Codex: Saurmorians

Hot-blooded dinosaurs from outer space.

Name: Saurmorian (singular), Saurmorians (plural)

Genders: Male and female

Height: Females average 6’ to 8’, males average 7’ to 9’

Weight: Females average 250 - 300lbs, males average 600-750lbs

Eyes: Saurmorian eyes have a solidly colored sclera that vary between shades of yellow, green, brown, and some very rare reds or blues. Slim, similarly colored irises envelop their vertically slitted pupils, though they are virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding tissue.

Scales: Saurmorians have organic metal scales that grow from their bodies. These hard scales are highly resistant to heat and corrosion, and with a metallic-silver color, they are often compared to the elements platinum and titanium. The layering and formation of these scales give the impression of ancient terran style armor, akin to heavy platemail. Though generally identical in appearance, females’ scales are much lighter.

Appearance

Male saurmorians are tall, incredibly stout reptilian humanoids with a barrel-chested body. Pulled taut over their bulging muscles is a tough, thick reptilian hide in varying shades of grays, browns, greens, reds, and blacks, though usually quite hard to see under their scales. On top of their hide, males are encased from head to toe in dense, massive metal scales. They are especially dense along the male’s vicious snout, up their skull, broad shoulders, and down the spine to end at the tip of their thick tails. The groin though consists of smaller and much finer scales. The weight of all these scales forces them to have a fairly hunched posture, and for their bulky plantigrade legs to tend toward a constant bend at the knee.

Their feet are wide, flat, and four toed. Though instead of regular claws or nails, razor-sharp scales grow from the feet in their place. Their hefty arms, slightly longer and thicker than their legs, end in hands just as imposing as the rest of their frame with five digits tipped with scale-claws. Metal horns crown their bestial visage, these horns being described as bovine, demonic, and/or draconic.

Female saurmorians have long and slim humanoid bodies, seeming outright delicate next to a male. The lithe muscles on their dainty frames combined with their elongated neck, torso, and tail gives them a decidedly serpentine appearance.

Instead of the thick hide that the males have, females have incredibly smooth and soft scaly flesh that is seen with brighter shades of colors. Their skin is covered by metallic scales like their male counterparts, though much lighter. The scales also fit their bodies more for physical appeal than protection. While their bestial snout and visage can be intimidating, it manages to maintain a feminine allure, having more elegant angles than a male.

Their long arms are seemingly as exquisitely covered as the rest of them, the inside of their arms however bare no scales, just as the inside of their lissom legs, commonly flat torso, and groin are without scales. Opposite from the males, females have two prominent nipples adorning their chest in a very mammalian manner.

Though their rather soft, heart shaped asses are not scaled, they may seem to be slightly cupped and caressed by the scales of the hips and thighs of some females. The hands end in five digits tipped with scale-claws. Their slender feet end in 4 toes tipped with scale-claws, and a curved vestigial scale-claw on the heel. Though females aren’t naturally born with horns, it’s not uncommon to see some adorning accessories or modded horns.

Sex and Reproduction

Being reptilian, saurmorians naturally lay clutches of eggs, ranging from 10-15 eggs. A surprisingly large number, given a female’s rather slender hips. Such large clutches require the females to have large, flexible and elastic wombs and vaginas for both incubating and laying. To assist with laying, the walls of the vagina are lined with soft ribbing. Said ribbed walls will also assist with carrying seed to the womb during coitus.The labia are smooth and glossy, though fairly plump, topped off with a petite clitoris. The color of a female’s genitals matches her skin.

During incubation, the female’s body always produces an excess of the proteins used in developing both the shells of her eggs and the scales of her young. This abundance of nutrition gathers along her chest to form two breasts, allowing the woman to breastfeed her hatchlings to further help strengthen their scales. The larger clutches produce more excess protein, resulting in the more fruitful and fertile females having larger and larger breasts in order to accommodate their bountiful and more regular pregnancies.

To complement their mates’ more pliant organs, males have thick penises with a ribbed length leading to a blunt head. The penis averages 10” to 12” in length, usually 2” to 3” in width, and can be seen in colors of dark red, dark blue, purple, or black. When not aroused, it will be contained in a rather mammalian sheath guarded in the male’s slighter crotch scales. To better inseminate eggs, males have large, incredibly productive and heavy testicles hanging below their members. While still thick, the hide containing these orbs is rather smooth and soft.

With a rather dainty frame for laying eggs, females often become very rotund and weighed down. Though the number of fertile females is low, those that are fertile often go into estrus four or five times a year, with incubation lasting no more than two months. Male hatchlings mature slightly faster than females, being fully grown roughly after fifteen years. Females however require at least twenty years.

Saurmorians always start with a single name at initial hatching. Then later in life, roughly when they reach maturity, they receive a secondary name befitting their actions or feats. These names bear a similarity to ancient Latin.

Saurmorian young are viciously protected, with primal ferocity from the males in addition to the maternal instincts from the females. Any inquiries about their children are met with guarded silence at best.

Without extreme actions, bringing up their young seems to be the only circumstance where females show much aggression. Though they mirror the males’ instinctive distrust, they otherwise act with a calm and gentle affection to their presence. Granted, this soft demeanor is often used as a facade to hide incredibly sinister and venomous feelings or thoughts. In contrast, males have no qualms dealing with anything in a bullish or intimidating manner, and are always very forward and blunt. They are surprisingly hard to anger, or to upset emotionally in general. Whether instinctual or taught, males seem to have impressive control over their emotions.

History

On their primal homeworld of Molis, an incredibly mineral rich planet strewn with active volcanos, saurmorians were a reclusive and stationary people; due to a deep seated desire to protect the few fertile females each clan had, and to lay claim to rich mineral veins so they could consume the metals in order to grow healthier scales. Though facing threats from many would-be predators, saurmorians stubbornly remained on top in no small part because of these scales.

Eventually this isolated way of life no longer supported the increasingly larger clans, and dividing into smaller families only lead to conflict, so the saurmorians were forced to try a more open and united civilization. This lead to the largest families forming a simple but inevitable oligarchy, usually with the fertile females being the ones in power.

When the UGC arrived, they were met with a surprisingly well organized central society on the tail end of their own digital technological era. Though initially united, the saurmorians found themselves divided when faced with the UGC; some wanted to resist the Confederacy that many viewed as fragmented and inefficient, while others saw the advantage of being integrated into galactic society. The latter won out - barely - after a short but devastating civil war shattered the saurmorian capital. The sudden, violent outburst almost cost them what they had fought for though.

The UGC were on the verge of withdrawing and removing any possibility of uplifting, until they were shown the saurmorians’ proficiency in refining and using the more basic weapons technology - specifically coil and rail weapons - and being adept at surviving in both hot and cold environments.

Once integrated into galactic society, it became clear that saurmorians, especially the males, fit well as heavy labor in the more hazardous environments. Females are still far less common to see away from large colonies, let alone their home planet.

Culture

For millennia the saurmorians have had a central matriarchy, in which the most fertile females would have the responsibilities of both breeding and leading. Over time though, fertility became less important; connections and political weight taking its place. This lead to the largest families staying in power more easily as their numbers swelled. For a relatively short period, incestual breeding within these political families became common in order to remain in power. It was around this time that the UGC arrived, eventually cutting off any further familial mating as the saurmorians saw the stigma towards these practices throughout most of galactic civilization.

Still maintaining a matriarchy, the saurmorians encourage their matrons to keep their own harems of the more virile males. To keep the blood fresh, males are chosen equally from both high and low-born families; a double edged sword, especially with the lower families, as those connected to a male chosen for a matron’s harem are well cared for. Male hatchlings that are indicated to have this genetic advantage usually become seen as future offerings for a matron.

After the devastation their forces suffered, effectively disabling any and all martial, following first contact, the saurmorians attempted to reconstruct what was lost in a bid to keep their people calm. When it became clear the shattered forces couldn’t be salvaged, an infamous saurmorian mercenary company, known then as the ‘Morian Bulwark, sought to take advantage of this chance and offered their services until a solid military could be constructed. Instead, they grew so efficient and effective at not only servicing their own people, but assisting allies in other systems and worlds, that they have become the official saurmorian military. Their guns-for-hire past hardly a concern, the risen Saurmorian Bulwark Command managed to keep themselves separate from the central government; the hope being that having the political and martial powers separate and equal will prevent a repeat of the past.

Technology

Saurmorian tech has a three word criteria that needs to be met in order for them to use something; it needs to be effective, heavy, and loud. As a result, saurmorians can be seen using a wide variety of equipment, but usually prefer the heavier and clunkier technology throughout the galaxy at the cost of efficiency. Their ships, especially, are known for being very slow but incredibly durable and powerful.