Lessik'Unathi
The Lessik'Unathi are a subspecies of Unathi hailing from the arid and semi-arid regions of the great inland deserts of Moghes. The Lessik are the descendants of the prehistoric Sinta'unathi migrations into the deserts, where they evolved defensive abilities to protect them from megafauna, now hunted to extinction.
The Lessik are the same size and shape as their original Sinta, but have protective keratin scales running from the tops of their heads to the base of their tails. Their tails are wide, flat, and less mobile, but allow the Lessik to curl into a protective ball, similar to an Armadillo. In this ball, they are nearly impenetrable to most predators on Moghes, unless they have a gun, knife, a stick, or any form of tool-using ability. As such, it is largely an involuntary stress reaction, used to escape situations. Lessik scales are typically warm or sandy colours, ranging from copper to terracotta. Their arms tend to be thin and less muscular, able to be tucked into the chest when they curl up. However, this does not mean they are not capable fighters, with large claws on their fingers. Their snouts tend to be more rounded, with curled horns or spines coming from the sides of their heads.
Their homeland is the Lansa’Gatak, a land of oasis cities, clans, and polities. Though the Lessek are not unified culturally or politically, the Lessik’arrat is an important spiritual and economic confederation binding them closer together, which has allowed for the rapid industrialisation of the Lansassh, a trade route between north and south Moghes. Their homeland has been the crossroads of civilizations, both as a source of great wealth, and a target for conquest, for most of history. The Lessik are found all across desert worlds within Unathi space, such as the systems of Hzlogar, Gradtzla, and Ho'zken.
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