====== Vaigarin ======
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| **Vaigarin Overview** ||
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| Home System | [[locations:sanctuary]] |
| Home World | [[locations:sanctuary:sirris_ii]] |
| **General Characteristics** ||
| Average Height| Ranges from 4' to 7'6 (1.21 to 2.29 meters) (discounting wing height/tail length) |
| Average Weight | 150 to 300 lbs (68.03 to 136.08 kilograms) |
| Life Cycle | Child: 0-15 Years \\ Adolescence: 16-30 Years \\ Adult: 31-1000 Years \\ Senior: 1001-3000 Years \\ Elder: 3000+ |
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A race of humanoid dragons, who are in fact fully draconic though the majority of races that interact with them oft confuse the two states in reverse. Connected by long life spans, family units based on scales, and a patience that stems from their life spans.
Recently joining with the NDC who have settled upon their homeworld, they are one of two that have been helping to ease the NDC into the sector, though they themselves had only reached the industrial revolution when the NDC arrived, meaning they have not left their own world until now.
Everything written below is written in the perspective of NDC xenobiologists working on categorizing the race.
===== Evolution/Creation =====
Optional. How did the species come to be? You can leave the header as Evolution/Creation or pick just one.
===== History =====
If one is able to speak to an elder (and not find themselves as part of the next meal in the less lucky cases, but at the very least a cooked outline in their home), they will find that they have, while not amazing memories, they do recall a lot. Select families are more open to visitors (Bahum family being the most notable). While written records do exist, one must take great care when examining the records with the views of other families in mind to be, oftentimes, exaggerated.
Major events that we do have, is that the earliest settlements were surface dwelling hunting and gathering camps, with all the risks that presented in such a developmental standpoint. Many of these camps tended towards being in places with easily defendable surroundings, while still having ready or easy access to resources needed by the establishing populations.
The shift to move underground came as these early cultures realized the benefit that arose from being able to control the flow of hostile predators, leading to gate houses being built around cave entrances and the earliest tunnel openings in more open areas that were vastly more rich in goods. From here began the climb to more advanced and effective tools, allowing for larger and more grand underground structures to house the growing population, which in turn encouraged the development of agriculture, alongside the relative rarity of locations featuring both easy defense and access to needed resources.
While conflict was not nearly as common between early Tumnisian cities, due to the easily missed nature of their entrances on all but the largest cities of the time, and the fewer threats reaching the populations underground, this would result in the first slowing of development, as the peoples began to focus on mastering their newfound crafts. It wouldn't be till the first trade routes, which transported food from an Abree city which was in the now aptly named Abree Valley, to a Rweja city which was awash in iron in excess of its needs, a resource which the valley in fact had little of. This new interaction would encourage the first 'Iron Bit' coinage, though it was purely a weight of unfired iron at the time. All of this would occur over a thousand year period, with the Abree Vaigarin noting it first, confirmed by Rweja records that have recently been discovered. By Sirrisian standards, this was rather fast for a cultural shift.
Over the next two thousand years, this trade between singular cities with one another continued. With the discovery of coal beneath the Abree Valley came a second resource that enabled the advancement of the trade economy, producing fires hot enough to smelt, and later forge, the raw ores into pure metals that could be transported as ingots or finished tools, to be later repurposed at their final locality. Other cities eventually joined in this trade network, expanding the variety of ores, raw mineral wealth, finished products, and even cultural exchanges by immigration. With this expanding network of trade, the Iron Bit was measured by two types - The Raw Bit, and Refined Bit. Due to the higher return of iron in a refined bit, it was seen as more valuable. Growth of trade would explode from this shift, and the growing Family system by the Vaigarins would trickle into Tumnisian cultures as the various Family's began to solidify their common trait. Atop this, would be the introduction of the written word, as keeping track of all the goods now moving between cities could no longer be done with simple pictographs.
The next major cultural shift, a mere hundred years later, happened due to several city wide population deaths and widespread illness from various toxic wastes being produced by the advancement in technology. In some cities, this led to striking advancements in waste management, life support, recycling, and “green” agriculture, while other cities were forced to expand onto the surface before these advancements were made. Especially in still underground cities, this resulted in passive, temperature driven air circulation systems more effective than even some modern Hassani climate control methods, advanced aqueduct and canal systems, and advanced sewer systems that ferried waste to agricultural centers to be used as fertilizers. As technology advanced, chemical wastes became more heavily refined and more toxic to life in general, leading to new methods to regulate, control, and improve such wastes to find other uses. With the 'Surface System', as the cities which moved their industries above ground called it, the need to establish stronger tools to build stronger structures to protect themselves from the wildlife arose, as the simple huts which could be easily mistaken as a hill, was no longer possible. With these realizations came the construction of walled cities, with many compartmentalized expansions and easily defensible bastions or castles for the safe retreat and defense of less defended peoples caught outside the walls.
With the growth of the Surface System also came the drive to produce new weapons and measures of defense of the individual Tumnisian. This is around the time we see the first recoverable arms and armors, designed not to protect from the weapons they made themselves, but from the threats which lurked above. Examples we have are of weapons that were still reflective of their origin as miner's tools, but made of lighter metals to facilitate the needed speed, while the armors were often of solid pieces, with as little segmentation as possible. We believe there were non-metal armors and tools used, but the details of which are limited beyond stylized murals and paintings. Some claims of Quetzo tools indicated a use of wood as a protective measure, often in armor and hide-bound shields, but this is hard to confirm at this time.
These systems would continue to stead the people well for many years, with very little change over the next three to four thousand years. It wouldn't be until the accidental discovery of steel by a Yilas smith's student that could be repeated easily a new growth would happen, as there was now a new means of strong, durable, and effective metal, as new forging techniques could be used to actually make use of this metal. It wasn’t long after this that the introduction of forced air systems were used to increase forge temperatures and improve the quality and quantity of steel produced. Efforts to find ways to better defend themselves would look to steel as the means to increase their ability to protect. Miners saw it as the means to better grow the cities and find more resources. Farmers knew that they could use tools for longer meant they could clear more land for foodstuffs. It would also be thanks to steel, that the first Pack Roach taming techniques would be devised, allowing for the ability to have a capable companion to guards and farmers, as pack roaches which had their barb launchers removed at a young age were much more docile and trainable, if still aggressive and fast moving. And it was only with the advent of steel scythes which would allow for the launchers to be removed at all due to the thick hide of the roach.
This would be the state of things for the next thousand and a half years, as a Fucon performing work for the Tiamer to develop a more durable, lighter weight and less prone to corrosion metal, managed to not only do so, but also discovered the power that existed within a combination of high-sulfur infused coal, saltpeter, and ammonia if contained in a tube while attempting to create a better forge with which to form this metal, aluminum, in the quantities the Tiamer desired. Unfortunately, while effective for very short durations, it was found to be infeasible to produce this fast burning and high temperature forge fuel in the quantities necessary and burn it safely, though it did find widespread use as a spear propellent, often used to drive barbs at predators, in a similar manner to pack roaches’ main ranged weapon. Later, it would be figured out that taking a capped small tube, filling it with a powdered form of the attempted fuel, and pushing a ball of metal down the tube, it could produce a weapon that had more force than the spear launchers, and at much further ranges.
The first large-scale production of aluminum was, surprisingly, a natural occurrence. It was well known at the time that crushing bauxite, heating it in a pressure vessel with sodium oxyhydrate, and then filtering the resultant red mud would produce sodium alumate, a common bitterant. In fact, many industrial processes at the time produced alumates as waste byproducts that could not be easily disposed of. In general, these were handled by dumping the contaminated waste in a pit over crushed cryolite, a naturally occurring and fairly common alumate of fluorine and sodium that bonded readily to the waste. The discovery came at the hand of a lightning strike on one such dump. As the cryolite and alum salts were superheated, melted, and electrified in the event, large quantities of aluminum were deposited near the top of the deposit. Fucon smiths used this “original” aluminum to tip packed charcoal filled iron tubes to act as lightning rods, which were placed into these alumate dumps as an early method of mass manufacture of the precious metal. This style of “aluminum farm” is still in use today, though significantly more advanced, partially due to platinum lined lightning rods.
Manufacture of aluminum allowed the production of aluminum hulled boats and ships for the Tiamer, rapidly accelerating their vessel’s range, longevity, and reliability due in part to the formation of aluminum oxide on the surface preventing corrosion, and its light weight allowing larger vessels to respond better to ballast and become more stable on the water. This, of course, led to advancements in navigation and seafaring, which, in turn, led to the discovery of the “new world,” the other major continent of Sirrus. This led to first contact with the Quetzo, who had made many similar advances in a similar time scale, although convergently. With the differences in technology and art came trade between the continents. In addition to the meet of the Quetzo, the first of the star walkers, as the Senti would be referred to at the time, occurred during this "Golden Age of Sail". They would trade ideas more than goods, though platinum group metals such as platinum, tungsten, manganese, and molybdenum were common trade goods, and the Senti would leave and return several times to see how the Sirrisian population was doing over the next thousand years.
It would be a few centuries before the advent of steam power, with early experiments dating back several thousand years involving a form of popped grain snack, using a pressure vessel of grains and oil over a fire to heat and cook, followed by a sudden decompression causing the grains to split open, similar to popcorn. It soon became apparent, however, that tea kettles could be used to drive simple levers as they heat up, a rod being extended by pressure exerted in the boiling of water to ring a bell. As this idea progressed, it eventually developed into aluminum or steel pressure vessels being used to drive turbines, and thus the first boiler driven ships as this technology was scaled up. With advancements in valves and mechanical timing came the first steam engines and the introduction of steam powered factories.
While the Hassani contact teams believed the Tumnisians were far more advanced, with a smaller population, based on small surface settlements and widespread use of aluminum. However, the realization was quickly made by the Hassani by just how much larger the population was, as well as the methods by which they had advanced. But with long-standing trade and interaction over the last fifty years between the Hassani and the Sirrisians, many aspects of their culture, economy, and sciences are expected to rapidly and drastically advance and change going forward.
===== Habitat and Population =====
Natives of [[locations:sanctuary:sirris_ii]], this race of draconic peoples can be found across the planet, though typically clustered in 'Family' groups that are the closest equivalent of nations they have. The current census of the population has them in the 10,000 range of population, scattered across over around a hundred family groups.
Recently, those who've begun to regularly interact with the NDC have begun to leave the world, though usually as personnel of the NDC military or governmental forces at this time.
===== Biology =====
A race that, according to NDC xenobiologist, bears a resemblance to humans, but have different physiological characteristics, listed below. These are the primary differences from which you can tell a Vaigarin apart from a human.
==== Anatomy and Physiology ====
The Vaigarin adult can range from 1.21 meters on the low end, and 2.29 meters on the high end. Gender does not seem to have a dimorphism, and these ranges are universal. The measurements however, do no take into account the height added by horns or wings, nor the length added by the tail (usually half again the Vaigarin's height). Weight is similar, with measurements ranging from 68.03 kilograms to 136.08 kilograms.
Vaigarins have a rudimentary reality shifting ability to change form to better facilitate communication. Due to their social nature and seemingly not technically limited ability (In the active use by Quetzo family members), it is believed that this ability was used to lure prey into traps and ambushes, often by taking the rough form of a potential mate to their prey, or by leading packs of prey animals into such ambushes.
They also have a pouch in their mouth that allows them to store a pair of flint stones able to produce sparks. Inside this pouch is a second, smaller tongue. This tongue is able to vibrate quickly enough to produce sparks which can help ignite the methane stored in a third lung in their chest. They often wait until full childhood so as to avoid risking the young Vaigarin from blowing themselves up by inhaling the sparks accidently. Due to the nature of this, it has also been developed into a 'threat' gesture, similar to the human throwing another 'the bird'.
Due to this development (Breathing of fire), it is noted that Vaigarin are capable of handling a much greater range of temperature than a standard human, and have a much hardier constitution and durability to humans. While they are not immune to the effects of weather, a sharp change in temperature is still capable of causing trouble, they are less likely to need assistance to keep a 'comfortable' temperature.
On the subject of reproduction, Vaigarin have a slightly different biological system to humans. In such ways as that they do not have a clitoris as a human female might, but rather a 'clitoral ring' that lines the interior of their vaginal passage. Observation has noted that they results in them being easier to pleasure during sex, and also have pleasure while laying eggs which can often press intensely on their interior. Males are noted as having ridges along the length of the penis, likely intended to allow them to more easily hit the clit ring during intercourse. As well, Vaigarin males have a knot that will inflate and lock the male and female together at the peak of intercourse. It is believed this is intended in the same fashion as terran canids.
==== Genetics ====
This species' genetics has, at this time, shown to be of fairly standard four-base pair DNA, however they have shown an inability to be able to bear mix-species children, nor have they been observed fathering any. This is due to the differing number of chromosomes and the gene expression differences standard among such removed species. Vaigarins use a 28 chromosome system, where humans use 23. It is believed that there are vast differences not yet observed, firmly identifying them as a unique species, not a human subspecies.
However, with the prevalence of hexopedal vertibrates and large arthropods on Sirrus, their body structure and gene expression are not unusual to the world.
==== Life Cycle ====
Vaigarin tend to follow a more reptilian path of reproduction, though it should be noted that they have a fertility cycle akin to that of a human. That is, they are potentially fertile year-round, but ebb and flow in a wave pattern. They bear clutches of eggs, ranging in number from 2 to 15. Certain 'Family' groups have a noted higher count, with their averages being between 4 and 30 eggs.
When a mother is pregnant, they will bear the eggs in their womb for a period of about 6 months. When the mother is prepared to lay a clutch, they often will seek a dark, but fairly sturdy shelter. While they do not have to remain upon the clutch the entire gestation period, it should be noted that a mother will typically be present for a significant portion of it. The eggs have a observed 25% chance of bearing life successfully (The family's referred to above have a higher chance, 33%), meaning that a large number of the laid eggs will fail and not hatch. Mothers have shown an ability to know when an egg has failed, and will often remove it from the rest of the clutch.
After a period of another 6 months, those eggs which survive this period will hatch. From this point on, the children are raised much as a human child is. They're cared for for a period of time, usually 6 years, before they begin to function on their own entirely, though they are still growing.
Vaigarin lifespan is, more difficult to pin down. While they are noted as being able to live for an extended period of time (Currently known oldest Vaigarin Elder is 5000 years of age and still healthy), their actual 'old age' period is not known, as, according to the race, Not one Vaigarin has ever died of old age. Death comes from either disease, mishap, or violence.
==== Diet ====
Omnivorous, they are however noted as obligate carnivores despite this. It is unknown exactly why this is, but the general theory is that certain aspects of Sirris II plantlife is not as digestible for carnivorous or omnivorous creatures on the world who might otherwise be able to use it. While the meat does not have to be fresh, they do require meat of some kind in their diet for a healthy life.
==== Biological Variation ====
While the exact patterns differ, all Vaigarin have been noted to have horns, wings, tails and scales, the latter three usually coated in a similar scale color. They have similar blood types to humans, though are noted as being unable to accept non-Vaigarin blood (Artificial is, at the time of this writing, being tested for capability). They can have hair colors that range the normal 'human' gambit, but are also known to show colors more closely related to their scale colors (Red or Silver being two examples) Their eyes tend to be more uniform across the race, ranging from Amber to Red's, very rarely touching upon 'human noms'. Their skin is the human norm, including the capacity to tan.
===== Psychology =====
As Vaigarin grow older, they find methods and techniques that work, and tend to grow more resistant to change it, as those few who survive to become a Family Elder have become nearly god-like in how they're viewed due to surviving for so long.
==== Motivation and Emotion ====
While Vaigarin's can be defined by their Family, and the drive of that family's 'expertise', they are still individuals, and are as varied in what drives them and how they act as humans. They even have nearly all the same emotions as human.
==== Sexuality and Love ====
Vaigarin view sexuality differently from humans. For them, it's something to be unashamed of. The idea of prudishness is foreign to most Vaigarin, as they, on the whole, tend to be of the mind that sex is natural and should not be viewed differently than how it might be seen on a animal. This means public displays of affection are common. A aspect some races have had to get used to is that for a Vaigarin, if they are 'flaunting' themselves, it is in fact considered in poor taste to either ignore or dismiss them. We believe this is partially due to low number of Vaigarin, and thusly that this is a hold-over from more ancient mating instincts, trying to show themselves as being ready to begin courtship.
Love however, varies by individual, which is as varied as humans. And to similar scales/levels of love. As familial love is often different from love for a bond-mate.
===== Culture =====
Each family has a distinct 'culture' that stems from their home environment and their standing rivalries with other families. Each Family is established around a 'scale' tone. This does not mean families do not isolate themselves, as they do trade with other families. In fact, their Rivalries do not extend beyond the specific family, meaning that one family could be rivals with another, and friends with two others, and those two other families are friends with the family the first is rivals with.
==== Language ====
Vaigar - A language that is mostly speakable by non-Vaigarin's, as most of the words in the language are designed with the use of more human lips and tongue involved. However, a large number of more complex or advanced words in the language are not vocalizable by human capacity, as they require the greater range available to a Vaigarin in draconic form.
==== Naming ====
Vaigarin names tend to be firm words, or have hard sounds to them. While names can vary from Family to Family, these tend to be fairly common types. Vaigarin names typically do not mean anything, unless a Vaigarin manages to do something that makes the name mean something. Some examples are listed below, with the first six in either gender coming from one of the well known Family's.
Female: Galestrix, Tellas, (Quetzo), (Rweja), (Abree), (Fucon), Valstia, (another five)\\
Male: Uledor, (Yilas), (Quetzo), (Rweja), (Abree), (Fucon), Curtide, (another five)
Most Vaigarin use their Family name as a surname, however, some interacting with the NDC have been observed taking up a surname separate from their Family name. Surnames that they choose for themselves, tend towards following more common NDC patterns, or even existing NDC surnames.
==== The Arts ====
Optional. If already covered in a Nation article, feel free to link and include a basic blurb here.
==== Attire ====
Vaigarin attire and fashion can range wildly from family to family, and even between individuals, with Yilas familial fashion being very gaudy and bright, to show their wealth and stature. This typically is shown in bold colors and gold accents with almost no reason or practicality, though they do love pockets. Quetzo familial fashion, however, is far more pragmatic and functional in nature. Their jewelry and markings is typically less of a display of wealth and more a complex hierarchical system of colors and badging feathers lining the wings and tips of the tail. On a different spectrum, it has been seen that the Bahum family has taken to the fashion seen in the other native peoples of the world, as well as those drawn from the growing NDC presence on the world. In general, there are two things that never go out of draconic fashion; jewels and tattoos.
It should be noted however, that there are some considerations to take into account for Vaigarin dress: They typically have tops that are backless if possible, so as to fit around the wings, and their tails tend to require either specially made 'belt' spaces in the rear, or ride low on the hips to avoid extra problems all together. In addition, clothing is viewed as a formality or a cultural signifier, as opposed to a necessity like it is in humans.
==== Religion ====
Vaigarin as a whole don't follow a religion, though some might be considered religious. Interactions with the Bahum does reveal the existence of belief systems, though they state that the Bahum beliefs are their own, and not a Vaigarin norm. Occasional interactions with the Rweja Family shows that the catalyst for religion does exist, as the Family is most known for their drive towards spiritual and magical perfection, being the closest analogue to a religion observed to date.
==== Philosophy ====
Optional. If already covered in a Nation article, feel free to link and include a basic blurb here.
===== Society =====
Required section. You can leave this space blank, if you'd like.
==== Kinship ====
The Vaigarin have various systems of kinship. First is the Family. No matter which Family you were born in, you belong to the family of your scales. Then comes your family. Even if a Yilas is born of a Abree family, they will still be viewed as their own child, just as the Yilas child will view the Abree parents as their immediate family. Finally is the Mate-Bond, which is the Vaigarin equivalent of marriage.
A Vaigarin may Mate-Bond with a non-Vaigarin, though it is uncommon. More common is them becoming a 'Clutch-Mate', which is used to describe those they are close to, enough to see the other as being family.
How bond-mating works differs from family to family. As the Family which the NDC has the most contact with, the Bahum, has partially flavored this report, but one must remember that they are just one family. Within the Bahum however, the gender ratio does seem skewed towards higher numbers of females, which has in turn resulted in what are known in the NDC as 'Bahum Harems', despite the fact that the moniker is inaccurate as to the nature of the relationship.
==== Government and Politics ====
Feudal Dynasty - Stems from the low population and the long life span. When the eldest, who are the de facto heads of each family, have survived as long as they have, with what they know, they are slower to change and more importantly, had little need for more 'large scale' governmental bodies due to the scale and size of the families.
===Family Groups===
These are some of the more (in)famous (Which depends on the teller) families of Vaigarin society. According to themselves, there are some 100 families on the planet alone, but even they only acknowledge a small number as being of 'import' in their culture.
==Bahum Family==
Frequently found interacting with other races, this family has developed a tradition of mercantilism and diplomacy. Some view them as a very honorable race due to this, while others consider them dishonorable for willing to 'betray' their own for the sake of 'appeasing' the lesser races. They have also managed, due to their situation, to become the 'face' of the Vaigarin people that many others deal with since space-faring races have arrived on Sirris II. Their identifying scales are of a platinum color.
==Yilas Family==
With control over several prosperous mines for the last several centuries, Yilas members often embellish their iridescent scales with gold, silver, and jewels, brazenly displaying their wealth and influence. They often see themselves as the ruling family, despite their knowledge of the falsehood of this claim. Thusly, they often see smaller, often more advanced races as prey, or simply lesser.
==Quetzo Family==
A jungle bound and pragmatic people, this family can be found roaming the surface jungles when they wish to be found, employing hunting strategies of their neolithic ancestors. While often considered primitive, they are known to be highly intelligent and adaptable, simply preferring the simplicity of forest life. They are often left alone. Most other families will claim this is for a reason, though may not go into detail on what this reasoning is. Despite their blue scale coloration, they seem able to blend in many environments.
==Rweja Family==
A very 'religious' family. The term is more used by other races to describe them, as those of the family tend to be more focused on the spiritual or magical world. They frequently establish enclaves where calm and quiet permeate the region. While few would challenge them physically, for they seem to be the equal in many cases, almost none will say why they wouldn't challenge them in matters of the mind. However, when it comes to matters of care of any Vaigarin's health, many will go to them for help. They often have a jade coloration to their scales, some of which claim to grow more vibrant as they grow more masterful in their craft.
==Abree Family==
With a river valley that has been highly rich in soil and plant life, lies this family. Master farmers and growers of herbs and crops, they have been in the valley for as long as any other family can recall, and not even the Abree are entirely sure of when they settled the region. This is also noted as being one of the largest families, as unlike others which might isolate themselves, the Abree tend to have many children as more children means more hands to help on a farm. Another abnormality amongst the Vaigarin, is that more of their clutches tend to survive not only into children, but also adulthood. Many attribute this to the low number of predation and risks. With scales of red, they are easily seen amongst the greenery of the farmlands they tend to.
==Fucon Family==
A people who have been found to be the source of much, if not nearly all of the developments of the Vaigarin's technological growth, these craftsman are most common found mingling with other families, always on the search for new ideas and materials from which to practice on, and devise new means and methods. They are most often seen with yellow scales, which can be found coated in each Fucon member's chosen craft, be it clay, soot, or even minor scorches from more advanced tools.
==== Conflict ====
While Vaigarin are capable of great and terrible violence, as their 'draconic' form is easily a strong analogue to dragons of ancient legends and myths, they are a race that do not seem inclined towards great acts of violence. However, there have been information scounged up by xenoarcheologists that indicate that there have been times when many Family's have banded together to wipe out a Family. There was mention of a Family of copper scales that was so aggressive and destructive that it was felt that the only way to protect themselves as Sirris II as a whole was to wipe the Family out. Now there are still Copper Scaled Vaigarin in the world, the people were not wiped out, but the Family which was their icon is no more.
===== OOC =====
This page was created by [[user:Glein]].
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