Zahnulich

Zahnulich are a race of aliens that exist in the Boundless Fantendoverse, they're a territorial race that although open to trade are generally highly aggressive and are known to be adverse to making partnerships with other races as they view it as a sign of weakness. The Zahnulich evolved from a rather ancient and ferocious culture that developed space travel as a means of establishing dominance when the constant warring of the major nations on the planet ended up becoming a perpetual cycle of territorial exchange.
==Appearance==
Zahnulich are a completely blind race, their bodies have a black eel-like appearance with long narrow bodies with not much difference in thickness from their head to their tails. They have four long limbs, two arms and two legs with disc-shaped palms on each which have powerful micro-sized suction cups which allow them to grasp to surfaces with ease, their palms also have between three and eight claws in a radial shape which are used primarily for fighting but have the secondary use of being able to grip tools. As a result of lacking eyes their mouths are larger than most having large scales that form a beak-like lip around their mouth and multiple rows of teeth which were needed by their ancestors to chew through the sturdy exoskeletons of their main sources of protein.
Although for most within the race their bodies are completely black, some members are known to have white patterns on their body which are inherited genetically and can often be signifiers of royal bloodlines, in extremely rare circumstances an Albino Zahnulich is born where they have a brilliant light lavender colour to their body. Zahnulich shed their skin like reptiles, although in modern history they no longer eat their shed as it is considered impolite, in addition a culture around significant sheds developed where the shed during which one accomplished many great feats may be displayed in their home with great pride.
Although they lack eyesight, Zahnulich are able to use a highly adapted sense of smell and taste, their long snake-like tongues allow them to taste fine differences in the air allowing them to identify where they are with ease and an extremely precise mental image of their surroundings through the odours and flavours that are emitted.
==Culture==
Zahnulich culture is often mistaken as barbaric and warrior-like, in reality Zahnulich are extremely tactical and cunning, they're never above using deception, trickery and espionage to succeed and in Zahnulich culture a victory is considered honourable regardless of the means to get there. Many of the Zahnulich's great historical figures even use non-direct means of obtaining victory over their enemies, the most notable being the first Zahnulich Queen of the Northern Lands who managed to seduce her way into obtaining control through the then current King and using her numerous daughters as pawns to establish a network of influence in the governing sphere of the Northern Lands.
Although they're quite capable of these more cunning tricks, most large scale Zahnulich conflicts do see significant physical combat, Zahnulichs are quick to reproduce and as such the lower members of society are generally seen as disposable and do not receive names unless they accomplish something of particular note. The combat that Zahnulichs various nations commit to can be particularly aggressive and dangerous for all involved, they're one of the most feared races to fight in large scale conflicts as they have an almost ritualistic belief in throwing one's self into a battle. Although they use many powerful weapons in combat, the Zahnulichs are one of the staunchest in opposition to chemical weapons out of all races, their reliance of smell and taste means the effect of such weapons can be far more devastating and can be one of thew few things to unite the Zahnulich nations against a common enemy.
Zahnulich home culture is generally divided depending on which level of society you're referring to, the lowliest and most populous are naught much more than units for combat, their lives are short and only serve those above them, although they're independent there is almost no variation between one Zahnulich Soldier Grunt and another's home and family within the same nation. In higher society the belief of the honour of victory is extremely prevalent, the most decorated war heroes are praised greatly and see massive recognition during their lifetimes and even extend posthumously until a greater feat is accomplished. For most their home is a reflection of their trials in conflict, many Zahnulich war heroes will bring plants, fauna and cultural relics from the lands they've conquered back with them, this ironically creates a cycle as the more middling Zahnulichs who although higher than the unnamed lowest class have not seen great success in recent generations, these Zahnulichs will emulate the dominant culture of the higher class Zahnulichs, resulting in many artisans creating their own take on cultural relics which in time become their own cultural relics.
==Abilities==
Zahnulichs are a predominantly physical race, they do not have any innate forms of magic, and it is extremely rare for a Zahnulich to even attempt to develop magic as they consider it a waste of their limited time. Physically, Zahnulichs are weaker than humans although they have advantages in the water that can make them more dangerous, their large toothed jaws can shred through flesh and light armour with ease and their slippery bodies make it difficult to keep a hold of them. Some Zahnulichs excrete a poisonous film from their skin which is a result of their diet, this poison is generally fairly weak however and incapable of serious bodily harm.
Zahnulichs do possess a degree of regenerative abilities as long as the portion of the body that was lost is still somewhat present such as losing part of the hand as opposed to the whole hand, however due to the extremely violent and sacrificial nature of Zahnulich lives during combat this ability rarely is seen in its full capacity and is often mistaken for being of similar caliber to human regeneration.
==History in the Fantendoverse==
The Zahnulichs are a somewhat prominent race in the Fantendoverse, their territorial control means that they form a remarkable bloc of control in the galaxy as it is extremely difficult for anyone to convince a Zahnulich to give up territory they control. Although relationships with the Zahnulich nations are rare, there is a general agreement by the Zahnulich nations not to attack inhabited systems unless already being at war with that race, as the Zahnulichs usually have their hands full with their own wars against other Zahnulichs wars between Zahnulichs and other races are rare unless provoked by the other race in question.
Humans have had very minor contact with Zahnulichs, a small human colony on the planet of Abrukante VI borders on the Zahnulich territory and is the main form of contact between the two species. Zahnulichs appear to view humans as being annoying although tolerate their existence due to their craftsmanship for making tools.
Category:Species
Category:Races
Category:Boundless Fantendoverse Species