Fiction:Fordan Empire

Appearance
The Fordanta are carnivorous, bipedal reptilians noted for having four arms. The first pair of arms end in clawed, four-digit hands with opposable thumbs. The second pair end in long blades made from elongated nails. Their legs have two knee joints, one bending to the front, the other bent backwards. These allow the Fordanta to put more energy into their leaps and strides, making them far swifter than most of their cometition on Forda. The legs end in hooves, which become continually harder over the years until the point where a stray kick to the head can cause severe brain damage if not a cave-in of the skull and death. To add to this lethal array, the Fordanta have long, muscular tails that end in blades similar to those on their second pair of arms. These tail blades are used to prevent opponents from attacking the Fordanta from behind, as well as being used from time to time to attack targets in front, often to exploit a momentary weakness in the opponent's defence.

Skin
Fordantan skin is covered in hard scales which protrude slightly from the skin, allowing them to slide over each other when moving at high speeds. The scales are not notably strong, but are sufficient to protect the Fordanta from the native predators of their home planet (well, the ones that used to be there, they're all dead now). The scales exhibit chameleoline qualities (changing colour, I know they can't sneak yet but I'm working on it) that allow them to blend into the surroundings while hunting.

Diet
Simply put, the Fordanta are carnivorous. They possess multi-stage digestive systems similar to those found in bovines, except these systems allow them to digest everything from flesh to bone and nail. This does leave the Fordanta unable to eat plant matter though, and consuming too much will cause their stomachs to block, often resulting in death. The main food source of the Fordanta is a domesticated creature also native to Forda, often called a 'Talon beast.' An interesting feature of the Fordanta's digestive system is the ability to strip sections of DNA from the cells of creatures they have eaten. They are then able to (with dificulty) recode the DNA in their egg cells to incorporate superior genes from other creatures. Simply put, the Fordanta have become the strongest because they ate the strongest.

Weaponry (Natural)
The first weapons noted on the Fordanta's bodies are the large nail-blades that tip their second pair of arms. These blades are used to deliver powerful downward strikes that most organisms cannot react to quick enough to block. These blows are often used to end fights quickly by slicing through the spinal cord of the opponent. As mentioned before, a blade is found on the top of the Fordanta's tail, although this blade is surrounded by clusters of poison glands. These glands can synthesize two poisons; an acidic substance launched at the opponent for a quick attack, and a nerve toxin that is secreted over the tail spine. Naturally, the Fordanta are immune to both these poisons. The Fordanta also possess a ridge of spines along their spine (hehe), as well as some protruding from the back of the head. These weapons are used mostly for charging, where the Fordanta roll into a ball to attack.

Weaponry (Artificial)
Battlefield records and first-hand experience have shown the Fordanta using any weaponry available, from rocks to an obscure laser-rifle design taken from a hostile alien race. As such, it is difficult to list every weapon the Fordanta use, although they tend to favour close-range weaponry.

Vehicles
The Fordanta were origionally reluctant to produce vehicles, seeing the use of a machine to fight as cowardly. They eventually had to adopt this practice once their homeworld Forda was invaded by the Grox. Most of the Fordanta's early vehicle technology came from a Grox ship that made the simple mistake of abducting a grown male Fordanta and expecting it to be docile. The Fordanta simply killed the crew and proceeded to crash the ship into a mountain. Later advances in tech have come from other races that have been conquered, or from tributes from fledgling empires that seek the protection of the Fordanta. Some Fordanta have developed a love of air and space vehicles, and developed bladed craft often used as weapons in their own right, namely by ramming other ships. As of yet, the Fordanta are not space bound in their own right, instead using space transports from other races. A Fordantan design house is planning something called a 'Bladewing,' but all details as to what exactly this is are strictly forbidden from leaving the factory.