Gorgol
"Gorgol Astronaut safely evacuates a crashed orbital pod"
Gorgol live on the extreme planet of Boreas in some of its most in-hospitable regions.
Considered by some to be stupid because they often see them where they are at their most optimal. In less than tropical heat they are often slow in thought and sluggish in movement but Gorgol thrive in extremely hot climates and are quick and highly intelligent.
Gorgol were the only species to achieve space travel from Boreas and their satellites and ships were where the Union of Gilnares made first contact.
The Pact of Nine Creches
This is a nearly 600 year agreement between the disparate groups of Gorgol served as a unifying factor among the then aggressively warring groups. It gets its name from the first nine cities that agreed to it. The pact stipulates that every ten years a single creche from any given city, at the time of its last egg being laid, must be given to an entirely different Gorgol settlement that is chosen by lottery. This was done primarely as a way to create shared experiences between the Gorgol populations while also showing that the different Gorgol Types where ultimately irrelevant to the overall Gorgol identity. It serves as a huge factor to keeping the Gorgol as unified as they are and helped serve as the foundation for the technological jump that they made in the years between the agreement and first contact with the Union of Gilnares.Basic Information
Anatomy
Humanoid lizards, the Gorgol have a wide variety of sub-types that create a vast tapestry of visual difference between different populations, from the Komodo dragon like Tyran to the more snakelike Serek they have a huge variety found throughout. The main distinctions between Gorgol however are the two distinct "Morphs" that they are born as, a humanoid morph with two legs or a humanoid form with the lower torso of a more snake-like pattern. No matter the sub-type, they can be born as one of these morphs.
Isolated populations tend towards one subtype with the Morph variety being a relatively random genetic output, generally there are 40% Snake Morph to 60% Walking Morph.
Gorgol are cold-blooded and get more sluggish outside of the blisteringly hot temperatures that are their normal environments.
Genetics and Reproduction
Gorgol reproduce via sexual means, laying eggs in vast communal creches that are maintained by the overall group.
Growth Rate & Stages
Gorgol are one of the more short-lived species in the Gilnares system, maturing at 14 and often dying before their 60th birthday.
Ecology and Habitats
The Gorgol traditionally have made their homes in the vast deserts and jungles of their home planet, Boreas and tend to seek those same climates out whenever they are found on other worlds.
Desert Gorgol live in settlements above large, deep aquifers in the deep deserts of Boreas. They often carve their homes out of rocky buttes thrusting out of the sands, if that is not possible they will dig deep and live in the caverns of the aquifiers below. They will usually expand the aquafiers into vast cavern reservoirs with sprawling underground complexes making up for the lack of surface structure. Nearly all Desert Gorgol are members of the Pact of Nine Creches and are relatively unified.
Jungle Gorgol live in vast jungle megastructures, often with other species who also make the jungle their home. The calculus of survival for the Jungle Gorgol is vastly different from that of the Desert and has lead to several entirely unique melded cultures springing up in the jungles of Boreas . Most Gorgol cities in the Jungle belong to the Pact of Nine Creches at this stage though they are less unified to the Gorgol as a whole than those settlements found in the deserts.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Almost entirely carnivorous, Gorgol have little ability to digest most plant matter and only find the most protein rich to be palatable.
Biological Cycle
Gorgol go through cycles of shed as they grow, with this happening as often as every 6 months whenever they are children but petering out to as few as once every 2-3 years as middle-age approaches.
Behaviour
Gorgol operate on a slightly alien mentality compared to many of the other species that they run into in the Gilnares system, they are often considered cold due and emotionally stunted due to the differences in how they express their emotions compared to others. Though not emotionless by any stretch of the imagination, they also do not exhibit their emotions readily even among their own kind. This natural reserve is only made more glaring whenever the average mammalian species has no way to register the slight tweak of a head frill or the flick of a tongue as the ultimate in Gorgol indignation.
They are extremely logical in most cases, emotionality aside. Gorgol exist on a scale of survival that is more extreme than most others and their bodies are wired to suite. Gorgol settlements will do what ever is necessary to survive and be considered virtuous by other Gorgol for that. Taboos like cannibalism are hard for them to understand as they would never consider wasting the meat. The more Gorgol live among other species however, the more likely they are to adapt to the norms of the society around them.
Gorgol make loyal and fast friends, often aligning due to mutual interests as they would with their Creche-mates.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Social structure among the Gorgol are built entirely around the Creche one was born from and it is to this that most Gorgol hold their entire loyalty to. From their creche they choose mates, companions, friends and it should not be confused with the settlement or city that a Gorgol comes from. The Smartest and the Strongest among a particular creche will take on leadership roles but as long as the creche is able to do so, no member among them will be left without and all resources are shared equally among those in the same creche.
It is between creches where the real social dynamics of Gorgol society live as Creches in a settlement are given responsibilities and duties that are based loosely around their strengths but more importantly around how those strengths array against other creches. This is an incredibly complex ranking system that a Gorgol would be hard-pressed to explain to an outsider but it depends on a mixture of the strengths of a particular creche and its accomplishments for the settlement. A newly hatched Creche would be at the bottom of the hierarchy but unable to take on duties so is omitted from the ranking until the creche is 6 years old and it can begin to be assigned duties. So a 6 year old creche might rank higher than a particularly unsavory or infamous 14 year old creche in the same settlement due to either noteworthy accomplishments for such a young creche or particularly horrible ones from the other.
The Creche politics are at their most extreme among the desert Gorgol and at their most subdued among the jungle. Creches are given names at their first hatching, usually decided by the most powerful Creche in the settlement. This name is incorporated into the first name they take whenever they can assume duties at the age of 6 and then incorporated again into the third name they take whenever the Creche is considered an adult one. An adult creche is its own distinct, semi-autonomous unit within a Gorgol settlement and can make the decision to leave a settlement and go elsewhere.
These names can look something like these, for fully adult creches:
Tenth Sunset Sandrider Creche
Winter Blueshell Sunseeker Creche
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Gorgol Names differ greatly between settlements and Creche and they are not generally given names by any Gorgol outside of the Creche.
Beauty Ideals
Gorgol Beauty ideals are varied but tend towards simple, utilitarian forms with an emphasis on wild and often clashing color schemes.
Gender Ideals
There is zero regard for gender outside of breeding seasons among the Gorgol, all are equal in their eyes. They are nearly asexual in their treatment of procreation though they are NOT aromantic and often form romantic partnerships with Gorgol in their own creche and rarely with those outside of it...even non-Gorgol. There is no taboo against such relationships with non-Gorgol among the Gorgol, though they are not often willing to consumate those relationships in such ways that the other species might wish.
The sexual dimorphism between Gorgol is very limited and almost entirely internal. It is often hard even for a Gorgol to note the differences outside breeding seasons.
Courtship Ideals
Courtship among the Gorgol is often a very understated thing. Pairings often happen long time creche-mates who are romantically involved, or good friends. The other way that mating happens is when two Creche-mates recognize in each other particular strengths that they wish to pass on.
The actual mating for most Gorgol is secondary to the relationships or the potential strength of the offspring, though they would not care for the children or even know which were theirs the ability to strengthen a Creche with a good pairing is always fascinating to a Gorgol. These creatures mate based on a season that is dictated by built up hormonal levels that peak and then drop over the course of a year. The mating seasons are all different among the Creches, with the cycle being easy to track for most Creches as the hormonal build up begins after 6 years and will culminate in the Creches first breeding season within a month of 14 years after the last egg in the creche hatched.
Relationship Ideals
Gorgol hold relationships in very high regard and are extremely communal creatures, though they rarely hold romantic relations outside of the Creche they easily maintain friendships beyond the creche.
Average Technological Level
Early-Modern era technology is the nearest corollary to their general level of advancement prior to first contact with the Union of Gilnares. The Desert Gorgol had an active, early space program and it is with their satellites and ships that first contact was made. The Jungle Gorgol were not so inclined however they had mastered incredibly feats of engineering and were creating early, crude megastructures to help contain the societies that had been built in the vast jungles of the world.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Ssisk and Karash are the two primary languages spoken by Gorgol, Ssisk being the primary dialect of the Desert Gorgol and Karash being that of the Jungle Gorgol.
Most Gorgol also speak some variant of U-Lang as well as Giant
Common Taboos
One of the only real taboos is the killing of a Creche-mate. This is a deed that is never well received and exile is the least of the punishments that might be expected.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Gorgol get along well with other species though they are often misunderstood as cold, overly logical people at best or slow, oafish and sluggish at their worst when overly cold.
For most Gorgol, other species are momentary distractions and the entirety of their relationships will be focused on the Creche. For others there is some middle ground, especially for Gorgol who were raised among other species the Creche holds less of a primary focus. In some cases Gorgol, especially travelers, orphans and exiles, their companions take on the role of "Creche Mates" for them and they hold them to the same standard and to the same loyalty.
Gorgol Traits
Gorgol are loosely analogous to Lizardfolk in DnD 5E. Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increase by 2, and your Intelligence score increases by 1. Age. Gorgol reach maturity around age 14 and rarely live longer than 60 years. Size. Gorgol are a little bulkier and taller than humans, and their colorful frills make them appear even larger. Your size is Medium. Gorgol with the lower half of a snake are noticeably taller than their kin. Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet, and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet. Bite. Your fanged maw is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. Technologically Cunning. As part of a short rest, you can salvage technological parts from a slain beast, construct, structure or ship of size Small or larger to create one of the following items: a shield, a club, a javelin, or 1d4 Bullets or Energy packs. You can also use this trait to attempt to repair a broken or damaged item, gaining advantage or x2 Proficiency if advantage has already been granted. To use this trait, you need a blade, such as a dagger, or appropriate artisan's tools, such as Engineers tools. Hold Breath. You can hold your breath for up to 15 minutes at a time. Hunter's Lore. You gain proficiency with two of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival. Natural Armor. You have tough, scaly skin. When you aren't wearing armor, your AC is 13 + your Dexterity modifier. You can use your natural armor to determine your AC if the armor you wear would leave you with a lower AC. A shield's benefits apply as normal while you use your natural armor. Hungry Jaws. In battle, you can throw yourself into a vicious feeding frenzy. As a bonus action, you can make a special attack with your bite. If the attack hits, it deals its normal damage, and you gain temporary hit points (minimum of 1) equal to your Constitution modifier, and you can't use this trait again until you finish a short or long rest. Languages. You can speak, read, and write U-Lang, Giant and Ssisk.
Scientific Name
Basilikist Hominus
Comments