Codex: Shalinae

Shalinae

Name: Shalinae (plural), Shalin (singular), Shalin (adjective)

Sexes: Male and Female

Height: 7 to 11 feet tall.

Weight: 250 to 500 lbs.

Eyes: Violet, blue, or green with round pupils.

Feather Coloration: Varies based on tribe and geological location with brown most common in the local area.

Skin Coloration: Comparable to Terran and avian standards (where appropriate).

Lifespan: 60 years.

Appearance

Shalinae appear as a hybrid of a giant avian (bird) and a terran, fused together at the base of what would be the former’s neck and the latter’s waist. As a result they’ve been dubbed ‘bird-taurs’ by galactic slang - an appellation that has come to be considered to be largely correct since they conform to most expectations of that phenotype: two arms, two hands, opposable thumbs, a nose, a mouth, and even male pectorals and female breasts. This continues below the waist with two meaty avian legs, talons, feathers, a bird-like body segment, and two feathered wings (each almost as wide as a terran is tall).

Where their anatomy differs is the details. Their feathers grow with an organic titanium-alloy lattice that makes them tough enough to deflect most chemically propelled projectile weapons and light enough to aid in flight. Their talons, teeth, and bones make use of a similar composite, allowing them to bite or claw through aluminum and softer steeles with ease. Even more interesting is their top half’s ultra-light muscle and organ tissue - close to Terran in terms of strength and capability but nearly half as dense, allowing the seemingly front-heavy creatures to trot around and flutter with perfect balance.

Shalinae ears also differ greatly from the Terran design. They’re upraised, narrow, and pointed at the tip - more like some ausars’ - but with a feathery exterior instead of fur. The unique alloys in their chemical makeup even allow them to sense magnetic fields with their aural organs, guiding stranded Shalinae home with surprising speed and accuracy. Some theorists suspect the species’ aversion to technology has its roots in this sensing ability, believing the shifting magnetic fluxes produced by modern electronics register as an unpleasant sensation

Reproduction

A “bird-taur’s” reproductive anatomy resides on their avian half, on the underside, just beneath the tailfeathers. Both females and males have a cloaca, with the male’s concealing the penis while flaccid. Two internal testes supply semen through a large penis of anywhere from 18 to 32 inches of length. This allows the large-bodied creatures to more easily mount each other. The male’s penis has three bulging ‘bands’ about its length that stimulate the female’s deeply-recessed clitoris during penetration, with the bottommost swelling somewhat just before (and during) orgasm. Shalinae penises have a human-like “crown,” lending them remarkable bio-compatibility with U.G.C. recognized species.

The female vagina is deep, elastic, and ringed in incredibly powerful muscles strong enough to lock a mate’s penis inside by the ringed bands around its circumference. This securing reflex appears to kick in during female orgasms but may also be performed consciously according to seven independent researchers’ very enthusiastic reports on the matter. The vaginal exterior is otherwise unremarkable. A clitoris is present, though recessed into the cloaca enough that it does not visibly present itself, even while engorged into a ¾" (20mm) bulb. Orgasm with shallower penetrations is still possible thanks to this organ, but Shalinae females frequently express sentiment preferring larger lovers.

Fertilization results in a single offspring. TamaniCorp scientists have expressed interest in researching the lack of any twin births so that they can “cure” it. Xenogen researchers have petitioned numerous times for access to a steady supply genetic material to research but have been stymied by the convoluted legal status of the planet currently being untangled by Confederate authorities.

Pregnancies last for nearly one full year, after which a watermelon-size egg is laid. The eggs are remarkably durable, with thick shells reinforced by organic metal alloys and a surprising tolerance for high heats. During cooler nights, a parent will squat atop it to maintain warmth; the unborn Shalin are much more vulnerable to cold than their feathered forebears. Eggs seem to trigger a singing impulse in nearby adults, resulting in a near ceaseless stream of input for the unborn’s consciousness, rich with the collective history and knowledge of these primitive peoples.

Hatching is assisted by an adult’s talons. No matter how sharp the young bird-person’s developing claws may be, they lack the strength to crack the thick shell. It is up to an outsider to assist in their egress and welcome them into the world. Shalinae young emerge fully capable of understanding their people’s speech, even if they lack the fine motor control and muscular conditioning necessary to speak themselves. In a few days, they’re talking.

Childhood passes quickly on Phaedra II’s irradiated plains. By ten years of age, they are considered adults of their people, and display all the hallmarks of sexual maturity. At 14, they reach their full height. This seemingly accelerated aging continues through their entire lives. Menopause sets in by 45, and the average Shalin does not live beyond his or her sixth decade.

Culture

Bird-taurs are a tribal people, preferring the wilds of their homeworld over the Nuka cities or Hyraxxi convoys. Most are nomadic, making use of their mobility to cross great expanses of terrain when food becomes scarce or threats arise. Portable shelters can be easily deconstructed and carried on their capable backs. Woven harnesses with sophisticated baskets allow an adult shalin to jog for miles with hundreds of pounds of food and other cargo. They pass the time on such trips by singing to each other, reinforcing their verbal histories and warning away any predatory animals in the vicinity.

Few would wish to battle a flock of the massive creatures.

The tunes they sing are curated by a small group of elite “Song Wardens.” These shamanistic birdfolk are responsible for protecting the lyrics of their oral histories and knowledge from change, and they ceaselessly drill their acolytes on the correct words of their thousands of musical passages. Most tribes hold their Song Wardens in a position of honor. It is their duty to advise and report to the tribe’s leadership so that the lessons of history are not forgotten. So great is their cultural memory that some equatorial groups still recall how to manufacture snowshoes, or treat hypothermia.

Of course, any tribal culture becomes home to a great amount of variation. The Shalinae are no different. Some tribes have chiefs. Some have councils of elders. Some appear to be pure republics. The variation expresses itself physically as well. Hunting-focused tribes often become capable fliers with forms like hawks. Fishing groups have bodies and plumage similar to terran ducks. Roaming traders often come to have flashy plumage like a parrot. And the lost tribes - those whose Song Wardens died or were rejected - are the most varied of all, freely absorbing exiles into their ranks or merging with the meager leftovers of tribe-annihilating hyraxxi raids.

Some lost tribes even dare to use technology after training for months to ignore the pain of fluxing magnetic fields or learning to identify which kinds of machines are safely, magnetically deadened. Truly the Shalinae are a fascinating people, though unlikely to make a significant mark in the greater UGC beyond any genetic quirks the MegaCorporations decide to make use of. Uplifting of any source is inadvisable, and a Shalin that wishes to enter the electromagnetic hellstorm of space is as rare as a winning lottery ticket.