Gemlings

Gemlings are near human creatures. The primary visible difference between a Gemling is that all Gemlings have near black, as dark as coal, skin and have a much more varied hair and eye coloration. Biologically Gemlings differ in a few key ways. Most obviously is that the Gemling have a gem, which come in various sizes and colors, where a human would have their navel. Second is that all Gemlings are female appearing.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Much like humans, Gemlings have two arms and two legs. They stand upright with a mostly straight back and have a head held above their torso by their necks. Their skeletal structure is identical to a human's as is the organ placement and nearly everything except for the reproductive cycle.

Genetics and Reproduction

Gemlings are a single sex species. However it takes two Gemlings to procreate. Gemlings instead of a menstral cycle, like humans have, instead eject from their vagina a small crystal. This crystal is about a centimeter in diameter. If consumed by a Gemling, including the Gemling who made it, this triggers a pregnancy. Over the next year twin Gemlings infants will grow in their parents body. As this happens the parents gem will be depleted and the birth results in the death of the parent one hundred percent of the time.

Growth Rate & Stages

Gemlings grow slower than humans, reaching puberty at the earliest at age fifteen and being fully sexually mature at age twenty. Their brains continue to develop for another ten years after that much like a human's will develop till age twenty five.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Like humans, Gemlings are omnivores. However their caloric requirements are higher than that of a human, by about half as much.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

As with humans Gemlings have family names. However as reproduction means the death of the parent the Children take the two names of their parent and one new name. This leads to many many "family" names that make little sense to humans.

Gender Ideals

As a species that is considered completely female in sex by humans, Gemlings have a looser definition of gender than humans do. Gemlings do not like the label that humans often place on them as female. While many will allow the use of she pronouns equally many do not, even in the company of humans or other species. Majority of Gemlings consider themselves androgyne, a term for in between male and female, and prefer they pronouns or is many cases more nuanced pronouns. Some chose to be identified by male or female and use the pronouns most regularly associated with that.
Generally speaking Gemlings do not have gender roles as humans do. There is no expectation that any one gender should do any specific thing. All Gemlings tend to have the same ritual greeting and the same general attitude to them. Gender doesn't even play a part in Gemling relationships, at least between Gemlings, though this often comes in conflict with the other species on the Realm of Pi as most of them have varying degrees of strict gender roles.

History

The Gemlings were created initially by a wizard looking to find a way to increase his mortal lifespan. His thoughts were that if he tied the soul to a gem located in the body he could prevent it from seperating with age as is the case with humans and therefor live forever. He was mostly successful. A Gemling can live forever however in practice diesease, frailty, and other eventualitys will take them. They are not eternally youthful. Still he suceeded in creating a species who lived much longer than the human stock he used. Gemlings started with only five indiviuals and have grown to nearly a million strong. Still they are very outnumbered by the Human's of Pi and tend to stay near one another, for safety and comfort. For when humans live only half your life span it can get lonely.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Humans

Scientific Name

Homo Lapide