[COLOR=white][CENTER][b]RIS'WAR[/b][/CENTER][/COLOR] [COLOR=yellow]►[/COLOR] Class: Reptile [COLOR=yellow]►[/COLOR] Length: [COLOR=dodgerblue][I think I remember these guys having a young form - like Kiadan as a little purple dragon - and an adult, humanoid form. Was that right? Want to give me dimensions for all of the following for both of those age-states?][/COLOR] [COLOR=yellow]►[/COLOR] Height: Maximum: for males, around 10ft; for females, 7-8ft [COLOR=yellow]►[/COLOR] Life-cycle: Ris’war are egg-layers. At some point during their young lives they switch from a draconic appearance to a humanoid one. [COLOR=yellow]►[/COLOR] Life expectancy: Outside of a combat-heavy culture, they can life for around 200 years. However, they generally do not tolerate boredom well so usually end up shortening their own lives somehow in the search for excitement. For ris’war with combat featuring heavily in their lives, they are lucky to reach 50 years. [COLOR=tomato]Is typically considered short, 50 would be old age for most Ris’War since they’d have died long ago. Typically if in a situation without combat a Ris’War can get to about 200 years of age, but they’ll have long died of boredom or escaped before that age.[/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][Escaped to where? This sounds like if a ris’war gets bored enough they’ll take their own lives to escape the boredom of life itself.][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]I was saying escaped in that if they were turned into slaves they would keep trying until they escaped. They’re not exactly the type to take captivity well, even if it is for their own good.[/COLOR] [COLOR=yellow]►[/COLOR] Diet: Carnivore The Ris’war is a species that shows up in the stories [COLOR=white][i]True Blue Alien[/i][/COLOR] and [COLOR=white][i]The Adventures of Kiadan Slywyth[/i][/COLOR]. [COLOR=dodgerblue][I’ll add more here as I get a more rounded idea of what the ris’war are like.][/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER]🧬 [b]Physiology[/b] 🧬[/CENTER][/COLOR] Male ris’war tend to be larger and have more pronounced muscles, and to develop shades of brown or green which used to assisted them in camouflaging themselves on their native planet. Females are more colourful. Ris’War have two major life-stages, subsequent to hatching. In the first, they present as small purple crocodile. In the second, they present as humanoids with crocodilian features. A Ris’War is at its weakest while still a hatchling, before it learns to take on a humanoid appearance. Once a Ris’War takes on a humanoid appearance it is unlikely ever to revert to its crocodilian shape. More recently, the Ashenti civilization adjusted the ris’war genome to give them wings. [COLOR=dodgerblue][Is there any particular reason for this? It strikes me that being small and perhaps being able to fly, or even pretend to be two completely separate species (one dangerous, the other harmless) could be beneficial to a warlike species.][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]Wings is a mutation caused by the Ashenti, a typical Ris’War would not have those. Kiadan is a very special case in that she is the “pre-ordained” Ris’War. There was a “sub set” of Ris’War in TBA that I was playing with that would never grow into the adult form, these were what Kiadan was going to be, but I’m going to say that they’re calling themselves Ris’War but aren’t actually. Since Kiadan actually goes from “baby” to adolescent in her transformations[/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][Okay! Should I include that information about ‘pre-ordained’ ris’war in this profile, or is that not quite cannon? Or indeed outside of the remit for a general ris’war profile?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]Kiadan calling herself pre-ordained is just her being dramatic. There was no real pre-ordained portion of their race.[/COLOR] A Ris’War’s eyesight is no better or worse than a human and their hearing is only slightly worse. They generally have twice the strength that may be expected for their size and can easily lift twice their own body weight. A Ris’War’s tail is prehensile and capable of supporting its own body-weight by wrapping around things. They also have sticky pads on their hands and feet, much like geckos. This allows them to approach stealthily and attack from above. [COLOR=white][i]Endurance and Durability[/i][/COLOR] A typical Ris’War is strong, tough and durable. They do not attempt to avoid injuries since they can recover from non-lethal injuries quicker than most other species. This allows them to fight tirelessly for hours. Because of their increased lung capacity it’s hard to outrun a Ris’War as its lungs are capable of providing much more air than most other creatures of its size. Their enhanced endurance allows them to recover quickly and fatigue less when they run. They originally developed this enhanced lung capacity and ability to stick and cling with their toes and tails due to the conditions of their environment during their early evolution. They were semi-aquatic and their seas were prone to very strong tidal surges and currents. There was a very real risk that they could be swept away and under so they developed these two characteristics to help them survive. [COLOR=dodgerblue][Nice explanation, by the way!][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]Thanks :)[/COLOR] The scales of a Ris’War are tough, and can deflect anything except blaster bolts, slug throwers and vibroknives. A stun weapon hardly penetrates their scales and generally only angers a Ris’War. They also have the ability to match the terrain and gave them an element of surprise to attack the unwary. [COLOR=dodgerblue][Do you mean they can camouflage themselves? If so, can I guess from getting to know Kiadan that purple is a Ris’War’s neutral colour?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]Males have the ability to camouflage themselves, but it’s more where they stay incredibly still and their dark brown and green colorings are able to be overlooked. Females have much more vivid colors, like Kiadan’s purple, and were used as bait by the males. They developed a means of moving that would blend them more readily than the males. But there was still a lot of death caused by this.[/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][Oh sure, so in order to escape their predators the females moved as a herd so that they would be hard to differentiate from one another? Also, is purple their only colour or could they be all sorts of colours?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]They would just have more vivid colors I don’t think it would really be limited. Since the coloring was a reflection of their environment. Bright colors to attract mates and what not.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Diet[/i][/COLOR] They can eat both carrion and fresh meat with no ill effects - their regenerative powers make them invulnerable to any sickness that might otherwise be caused by eating carrion. However, they have no sense of smell. Instead they taste by running their tongues over any items they wish to smell. [COLOR=white][i]Cold/Warm-Bloodedness[/i][/COLOR] Ris’war are half-way between these two states. They can generate their own body-heat. [COLOR=white][i]Winged Adults[/i][/COLOR] A Ris’War who kept their wings when they became more humanoid in shape was seen as an ordained and was placed in charge of their religion. Winged child-ris’war are very rare. [COLOR=white][i]Hibernation[/i][/COLOR] Ris’war are capable of hibernating, although they don’t routinely do this, partly due to their own preference for warm environments, and partly because it only tends to occur when they are also unable to find food, and need to conserve energy. [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Medical Conditions[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] Overall, ris’war are tough and disease-resistant, but they are not entirely immune from illness. [COLOR=white][i]Telemaia Genetic Variation Mutative (TGVM) Virus[/i][/COLOR] Ris’war are just as susceptible to this virus, which turns individuals of any other species into a [COLOR=dodgerblue][telemai, depending on what name you want to go with][/COLOR], as any other species. However, their bodies put up a strong fight [COLOR=dodgerblue][This sounds like it makes sense. Did you ever hear that thing about how crocodiles and alligators have strong immune systems? It’s because they hang around in groups, have a strong ‘bite’ reflex so sometimes bite each other (so create injuries in one another), and live in swamps where there’s a lot of bacteria. They developed incredibly strong immune systems to fight off the constant infections they get. Perhaps ris’war developed something similar?][/COLOR] Indeed, some have such an adverse reaction that their body perishes in the effort to fight off the virus, and they die. [COLOR=tomato]I didn’t think of it quiet like that, I was thinking of it more like the Komodo dragon, where the saliva they have in their mouth is toxic because of all the bacteria and things that are in it. Basically they have food decay in their mouth and it’s as effective as any venom of any predator. But the nipping by another alligator to keep their immune system up is smart[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Loose Scales[/i][/COLOR] A parasite or disease on the ris’wars’ native planet caused their scales to come loose. Whenever this happened it made them easy targets for predation. [COLOR=white][CENTER]🌎 [b]Geographical Distribution[/b] 🌎[/CENTER][/COLOR] The Ris’War evolved on a planet that was harsh and unforgiving. Between dangerous predators and unforgiving land conditions the Ris’War evolved to be tough and adaptable to their environment. There is no known name for their native planet. However, it is known that it had very little land-mass so was mostly covered with water. The oceans were very deep and the currents powerful. A ris’war’s ideal terrain is mangrove trees and swamps, and they are very happy in predominantly wet environments. They prefer to avoid sandy, dry areas as it is possible for sand to get beneath their scales, which quickly becomes irritating to them. They also dislike worlds with slippery terrain such as ice or glass, as they often find that their toes are not sticky enough to get purchase on these surfaces, which means that they have to work hard to avoid slipping. On their native planet, ris’war preparing for breeding would nest by felling trees and securing them to any secure landmark they could to keep them from being swept away by the tides. Then they would lay their eggs in the tree. [COLOR=tomato]When possible the Ris’War would try and convert planets into hot and humid swampy lands that they favored.[/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][You mentioned before that they only like technology inasmuch as they can steal if, but this sounds like it requires expertise and labour. Were they likely to bully other species into that too, to achieve desired results like swampy worlds?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]Oh absolutely! They did have slaves after a while.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER]🌲 [b]Position in Ecosystem[/b] 🌲[/CENTER][/COLOR] Ris’War are carnivores that readily eat the flesh of any creature. They seem to prefer sentient species, especially humans and elves. This is because sentient creatures are more likely to feel and exhibit anxiety, which the ris’war find satisfying in their prey. Throughout their history they continued to demonstrate a preference for intelligent species for this exact reason. Because of their extreme abilities, they have few natural enemies. Their biggest danger came from other sentient creatures and their technology. [COLOR=white][CENTER]⚔️ [b]History[/b] ⚔️[/CENTER][/COLOR] The Ris’War would have continued their primitive existence until some unknown aliens landed on the planet and tried to study the Ris’War. Realizing that there was more outside the inhospitable world they lived in, they captured the alien scientists and forced them to explain how their spaceship worked. This was no quick task and the Ris'War spent the next dozen years learning how to use the machine - after which, they killed the alien scientists and returned to the aliens’ home planet. When the Ris’War got there they killed everyone and took the planet for their own. By this point they had become entrenched in a pattern of dominating and destroying any civilization they came across. The rewards of doing so were rich, from the extra land and resources gained to the exhilaration of success, so they continued on an ongoing crusade of location and attacking new civilisations, especially those on completely new planets, and creating hatcheries to add to their universal population. It was after almost two hundred years when they took their first slaves to tend to the hatcheries. Realizing how useful slaves were they began to expand through their sector of space and began to conquer, enslave any aliens they could find, or slaughter everyone who opposed them. Their society grew great stealing from all the societies that they absorbed into themselves. If the species they found had a lot of shiny trinkets such as coins or jewellery, they would eagerly take it for themselves. Not all species had such things. However, species that obviously made a poor choice for slaves were much rarer. If the ris’war happened to find a species that fit this description they would generally be spiteful enough to attack them anyway, for the rush of victory, acquisition of land, and for food. The Ris’War are almost the stuff of legends and very few of them are around in the galactic public, living isolated lives on barren planets with few other sentients. It’s safer that way for society. [COLOR=white][CENTER]🏺 [b]Culture[/b] 🏺[/CENTER][/COLOR] Ris'War liked shiny objects and tended to collect them and protect them as their own personal hoards. This desire for shiny things originated on their home planet. There was a particular species of fish that had highly reflective scales and was good to eat. As they made excellent food for ris’war, they became specialists in overcoming the various survival benefits that shiny scales gave these fish: They learned to see the apparent (or real) vitality and health (and implied difficulty to catch) as a challenge, not a sign to give up. They developed pack-hunting habits to cooperate to catch their prey, no matter how well the fish synchronised their movements to evade the ris’war. The ris’war developed excellent vision to help them differentiate one individual fish from another and to mitigate the dazzling effect of the fish’s silver scales. When ris’war first made their way onto land they reflexively went after anything shiny whether or not it was alive. They learned that these items were often inedible, but in a generally harsh world where food was hard-won, learned how to use these shiny items to help them catch more food. [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Food[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] Ris’war never developed an appreciation for flavour, as the costs of savouring food tended to outweigh the benefits: one could be killed, sitting around and luxuriating in a delicious flavour, and it simply wasn’t worth the risk of taking time over food. For this reason, ris’war tend to rip off chunks of food and swallow it whole. [COLOR=white][i]Fish[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][Shiny or not, it sounds like they have a preference for fish! Reckon that’s a characteristic they kept as a species?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]On a mostly wet world, certainly. Kiadan however enjoyed candy more than anything else.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Cannibalism[/i][/COLOR] Ris’war are very much prone to cannibalism. This includes eating their deceased. They also have a tendency to eat the loser in any dispute or battle between ris’war. [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Art[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]Introduction needed.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Decorative Swords/Other Weapons[/i][/COLOR] These have a significant place in ris’war culture. They were handed down from one generation to the next, for many generations until the items in question were ancient and no longer conformed to the weaponry styling of the day. They were primarily used in disputes between rival ris’war as a way of declaring the superiority of one’s own ancestral line over that of their opponent. [COLOR=tomato]They would have made ceremonial clothing out of the Ris’War that had passed[/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][Wait, out of the actual ris’war themselves - as in, their skins? Well, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised after you told me what they did with the bones! I just want to check first that I’ve understood this right before I write it in.][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]Maybe a portion of their scales, but no. I more meant like using the skull for a helmet or the like.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]War Songs[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][How about this? Is this a thing?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]I’m sure they had to have some but I for the life of me can’t think what they would be. xD[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 3[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Festivals[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]Introduction needed.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Funerals[/i][/COLOR] Normally a Ris’War when they died their body was distributed among the clan with the greatest portion going to the immediate kin. Their cultural belief here is that older ris’war have better survival skills, so eating them conferred the deceased’s skills or luck on the consumer. [COLOR=dodgerblue][Do they believe this in a literal sense or do they know it’s superstitious and do it anyway?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]Older generations would have thought it so, by the time of the slaves they would have known it was superstitious but still continued to save face[/COLOR] The bones were used in weapons to give to the next generation. [COLOR=white][i]Example 2[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 3[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Language[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] The Ris'War communicate with clicks and other noises, and other species have named their language ‘Click Hiss language’. When they turn into humanoids they continue to do so despite being capable of more human-like speech. The language is mostly comprised of noises that can be made at the back of the throat and with the tongue, and without moving the jaw. This was historically helpful to them in tidal settings when they needed to hold their breath and conserve their energy for holding on. This is done as a matter of cultural pride as Ris'War. A few examples, such as Kiadan, will use one of the trade languages if necessary, some of which are more 'conventional' in terms of the style of speech. [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Social Dynamics[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]Introduction needed.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Clans[/i][/COLOR] They developed along clan lines and fought terrifying wars that sometimes wiped out entire clans. Any victors were absorbed into the superior clans. Clans primarily identified themselves by their territory - the physical area that belongs to them. Some used symbols to define their clan, such as the appearance of the moon beneath a particular tree, but most did not do this. Symbols were generally unnecessary as every ris’war knew what land belonged to their clan and what did not. Straying off of one’s own land was seen as an attack against the clan whose land had been trespassed on, so oblivious ris’war generally saw themselves out of the gene pool. Ris’War clans have a superior male and female leading the clan. The female tends to the house and manages the possessions and the male goes to war. They only cooperate with other clans if it is of great benefit to the entire race. [COLOR=white][i]Cooperation[/i][/COLOR] Ris’war are not at all prone to cooperating for altruistic reasons. However, occasionally they will do so as a show of strength. The clans have a ‘high chief’ who orchestrates cooperation on occasion. He bullies any clan chiefs that he senses weakness in, and once he does so he encourages other chiefs to cooperate in cementing the further weakening of that tribe. For this reason there is a hierarchy among the clans, and there is usually a single high clan. The reward of becoming the new high clan is often enough to encourage a clan’s chief to cooperate with other clans to take out competitors. [COLOR=white][i]Gender Roles[/i][/COLOR] Gender roles were broadly similar for Ris’War as they are for humans: females tended to manage the home while males were expected to go to war. Among ancient Ris’War a Ris’War born with both genitals was the de facto leader of the clan for they knew the minds of both male and female. They were expected to lead them into combat and to make the decisions of the home. The occurrence of these individuals was very rare. [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Sexuality, Romance, and Rearing of Young[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]Introduction needed.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Crocodilian vs. Humanoid Life Stages[/i][/COLOR] The babies, referred to as hatchlings, looked crocodilian in nature and were considered their weakest and easiest to manage while they were in this crocodilian form. Wings could sometimes be found on baby Ris’War but often times by the time they assumed their humanoid appearance the wings vanished and they would no longer assume this weak crocodilian form. Ris’war have a cultural drive to grow up as fast as possible, both mentally and physically. A smaller ris’war is more likely to become food for something else, and a slow-witted one is more likely to be caught or overpowered. The young are driven to eat as much as they can to help them grow fast, and so strong is the urge to do this that they can and will eat each other. [COLOR=dodgerblue][Does this mean they eat their own siblings, owl-style? If so, then my best guess is that most clutches only end up with one baby who survives, and perhaps the other eggs/chicks are assumed to be sacrificial. If that is what happens, then can we also guess that any parental instincts tend to be laser-focused on the first to hatch (and therefore likely to be the surviving member of the clutch) and/or that the first egg to be laid is marked out as the one that will almost certainly be the one that bears the survivor?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]They most certainly would have killed their siblings as they grew and hatched, even if more than one survived to “toddlerhood” or the equivelant. I can’t imagine very many twins or the like surviving into adulthood with their fierce instincts.[/COLOR] Ris'War are capable of reverting from their humanoid form to their crocodile form, but they don't believe this confers any benefits and only makes them weaker in battle, so no Ris'War ever tried. Quite aside from the lack of practical benefits to doing so, this backward transformation would require magic to achieve. Ris’war are capable of wielding magic, and this particular magical feat requires transmutation. [COLOR=white][i]Example 2[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 3[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER]♟ [b]Politics[/b] ♟[/CENTER][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]Introduction needed.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Wars[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] Ris’War were able combatants and it was not wise to cross one. While slow for their size when they did strike it was generally with a brutal snap of their powerful jaws or a disemboweling by their sharp claws. They had the strength to pick up and throw full sized creatures with relative ease and their scales were tough enough to turn back all but blaster bolts and slug throwers. A Typical Ris’War could even regenerate in a manner that would get them on their feet far quicker than expected. Most stun weapons only pissed them off, if it worked at all. Both males and females were dangerous and capable combatants. The males would flash a fin to distract in ancient times. [COLOR=white][i]The Ashentis’ Gene Bomb[/i][/COLOR] They might have kept discovering and conquering alien civilizations for centuries had three hatcheries not had a mysterious meteor crash land into the planets. Unknown to them at the time the Ashenti, a race of aliens skilled at the science of genetic manipulation, had arrived in the Ris’War Empire and they decided to do what they did best: Genetic Manipulation. These meteors contained the biotech necessary to adjust the ris’wars’ DNA. However, the change was not drastic, so in the longer term the ris’war thought little of it. This is how the Ashenti sowed the seeds for a civil war into the Empire. They withdrew to a safe distance to watch the chaos unfold and over the next three hundred years it did just that as questions as to what a true Ris’War was began to crop up. [COLOR=dodgerblue][So what did the gene bombs do, to create this sort of chaos?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]It inspired evolutionary jumps and would have made the Ris’War question what was an actual Ris’War. This is when wings were introduced into their genes. Other things would have been smoother scales or a more upright posture, any number of things that would have been just odd enough to make Ris’War question their purity.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 3[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Alliances[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]Introduction needed.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 1[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 2[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 3[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Religion and Spirituality[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] The Ris’War had a primitive system of beliefs that mostly focused around water and the changing of the seasons. When they became an empire they tried to implement this on other planets but it proved too complex and they soon dropped it. The spiritual system focused on the sense of immense power created when witnessing the tidal system of their native planet. They considered water a force too powerful to be stopped. Seasons were significant due to the relatively close proximity of the moon on their native world than with most planets. [COLOR=dodgerblue][I’m intrigued by this! What seasons did they have on their native planet? And what’s special to them about water? It seems such a gentle thing for them to have as a motif for their spiritual lives.][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]You’re not looking at water like a hurricane or a typhoon. They grew up in these hellish water conditions with powerful tidal surges and the like and so to them water is a powerful force that can’t be stopped. As for seasons, I’m not sure exactly. Their moon is a much closer to their planet surface than ours which causes a massive pull on the tides and their abilities[/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][Well, while moons don’t have that strong of an effect on seasons, the seasons would be stronger if their native world had a more severe axial tilt than ours here on Earth. If they had a few extra degrees on us then their seasons would be more extreme. Admittedly, while moons don’t cause seasons, they can stabilise the degree of tilt, so as such their moon would be associated with the extremity of their seasons. I can write something about all this in, if you like. Also, a final thought: seasons and tides have something in common: the measuring of time! Could it be that time had a significance to the ris’war as a spiritual symbol? After all, time offers some semblance of sense to those incredibly strong tides - they would have had a natural ebb and flow, and knowing this or being able to control such a force would make life so much easier, so I can see them getting superstitious, even spiritual, about time, and either understanding or controlling it. Indeed, to take things even further, could that be part of their belief system - that it’s good to be able to control things, perhaps with a certain chip on their shoulder about understanding (since you already said that they, as a culture, don’t really like being curious about new discoveries)?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]True, the axis and the apex of the revolution through their solar system would have had a bigger impact on the seasons. But yes, they would have timed things for when the water was at it’s weakest, such as laying their eggs. They would have known this time would have been ideal because the waters were less likely to sweep their kids out to sea.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 1[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 2[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 3[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Law[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][Do they have any laws or is it a bit of a Wild West situation on their native planet? How did they react to the concept of law as enforced by other civilizations? Did they have any kind of run-ins over slavery, which presumably is illegal by some civilizations’ books?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]Most of the societies view slavery as barbaric and would have tried to avoid dealing with the Ris’War when possible. But as for rules it was a sort of strong rules. So if the chieftain of a certain clan declared that anyone who wore a certain color was to be killed, he could. The only way to fight it would be to challenge him and win. Naturally a more powerful chief, like the high chieftain, could supersede this by killing that chieftain and installing a “loyal” chief in that ones place. For the slaves this would have been very stressful and confusing and so would have eventually it would have rubbed off on the Ris’War because it was an easier and less brutal system, of course they wouldn’t admit that to anyone and would declare it their system[/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][[I’m not quite sure I understand this part. So the strongest ris’war makes the rules. That much I understand. I can also understand their slaves finding that stressful and confusing. But what was the ‘easier and less brutal’ system? I’m not clear what that is.][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]I think I had a brain fart here. I was basically saying that the slaves would start trying to control and influence the Ris’War. Like suggesting to a boss an idea and making it seem like their idea. Anything that would have been better than just the whims of a crazy/angry lizards.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER]💲 [b]Economy[/b] 💲[/CENTER][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]Introduction needed.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Monetary / Trading System[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] Ris’war do not have a trading system, as the level of cooperation required would be entirely alien to them. Ris’war like to collect their own hoards, but they will not trade any or all of this for anything. Indeed, historically, they used to use the shiny things they had found to lure prey. For a ris’war, trade seems an absurd concept when instead, they could attack someone else and take their resources. [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Business and Trade[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] As the Ris’War acquired more and more technology they began to live a life of leisure and all but certain clans began to develop into things other than warriors. They began to develop commerce and rudimentary laws. Much of the empire of Ris’War was ruled during the day to day by Soliani, a priest caste, and they kept the government running. Allowing the Ris’War to spoil themselves. Whereas once before it was deemed to be the best to have slaughtered many in battle it came to be seen as greater for those with more slaves. The more slaves the more respect that you commanded. And a typical Ris’War clan could have hundreds of slaves for the poorest of Ris’War. The politics of this could get interesting for a ‘poor’ ris’war. If a ris’war did not have many slaves then they would employ strategies to cover this fact. They would either stay quiet about their slave quota, claim to belong to a different clan so as to shift the shame of their lack of success to a clan that was not their own, or they would claim to have given away some of their slaves. [COLOR=dodgerblue][Given how power-hungry and aggressive the ris’war are, I suspect that these strategies are not always effective. That isn’t to say that they never use them, but would I be right in thinking that these strategies sometimes fail?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]Yeah, the jig would be up almost as soon as another Ris’War visited to check on the slave function. A smarter Ris’War would low ball the slaves they had enough to be still poor but not enough to be seen as a threat to another clan member.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Education[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]Introduction needed.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 1[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 2[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 3[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Medicine[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][They may have stolen weaponry from their victims, but did they steal any medical equipment? I’m guessing not but even ris’war presumably get injured in battle from time to time. Do they heal their injured or just let them die?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]You mean their walking ration packs? If the Ris’War couldn’t heal it themselves they risked becoming a meal. This sorta encourages walking it off sort of mentality. By the time they would have had slaves who had proper medical knowledge the amount of combat related deaths would have dropped dramatically for the Ris’War.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Technology[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] Not inventors or innovators in the slightest; they were not adept at the technology and hadn’t grown used to as they expanded to encompass almost 400 planets. Most of the Ris’Wars’ technological advancement came as a result of theft from the alien civilizations they found. Any tech they could figure out they used, any they couldn’t figure out they had the society teach them. [COLOR=white][i]Agriculture[/i][/COLOR] Being carnivores they never developed an agricultural system and they only made the crudest of storage devices. [COLOR=dodgerblue][Did they ever develop a cultured sense of taste? You said they can eat carrion and their sense of smell is pretty poor, so I wonder if their sense of taste is quite bad too. Since they don’t seem to need to preserve meat for safety reasons, nor have much incentive to improve the flavour of things, I wonder if they just didn’t develop anything that we might call ‘cuisine’.][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]Ris’War would have been far more interested in visual appeal, so if the meat could be made to look even more visually interesting they would have loved that.[/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][Ah, so colour and size might have been their kind of ticket, perhaps? Bigger cuts of meat, and perhaps in colour-contrast with whatever’s around it - I hesitate to say plates, veggies, etc. since it sounds like they don’t really like that, but I’m not really thinking of anything else they might have ‘framed’ a piece of meat with. Except for the grass that they slayed it on. The red/brown of meat framed by green grass is a vibrant look. Shall we go with that?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]Or the leaves used to wrap the meat in to keep it from burning as they ripped chunks out.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Weaponry[/i][/COLOR] They were able to learn and adapt to the technology they found but they were not able to invent new technology for themselves. The greatest weapons they had created for themselves were thick poisoned arrows and forged weapons. [COLOR=dodgerblue][From bones, right? What about stone or wood? And where did they get their poisons from?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]They would have “forged” weapons by basically sharpening down bones and then dipping those in burning liquid metals. They wouldn’t have what we’d really call a forging process. The environment would have made metal very hard to find and prized.[/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue][So how did they get the liquid metal?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]As for the poisons they would have gotten those from plants in the environment coated on sharpened rocks or bones. The poison wouldn’t have been terrible for a Ris’War because of their hardy constitution but it would slow them down/annoy them by adding another sensation to their bodies.[/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]At some point they would have found their shiny’s burn if they’re exposed to something super hot, say a lightning bolt or the like. And so they would have started making rock cauldrons to melt metals in. They would have lost a lot in this process though[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][i]Example 3[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR=dodgerblue]To be worked on.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white][CENTER][u][b]Construction[/b][/u][/CENTER][/COLOR] Ris’war huts and other buildings are made of felled trees, mud, and brush. [COLOR=dodgerblue][If they can build buildings like this, how come they lay their eggs in trees, as you mentioned near the top of this profile?][/COLOR] [COLOR=tomato]It would have started with laying eggs in the felled tree’s roots and the like and they would have stuck with that as part tradition and part you wouldn’t want your enemies coming into the camp and going to a central location for the entire clan’s eggs. If each couple of Ris’War hid their eggs in the wilderness they were more likely to have at least one hatchling survive.[/COLOR]