Category:Pinnarans

Summary
The exact same text that appears on the Races page.

Appearance

 * Pinnarans are humanoids with dark brown, smooth skin that fades to a lighter brown on their belly.  The light brown starts down by the pubic bone and extends to the center of the chest, or up to the throat, or somewhere in between, depending on the individual.  Their skin is smooth and coats a thin layer of blubber, giving them all a "thick" body type.  Their hands have stubby fingers with remnants of webbing at the base, and they have relatively large, webbed feet.  They walk on two legs as well as any other humanoid but won't win many foot races.
 * They have small ear flaps that sit low on their head.  Their faces come to a point at the nose (think Cindy Lou Who in the Jim Carey version of The Grinch), with black noses can close to prevent water from entering, and they have large, black eyes. Basically, they are sea-lion people. They have large, black eyes that are angled slightly down toward the middle.
 * The mammary glands and genitals are retracted into the body.  There is little sexual dimorphism, except males tend to be larger and stronger.  Males are usually between 5 and 6 feet tall, and females are typically between 4.5 and 5.5 feet tall.
 * They have a very thin layer of black body hair, barely visible anywhere except on their heads.  The hair can be straight or wavy and is typically worn short, a few inches at most.

Adaptations

 * Their vision and hearing are very sensitive, adapted to both above and below water.  Their pupils have a wide range of dilation, which gives them good vision in dark conditions without sensitivity to bright light.  They are not colorblind, but their color sensitivity is slightly reduced.
 * Pinnarans are extremely flexible.  With no flexibility training, an average Pinnaran can do a full front split while bending backwards to place the bottom of her back foot on the top of her head.
 * They are excellent swimmers and can hold their breath for a very long time.
 * Their kidneys are efficient at filtering out salt, so they can drink salt water.
 * Their lungs and inner ears are adapted such they are capable of diving deep below the water's surface.

Weaknesses

 * Pinnarans do not tolerate hot conditions very well, and dehydrate easily.  Though they don't actually need to swim every day if they drink enough water, they prefer to.

Diet

 * Pinnarans are omnivorous, and the diet of their primitive ancestors consisted mainly of fish and aquatic plants.

Life Cycle (Terran years)

 * Pinnarans give birth to singular babies, which the female can nurse.  They reach puberty at about 10 years of age and are regarded as adults at 17.  As they age, the blubber dehydrates, giving them a wrinkled look, and their hair grays.  The average lifespan for a Pinnaran is around 80 years.

Language and Communication

 * The Pinnaran language is rhythmic and elegant, with some vowel sounds swallowed on the ends of words, while other sounds are quick and pronounced.  The tone and volume of their voices is used very liberally to help convey meaning.
 * There is also a form of sign language that few people still speak today, developed for use while swimming.  It was developed into a full language for the Deaf population.  Most people know some basic signs, but few people speak it fluently.

Government and Structure

 * After the TAI lost the Tesserian War for Independence, the 100,000 Tesserian and Eldarin survivors gathered in the established colonies in their solar system.  The countries once known as Pinnaria, Avar, and Simay are no more, though there are representative subdivisions of the Republic they have today.

Culture

 * In Pinnaran culture, family is everything. Historically, they were matriarchal and matrilineal. Pinnaran familes tend to only have 1-2 children. They are monogamous, and when a male and female are married, they typically live with the female's parents. Pinnarans homes often have shrines to their ancestors, who they look to for guidance.
 * The art form most appreciated by their culture is music. They tend to prefer string and percussion instruments and dislike "heavy" music. They also have an appreciation for swim-based sports and acrobatics.
 * Both genders tend to be emotional and expressive. It is said that Pinnarans experience emotions more deeply than the others, but understand emotions on a deeper level.
 * Historically, they tried to avoid influence from other cultures and ended up falling behind in technology as a result. However, they developed socially very quickly and historically had low crime.
 * The Pinnaran word for the light brown moon orbiting Tesseria is "Kiro." They worship the moon as their mother and creator. To an ancient, primitive Pinnaran, the moon appears to have a light side and a dark side, just like the torso of a Pinnaran.

Instincts and Predispositions

 * The drive to be family-oriented is instinctual, as is the enjoyment of swimming.
 * They are predisposed to be more spiritual, mentally disciplined, and emotionally intelligent, not as much logical and analytical (of course every individual is different!)

Places

 * The country/continent of Pinnaria was a long, narrow island with very rough, mountainous terrain. Ancient settlements developed along the coast, and the lack of arable land made their diet of mainly fish and aquatic plants favorable.
 * Today, the majority of Pinnarans inhabit the Tesserian Colonies.

History
See: Tesserians.

More detail is needed here about what has happened since the war.

Technology Level
The TAI is FTL-capable but currently has very little Unobtainium to get anywhere. They have also had the opportunity to learn from the Eldaral technology brought over by the Eldarin. However, because of rebuilding after their near extinction, standard of living has rolled back by a few decades. The majority of TAI citizens do not possess their own vehicles; they live in cities that have public transport by ground vehicles. Communication devices are everywhere, so everyone is still connected to everyone else and has access to information databases at all times. (Under Construction)

The other Tesserian Races and the Eldarin

 * The TAI carries resentment toward the Caudatians. While it is understood that they acted in fear to an extent, the war may have never happened if the four nations had stayed united in their space exploration goals.  The Eldarin, now extremely small in number, are a very protected and supported group in the TAI.  Ironically, the cultural identities of the Pinnarans, Avarii, and Simayans have begun to unite and their societies have integrated out of a need to rebuild.  Marriage between the species has been legalized, though many still cringe heavily at the thought, since these unions can't produce offspring, which some see as an affront to the efforts to rebuild.

Eldaral

 * The TAI still fears the Eldaral and would not take kindly if the Eldaral stopped by for a visit. The Eldaral have no remaining desire to interfere with the affairs of the Tesserians, and have declared that the remaining population of Eldarin is too small and integrated into the Tesserian population to pose a threat in the future.  However, to this day, there is a secret, undercover Eldaral strike force seeking to eradicate what's left of the Eldarin, but this is not public knowledge, even to most Eldaral.

Guardian Ka
The Guardian Ka for all four Tesserian races is Kiro.

Other Information
Whatever else didn't fit above.

Pinnaran Characters

 * All members are welcome to create Pinnaran characters.
 * See below for a complete list of Pinnaran characters.