"As humans evolved from primates, these guys evolved from snails in their homeworld. They are basically a more vertical and tall snail-like race, shells and all.

​

Helicid culture is dominated by trade. They have a reputation as traders and merchants. Due to the Helicids not being physically adept, they tend not to be violent, and can even seem overly pacifistic and cowardly to other, more militant species. The helicid homeworld is remarkable for having done away with warfare as an institution of the state, as the helicids lack the romantic view of war found in the galaxy's more aggressive species. They think aggression is pointless and everything can be worked out in a profitable deal.

​

From wikipedia:

​

'Gastropods are capable of being either male or female, or hermaphrodites, and this makes their reproduction system unique amongst many other invertebrates. Hermaphroditic gastropods possess both the egg and sperm gametes which gives them the opportunity to self-fertilize.

Within the main clade Heterobranchia, the informal group Opisthobranchia are simultaneous hermaphrodites (they have both sets of reproductive organs within one individual at the same time).'

​

As a result, the idea of parenthood and families is different than that of most species where many Helicids start off as “single parents” before joining with others to start a family and if often seen as a sign of pride, choosing to have a child before you find a mate is seen as a sign of independence, both financial and social, showing you have gathered enough wealth to provide for your offspring on your own without the help of your family or a mate. This is seen as the beginning of the second stage, or adulthood in Helicid culture.

​

In Helicid culture, an individual passes through 3 stages in life. After childhood and mandatory universal education, they enter the “Intern” stage, which is spent often, but not always, with the family unit, where they learn about their family’s trade by working with them in “internships”, with a trade of their choice, freelancing or travelling salesmen (salesnails?), their instinct driving them to yearn for and seek out experience.

​

The “Merchant” stage begins when an individual feels ready to seek out or make their own fortune. This is generally where a helicid will start a business, have a child, and start to look for potential mates, preferably with children of their own as agreeing to be part of a big family again demonstrates wealth and financial security. During this stage they begin to save money to help their parents enter the 3rd stage of helicid life: the Retiree stage.

​

This is where their offspring, if they have amassed enough wealth during the merchant stage, return home for a ceremony where they buy their parents' business, be it a large company, a small convenience store or their fishing boat, allowing them to retire and spend the rest of their remaining life in comfort and leisure. This is a moment of great pride for any Helicid parent.

Helicid names are generally written with the family or surname first, like Korean names.

​

Most cities on the Helicid home planet, the garden world of Huldra, originated as settlements atop massive migratory trees where resources were widely available so there was little conflict over them. Rather, early Helicid merchants who braved the wilds and traveled to other “tree villages” were seen as heroes, often returning with traded goods and stories of other tribes, many characters and heroic figures in early Helicid mythology adhering to this archetype.

It’s also this entrepreneurial spirit that propelled them to space exploration. The promise of precious alien ore and materials to sell and trade with other species greatly accelerated the Helicid space age."