The Teretosi


The teretosi are native to Reinao and are the children of Reshwal. In spite of their birth in the land of chaos, the teretosi manage to live life to the fullest. The gift of supernatural luck and immense speed are all that keep this hardy species from the edge of disaster.

Biology

The teretosi are lean, agile, well-muscled creatures. They boast three sets of powerful legs, utilizing the middle pair for climbing or grappling prey. While typically obscured by fur, all teretosi possess small pouches on their abdomen for carrying young. They have long, sensitive ears which can pick up even the quietest sounds. All teretosi possess dark scleras and slitted pupils. They have incredible long-distance vision but struggle with objects that are up-close. They have fantastic night vision and have little trouble navigating in the dark. While patternless at birth, teretosi develop bioluminescent stripes in adulthood. They possess a fine control over the brightness of these stripes and can illuminate individual stripes at will. These stripes are most often used as a light source, for rudimentary communication, or a way of dazing opponents.

Teretosi possess spines that trail down their chin, neck, back, and tail. These spines are typically soft and cartilaginous, bending when touched. But when a teretosi is threatened, these spines grow rigid with venom. This venom causes extreme pain and paralysis when injected, often affecting victims for hours afterward. If injected near or directly at the heart, it can easily be fatal. Fortunately, most teretosi can control the flow of their venom.

Abilities

Luck of the Draw

While native to a land of natural disasters, teretosi are rarely found among the casualties. It is owed to their gift of extreme luck, allowing teretosi to escape dangerous situations unharmed and survive fatal ones. While all teretosi are lucky enough to survive disaster, some seem to possess luck in all aspects of life.

Ecology and Behavior

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Teretosi have holder-giver reproduction with holders giving birth to live young. Pregnancies are extremely short, often a little less than a month long. As a result, newborn teretosi are incredibly underdeveloped. Immediately after birth, teretosi joeys are brought into the pouch to continue developing. A single litter may hold up to six joeys.

  • Both holders and givers have pouches and can produce milk. Joeys grow at an unbelievable rate and a litter may outgrow their parent's pouch within a matter of months. As a result, it is common for litters to be split in advance between multiple pouches (Usually between parents or other family members).
  • Most litters will outgrow the pouch within six to eight months, after which time within the pouch must be shared (Or more often argued over). By four years old, most joeys are unable to fit within the pouch even by themself.
  • Juvenile teretosi are incredibly hyperactive. Roughhousing is common place and play fights are highly beneficial to their hunting skills. Adult teretosi will often engage in spars with juveniles, although most will flop over and declare defeat within a few minutes.
  • Teretosi are considered adults at 19 years old. While their life expectancy sits just above 100 years, their lifespan peaks at 200.

    • Social Structure

  • Traditionally, teretosi formed small, semi-nomadic familial packs. Children would loosely disperse around their original pack, creating vast swaths of territory all belonging to a single family. Most packs were friendly with each other, however skirmishes and spats over territory and prey were common.
  • Nowadays, most teretosi live in diverse interspecies communities rather than homogenous packs. However, familial connection is still highly valuable. Multigenerational households are common and expected. In recent years, it has become increasingly common for fresh adults to journey from their home in search of independence and experience. Although, most eventually make their way back home.
  • Polyamory and alloparenting is extremely common. Most children are raised with more than two guardians, including anyone involved in their nursing as young joeys. It is typical for a teretosi to be closer to an extended family member or family friend than they are with their parents.

    • Diet

    Teretosi are efficient and strategic pursuit predators. They most often hunt at dawn or dusk and hunt a wide variety of prey, especially ungulates. They are capable of hitting speeds of up to 50 miles per hour but lack stamina. They use their long, curved dewclaws to kill and disembowel prey.

    It is theorized that the teretosi were one of the first intalli to begin the practice of cooking. Joeys are taught how to catch and prepare prey from a young age, with the consumption of raw meat highly discouraged and stigmatized. Most teretosi meals are heavily spiced and immensely salty, making them almost unpalatable to most other species.

    Hybrids

    Teretosi hybrids are uncommon but not particularly rare. As newborn teretosi are incredibly underdeveloped, especially compared to other species, most hybrids are unable to survive their short gestation. Hybrid joeys are often only considered safe after their first month of life.

    Adult hybrids are healthy but can usually only produce offspring with other teretosi. It is rare for hybrids to possess the same luck as their teretosi parent.

    Psychology and Culture

    Ideals and Instincts

  • While commonplace in Reinao, the teretosi's twisted sense of humor is hard for most outside the region to understand. Hailing from a land where even the luckiest teretosi eventually fall victim to disaster, death is a casual and common topic.
  • Teretosi carry an attitude of enthusiastic pessimism, often believing that the worst will happen and finding entertainment in spite of it.
  • Insults and curses are incredibly commonplace during teretosi banter. Harassing and ridiculing friends and family is incredibly entertaining and a normal form of bonding among packs. Unsurprisingly, this has led to a multitude of issues when teretosi interact with and become close with other species.
  • Teretosi are naturally inclined towards risky behavior. Any method of testing one's luck is common, with gambling in particular being extremely popular. Some may exhibit directly dangerous and thrill-seeking behavior, always needing to find the next big gamble- even at the risk of their own life.

    • Customs and Traditions

  • Teretosi find carnivorous animals deeply admirable. While most teretosi could easily take on even larger predators, it is highly taboo to consume their meat. It is considered utterly disgusting, even when properly cleansed and cooked. Some believe that the consumption of a predator's meat may curse them, causing their claws and teeth to fall out and force them to become herbivorous. Even skeptical individuals are fearful of this possibility.
  • After a natural disaster, teretosi are often at the head of relief and rescue efforts. It is traditional for rescuers to mark their bodies with every deceased intalli they find, most often through scars or tattoos. This both memorializes the dead and signifies who the most experienced rescuers are.
  • To most, teretosi funerals are best described as spiteful. But to the teretosi, they're unbelievably important. Anyone who had known the deceased in life is encouraged to attend and approach their body. There, they will reveal every single grievance that they held against them, whether it be the deepest of grudges or just a pet peeve. This is believed to allow the deceased learn from their mistakes in the living world and improve themselves in their next life. Even for those that don't share this belief, being given the space to vent their grief and rage is all too valuable.

    • Trivia

  • When threatened, teretosi can shake their spines against one another to create a loud rattling noise.
  • Teretosi are immune to their own venom and have a resistance against the venom of their relatives.