Embri
The Embri species are an evolved mollusk race with a strict and hierarchical society. Their advanced technology and magical abilities have allowed them to create impressive creations, but they are viewed as soulless by outsiders due to their cold and regimented nature. Embri have four strong limbs with sharp claws, which allow them to walk upright on land and use tools and weapons. They are asexual reproducers and have strict schedules for budding young, who are raised in institutional academies where they are trained to be diligent and compliant.
Embri have a highly developed brain-sac at the top of their heads and communicate through a whistling speech. Their faces consist of two small, closely set eyes above a slit that functions as a combination of nose and ears. They consider eating a private and embarrassing function and have tucked away their mouths on the underside of their bodies.
Embri have mastered social conditioning to eliminate all displays of emotion, considering expressiveness to be barbaric. To prevent inadvertent displays of emotion, they wear ornate masks denoting social standing, civic responsibilities, and other designators that allow them to immediately assess one another by sight. Embri wear their masks at all times, even when sleeping, and to be without a mask is a profound embarrassment. Embri are highly intelligent, but their rigidity and lack of emotional expression make them appear cold and unfeeling to other species.
Some still do persist in under water environments. The aquatic variant of the Embri species are similar in appearance to their land-dwelling counterparts, but they have developed gills to breathe underwater. Their limbs have evolved into fin-like appendages, allowing them to swim swiftly and gracefully through the water. The aquatic Embri have also developed a new form of speech, utilizing a series of clicks and whistles to communicate underwater. Like their land-dwelling counterparts, the aquatic Embri maintain a rigid social order and excel in technological and magical development.
Comments