Nibs

"Never touch a Nibs' nose. They are far wetter than one would expect. I'm told it's also something of an insult, but I don't know anything about that. If they don't want their noses touched they should not go around sniffing everything. Disgusting habit, really."

— Extract from Reuniting With An Old Friend: Travels Through The Primary Territories
by Peacekeeper V'Kly

Loyal

Nibs consider themselves all to be naturally loyal and loyalty is an important part of their culture. This could come from their evolution from pack animals, but as a result they struggle with the idea that anyone would want to do anything by themselves. it is seen as disloyal to others to not give them an opportunity to join you on whatever task needs to be achieved.

Natural Detectives

The name "Nibs" comes from the Nibbian words for "real" and "truthful". It is believed to date from an ancient time during the so-called Automaton Wars when the word was used as a greeting between strangers to identify living people. A person would ask if they other was real, they would declare they were and the first person would then use their other senses to validate this fact.
The word stuck, in part because it was used for such a long time, but also because of Nibs' dedication to seeking out the truth. Their senses of smell and hearing allow them to recognise quickly when someone is lying to them and many outside of Iberes consider them natural detectives.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Nibs are mammals and are believed to be descendants of wolves and jackals. They have fur covering their body, long snouts and prominent ears which provide them with extremely sensitive senses of smell and hearing. Most have tails, although there are some for whom the tail is shorter than others and somewhere only the nub of a tail exists.
It has long been argued as whether Nibs have two legs or four. Indeed, they are able to walk on two legs, with their front limbs (which will be referred to as arms from here on out) at their sides, or they can use their arms as legs and move quickly on all fours.

Behaviour

Nibs are extremely social creatures but can become extremely possessive and aggressive over partners they consider theirs. That is not to say they all end up in couples, but once a grouping of two or more is formed, they can be territorial and are likely to remain together for decades.

Nibs reach sexual maturity at the age of 6 years old, with female cycles between twenty and forty days. Gestation lasts approximately 120 days, again depending on the exact species of Nibs.
Litters vary in size from an average of three Niblets (their name for their young) for smaller Nibs all the way up to seven Niblets for larger ones. Niblets are born blind and rely on their parents for everying, including nursing from their mother for the first six months of their life.

Communication

Nibs are extremely complex communicators. Not only do they have a spoken language, Nibbian, they are able to pick up differences in tone which add nuanced meanings. As with a lot of species, body language also plays a part, but they are also able to detect strong emotions from scent.

Civilisation and Culture

Naming Traditions

Prior to entering into the Peacekeeper Alliance, Nibs were not at all concerned with names. Every person they met had a unique scent which was enough to identify them and could be used to describe them to someone else, such as "the wind blowing across the river on a dewy morning male", or "the warm manure with hints of mint female".
The Peacekeepers had no use for this kind of description and they have since started following something more akin to the Peacekeeper method. However, they still tend to stick with words related to smells and sounds.

Naming Format

FIRST NAME [space] FAMILY NAME

Male First Names

Given by the parents, first names can be anything which inspires them, but for males tend to be based on scents.
e.g. Musk, Salt, Minty, Sweet, Citric, Vanilla

Female First Names

Given by the parents, first names can be anything which inspires them, but for females tend to be based on sounds.
e.g. Whisper, Echo, Screech, Howl, Crunch

Family Names

Family Names are also known as Pack Names and are created when the parents come together, usually a combination of their two first names, but could be anything they like.
e.g. Citunch, Salcho, Florang

Beauty Ideals

There are four main areas on which Nibs base their ideas of beauty. The first is scent. There is no good way of defining what scent is attractive and what isn't, as "the scent is in the nose of the sniffer", but if the scent is not attractive to someone, nothing else will change that. The second is around the musculature of their body, their speed, their tone. Athleticism is a very attractive trait. Third is their friendliness. All Nibs are friendly but some are friendlier than others, and it is they who are deemed beautiful. Fourth is the shine of their fur. This, again, varies within types of Nibs, but mostly a glossy coat is considered a thing of beauty.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

There are a lot of traditions which are carefully upheld by the Nibs. As with many traditions, there are variations within them both on-planet and off-planet.

Sports Days

Sports Days happen regularly within the communities of Iberes, with towns and villages having their own weekly or monthly events. There is also an annual Sports Day which is broadcast across the Peacekeeper Territories.
The sports day includes:

• Running Races
• Tug of War
• Swimming
• Obstacle Courses
• Catch
• Fetch

Variations

Some communities of Nibs outside of Iberes have set up their own Sports Days and it has also been adapted for other species as well, with sports which are better suited to them.

Digs

Community Digs are a regular occurrance in some parts of Iberes. A group of Nibs gather near a good patch of earth, sand or mud, and spend the day digging holes all across the available land, burrying items both personal and miscellaneous, and then uncovering those same treasures.
These groups are usually family but sometimes friend or community-organised. They were originally a game for Niblets but became a great way of meeting people and gathering.

Variations

Digs aren't common off-planet. Nibs communities on some planets organise annual digs, just to allow Nibs the opportunity to fulfil that need.
Some Nibs complain about having "itchy paws" which means they haven't had a chance to Dig in a while or are missing home.

Scent Marking

Scent marking involves a Nibs marking a corner, post, or other landmark by spraying a small amount of urine on it. This practice was originally used to mark territory but is now closer to leaving a message to say they've been there.
While scent marking itself is a solitary event, it allows Nibs to know who passed through and when. It creates a greater sense of community and lets them "meet" people without meeting them.

Variations

Scent marking is not something which is permitted outside of Iberes, although some planets may make accommodations for it in specified areas.

History

Pre- -2987 PT

Pre-Automatons

-2987 PT to -2756 PT

Automaton Wars

-2756PT to 710 PT

Between Times

710 PT - 1611 PT

Awakening

1611 PT - Today

Modern Era

The period of Iberes history prior to -2987 PT is known as Pre-Automatons because it was a time when the world was still young before the Nibs had developed Automatons.
These machines which were designed to assist and improve their way of life were programmed to follow standard algorithms but did so without sapient intelligence. The resulting chaos and destruction was known as the Automaton Wars and lasted 250 years.
After they managed to destroy the final machine, the Nibs reverted to a simpler, more manual way of life, avoiding technological advances for fear of a repeat of the Automaton Wars. These are known as the Between Times.
In 710 PT, a group of people from P'Ache Star System landed on Iberes, introducing the Nibs to the universe beyond their planet. This group later became the Peacekeepers, and in 1063 PT Nibs joined the Peacekeeper Alliance. In 1574 PT, Nibs joined with the other members of The Primary Territories in the Primary Territories Uprising. The uprising was quelled in 1611 PT, leading to the end of the time known as the Awakening and the start of the Modern Era.

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Related Articles

Organisations	Peacekeeper Alliance, Primary Territories Command
Locations	Peacekeeper Territories, The Primary Territories, Iberes
History	Primary Territories Uprising

Lifespan

48 years

Average Height

4ft 6in (~1.37m)
From 2ft to 7ft depending on species

Average Weight

124lbs (~56kg)
From 3lbs to 245lbs depending on species

Geographic Distribution

• Peacekeeper Territories
• The Primary Territories