The Yaddith are the oldest of the dominant races of the time-that-never-was. They are so old in fact that debates rage as to what crawled out of the ocean first, the first lungfish or the ancestors of the Yaddith.
They have some similarities with a nautilus, as evidenced by their beak and wide, side set eyes. Likewise they are invertebrates. The similarities end there however. A Yaddith is covered in a hard shell much like an insect, and has four arms, each ending in a claw. Despite their lack of a spine, they are bipedal. Saurian scholars theorize that their carapace is oxygenated in such a way as to provide pressure and support to stand upright.
The claws are hollow and deliver a potent neurotoxin. This is rarely used, since physical combat is considered vulgar.
The Yaddith were the first to discover magic and the first to master it, to the point that outsiders who do not know their true name call them Sorcerers. They practically invented many of the clichés of wizardry, from dressing in fine robes and dramatic cloaks, to carrying staves. No branch of study is too odious or taboo, and they are infamous for dealing with the entities of the Sidereal Void openly.
Their culture is extremely individualistic, emphasizing personal goals and acquisition of power over groups or family. They are hermaphrodites, though extremely masculine in manner, spawning once every century. The hatching grubs are tended to until they spin a chrysalis and emerge as adults, at which point they immediately leave to pursue their own agenda. They are equipped with the knowledge of their parent, and have no need for the socialization or learning a Raptor or Smilodon receives in its first years. In fact, they tend to view the need for play or school to teach skills as a severe deficiency, and consider most other creatures inferior. The oldest Yaddith are narcissistic to the point of being solipsistic and very, very dangerous. Yaddith live alone in towers created from a crystalline substance they secrete themselves. Powerful shaping spells give this substance its distinctive spire shape.
It is best to let a sorcerer go about his business, unless he addresses you first…
Thanks for the info, Ken! I'll admit, I was definitely a little confused reading your stuff concerning these folks, so this makes a lot more sense now! Nice world-building work, I especially like that you incorporated some thoughts into their actual physiology ("scholars theorize..."). Personally, I find it much easier to 'believe' (or suspend disbelief) in races, powers, etc that have some kind of rationale behind them, instead of the author just being like "because I said so." I'm a science geek though, so I'm probably biased!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kate. Glad you liked it. I prefer soft science myself, so any scifi I write would probably read like 50's space opera. That said, I'm glad I could clear things up.
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