Gnathlings

The Gnathlings are a nomadic pirate-like faction which worship the goddess Gnathia the Goddess of Speech, also titled as the "Holder of the Mouth of the World" according to the Gnathlings.

## Religion, Culture, & Worship

Gnathlings typically travel in crews and fleets. A crew typically is a singular separated Gnathling spaceship consisting of 5-50 Gnathlings dependent on ship size. A fleet often consists of at least 3 ships including a Gnathling flagship but has historically been found with as many as 81 ships.

Gnathlings are typically non-xenophobic, non-racist, and non-sexist although these traits do not apply to all individual Gnathlings or crews. It is the common belief of Gnathlings that a powerful person has a powerful jaw/maw/teeth which serves as the focus of both their cultural and religious practices. Beings of weaker-jawed species who intend to join the Gnathlings will go through extreme body modification upon entry so that they may be welcome within their crew and may properly worship Gnathia.

A power known as the gnaw slowly develops within the Gnathlings as they worship Gnathia. The gnaw leads to a slow but natural empowerment of the users jaw which will slowly form into a maw, then growing more powerful facial musculature and more durable teeth. The most devout of gnaw wielders are given the boon of the world shout, a powerful howl/scream/warcry which can be used in a number of ways via the magical abilities of the user. Many Gnathlings develop the shout in such a way that it enables them to physically blow away enemies who are shouted at as well as deafen them and in some cases rupture internal organs.

## Weapons

Although Gnathlings believe in the power of their words as well as that of their maw, the actual action of biting an enemy is understood as often being a worse attack than just using a gun or cannon therefor causing the usage of maw/teeth attacks to be regarded in a similar fashion to a religious or sacrificial weapon and only being used when available as a means of worship, showmanship, and practice. This of course does not apply to more powerful gnaw wielders who often find that so much as holding a gun is too cumbersome and not worth sacrificing the availability and mobility of the uncommon "maw & gnaw" fighting style.

### Marrow Cannon:

A blunderbuss-like primary weapon adopted as the standard-issue rifle for most Gnathlings. Marrow Cannons are easy to produce and modify as they use hollowed-out bones for barrels and shoot teeth. Many variants of the Marrow Cannon exist including the Piranha Marrow Cannon, Shark Marrow Cannon, and Leviathan Marrow Cannon, which shoot small scattered teeth, rapid medium teeth, and single-shot large teeth respectively. As bone and teeth are used for Gnathling weapons, most crews are also avid fishermen and hunters.

### The Gnaw:

The primary utility tool for Gnathlings, the gnaw is the magical energy which enables the magic usage of powerful Gnathlings. The gnaw is adopted as a utility tool for gun users but is adopted moreso as a secondary or extension of ability to jaw fighters. The gnaw has 3 common abilities but many powerful Gnathlings have been known to develop knew, unique, and uncommon gnaw powers and shouts:

* Blow: Pushes an incredible wind from the mouth of the user, used both as a method of mobility as well as a method of disengaging or disrupting enemies.
* Deafen: A loud scream so powerful that it completely deafens whoever hears it for a short time, many Gnathlings are unaffected by Deafen as empowered eardrums and skull structure come alongside the natural progression of gnaw usage.
* Combust: A targeted blast of condensed air which simultaneously bounces soundwaves within it as it travels, then surrounding the head of the target causing both a powerful air differentiation around the target's headspace as well as a booming and painful sound for the duration of the combustion. Combust can be used as a means of preventing an opponent from breathing, blowing up internal organs, rupturing eardrums permanently, and causing nausea and disorientation within stronger targets

### The Maw:

The most well known weapon of the Gnathlings, treated as a sacrificial blade as well as a powerful tool in the right hands. Although not fully utilized by all Gnathlings, it is unquestionable that those who do choose to dedicate themselves to the Maw & Gnaw fighting style are always forces to be reckoned with. A combination of biomechanical skull modification, natural maw growth, gnaw magic, and the occasional movement enabling technologies enable maw users to quickly close the distance on targets and almost instantly kill them through piercing bites and the consumption of the head of the target.