Arghen

## Appearance

Arghen are large sentient dromaeosaurus-resembling creatures covered in feathers. Their coloration may vary, but most arghen are usually white, light gray of brown. Stripes and/or spots may also be present. The main distinguishing features of arghen are their masks. They are hard bone shields protecting the creatures' heads from injuries. The eyeholes are covered in transparent glass-like material. Arghen are born without masks - they develop as the creatures age. The feet of creatures are digitigrade, with sharp sickle-like claws on pointer toes.

Arghen are sexually dimorphic. Females of the species possess additional lateral jaws which are vestigeal and invisible in males. Females have a fork-shaped tail, whereas males have a fan-shaped one. Females are also often darker than males. There's no difference in size between sexes.

## Life, History and Culture

Arghen are carnivorous and have to regularly consume human flesh. If they don't do that, their nervous system will be irreversibly damaged, making them lose their sentience.

The creatures are shapeshifters that can take the form of humans. To copy someone's appearance, an arghen requires a fresh blood sample of their target. For another transformation, another blood sample has to be taken. Arghen use their ability to blend in in human society and stalk their victims. In human form arghen can exist until they get hungry. If they tolerate the hunger for too long, they will revert to their true form.

Arghen often prey on people looking for a relationship. During peaks of arghen attacks, people were often advised to avoid going on dates to deserted locations and walking alone in such places. Arghen prefer to take their victim to a place with no witnesses, and then attack in their true form. Arghen mostly use their sickle claws to hit their prey and try to snap it's neck or pin it, and then bite through the throat. Their jaws are not strong enough to be used as the main weapon.

Arghen were initially created by Kauk, the god of terror. The creatures were supposed to instill fear in humans, but after some time they managed to break free from Kauk's influence. Now, ideologically, arghen can be divided into two major groups: those who think that distancing from Kauk is a good thing, and those who worship Kauk as their creator-god.

Many arghen were killed during the Great Extermination of 1799, with numerous purge events happening afterwards. The purges drew the creatures away from human settlements, and many arghen either became nomadic or settled in the wilderness, travelling long distances to find humans to hunt. Now arghen usually live in forests, mountains, abandoned buildings and deserted settlements. They may be solitary or live in small communities.

## Languages

Native arghen languages consist of non-human phonemes. The sounds in these languages include clicks, hissing, wheezing, whistling, growling, etc. Different length and pitch of the sounds can change the meaning of a word. Arghen also have an inborn skill of fast language-learning. Because of this and their shapeshifting ability they were sometimes employed by the army as scouts and translators, even though they were often still viewed as inferior creatures.

## Reproduction

Arghen reproductive and excretory systems are separated, as in mammals. But like birds, the females have only one active ovary, with the other being vestigeal, and males' testicles are situated in their abdomen. Male genitals are retractable and invisible on the outside.

Arghen are semi-ovoviviparous: they reproduce by laying soft-shelled eggs. It takes six month for the egg to fully form. After the egg has been laid, chicks immediately hatch from it.

Arghen in some conservative cultures also have a mating ritual: if there are two males who wish to mate with the same female, they participate in a dancing "duel". The female chooses the male whose dance she finds more interesting. A more violent ritual exists in some northern arghen populations: competing males, instead of dancing, have to bring fresh human meat to the female. The one who does it first, wins.

In human form arghen are sterile and unable to breed with humans.

## Anatomy

* Arghen have long retractable tongues which they use the similar way reptiles do: it's their organ of smell and taste. Arghen also don't have olfactory receptors in their noses.
* Arghen bones are light and resemble those of birds. Their tails are stiff and reinforced with bone rods.
* The lungs of the creatures have air sacs attached to them, which aid in respiration, especially when arghen run long distances.
* Arghen vocal cords do not allow them to sound "human", so their voices are quite low when they speak. Despite this, they can copy sounds of human languages very well. They also don't have movable lips. All of the sounds they make are guttural.
* Arghen can't chew their food because of lack of the muscles required to do that.