Quel

Known largely for their unrepentant barbarism and self-centered nature, the Quel are an amphibious race spread across a large area of claimed and unclaimed territory surrounding the Titanborne's Roost.

## Sociology

While the physique of the Quel has a tendency to draw attention on its own, the more dramatic appeal for them arises from their so-called "driven selfishness". While the required genealogy and neurology for a detailed study is still outside of Magdoran reach, the consensus regarding this matter is that the Quel lack what is referred to as the "social gene"- the genetic driver shared by most other sapient races that drives them to regularly interact with other members of their own species, and work in some form of collective towards the "greater good", even in a totally hierarchical sense.

To that end, the Quel are typically driven to serve their own interests above anything else, and rarely contact other sapients for any reason other that exact reason. Further still, they will rarely associate themselves with any form of collective unless absolutely necessary, or otherwise extremely profitable.

Thanks to this, it comes as little surprise to those involved in their study that the Quel have rarely formed a collective larger than the small pirate operations seen in the spacefaring age, with concepts such as language and standardised technology only barely existing as a result of rampant theivery, and to make their few trades with each other go other drastically easier.

How they were able to reach the spacefaring age at all is much more of a mystery- and the assumed answer is that it took an extremely long time, and a likewise extreme amount of luck.

As their lack of cooperation also extends to matters such as historical recordkeeping, little information can be obtained from the Quel beyond the near-immediate reach and memory of an individual. As such, matters such as their written history, spacial territory, and even research and development records are either entirely lost, or difficult to obtain to the point of near impossibility.

## Physiology

Physically, the Quel are stocky and short compared to most other bipeds encountered by the Magdorans, at only 130cm on average. While many would describe the Quel as 'fat', most of their (to Magdorans) atypical mass comes from additional insulation and storage organs, which historically allowed them to survive otherwise uninhabitable climates for a time, and go into extended hibernation periods without serious ill effects.

The spines of the Quel are lined with two- occasionally one, or more- rows of sensitive antennae, with their "Defenders" having particularly sensitive, but short ones. These antennae are primarily used so they can remain aware of their environment when resting and hibernating, but while awake provide them with additional peripheral awareness.

### Hibernation

The Quel regularly go through hibernation cycles in their native environments, and during such time they bury themselves in soil until only the tips of their antennae are exposed. Prior to a hibernation, they engorge themselves on food and fluid to fill their storage organs, which provide additional sustenance to them during a hibernation.

Though rare, it has been known that a Quel's storage organs can ferment stored food, instead of remaining stable- while the effects have varied drastically between known cases, it is also known that this coincides with a generally unhealthy bacterial infection.

### Reproductive Habits

The Quel require three individual partners in sexual reproduction, both for the act itself and for nurturing young, however short that is in comparison to other bipeds.

These three will henceforth be referred to by the titles devised by Magdoran biologists: The "Hunter", the "Defender", and the "Nester".

The hunter role is near analogous to a Magdoran female biologically, providing and initially carrying ova for fertilization, while also primarily being responsible for feeding nesters during the larger gestation period. Defenders are responsible for initial fertilization, and hibernate shortly after fertilized eggs are transferred to nesters, conserving their enhanced strength for potential threats so said nester. Lastly, nesters are sexually responsible for taking fertilized eggs from hunters and caring them to term and tending the young until they reach full independence, less than a year later.

How this structure has been maintained in spite of the anti-social nature of the Quel is questionable, however it is commonly recognized that, for all the strength of the biological drive to breed and tend to nesters and their young, they only behave within the realms of absolute necessity- a fact reinforced by their comparatively rare breeding cycles, and inversely powerful fertility.

Beyond circumstance and genetics, there is little familial connection after successful rearing.