Codex: Hyraxi

Name: Hyrax (Singular), Hyraxi (Plural, Adjectival)

Sexes: Male and Female. Males are exponentially more common than females, perhaps 80% or more of the population. Note “Dual-soul” under Appearance.

Height: Average 6' 3" to 6' 9" (Male) or 6' 10" to 7' 5" (Female)

Hair: Thick, lustrous, and extremely soft hair covers the head, and similar fur coats the forelimbs and tail. Pubic and facial hair is noted to be exceptionally silky and smooth. Hair colors range from stone gray to dark browns and blues. Some rare cases of cyan blue or cream-white occur, especially in females.

Skin: Hyraxi have exposed skin on their upper limbs, torsos, and faces. Most Hyraxi are dark-skinned, ranging from coal-black to tans and brown. A minority population has skin in shades of gray, with lighter colorations tending towards heavy freckling due to sun exposure.

Ears: Hyraxi ears are lion-like in form but more accurately hyenine, resting at the top of the head. They are sensitive to sound outside the human-sense spectrum, and swivel to and fro in response to even the slightest noise.

Eyes: Hyraxi have slitted, cat-like eyes with a myriad of iris colors. Their eyesight is exceptionally keen in the dark or in low-light, but hyraxi vision is at best below average in daylight. Most wear heavy eye protection when forced out in the sun.

Feet & Legs: Hyraxi have digitigrade legs, with three large, clawed toes and a dew claw. Their legs are long for their size and extremely powerful, making them able sprinters and jumpers.

Aging: Hyraxi are relatively short-lived and fast growing, reaching maturity at about 10 years of age and living for up to 50 years.

Appearance

Hyraxi are large, powerfully-built feliform bipeds native to Phaedra II. The species stands on digitigrade legs with fur covering the extremities, and have expressive and thick-furred tails coupled with sensitive ears on the tops of their heads. They have bare, usually dark skin on the torso, head, and upper limbs. Some rare members have lion-like manes around their necks, and spotting of the fur is common. Females are noticeably larger, stronger, and more aggressive than males.

The hyraxi people were dramatically affected at a biological level by their planet’s apocalyptic war. While they themselves keep little record, it can be surmised that at one point, the race was fairly evenly divided between males and females. In the generations that followed, the species’ birthrate rapidly declined and, notably, the ratio of male to female became more and more skewed. Very few hyraxi births are female, likely less than 20%.

Females who are born have a hugely enlarged, phallic-shaped clitoris and oversized labia that partially fuse together to obscure and shroud the vagina, making penetration very difficult and tight to even the males’ smaller phalluses. This enlarged clitoris is much more sensitive than a male’s phallus, and can become at least partially erect (fully erect in some cases). Evidence, especially the highly-encouraged submissive, sexually receptive role of males in Hyraxi society, indicates it is commonly used for the penetration of others. However, this enlarged female sex also hampers both birth and insemination, putting yet another obstacle in the way Hyraxi fertility.

Males are comparatively slender and less muscular than females, with appearances varying from girlishly effeminate to chiseled masculinity. Males have a normal phallus-and-testicles combination between their legs, with a hybrid manhood tucked into a sheath. Their penises can grow from 4 to 8 inches when erect, come in shades from blood red to black, and have a single large knot at the base. The crown is tapered and covered in rings of small, sensitive bulbs of flesh.

The hyraxi also have a “third gender”, so to speak, that has arisen in the wake of the radiation bombing. These intersex individuals, commonly referred to as “dual-souls” by their people, are biologically male hyraxi that were likely originally female in the womb, but partially changed during gestation. In adulthood, these individuals grow to a female’s size and shape, including breasts, feminine features, and even the ability to induce lactation - the only indication of masculinity is their sexual organs, which are distinctly and completely male. Dual-soul hyraxi make up an additional 10-15% of the population, and are generally treated as women culturally.

Sexuality

The hyraxi are quite promiscuous sexually, especially among men. With low chances of mating with a female of their race, hyraxi males are rather well-known on Phaedra II for pursuing inter-species relations, high rates of homosexuality (especially with each other), and for their high libidos and easy-going attitudes towards sex. Males that don’t belong to a tribe are often integrated as prostitutes or harem-members in other species’ settlements.

Females and dual-souls of the race, on the other hand, have dramatically different outlooks towards sex. Given that hyraxi males are submissive by nature, especially towards females in the hopes of reproducing, feminine members of the species frequently use their tribe’s males for relief of tension and sexual frustration, using their penises or over-sized clitorises to anally penetrate the male (or, more rarely, allow him to anally penetrate her). Couplings are considered pleasant but meaningless at best, and hyraxi do not constrain this sexual activity to their mates. While males may use this behavior to ingratiate themselves to a female in hopes of proper mating, the other genders frequently take multiple passing partners, sometimes in large numbers at once.

Paradoxically for such a sexually active race, actual mating (ie, vaginal penetration) is extremely rare, taking place only between mated pairs. Hyraxi mate for life, usually with a single partner though sometimes to two or three males or dual-souls to a female, and form extremely close familial bonds. While members of these bonds still may engage non-vaginal sex outside the family, reproductive intercourse is strictly confined for both male and female to their mates. Unlike outside the family, where females rule with all but unquestioned authority, members of all sexes share equal responsibility and authority.

Reproduction

Hyraxi reproduction is, despite everything, relatively unremarkable. Though it is difficult and often requires external devices and a great deal of lubrication, male or dual-souls penetrate the female vagina and inseminate her. When successfully impregnated, a female hyraxi grows gravid and eventually gives birth to between 3 and 5 kits. Pregnancy lasts for about five months, during which time she becomes largely helpless due to her large size, and her breasts grow up to three cup sizes due to the onset of lactation.

Hyraxi childbirth is typically awkward and painful for the mother, with most preferring C-Section over natural birth due to the extremely tight, difficult-to-open vaginal passage. After birth, the mother and her mates care for the children for about a decade before they reach adulthood, at which point they join the tribe as equals to their parents. Young hyraxi kits tend to be rambunctious explorers as soon as they learn to walk - a real handful for the inexperienced - and are highly energetic.

History & Society

Hyraxi society is highly tribal, consisting of roving bands of nomads that scour the wastelands for resources, usually consisting of thirty to fifty families. Most tribes are led by a Matriarch, a veteran warrior female who dueled the previous Matriarch and won. The Matriarch is not an absolute ruler, but more like a “first citizen,” someone who guides the many families and helps them work together for the good of the tribe.

Different hyraxi tribes rarely cooperate, preferring to stay well away from each other in the interest of resources and mitigating the chance of infighting. Hyraxi are infamous on Phaedra II for holding grudges, even compared to the Nukas who have been in ideological conflict for generations. There is little more important to a hyraxi, especially a female, than her perceived honor. Skill at arms, sexual prowess, and cunning are all points of contention that hyraxi are particularly sensitive about.

Technology

Hyraxi naturally have a strong affinity for large, powerful vehicles due to their nomadic nature. While high tech is rare on their world, the hyraxi of all remaining races on Phaedra II have almost religiously maintained their vehicles. Trucks, buggies, jetbikes, and sports cars are all frequently seen in Hyraxi camps, amongst huge cargo crawlers that transport a tribe’s heavy belongings. They are extremely adept at vehicular combat, preferring lightning-fast skirmishes over protracted combat.

Other than that, Hyraxi technology is unremarkable for their planet. Robotics, functioning firearms, and computers are relatively rare but not unheard of amongst their tribes. Most hyraxi warriors, especially feminine ones, prefer to fight with spears and polearms (preferably from the side of a high-speed car or bike).