Do you see the ghosts? Because they see you.

Arcanis_Shivilrah · 6:07am

The Tel’Tarenth are gangly looking humanoids with digitigrade style legs and a set of flat mandibles that hides the majority of their faces. The Tel’Tarenth physical body builds are very thin by their natural metabolism and physiology, managing excess nutrients in the almost immediate expenditure in either bursts of energy, growth, or refinement. Due to this the better fed Tel’Tarenth are often thicker though still lean, but the ripples of muscles under their skin is dramatically more visible and are generally more active, however this is a largely undesirable physical trait due to how it tends to lessen their physical agility while making them slower. As one would expect from the fact that Tel’Tarenth are digitigrades they have difficulty balancing in the fully upright position, to compensate for this they often have a notably long gate and slightly hunched posture. Also as a result of their natural hunting methods they have dark and slightly spotty skin tone, usually in the realms of blue, purple, and teal, however tans and light reds are not uncommon either. Though, even with their lanky build, odd colorations, strange height and styles, what’s easily most notable about them is their faces or in some instances the lack there of. All Tel’Tarenth have a pair of large, flat mandibles starting at what could be considered the sides of their heads and extending over the majority of their faces, coming up to just under their pseudo luminescent eyes. These mandibles are lined thickly with bone and hard flesh to protect their sensitive mouths and nose as well as help hide the scent that their breath naturally produces. Though their mandibles come close to a complete seal to help hide them from potential prey as well as keep their sense well guarded, their eyes remain unprotected, however they are much more durable then their other senses.

The eyes of a Tel’Tarenth are almost luminescent in much the same way that nocturnal animal’s eyes seem to glow when caught in the proper lighting. However, their eyes are different in the fact that there is no defined pupil, iris, or sclera; rather they have slightly something similar to a compound eye with several unique qualities, most notably they can flex the exterior lenses to allow them greater focus upon one spot. There is also a special chemical inside both eyes that acts as a light enhancer and reflective agent, catching even the slightest slivers of light and amplifying it to an extraordinary degree giving them superb vision in even the darkest environments while making it appear that their eyes glow. A series of inner lenses inside the eye help modify how much light is driven to the receptors in the back of the eye. It’s these chemicals along with the lenses that decide the eye’s coloration, by and large a variation of blue with teal and purple being the extreme ends of it, however there is a rare genetic aberration that sometimes makes these lenses a red in coloration. Though, the eyes of the Tel’Tarenth are robust and the outer lenses are exceedingly durable they are very well guarded set deeply into bony sockets with their mandibles and slight overhung brow of bone provides addition protection. The front of the skull above the eyes is largely smooth with only personal patterns in their coloration being present until their tendrils begin sprouting from the back of their heads. The Tel’Tarenth have numerous, long, often black tendrils hanging from largely the back of their heads limply; these can vary greatly in length and since the tendrils themselves have no nerve endings many take to cutting them to a particular length.

Tarenth clothing is often loose, dark, and often flowing; these are common in both male and female attire, with bright colors, tight or restrictive clothing being considered eccentric. While in some senses this would paint their world dark and gloomy, they see it more as being expressive without directly costing them their nature. The only major differences between female and male fashion for the Tarenth are that jewelry is accepted among women while extensive body tattoos are the norm for men. With women it is extremely common to have various trinkets and colorful bindings in their tendrils, though some men do often bind and braid their tendrils it is usually with dramatically less flashy things. Male Tarenth are often covered with tattoos of various sorts, detailed designs that flow with their natural skin patterns, or in some cases to cover them up; the large forehead is often a common place to begin the patterns that flow over the rest of the body. Females also frequently have tattoos but not nearly to the same scale as males, though some female warriors get extensive tattoos in tandem with their scars and training.

Kar’Tarenth are different and yet the same as their living counter parts in many ways; nearly all Kar’Tarenth look in most ways like they did when they were alive with the Kar’Tarenth’Kalialk (Kalialk) containing the largest number of exceptions. Kar’Tarenth’Kuvul (Kuvul) are one of the few types of Kar’Tarenth able to change their physical features to a limited degree after they have died, usually just to cosmetic point, altering tattoos, clothing, jewelry, and other such basic points. The Kalialk are also able to change their form however, they rarely have the same level of control their Kuvul cousins do over what alterations occur. It is wholly possible for a Kalialk to change form into a completely different looking entity that looks like no Tarenth or anything natural of any sort, though these dramatic shifts are rarely within the Kalialk’s direct control. Though, on the whole, Kalialk look just like they did before they died as a base, this often leaves them with a gruesome appearance, with their form changing based upon their personal moods, thoughts, and ambient wills.

The shape that most see the other two kinds of common Kar’Tarenth, Kar’Tarenth’Garnev (Garnev) and Kar’Tarenth’Enzio (Enzio), differ greatly upon what kind of body they happen to be possessing at the time. Though, both Garnev and Enzio can appear in their ambient states without possessing a body, during these times they appear largely as they did when they did in life, however as they imagined themselves is more common. The common kind of bodies that Garnev possess are mechanical in nature, seemingly designed to have the same basic form of Tel’Tarenth save for many of their less needed features are simply ignored in general production. The two most notably missing features on the Garnev’s mechanical bodies are the Tarenth tendril equivalents and facial features of any sort, leaving a head that’s molded roughly in the same shape as a Tarenth skull. Garnev often stylize their personally assigned bodies in various ways, usually embossing a copy of their own personal skull onto the blank head of the machine body, though many can get quite extensive given the income one could even make the body a near replica of their original living body. Enzio bodies are often in very different bodies then their Garnev brethren, mostly because of the Enzio’s ability to manipulate bodies that are nothing like the ones they had when they were alive. This ability makes Enzio perfect for vehicles, machinery, nonstandard robotics, and even to an extent buildings; so there is no set or defined body type for Enzio. Though, Enzio are prone to customizing the bodies they possess often in whatever ways they can to best express themselves, this sometimes takes the form of embedding a duplicate or even their actual body into the core of the machine.

On the whole, each of the Tel’Tarenth has very differing personalities; from the selflessly kind hearted to the sociopathic narcissist, from the gentle guardian to the sadistic degenerate. There are a few things that remain constant among them, they have an innate curiosity about the world, others, and nearly anything they don’t understand, though this is countered by their personal desires to covet secrets. One of the other notable things is that nearly all Tel’Tarenth rely heavily upon their Kar’Tarenth brethren so that they may pursue their own goals and desires unhindered. Beyond those few common traits, Tel’Tarenth differ greatly in their styles depending upon their own personal concepts, ideals and cultures.

Kar’Tarenth are very different then the Tel’Tarenth in many ways, even though all Kar’Tarenth were Tel’Tarenth at one point in time; the experience of death often separating them into their various types. Each type of Kar’Tarenth has its own common trends and styles, these are largely reflective in the roles they play in society.

Kar’Tarenth’Garnev (Garnev) are often times considered crude for kinds of humor that usually spring up between small Garnev clicks though has on many occasions spread across the whole sub-community as a whole. Most Garnev are good natured jokesters that have strong work ethics, however few of them are what most would describe as intellectuals, though they are prone to being quite clever in their own rights. Very rarely is there a Garnev that has a difficult or truly antisocial demeanor, though Garnev also scarcely speak to others outside the Tarenth due partly to culture reasons, but largely because there are others who would be better speakers.

Kar’Tarenth’Kuvul (Kuvul) are most often the leaders, ambassadors, and speakers for the Tarenth society due to their insubstantial nature forcing them to focus more directly upon those skills that they can make use of. Kuvul are usually well spoken and very knowledgeable, some even have been called wise, however they are often prone to being disconnected with what most would say is reality, if only because they can’t interact with it directly. The vast majority of those who would be labeled as intellectuals are Kuvul, though most were not that way when they died, however due to the thinking skills they are forced to learn and the time they can spend research it makes most very applicable to the title.

Kar’Tarenth’Enzio (Enzio) are in many ways like the Garnev with them often being very good natured and often taking a liking to crude humor to help pass the time as they go about their business. The main difference between Garnev and Enzio is that Enzio often have an intuitive knack for the mechanical, this also rubs off in the fact that they generally learn quicker then their Garnev cousins. There is a much larger percentage of the Enzio that are loners and not prone to social behavior then with either the Garnev or the Kuvul, often making them seem in poorer spirits then the others. It is also common for Enzio to develop their own social humors and inside jokes rather then adopt those common in the Tarenth culture in any aspect.

Kar’Tarenth’Kalialk (Kalialk) are different then their other Kar’Tarenth brethren, most notably for the fact that the majority of Kalialk are not mentally or emotionally stable enough to be allowed to roam free in Tarenth society. Kalialk are usually perpetually stuck on a singular mindset, fear being the most common followed by anger, this makes them very prone to violent outbursts against those who violate any of their individual, often incoherent, rules. Only a few Kalialk are able to control their personal demons enough to be allowed in general society and contribute to the whole of Tarenth society, though this doesn’t mean that all of those are truly stable or safe to be around. There is almost always an air of danger around a Kalialk, unless everyone knows the Kalialk well, there is no guessing as to what my trigger one of their fits which will most likely cause a great deal of damage and possibly killing someone if there is anyone alive around.