Camua (cah-MOO-ah)
One of Athanya's few non-bipedal intelligent races, the Camua are strange, snakelike people with between four and six arms, apparently making up for their lack of other limbs. Due to the arduous process required to create new members of the race, they are one of the most uncommon peoples in the Middle Realm (to the degree that many people don't know of their existence.)
Basic Information
Anatomy
They have four, five, or six arms and lithe, snakelike tails instead of legs. Despite their reptilian appearance, they're warm-blooded and do not need to rely on external sources for warmth. Their multitudes of arms means that they are often able to pull off feats of magic impossible for other races.
Genetics and Reproduction
The Camua have no physical sex and do not reproduce in a traditional way. Instead, new Camua are created through an intense intellectual endeavor involving weeks of focus and determination.
Growth Rate & Stages
When "born," they have the potential to start their lives off very small due to the amount of time and energy their parent was able to put into their creation. The longer the parent was able to spend working on their child, the larger and stronger they will end up being when they finally come into existence. They also tend to have more arms depending on the effort their parent put into the creation process.
The new Camua is typically feeble and requires a great deal of care during the initial period of their life, no matter how successful their creation process was. They reach physical maturity within 10 years.
Ecology and Habitats
They thrive in areas with enclosed spaces and lots of nooks and crannies. Their favored environments are jungles, forests, and dark buildings.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Though the Camua can ingest plant products, they much prefer foods like meat and eggs.
Behaviour
One of their two stronger Facets is usually their Mental Facet. They have a tendency to be interested in learning, magic, and invention.
Additional Information
Social Structure
There are so few Camua that they don't usually form societies of their own race. The largest mostly-Camua social collectives are small groups who mainly come together for the sake of convenience. For this race, remaining hidden away in the darkest corners of the Tall Cities or choosing to remain solitary in the wilderness are the most common life paths.
Facial characteristics
They typically have pointed noses and exceedingly angular features, including sharp cheekbones and jawlines. Their eyes have large irises with barely-visible whites.
Average Intelligence
As one of the Realms' intelligent races, the Camua are capable of demanding intellectual pursuits like advanced mathematics, architecture, and sciences. They are excellent inventors and create new innovations on a fairly regular basis.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Their eyesight and senses of smell are excellent. Their hearing is decent. Like snakes, they have organs in their mouths that can process smells carried in by their forked tongues. Their vision works well in low-light conditions.
Civilization and Culture
Gender Ideals
The Camua have no physical sex, and most have no gender either. In fact, some even scorn the concept because they see it as illogical and primitive, believing it has little place in an age of discovery and invention.
Common Dress Code
While they see no need to cover any parts of their body due to their lack of sex characteristics, they still usually wear clothing on their upper bodies so that they can utilize pockets and avoid exposure to the elements. Function is typically more important to them than style.
Historical Figures
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Some members of the other intelligent races are frightened of the Camua due to their relatively unknown nature, snakelike appearances, and eerie ways of contorting their bodies. This fear usually fades with time and exposure.
Urrukka by orphidor
Lifespan
90 to 110 years
Conservation Status
The Camua are few in numbers, but few besides themselves are aware of just how rare they are. They believe that their survival as a species is in their own hands and are willing to do what they can to ensure their continued existence.
Average Height
6 feet to 6 feet 6 inches
Average Physique
The Camua are usually long and lanky, though as with all races, exceptions do exist.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Their skin and scales are usually green or brown in color, but individuals with red or orange accents do exist. Their eyes are bright and come in colors not normally found in nature.
Geographic Distribution
