Drynn

The Drynn are a sentient species from the planet Adarra in the Seven Worlds system. They were subjugated on an orbital spaceflight technology level by the expanding Krark Empire and have, partially owing to the fact that they were the farthest developed species within the Empire, achieved the greatest degree of emancipation of all non-Krark in the Republic since its foundation.

General Physiology
Drynn are considered a large insectoid species by comparative xenobiology, standing on average 2,10 meters (male) to 2,50 meters (female). Their bodies are covered by a thick chitin armor, with colors ranging from black to varying shades of purple and dark red (depending on subspecies), and an internal chitin skeleton adds additional stability to their very muscular bodies, allowing them to move around the high-gravity environment of Adarra freely.

The Drynn have three pairs of extremities, of which, however, one has turned vestigial and whose remains are hidden below the chitin carapace. They stand permanently on two legs and possess a pair of arms, ending in three claw-tipped fingers each. Drynn possess four internal lungs, centrally supplied from the same mouth. They have a highly developed and complicated digestive system, consisting of three stomachs and – depending on subspecies – three to five parallel colons, which digest different components of their food and are supplied by a complex organ that seperates the food through the use of enzymes.

Their heads possess one pair of eyes, which, however, stretch along the entire length of their heads and possess three internal lenses each. Both field of vision and depth-perception are superb and the Drynn possess a very fine sense of smell through receptors located on the downside of their split lower jaw. Drynn smell by moving these two segments of their lower jaw up and down independently through the air in a very characteristic manner. Different Subspecies can be easily distinguished not only by color, but also by distinctive shapes of their heads.

Diet
Evolving from carrion feeders, most Drynn feed almost solely on meat and the developement of agriculture was linked fundamentally to the herding of animals in Drynn history. However, fresh meat is considered repulsive by the majority of Drynn (with very few, notable and religiously or environmentally motivated exceptions in Drynn history, such as Black Island Cuisine) and Drynn cuisine is based centrally on the use of various bacterias and spores to reach a certain level of decay. Because of their fine sense of taste and smell, Drynn may even distinguish between several different molds purely by taste.

The vast majority of sentient species in the galaxy consider Drynn-food to be offensive to their senses. Contact with humans has later introduced cheese to the majority of Drynn cultures. A healthy diet for a Drynn is very rich in Protein and saturated fats. They furthermore require several microbiological toxins as essential vitamins, making the diet of Drynn not only repulsive, but downright dangerous for most sentient species.

Reproduction
Drynn are always either of two sexes, male or female, and inter- or multisexuality does not occur naturally as the complex chromosomal regulation of sexual developement of a Drynn does not allow for it. Females are considerably larger than male Drynn and their reproduction organs are located on the surface of their lower body. They are sexually active throughout their adult life and females occur about two times more often than male Drynn.

Contemporary Drynn society emphasizes monogamy, though past cultures were often structured matriarchic with females practicing polygamy. Either way, eggs develope attached to the body of their mother once fertilized and young Drynn are cared for extensively by their parents. Drynn tend to reach adulthood between 20 and 25 (terran) years.

Society
Contemporary Drynn culture is mainly divided into three super-groups, according to the regions on their homeworld where they developed: Northern Hemisphere culture, Southern Equatorial Culture and Southern Temperate Culture.

Northern Hemisphere culture is the smallest of these three, as most of Adarras northern hemisphere is composed of varyingly sized islands and archipelagos. It is often considered inferior and savage by other Drynn and emphasizes compromise and consensus within its social structures, owing to the isolation and ressource scarcity of its home of origin. It also developed a fishing tradition virtually unknown – and often outright rejected – by other cultures.

Southern Equatorial Culture is the dominant supergroup and involves numerous societies having reached industrial stages independently. It is characterized mostly by a strong clan-structure, with many of its societies having been aristocratic until the subjugation by the Krark. The practice of painting their own exoskeleton in brightly colored symbols to represent status and social affiliation originated here, but has been ultimatively rooted in almost all Drynn societies.

Southern Temperate Culture has remained semi-nomadic to this very day, developing from herders who would drive their animals to different sites at different times of the year, taking along entire societies. Ethics of this culture emphasize the strength of vows and promises, providing a tightly knit net of interdependencies between different communities that has preserved peace for most of their history.