Chatcaava
Dragon shapeshifter aliens.
Vital Statistics (At a Glance)
Pronounced shot-CAH-vah.[1] Singular is Chatcaavan. Possessive is Chatcaavan. Plural is Chatcaava.
- Species Type: Alien, Mammal
- Origin: Evolved
- Frame Type: Bipedal, plantigrade, winged
- Average Height: 5'5"ish
- Average Lifespan: 275-300 years (Alliance standard)
- Gravity Preference: Mediger 3 (.75)
- Homeworld: Birthworld
- Capital: Throneworld
- Native Language: Chatcaavan
Physiology Overview
Despite their reptilian looks, the Chatcaava are winged mammals [2] with leathery wings shaped like a falcon's, for speed and precision.[3] They have keener eyesight than humans, particular distance and sensitivity to peripheral motion,[4] but their color vision and sense of smell is less intense[5] , and their hearing less crisp.[6] Their taste buds are more fat and protein-sensitive than humanoid norms.[7] Their flexible tails allow for better balance.[8] They can withstand hotter temperatures than the average human, but are correspondingly uncomfortable in cold and damp.[2]
They're equipped with long, non-retractable claws--"talons to shame an eagle"[2]--and have thumb claws on their wings that are used as weapons as frequently as teeth and talons.[8] They have fangs along with rending teeth, in a muzzle that is beaklike but covered in skin with a flexible lip.[2][8]
Age shows in Chatcaava in drying of the skin, particularly the wing vanes, in the multiplying of scales around the eyes, and in striations and brittleness in the horns.[8]
Many of the poisons that affect Chatcaava do not work on aliens, or work unpredictably. Some poisons that do work on aliens, like hekkret, are recreational drugs for Chatcaavans. Alcohol seems to work on both.[8]
- When at peace, or pleased with something, Chatcaava may make a thrumming noise[8]
Heads
Typical head configurations include (but are not limited to):
- Axe-head - a traditional and attractive shape, with or without a sloped nose-tip.
- Chicken-head (translation) - considered unattractive (too much forehead height)
- Prow-head - shorter nose, smaller eyes. Prow heads grow manes more slowly.
- Aerodynamic-head - admired for its utility but not considered as handsome as axe-heads.
- Shark-head (translation) - associated with younger, clean-cut types.
A good brow ridge is considered masculine.
The brow ridges (with the spikes leading back over them) are seen only in adult males. Similarly, while females will grow the plate horns (the two that come straight back off the skull in line with the eye sockets), the other horns are grown only by males, and include a line from behind the cheek down toward the shoulder on either side of the face, and a row between the two central horns down the spine.
Horns continue to grow all a Chatcaava's life, if slowly. They don't mend unless you glue the broken bits of them back on, but they will get longer. Some males grow more horns than others; this indicates a more aggressive/dominant personality. (Whether that's true or not is up for grabs, as usual.) Most males Inside are missing at least some horns, as a rival who succeeds in defeating them may choose to break them off.[8]
Bodies
Their skeletons are more rigid than a human's because of the hollow bones (particularly in the ribs) that help create their biological airframe. They also develop a great deal of muscle flying.[9] The Queen Ransomed specifically notes that her stiffer neck makes her large collar "very comfortable."[8]
Chatcaava come in a variety of colors: white, black, many shades of gray and silver ranging from near-black to near-white, golds and browns from sable to bisque, and bronze. Some are striped, and some have freckles.[2]
In the current era, males are winged and capable of flight and the Touch and the Change, and the majority of females have four arms (two at the shoulder, two slightly below), breasts, and no ability to Change. Some rare females have wings and the ability to Change.[2] In the distant past, all Chatcaava--male and female--were winged and could Change.[10]
Chatcaava perform live birth, like most mammals. During the last stages of pregnancy, the belly drops, putting the child in the right position for birth; final labor should happen within hours of this, barring complications. Complications happen more frequently for four-armed females, as winged females can use their shifting ability to open their hips.[8]
Wings
Wings, like any other part of a body, are idiosyncratic and unique to individuals, but some variations are better than others: a good balance between a strong forearm and a long trailing limb, a long attachment point along the body, and flexible wing leather that is tautly connected all contribute to strength, endurance, and maneuverability. Wings that are large for the body size are, in general, better, but there's a point of diminishing returns: too large, and the wing becomes costly to maintain, physically, and can become cumbersome to shift.
Chatcaavan wings are not stiff or tough like leather, but soft and heavy like suede. They vary in size proportional to the body; the Emperor has notable large wings.[2] The wing vanes are densely latticed with blood vessels and nerves. Significant injury to them can induce shock.[11]
The wings of aging Chatcaava grow dry and brittle, and must be oiled to keep them functional and prevent stiffness and chafing. If the dry wings are not tended to, the chafing can become friction burns, and the wings can become dry enough to rattle when opened or closed.[8]
Snapping the wings open makes a noise; in the case of a male as large and powerful, this can be deep as a drum.[2] Wings are also a particularly vulnerable place; an effective way to hurt or disable a winged Chatcaava is to put pressure on the joint of the wing-finger, where it meets the thumb-claw; it's possible to pop it out of joint from that position.[8]
Claws
Chatcaavan wings have non-retractable thumb claws; most will have wingtip claws as well on the end of the leading edge. The thumb claw turns outward, so the knuckle folds over on the outside of the wing (not on the inner vane, facing the back); claws will have thumb-joint-like flexibility, though some Chatcaava are born with "stubbier" thumbs than others. The wing-tip claw is usually vestigial, and not jointed, but some individuals might have more flexible talons at the wingtip than others. (Some may have no talon there at all.)
Body Language
- Chatcaavan nodding is slower, and singular: one long inclination, not the quick bob of Pelted culture.
- Wings lowered and tilted forward is a submissive posture.
- twitch a hand to shrug[2]
- rolled eyes in a human: a little twitch of brows and huff of breath in Chatcaava [12]
- Licking (we see licking a forehead, cheeks, and one another's mouths) seems to take the place of kissing, presumably due to mouth shape[8]
- Sipping from a cup involves lapping with the tongue[8]
- Creased brow ridges and wings twitching or being folded and unfolded are signs of agitation[8]
- Laughter sometimes manifests as "snakelike, hissing chuckles"[8]
Shapechange
History
"We were not always as you find us. We have histories, just as you do, and we were a prouder people once. The Emperor did not dictate, he guarded. The military did not rape its charges, but carekept their safety. The petty kings did not extort labor; we did not keep slaves. And the Slave Queen was once the Queen Ransomed, a person to whom great dignity was accorded. I have never been a person." She stared at her knees in silence for a time. "We have grown easy with ourselves. The court is famous for its challenges, but once those challenges served a greater purpose. They honed the edge of a keen blade. But it has been long and long again since any nation honed the edge of the Empire."[8]
Signed the Treaty of Za'ara in 159 BA, which created the truce between the Alliance and the Chatcaava.
- A treaty the Chatcaava did not intend to honor. [13], also See the first book of The Princes Game. See also one of the recent short stories, not of Major Pieces.
Society and Customs
As a society with hundreds of worlds, there are too many societies and customs to summarize. Some worlds have been mentioned, however:
Chatcaavan Characters
References
- ↑ "Pronunciation Guide," Even the Wingless backmatter
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Even the Wingless, Part One
- ↑ Either Side of the Strand, Chapter 15
- ↑ Only the Open, Chapter 8
- ↑ Deserving (Fiction)
- ↑ Only the Open, Chapter 14
- ↑ Farmer's Crown, Chapter 5
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 Even the Wingless, Part Two
- ↑ Major Pieces, "Deserving," Chapter 3
- ↑ From Ruins, Chapter 18
- ↑ Amulet Rampant, Chapter 15
- ↑ Major Pieces, Chapter 5 of Deserving, Page 455 of 578
- ↑ Zafiil (Fiction), Volume 1,Chapter 29, Kindle page 372 of 454