Cisens

The Cisens are a species of intelligent humanoid insects which inhabit Cisenila, and once also lived across Kamar in southern Asmukhar. They do not possess and never did possess any magical ability, but are thought to have been created by magic, as there is no feasible explanation for how they might have evolved.

The name "Cisen" is a corruption of "Kyçen" (where ç represents a voiceless palatal fricative), the name by which the Cisens call themselves.

Cisens are anthropomorphic in shape, with two arms and two legs, standing on average 5' 8" (1.73m) tall. They possess an internal skeleton, but they are predominantly held together with a tough exoskeleton made of a material similar to chitin. Though their exoskeleton is black, they are covered in dense white fur from head to toe, and have a mane of longer fur around their neck and shoulders (called "the fluffy part" by the Cisens when literally translated). They have a large pair of plain white wings sprouting from their upper back. They have no noses, instead smellling through their antennae, and their eyes are crimson-coloured.

Cisens, much like most of the other arthropods in the land which they live in, are a hermaphroditic species. They reproduce in a manner similar to hominids, but rather than giving birth to live young, the eggs are laid approximately 4 weeks after fertilisation and continue to grow for approximately 12 weeks before hatching. Much like with the hermaphroditic Elfkin, self-fertilisation is impossible; the eggs will not only merely reject but will destroy and disintegrate sperm which they register to be too genetically similar. This mechanism also makes incest unlikely to succeed, as the eggs will often (but not always) reject the sperm of siblings, parents, offspring and sometimes even first cousins for being too similar.

Curiously, although their hermaphroditism is functionally no different from the Elfkin, the Cisens are unanimously referred to (including by themselves) with male pronouns, whereas Elfkin hermaphrodites are unanimously referred to (again, including by themselves) with female pronouns. This difference is likely due to the fact that the very different appearance of Cisens compared to hominids makes them unlikely to outwardly register as feminine, whereas it is often difficult to tell apart a female Elfkin from a hermaphrodite without knowing what is beneath their undergarments.

The Cisens are omnivorous, but generally prefer to eat plant matter, other arthropods, and seafood.

The Cisens have intelligence in excess of any other hominid species, their IQ averaging 120. They are generally not as creative or imaginative as hominids, but excel at logical thinking such as mental arithmetic, have excellent memories, and love precision. Cisens exhibit some obsessive-compulsive behaviours, being greatly disturbed when objects are out of place, often having particular rituals they need to complete before being able to sleep, and being distressed by inaccuracies. They do not excel at social interaction with races other than themselves, often not picking up on the more subtle social cues and having difficulty interpreting subtext, double meanings and sarcasm. Many of their behaviours, if replicated in Humans, would result in a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism.

Cisens generally have a very high degree of sympathy of others, even if they often have trouble actually empathising with non-Cisens and have even more trouble verbally communicating it. It is likely a product of their communal hive mindset that they usually take far more interest in the wellbeing of others than of themselves, and they are a remarkably charitable and caring species. This is often cited as the reason why Cisens are heavily overrepresented in the medical professions, in addition to their exceptional intelligence.

From the point of fertilisation, a Cisen will take approximately 16 weeks to hatch, and will take a further twelve to fourteen years to reach physical maturity. The average lifespan of a Cisen is 71 years, and the oldest known Cisen lived to 88.