Cyclops (plural Cyclopes)

The one-eyed, no-horned, potato-nosed meatbag blacksmiths.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Cyclopes, being an offshoot of giants, are very large humanoid creatures (with the exception of Mikrus), with the average individual standing at around 25 feet tall. They are broad shouldered and strong-bodied, often able to lift up to five times their own weight. Their most striking feature are their large, singular eye in the upper third of their face. Some individuals also have tusks of varying size. They have sparse hair and thick skin as well, usually in varying shades of darker brown, with some on the redder side, and a small beard on the chin of black or dark brown hair, which is often braided.

Biological Traits

Male and female Cyclopes are mostly identical physically, the only difference being a slightly smaller, thinner, and swifter build in the latter, while the former is more built for strength.

Genetics and Reproduction

Cyclopes reproduce sexually, giving birth to twins most commonly. Those who birth a single child are generally seen as having bad luck, but the child itself often grows to be stronger than it would had it been given a "normal" birth. Pregnant cyclopes are almost indistinguishable from not pregnant Cyclopes, the only sign being a slightly more rounded abdomen than the complex topography of numerous muscles that support their massive bulk.

Growth Rate & Stages

It takes approximately thirty Terra starting from birth for a Cyclopes to fully mature, with three periods of 2-3 years of rapid growth: one just after birth, one at approximately fifteen, and one right around thirty. The last one, called the Climb, varies widely between individuals, resulting in almost no height growth in some and a near doubling of height in others.

Ecology and Habitats

All Cyclopes races, excluding Okean, live somewhere in Pyros, usually in the slave tunnels. Naturally they live on the surface, sheltering in caves, where they consume various kinds of stone.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Cyclops require large amounts of stone to satisfy their hunger, although some races (namely the island-dwelling Okean and elusive, predatory Fantas) have taken to hunting other creatures. Generally speaking, however, Cyclopes construct tunnels through smashing stone walls to free boulders of a size and makeup suitable for consumption. Their choosing of stone to eat appears haphazard to onlookers, but the Cyclopes' enhanced vision and incredible sense of smell can determine which deposits have the minerals their body needs (where we have hunger for food and thirst for water, Cyclopes have a craving for a stone with a particular smell or refraction of light).

Biological Cycle

As Cyclopes get older, their eyes become more pail and their chinbeards longer. Old Cyclopes are fairly on par physically with the young folk, and are distinguishable only by their long beards, almost uniformly white eyes, and slightly stooped stance. It isnt until their last years that they start deteriorating to their point of death.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Cyclopes society is mainly family/clan-oriented, with the head of each family being a matriarch or patriarch, which is often one of the older members of the family. Families themselves, called Yenos, are comprised of typically 4 to 5 generations, approximately 30 individuals. Yenos eat, sleep, sing, craft, and fight together, and often with other Yenos with close ties.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Cyclopes have been exploited in Pyros as slaves for hundreds upon hundreds of years. Their thick skin and strong bodies make them ideal workers in the harsh conditions of Pyros' slave tunnels.

Facial characteristics

Cyclops heads are more or less potato-ish in color, texture, and shape. Most Cyclopes would undeniably be considered loathsomely ugly by humans, to put it kindly. Underbites are common, with large tusks protruding from the bottom gum much like Orks or Aoka. Their noses are large and lumpy as well, and sit below a single, massive eye. Cyclops eyes are usually varying shades of yellow or orange, with the very rare blue (and amongst Skotadi, blues and dark reds).

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Okean Cyclopes live in the islands around Pyros and Aquos, while Fantas, Skotadi, Mikrus, and Petrus are scattered around Pyros.

Average Intelligence

Cyclopes are equal parts strong and intelligent. They are capable of complex speech, art, music (Cyclopes have been known to craft massive instruments akin to brass horns), and learning of magic manipulation. Okean are thought of generally as less intelligent (often called "White Dunces", "Pale Jacks", or "Hornlesses" derogatorily), which may be due to their odd lifestyles (solitary among the islands of Aquos hunting creatures that pass).

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Cyclopes eyes are biologic wonders. Where most species require two or three visual sensory organs to judge distance accurately, Cyclopes' incredibly complex eyes require only itself to function. They can make out fine details

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Opticlian

Average Technological Level

Cyclopes are well-known blacksmiths, and are capable creating machines and items of great quality and strength. They mostly use hammers as weapons (not that they need weapons), but they are very capable of much more complex weapons, such as Vlimas, a strange projectile weapon much like a crossbow that fires metal slugs the size of a human.

Common Dress Code

For a very long time, Cyclopes had no clothes-- indeed, they had no need for them-- but as they started coming in contact with other races, they started wearing simply kilts or loincloth-type clothing as to avoid the discrimination they faced. The rest of their body, however, they wear nothing but the occasional sash or the very rare animal skin (a sign of great wealth). In the slave tunnels, clothes were a rare thing to come by, and thus some Yenos still do not wear much of anything still to this day. These have become the minority, however, and rarer and rarer all the time.

Historical Figures

Polyphemus is probably the most famous historical and mythological figure, the leader of the Cyclopian Revolution and the Army of Nine Thousand Eyes, and the one praised for freeing the Cyclopes from Xolotl's rule in Pyros, despite the fact he died roughly three fourths of the way into the conflict which he started. The epic poem written about him-- the Epic of Polyphemus, or the Polyphemid, is regarded as a nearly gospel-like text.

Scientific Name

Gigant unoculus

Origin/Ancestry

Skotadi, Petrus, Mikrus, Fantas, Okean

Lifespan

150 Terra

Average Height

25-30 feet (Mikras: 15-20 feet)

Average Weight

500-800 pounds

Average Physique

If the most swol of bodybuilders had half the carved physique of the average Cyclops, they could break a concrete block with their own hands. If they had the full power of an above-average Cyclops, every step would register on the Richter scale.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

The tones of skin vary between the races: Mikras have the darkest tones of skin (very dark browns), Skotadi have supposedly black skin but no one's ever seen them directly, Fantas have varying shades of red skin, Petrus light reds and browns, and Okean paler shades of red and brown.
Cyclopes brand their children when they are born (a very painful process) with the sigil of their band or family on the chest. As the skin becomes more resilient, they will band themselves with their friend's family sigils, their personal sigils (underneath and often connected to and derived from the family sigil), their mate's sigils, and other sigils, making their skin a patchwork of interlocking brands. One would think this constant branding would have adverse effects on their health, but no. They just keep on truckin' along.