Etausi (people)

Overview

Indigenous species of intelligent reptilian hexapeds, of which there are five sub-species; The swamp dwelling etausi-boh; The etausi-duat of mountainous regions; The etausi-grat of the plains and deserts; and the etausi-mal of forests. Despite these differences the four groups share a common culture.

Etausi tribes typically number around forty individuals, of which fully two thirds will be adults. The Etausi are exclusively of one sex, which reproduce parthenogenetically. Only one or two members will be in brood at a given time guarding clutches of about a dozen eggs.

The Etausi are an all female, six limbed, reptiplian bipedal sapient race. They have several subspecies which are adapted to the biomes they frequent. Males hatch rarely (about 1 out of every thousand eggs, but are sacrificed to the dragon king out of respect for his divine role as father/husband to the entirity of etausi-kind.

As they are genetically stable some alien biology at play which allows a reasonable diversity within the daughters genetic material. There is a chance of some external manipulation. Although inbred flaws such as you bring up could explain the lack of dominance in the global ecosystem. They are scattered, with subspeices adapted to various climates and biomes. Etausi - Reptilian natives of planet (not Earth), so six-limbs, egg-laying, scales etc. 99.99% of all hatchlings are female - species reproduces through parthenogenesis. Worship a god-king figure whom they believe they are all mates too, and practice infanticide as a holy ritual when males are born. Do not see family structure in the same human way, eggs are communal, belonging to the whole community, therefore children are everyone's to raise. The species reproduces via Parthenogenesis. Also male/female is determined by environmental factors while developing in the egg, and not sex-linked genes.

The best estimates for global population is somewhere about two-hundred million Etausi scattered in small pockets globally.

Interestibngly enough I have a species of lizard women who reproduce through parthenogenisis. They are a matriarchy (as there simply aren't males), but it has a whole religious context, and since males are not needed at all biologically they are killed shortly after hatching even though it's a rare thing for males to hatch at all.

Etausi have had little contact with Tre-Ahni. Those encounters, and the results, have yet to be known across the whole species. So there is no general collective attitude towards them. New encounters are approached with curiosity, following those the reaction depends on the experience of that first time.

Perhaps he is from a clutch of eggs that survived to hatch and were raised in isolation/left to themselves. In this case the whole clutch would be Etausi in genetics only, and completely lacking any nurture in the cultural norms of their kind. A rare genetic mutation could subdue the physical male sexual characteristics from manifesting. Such an asexual appearance could delay or prevent identification of the male, and thus preserve his life. separated into a handful of subspecies based on biomes by habitat preference (Arid, Wetlands, Forest/Jungle, Sea, Rocky/Mountainous), but even these groups are discontiguous in distribution.

If one is born with two sets of arms then coordinating them in activities is a matter of natural development. Interestingly Etausi do show a handedness preference like the treahni, favouring one hand and side over the others for basic tasks.; for the lower left hand/left side over the right.

Within single colonies of Etausi there is very little genetic or physical variation, due to them reproducing through parthenogenesis. Disparate colonies have changed over time, showing extreme differences in morphology, to the extent of them appearing to be distinct species.

How many children does each Etausi tend to have, on average? On average an Etausi lays about 6 eggs. Generally only 2 are in brood at any given time regardless of the colony size. Has the lack of genetic mixing caused any problems for the Etausi? Not as a whole yet. There may well be some alien biology factors preventing genetic bottlenecks from occurring within the species.

Does an Etausi egg have a good chance of eventually being a full-grown Etausi? Typically, if sufficient numbers of adults are in the colony, then the eggs will be well cared for, and some 97-99% of them will hatch. Of those hatchlings, infant mortality (disease, accidents, depredation) takes out another 25% so from Egg to adult (9-12 years before reliable egg laying) is about 73% survival. The average life expectancy of Etausi, is around 25 years, due to their primitive lifestyle, and lack of advance medical care. In ideal conditions an Etausi could live an extremely long time compared to Tre-ahni.

They share a similar languages and universally follow the exact same religion despite being spread out globally. With little or no communication between tribal groups globally.

Entorais doesn't have any exclusively aquatic sapient species, but the Etausi, reptilian bi-peds with 6 limbs, have subspecies with varying degrees of amphibious lifestyle. Swamp dwelling Etausi Boh, and the marine/coastal Etausi Rure, in particular can and do spend significant amounts of time in and underwater in the hunting and gathering activities. They can hold their breath three or four times longer than a tre-ahni, and with 6 limbs and tails to propel them, are quite fast and agile in aquatic environs. Boh of these groups still maintain dwelling places on dry land for brooding, and raising their young.

The Etausi, my reptilian race, lack the human range of facial pliability; they have some frills and crests they can raise lower, or flush with blood (colour), and having twice as many arms/hands which vary position to indicate moods and such, in addition to head nods, tilts, and directing their gaze, They also vary the tone of their voices to convey emotional details beyond the meaning of the words they speak.

Etausi - Parthenogenic, reptilian, six limbed bipeds. An exclusively female species. Eggs are laid in group nests and brooded by several females in rotation. The hatchlings are considered children of that brood circle. So they have several mothers. As some external factors can produce males (1:100000 or so), the males are culled in a ritual sacrifice to their male god.

Etausi - Reptilian natives of planet (not Earth), so six-limbs, egg-laying, scales etc. 99.99% of all hatchlings are female - species reproduces through parthenogenesis. Worship a god-king figure whom they believe they are all mates too, and practice infanticide as a holy ritual when males are born. Do not see family structure in the same human way, eggs are communal, belonging to the whole community, therefore children are everyone's to raise.

Etausi hatch from soft shelled eggs (being reptiles) laid in shallow dirt nests, over which one or more members of the tribe sleep to keep the brooding temperature stable.

Etausi-Boh

The swamp dwelling etausi-boh tend toward the dark greens, blacks, and blue hues in their colouration. Etausi-Boh are tall and lean.

height 46+4d6, frame: +4, complexion: +5 Str +3, Sta +1, Dex 0, Agl +2 Eye -3, Hrg +2, Smt +4, Voi -3 Int -1, Aur -3, Wil +1

Etausi-Daut

The etausi-duat of mountainous regions have scales of greys, blacks, and other light browns. They tend to be much smaller than average for Etausi.

height: 44+4d6, frame: +3 Str +1, Sta +1, Dex 0, Agl +1 Eye -3, Hrg +1, Smt +3, Voi -3 Int 0, Aur -3, Wil 0

Etausi-Grat

The etausi-grat of the plains and deserts have colouration which blends into their environment quite well. A mix of yellows, sandy tones, and browns will most often be evident. Etausi-Grat are quite solid in stature compared to the other sub-species.

height: 48+4d6, frame: -1 Str 0, Sta 0, Dex 0, Agl +2 Eye -2, Hrg +4, Smt +4, Voi -2 Int 0, Aur -3, Wil 0

Etausi-Mal

The forest dwelling etausi-mal have scales of greenish hues, which shift with the seasonal variation through yellows, oranges and reds. During the winter months their scales take on a mix of browns and greys.

height: 47+4d6, frame: +1 Str 0, Sta 0, Dex +1, Agl +3 Eye -3, Hrg +4, Smt +3, Voi -2 Int 0, Aur -3, Wil 0

Etausi-Rure

This subspecies are reef/shore/island dwelling and spend a lot of time in and under the salt water of Entorais' oceans and seas. Their appearance is similar to a 6-limbed bipedal marine iguana.

See Also

Etausi (culture)