Spobill

The **Spobill** are a race of bipedal avians from the planet Ucharro. The Spobill's large maw houses a prehensile, six-pronged tongue that is often used as a "third arm". Originating from the far side of the known galaxy, the Spobill are newcomers to the galactic landscape. Their naivety often leads to the Spobill being regarded as a less intelligent species, though this is untrue.

## Biology and appearance

The Spobill are a race of bipedal avians from the planet Ucharro. As bipeds, they have two legs with large feet, two arms, a small tai, and a large head with an enlarged jaw. Spobills are only semi-avian, having feathers, but lacking any kind of wing. Spobills have a saurian body layout. The tail is small and useless, with only a few feathers grasping on to it. Spobills are usually 1.8 meters tall, 2.2 meters long, and weigh 117 kilograms.

The head has the Spobill's most notable traits, with the eyestalks and the enormous jaw. The head sits on top of their long neck, which has a coat of feathers. The upper jaw has a rounded shape with two nostrils and lacks any teeth. Near the back of the head, there is a cropping of feathers. Spobills have two eyes that rest on top of eyestalks. The eyes and eyestalks can move independently of each other, making Spobills often seem cross-eyed. The eyes can be black or brown in color. The most noticeable part of the head is the lower jaw. The lower jaw is black in color, and juts out in a large underbite. The lower jaw has the Spobill's only teeth, with five curved, blunt teeth. The inside of the Spobill's mouth has dark brown gums and an elongated black-colored tongue. The six=pronged tongue is muscular and capable of grabbing objects, meaning it is often used as the Spobill's "third arm".

The Spobill's arms are small compared to the rest of the body. The hands have four opposable fingers with small claws. The feet are very large with three forward facing toes and one backwards facing toe, all of which have large talons. Most of the Spobill's skin is splotchy white in color except for the jaw, which is black. The Spobill's feathers are also black, with thick feather layers on the neck and legs, and a few scattered feathers on the tail. The feathers have thick roots and almost never fall off, except for the tail.

Each mature Spobill female lays one or two eggs over their 70 year lifespan. The eggs hatch after around six months. Spobill chicks have a large tail with a thick layer of feathers. The tail never grows with the chick, with it shrinking and loosing feathers over time. The size and feathers of the tail are often the only indicators of the Spobill's age. The main difference between male and female Spobills is that the females have larger jaws meant for holding and serving food to their young.

## Society and culture

Spobills rarely congregate in towns or cities, typically living with their families in the mountainous caves of Ucharro. Spobill mythology has many mythological figures, which the Spobill stintingly attempt to appease. In larger groups, the Spobill shaman typically takes on the leader role, and is capable of uniting multiple Spobill families.

The Spobills are relatively new to the galactic landscape, only venturing beyond their homeworld for a little over 50 years. Because they are newcomers, most off-world Spobill are naïve to the greater galaxy, which often leads to the Spobill being regarded as a less intelligent race, though this is not true. Such assumptions are common to other new races, and they all fade away over time as the species finds their footing.

The main language of the Spobill is Uchese, a surprisingly complicated language with various subtexts.

## History

The Spobill first evolved from a high altitude raptor on the planet Ucharro. The Spobill were first able to develop sentience around 70,000 YBO. This eventually developed into the Spobill's tribal culture. Around 1,957 YAO, a group of Peckioff pilgrims settled on Ucharro, unaware of the Spobill. When a particularly curious group of Spobill encountered the colonists, the Peckioff introduced the Spobill to space travel, allowing them access to the rest of the galaxy.

In the half century that has followed their first discovery, the Spobill have managed to spread far beyond their homeworld. The novelty of them being a new species has given the Spobill a strong footing in all of the major governments. But as of now, even though Ucharro is an ally to all the governments, the Spobill remain unaffiliated, meaning they have yet to stake down their own presence.

## Spobill in the galaxy

Because of their curiosity with the new galaxy, the Spobill have managed to spread across the whole galaxy, even being found as far as Osayr. Overall, the species is rare, with low numbers. Off-world Spobills can be found in most major attractions and hubs, with them being easily attracted by flashy sights.

Though the Spobill have a reputation as being a less intelligent race, this is not true with the Spobill simply being naïve. Off-world Spobills are rarely workers, instead mainly being tourists at the most popular locations. Spobills that find work often work in the government, especially the OGC due to it's religious basis.