Star Gryphs, also known by many other nicknames such as Space Cats or Felinavians, are a relatively young & peaceful Wanderer empire hailing from planet Euphoria of the Cynid system in the Qwineb Galaxy.
Their origins are a bit of a mystery; nobody knows who they were before reaching for the stars, least of all the Star Gryphs themselves. They just kind of showed up on the galactic radar one day, about a couple hundred years or so ago, seemingly with a case of planet-wide mass amnesia, any & all historical records wiped. Still, with help from neighbouring empires, they adapted quickly to their existence, & are now looking for clues on Euphoria & beyond to piece together their past.
Many Star Gryph captains wear Arm Packs- a retractable & expandable robotic claw attached to a harness- to aid them in their missions.
Despite their feline-like appearance, Star Gryphs are actually more bird-like in biology; sporting wings, hollow bones, a ridged silver beak with a narrow tongue, no teeth, & covered entirely in feathers. All Star Gryphs' feathers are coloured in varying shades of purple-to-blue, with a bioluminescent bulb at the end of their tail. This tail-end can glow in just about any colour, though most commonly blue. Some individuals may have stripes that are a slightly darker shade than their main coat, or a lighter underside; though some individuals do not have such body patterns & are simply blank.
They are an asexually-reproducing hermaphrodite species; thus locally having no real concept of gender, sexuality, or romance; heavily leaning towards what humans would define as aromanticism & asexuality, with a feminine presentation. Though with increasing interactions with other empires who do apply these ideas, many Star Gryphs have begun to experiment with their own identities, too, as a result- finding the concepts to be quite fascinating & interesting to explore!
Their culture places heavy emphasis on the exploration & appreciation of the unknown. So, to encourage younger gryphs to be curious about language, sound, & their own identities, hatchlings are born nameless, simply going by "Hatchling, Sibling, Sister, Cousin, etc," or an identification number, until they are old enough to speak fluently & thus expected to choose their own name. (Of course, kids being kids, many gryphs change their names years afterwards. Identity is a very fluid concept, changing your name isn't a big deal.)
Star Gryph names typically, though not mandatorily, follow a format of:
"Any physical or emotional characteristic they like about themself, or want to hold themself to the standard of" + "Any inoffensive nonsense sound to distinguish the name further". As an example, Fluffy's full name is Flufforia. Fluff, a physical characteristic, + Oria. Fluff-oria. Flufforia. Other name examples can include: Valanteta, Beakaty, Heartarlo, Talleor, Careasha, etc.
While they do have families, Star Gryphs do not typically have family surnames. Last names are treated more like nicknames or titles, having to be given to you by someone else; then it is up to you to decide if you wish to keep that last name. As an example, Valanteta's full name is Valanteta Whisperchirp, given to her by a loved one for her soft voice; though she also used to go by Valanteta Worldsaver.