Shrieker
Shriekers are omnivores evolved from plains gatherer/scavengers. Superficially, they resemble gigantic, short-legged tarantulas.
Continual migrations of ancestral Shriekers were the cause of high hormone levels and contributed to the production of viable eggs by the female. Egg sacs were once fertilized by the male all at once, and several egg sacs were produced in the course of the parents' life. When the Shriekers settled down into an agricultural society, a lower fertility level resulted, and to remedy this a tradition of mating pilgrimage appeared. This reproduces the rigors of the nomadic wanderings and raises hormone levels to a level which increases egg viability. The pilgrimage has become a social rite to the extent that young born without a pilgrimage are seen as "weak souled" and relegated to the serf class.
When a female dies, her eggs may still be fertilized by the male; when a male dies, the eggs cannot be fertilized by another male, and they die with him.
Unviable eggs are scattered in certain places with the belief that the souls of the unhatched will migrate to other eggs being fertilized. These unviable eggs are the Denuli Crystals so valued by some collectors.
The first visit by an Imperial citizen was in 480. The scout Mtume Denuli landed there for repairs, and apparently discovered Denuli Crystals. His original reports to the IISS showed no inhabitants, omitting all mention of the Shriekers. The next visit to the world was in 1108, when the Shriekers were discovered by Kafka Thingvellir
Reproduction
Shrieker females produce a sac of 10 to 20 eggs, which in the modern age are individually fertilized by the male -- usually two or three per year. A couple continues fertilizing eggs and raising children until the egg sac is exhausted.Continual migrations of ancestral Shriekers were the cause of high hormone levels and contributed to the production of viable eggs by the female. Egg sacs were once fertilized by the male all at once, and several egg sacs were produced in the course of the parents' life. When the Shriekers settled down into an agricultural society, a lower fertility level resulted, and to remedy this a tradition of mating pilgrimage appeared. This reproduces the rigors of the nomadic wanderings and raises hormone levels to a level which increases egg viability. The pilgrimage has become a social rite to the extent that young born without a pilgrimage are seen as "weak souled" and relegated to the serf class.
When a female dies, her eggs may still be fertilized by the male; when a male dies, the eggs cannot be fertilized by another male, and they die with him.
Unviable eggs are scattered in certain places with the belief that the souls of the unhatched will migrate to other eggs being fertilized. These unviable eggs are the Denuli Crystals so valued by some collectors.
Language & Letters
The Shrieker name derives from their manner of speech, which uses high-frequency sounds which are bellowed (shrieked) through the thin atmosphere of 567-908 by trained speakers. Corporations have produced translator devices to shift the Shrieker vocalizations into the range of human hearing. Shriekers also use a complex set of gestures as part of their language, which is called Yiirabarhi.History & Background
Darrian explorers visited 567-908 before the Maghiz; any records they made of the world are probably in a lockbox in the basement of one of their more ancient universities.The first visit by an Imperial citizen was in 480. The scout Mtume Denuli landed there for repairs, and apparently discovered Denuli Crystals. His original reports to the IISS showed no inhabitants, omitting all mention of the Shriekers. The next visit to the world was in 1108, when the Shriekers were discovered by Kafka Thingvellir
Body Form
Geographic Distribution
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