Diuun
Diuun are one of the two native sapients of the planet Naldu. Unlike the Ecrel, they are unique in their anatomy and appearance among the known universe. The most notable anatomical feature is the protective plates on their body.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Diuun are bipedals, and give the outward appearance of wearing armour. However the plates on their skin are part of their body, sometimes (erroneously and offensively) referred to by other species as scales. The plates, glossy and grey-blue in colour, don't match their skin, which is mottled and a lighter purple-grey, and easy to mistake as not being part of their body by one who doesn't know otherwise. Since the plates normally cover what would be considered "private" parts of the body, Diuun typically wear minimal or no clothing outside of special occasions and exceptions.
Growth Rate & Stages
Diuun don't grow much through most of their life, except the early years of their childhood and then through adolescence where the growth rate is rapid. When they grow, the plates grow slower than the rest of their body, and it's common to hear plates "clink" in children and teens as the flesh beneath them makes them shift position. Teenagers have a tendency to find this embarassing when it occurs around non-Diuun, especially if the noise startles them.
Outside of normal growth with age, Diuun bodies don't change much compared with similarly built species. Their metabolism is structured to avoid fluctuations in size and weight. That said, some genetic mutations can affect this and the result can be serious, including injury of the patient by their plates which can't adapt without surgical intervention.
Biological Cycle
Naldu is quite a wet planet, and Diuun are sensitive to moisture in the environment. During the wettest/most humid seasons, their skin excretes a substance which creates a barrier on the skin in exposed areas to prevent them absorbing too much moisture from the air. Diuun also have two sets of eyelids, the inner ones of which are a thin transparent film which causes water droplets to instantly evaporate, and come down during heavy rainfall to protect their vision.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Diuun have six eyes: two at the front, two at the back, and one on each side of their head. As such they have more or less 360-degree vision, which is very detailed. Their hearing is not very sensitive, and they communicate more with gestures and body language than with verbal communication. They tend to speak a lot more with other species than with each other, since non-Diuun typically don't understand the nuances of their non-verbal communication unless they have been around Diuun almost constantly for years. As such there are multiple variations of languages spoken in regions populated by Diuun and other species, with different proportions of spoken vs non-spoken depending on who is communicating with whom.
Civilization and Culture
Common Dress Code
Even in modern day, most Diuun wear minimal or no clothing. Some exceptions are those who live in areas highly populated by other species for whom this would be shocking, the wealthy and priveledged who enjoy using fashion as a status symbol, those who have to wear protective garments or uniforms for work or school, special occasions that merit dressing up, and those who simply like clothes and enjoy wearing them.
For those who wear some clothing, the torso is usually left uncovered. The actual garments on the lower body vary depending on the fashion in the region among clothes-wearing species.
Common Taboos
Body plates are very important to Diuun and the removal or loss is a big deal, a humiliation even. This can happen because of medical issues, accidents, or as an intentional act by another person. In the latter case, this is perhaps the most offensive act that could be done to a Diuun. For most Diuun it would be unthinkable to do to another; legally it is considered an act of torture (both physical and psychological) and only seen at the hand of the most violent criminals. Historically, Diuun have also been exploited for their plates--mostly by Ecrel in ancient times, but also by aliens, both before and after first official contact.
Plates are attached to the body by a natural adhesion, which is very strong and makes them very difficult to remove by force (not to mention extremely painful). Force removal more often than not results in severe and permanent damage to the skin. In the case of this happening, the plate cannot be re-attached because of the damage.
They can be removed temporarily by the person they belong to; this is done routinely for good hygeine and is a necessity for intercourse. For this to happen, the person in question consciously relinquishes their skin's adhesion to the plate, which then easily peels off. In the case of a self-removed plate being somehow damaged or lost, plates grow back very quickly. Unfortunately, plates that have been removed forcefully cannot grow back.
For Diuun missing a plate or plates, it is common for them to shun being seen in public unless the area in question is covered up, comparable to many clothes-wearing species being seen in public inappropriately covered. Even if the area is covered, if it's an area that Diuun don't typically cover up or that that particular person has never chosen to cover before, the embarassment of knowing that people suspect that's the reason can be enough to shame them into staying at home.
In recent years there's been a movement to break the taboo around the loss of plates, but this is not expected to become commonplace any time soon.
History
Archaologists believe that Diuun originated in the northern hemisphere or Naldu and Ecrel in the southern hemisphere. When the two species are thought to have first made contact, the Ecrel appear to have outnumbered Diuun quite drastically and exploited their anatomical features--specifically, cave drawings have been found which depict warring Ecrel wearing Diuun plates as armour. However at some point, the two species found a way to coexist. Some of the oldest historical documents were written in a time of global plague and famine, where the Diuun were struck with deadly disease and Ecrel were starving because their delicate digestive system was unable to cope with most of the crops hardy enough to survive the climate at the time. Each species found ways to assist the other, despite the documents hinting that this was the first time they had ever considered each other equal beings.
It was only a few centuries ago that Diuun and Ecrel discovered their planet was not the only one home to intelligent life in the universe. Since then, Naldu has opened its doors to aliens, though not every country has always been wholly accommodating. Their first interaction with alien life was fascinating to them in that they had never anticipated a planet only having one sapient native species before. Depictions of imaginary alien life in science fiction and popular culture until then had always invisioned two or more.
Comments