Krybolotinian

 

An adult male and adult female Krybolotinian (note that colors vary).

Krybolotinians (Krybeia sanileri) are a sapient, spacefaring species and the native species of the planet Krybolotine. Krybolotinians are bipedal and have large and intricately structured brains, which allowed Krybolotinian society to evolve into a social and intelligent one, with the Krybolotinians tending to partake in large societal structures complete with the ideas of family and friendship. Interaction between Krybolotinians has resulted in Krybolotinian society catapulting into a successful spacefaring species, being the first society in their area of the galaxy capable of using wormhole technology and exploring other star systems. Krybolotinian society has also evolved to the point of adopting values, social norms, and religion (the most notable of which being Odeaism), which form the basis of Krybolotine's culture. The curiosity and dedication of the Krybolotinian species have resulted in Krybolotinians' heavy development in the fields of science, religion, art, philosophy, and other fields of study.

While Krybolotinian is sometimes used as an umbrella term for all species in the genus Krybeia, its correct usage is only for Krybeia sanileri. Anatomically modern Krybolotinians evolved about 200,000 years ago on the continent of Yoris from Krybeia natera, gradually expanding to other continents like Trenat and Janis over hundreds of thousands of years. For a long time, Krybolotinians lived as hunters, like many other animals. The Krybolotinian Agricultural Revolution, which occurred around 120,000 BCE, brought agriculture and settlement to the globe, allowing for the condensing of power which consolidated into governments and eventually nation-states. Over the years these states fought each other until the Krybolotinian Kingdom took over in 374 BCE, and proceeded to rule over the planet before being replaced, successively, by the Krybolotinian Empire, Republic, and Imperium, the last of which was dissolved in 3199 and absorbed by the Federal Republic of the Krybolotinian Domain. During this time, Krybolotinians have become a spacefaring species, which has seeded itself across their stellar area (known as the Krybolotinian Domain) and now exists in heavy concentrations both inside and outside of their canton. They have aided other species, such as Humans, Morbiolons, and Vayaos, to become spacefaring as well, ushering in an era of interstellar peace, cooperation, and prosperity. In total, over the course of almost 4,000 years, the Krybolotinian population has skyrocketed to 412.9 billion all across the Domain.

Krybolotinians are naturally carnivorous, but over the years their diet has expanded to be at least somewhat more omnivorous including small amounts of vegetables, fruits, and gourds. They have learned to utilize fire and heat to cook food, and also other preservatives of which help the food last for long amounts of time. Krybolotinians can survive about around twelve weeks without food and two or three days without water. Krybolotinians are diurnal, and are active during the day. Being reptiles, Krybolotinians give birth using eggs, for which they have developed advanced incubators. Egg laying is relatively safe, and it usually goes well, however, some women of the Krybolotinians race have trouble laying eggs and may cause the egg to crack as it's laid. Hatching, as always, is successful if the baby is healthy. Usually, both the father and the mother are present to raise the child, who is helpless at birth.

Krybolotinians have a large and highly developed prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that facilitates cognition. They are intelligent, as displayed by their spacefaring technology, and can recognize social pretenses, episodic thought, self-expression, artistic expression, and introspection. Krybolotinians fulfill all seven requirements to be considered an intelligent species- they are capable of introspection, capable of language, have the capacity for social structures, are capable of forming nations, are capable of complex emotions based on more than survival, have the capacity for (thought not necessarily partaking in) artistic expression, and are capable of transporting themselves around.

Biology

Anatomy

Most aspects of Krybolotinian anatomy are shared with the rest of the Krybolotinian-like sapient life of the Krybolotinian Domain. The Krybolotinian body consists of the legs, tail, neck, torso, arms, and head. An adult Krybolotinian body has about 45 trillion cells. The most commonly defined body systems in Krybolotinians are the nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, immune, integumentary, lymphatic, musculoskeletal, reproductive, respiratory, and urinary systems.

Head

Krybolotinians have proportionately large heads when compared to other species such as Vayaos and Humans. Theirs are also, uniquely, split down the middle by a gap, creating two stalks called the morenes, with the left stalk being the kors morenes and the right stalk being the firs morenes. It is thought that the morenes evolved so that Krybolotinians could carry objects on top of their heads with greater stability, which was necessary considering that Krybolotinians could easily have up to 50 children in their lives.

On top of each morenes is a bony protrusion known as the horn, which leans forward and comes to a point. Though usually slightly yellowish-white, they may vary in color from a beige color to bluish-white in a rare few individuals. Each morenes also features an eye. A Krybolotinian's eye has a central pupil-like orb at its center, which is used for sight. Surrounding the eye are three concentric "asetros", which are pigmented bands around the eyeball that are usually a light-to-dark gradient that monochromatically matches with the individual's skin color. However, some people, often those affected with genetic disorders, have eyes that do not match this pattern.

Krybolotinians have very large and deep mouths and have evolved this way because their ancestors ate large amounts of meat at once. They, along with many other Krybolotinian reptiles, have extremely sharp and prominent canine teeth, which can be seen when a Krybolotinian opens his or her mouth wide enough. The rest of their teeth are also somewhat sharp, but the Krybolotinians have also developed incisors as a response to the inclusion of vegetables and leafy greens into the Krybolotinian diet. The Krybolotinian palette is gradually becoming more adapted to a slightly omnivorous diet, however, no change has so far been noticed in Krybolotinian canine size.

Krybolotinians' noses sit at the top of the end of their snout. They are almost always black, with few exceptions. They are also bulbous, protruding from the skin about a centimeter or two. Below the nose are two nostrils, which they use to smell. They have an excellent sense of smell and can detect odors multitudes weaker than humans can. Their ears are considerably less capable than human ears, as they are largely obscured by protective plates. Underneath the plates, however, Krybolotinians have an outer-ear-like structure to amplify sound. Nonetheless, they have a much less keen sense of hearing than other species and are known to speak very loudly as a result. Additionally, they cannot hear many high frequencies that other sapient species can.

Krybolotinian males notably have a horn protruding from their chins, which emerge around the same time that they reach sexual maturity. This horn varies in length and size genetically or may not even emerge at all. Instead, a bony lump may form under the chin's skin instead. The pigment of this horn is also usually the same as the horns on the head but can be affected by genetic variation.

Within a Krybolotinian's head is their brain, which is located around the back and bottom, directly above the base of the neck. It controls all motor control, senses, memory, and emotion, along with other bodily functions. For this reason, the brain is highly protected, being surrounded by large plates of bone on four sides (the back and sides of the head as well as at the bases of the morenes). Most surgeries on the brain are very risky, as surgeons need to enter through the dewlap or the mouth, both of which can be easily botched if done incorrectly.

Torso and Abdmomen

Though the skin of a Krybolotinian's torso and abdomen is almost entirely featureless, they both contains some of the most important organs. A Krybolotinian's lungs stretch around the sides of their hearts, which sits in the center-left part of their chest, guarded by the sternum. Their ribs stretch from the spine in the back and wrap around to the front, except for the 9th, 10th, and 11th, ribs, which connect to the the 8th rib via cartilage, and the 12th and 13th ribs, which are about half the size of the other ribs and do not connect to the sternum.The abdomen of a Krybolotinian's skin is featureless, however, like the torso, inside it contains several vital organs, including the liver, stomach, and intestines. Their bellies contain slightly less pigment on them.

Two limbs, the arms, protrude from the sides of the torso. They are connected to the main body by the shoulders. Two other limbs, the legs, protrude from the bottom of the abdomen (connected by the hips), as well as the tail, which comes out from the back and bottom (connected by the spine). The spine and spinal cord run down the back of the torso and communicate important information from the brain to the rest of the body. Although the spinal cord does not extend into the tail, the spine itself does.

Extremities

The upper extremities of a Krybolotinian, known as the arms, are long and thin, though still notably thicker than that of humans. They are practically featureless, save for a horn that protrudes from the elbow. However, with a few rare exceptions, this horn is almost always grinded away upon hatching as it poses a risk to children's safety. It does not grow back. At the end of each arm is a hand, which contains three fingers and an opposable thumb. Each finger is topped with a large, sharp, and unretractable claw, of which can be easily used to cause injury.

The lower extremities of a Krybolotinian, known as the legs, are similar to the arms in that they are long and thin, though thicker than a human's. The foot of a Krybolotinian has three extremely large, sharp, and almost entirely immobile claws, which while being used for stability can also be used to attack. As well as that, a spur is present on the back of the foot near the heel, which can be removed if so desired. Like most other horns and claws on the body, it eventually grows back with time.

The tail of a Krybolotinian is distinct in that many sentient species lack a tail. A Krybolotinian's tail is long and very thin, tipped with a very sharp and immobile horn. It is about usually four to five feet long, but can be up to eight feet long or as little as one foot long. Length of a Krybolotinian's tail has often been seen as a sign of their capability as a romantic partner, and a social stigma has formed in which individuals with longer tails are seen as more desirable. Their tails can be easily controlled if needed to pick up and throw objects of up to 30 pounds, but higher than that is usually dangerous and may result in a fracture.

Life cycle

Krybolotinian life stages
Egg of a Krybolotinian.	Baby male Krybolotinian.	Female Krybolotinian before puberty (child).	Adolescent male Krybolotinian.	Adult female Krybolotinian.	Elderly male Krybolotinian.

Krybolotinian reproduction can occur through a variety of means. Though natural reproduction is by far the most common, other artificial forms of fertilization are also ubiquitously available and are responsible for about 27% of all reproduction. After an egg is fertilized, it takes about two weeks to fully finish creating the egg and its shell, although this process still happens regardless of fertilization. An egg can be laid in about 15 minutes, and one is created approximately every month; upon being laid, a specialized machine is used to test fertilization. It takes about another 25 weeks after being laid for the egg to be fully developed, during which time the egg is incubated in a specially constructed incubator. While some people choose to incubate eggs at a medical center, most do so at home to personally monitor the progress of the egg. There doesn't seem to be any benefits of incubating eggs in either location and incubators usually have sensors with which the egg's health is monitored.

Healthy babies usually weigh around 11-13 lbs. and are around 10 inches long. They are helpless at birth and require constant care to ensure that they remain warm and safe. Both parents are usually present to raise their child (with very few exceptions). Rather than parental roles being determined by gender like in human society, they are decided by whichever parent is more important. The more important parent, called the costrea, works and provides most of the wealth for the family, whereas the less important parent, called the holovea, cares for the children and watches after them more often. Though these societal roles are not enforced by laws, they are usually a cultural expectation and there is an ongoing struggle to break the boundaries stopping holoveas from having roles more fulfilling than childcare. Krybolotinians spend the first 30 years growing, with sexual maturity occurring at 19 - 23 years of age (in males, this corresponds with the emergence of the chin horn) and legal adulthood occurring at 25 years old. Though the Krybolotinian life cycle has no wholly adopted scientific divisions, the most widely accepted groups are infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Krybolotinians have very long adult lives compared to other species, with most Krybolotinians being fertile from the age of about 21 until about the age of 250. As such, they can have as many as 100 children during their lifetimes, though this seldom occurs. Instead, most Krybolotinians choose to have only 3 to 7 children, often undergoing procedures to induce infertility afterward.

Krybolotinians have a lifespan of about 300 years, though this can vary significantly based on genetics and lifestyle choices. Both genders live about equal lengths—though it has been seen that women may live a few months longer on average, the difference is negligible. There also seem to be some minor variations in life span based on race, with more yellow Krybolotinians living slightly shorter (about ~2 years less) than more magenta ones. Scientists are still very confused by this fact and it is the topic of much research. It is extremely rare for Krybolotinians to live past the age of 400, but it has happened before: it is reported that about 1 in 10,000 Krybolotinians will reach the age of 400. The longest living Krybolotinian, Ja'iteda Nivoros Foresa, was 478 years and 97 days old when she died in 3399, and she became the oldest person to ever take an ideloga, at 450 years old.

Genetics

Krybolotinians, like all other intelligent life in the Krybolotinian Domain, are a eukaryotic, diploid species. Each of their somatic cells has at most 32 pairs of chromosomes, which inherited from both parents. 31 pairs of these chromosomes are autosomes whereas the last is a pair of sex chromosomes.

Gender and sex

Krybolotinians are gonochoric, being divided into male and female sexes. Sex chromosomes determine the biological sex of a Krybolotinian. However, temperature has been known to also potentially influence sex characteristics in offspring with the recessive AGTI15 gene—colder conditions have a slightly higher chances of producing females while higher temperatures produce slightly higher chances of males. This happens because temperature can activate or inhibit the aromatase enzyme, which would override the sex decided by the chromosomes. These individuals tend to come out with noticably androgenous features and mostly undergo surgery to look more like their biological sex. Notably, in an effort to manipulate the gender of a baby, some Krybolotinians will set the temperatures of their incubators to extremely high or low temperatures, which not is not only mostly ineffective (the amount it changes the ratio is only about five percent) but also very dangerous as it will kill the fetus unless they have the AGTI15 gene.

There are numerous physical differences between the two Krybolotinian genders. Krybolotinian males tend to be significantly taller and heavier than their female counterparts, being an average of 6 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier. They usually have significantly more physical strength even at similar weights, due largely in part to females tending to have high body fat percentages and males being more readily able to develop muscles and build muscle fibers. Compared to humans, almost all Krybolotinians have deeper voices than an average human of the same gender, with male Krybolotinians having a voice about an octave or two deeper than females.

There are, however, less psychological differences between male and female Krybolotinians than in many other species—the result of this is that Krybolotinians have developed a uniquely egalitarian society. Neither gender usually has dominance in society or relationships. Instead, power in most marriages is given to the more important partner, known as the costrea.

Another effect of the minimal psychological differences between Kryboltoinian of opposite sexes is that neither developed a particularly strong gender identity—both sexes had equal opportunities to succeed in their societies. As a result, transgender Krybolotinians are a much less frequent occurrence, and some Odeaists even consider the phenomenon sacrilegious.

Genetic variation and disorders

No two Krybolotinians are genetically identical, but any two Krybolotinians on average share about 99.6–99.9% of their genome, significantly more than most other sexually-reproducing intelligent life. Because of this, many Krybolotinians looks rather similar, and it has become a popular joke that Krybolotinians all look the same. This is, of course, not true.

The height of a Krybolotinian varies based on various factors, including gender, environment, and genes, but on average male Krybolotinians stand between 6'2" and 7'3" tall (at an average of 6'8") and females are between 5'11" and 6'10" (with an average of 6'4"). Weight varies even more as it can be influenced heavily by dietary choice, but healthy Krybolotinian males usually fall between 250 and 350 pounds, and females between 200 and 300 pounds (which may increase significantly just before and after eggs are laid).

Kryboltoinian skin tone varies widely. There are three major pigments that determine color: occathin, which is black in color, turithin, which is yellow in color, and porithin, which in magenta in color. In the absence of these pigments, Kryboltoinian skin is almost white. As such, Kryboltoinian skin can be any mix of these four colors, including orange colors, light pink colors, dark red colors, yellow colors and many others. As time passes, concentrations of turithin and porithin decreases, and thus the skin of a Krybolotinian becomes less saturated the older they get. Eye color usually matches the color of the skin monochromatically, with each concentric band being a different tone or shade of the skin color. The horns of a Krybolotinian are usually slightly yellowish off-white, but they may also be light grey, tints of blue, or any shade of creme-like colors.

Krybolotinians are, on average, slightly more intelligent than humans are and the third most intelligent life ever discovered (after the Enryi and the Vayaos) by measure of IQ alone. Even still, several neural divergences exist among Krybolotinians, the most notable of which is called "inveldis" and it very similar to autism. People suffering from neurodivergencies are often readily accepted in Krybolotinian society, which has been true for tens of thousands of years.

Krybolotinians, partly due to their genetic similarity, are more likely to suffer from genetic disorders and physical handicaps than most other species. Around 1 in 1000 Krybolotinians are hatched with some sort of debilitating genetic disorder, many of whom don't survive very long after birth. 0.3% of Krybolotinians are born missing a limb, with the most common limb being the tail. Additionally, about 1 in 100 Krybolotinians are born with an extra tail, which is usually much shorter than the original tail, has no horned tip, and has a much higher risk of developing cancer than the original; for these reasons, they are almost always removed immediately.

One of the most common disorders affecting Krybolotinians is called semontism, in which the walls of the heart are significantly weaker and it is generally less efficient at pumping blood throughout the body. The disease is not only difficult to identify, but treatment is mostly ineffective and only serves to delay the many effects semontism has on the body. Krybolotinians with semontism have a life expectancy of about half what other healthy individuals can expect to live to. Surgery is also not an option as the heart will likely be too strained by the procedure and cause cardiac arrest.

Diet

Krybolotinians have adopted a number of cultural conventions surrounding food, and it has become an integral part of Krybolotinian culture. They are naturally carninvorous, and most of their diets reflect this. Veganism is exceedingly rare and dangerous in Krybolotinians and almost all individuals eat meat for health purposes. Historically, underfeeding and other dietary restriction have led to deficiency disorders, but in modern times this only occurs in people who choose not to eat. Instead, some Krybolotinians now struggle with obesity due to overnutrition, which has become increasingly common in recent centuries. Though obesity rates are several times lower in Krybolotinians than they are in humans (mostly because they expend much more energy by their very nature), they are still significant and have been the cause of some concern among health officials.

For most of their history, they were hunters, with their most common prey being large mammal-like creatures due to their high fat content. They also largely ate their food raw even after they discovered fire, though most individuals cleaned and prepared the meats to reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses. In recent millenia, however, Krybolotinians have adapted to be slightly more omnivorous, adding some gourds, fruits, and nuts into their diets. One particular fruit, the kerboya berry, is often used as a symbol of Krybolotinian patriotism (and sometimes supremacy) due to the fact that the berry is extremely toxic all other species in the Krybolotinian Domain. Additionally, cooking food with fire before eating it has become a health standard in Krybolotine in order to prevent diseases found in raw meats.

Krybolotinians do not eat very often. While humans are known to have several meals a day, Krybolotinians have a meal only every other day. These meals, however, are often exceedingly large, with upwards of 9000 calories. Because of this, Krybolotinians can go for much longer periods of time without food; often up to 6 months. While hunger and starvation used to be a pressing issue for much of the Krybolotinian population, especially during the time of the Krybolotinian Kingdom, campaigns and movements during the time of the Krybolotinian Emprie helped establish more reliable food sources for millions of people across the planet who were previously at risk of starvation. In the time since then, hunger has been all but eliminated and largely only happens during times of war (i.e., the Krybolotinian Civil War) or as a result of eating disorders.

Culture

Krybolotinians' long history and unique social interactions led to the creation of a large number of cultures, religions, and languages before the foundation of modern Odeaism. However, after the Krybolotinian Kingdom came to power and seized control of most of the planet, the effectively erased most of the other cultures that existed and propped up their religion and ideas throughout the globe. The hundreds of years of systematic oppression and cultural erasure that followed their conquests practically solidified their cultural control over the species and most other cultures were either lost to time or simply stopped being practiced. As a result, Krybolotinians are largely represented by a single, unified culture, having one dominant practical language, one large religion, one, and set of rules and social ideas governing society.

Langauge

Though potentially thousands of languages used to exist on Krybolotine, most have either gone extinct or are spoken by very few people today. The dominant language in Kybolotine is Krybolotinian, a constructed language created by the second King of Krybolotine in order to standardize the communication of forces within his Kingdom. Krybolotinian is a phonetic language, meaning that every letter corresponds to one sound. Additionally, Krybolotinian is written and read from left to right. Each character in a Krybolotinian word is made up of three parts, and the number of full characters in that word corresponds to the number of syllables that word contains. Letters are separated by small spaces while words are separated by dashes. There are three main punctuation marks in Krybolotinian: one that symbolizes a full stop (similar to a period/full stop), one that symbolizes a break between two words (similar to a comma), one that precedes explanations or lists (similar to a comma). Additonally, five tonal marks exist in Krybolotinian that are added to the full stop mark: one two symbolize excitement (like a exclamation mark), one that symbolizes questions (like a question mark), and an additional three that represent anger, sadness, and happiness. Any mixture of two of these can be comnined to form a hybrid tonal mark in order to convey more complex emotions.

In order to make Krybolotinian easier to understand for other species, Krybolotinians made certain variations of Krybolotinian that use their alphabets. For humans, they created Romantic Krybolotinian, which is written using only the 26 letters of the standard English alphabet (with the exception of some accented vowels) and is also a phonetic language.

Odeaian is the only widely known langauge in Krybolotine apart from Krybolotinian. Only about half of the population speaks it, and the language is almost solely used in religious services and decrees as it is considered sacred. The grammar and phonetics of Odeaian is incredibly complicated and many people find it very difficult to learn. It was originally the language of the Demorvian people before Retoria was born and remains as the only currently thriving pre-Krybolotinian langauge.

Technology

Krybolotinians have been using tools and other similar forms of technology for millions of years, which is one of the key traits that separates them from other Krybolotinian life. The creation of tools (including everything from household items to usual mechanical tools) has become an important industry. Krybolotinians have developed very advanced technology, ranging from everyday convenience items like kitchen utensils to megastructures used for terraformation and planetary retention. They have been able to take advantage of wormhole technology to quickly travel between planets and star systems that would usually take decades to reach. Using dyson swarms and advanced energy storage, Krybolotinians have been able to power several interstellar travel missions and expand throughout dozens of star systems. Additionally, they have constructed space stations capable of housing sizeable residential populations and large research centers, complete with artificial gravity (using centrifugal forces) and synthetic biospheres.

Krybolotinians have also made many breakthroughs in the field of health, with many diseases previously thought to be terminal, like cancer and (to a lesser extent) prion diseases, now having rather effective treatments and cures. Private Krybolotinian researchers discovered a method of indefinitely expanding the lifespan of an organism in the 3200s, however it was deemed that immortality (though a delightful idea) was immora, and trying to artificially reverse one's age or extend one's lifespan aside from lifestyle choices or treating diseases was outlawed.

Clothing

On Krybolotine, different styles of clothing more closely coincide with specific occasions, and most events clarify the type of attire expected well beforehand.

Clothing is of a much greater importance to Krybolotinians than it is to most other species. Because Krybolotinians are one of only two cold-blooded intelligent species, and the only such species originating on a somewhat cold planet, they rely on external factors to help maintain their body temperature and survive. Because of this, clothes have a long and important role in Krybolotinian history and many nuanced social norms exist around clothing. There are three main kinds of clothing: the first is formal wear, worn in important secular events and by govermment officials and almost always consisting of a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a mantle, and a pair of boots, and may include other clothing items like jewelry, a cloak/overshirt, and gloves. The second is casual wear, which is worn during informal situations and when more formal clothing is not needed; it at the very least consists of a sleeveless shirt and shorts and almost always features a short mantle as well, but it also is frequently worn with pants and/or a different sleeve length. There is no standard type of shoe for this dress type. The final type is religious wear, which is worn during religious events and proceedings, like weddings and ideloga ceremonies. It usually consists of a gray undershirt and waistband and as well as a split black mantle with a white undermantle, gray skirt, and black boots. This attire also used to be used in war but was quickly switched out for more durable outfits.

It is worth mentioning that even though these are the three main types of clothing present in Krybolotine there are plenty of examples of clothes that are a sort of hybrid of two categories or simply don't fit into any category. Also, these customs are entirely cultural and not backed up by any laws, and as such many Kryboltoinians simply don't follow these norms and instead choose to dress themselves in different ways. Some Kryboltoinians also choose to wear clothes from other species' cultures, too, like the Vayaos' long cloaks or humans' characteristic suits and dresses.

Unlike in human culture, most clothes carry no strong gender association in Krybolotine. Things like skirts and pants can be worn by either men or women, and neither has any typical accessories exclusive to their own gender. For this reason, most clothes are not sold and marketed specifically to one gender or the other, but rather both genders have a common wardrobe that differs more on an individual basis.

Society

Social norms

Ethnicity

Though race and ethnicity are almost insignificant to identity in modern times, they have historically played very important roles in the way people express themselves, as well as in the complex interactions between different pre-Retorian nations. Historically, different ethnic groups were largely defined by differences in dress, ancestry, religion, and culture, among other dividing lines. A great deal of research has been dedicated to different cultures from before the spread of Odeaism, though Krybolotinian conquest of the planet resulted in the erasure of most of these cultures and their records. Although little is known about these societies, research has suggested that they were far less morally and intellectually developed than Krybolotine. Evidence seems to point to the frequency of Krybolotinian sacrifices and similar atrocities.

As stated above, race and ethnicity play negligible roles in modern Krybolotinian society. Instead, other factors like species, gender, religion, and social status usually define the identities of Krybolotinians.

Naming

Main article: Krybolotinian naming conventions

A chart depicting usual Krybolotinian naming conventions.