Drell

Art by Railroad-blues

The **Drell** are a humanoid reptilian species that originally hail from the arid world of Rakhana. During their major industrial expansion in the 14thcentury CE, the already desert world began a swift descent into lifelessness due to overexertion of the planet's natural resources. Discovered by the Hanar in 1983 CE, the benevolent marine species began an evacuation of the world over the course of a decade that would result in the transportation of 375,000 drell refugees to their own homeworld of Kahje. Today, most drell reside on the ocean-covered world alongside their hanar saviors, those few who remain on Rakhana slowly dwindling as resources grow more and more scarce.

With a denser muscle mass than other known humanoid species, the drell often possess a wiry strength when paired with their smaller stature. Their dual eyelids are an evolutionary tactic to help shield themselves from the harsh sun and sand of their homeworld, though the purpose for their fused central fingers has no solid theory behind the fact. Their skin is known to produce a mild hallucinogenic venom that can be mixed in drinks or transferred upon skin contact.

## History

The drell ancestors emerged from dry, rocky deserts on the barren world of Rakhana. Eight centuries ago, the already-arid drell homeworld began its swift descent into lifelessness due to disastrous industrial expansion. At the time, the drell lacked interstellar flight capacity, and with their population bursting at eleven billion, they faced certain doom.

It was around the 1980s CE that the hanar made first contact with the drell race. In the following ten years, the hanar would transport a total of 375,000 drell to the hanar homeworld, Kahje. The remaining billions left on Rakhana would perish on their dying planet, warring against each other for diminishing resources. The drell now thrive co-existing with the hanar and have been a part of galactic civilization for roughly two centuries.

## Biology

Drell are omnivorous reptile-like humanoids with an average lifespan of 85 galactic standard years. Drell appearance is very similar to asari and humans, but their muscle tissue is slightly denser, giving them a wiry strength. They appear to have five fingers on each hand, albeit the ring and middle fingers are fused. Their skin is apparently infused with a venom mild enough to be served in drinks, and may cause mild hallucinations on "oral contact". They also have two sets of eyelids, akin to the nictitating membrane possessed by certain animals such as reptiles. The inner lid is milky-white and closes from the left and right, while the outer lid is black and closes from top and bottom. Much like humans or asari, drell possess the ability to shed tears.

### Vocal Tonation

One unique characteristic, however, is the hyoid bone in their throats, which allows them to inflate their throats and produce vocal sounds outside of the human range. Would-be assassins have noted that these two features make drell extremely hard to strangle or suffocate.

### Kepral's Syndrome

Because the drell ancestors emerged from arid, rocky deserts, the humid, ocean-covered hanar homeworld of Kahje proved tolerable only when the drell stayed inside a climate-controlled dome city. The leading cause of death for drell on Kahje is Kepral's Syndrome, caused by cumulative long-term exposure to a humid climate. This syndrome erodes the ability of drell lungs to take in oxygen, and eventually spreads out to other organs. It is noncommunicable, and there is currently no known cure, though leading hanar scientific authorities are working on creating a genetic adaptation.

### Eidetic Memory

The drell possess eidetic memory, an adaptation to a world where they must remember the location of every necessary resource (vegetation, drinkable water and prey migration paths) across vast distances. The memories are so strong that an external stimulus can trigger a powerful memory recall. These recalls are so vivid and detailed that some drell may mistake it for reality.

### Sexual Dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism among drell appears to be roughly analogous to humans. Females have breastlike protrusions, and their head "frills" are more pronounced than males'.

## Culture

> *"We- we don't have anything to offer, gracious friends. Not that anything can ever come close to repaying what you've done for us. All that we can give is who we are, and what we can be for you."* - Iliere Forodi
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### Relationship with the Hanar

The debt of gratitude that the drell owe the hanar is referred to as the Compact, which the drell fulfill by taking on tasks that the hanar find difficult, such as combat. Any drell may refuse to serve, but as being requested to serve is a great honor, few turn down the offer.

Most drell are content to live on Kahje. They are afforded every opportunity to thrive by the hanar, yet some outsiders and even some hanar regard the drell as second class citizens. However it is quite the opposite, they have integrated themselves into every level of hanar society as respected, productive citizens.

Those who leave Kahje tend to be adventurers. These solitary drell travelers often seek out new species elsewhere, and in turn adopt that species' culture. Such drell number in the thousands, and are scattered across the galaxy, tending towards quiet, integrated lives.

Some drell grow a close, personal relationship with the hanar, so much so that the hanar will even tell the drell their "soul name". Drell have adapted to communication with hanar by getting implants in their eyes to allow them to observe the bioluminescence the hanar use for communication. These are able to see ultraviolet light as a silvery color, though might lose differentiation between colors at the opposite end of the spectrum, such as the difference between dark red and black.

### Recreation

#### Games

* *Skachgee* is a dice game developed during the pre-industrial era on Rakhana. It involves two eight-sided dice, each one inscribed with a unique caricature on each face. The object of the game is to roll the pair in succession against your opponents, one player at a time, and hold them at the strongest pair you believe you can attain. Each player has eight rolls to cycle through, and a single die may not be frozen while the other is rolled.