Pygmy

Please be nice to Miragar. Fair warning, he's a bit... off-putting. You'll say he looks like one of those cryptids on the stupid travel shows. Like the black-eyed children, or a sharp-toothed little gremlin. And he eats like a goat.

-Apocryphal description of Hound-Toothed Miragar, Hero of Marzhdon

Basic Information

Anatomy

Pygmies are a short, slight Party species of somewhat humanoid structure. Their hairless skin is smooth and pigmented, from a moderate grey to jet black. Pygmy ears are long, and their faces have lipless mouths with a multitude of highly differentiated, strong teeth. Overall, their dental formula is comparable to other omnivores such as humans, but with larger molars and substantially sharper incisors, which when combined with their lipless mouths, gives the jaw a sharklike appearance. Pygmy eyes are disproportionately large, black orbs. Like the Iehuca, they lack visible sclera in the eye, but unlike the Iehuca, their eyes do not glow. Their slight-framed bodies, which they do not wrap in any form of clothing, have few distinguishing features. For example, both sexes of the species have cloaca rather than external genitalia.

Ecology and Habitats

Pygmies generally live within the massive underground cisterns of Morndinsamman, within large, centralized colonies. There they eat whichever creatures inhabit the surrounding cave systems, or when that fails, other Pygmies.

Dietary Needs and Habits

As with most life on Morndinsamman, Pygmies require a source of ⁷⁰Zn in their diet in order to produce the amino acid odontosine. They are omnivorous in the extreme, and have been known to ingest metals, potent toxins, conventional fuels, and rock, which is an inefficient secondary source of ⁷⁰Zn on Morndinsamman. Cannibalism is also common among Pygmies, and carries no stigma if performed on a body that died of natural (or war-related) causes. ⁷⁰Zn deficiency is a severe and tragically common ailment among denizens of Morndinsamman, with mental and physical consequences including, ultimately, death.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Pygmies live in large-scale colonies which follow a chieftain and his or her immediate family. Loyalty to the colony is intense and unyielding for most native denizens of Morndinsamman; for the few Pygmies that leave their colonies for whatever reason, this loyalty is felt less keenly over time.

Average Intelligence

Despite their often savage focus on survival and seeming lack of ethical reasoning, Pygmies are possibly the most intelligent Party species. When focused on technological or arcane studies, they are exceptional students of prodigious talent.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Pygmies have excellent darkvision thanks to their underground habitat and large eyes. Their hearing is also exceptional. Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of poor chemical reception (e.g., senses of smell and taste), which are hyperattuned to ⁷⁰Zn detection.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Pygmy names are always three-syllabled, with the first syllable being inherited through the family line in a preferentially-patriarchal manner. For example, Miragar might be the son of Mirrendon, Kelstendi might be the daughter of Kelluxto, and so on.

Beauty Ideals

Pygmies, being an underground species, care more about their mates' voices than their forms. Voices without a gravelly tone and with an even timbre are typically considered more attractive.

Average Technological Level

Pygmy society on Morndinsamman has developed very little technology, and finds little use for it in the native colony structure. However, Pygmies that left the homeworld to join Party society have contributed greatly to technological advancement, especially in the past 150 years.

Common Etiquette Rules

Pygmies are an easily excitable race, despite their high intellect. It is important for outsiders dealing with them to note that Pygmies take promises and vows very seriously, whether given or received, and will pursue the completion of a vow or punish an oathbreaker at the cost of many individual lives.

Common Dress Code

Pygmies wear no clothing as other races define it. As Pymgies have cloaca rather than external genitalia, this rarely makes other races uncomfortable. Some adventuring or mercenary Pygmies don exosuits, but these are purely functional.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Ritual cannibalism of the deceased within a clan is a widespread Pygmy practice. Cannibalism during intercolony war is also practiced, although for political expedience this is a poorly-kept secret on the galactic stage.

History

Pygmies are fairly new to galactic society. In fact, they are not original signatories to the Sol Accords, as Morndinsamman had not yet been discovered at the time of their signing. A handful of Pygmy kings signed the Accords in 3022 CE, officially binding the race to the Party.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The Pygmies' lack of cannibalism norms has since caused significant political stir within the Party. For the most part, the Party stays out of Morndinsamman politics in exchange for lenient extradition laws for cases in which a Pygmy eats a sapient being from another planet. The number of these cases is decreasing with time—either because Pygmies are adapting to galactic expectations, or they're better at covering their tracks, so to speak.

Lifespan

130 years

Average Height

82 cm

Average Weight

16 kg