[Race] Moonshadows

[TheBlackSoul]

Basic Stats

Species Name: Moonshadows

Type: Grendelian Reptiles

Place of Origin: Unknown.

Natural Abilities: Moonshadows are able to change the colors of their skins at will, much like a chameleon; although they are much, much better at it. They can even become 'invisible'. Also, they have a venomous bite, being able to inject a hemotoxic poison into a victim via a pair of long fangs.

Diseases Prone To: The immune system of a Moonshadow is stronger than most other creatures, but they are suspectable to any disease a human can get. This includes HIV and AIDS.

Technological Status: Primitive.

Diet: Carnivorous.

Detailed Description

Physiology

In general appearance, a typical moonshadow closely resembles a jungle grendel, slightly slimmer than usual. However, they do not blink, because they have no eyelids. Instead, they have a scale over each eye, much like some kinds of snake. They also have no ears, hair, or any other sort of decoration (with the except of Chieftains). Their scales are much like a snake's. They shed their skins occasionally, and when they do, the skin comes off in one piece, again very much like a snake.

Moonshadows are, in fact, closely related to snakes, particularly pit vipers like rattlesnakes.

Like most reptiles, Moonshadows are cold-blooded. A sudden cold snap will send them immediately into a state of torpor, although they do not hibernate.

Moonshadows have more even teeth than a grendel does, and all point backwards and resemble slender cones. The two longest, which are placed where the canines would be in a human, are able to be folded back, and are used for injecting their hemotoxin. Once in a victim's system, the toxin destroys tissues and causes organs to degrade. It isn't always fatal.

Moonshadows, unlike any snake, can change the colors of their skins via specialized cells. They are experts at this and can become almost completely invisible in any environment. They do have a default skin color, which varies with the clan.

Culture and Society

Moonshadows live in clans of up to 400 members. Each clan is a subspecies in its own right, as the members of each clan possess physical differences, such as default skin color.

Each clan is headed by a chieftain, a male Moonshadow who manages the group's well being and establishes order within his particular clan. He is marked by the impressive horns on his head, the shape of which varies depending on the clan. Only the son of a chieftain can become one himself.

Each clan also has a "seeker" - a sort of medicine man or shaman, this moonshadow's gender varies depending on the clan. However, the distinguishing mark of the seeker is that he or she cannot change his or her skin color. Despite this, they are respected by the other moonshadows, and showing disrespect towards the seeker can lower one's status severely.

The seeker's role is to heal the sick and the wounded, and to instruct younger members on conduct within the clan. The seeker will also serve as a temporary leader of a clan should the chieftain die before his successor is ready to assume his position.

Social standing in the clan is determined by a non-violent competition in which two moonshadows demonstrate their ability to change color. The ones who are experts at it enjoy the highest ranks.

Moonshadow clans do not fight amongst themselves. Any member who uses violence on his or her own species regularly stands the chance of being banished from the clan or executed.

Each member in the clan has the right to breed. Females lay typically only one egg at a time, and temperature determines the sex of the egg. Young Moonshadows are well cared for by their parents. Orphans can and do exist, but all the too often they become outcasts and chose to leave their clan and become rogues.

Moonshadows do not have a distinct religion, although they do believe in various spirits. It is the seeker's job to communicate with these spirits and tell of their will to the chieftain.

[TheBlackSoul]

The Rulengi Clan

The Rulengi clan heads all the other Moonshadow clans. Their members are indicated by a default skin color of the deepest purple, and they have red eyes. They are also the most skilled fighters with the strongest venom.

They are the smallest clan, with the maximum at any given time being 100.

It is currently unknown what horn style marks a normal Rulengi Chieftain, seeing as the current one, Dark Thorn, has a mutation causing numerous spikes to sprout from his back and arms, in addition to 4 long, slightly curling horns on his head, each horn about 4 feet long. He is also markedly different by having black scales.

The Rulengi seeker is of a male gender.

The Orienalis Clan

The Orienalis Clan is marked by default red scales and yellow eyes. They are the most benevolent clan, with the weakest venom.

Their population is somewhere between 200-250 members.

Chieftains have a pair of branched horns like that of a stag.

The Orienalis Seeker is a female.

The Enema Clan

The Enema Clan is the most mysterious of the Moonshadow clans. They sport ghostly pale scales, with light blue rings over the shoulders and hips. Their eyes are pure black in color. Enema prefer to hunt by stealth and cunning rather than force, and are not seen very often as they spend most of their time invisible.

The Enema population stands around 100 - 150 members.

Enema chieftains display an unusual lack of horns, but they are distinguished by gold rings over the shoulders and hips.

The Enema seeker is a female.

The Commenia Clan

With emerald green scales and brown/green eyes, this is the most common Moonshadow clan. They are average fighters and have moderate venom.

Their population is about 400.

The Commenia Chieftain sports a single, short horn that juts upwards like a spike.

The Commenia Seeker is a male.

The Desructaro Clan

The Desructaro are the strongest Moonshadows. Their scales are brown/red in color, and their eyes are orange. While their venom is weak, they make up for that with having great stamina and enough strength to send a grown human male flying with a single punch. As such, their color-changing abilities are not often put to the test, as they prefer to pursue prey and subdue it by brute force.

Population is about 200.

The Desructaro Cheiftain has a crest consisting of 5 straight spikes. The longest one is a foot in length, and the rest line up behind it in order of length from longest to smallest.

The Desructaro seeker is female in gender.