N'Ptalini

The N’Ptalini are a sentient, non-human race that makes up a large part of the Empire's population. Historically, the N'Ptalini are the only race that ever posed a threat to humanity, see Urchin War.

## Distribution

After the long and bloody Urchin War almost two-thousand years ago, the N’Ptalini now constitute a sizeable minority within the Virasana Empire, many of them living on their ancestral home planet Geshi N'Ptah. They have full citizen rights, but are still seen as inferior and / or feral by many humans. Nevertheless and discounting occasional racist flare-ups, it is widely assumed that both races will eventually learn to peacefully and maybe even amically live together.

Next to their homeworld, significant N'Ptalini populations exist on Isfahan, Malicorn and Aylian. They tend to aggregate into closely-knit tribal communities which usually are the strongest social bond for any N'Ptalini even before their direct blood relatives. A T'cla can consist of up to two hundred individuals that should be seen almost as one extended household rather than a village or a tribe.

While proper numbers are hard to come by, it is quite possible that N'Ptalini make for almost a third of the Empire's overall population.

## Anatomy and Physiology

Humanoid with a swarthy striated skin and thick quills instead of hair, they cannot deny their carnivorous ancestry. Having evolved from an intertidal species, they tend to prefer humid environments and are exceedingly well suited for underwater hunting and foraging.

N'Ptalini skin is remarkably similar to that of humans, only that their epidermis thickens to scutes - rigid, callous islands - giving their skin a gridded look not unlike that of an alligator or a cobblestone road. In rare cases, osseous deposits within the scutes function as dermal armour. Some say their skin resembles the shells of Terran sea urchins, which has given them their most widespread moniker.

Their skin colour is usually a dull grey or earth tone with more colourful striations. Most common are one- to two-colour patterns, but there seems to be no particular limit. White and blue striations seem to be the rarest, while purple, brown and dark green are most common. Black is not a naturally occuring colour in N'Ptalini. In some specimen, the striations alternate with the segments of their skin, giving them a checkerboard pattern.

While their physical proportions and general functionality are quite similar to humans, internally the details can differ quite astoundingly.

### Genetic Phenotypes

Unlike humans, they tend to have less distinct genetic phenotypes, though the overal variety is slightly larger than among humans. Some colours and patterns are considered to be indicators of certain characteristics, but there is little to no scientific evidence of this being anything but a parlour game. For example, light blue, uniform striations are considered a sign of either ferocity or spirituality, while bright orange in any occurence is considered a sign of aggression.

### Sexual dimorphism

Whereas humans differ only marginally between the sexes, the N'Ptalini display a distinct sexual dimorphism. Males in general are larger and much more brightly coloured, while females have poison glands along their upper teeth and only very rarely show bright striations. Males tend to be stronger but much less enduring than females.

Also, the quills on the head and back of males tend to grow much longer than on females, leading to most males being unable to raise their quills at will as most females can; but this also varies wildly among different individuals. It is widely assumed that up to some point in their evolution, females could shoot their quills as a form of attack or self-defense, but this ability is now all but lost. It is rare but well-recorded that under great duress or trauma, females can loose all of their quills in a matter of seconds.

### Poison

N'Ptalini females have poison glands along their upper teeth, allowing them to inject a rather potent nerve toxin upon a bite. On average, a female can deliver up to three doses of poison per incident, which will replenish over roughly a month.

N'Ptalini females are completely immune to their poison, while most N'Ptalini males react with fatigue and mild confusion if bitten. To most other species, a poisoned bite is extremely painful to the point deadly shock. Humans tend to lose consciousness after a few hours and will either die from cardiac arrest or recover after roughly a day. An antidote is well-known and widely sold, but availability on worlds with low N'Ptalini population may be limited. Most N'Ptalini females always carry a dose of antidote with them, though.

### Procreation

Females give birth after five months of pregnancy, though the fetus will mature up to another eight months in an amniotic sac (n'piti) before hatching. Single births are most common, though twins or triplets occur rather frequently. Especially in the last months, it is customary for several n'piti to be raised in the same tidepool, which is considered important for the later social development.

The leathery n'piti mature in shallow water of changing depth, analogue to the tidepools of Geshi N'Ptah. Unlike eggs, for example, n'piti do not carry an internal reservoir of nutrients, but already have an externalized digestive system: the n'piti excrete a peculiar mix of poisons and enzymes that kill small creatures that live with them in the tidepools, slowly breaking them down into nutrients that can be absorbed.

The maturation time of n'piti strongly depends on a variety of factors, mostly water temperature and available nutrients. Unless they dry out and as long as a minimal amount of nutrients remains available, n'piti can survive for several years without any significant harm. Children who spent a long time in n'piti are considered to be more inclined to intellectual or spiritual characteristics, whereas short n'piti times should lend to physical prowess, though this is not confirmed by any scientific data.

### Supernatural Abilities

N'Ptalini show the same array of supernatural powers as humans, though in a significantly lower percentage. There are relatively more priest capable of Theurgy than among humans, though this is arguably connected to the generally higher religious involvement of their race.

## Snippets

* Most humans refer to them as Urchins, or rather more derogatively, as Beetle-Eaters. More educated ones will probably name them Geshi, but that would be like calling all Humans Terrans. Only a fraction of humans actually uses their proper name N'ptalini.
* In return, N'Ptalini have a colourful array of monikers for Humans, Softskins or Squet (vermin) among the most friendly of them. The common expression fa'lang, however, is not directly an insult, but denotes anyone weak and in need of protection.
* Much of the younger N'Ptalini population on Malicorn has begun calling themselves M'lini, a cognate of 'N'Ptalini' and 'Malino'.

## Some notable N'Ptalini include

 D'rina N'Ptah K'jal Dhanin L'jao N'Ptah P'tau
## Other articles about N'Ptalini

 Fa'lang N'gosi N'Ptalini Language N'Ptalini pantheon Seven Immortals Siege of Geshi N'Ptah T'cla (social) T'kla M'kan T'laloc N'Pata Quetzal Urchin Rock