Species name: Thanatians
Full name: (Animalia-Exoteric) Saurid Thanatoforic Thanatians
Average dimensions: All varied
Description: The Thanatians are a varied race of warm-blooded, scaly reptilian beings, generally with an anthropomorphic stature. There are four loose subspecies of Thanatian, but all can interbreed with one another, creating rather blurred lines between them.
Standard Thanatians are bulky, heavily built beings with armour running down their backs.
Raptors are smaller, intelligent beings, still powerful but without the heavy armour, making them much more agile.
Kshan are shadowy, snake-like beings who excel at stalking and assassinating prey.
Thraki are much like wyverns, their arms have evolved into wings that allow them to fly.
Interbreeding means that even these traits are not restricted. Raptors have been seen with wings, Kshan have been seen with heavy armour and Thraki have been observed built like tanks.
Colouration: The majority of Thanatians have plain green, grey, black or brown scales and skin, but a Thanatian over time will have their pigment slowly change to match their environment.
Abilities: Thanatians of all types can heal extraordinarily quickly from almost any injury, up to the removal of limbs. If a severed limb is held close to where it once was, it is possible for the limb to reconnect. Thanatians also have excellent senses of smell and hearing, which makes up for their less than excellent eyesight. They have a resistance to poisons and magic. Raptors and Kshan have the ability to use small levels of magic, channeled through gems and other trinkets, with Raptors having stronger elemental magic and being more adapted to their elemental power, while Kshan can use their magic to loosely camouflage themselves. Thraki have the ability to fly, and can channel magic through trinkets and their voices. Non-Thraki winged Thanatians can’t always fly, but many use magic to aid them in flight when they can.
Temperament: Most standard Thanatians are aggressive, territorial beings who live in packs and often ward off all others, even their own kind. They have short fuses and prefer to eviscerate first and ask questions later. Raptors, Kshan and Thraki are calmer and more open to their fellow Thanatians, but are still aggressive when threatened, and can start feeling threatened incredibly easily.
Diet: All Thanatians are strict carnivores. Many are willing to scavenge for meat if none is available to hunt.
Life Cycle: Thanatians are egg-layers, laying up to 10 eggs in large nests, raised up above the ground and protected with blades and traps around the edges. Hatchlings remain within their nest for 6 months and will leave their parents at the age of 5, where they’ll either claim their own territory or join up with others. Females will often look after their children together while males go off hunting.
Culture: Being mostly solitary beings with incredibly varied looks, Thanatian culture is limited to smaller groups and form simple, tribal traditions. It is common for a newcomer to have to prove his or her strength or prove that they make use to a tribe.
Government: There is no true Thanatian government. The Thanatians only have two central bases of power – the Order of Two and the Army of the Sixteen. The Order of Two is made up of Mavri Thyra and Thymos, two Thanatians considered nigh immortal, and they deal with all external affairs. The Sixteen, also known as the Dekaexi, are the sixteen children born from Mavri Thyra and Thymos. After a brief coup in early 2017 PDW, the Thanatian population is now loosely ruled by the Dekaexi, who seek to remove the influence of other races and make the Thanatians powerful once more. The Order of Two is currently out of power and only acts as advisors to Thanatians not ruled by the Dekaexi.
Technology: The technology the Thanatians use is mostly borrowed or salvaged from other races. Although they lack the facilities to create their own tech, many Raptors and Kshan are capable of rebuilding and re-purposing old, unwanted scrap. Thraki prefer to use a combination of magic and steam-powered technology, while Raptors and Kshan use less magic and more digital wares.
Economy: Thanatians have no real economy, despite the fact that they live on a literal treasure trove of natural resources. Raptors and Kshan are occasionally hired as body guards, tour guides, mercenaries or labourers, in exchange for fuel batteries and scrapped technology. Almost all Thanatians hoard shiny gems and pieces of silver, tungsten, iron and gold ore, which are incredibly common on their homeworld, and these are used in trades with other races.