Creepy, but they grow on you!Name: Lambda. Named by a human scientist after the symbol of the revolution.
Sex: Male
Age: 200-ish. Around 20 for humans.
Species: Vortigaunt
Physical:The Vortigaunts are a humanoid species with two main arms and two legs. They have thick, leathery, green-brown skin that turns, green, grey and wrinkles with age. They have sharp teeth and a limited lower jaw, which causes the teeth to protrude and move as they speak. Their head is positioned lower than ours and sticks forward, giving them a slight hunched posture. Their head is dominated by one huge eye with multiple eye openings or eyelids, which allow them to see a full 180 degrees. That eye is red and has a large yellow-orange pupil in the middle. There are three smaller pupils centered at other eye openings. They also have two ear-like structures on the sides of their heads that can swivel a small amount, allowing them to pinpoint noises more carefully.
Their hands have two fingers and one thumb, and all clawed. They are rather large, too, allowing them to grip things much bigger than we can. Their legs have an extra joint with lets them cope with their odd hunched posture. They have one large toe-like bone, with two smaller, similar bones on the back. This gives them quite the deadly kick, but does not allow them to move their feet in a way that requires toes. No Vortigaunt ballerinas, I'm afraid. Vorts also have four nipples and a navel, which suggests they reproduce in a similar fashion to us. This cannot be proved, though, as no one wants to get into those details.
The Vortigaunts have very little defining characteristics between individuals. To anyone besides another Vort, they are identical. The only way to recognize one from another is by looking for age markers: green or grey skin, wrinkles, a very raspy voice--although all their voices are a little raspy--scars, or getting them to wear clothes. However, they do not see the point in clothes, as they never invented their own, and are rarely persuaded to wear them.
Intelligence and Culture: Vortigaunts are just as intelligent and social as us. They choose to work in groups, and are nearly always in pairs. However, this need has been strangled, as they were enslaved by another being for thousands of years, and have only recently broken away. This slavery has formed the backbone of their culture.
Vortigaunts have a unique form of communication, which roughly translates to "flux shifting." It involves speaking with one or more individuals, all at the same time, while vocalizing and using an organ called the "Vortal input." This organ seems to make some type of sound that can be heard over very long distances. In the games, one Vort shouted two "words" while flux shifting, which was heard by a group of Vorts over two miles away. Those two words also told them everything about their situation, so it must have been very descriptive. According to one Vort from the game, flux shifting cannot be understood by those without a "Vortal input." So basically, only Vorts can understand flux shifting.
Vorts tend to add "the" when referring to individuals. When addressing to the main character (Gordon Freeman), they have called him many things; "the Freeman," "the Free Man," and even "the One Free Man." This suggests their own language requires adding "the" to the beginning of names--like German.
The Vorts believe in a binding force, which many scientists speculate is similar to string theory, that they call the Vortessence. Due to the use of this force, they have developed a sort of "hive mind" telepathy. They believe the Vortessence is the very fabric of the universe, made by "vortal cords" of which everything is "woven" (they refer to the Vortessence like it is a cloth). This allows them to use their energy powers, like controlling electricity, powering up a battery, or even astral projecting.
It is hinted that death is not permanent for Vortigaunts. They may have the ability to reincarnate into another body. One very old Vort is quoted as saying, "What seems like a sacrifice to you is merely, to us, an oscillation. We do not fear the intervals of darkness." This, however, can be a strong belief in reincarnation, like Buddhism or Hinduism for us humans. Whatever the reason, this has had a major impact on their culture. They see eachother as merely husks for the same large being; they have little individualism, and instead think of the group before themselves.
Diet: Vorts have a similar diet to humans. Theirs consists mainly of calories and protein; aka, lots of meat and grains. However, they also eat vegetables. While eating, they use their third arm to bring the food to their oddly placed mouth.
Abilities: Manipulating and creating energy. Lambda's main attack is a green bolt of lightning that strikes an opponent, drains some of their energy, and returns to him for a short boost of energy. He can also charge batteries, turn lights on and off, and astral project.
Appearance: See species description.
Personality: To be RP'ed.
History: While the main force of the Vortigaunts invaded (this version of) Earth, and then were freed from their slavery, Lambda stayed on their homeworld Xen. After their slave master was killed, he and a small group of other Vorts flew back to their home world in an attempt to rebuild. He found an abandoned antlion farm with most of the herd living wild. He spruced the building up and domesticated the nearest nest, and stayed there for thirty years. Then a rumor came, that the forces of their old slave master were attacking again. Lambda found a ship and put a few of his antlions on and ran away to the stars. He flew through a tear in the worlds and ended up first in our world, then in New Haven's. He crashed into a building and broke all three arms, fractured his back, and cracked his left toe bone. Two months later, he woke up in the temporary hospital tent, lucky to be alive. All of Lambda's Antlions were killed on impact and subsequently eaten. (Hey, free meat!) He was put to work in the hospital, both so the staff could keep an eye on his injuries, and because his subtle sense of the energies inside a person made for some good medical diagnosis. (Ex: internal bleeding. Hard to see on the outside, but he can feel the increased heat, the flow of blood where it's not supposed to be, etc.)
Other: He
loves Asian food.