Axolotyn

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Axolotlyn Area: Water Environments Diet:: Omnivore Size: Human-Sized Hostility: Not Hostile Tameable?: Not Tameable Note: This creature can only be played by Event Team members.

Laid back, calm, patient, and with little respect for violence, these creatures hold a special fondness for music, and art. Axolotyn are extremely curious, and generally quite intelligent, with a particular knack for thinking outside the box, making them adept Tinkers, Alchemists and Enchanters, however they make poor smiths as they both have little experience with metal working, and despise fire with a passion. Even if one could stand it, they’d dry out rapidly in the heat of a forge. For similar reasons, they do not make the best miners or stonemasons as their need for moisture and lack of experience with stone can make them at best, clumsy at the work, and inept at worst. They can also be rather talented healers thanks to their intellect and typically large knowledge of plants and their properties, however they tend to have a lack of experience or skill in the trade, due to their own accelerated healing. The creatures themselves are both talented fishermen/women, and have a startlingly beautiful singing voice, however, when singing in their mother tongue they can be easily mistaken for birds thanks to the chirping, whistling quality of their tongue. However in the common tongue as well as others, their voices take on a sonorous, almost siren-like quality whether their voice is soft, sharp, high or deep, which makes them excellent bards. Most Axolotyn have a gift and love for music. Axolotyn are not gifted with magic, however the pales are tainted by the void that seeps into water of Axios, one of the reasons the pales are weak is from the voidal corruption. Axolotyn are known to be slightly forgetful at times, occasionally forgetting the subject of a conversation they had mere minutes ago, however their long term memory is phenomenal, being capable of recalling in near perfect detail events that happened days, weeks, months, years, and even decades ago, sometimes even spanning into centuries. Due to this, older Axolotyn can seem slightly...eccentric, to other races at times. Their poor short term memory seems to not affect knowledge that is read however, so a good way to ensure they remember something is to write it down.

History

The Axolotyn slowly evolved from fish, Axios' waters don't host many natural predators to fish, thus allowing the Axolotyns to evolve over a period of time. Due to their defensive and protective nature Axolotyn will not normally venture far away from their knot alone, though some Axo's have perished due to their curiosity. The Axolotyn, both thanks to their recent discovery, and their own actions, don’t have much of a history, for the simple reason that they’ve never had a violent conflict within their Species. The Axolotyn have never had one ruler, never built a kingdom, and never gone to war. Any disputes between Axolotyn are settled with logic and compromise, which typically isn’t too difficult thanks to their patient, intellectual manner. Axolotyn don’t have a written language thanks to their habitat as well as the strange nature of their tongue, relying on stories, and their excellent long term memory to keep more personal histories, however their natural intellect, curiosity, fascination with these new cultures, and the odd way their minds work gives them an inherent advantage when it comes to learning to read or learning a new language, a gift that can evolve into a deep hunger for written knowledge that can make them seem somewhat obsessive at times.

Description

Amphibious, Moist skinned, Axolotyn's main skin color is blue, however it can range widely within the spectrum of blue (IE, Dark blue to a light cyan) the highlights of a Axo are based on it's environment (IE, A Axo living within a forest would have greenish highlights, while a Axo that lives in a cold area, would have deep blue highlights). Though gilled variants are typically white or pale pink. No external nose or ears however some do have small frills for decoration, their nose and ears appear as small holes, that close when underwater. All members, no matter the individual, have the physical adaption to swim, ((IE webbing, fins or a specialized tail)) along with a third eyelid, which protects their eyes from debris, and the water itself when diving. It’s also used to moisten their eyes and keep them from drying out when above water, as well as keep them clean. Axolotyn have the ability to regenerate at faster paces then humans, a small gash that would normally take a human a day or so to heal, would only take a few hours for an Axolotyn, and can even regenerate limbs and organs ((See below)).

Characteristics

The first word used to describe an Axolotyn would be Amphibious. The second would be varied. Axoloytn are unique compared to most other species in that they do not follow the exact same template. Though they do have universal traits, such as their amphibious nature, third eyelid, long tongue’s and other small details, in general they’re quite varied in appearance, possessing varying fins, webbing, tails, barbels, and other differences, along with a host of unique, sometimes brightly colored patterns that can spawn, though many also have smooth, simple skin with little if any extra coloring or patterns. All Axolotyn have four fingers (including a thumb) and four toes (including a small, thumb like digit on the inner side of their foot, facing the other limb). Axolotyn digits are equally flexible on whether they’re on hand or foot, allowing them to easily traverse the terrain surrounding their Knot, and to crawl along the bottom of the water they call home. Axolotyn are often times stronger than they look, simply possessing different types of muscles, as well as using them on a regular basis, though thanks to their adaptions to water, they’re not necessarily faster or more agile than others on land. Most Axolotyn, cannot breathe underwater, as their lungs can only derive oxygen from the air, however they have the ability to absorb the oxygen in the water through their skin, essentially injecting it straight into their bloodstream. But, at maximum they can only sustain this for about an hour before they begin absorbing too little oxygen to keep it up safely and return to the surface for a few minutes to breath, thus they typically only stay down for 15, to 30 minutes, meaning they only need to be above the surface for a few moments before diving again. Some Axolotyn however are known to truly breath underwater (See Below). One thing that is universal among them, though not something you’d typically see, is their regenerative abilities. Axolotyn have extraordinary healing capabilities, being able to heal from a gash in hours, and a broken limb in a week, give or take a few days depending on the extent of the break, as well as their diet during recovery. Axolotyn are even capable of regenerating missing limbs and organs assuming they survive the injury in the first place. Some Axolotyn, about two out of ten, develop feathery external gills, allowing them to breathe underwater indefinitely. These Axolotyn typically have white or very pale red/pink skin, though other colors exist. They are known to have thinner, almost translucent skin and are typically more fragile compared to their more amphibious cousins (due to their voidal taint), However they can stay underwater indefinitely and usually do, and can heal even faster than their cousins. They’re usually referred to as “Pales” by other Axolotyn, but aren’t treated any differently despite this label. All Pales possess a tail about the length of their torso, give or take a few inches, with a thin fin-like webbing along the top and bottom. This, along with their external gills make them even more efficient swimmers, though they’re typically weak and clumsy on land, and dry out more quickly than most Axolotyn. There are rumors that Pales are less stable than their cousins and even can become violent, but there is no true evidence of this. Though they can be more touchy and/or paranoid due to their enhanced fragility. Pales are also notably more reliant on water than other Axolotyn, requiring full submersion for at least a half an hour daily to stay hydrated, and thus even besides less common, they’re very rarely seen by other races as they typically avoid leaving their Knot. Due to the Axolotyn’s unique anatomy, the Axolotyn have a very low tolerance for alcohol, often times becoming inebriated extremely quickly, and to a greater extent than other races. All Axolotyn possess a third eyelid that protects them from debris, and sometimes the water itself when diving, and are also used to moisten and protect their eyes on dry land. When impregnated, An Axolotyn starts developing anywhere from one to eight eggs inside of her womb. At about six months, she lays each of the eggs in a process that can take 30 minutes to 6 hours ((typically). after being laid, the eggs then remain somewhat dormant, the embryo inside growing and developing for another six to seven months before hatching. Axolotyn eat their eggs upon hatching. Axolotyn eggs, are not hard like a birds or some reptiles. Rather, they are soft and translucent like a frog or salamander, making them rather fragile and viciously defended by the parents, particularly the mother. This is one of the few cases in which Axolotyn will become aggressive, let alone violent. If any of the eggs are damaged before they hatch, some Axolotyn will develop differently due to the damage.

Aging

Axolotyn can live to the age of 600. Axolotyn are referred to as Hatchlings until the age of five, being considered Juveniles after that until the age of forty to forty five, before finally being considered full grown adults. Hatchling Axolotyn have an oar/fin-like tail as well as “Riverlungs” an expression used by Axolotyn, until they become Juveniles, once they hit this stage of maturity they shed their tail and their lungs begin to adapt to open air. This is the same stage of maturity at which Axolotyn begin to develop fins, new tails, barbels horns and other unique physical traits. In less common cases Axolotyn will develop external gills, allowing them to keep their “True Waterbreathing” rather than the pseudo form most Axolotyn develop ((See in Biology)). While Axolotyn can live to be very old, in fact generally only beaten by high elves in this regard, (though some, in rare cases can reach 800 and up) they do not degrade in the same way as most races, thanks in part to the unique regeneration their bodies continually go through, even at their oldest they will only be slightly weaker than when in their prime. Axolotyn generally become paler, and begin to shift to gray towards the later years of their life cycle. Males also develop more Barbels the older they are.

Diet

Raw fish, river plants, and insects. They can eat surface animals, however they tend not to. Though these are their preferred foods, they can eat most land based foods, having a particular love of sugar in any form. Water, is also a large part of these creatures diets, as when they are on land they need water, both to drink, and to moisten their skin, otherwise they will rapidly dry out and become ill and/or weak without it.

Behavior

Knots

Axolotyn normally live in small clusters known as “Knots”, the smallest of groups being about three Axolotyn, the largest having around ten. There is no formal ranking system within the knot however it is well know that the oldest and wisest Axolotyn within the group is considered the leader/guide. Their job being to protect the knot from the dangers that surround them, and help them find their way when moving around to other knots during the nomadic mating season. However a leader/guide will often speak with the knot before making any decision.

Lifestyle

Most Axolotyn live underwater, however their home is not in water. Their homes are normally small underwater dens, excavated from the mud and clay, that allow them to stay hidden from most dangers while still having access to the water and materials they need, though due to their lifestyle many also utilize plants, clay, and other materials they find to create huts of sorts at the bottom of their home, pockets of air forming inside of them allowing them to live and breathe comfortably inside.

When an Axolotyn passes on, their Knot will perform a ritual, meant to respect and honor the individual that has passed on from their lives. They then dig a small grave in the deepest portion of the water they reside in, laying the Axolotyn inside and filling the grave with plant life found throughout the water, before filling it in with clay. Axolotyn take death rather seriously, and though generally all but pacifistic thanks to their lack of respect for, and lack of experience with violence, if one goes so far as to end the life of a Knot member, the others within the Knot will often times submit to their anger, hunting down the party responsible. This is the only known case of Axolotyn resorting to violence besides self defense or defense of others. During the late spring and early summer season, Axolotyn begin a unique nomadic habit, starting with one Knot, the Axolotyn travel to the nearest fellow Knot, mixing and mingling them for a week or two, enjoying festivities, making friends, joining the other knot in some cases, and mating. After the time is up, the original Knot travels back to their home, while the second moves on to repeat the process with the next nearest Knot. In this sense it can be thought of as a giant game of tag. this season typically last one to three elven days.

Fashion

Most Axolotyn tend to wear clothing made of certain plant materials, and specially treated fish skin. Some tend to use the bones of small fish for aesthetics, along with small stones and gems they find in the sea/rivers. However some Axolotyn may choose to wear normal clothing once introduced to it.

Language

The Axolotyn have never developed an official or written language, generally communicating through almost birdlike chirps, coos, whistles and hums from birth. Because of this, they generally don’t have a true accent when speaking common or other languages, instead generally adopting the accent of the source they learned it from, if at all. due to their curious nature and the range of their voice (Listed above) this does not bar them from learning other langues.

Combat and Weapons

As stated before, Axolotyn are terrible smiths, therefor a lot of their weapons are created from flint, bone and other non-organic materials. It is not uncommon for an Axolotyn to carry a spear or hatchet around with them, that being one of the ways they catch food, along with their nets. Axolotyn in strength are slightly stronger than an average human, however weaker than a orc, however this only applies underwater.