The Lutrophus


The lutrophus are one of the native species of Kuuandra. While naturally polite and amiable, paranoia comes naturally to the lutrophus. Gifted with visions of futures swiftly to come, it is no wonder that they're such worrywarts.

Biology

The lutrophus are small, thin, but long. They possess large, slightly flattened tails, along with webbed feet. They have very large eyes along with highly sensitive whiskers. Adults possess rounded antlers which fall off during the summer and come back during winter.

They are highly buoyant in the water due to their large lungs. Due to this, they face major difficulty when attempting to dive to extreme depths.

Abilities

Future Vision

The lutrophus possess short-term future vision. They receive these visions up to a minute before a notable event, with the vision itself typically being highly detailed but giving little to no context. This is usually used to alert the lutrophus of danger but can occur for something as mundane as accidentally dropping something.

Ecology and Behavior

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Lutrophus possess a holder-giver-gilder reproduction system with holders and gilders laying eggs. Givers and gilders fertilize eggs externally and a single lutrophus can lay up to three eggs at a time.

  • Mature lutrophus can reproduce at any point in the year but typically favor warmer weather. Multiple lutrophus will pair up during established breeding periods. Eggs are laid underneath the sands of communal nesting sites and abandoned.
  • It takes three months for eggs to hatch. Nesting sites are monitored regularly by local lutrophus. Newborns produce loud, high-pitched squeaks upon hatching. When found, hatchlings are dug out of their nests and brought back to the local community.
  • The introduction of newborn lutrophus to a community is highly anticipated and celebrated. Interested parents will enact a ceremony to enfold a child into their family and officially adopt them.
  • Juveniles are given regurgitated food by their parents until they are able to forage at around 4 years old.
  • Children are taught how to swim at about 3 years old and are masters in the water by 6. They are still given the majority of their food by their parents, but groups of juvenile lutrophus are typically taken out to forage by local caretakers. This both improves their skills in foraging and somewhat relieves their parents' workload.
  • Their future vision starts to form at 8 and is fully developed by 12.
  • Lutrophus are physically mature and considered to be adults at 20. The average lifespan of a lutrophus is around 300 years old, with the average life expectancy floating around 250.

    • Social Structure

  • TBD

    Diet

    Lutrophus are omnivorous and forage for the majority of their food in shallow water. Molluscs and sea grasses make up the majority of their diet, usually collected underwater while using their short claws. Less commonly, they will swim further out to sea and will hunt fish, squid, and shrimp. They are able to hold their breath for up to four hours during these expeditions.

    Hybrids

    The lutrophus do not commonly interbreed with any intalli except the sulkan. These hybrids are extremely common and rarely face any health or fertility issues. Most possess some level of future vision along with a vast level of magic.

    Hybrids with other species are uncommon. They are generally healthy but face some fertility issues.

    Psychology and Culture

    Ideals and Instincts

  • Lutrophus are highly superstitious. Each community holds its own unique set of myths and legends, the majority of which center around fate. There is a strong focus on the consequences of one's actions and the possibility of jinxing the future.
  • Children are taught to be mindful of themselves and their actions. Respect and etiquette are highly valued. To purposefully make an enemy of someone is to hope they will seek out their revenge.
  • Naturally, the lutrophus have extremely high rates of anxiety. The unpredictability of social interactions often leaves lutrophus reeling when interacting with others, especially strangers. When faced with assertive or boisterous individuals, most lutrophus struggle to speak up.
  • In spite of everything, lying is seen as an extremely useful and typical skill to have. Purposefully misleading others is one of the many ways that lutrophus attempt to influence the future towards a brighter end. Dishonesty is seen as nothing more than basic etiquette. Because of the pressure to keep their lies a secret, it is almost impossible to tell that a lutrophus is lying.

    • Customs and Traditions

  • Lutrophus are traditionally left unnamed until they have seen their first full moon. This is seen as a way to let Kiaae herself gaze upon the child and witness its future.

    • Trivia

  • Kiaae's current mortal vessel is a sulkan/lutrophus hybrid.