Tortisians
Last updated
Last updated
Tortisians are humanoid turtles with a domed, plated carapace upon their back and a flat, plated plastron over their chest and belly; both are extremely tough and durable, serving as natural armor. They are ectothermic, meaning their internal temperature varies with their direct environment; they can be slow and ungainly in colder temperatures, where they spend much of their time basking in the sun. They are generally opportunistic omnivores and mainly feed on plants and animals with limited speed and movement.
The races of tortisians are:
Alagar tortisians stand between 1.7 to 2.3 meters (5.6’ to 7.5’) in height and weigh up to 500 kg (1,100 lbs). Their shells are ridged and serrated, with jagged keels running down their carapace. Their plastron is thick and armored but flexible enough to allow a surprising degree of mobility. Due to their robust physique, they are among the strongest and most physically imposing of the tortisians.
An alagar tortisian's hide is usually shades of dark green, brown, or gray with black mottling or striping. Their eyes are often yellow or orange, and their heads are wide and angular, featuring pronounced beaks with a sharp, hooked edge capable of delivering devastating bites. They cannot retract their heads or limbs into their shells, relying instead on their thick, spiked skin and armor-like scales for protection.
They are aggressive omnivores with a diet that consists of fish, amphibians, mollusks, mammals, and carrion. Their powerful jaws and ironclad grip make them fearsome predators, and they are known for their ability to lunge with startling speed despite their size.
Alagar tortisians are most commonly found near swamps, bayous, and the backwaters of large rivers, with a relatively large concentration in the . They are solitary by nature, only gathering during mating season or territorial disputes. Their culture revolves around dominance and personal strength, with the most formidable establishing control over prime hunting grounds and resources.
Females create their nests by digging shallow pits in soft, damp soil near the water’s edge, laying anywhere from two to eight eggs in a single clutch. Incubation lasts nearly a year. While hatchlings take about 40 years to reach adulthood, they must quickly learn to fend for themselves, as alagar tortisians do not engage in communal raising of their young. Those that survive to adulthood can live for up to 300 years or more.
Sea tortisians stand anywhere from 1.8 to over 2.7 meters (5.9’ to 8.9’) in height and weigh up to 700 kg (1,543 lbs). They can live for up to 200 years or more. In general, their shells taper toward the top and bottom; consequently, they are unable to retract their heads or limbs into their shells for protection. However, their streamlined bodies reduces drag in the water and allows them great speed and maneuverability.
The color of a sea tortisian's hide, carapace, and plastron depend predominantly on their habitat but are generally shades of brown, green, blue, and white. Their legs and arms are flipper-like yet still capable of upright land-based movement and tasks requiring manual dexterity.
They can hold their breath for up to an hour at a time or for up to eight hours while sleeping. When surfacing, they can refill their lungs in a single explosive exhalation and rapid inhalation before submerging again.
Because females create their nests in the sand, sea tortisians tend to live in tribes on seaside beaches along the coasts of Praetoria. Each clutch typically contains seven to nine eggs, with incubation lasting about a year, and a female laying no more than a single clutch in her lifetime. In most tribes, males take on a communal fatherhood role, with each male responsible for teaching a specific aspect (e.g., survival, hunting, navigation, combat, magic, etc.) to the tribe's hatchlings, who take nearly forty years to reach adulthood. After laying their clutch, females typically no longer perform menial tasks or manual labor, instead serving as the spiritual and hierarchical leaders of the tribe.
Terrapin tortisians stand approximately 1.6 meters (5.3’) in height and weigh an average of 115 kg (254 lbs). They can live up to 150 years.
Their carapace is usually a shade of green, blue, or brown with yellow, orange, or black highlights; their plastron is usually orange to yellow with a green, blue, brown, or black pattern; and their leathery skin is usually a shade of green, blue, or brown with yellow, orange, or black stripes, highlights, and other patterns.
Most terrapin tortisians are quick and agile, preferring the martial arts to harness the power of their bodies in combat. They are able to retract their head and limbs completely into their shell and use this ability both offensively and defensively in combat.
Tortoi tortisians stand approximately 1.8 meters (5.9’) in height and weigh up to 100 kg (220 lbs), with their enormous carapaces accounting for the largest proportion of their mass. Males generally have a larger neck plate and longer tail, while females tend to have longer claws. They have the longest lifespan of the tortisian splinters, living for nearly 1,000 years.
A tortoi tortisian's hide is thick, rough, and wrinkled. The carapace and the plastron are generally dull shades of brown, green, or gray. They can move no faster than 7 km (4.35 mi) per hour. Most, however, are adept at both melee combat and sorcery. To protect themselves, they can retract their head and limbs completely into their shell, which is nearly impervious to damage, while still being able to cast their spells.
Females create their nests by burying their clutch, which consists of a single egg, in the safety of her and her mate's domicile: a cave, beneath a rocky overhang, a stone or wood hovel, or some other simple, spartan living space. Incubation lasts for several years, with a female rarely laying more than a single egg in her lifetime. A hatchling takes about 150 years to reach adulthood.
They tend to be gregarious in nature, and their settlements are most often found on lakeshores or riverbanks or in swamps, bogs, marshes, and other wetlands, particularly in the and , the latter of which of which is home to , the largest splinter of terrapin tortisians on Praetoria. Females create their nests by burying their clutch, which typically has one to three eggs, in the earth. Incubation lasts about nine months, and a hatchling takes about 20 years to reach adulthood.
They are most often in northwesterly deserts, arid grasslands, and other semiarid habitats—namely the , , and . Predominantly reclusive, they usually spend their time in solitude or with a mate. They do not often speak, instead preferring olfactory cues and tactile communication, both during conversation and courtship.