Sniuqan

**Sniuqans** were sentient, bipedal canines native to Sniuq. They resembled gray wolves, but had four eyes, four arms, and two tails. There were two varieties of Sniuqan: Day Sniuqan and Night Sniuqan.

## Characteristics

### Day Sniuqan

Day Sniuqans lived on the light side of the planet. They had thick fur that ranged from light gray to almost blue. They had a layer of fat that allowed them to stay warm during Sniuq's rough winters. Their eyes tended to be white, blue, or green. They were mostly carnivorous, but were able to digest plant matter if no other food options were available. Day Sniuqans ranged from 1.5 to 2m tall. They could live up to 350 years, and reached maturity around their mid-20s.

Day Sniuqans had personal names and surnames. Their first names tended to be short, usually having only one syllable and ranging from two to five letters long. Their last names began with the name of their oldest parent, followed by an ending based on when they were born. There were 31 of these endings, based on the 31 months of a Sniuq year: -weig, -roq, -rill, -bak, -deeht, -peh, -teep, -teelb, -plee, -dainn, -loals, -dra, -ziiff, -zyil, -wogg, -uyum, -ieew, -gaus, -cessi, -eermee, -dantt, -ortal, -leenk, -tekku, -frud, -kieegs, -daisell, -morr, -pirn, -lulb, and -frerte.

### Night Sniuqan

Night Sniuqans lived on the dark side of the planet. They had fur that ranged from dark gray to black. Their fat layer was much thicker due to the colder temperatures on the dark side of the planet. They had a sort of darkvision, being able to see in complete darkness as if it were dim light, and in dim light as if it were bright light. This had a range of about 20m. Their eyes tended to be yellow or orange. Day Sniuqans often considered Night Sniuqans to be uncivilized savages, but they actually had a complicated social structure. Night Sniuqans were exclusively carnivores. They ranged from 1.8 to 2.4m tall. They reached maturity in their late teens to early 20s, and could live up to 500 years, but due to ritual battles and duels many died much earlier.

Night Sniuqans had a specially evolved digestive system that could filter out the toxins found in their prey, as their prey often had a diet of plant-like organisms that fed off of sulfur and other toxic minerals from volcanic vents.

Night Sniuqans had personal names and clan names. Both were often four or more syllables, and often had lots of consecutive consonant sounds. There was no distinct difference between masculine and feminine names; most names were gender neutral.

Common personal names:

* Gkkthubhaxr
* Rrvtt'ethrha
* Zirrurk
* Akrktyzhognir

Common clan names:

* Ocnaiothrhulbh
* Ishugdoxr
* Kthaz'kriutl
* Iviggd'thix

### History

The two types of Sniuqan have been at odds for as long as history can remember. There have been several wars between the two sides, but since 1435 CE (937 on the Day Sniuqan Calendar) there has been an uneasy peace between them.

Both sides developed space travel at about the same time, during the late 10th century DSC (16th cent. CE). The first intelligent species the Sniuqans made contact with were the Shossain of Shossai. Cooperation between the two species eventually led to both becoming IAPASIL members. As they entered a larger intergalactic community, the tension between the Day and Night Sniuqans was eased.

By the 1060s DSC (1785 to 1810 CE), the Sniuqans had developed colonies in three systems: Xeccianides, Madroclite, and Tolmion. However, in 1095 DSC (1882 CE), the Xeccianides colony was attacked by the Ihl. Very few survived.

On the Day Sniuqan calendar, it is currently 1144 DSC. The Night Sniuqans began using the same calendar in 937 DSC, but started from zero when they adopted it, so it is currently 207 NSC (Night Sniuqan Calendar) for that side of the planet.

Despite having advanced ballistic and energy-based weapons, many Sniuqan soldiers will bring melee weapons like swords or axes into battle.

### Religion

Both types of Sniuqans worship the same basic set of deities, although there are differences between the interpretations of religious texts and rituals. Night Sniuqans have a couple more deities than the Day Sniuqans.

## Notable Members

* Yav Trelweig
* Tej Sirroq
* Vro Afrill
* Ti Therdainn
* Olta Tadainn
* Raggak Tiothrh'itres
* Fio Betmorr

## Appearances

* The Muddy Miss (First appearance)
* Untitled Muddy Miss Sequel
* Shards of the Apeirogon - "Conscripted"
* Shards of the Apeirogon - "Cruel Bomb"
* Shards of the Apeirogon - "Lemon Juice"
* She Lives
* He Lives
* The Crossover