Moiya

The Moiya are a sentient species that live in the planet Moir in the outer edges of the Therea Galaxy.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Moiya are a humanoid sentient species with a few distinct features. They have long prehensile tails that end in a pseudo "hand". The males of the species have from 3 to 5 finger like appendages that help them hold and manipulate objects. The females however have from 2 to 3 sharper fingers, more claws than anything; these are used mainly to help in hunting. Like many species in the Therea galaxy, Moiya also have horns, and these are asymmetrical. Most times these are black, but sometimes they will share a bright color with their hair or be tipped with that bright hue. They have strong digitigrade legs, this trait helps in their mobility, agility and speed when living in such a heavily wooded planet. Their legs however taper off into small feet and have a raptor like "thumb" Claw. While this does help in clinging and grabbing hold, it also used to serve greatly when they hunted pray. Most of them also have a few medium sized spines in their back that range from a few inches to a foot in length. Much like their horns, these tend to be black but can have the same bright color as their hair. Speaking of their hair, theirs is very light and wispy. Always caught in a breeze and moving. While the base at their head looks solid and no more different than any head of hair, as it continues to flow down the lighter and more misty it looks, fading into transparency as it goes. The Moiya tend to have brightly colored hair with a gradient in tone of the same hue. This color can be found in other areas of their body as well, like bright markings across their body, their eyes and even their genitalia. Aside from the horns and back spines, they have sharp claws, fangs and even nibbed and forked tongues; this along with their long sharp ears gives the Moiya a predatory look to them. When it comes to their coloration, Moiya tend to be very brightly colored, with 4 different coloration archetypes varying in rarity. The most common of them hava a monochromatic coloration, with most of their body being different tones of the same hue, be it red, blue, brown etc. The only real difference here is that some may have a more grayish base color. A more uncommon coloration has the main body split between blacks and whites, with a pop of color in their markings and hair. A rare Moiya on the other hand, would have most of their body split between two distinct colors, orange and purple, or brown and teal for example. Rarest of them all, are the Moiya that have their makings make a gradient between two distinct colors and have a more neutral base color like gray in much of their body. Sometimes a rare or super rare moiya will have a third different color in their hair

Biological Traits

Moiya have a pretty strong series of traits that show up only in one sex or the other, this sexual dimorphism has served to divide their society into female huntresses and male caretakers.

Males

Moiya males are considerably smaller than females, about 4 to 5 ft tall. Typically their colors are brighter and they dress in exotic and showy outfits, with long silks, sheer and jewelry. They are the ones that tend to the clans, cook, craft and maintain them, while females go off to battle and hunt. Often males will have two tails, each with 4 to 6 "fingers" that serve more for gripping than anything else, and have no sharpened ends unlike the ones found on females. Their spines in their backs are also reduced to small nubs or they can even have smooth backs with no spines at all. Their horns are also smaller, with their typical physique being more slim and delicate compared to the females or even other alien males. Males tend to have white sclera, but rarely it can be black

Females

The females of the Moiya are evidently the tallest, their typical height ranges from 6 to 7ft tall, though in rare cases they can reach 8 or 9ft tall. Their coloration often is much duller than the male's, with their markings being the main thing that stand out, especially when inside their cavern homes. They are apex hunters, with fully developed back spines to help sense prey, large horns and strong muscles. Females have a single tail with fewer fingers, but these are more claw like and sharpened. They tend to dress in skimpy or really revealing clothing to show off their bodies. The typical physique of females is robust, be it incredibly muscled or plump, strong nonetheless. Females tend to have black sclera, rarely it can be white

Genetics and Reproduction

Moiya are mammals, and as such give birth to live young and breastfeed them for the first years of their life. Typically, pregnancies have only a 30% chance to produce females, and its substantially difficult for Moiya to get pregnant in the first place, this makes it so they are highly protective of any children. Because of this, they also highly celebrate pregnancy, making ceremonies to mark the occasion. Children will often have colors similar to their parents. If a pregnancy is between a moiya and another species and the child is born male, they will be more likely to carry over the colors from the alien parent. If the Moiya is the mother in the couple, the child will always be Moiya as well. However interspecies children will be weaker, and make for worse hunters as a rule.

Ecology and Habitats

Moir is a dense forested planet with bogs, high rocky mountains and with large cavern networks that glisten with crystalline formations. The surface of the world is highly dangerous, with a thick fog covering much of the planet's ground. The surface is filled with dangerous fauna, they hide inside the fog and hunt mainly at night, making Moir a less than hospitable planet for those that don't know it well. The flora and fauna in the surface is pretty dull in coloration, a strong contrast to the lush and bright interiors of the crystal caverns. The light from them also acts like a blacklight would, making the natural colors of the planets flora and fauna pop and glow. This can even be seen on the colors of the Moiya. These crystals are called "Mana Crystals" and are thought by the Moiya to be magical in nature, though probably they are just channels for one of the more unknown primordial forces of the galaxy.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Moiya are mainly a hunter society, and while they are omnivores, they hunt more than they harvest.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Moiya have a strongly Matriarchal Society, where females are in charge of clans and harems and males play the role of caretakers. A clan is composed mainly of a family, chief of which is the Head Matriarch and her harem, which tends to be the largest and strongest female. Most of the clan is then composed of her daughters and their respective harems. When the Matriarch's daughters start having daughters themselves, many will often split to create their own clans. Many clans trade and interact closely among themselves, when these gatherings happen, males from one clan can join harems from outside clans, this is also one of the main ways harems are formed. Older males that are gifted in Moiya "magics" are known as Sages, and are respected by all members of a clan. These Sages are independent from any harem, serving the Clan as a whole. Larger females tend to become the main providers of each clan, going off at night to hunt in the surface of their world. Smaller or younger males and females are then split into the different jobs needed in each clan like traders, cooks, smiths, weavers etc. However females tend to take the more active jobs.

Average Intelligence

While the Moiya cant be considered a primitive people, they are far from connected to galactic society, nor are they well versed in galactic standards. However, they are known to pick up alien languages fairly quickly.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The bodies of the Moiya are keenly attuned to the world they inhabit, giving them the edge they need to traverse the mists. The spines in their back serve as electromagnetic sensors, detecting changes in their surroundings even when it's hard to see. Also, the nubs in their tongues can "taste" their target as they get closer, making them very dangerous apex predators. After ages of evolving next to the planet's "Mana Crystals", Moiya developed certain magical techniques, with males being the more prominent at them. While mostly unexplained and misunderstood, some males seem to be born with an innate control of the planet's fog and shape it into various tools or even weapons. Most probably they are instead controlling the dense energies found inside the planet's thick fog. While this can come easier to some than others, males tend to have gifted members teach those with difficulty learning. Even some texts have been written to give future generations a better understanding. Sometimes they can even imbue the magic into crafted weaponry for females to use. Females, while having less control than the males, use their magics to hide in the mist.

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

When it comes to what males find attractive in females, it tends to go with how strong they are and how able they are to protect them if they were to join their harem. They feel attracted to protective instincts and their prowess in hunts. However, many males also enjoy it when a female has a soft side to her, not just thoughts of violence and hunts. Females on the other hand, are attracted to male seductiveness, bright displays of popping colors and glows. They also fancy their skill in taking care of children and the household. Aside from this, many females find it impressive when males can also take care of themselves in a battle, using support techniques with their magics to keep both of them away from harm.

Relationship Ideals

Females tend to have an intense love and deep appreciation for every male in her harem, they lovingly care for them and in turn they pamper their matron with regular shows of love. The bond between a female and her harem is something to be aware of, and if one female is hurt or insulted, it wouldn't take much to turn the often docile males into a force to be afraid of. Equally, females will defend their males strongly, be it from attacking creatures or the sharp tongues of a rival.

Average Technological Level

When it comes to technology in galactic terms, the Moiya are very much behind many other civilizations. They arent a space faring race, depending more on their "magic" instead of technology. They focus more on their own world instead of others, so they dont have much drive to learn galactic technologies to go anywhere. With enough polish and study, their control of their magic can become prominent enough that they can carve and shape things with it. This is how many of the older structures inside their caves cities were made.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Female children born will be taught to hunt, and when they come of age they will learn how to form their own harem. Males will in turn stay with their mothers until they come of age, at which point they will join the harem of a prominent female.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

While Moir is their homeworld, its not unknown for other species to visit it from time to time. Regarding these alien visitors, Moiya prefer to keep their distance. Some curious youths however might make friends with these travelers of the stars, this however is very rare to happen, especially seeing as they sort visitors either as useful warriors or food. However, regardless of these walls in their way, some very few Moiya do manage to befriend the travelers enough for them to leave on their ship to other planets. Most time they find work as bodyguards for females and assistants for the males.

Common Moiya huntress