Name: Temthans (singular: Temthan)
Also known as: Temthai, Thanatians, Thanti
Average Height: ???
Average Weight: ???
Basic Description: Temthans are a group of powerful, extremely varied semi-reptilian beings. Their common traits include reptilian jaws and tails, horns on their heads, a scaly hide and three claws and a thumb on every limb. All Temthans have two arms, two legs and a long tail.
There are several main subtypes of Temthan.
Standard Temthans are bipedal beings, akin to humanoid dinosaurs with less spikes on their bodies and more scales. Male Temthans will have feathers alongside their head horns, and a spike coming out of each knee. Female standard Temthans will have large breasts and sometimes have tentacle-like dreads for hair. Average heights vary between 1.7m and 2.9m.
Chaosar Temthans are massive brutes, easily weighing over a ton and covered in huge armour. They are forced to run on four legs, but their front limbs in particular are incredibly muscular, capable of felling trees. Chaosar are less intelligent than normal Temthans and tend to get used as transport and heavy lifters.
Cassian Temthans are skinny, slender Temthans. While they are particularly weak and lack the armour plating and horns of other Temthans, Cassians are insanely intelligent and make up the backbone of upper class Temthan society. The average height of a Cassian is about 2.4m.
Thraki Temthans are a dragon-like subtype, similar to wyverns of legend. Their arms have evolved into powerful wings, and their necks are longer than normal, with extra vertebrae. Many Thraki have rows of spikes running down their backs and a long talon on each hand with which they can grab onto things.
Temthai Temthans are a much smaller subtype of Temthan, lightly armoured and fast on their feet. They can be both bipeds and quadrupeds, and are best known for their shiny armour plating, which looks like it has delicate patterns carved into it.
Kshan Temthans are an outsider subtype of Temthan, being much more snake-like in appearance. Their scales are incredibly smooth and they have very few horns, aside from three to five horns on the top of their head. Apart from their smooth skin, they otherwise look similar to standard Temthans, except smaller.
Much like canines, any two Temthans can breed, no matter their subtype, further increasing their variety. The subtypes mentioned above can all interbreed, and there are many, many sub-subtypes and other hybrids.
Due to their weird and varied body shapes, clothes are optional in Temthan society. The most a Temthan will wear is a loincloth or scarf wrapped around one’s genitalia.
Abilities and Powers: The main ability of Temthans is their fast healing and enhanced senses of smell and hearing. They have acute tracking skills and even the most feral Temthan is capable of easily chasing down prey.
Temthans have the unique ability to be hyper-fertile, allowing them to breed with any other Temthan, as well as breed with other, closely related species.
A very small number of Temthans are capable of using magic, but the extent of this magic power is unknown.
Habitat: The Temthans originally evolved in jungle habitats but they have quickly spread to a huge number of environments. They mostly prefer warm, humid climates though, and slow down greatly in arctic environments.
Temthan architecture is reminiscent of humanoid Roman-Greek buildings, their main materials being limestone and marble. Glass is used sparsely, and many Temthan homes will either have no windows or seal them off with wooden doors.
Diet: Temthans are carnivores, requiring at minimum two meals a day. They will happily eat any source of protein, from freshly slaughtered animals to insects to rotten carcasses if they are desperate. The majority of metropolitan Temthans eat ‘loonja’, a variety of processed hams and meats made out of entire animals, mushed down, mixed with water and spices and pressed into various shapes. Cured meats are also popular among wealthier Temthans. Temthans in the outback will hunt their own game and either salt or smoke it to preserve it.
Breeding: Temthans are egg-laying beings. Females can lay up to 20 eggs at once. While feral Temthans will abandon their eggs as soon as they are laid, civilized Temthans will leave all their eggs in mass nurseries to be raised by dedicated female carers. Male Temthans have nothing to do with the raising of their young.
Couples are never permanent, and most Temthans will have upwards of twenty partners over the course of their lives.
Mating for reproduction purposes generally occurs during the coldest time of the year, so that a couple’s babies will have plenty to eat when they hatch.
Baby Temthans are called ‘Temthakia’. They grow incredibly quickly, reaching sexual maturity at the age of five. Temthans grow constantly throughout their lives, and even small Temthan subtypes can reach huge sizes should they live long enough.
The average lifespan of a Temthan varies wildly, but thanks to their genetics, laid back lifestyles and medical technologies, a standard Temthan can live upwards of 90 years. The larger the Temthan, the longer they tend to live.
Hierarchies: Temthan society is ruled by the Empress, who also acts as a spiritual leader for the Temthan religion of Kiniseos. The Empress will rule using both her large family and through their religion.
When an Empress is killed, an heir from the family will be chosen, and the highest ranked religious leader will take over until an heir is found.
Different subtypes are treated differently. Standard and Cassian Temthans have the most power in Temthan society, with Thraki and Kshan being considered unworthy outcasts, formerly being kept as slaves.
Technologies: While their technology looks primitive on the outside, the smarter members of Temthan society cleverly hide their technological feats behind a smokescreen of very basic materials. The higher levels of Temthan society have access to technologies such as short-range teleportation, magnetic hover-tech, almost instant interplanetary communications and vast medical technologies, specifically in the area of drugs and medication.
Society: To outsiders, Temthan society is seen as so open as to almost be lawless. And to a point, they are right. Outside of metropolitan areas, Temthan society has very few laws, and in some places, even murder is legal under the right circumstances. But despite this, Temthan society runs somewhat smoothly thanks to their religion of spreading love, food, sex and kindness.
Religion: Religion is a huge part of Temthan society. The Temthan religion of Kiniseos is a very loose religion surrounding the worship of love, sex, food and reproduction. Their main figure of worship is the Allbirther, the Goddess of Life and Love. The Temthans believe that life must be filled with goodness, and the only way to do that is to ‘live well, eat well and fuck well’.
As part of their worship, a Temthan must eat a full meal every day, saying a prayer beforehand.They must also ‘love themselves or someone else’ and have sex at least once a week. Many Temthans will regularly visit a temple and place offerings at shrines to the Allbirther.
Temthan temples, known as Klisia, are scattered throughout Temthan territories. These temples contain statues of the Allbirther and are run by members of the Kiniseos Klisia, holy beings called Raptesses (female) and Raptorans (male). A Raptess or Raptoran at every temple will provide blessings, advice and emotional support to those who come to them, and regularly organize religious events filled with alcohol, drugs and sex.
Once a year, when the days start to get longer once more, a massive celebration takes place, involving huge amounts of food and alcohol. This celebration lasts an entire week, with offerings given to the Allbirther every day, and during this time, no Temthan is allowed to harm another Temthan.
Economy: The Temthans are an incredibly rich society due to their easy access to valuable, precious gems and metals. Most of their territories are untouched, and their large supply of money comes from controlled mining of these resources, or renting small amounts of land to other races to mine and use. There is also a not insignificant market for botany, scientific research and medical studies, with Temthans once again renting land for studies and exploration.