ball-socket joint. All dojos are born female. They become males at about midlife. The lay purse-like eggs which hatch into dependent young. Young with hitch rides with their mother's by clinging to her choacal reigon with specialized 'baby-teeth' on their first pair of mouths.
Today, dojos have teraformed many pyloids in serveral galaxies. There are many subspecies and species, including the space-adapted overseers. The individual in the illustration is a baseline expectant mother, carrying her egg in a artificial pouch now raised on her terciary gurdle to reveil her genitals. She is currently vacationing in a space hotel with a large view of her home pyloid system. Her only clothing includes a watch and glasses. She dances in a zero-g room accompanied by a transapient yohi.