Grig

The Grig are the second most populous species in the galaxy, and they used to be the number one, until the Terran revolution.

Appearance

The Grig are above average in height, averaging roughly two meters.
They have scaly skin, with the exception of their heads, back, and shoulders, which are covered in a dense, fuzz-like fur, reminiscent of moss. They are born without this fur, and it grows steadily over the course of their lives.
This fuzz is called the Hide, and it is a vital part of their appearance, as well as their physiology.

Limbs

They have two legs and two arms, and they walk on their toes, having four toes with large nails on them.
They also have two arms with two fingers on either side at the end, which is how they grasp things.
Their nails are thick and blunt.

They have short muzzles, lined with thick blocky teeth, with which they chew their largely herbivorous meals. They have a single nostril at the end of their snout, which facilitates their excellent sense of smell.

Their eyes are big, with horizontal pupils, and they are located on the sides of their heads, giving them a very wide range of view.

Their ears are located next to their horns, above their eyes. They are large and scaly, and can be turned into different directions, in order to better hear things.

Horns

They have two horns on their head, they start growing when they reach maturity, and never stop, they grow in a circular arc backwards, and then arc away, so they never hit their head. Having bigger horns indicates age, and therefore wisdom and authority.
Males and females both grow horns, but the female ones are much shorter and less impressive. Still, size is an indicator of wisdom and authority, it's just that the way it is measured is a little different.

Build

They have large natural muscles, and they are very strong. Their scaly skin protects them well against sunlight and dehydration, and they do well under water. Their main vulnerability is the cold. They originate from a hot planet, so they have no internal heating system, relying on outside warmth to keep them warm. Which is why all their space suits have built-in heating systems, and their ships are always set to very high ambient temperatures.

Scales

Grig scales come in a variety of colors, mainly green, brown, and yellow, often a combination of the three. It is possible to distinguish lineage from the patterns in the scales.

Monochromatic: These are Grig with a single shade of color. They are rare and exist only on a few planets.
Striped: Grig with two colors, laid out in relatively straight stripes, these are more common, and dominate further up the arm where the Grig originate.
Rosettes: These Grig have a single color, broken up with roundish spots, which are often not completely filled in. This pattern is quite common.
Blemishes: These Grig have a single color, but it flows into different shapes, often in patches.
Swirls: These are liquid flowing patterns of different colors, this type of Grig is most likely to have more than two different colors.

The Hide

The hide, as they call it, is not actually a part of their native physiology, but a symbiotic plant/fungus from their home world. They are not the only ones on their homeworld who have a hide, or something similar to it, as it has become part of an entire family of creatures.

Function

The hide is made up of white-grey strands on the outside, and inside the body, they have tiny microscopic roots that dig into the blood vessels. They absorb oxygen from the air and deposit it into the bloodstream, and in return, they are granted vital nutrients by the host body, also via the bloodstream.

This function is so integrated into their bodily functions that their own lungs are very small compared to what would be normal for a creature of their size. If they were to lose their hide, they would not survive.

The hide is not only able to absorb oxygen from the atmosphere, but also from water, making them excellent divers.

Benefits

The hide not only provides oxygen, but it also protects their host from harmful airborne toxins and diseases, and they are nearly immune to both of those. The Hide is incredibly tough, but they can die if exposed to extremely harmful gases.

Growth

The hide is passed from mother to child, and it immediately starts growing after they are born. When a Grig is still a child, they are small enough to survive with their own lungs, but as they grow bigger, so does the hide, and eventually, it mostly takes over the lungs' purpose.

If it grows uninterrupted, eventually, the Grig won't need to breath anymore at all, however, if its growth is limited by a harmful environment, the Grig will always have to need to breath at least a few times a day, or even per hour.

The hide starts growing on the nape of the neck, where it can easily connect to the bodies nervous system and blood supply, and over time it spreads across the neck, shoulders, and eventually, the back and head, covering the Grig's natural scales.

Very old Grig might have it growing on their arms, chest, and even their legs. However, it rarely grows on the face or near vital organs such as the eyes, ears, anus, or reproductive organs, in order to prevent impeding their functions. It also avoids growing inside joints.

Disease

The hide can get sick, it is easy to tell if this is the case if it starts to discolor or if the tendrils start to wilt. In this case, it is vital that they are healed. For most minor illnesses, this happens naturally, as the host body provides protection. However, in cases of fatal illness, the Hide will die, and so will the host.

Physiology

The grig are cold-blooded, and they primarily consume plant matter for nutrition, and they have three stomachs to digest those plants, which take up most of their belly. There is one main stomach, and then two smaller ones, which help to properly break down tough plant fibers.

Reproduction

They give birth to live young, usually only one at a time, and they grow quickly. They shed their scales periodically and replace them with new ones.
They carry young for about as long as humans, and when the children are born, the Hide immediately starts growing, and it usually becomes visible after about a year. Before that it, it grows under the skin, planting a strong foundation for itself.

Maturity
Grig reach their maximum height after about fifteen years, and they reach sexual maturity around that time too.
They have a process similar to puberty, in which they become capable of reproduction, but it is a much more gradual shift in hormones that happens over the course of a few years. When it is complete, their horns start growing. Generally, it is assumed that the hornless are not fertile yet, but this may depend on many factors. It is a roughly correct assumption, though.

Metabolism

Because they are cold-blooded, they don't use any calories on staying warm, and they have to eat very little compared to warm-blooded creatures. Still, they have to eat regularly, lest they lose body mass. They primarily consume high energy foods such as nuts, fruits, and flowers, as well as other plants high in protein or sugars.

Culture

The Grig are naturally aggressive towards outsiders, but not more prone to anger than others. They do, however, have very strong familial bonds. They often live in large extended families, whom they see as close relatives, even if other species might see similar degree relatives as complete strangers.

They also have a strong culture of elder respect, enforcing strong age hierarchies. Someone's place in this hierarchy isn't just decided by age, but by the exact date of birth. The primary way someone's hierarchy is determined in society is by the size of their horns. In more official situations, like work or government, it is decided by date of birth.

Hide Culture

The Hide is seen as sacred, a part of you, and the Grig take a lot of care of their Hides. Someone with a diseased Hide is often looked down upon, but within families, others' Hide health is held very dearly, and the whole family might pitch in to help you return your Hide to good health.

Those with special forms of Hides, such as spotted Hide, those that grow in spots, rather than one large patch, are seen as blessed, while those with poor Hide growth are seen as cursed.

One's hide is one's pride, and talking ill about another's Hide is seen as a grave insult.

Adulthood

In Grig society, one is considered an adult when their horns have started to grow, this is also when they are allowed to get married, and when they are legally able to give consent.

All Grig celebrate coming of age, and while most of them might just throw an extra-large birthday party, others have entire coming of age ceremonies.

Marriage

Marriage is sacred among the Grig, it is seen not only as a union of two people, but as a contract between families. It is not unusual for family Elder to arrange a marriage between one of her family and that of another, arranged, of course, with the other families Elder. These arrangements can sometimes be even before either or one of them even has their horns yet.

Refusing the a marriage arranged by an elder is seen as a selfish and shameful refusal of hierarchy, and incredibly disrespectful. Depending on the exact situation, refusal may result in shunning or banishment from the family.

Speech

Their muzzles form excellent sound tubes, and they speak in deep voices and are able to make a wide variety of sounds with their lips and tongues. They are well known to be able to pronounce more different languages from other species than anyone else.

Table of Contents

Nations

The Galactic Empire
The Galactic Republic
Queendom of Light
Mustark Mafia

Population

Total: 6450 Trillion
Empire: 3080 Trillion
Light: 730 Trillion
Mafia: 2210 Trillion
Republic: 262 Trillion
Rest: 168 Trillion

Other

Home World: Korrik Tuun
Life Expectancy: 135 Years

Republican

The Grig were one of the founding species of the Galactic Republic, but most of their planets have since been lost to the empire.

Society

They are not naturally very individualistic, acting more in groups. They identify strongly with the group they belong to, such as family, home planet, or profession, and will act against their personal benefit, in order to bolster their groups power and status.

Their governments have always worked in the same way, with democratically elected leaders working towards the benefit of the group they themselves believe they belong to. Only in times when the whole nation could be seen as a group itself were people treated truly equally.

Now they are ruled by the Rayth, but they still have a lot of influence on the government, and most of the government's leaders are Grig, simply because they are so large in population, so naturally, some of these traits have made it into imperial administration.

Those of the Grig who do pursue personal gains over that of the group are seen as selfish deviants, and are often cast out of their familial groups, and shunned by society.

Religion

The Grig religion is based around reincarnation and the achievement of spiritual enlightenment, but there are few now who still practice it, since the advancement of technology, and more recently, their subjugation by the Rayth, has caused the belief in a higher good to be left behind.

There is a religious text called the Yolaka, which tells the stories of an ancient Grig, who live on the homeworld before even spaceflight had been invented, and underwent a great many hardships, which led him to contact the divine, and develop a way to live perfectly.

They believe that duty is one's honor, and that serving is a noble act, especially when one serves their family, which stands above everything else.
They also believe meditation and prayer to be an important part of attaining spiritual enlightenment, because these things facilitate a healthy Hide, and mind.
This religion teaches that the Hide was a gift from the divine, and that one should treat it as they would anything else of immeasurable value.