Hugh Mann

Rikuxautay

• WIP

• About

  Rikuxautay are a race of semi-humanoid extra-terrestrials native to Rehukeexapâ known to Earth as Kepler-452b, an exoplanet orbiting the star Kepler-452 in the Cygnus constellation. They are an interstellar spacefaring race that has successfully colonized several previously uninhabited planets/moons within their own planetary system and beyond.
  
  Their interstellar activities include research and resource gathering. Where life is found it is typically not interfered with, but often studied extensively.

• General Anatomy

  Rikuxautay are not a sexually dimorphic species, meaning there is no obvious or distinct difference between the sexes beyond reproductive organs.
  
  
  
  1. Head & Eyes // Temau & Oxâng
  ▫ Smooth, gently sloped skull
  ▫ Recessed nostrils
  ▫ Long, straight, typically upright ears
  ↪ Excellent hearing
  ▫ Four eyes; 1 primary pair and 1 secondary pair
  ↪ Primary eyes are tetrachromatic
  ↪ Secondary eyes are particularly sensitive to movement
  ↪ Excellent night vision
  
  2. Mouth // Xœring
  ▫ Black inner mouth
  ▫ Single row of slightly curved, sharp teeth and rear molars
  ▫ Fairly long, bifurcated tongue
  ↪ A part of the olfactory system, contributes to sense of smell
  
  3. Hair // Sosixu
  ▫ Resembles a horse mane
  ▫ Can be long, short, or non-existent
  ▫ Often white, cream, silver, or grey
  ▫ Silky in texture
  
  4. Body // Suyu
  ▫ Long in body, with spine arched slightly inward
  
  5. Fur // Zàhàng
  ▫ Most Rikuxautay have silky fur on their elbows, heels, and tails
  ▫ May be long or short
  
  6. Tail // Xoxutâ
  ▫ Average length typically allows the tip to brush the floor
  ▫ Often covered in fur
  ↪ Short and velvety at the base, progressing to long and silky at the tip
  
  7. Feet // Avasaa
  ▫ Four taloned toes, with one usable dew claw
  ▫ Flexible, light on their feet

• Notable Traits

  Chromatic skin The skin of rikuxautay is iridescent and covered with chromatophores, pigmented cells that they can control both consciously and unconsciously. This trait is used primarily for emotional communication and they are capable of producing complex patterns.

  Lyrebird The larynx alone is capable of producing a vast array of sounds, giving rikuxautay incredible mimicry skills.

  Aliemorph Rikuxautay, as well as a handful of evolutionary relatives, are capable of shapeshifting. To rikuxautay this is known as håhœ-xi, or borrowing form. They obtain a form, or morph, by obtaining sufficient genetic material of a target organism (blood and flesh being the best as far as yield) to incorporate into their own. They can only hold one morph at a time - to acquire a new one they must purge the previous borrowed morph. Håhœ-xi is imperfect, albeit most rikuxautay can manage to hold a convincing morph and this ability can be used to help them adapt to alien environments to some degree.

• Society

  Rikuxautay society can be described as a merit-based technocracy. Those well-educated in the sciences who have contributed to the greater good of rikuxautay society are likely to attain positions in government. This does not mean the humanities and arts are ignored but politically speaking the government values engineers, physicists, mathematicians, et cetera.
  
  Total rikuxautay population across Rehukeexapâ including colonies is estimated to be 25 billion. Most systems have an administration under a regional government that encompasses multiple star systems which in turn answer to the central government on Rehukeexapâ. Generally regions and even individual star systems are largely autonomous.

• Religion

  As with all cultures within sapient species, rikuxautay also have plenty of religion in their history. There have been hundreds of religions and religious denominations, cults, and movements and rikuxautay society has moved in and out of secular and religious thought over the centuries.
  

  WIP

• Lifecycle

  Stage 1
  Rikuxautay begin life as larvae, laid as eggs by the mother into a body of slow-moving or still water. In modern times breeding tanks are used. Most will hatch within 24-48 hours and the earlier the better as the species is cannibalistic in their early stages. Out of a clutch of 60-100 eggs only about a third are expected to survive the larval stage. Larvae are vaguely eel-like and are only a couple inches long when first hatched but will grow to be between 1' and 1.5' long by the end of this stage. Approximately 80% of larvae are born female.
  
  Stage 2
  The development of limbs marks the second stage of development at around 18-20 Rehukeexapan months. Cannibalistic tendencies are still present regardless of the availability of food, further reducing the clutch. This stage sees the development of lungs and the young venturing out of the water/breeding tanks for brief periods of time. They will begin to breathe surface air. It is also at this stage that the sex ratios will begin to even out as some previously female larvae will become male and vice versa.
  
  Stage 3
  The third stage begins when the offspring have developed to the point of largely abandoning their natal tank. This should occur at around 3 years of age. Along with becoming terrestrial it should become apparent that the offspring and adults are of the same species with recognizable features and characteristics particularly in the skull shape and general skeletal structure. It is during this stage that they will begin to walk upright, develop complex emotions, and seek affection from their parents/carers. This is the stage where the young are considered 'people' and awarded rights as rikuxtautay, marked by being named. Prior to this point the young have no rights and are not considered sapient.
  
  Stage 4
  The fourth stage is the longest stage of rikuxautay development and is the equivalent of childhood and adolescence. By the end of this stage they will have entered sub-adulthood and resemble adults. In fact, by the time this stage begins they more closely resemble adult rikuxautay than larva.
  
  Maturity
  Rikuxautay typically don't reach maturity until their early to mid twenties, with most having their first clutches in their early thirties. In the end, of 60-100 eggs only 3-5 typically survive to adolescence. There's a 2-2.5 year period after laying a clutch where females cannot reproduce although that can be shortened with hormone therapy.

• Language

  The primary language of the rikuxautay is Otkå, though many other languages are spoken. In fact Otkå has loanwords and etymology from these languages, such as Nàg. Otkå is a nominative-accusative language like English but unlike English it has gendered nouns (masculine, feminine, and neuter) as well as additional cases (locative and dative). It also has some clusivity and the definite article (the in English) is replaced by this/that with appropriate affixes.
  
  For a full showcase of Otkå, visit the website.
  

  Hello, how are you? Thàtorewox, Tee vowo ngo? /θætɔˈrɛwɔɣ tɛː ˈvɔwɔ ŋɔ/ My name is Kulâ. What is yours? Soypo zu Kulâ zong. Måvaut Teepo zong? /ʂɔjˈpɔ ʐʏ kʊlˈə zɔŋ ˈmɐvaʊt tɛːˈpɔ zɔŋ/ Have a good day! Zool sangzàwå wâtu! /ʐoːl saŋˈʐæwɐ wəˈtʏ/

  Have a good night. Tåx sangzaw wâtu. /tɐɣ saŋˈʐaw wəˈtʏ/ Where is the hospital? Ngeesâ harâ zong thåvai? /ŋɛːˈʂə ˈharə zɔŋ ˈθɐvaɪ/ Where is the nearest restaurant? Ngeesâ tàpiiy zauteer zong thåvai? /ŋɛːˈʂə tæˈpiːj ˈʐaʊtɛːr zɔŋ ˈθɐvaɪ/

  Goodbye. Vouvau. /ˈvɔʏvaʊ/ Where is the toilet? Ngeesâ xasuxœ zong thåvai? /ŋɛːˈʂə ˈɣaʂyːɣœ zɔŋ ˈθɐvaɪ/ I don't feel well. Soy pàzâtu rut. /ʂɔj pæˈʐətʊ rʊt/

  
  

  He's always striping1. Mà tungu ngel. /mæ tʊˈŋøː ŋɛl/ Weak? I'm the only one of my clutch! Waha? Soy sâ tautœysaxi vowo xith Soypo hœsàh! /ˈwaha ʂɔj ʂə ˈtaʊtœjʂaxɪ ˈvɔwɔ xɪθ ʂɔjˈpɔ ˈhœsæh/ I'm so jealous, her tail is so much silkier than mine. Soy ngux vowo mango, Màpo xoxutâ vâsà làt xepaie zong mango ngaixu Soypo. /ʂɔj ŋyːɣ 'vɔwɔ ˈmaŋɔ mæpɔ ɣɔˈxʏtə ˈvəsæ læt xɛˈpaɪɛ zɔŋ ˈmaŋɔ ˈŋaɪɣʏ ʂɔjˈpo/ 1. When Rikuxautay are feeling aggressive or defensive, stripes will marquee and undulate across their bodies.

  I got this scar when I was just a larva. Soy sâ xeyiih ngeengooto sàhà Soy zool zungo xevowo rar. /ʂɔj ʂə xeˈjiːh ŋɛːˈŋoːtɔ ˈʂæhæ ʂɔj zoːl ˈʐʏŋɔ xeˈvɔwɔ rar/ I'm pretty sure she's had the same morph for years. Soy tâtiy vowo Mà ngaa va håhœ-xi xang otu teexa oxå. /ʂɔj ˈtətɪj ˈvɔwɔ mæ ŋaː va hɐhœˈxɪ xaŋ ɔtʏ ˈtɛːxa ˈɔɣɐ/ Yeah, and I have a tårmi2 morph. Tos, soo Soy pel tårmi håhœ-xi tu. /tɔʂ soː ʂɔj pɛl ˈtɐrmɪ hɐhœˈxɪ tʏ/ 2. A tårmi is an extinct animal native to Rehukeexapâ, and cannot be acquired as a morph.