A Report on the Novel races of Aion
Hello again,
This post will take an in-depth look at the main, non-human races found on the world of Aion. You will have seen pictures of these races already, but in this post they will be accompanied by detailed descriptions.
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The Singing Folk (Aiodosapiens pseudaves)
This race is descended from Troodontid paravian Dinosaurs, evidently having arisen from them in Equatorial Aion millions of years ago. The sexes are generally similar in size and shape, with individuals commonly reaching 4 feet tall and weighing up to 40 kilograms. Having opposable thumbs and a hallux on the hind foot that opposes digit 3 and 4, the retractable second toe is reduced in function but still used for gripping. These dinosaur-folk can move by running on the ground, but are most adept at climbing, building their dwellings high in trees. Fecundity is somewhat lower than in the ancestral form, a female may lay up to 3 large eggs, out of which the smallest chick often is out-competed by the others and dies. Parental care is similar to that of many birds, and lasts until the chicks are half grown. Their language is unusual, during their evolution they have developed an advanced syrinx resembling that of a songbird. Thus, they have a musical language that resembles the singing of birds, but somewhat more ordered and interspersed with pauses and rapid-fire repetition. Despite outwardly sounding like birdsong, it is equally nuanced and advanced compared to human language. Found in forested areas from the temperate-zone to the tropics, their settlements are spread across the Quant-occident, Pan-patria, Trans-orient and the northern reaches of Trans-australis. Communities consist of large villages of tree-houses and hanging-dwellings, suited variously for small families, pairs or singletons. A single large village may contain up to 400 dwellings, although this species is monogamous and tends to mate for life. Each dwelling is crafted from planks of wood as well as woven cane, rope and thatch, with ones in the temperate zone having ample insulation consisting of thatch and down inside the walls. Their diet is diverse but with a preference for small vertebrates and insects, berries and nuts are commonly eaten but vegetables are mostly avoided, food is eaten raw but sometimes ground or processed.. Hunting parties commonly disperse into the forest in order to bring back woven baskets full of insects, lizards, rodents, as well as fish and mid-sized vertebrates killed with spears. Hunting weapons are mostly spears and knives made out of wood or bamboo, tipped with sharpened bamboo or bone, grinding-stones are used to process some foods into a more palatable state. They have a mastery of fire but usually only use it for lighting at night, warmth, for war or to burn vegetation in order to aid hunting. Clothing is limited to slips made of woven plant fibres or skins, and ornate head-dresses, worn purely for status or fashion, in times of war armour may be made out of wooden slats. Offensive weapons include honed wooden swords, bone-knives, and bamboo-spears. In war as opposed to hunting, weapons may be tipped with deadly poison. Another form of chemical warfare that is also used to repel large or dangerous animals is the pepper bomb, a bundle of woven leaves filled with a burning chemical slurry made from various noxious plants, which is thrown directly at the opponent. Their art-forms include painting of the face with ochre or other pigments, temporary dyeing of the feathers, as well as painting and engraving wood with complicated designs that often include symbolic, animal and botanical motifs. Music mainly consists of singing in various formats, some of which is unparalleled in richness and melody upon Aion, instruments mostly consist of percussion such as skin-drums and rhythm sticks. Relations with other races are generally strained, the Ape-folk in particular as well as humans are regarded with suspicion, but trade with humans does sometimes occur. Good relations are maintained with the flying-folk and there is regular trade of goods and information. They have a paganistic religion in which they revere their familial line and worship the forest itself as a mother and provider.
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The Forest People (Ape-Folk) (Logopithecus sapiens)
The Forest-people are relatively close-kin to man, a type of Hominid-ape resembling a partway between Bonobo and Gorilla. Though they are apes in every respect, their level of technology, language and civilisation resembles that of some groups of human. Reaching 4 feet 10 inches tall standing upright, with males are much heavier than females, typically up to 95 kilograms, females will weigh no more than 75 kilograms. They are able to move either by knuckle-walking or bipedally, moving on all fours does not inhibit them at all from using tools or weapons, and they can run quite fast. Language resembles a partway between human language and ape-calls, with various distinct words, but is considered just as complex and nuanced as any human language, they can also learn human languages fairly well. Their society consists of small villages mostly within the forested eastern-tropics of Pan-patria, up to the border of the Quant-occident. Each village is ruled by an Alpha male who may take as many as 3 wives, subordinate males are discouraged by intimidation from having children but it is not uncommon. Young are usually born one at a time, and females ovulate less often than humans. Each house is a large, room-less hut-like structure with mud-walls and either a thatched or woven-cane roof, fire may be used during building to bake and fortify the walls. Generally forest-dwellers, each village is established first by clearing the area of vegetation. Their diet is omnivorous with a preference for fruit, nuts, vegetables and nutritious soft growth such as palm hearts, but groups of males will often hunt in order to bright back meat to be shared. Food is cooked over a fire and sometimes marinated in plant juices or wrapped in fragrant leaves, but there is not much in the way of culinary arts. Use of fire in a non utilitarian way, such as in fighting or war, is taboo. Although proper use of crops in the human sense is not done, food plants are encouraged to grow in abundance in and around the village, and may be planted sporadically in a mixed pattern. Fighting is mainly done using fists and brute force, when fights or war does break out, but pointed wooden spears and and blades made from sharpened bone are commonly used in hunting. Butchering is done with knapped stone knives, but stone is also worked in order to make heavy ceremonial weapons that are rarely used, such as ornate clubs or war-axes. Stone hammers and grinding-stones are frequently used to process their food for consumption, and to make ochre-paint which they wear during ceremonies. A culture of visual art is relatively crude, with attractive woven items made of cane, leaves and sticks, as well as small wooden or stone charms, or adornments sometimes worn by high-tanking individuals. Their political relations with local groups of human is favorable, regarding them as kin, but races from further afield are regarded with suspicion and fear.
The Dinomachia (Demosaura despotus)
The Dinomachia are the dominant race upon Aion, with relatively advanced technology and culture, resembling the human middle-ages generally, but differing in specifics. Their settlements dot every continent, and may consist of thousands of dwellings in some cities, buildings are usually made with walls of masonry or brick, and wooden roofing. The ruling class live in large fortified dwellings functionally resembling castles, but differing in artifice and architecture by some degree. Weapon making is considered an artisan skill, blades and spear-tips are usually smithed out of iron or steel, and are often very strong and sharp, typified by blades resembling broadswords, claymores and daggers, as well as flails, maces, pikes and spears. Projectiles generally consist of fine, javelin-like spears that can be thrown a considerable distance, archery is unknown. Both sexes are similar in stature, about 5 feet, but males are more muscular and can weigh up to 82 kilograms. Fecundity is low for a dinosaur but breeding is relatively frequent, the female will generally lay 1 large egg per clutch, but twins are not uncommon, on a good year 2 clutches may be laid. Their language is complex, and consists of many sounds strung together into well-formed sentences, but to humans they may sound variously like clucks, coos, whistles, grunts, chirrs and thrumming sounds. Descended from a kind of small marginocephalian Dinosaur, they are omnivores with a diverse diet, and though they sometimes hunt for sport, they mainly tend various crops and and livestock. Domestic animals kept by them for food are mainly other kinds of herbivorous dinosaurs such as Camptosaurus and Protoceratops, as well as dino-birds like Caudipteryx. Dinosaurs are usually kept for meat and eggs, but Camptosaurus and sometimes other fair-sized species are frequently trained as mounts for war, transport and recreation. Small inoffensive theropods such as Ornitholestes and Compsognathus are often kept and trained as companions and to control vermin. Various grain and vegetable crops are maintained in large well-watered fields, carrot, daikon radish, cherry tomato, melon, berries, greens, gingko nuts, walnuts and ginger as well as corn and cassava in order to make flour. In addition to weapons, tools and utensils made of metal, there are various large tools used in masonry and earth-moving which are generally made of iron. Clothing and adornment is unusually varied and advanced, utilitarian and ceremonial clothing is common and somewhat resembles those of humans apart from the differences in body-shape, plated or leather armour may be worn in times of war or occasionally for sports such as duelling. Artistic endeavours and artifice include the weaving and dyeing of textiles, leather-work, metalwork, sculpture, masonry, ceramics and painting, particular emphasis is put upon the embellishments of building stonework, and on something resembling heraldry. Metalworking to produce jewellery is generally undeveloped as is any idea of cutting gems, but gems are commonly collected, polished and traded as items of beauty. Music consists of a form of choral singing, some tuneful kinds of poem, as well as percussion and string instruments, though they do not resemble human ones. Mastery of fire is widespread and essential to their technology, in particular for cooking, warmth, lighting and for producing and working metal. As their food is often cooked, their culinary skills are considered un-surpassed on Aion, with different methods of cooking, as well as marinades, curries, chutneys, seasoning and spices. Smoked and aged meat, pickling and conserving of vegetables and fruits is also very common as well as corn or cassava-flour bread.. The Dinomachia's expansion has put itself at odds generally with other races, and wars have occurred for that reason, humans remain one of the few races with which the Dinomachy have favorable relations and trade.
The Hardbacks (Sapiosuchus barbarica)
The Hardbacks are descended from Poposarid Rauisuchians which must have colonised Aion millions of years ago, as is evidenced by related fauna. Males are larger than females, typically reaching 5 feet 9 inches tall and as much as 80 kilograms, females tending to be about a third smaller. Fecundity is higher than in other races but lower than its ancestors, a single clutch of eggs may consist of up to 10 babies, which remain in a creche with many others until they are one-third grown. The creche is regarded as one of the harder parts of their lives, as competition is fierce, and many individuals may starve or even turn on each-other. These barbaric, carnivorous people are found within the tropics of Champsopia, and also scattered across Teiteioa and Trans-Australis. They are thought to have had some proficiency at migrating by boat in the past. Their society consists of villages which numbering up to 100 dwellings, which are usually underground or dug into the side of a hill or rocky-outcrop. Each dwelling consists of numerous rooms tunnelled into stone or earth, lined with caulk or pitch, usually holes are drilled into the ceilings leading to the outside, for ventilation. They are inherently a hunting-people, and their diet consists of various fauna, mainly vertebrates, be they hunted or foraged from the ground, of various sizes. A hunting band of Hardbacks with sufficient weapons is able to fell a large mammal or a mid-sized dinosaur with ease. Weaponry consists of knives, swords, spears and hand-axes, which are made by pommelling a tip or blade of knapped stone, sharpened bone or the tooth of a large carnivore, projectiles are generally crude. Earth-moving tools are generally large and held with 2 hands, tipped with blades, spades or hammerheads worked from harder stone. The culture of hunting places a societal onus on bravery and felling dangerous prey, ceremonial weapons and adornments may be made from the skulls, jaws, claws or tusks of various dangerous fauna, as trophies. Artistic culture mostly consists of petroglyphs and ochre-paintings of animals, made on the walls of their dwellings, and in ceremonial buildings, singing and music is mostly absent apart from crude percussive instruments. Their language mostly consists of series of guttural growls, quacks, rumbles and chirps, moderated in length, intensity and volume to form relatively complex sentences. Their religion is mainly a pagan sort of ancestor-worship, with emphasis on great deeds of bravery, and a reverence for nature and the hunt, this also involves a form of epic-storytelling which may be passed down for many generations. Hardbacks are generally xenophobic, and tend not to trade with other races, but also tend to avoid conflict unless absolutely necessary.
The Flying Folk (Demovolans commercium)
This race of intelligent, hand-walking Pterosaur can be found along most of the temperate, arid and tropical coasts of Aion's continents, and commutes between settlements are extremely frequent. The sexes are generally similar in size, but the male possesses brighter colouring on the neck and head, they typically stand 4 feet 5 inches tall with a wingspan up to 5.5 meters. Fecundity is low, as females may re-locate themselves while they are gestating the egg, which is laid singly and cared for actively. These people are partly nomadic, hunting mainly by catching fish and other small animals, although they usually hunt along waterways and coasts they can also hunt in open country. Their language consists of long-running sentences made up of chirps, short squawks, whistling throaty chirring and a lot of bill-clacking, the language itself is very nuanced and utilitarian, being less superfluous than human languages. Most other races of Aion have a fairly good handle on understanding the Flying Folk language, for the purposes of trading with them. As they are fully flighted, and must walk on their wing-hands, almost all manipulation is done via the gripping feet. Hunting weapons usually consist of wooden or bamboo spears light enough to fly with, tipped with sharpened bone or knapped stone, all weapons are wielded with the feet. Clothing mainly consists of slings and bags used to carry supplies or other objects during flight, and there is no modesty or desire to protect the skin. Besides knapping stone, carving bone or wood, and weaving from cane or reed fibres, technology is mainly absent. They dwell within waterside villages that may vary in size, each dwelling is usually a wooden hut made from sticks and cane, resting upon high stilts, in the branches of a tree, or on a high rock. Artistic endeavors mainly consist of painting wood, hides and themselves with various abstract designs, many of which have great symbolism and serve various purposes. Music consists mainly of percussive wooden instruments and a kind of ceremonial singing that sounds discordant and unusual to human ears, staccato waves of bill-clacking, whistling and screeching set to a repetitive tune. Material culture apart from clothing consists of woven baskets and other containers, as well as rope and knots for utilitarian purposes. Offensive weapons usually consist of knives, swords and daggers made from bone or bamboo, high ranking males may carry a pommelled stone knife. Their diet mainly consist of small vertebrates, in particular fish, as well as aquatic invertebrates and lizards or rodents, all of which are prepared and eaten raw. Their diet is augmented by culinary traditions including ceviche-like marinades, spices and a form of preparation resembling sushi but without rice. Fire is only used as a weapon of war, and not needed for illumination at night (as their vision is exceptional). The Flying Folk have favourable relations with most races apart from the Dinomachia, and are masters of trade, commonly bringing new and unusual produce far afield to new buyers. Though they have no religion as such, they hold ceremonies and value symbolism for auspicious purposes to ensure luck and good fortune in travel, hunting and trading.
The Tusked Folk (Sapielephas cementarius)
These sapient elephants came to Aion some thousands of years ago, within the tropics of Pan-patria, through a portal that appears to lead back to a divergent timeline, in which elephants became the dominant species on earth instead of Hominids. Males and females are similar in size generally, reaching as much as 8 feet and 2 inches tall, and weighing up to 1.3 tons. As with most elephants, young are almost invariably born singly, though twins are not altogether unheard-of. Fine manipulation is achieved with the tip of the trunk, which works much like a hand, and heavy lifting is done with the whole trunk. These pachyderms have since established numerous settlements on Pan-patria, but seem to have moderated their aims for colonization due to resistance from other races. Exceedingly strong, but somewhat smaller than the elephants of our home timeline, they are proficient tool users that reached an advanced stone-age and stayed there. Their masonry skills, knapping and carving have shaped their society, weapons consist of wood-pommelled stone war-clubs, axes and maces, but tools made of exceedingly hard stone are also used to carve and split blocks of stone for building. Dwellings consist of flat-topped, stone-walled structures with wooden or thatched roofs to keep out the elements, the dwellings of rulers as well as temples of worship may be roofed with a combination of wood and shingle. Lacking mastery of ceramics, their containers are all made from woven plant-fibres or skins, though stone basins are also made for holding water. Material culture consists only of clothing worn for ornamental purposes, mainly various kinds of head-dress, as their thick hide negates the need for protective clothing. Interestingly among Aion-races, they have a mainly monotheistic system of beliefs centred around ancestor worship of an enormous mother-figure, perhaps this came about due to the typical matriarchal society that all elephants posses. Government consists of councils of high-ranking females, with males being nomads tending to migrate from settlement-to-settlement. Their language is fairly advanced, and consists of various trumpeting, tooting squealing and chirping syllables made through the trunk, in quick succession, growling and bellowing is only used for emphasis when emotions run high. Art consists of carvings and petroglyphs, but also of elaborate paintings upon stone surfaces using ochre, music is mainly made with percussion instruments such as woven drums and large marimba-like structures made of wood and stone, singing and vocals are minimal. Food and eating is mainly a utilitarian affair consisting of gathered grasses, grains, herbs, fruit and root-vegetables that are maintained as semi-wild crops in mixed orchards. Mastery of fire is absent, and fire itself is regarded with fear and suspicion, although they are amply able to extinguish fires for the sake of community safety. Relations with other races is generally strained, apart from trade with the Flying Folk, humans in particular are regarded with fear and suspicion.
The Star Children (Stellademosapiens rex)
The Star Children are near-legendary among the native-races of Aion, beings that came from space in huge ships thousands of years ago, and attempted to take-over the world. Numerous ruins of Star Child origin dot the landscape, but it is thought that their colonial efforts mainly failed. They have a few active research stations on the surface, and continually have a fleet of ships stationed in orbit, in order to maintain their presence on the world. It is thought that their government continues research into various aspects of the world, not least how the time-portals that so typify Aion, continue to function. Technology regarding the use and creation of portals eludes them, and this is a point of friction with the Chrononauts, who have harnessed this technology to their benefit. The anatomy of this alien-race is extremely unusual and little studied by others, but they are thought to be Carbon-based, with rather a few eccentricities and differences in biochemistry from earth-borne creatures. However, both they and their alien livestock that they once introduced here, are able to consume and gain nutriment from various earth-borne organisms and substances found on Aion. The sexes are not usually outwardly apparent, and reproductive anatomy is unstudied, though there appear to be 3 physical genders. This species may reach as much as 9 feet and 5 inches tall, with an arm-span of up to 20 feet, and a weight of as much as 150 kilograms. Their weaponry mostly consists of energy-fields and energy-projectiles that alter or disrupt the neurological signals in earth-borne-targets, it is thought that any weapons they use upon each-other, if they exist, must function differently. Their material-culture is little-studied, clothing consists of unusual synthetic fibres woven in iridescent patterns, worn mainly for ornamental or status purposes. Protection or insulation of their bodies against the weather is usually maintained by energy-fields produced by certain devices. Their language is relatively little known, but seems to consist of different waves and frequencies in addition to sound, produced in harmony, the modulation of which renders words, song and information. As to exactly what waves and frequencies these are, and how many, is not completely known, but they include infrasaound, unltrasound, electromagnetic and perhaps thermal radiation. Art and culture seem to exist, but may be a closely guarded secret, singing is particularly valued but textile and 2 dimensional art are probably equally advanced. Their technology is incompletely known, but most devices and other structures are made of alloy metals and hard plastic, some of which are quite novel. The electronic mechanisms, power and engineering by which their devices and ships function is relatively little-studied and inscrutable. Their dwellings and buildings found on Aion are mostly polygonal, windowless, flat bottomed structures fashioned of various extremely strong alloy-metals, as well as some exceedingly tough synthetic plastics and concretes. Tools apart from weapons seemingly include various machines that can produce energy fields used in place of protective clothing, conveyances such as flying ships, and repulsive/propulsive mechanical devices used to carry and deposit heavy loads.
The Chrononauts (Posthomo novis)
These advanced future-humans are their own genus and species, descended from certain groups of modern humans which greatly progressed their technology and society. This not only involved physical evolution as some 15 million years of society wore on, but they used eugenics and genetic-editing to perfect their species as much as they could. Small and slight in stature, and androgynous in appearance compared to humans, the sexes are not always outwardly apparent, an individual of either sex may reach 5 feet in height and 65 kilograms in weight. Their language somewhat resembles the human languages of today, being very complex and involving grammar, words and syntax, some pronunciations and sounds being totally unfamiliar. The specifics of their reproduction are thought to resemble other humans, but probably also tends to involve genetic-modification and cloning in many cases. Most aspects of their technology are unparalleled in their advancement, having gained the ability to traverse cosmic distances, and mastering the use of portals in order to travel in time, and eventually to reach Aion. They maintain several research stations in Pan-patria, Trans-orient and Trans-australis, where individuals may periodically return home via stabilised, mechanically-maintained portals. They also saw fit to introduce some kinds of animal life from their world into the wilds of Aion, partly as a conservation measure considering the fate of their own world. Their weaponry is relatively advanced compared to man, but still resembles ours in several respects. Projectile-weapons consists of guns and rifles that shoot a bullet-like pellet at extreme speeds, which is also energized, the energy and velocity of these slugs can be modified to stun, injure or kill. Metal knives and scalpels are used for utilitarian work alongside other tools, but not for combat. Numerous energy-based tools are used to cut or weld metal alloy and fortified plastic, as well as repulsive tools used to lift and move heavy objects or loads from place to place. These future-humans store most of their information on advanced computers which are able to communicate over vast distances, and even back to their home-world. Although initial plans involved colonisation of Aion, currently they are focused on studying the various aspects of this unusual world. Material culture has progressed past frivolity, adornments and clothing are mainly utilitarian or status-based, workers wear form-fitting clothes and shoes, and officers may wear jewellery or embellishments to denote their rank. Artistic culture thrives in their cities back home but is consumed on Aion for recreation, and is mostly unknown to outsiders. Although their diet is technically similar to ours, most food is brought from their homeland as raw materials and made into food using complicated mechanical preparators. Most native races of Aion regard these people with suspicion, fear and even prejudice, although they themselves try not to interact with other races unless they have to.
The Linguists (Apteropsitta loqus)
These flightless parrots have a level of intelligence on par with man, qualifying them as a sapient race. Hailing from the Earth some 15 millions of years in the future, these birds are in fact descendants of the humble budgerigar, run wild in great numbers. The coloration of their feathers is usually a light blue that may vary from greenish to greyish with a whitish underside, and scalloped darker stripes on the wings and body. They generally mate for life, but keep separate dwellings and may practise spousal infidelity. Generally 2 eggs are laid per clutch, but infant mortality may easily claim one or both chicks, although parental care is diligent and protracted. Adept at climbing as well as moving on the ground, these hen-sized birds usually make a dwelling by hollowing out a log or extending an opening inside a large tree, using their powerful beaks. Although lacking a true civilisation, their intelligence and culture centres around their linguistic skills and their knack for making improvised tools. Within a settlement, up to 20 birds may live in separate dwellings spaced out, far apart or closer together. Their social cohesion is fairly tight, and they have an advanced language of trills, clicks, warbles, squawks and other less-familiar noises, usually produced in quick succession. Although not accustomed to living among civilised races, they are able to learn the languages of other races well, including that of humans, for the purpose of trade or keeping good neighbours with them. They are able to make tools out of wood or bamboo such as probes, hooks and other utilitarian tools, as well as small weapons such as daggers or spears that may be used in war or subterfuge. As far as adornment or art is concerned they are limited to occasionally carving designs or novel objects from wood with their beaks, or wearing flowers, seed pods of the feathers of other birds tucked into their back or head feathers. Their most developed artistic practise is song, with long operas and epics, and even upbeat comic poems, produced in staccato vocals with the aid of percussion such as hollow logs and rythym-sticks. They mainly forage for food, but often stock caches or hoards of desired foods, nuts, seeds, fruit, larvae and soft plant matter are all consumed, as well as small animals. Food is always consumed raw and they have no mastery of fire apart from sometimes gathering food in the wake of fires such as carrion.
The Beast-men (Bestianthropus sus)
The Chrononauts came from a civilisation that had many advanced technologies, including cloning and transgenics. They maintained a subservient race which they would use for labour, and for the purpose of organ replacement, these were the Beast-men. These sub-human creatures are a genetically-modified mix of human and pig DNA, and their intelligence approaches the lower end of the modern-human spectrum. Similar in height to their masters, but much more heavyset, a male may reach 5.2 feet tall and weight as much as 90 kilograms. Fecundity is higher than in humans, twins or triplets are common, and child-bearing may occur multiple times in the mother's life, but she is restricted when nursing, by having only two breasts. Possessing a crude language of grunts and body-gestures, their social cohesion is centred around family groups where loyalty is mostly to brothers and sisters. Though they are able to fashion body coverings and loincloths out of skins and discarded fabric, they do not make textiles. Weapon technology is usually restricted to improvised clubs, and spears or knives made out of sharpened sticks, scrap-metal or bone. Originally brought to Aion as a workforce, some groups escaped and formed a system of loose tribes, maintaining a safe distance from the Chrononaut research stations. Food is mainly hunted or gathered from the surrounding countryside, including fruit, seeds, vegetables, fungus and the meat of different vertebrates such as rodents, birds and fish. Beast-men have some rudimentary use of fire for subsistence-living and may cook their meals. Relations with other races is generally one of fear and xenophobia, while they may also steal materials from them in order to make weapons or clothes.
So that is that, a detailed look at all the Aion-races that are not strictly human. I am planning on writing a second set of descriptions soon, for an upcoming post about the *human* races of Aion, that is modern humans, neanderthals, tailed folk, pygmies and the giants.
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