Dalmer Physiology

This article recounts the physiological particularities inherent to the Dalmer.
== Appearance: ==
=== Beard ===
Main article: Beard Symbiote
The beard of a dalmer is its most noticeable trait, as all Dalmer male or female sport beards. The beard is in fact a living being that is in symbiosis with the Dalmer.
=== Physiology ===
The Dalmer are humanoids with no particular defining features beyond slightly larger ears and noses. Dalmer are well built individuals, the females typically have strong features with pronounced hips and chests, the males are broad shouldered and barrel chested. The reason for this being their extremely dangerous lifestyle, coupled with the Dalmers' poor understanding of medicine.
== Specific Organs ==
=== The Brain: ===
it is possible for dalmer heads to work independently from bodies if they are supplied oxygen and nourishment. This is generally replaced in favor of constant stimpack injections.
=== The Heart: ===
The product of a mistranslation, the Dalmer word for heart does not refer to the muscle that pumps blood around the organism but a similar organic muscle that produces and pumps harm preventer to the skin of the body. 
The organism can accelerate its production of Harm Preventer to near instantaneous regeneration by the consumption of foreign hearts, which once fed into the heart accelerates the production of HP. Some other races liquefy hearts and sell them as “health potions” others decant the liquid into a liquor that actually increases the organism's capacity for HP production. This liquor must then be kept in special containers, and are naturally extremely valuable. Animals and barbaric other races simply tear out the heart of their victims and eat them to enjoy the benefits of rapidly produced HP. For simplicity, this organ, cumulates the functions of a heart, a stomach, adrenaline glands and bone marrow, referred to in future dalmer documentation as the Heart, capitalized.
As such, every creature and other race in Welt has a Heart, as they all produce HP. some Hearts imbue other qualities on to the creature that consumes it, most often it is diseases however. 
== Specific Bones ==
=== Faceplate ===
Main article: Faceplate
Dalmer have what is known as a “faceplate” , a layer of flexible bone that is directly on top of the skull. This is useful for skeletons as they retain recognisable facial expressions, making them less uncanny to the rest of Dalmer. The faceplate covers the eyeball with a clear layer of bone, this allows skeletons to retain their eyes after death. This clear layer of bone acts as an armored eyelid, keeping the eyeball in the socket.
Faceplate acts as a natural shock absorber, making Dalmer concussion resistant.
Undead Dalmer who would rather retain their eyes and faceplate do not undergo skeletification, as clinically created skeletons have the faceplate and eyes dissolved, the eyes are later replaced with fiber optics. This is why some dalmer categorically refuse to undergo clinical skeletification.
=== Bone structure: ===
A particularity of the Dalmer is that tendons are a bone derivative rather than tissue, as such they are less flexible than other races (An average Dalmer cannot touch its toes while standing or touch the same shoulder with the same arm). This bone nature means they are not subject to nervous damage as the tendons heal the same way a broken bone will, and they do not deteriorate upon death. Another particularity is that Dalmer physiology demands large quantities of mineral supplements. To counter these needs, geophagy is an integral part of the Dalmer diet. By chewing on pieces of metal and stone they acquire the minerals necessary to their diet. Some have mineral supplement dispensers implanted into their stomachs.
=== Skeletal system ===
Dalmer bones are connected with sinew, meaning the skeleton can stand on its own. These sinews have small pressure chambers which act as muscles for the undead Dalmer. 
The way this works is that the pressure chambers found in between each bone can expand or retract. In between each bone is a layer of minuscule magnets powerful enough to allow the bones to move. The brain sends signals to these magnets to inverse their charge, attracting the magnets to perform the bones movements. Thanks to these air pressure chambers (called air cushions) the bones do not touch each other, which would hinder movements, and the skeleton of a Dalmer can move around unhindered by the loss of muscles, as long as it can absorb oxygen and the brain is unaltered.
Dalmer bones have natural cavities allowing for bone flow (an oxygen rich solution) to flow throughout the organism. The body metabolizes oxygen by sucking in oxygen from its surroundings, like gills. This bone flow is what powers the pressure chambers in the Dalmer skeleton. In short, skeletons only need oxygen to live.
== Physical abilities ==
=== Harm Preventer ===
Main article: Harm Preventer
==== Longlivers: ====
Main article: Longliver
Dalmer who live for hundreds of years, thought to be long lived because of their abnormally large livers. Despite vast amounts of research and funding, the secret behind this longevity is unknown. They are biologically immortal except if mortally wounded, when this happens they age rapidly until degrading into dust. This means that Longlivers are considered corpseless, and cannot become zombies. Longlivers are not known to leave behind ghosts, spirits or souls behind either, however Longliver banshees and specters are not uncommon. 
Longlivers are generally detected when the Dalmer has reached his peak of physical development, roughly equivalent to the age of 40 years old. This equates roughly to a middle aged Dalmer. At this point the Dalmer simply stops aging indefinitely until it is fatally wounded, looking forevermore like a middle aged Dalmer whilst the rest of the world ages around it. Longlivers create associations and support groups, but this is rare as they inevitably attract the attention of the scientific community and the claws of any old Dalmer afraid to die.
==== Porous ====
Some dalmer can breathe, eat and drink through the skin, those that do cannot speak however, as they have no lungs to exhale with. Their mouths serve uniquely as a weapon. They feed themselves by putting their hands into food and absorbing the necessary nutrients, some use custom “feed baths” that they immerse themselves into.
Attempts to have them colonize factory cities are encouraged wildly by the government.
=== Mental abilities ===
==== Telepathy ====
Main article: Random Onset Telepathy
The Dalmer possess the ability to telepathically communicate with each other, though many prefer speaking plainly. This is also how the Dalmer use Dream Telepathy, the Sense of passing and Predictive Neuroscience.
The silent majority however cannot use the calling ability, except for brains, zombies and skeletons.
==== Origins ====
The first Dalmer effectively capable of broadcasting its thoughts was a comatose patient suffering from irreversible damage to his central nervous system, caused by an infection of a rare strain of bacterial meningitis. Leading to a persistent vegetative state. 
Thoughts are broadcast in a semi-audible fashion to those nearby the patient. Anyone forming an idea using words will have those thoughts unwillingly transmitted to others in this range as M.A.S.. Aside from being the source, the patient was capable of broadcasting his own thoughts to those present. 
The infection was later isolated and made into a vaccine that effectively endowed the Dalmer with the calling ability.
The ability can be trained, much like speech in order to broadcast thoughts to other people present in a language that is seemingly universal as all Dalmer are capable of understanding each other using this method of communication. 
The infection has several outcomes. It can grant the ability to transmit thoughts, and the ability to broadcast the thoughts of those around (but are not necessarily capable to read the thoughts they are transmitting).
==== Sense of passing ====
This incredibly rare sense, bordering on precognition, is the capacity to sense when a Dalmer’s death is going to occur a short while before it happens. According to those who possess this trait the soon to be deceased have a “shine” around their face, indicating they will die. How long before the soon to die really die varies, ranging from a few seconds to days before. This ability is generally explained as the capacity to detect when the organism of the Dalmer is sufficiently compromised so as to ascertain the death of the victim, even if medical professionals or the victim cannot see any reason that the victim should die.
This ability doesn’t predict any sudden deaths however, the cause of death must have compromised the organism so that the “shine” will appear.
This ability is useful to doctors so that they know when to stop relentless therapy, and let the patient die in peace.
==== Predictive Neuroscience ====
Dalmer mind readers (revealed to be false, but did lead to memory recording technology, which is only possible if the extracted person agrees with placing the memory).
=== Extrasensory abilities ===
==== Soul flight ====
Main article: Soul Flight
The Dalmer practice a form of astral projection known as Soul flight but the applications of this practice are not very well known.
The Dalmer emit a certain form of radiation, an aura that allows them to detect one another, this is especially useful during a cave-in. However, this aura follows the Dalmer’s soul flight, meaning that if the flight were to leave the body of the Dalmer, rescue workers will not detect the trapped dalmer’s body, but his soul.
The pulse of the heart is what keeps the Dalmer soul connected to his body. Soul flight is how the Dalmer suppress this reflex. It is also why sometimes the Dalmer return as undead incorporeal forms.
Sometimes, a Dalmers astral form can be captured into films, portraits or pictures.
Soul flight is developed by Dalmer who experience NDE’s, which have become standard for Dalmer youth. This is the reason why psychopathy is relatively frequent among Dalmer.
==== Parasight ====
Main article: Parasight
The capacity for some Dalmer to see the immaterial undead and communicate with them, making them invaluable for undead communications. Most become parapsychologists to neutralize Specters and Banshees in psychological distress. 
==== Attunement ====
The Dalmer can perceive earthquakes and geological movements using this ability.
==== Pressure Stare ====
Some Dalmer develop the power to split things in two by power of thought, most of them become butchers. The pressure stare is a purely female trait, where through mysterious means their stare can exert a pressure of 3000 newtons per square centimeter on any object.
== Weaknesses ==
=== Radiation ===
The Dalmer, unlike the other races are very susceptible to even the lightest of radiation poisoning.
=== Foreign body ===
The Dalmer are very susceptible to toxins, bacteria and other infectious agents in general. They are insistent on destroying all foreign bodies to the point of germophobia, and their bodies are sterile
=== Medecine: ===
The Dalmer are clueless of medicine as their stimpack, prosthetics and vat grown body technologies replace the need for medical research entirely. They are also extremely sensitive to germs, skin cancer and other afflictions due to their sheltering medical policies. Germaphobia is commonplace amongst the Dalmer, some refuse to go outside their cities, or even their homes without protective equipment.
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Category:Dalmer Biology