The Telsavran are a carbon based, bi-pedal, oxygen breathing, race that inhabit worlds with a temperature range and similar to Humans. Like Humans, they use water as as a solvent, but nearly all organic matter from a Human biosphere is poisonous if ingested. Skin contact, with most plants and animals, does not cause a reaction. Humans cannot ingest any organic matter from Telsavran biospheres without serious, usually immediate, health consequences. Most Telsavran plants and animals are toxic when touched by Humans. Telsavran can live in a Human biosphere without issue, as long as they don't eat anything. Properly filtered water is also safe. Humans living in a Telsavran biosphere, cannot eat anything and must wear protective clothing to avoid contact with toxic plants and animals.

The Telsavran evolved from ambush predators on their home planet, Hejmondo. They've been a spacefaring race for over fifteen thousand years, establishing many interstellar colonies and building a large wormhole network. They are not, however, a unified race. Numerous factions and colonial unions compete for power, population and resources, sometimes warring against each other. Physically, they have two legs and two arms, about the same height as Humans with shorter legs and a longer torso. The torso and legs look somewhat like a large frog. The legs look too short for the body, but are strong. The arms are double jointed, and spindly, but very quick. Their skin shades of green, mostly dark. Their hands have two long fingers with an opposable thumb between them. The fingers and thumbs end with a claw. Their feet have three large toes. They have no true head, there's a rounded bump on shoulders, with a flexible, fan shaped, fleshy ear on each side. The eyes are on short stalks between the ears. Their mouth is a slit in the front of the shoulder bump, with the nostrils on top.

Telsavran reproduce sexually, but do not have sexual intercourse. All six sexes can bear children. Each sex can reproduce with any of the other five. (for Human convenience, the sexes are labelled A,B,C,D,E and F. The Telsavran have many languages and hundreds of names for the sexes, none of which have a direct translation in any non-Telsavran language) Reproduction is accomplished with the exchange of gene packs. Telsavran have a small slit in the middle of their lower abdomen where a pea sized gene sack will grow. This can be manually removed and given to another Telsavran who inserts it into her gene sack opening. Inside the two gene sacks merge and form an egg which is extruded in about two months. About two months later a small Telsavran (typical weight is two to three kilos) will emerge from the egg, and can walk within minutes. Traditionally, the parents lead the young to hunt grubs and insects, hunting larger prey as they get older. Growth rate and maturity are heavily dependent on food supply. In areas where Telsavran barely survive, individuals will take over fifty years to reach adulthood. Where food is plentiful, this time is as little as twelve years.

Telsavran are obligate carnivores for the first few years of life, developing the abilty to digest ripe fruit around one quarter maturity. What the Telsavran call ripe, biologists call rotting. Many Telsavran fruit recipes involve combining various fruits, and letting them naturally "ripen" (rot). Heat is used to cook meat, but only about half of meat recipes involve cooking. Some fruit dishes are warmed.

Three thousand nine hundred years before the Imperial Era (2120 CE in the Earth calendar) a Telsavran criminal organization invaded Earth, enslaved most of the population, and took many Humans off world. During the three hundred year occupation, the Telsavran altered Human DNA and created the Duarga. A stronger more heavily built version of Humans, more suited to be slaves and warriors. Their great strength and endurance made them good warriors, which the Telsavran could use for war or entertainment in their gladiator blood sports.

Despite this sensitive history with Humans, Telsavran society is mostly peaceful. The criminal organization that invaded Earth was eventually brought to justice by a Telsavran military task force, with the help of some Humans who had escaped their enslavers. After Humans met the civilized people of Telsavran society, diplomatic relations were established and many joint projects were undertaken. Humans interstellar colonization of the stars used much technology borrowed and reverse engineered from the Telsavran.