#mbiology

A Note: Proper nouns, such as the names of the non-human races, come from Glican, pretty much the primary language of the continent. It doesn’t code for number on the noun itself, but instead with specific suffixes. For example: noya (root noun) noyan (a singular noya) noyakay (exactly two noya) noyakus (a small group of noya) noyakun (a large group of noya) noyateka (most noya) noyatesan (some noya) noyasenlat (literally all the noya that currently exist) noyasenkay (all the noya in the immediate area) noyasenchay (all the noya in another, specific place), etc. More suffixes get added for case. Needless to say, this gets right confusing when translating to English, so for our sake, its one noya, two noya, billions of noya.

Another Note: Species names aren’t capitalized, for consistency with “human.”

A Third Note: Due to the nature of human civilization being a two-species union, “humanity” in this world refers to humans and kilinik as a whole, whereas the noun “human-kind” is used to refer specifically to the human component.

Noya: The smallest of the races of Malabar, the noya hail from the frozen tundras and ice floes of the north, a land they have claimed as their own for untold generations. Clad in a thick coat of fur and commonly aligned with the thermal element, they are well adapted to this unforgiving home. They are bipedal, with long, powerful legs and surprisingly human-like arms, allowing them easy use of tools. Omnivorous in diet, their strong beak and enlarged canines can process most foods. Thanks to the long periods of darkness common that far north, they have evolved large eyes and ears, and possess both incredible night vision and excellent hearing. Though they stand a mere two feet in height (not counting the ears), their high metabolism, nimble gait, and aggressive culture make them unexpectedly formidable opponents at close range. The majority of the noya population resides in the untamed north of the continent as an array of fairly large tribes, many of which are nomadic. However, a notable amount have found their way south, primarily into Caltrek, where they have been mostly accepted into society, though as essentially second-class citizens. The increased heat of the southern half of the continent, the difficulty they find in speaking Glican and other human languages, and the fact that most structures are designed with much larger beings in mind have all kept them from venturing much farther, though encountering a partially shaved noya as far south as the gulf is not unheard of. Empowered individuals tend to display an affinity for the thermal element, an excellent tool for helping endure the cold, or to keep cool in warmer climates.

Human: Essentially the same as their Earth counterparts, the humans of Malabar reached the Americas not by the Bering Strait, but instead via the Pacific ocean, navigating across the vast sea to land along South America’s western coast. It is here in the Andes that they rapidly built a thriving and quite advanced civilization, and some historians claim it stretched across the entire continent at its peak. It is also in this land that they encountered the kilinik, and they eventually formed a tight, unbreakable bond with each other, utilizing their combined talents to forge their empire. Even to this day, it is impossible to find a purely human or purely kilinik settlement, and it is far more accurate to consider both species as a single civilization rather than to analyze them separately. Essentially all technology and architecture produced by their combined efforts is designed for use by both species. By and large, there is no humanity without the kilinik, and there are no kilinik without humanity. Unfortunately, this union of the species was put to the test by a sudden and catastrophic disaster of unknown origin that rendered the entire southern continent completely uninhabitable, bringing the civilization to its knees. Refugees headed north, and eventually colonized the northern continent, forming a massive empire that stretched from east to west coast, as far north as the great lakes and as far south as the Yucatan peninsula. Today, that empire is long gone, but its remnants are seen across the continent. To the east are the nations of Northern and Southern Malabar along the eastern coast, as well as Oben along the gulf. The center of the continent is technically dominated by the country of Valen, though it barely counts as a unified entity, instead better described as a loose coalition of city-states. In addition, humans are still prevalent in the Unbound Wilds in the west, though no formal government and few permanent settlements exist. Empowered individuals tend to display an affinity for the electromagnetic element, no doubt one of the keys to their rapid technological advancement.

Yaan: The yaan appear incredibly dog-like because, well, they’re pretty much dogs. Hairless, blind, echolocating cave-dogs with grasping hands and the ability to stand upright, but dogs nonetheless. Of all of the species on the continent, they are the most closely related to something seen on Earth, with their point of departure from the “standard tree of life” a mere 15 million years ago. Most notably, however, is the fact that the majority of their population resides in the wastes west of the Rocky Mountains, a desolate and dangerous place on the shores of the void, and they have no intention of going anywhere else, at least not en masse. Despite the calamity that has befallen their homeland, they feel they belong nowhere else. Their relative immunity to the effects of the various space-time anomalies that plague the land helps the feeling somewhat. They generally believe that their survival was a divine act, and that they’re meant to be there, though whether that’s as caretakers or conquerors depends on the tribe. Thanks to their extensive contact with the human empire, followed by even more with various scavengers coming to salvage what they can of the old cities, they have a surprisingly high level of technology at their disposal, from radio to rifles, despite living in a mixture of burrows and wooden huts. Empowered individuals tend to display an affinity for the space-time element, likely the source of their immunity to the ill effects of the void.

Chira: The only race naturally capable of flight, the chira have outwardly changed little from their pterosaur ancestors. Equally at home in the air, in the trees, and on the ground, they have developed grasping hands and feet in addition to the signature pterosaur wing. Typically standing about four feet tall, they have an impressive wingspan of over 14 feet on mature individuals, and are well adapted to low-energy soaring utilizing thermal updrafts. Living in small family groups, they claim the northern forests of the continent as their own, their homesteads and rabbit farms dotting the trees for miles. However, a sizeable part of the population has integrated itself into the human-kilinik community from their days as a conquered people under the empire; though uncommon, it’s not unusual to find communities of them within human cities, especially those further north. Unfortunately, between the partial assimilation by the empire and their forceful relocation by both the empire and later taven refugees, much of their native culture has been lost. In particular, any particularly aggressive cultures that resisted the empire were quickly and swiftly eliminated, and virtually all of their native religions have been suppressed or forgotten to time. To this day, there is still plenty of conflict between those seeking to rediscover, or at least reinvent their old traditions, and those who see living with the humans as the better choice. Empowered individuals tend to display an affinity for the gaseous element, an obvious evolutionary choice for a being capable of flight.

Kilinik: A ubiquitous sight in human settlements, the kilinik have been partnered with them since long before their exodus to the northern continent. With their ancestors having split from the “standard tree of life” well over 300 million years ago, they are the most aberrant species among the sapients of the continent. Originating from the freshwater sharks of the Carboniferous, they evolved a tetrapod-esque body plan and eventually found their way into the trees, before returning to an amphibious lifestyle along the archipelagos and coastlines of the Pacific. The result of all this was a creature that looks superficially otter-like, albeit roughly human-sized, but still retained some shark-like characteristics, such as rough skin and electromagnetic reception. The latter, coupled with their ability to produce weak electric fields themselves, allowed them to communicate while underwater in a way that was virtually undetectable to their prey. On land, they instead utilize a form of sign language, which has been picked up by the humans they live with and readily incorporated into their language, as everyday as writing and speaking. Unfortunately, their sensitivity to electromagnetism poses trouble for any empowered individuals that show affinity for electromagnetism themselves, often having powers that make them incapable of communicating at anything other than the equivalent of a deafening scream. Often, such members were exiled to life exclusively on land, and more than a few living along the Pacific coast of South America met up with the humans who had settled there. Over the generations, trade was established, and, eventually, more than a few decided to live with their neighbors full time. The cultures blended, and together they built a civilization. Empowered individuals tend to display an affinity for the liquid element, a clear advantage for a being that spends so much time submerged.

Sang: The sang have been the dominant civilization on the northern continent since time untold, and even following their disastrous and protracted war with humanity, they still remain one of the three major players, however shattered they may be. The Caltrek community in the north and the five unified kingdoms to the south make up the bulk of the sang population. Their technology is generally high-level, particularly in the fields of mechanical devices and mass production, and though they lag behind humanity in terms of power production, they’ve learned to move mountains with what they have. Their first flying machines were incredibly light and powered entirely by the force of their muscles, yet were able to compete directly with the human helicopter, powered by an electrical engine. They are also responsible for the creation of the largest free-standing structures on the continent, and their architectural techniques have been adopted by humanity on several occasions. Physically, they are a bipedal species, but adopt a horizontal rather than vertical posture, standing about four feet tall at the shoulder and about seven feet long. Decked from head to tail in feathers, they are incredibly birdlike, save for their clawed hands and toothed snout. Empowered individuals tend to display an affinity for the solid element, likely part of the reason they are so adept at precision manufacture.

Akass: The swamps of the southeast are a dangerous, unforgiving habitat, but it is one the Akass gladly call home. Looking for all the world like a cross between a gorilla and an alligator, these imposing beings stand, or rather slouch, an impressive eight feet tall. While still dwarfed by the taven in terms of overall size, they easily match them in sheer strength, being incredibly well muscled and in possession of powerful arms and legs, well adapted to slogging through mires and swimming through plant-choked rivers. They are amphibious in nature, with smooth, moist skin along their flanks and bellies, and a life cycle that begins as an entirely aquatic larva. With long and robust jaws filled with multitudes of large, conical teeth, including sizeable tusks, they are the apex predators of their realm, rumored to be capable of eating all but the largest of crocodiles alive and whole. Despite their great physical bulk, however, they are a largely pacifistic and cooperative people, and have been known to shepherd people through their domain with little complaint. Unfortunately, this good will was taken advantage of by humanity, who relocated them to the islands of the gulf to gain access to the land and resources of the swamps. Still, they venture to the mainland regularly, and its very likely that large tribes still live in those areas considered too much of a hassle to drain. Those even more possessed of wanderlust have established colonies as far north as the great lakes, or, rarely, even integrated themselves into human-kilinik society. Empowered individuals tend to display an affinity for the organic element, enabling them to adapt either themselves or their environment to whatever their land throws at them.

Kigaya: Though considerably larger than the sang at nearly six feet at the shoulder, the kigaya share their same basic body plan: bipedal, but with a horizontal posture and long tail. Unlike the sang, however, they are covered in stiff bristles along most of their body, save for their scaled lower arms and legs. Kigaya are notable for having an incredibly complex vocal apparatus, and a well-trained individual can easily mimic nearly any sound they come across, particularly speech. As such, many have disseminated far and wide to seek employment as translators, a booming business in a land where some find foreign languages physically impossible to pronounce. They’ve become something of a ubiquitous sight in large cities and embassies across the continent, and more than a few have become professional diplomats in their own right. Aside from the wanderers, though, the majority of the population resides in Caltrek and the neighboring nations of Jaris and Eten. Though not commonly thought as such, the kigaya are nonetheless one of the industrialized nations of the continent. While they lack the precision manufacture of the sang, the immense power supply of humanity, and the flagrant disregard for the laws of physics of the taven, they still have a well-built infrastructure and a decent level of technology. This is largely helped by the fact that they are the only major power that was left relatively untouched by the human-sang war. Empowered individuals tend to display an affinity for the mental element, further increasing their prowess at translation and diplomacy.