Funin

## **Appearance**

The Funin are generically reptilian in appearance, with a long jaw and smooth muzzle and head shape with no horns or ears adorning their face. The rest of the body is generally broad, a thick neck connecting the head to the broad shoulders and down the sides. Legs are connected to the sides instead of following the line of the body. The tail is thick, heavy and generally as long as the torsos, often leaving them to either have it lifted or dragging it along the ground. Hands and feet are adorned with long and sharp claws, suitable for hand-to-hand combat or digging if required.

A large portion of the Funin body exists of muscle, being able to lift their own body weight with relative ease. The bone structure is equally strong, where impacts that would normally shatter all bones could hardly lead to a small fracture. The skin is thick and leathery and found in all colours under the rainbow though most commonly brown, desert yellow, grey, black and light green. All sorts of patterns are also seen in the skin, camouflage patterns that gave advantages in the younger years of life. While not exclusive to certain areas, skin colours act as good indications on the location of their origin, or at least the type of terrain they were born.

## **Common behaviour**

The Funin are generally uncaring. Survival of the fittest is at the order of the day, with the sick and injured being left to die by those who do not know them. The exact opposite of this behaviour is found when a bond of family is built in a group, where each and every one of them will rise to protect and aid if required to help one another or their territory.

Family feuds are extremely rare, for reasons of self-preservation above all others, large-scale conflict is generally avoided. However, when it does take place, there is no concept of prisoners and the resulting battle is bloody and fought until the very last one of one of the parties is slain.

## **History**

### **Funin history**

Old records found written on walls of ruins and in caves as well as storytelling through word of mouth has compounded the Funin history to be one of pride, honour and great accomplishments. Having waged war against several other dominant species on the planet and emerged to be victorious.

This however has little base in reality, with exaggeration in storytelling having grown to portray fiction rather than the actual events that have taken place. Historical studies performed by third parties have uncovered that while part of recorded history has in fact happened, the true scale of these events was hugely overstated and losses were conveniently omitted. With fragmented historical records of dubious validity and the fierce protectiveness of the Funin over the remaining ruins, the full exact history remains unknown.

However, it is safe to assume that while exploring new areas beyond their territories; many clashes would have taken place leading to casualties on all sides. The Funin tendency to fight to the last man would suggest that any scouting groups that ventured too far and got into combat with local species, were completely wiped out.

## **Families**

### **Life**

The life of the Funin is built around self-preservation. From the moment of birth, no help is offered to hatchlings to survive and they are left to their own devices to grow and become stronger. This means that death rates among the infants are extreme in the very least, with over 80% failing to survive the first few months of life, and a further estimated 75% dying before the end of their first year.

The remainder of the children, having proven their ability to survive, are often adopted into a family where for the first time in their lives they will start to learn the benefits of co-operation to further the goal of personal survival. Creating a strong bond of family takes anywhere between a few weeks to several years, but once present constitutes undying loyalty and devotion for their family.

The extreme rate of death in the early stages of life is the reason for the low average life expectancy of the Funin, many of those that do survive, live to lead long lives. Death by starvation is the most common cause of death, followed by death of dehydration and violence. Diseases are uncommon and usually do not spread beyond the family groups. Due to the cold-blooded and reptilian nature of the Funin, the immune system is naturally very strong and immune to many of the diseases that plague warm-blooded and mammalian species. In the same way, deceases that plague the Funin are usually harmless to warm-blooded species.

## **Communication**

### **Intelligence and Education**

Contrary to popular belief based on stories of their barbaric and indifferent nature, the Funin are intelligent creatures capable of understanding difficult subjects and complex mechanics. Most of the knowledge is shared in the family, with very little, other than the basics of survival, learned through outside sources. This often leads to families often specializing in one particular trade, farming, hunting or blacksmithing in which they can gain great skill. The limitation of knowledge within a single family has in the past also led to very advanced knowledge getting lost when a family dies out, including the knowledge behind the construction of the ‘Bukthir’ monument, a large and complicated structure located in the city of [insert city name 1 (coast)], constructed of a combination of stone and iron, built in remembrance of the family members of the artisan who constructed it of which he was the sole survivor following an intense period of drought.

Occasionally a young Funin can find him- or herself adopted by non-Funin, where education is offered through more general means. With the right education, one could easily become highly skilled, though they are more desirable as members of the military due to their great strength and resilience. Funin are also very suitable as medical personnel, where their resistance to many common illnesses and deceases mean they can go to quarantined areas without any negative effects. One common complaint with Funin doctors and nurses is the complete lack of bedside manner.