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You spend some time past the village and living places of the Vetuck II aliens while getting a better look at them up close; and soaking in all the attention and awe they give your floating stride.
The <span class="mu-s">Vetuck II</span> aliens are a bipedal species of mammal-like creatures. They have two sexes, male and female. The Vetuck aliens <span class="mu-i">are a bit bigger and heavier</span> then most Jaaxtians- probably quite a bit stronger too, though Jaaxtians never devolved their innate strength from the days of swinging through trees. Still, these aliens would be a match for any of your people- only an Alpha male Jaaxtian could go toe to toe with one in a fight. You'd even guess one of these could give Agori a run for his money. The males and females have different horns; male horns are clearly for display purposes, where as the females are more subdued.
The Vetuck aliens are also <span class="mu-i">totally herbivorous</span>, which is surprising. Your computers predict that most alien races should be omnivorous- calories are needed to develop big brains. You aren't exactly sure where they get the energy from- perhaps a special mutation, gut flora, or some kind of special crop they use? Or do they just eat a LOT? The disadvantages of large size could also be mitigated somewhat by their nostrils- four in total.
The Vetuck aliens live in a patriarchal, conservative society. It's primary form of education is the church and religious teachings. They are a highly ordered and hierarchical society- which is a good starting point. Women, especially unmarried women, almost never leave the house unless called into church service, and it would be unthinkable for one to go into public without at least a head covering. On more formal religious festivals, veils or hoods are required instead. Perhaps this makes sense given their circumstances- an unwanted pregnancy or unsure parentage can't just be aborted and the long, slightly over a year long gestation period means women have to be tightly controlled. You can't judge- it's not really that different from how your people used to be.
Their primary economy is farming based, with small families of skilled craftsmen creating most of the goods. Ironsmithing is considered a very attractive and high-class labor. The aliens seem to employ a <span class="mu-i">palace economy</span>, with food and resources being centralized and redistributed according to need. More interestingly is that this isn't done by the ruling or warrior class- it's actually the priesthood.
The priests are especially interesting. These “men of the cloth” are about a standard deviation higher in intelligence then the average Vetucker. This is probably just due to better nutrition and access to education; the priests count on numbers higher then their fingers, perform math, scribble down a pseudo-language for keeping track of debts and payments, and perform some limited work as healers and midwives.