Cipactli

A race of partly earth-based, partly alien creatures, these usually savage beings populate the deepest reaches of earths oceans. Populating the carved bones of their collective parent, the great worm Quetzalcoatl, they are locked in a constant struggle for dominance over each other. In this struggle a few particularly hardy individuals have consumed enough of their brethren to reach some sort of moderate level of intelligence. These make up the Cipactlian Nobility and in a sad attempt at recreating a civil lifestyle, often choose to live in specified parts of the scrimshaw castles and hold banquets or balls, as nobility tends to do.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Their physical form is often adapted to their deep sea habitat, with weaker individuals being unable to actively change it. Common traits are; Glowing Lures, Tentacles, Fins, Egg sacks containing loyal clones, stingers with varying toxins, vestigial eyes, slime pores, gills and most prominently bioluminescent cells in their skin. They do not possess an singular body plan, with a focus on their primary hunting strategy. Members of the Nobility often choose a semi-humanoid form however, in order to compete with members of the old court.

Genetics and Reproduction

As there is only a limited amount of chaotic matter to be found on earth, Cipactli can not reproduce in the traditional manner. They might be born simply out of the dead matter of a leftover corpse of a larger member of their species, as all of them once did. A close approximation of a Cipactli can also be created artificially out of chaotic matter and the genes of various ocean-dwelling animals, however this process is prone to failure.

Growth Rate & Stages

Cipactli usually start their existence as a larvae, about the size of a well used pencil and very vulnerable on their own. Because of this they tend to form swarms in order to take down larger prey, after which they evolve individually and choose a survival tactic and fitting traits. If a Cipactli is consumed by another one of their species, they absorb all mental and physical capabilities of that individual, whose mind, if they had one, adds to their consciousness. Most importantly they absorb that individuals features, making them their own. As they grow stronger and more sophisticated, they join the Nobility and begin to control their shape shifting powers consciously. By this point they are often an entire arsenal of biological weapons, which are now hidden behind clothes made from their skin.

Ecology and Habitats

Being strictly confined to the deep sea due to their strong aversion to sunlight, they are well adapted to the high pressure, extreme cold and scarcity of resources.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Due to be being born partly from chaotic matter, the Cipactli have innate shapeshifting abilities and no need for conventional sustenance. Instead, they choose to devour their own kind in order to accrue more mass and thus a wider range of abilities. They use their manipulation of their own physical form to find ever more creative methods of hunting their brothers and sisters, the most successful of which are accepted into the Cipactlian Nobility. In which the same rules apply, however more subtly.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Cipactli communicate using colourful patterns from their bioluminescent cells, flashing or pulsating in order to send simple messages. Based on the chosen form they also have the ability to smell, see, taste, feel, balance, and hear. Their chaotic ancestry also allows particularly powerful individuals to see straight through the lie of time and be able to recall any event relevant to a certain situation, no matter when it happened or is bound to happen.

Conservation Status

After the permanent death of the great worm, its body fell back to into the oceans of earth and out of its flesh the Cipactli were born. There is a population of approximately only 800 individuals that were initially created, however this number fluctuates as more and more of the worms mass is being consumed.