Nisseans

One of the oldest races known to exist on Nïr Morred, the Nisseans (Nih-Say-Ins) are honey-skinned peoples, with long, slender ears that come to two parallel points. Most biologists believe that Nisseans are the ancestors of modern-day elves and there is certainly strong evidence to support this, from dietary habits to anatomical makeup.
Having been confirmed to have inhabited all of Nïr Morred, it is unknown exactly where the Nisseans trace their own roots, but excavations have revealed much about these proto-peoples, though there is always much to learn.
It's speculated that modern day historians (dated 2E 1277) have uncovered or researched about 12% of their civilization, with new strides being made all the time!
Mostly tribal, the Nisseans eventually organized into small city-states before finally unifying into a vast empire only a short time before their mysterious disappearance from this world.
While most traces of tribal Nissean society are now lost, they can be traced in entries of ancient journals and the translated glyphs from their ruins do give us some insight.
Their writing system seems to have been a use of semasiological writing combined with phonetic glyph elements. This means that they had no formal writing system, but instead used reliefs and pictures not based on spoken words in addition to phonetic glyphs to explain the picture in a simple or generic way.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Anatomically speaking, Nisseans are rather unremarkable compared to modern-day elves.
They were bipedal creatures, typically standing anywhere from 5 and a half to 7 and a half feet tall, most with a lean build. The sported light hair of blondes, hazels, light browns, and even reds, while they typically held pupils of greens, blues and golds which were vibrant in any form of light.
There is an interesting note about the Nissean skull structure, however. A Nissean skull has a slightly larger intracranial cavity than other creatures of the same physiology. Some researchers assume this to mean they had higher brain function than that of an average human or elf.
For an average human IQ of 90 to 110, it's thought a Nissean IQ would roughly be 130 at it's lowest.

Genetics and Reproduction

Nisseans are conditionally fertile, meaning that they only conceive when population pressure is low. And while they do reproduce sexually, historians believe they are one of the first races on Alithis that do not strictly have sex to reproduce. The average Nissean offspring was thought to born 1 year after conception. Ancient texts suggest that Nisseans would also take on other species, such as Dwarves, as lovers.

Growth Rate & Stages

The average Nissean lifespan was around 600 years, typically reaching adolescence at 30 and reaching adulthood around 95. A Nissean was typically considered elderly at around 500 years of age.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The common Nissean diet was made up of Rice, Quinoa, Garlic and whatever fruits or wild game might have been harvested nearby. (Strangely, we rarely see the cultivation of fruits or the farming of animals within Nissean culture.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Having keener hearing and sight than humans, most historians believe that their senses outclassed that of even their modern-day descendants.
The Nisseans also had a natural ability to feel changes in the ecosystem and sense looming events or dangers. This sixth sense also manifested in the form of psionic abilities for those who were able to use a larger percentage of brain power than their counterparts.

Scientific Name

Chordata, Mammalia, Nissea Sapiens Protos