Martols
Martols are tall gorilla-shaped people with reddish, stone-like scales. They have four eyes and their eight nostrils are on the ridge of scale plates that extend vertically up their faces. Their diets require large quantities of minerals to allow their scales to regrow when chipped off or damaged.
A martol can live for around eight-hundred years* and can enter a state of hibernation for decades at a time. This ability was integral to the Martol Expanse reaching to dozens of planets before the discovery of fold technology enabled faster-than-light travel. The Expanse currently covers roughly seventy planets in a loose confederacy wherein the planets largely govern themselves but are considered a united front on issues that span multiple worlds. Another dozen worlds are inhabited by martols that are independent from the Expanse.
When the Expanse finally encountered worlds that were already inhabited, they fought a war over the territory with the o’len until the peace treaties finally created the Interplanetary Alliance. Earth’s entry into this Alliance allowed the martols to assist the planet and fend off the Zan Empire’s invasion.
After zan, martols are the most common extraterrestrials on Earth, though they tend to prefer higher altitudes with dryer air when on the planet and often stick to mountainous areas for their own comfort while touring.
*Because the Martol Expanse extends across many planets, years are here measured in Earth years.