Agora is a small planetoid with little plant or animal life.  There is no technology or electronics that humans would recognize so Agora does not at first appear to be a very exciting place to visit.  But, Agora is a land of golden soil and sky.  It is a gentle, peaceful land that is very sparsely inhabited.  Those who live here look very much like their planetoid with coloring similar to their rock formations.

Agorans are one race with golden skin, bipedal, with large, round and dark eyes.  Their eyes are their most distinguishing feature.  The people are able to blend in so much with their surroundings that they are not discernible from any distance.  Even their homes, which are built from the surrounding rock, blend into the surroundings so that at first it appears there is nothing but rock, but there is much more.

Beings on Agora are small, about 4-5 feet tall, very thin with long skinny arms and legs.  They are hairless with large ears and very round eyes.  They have three fingers and an opposing thumb on both hands.  They are extremely agile, have a keen sense of balance and a strong sense of smell which alerts them to danger.  They have almost no natural predators on their world but storm winds and occasional falling rocks do cause accidental deaths.  Females control the release of their ovum as a form of natural birth control.  Because resources on Agora are limited, new births must be approved so that over population does not become an issue and a drain on their world.

Sound carries great distances in the thin atmosphere of Agora and sound is the most important element to them.  Like whales, they can communicate over many miles using sound and tapping out messages on the rocks.  They celebrate using sound and the complexity of their use of sound is extreme.  It goes beyond language or even telepathy.  They even use certain sounds as words.  These sounds represent particular words like un-huh represents agreement.  Agorans may use a single sound to represent an entire sentence.  They also use sound to mold rocks into individual huts, cooking pots and other needed items.

They are an extremely communal society rising together each day, relating the events of the day and retiring together.  They share everything – food, clothing, and their day-to-day lives.  Being a very uncomplicated culture, Agorans tend to celebrate everything – even finding a new plant.  They especially celebrate each day, their planetoid and their God. 

Agorans do not have a religion per se.  You might say that their religion is sound.  Their primary diversity is through sound.  They express their own uniqueness as well as the cohesiveness of the group through the songs they create for each individual, each day and each event.  They do not have many specific customs or laws that all must follow.  For them, each day presents its needs and they follow the messages provided to live in Oneness.  Their belief in an after life is based on a triune approach.  The sun, water and rock or mineral are their three gods as these three maintain the balance of their world.  When an Agoran dies and crosses to the other side, living relatives stay in contact with them and have many nights of communion and sharing with the rest of the group what their deceased loved ones have relayed to them.  Most of these messages are about a possible storm, a new mating to take place, or how to take better care of Agora.

Next month:  A water world