Siltmen

Siltmen are a sentient race of humanoids who dwell mostly underground throughout Paraisia, particularly under the Mydlands.

Biology
Siltmen stand at an average height of 7 to 8 feet tall, with no consistent difference in height among genders. They appear extremely emaciated and frail, but they possess tough leathery skin and stone-like skeletal structures which make them extremely tough. Their blood is viscous and clear, and left alone will dry into makeshift bandages for wounds.

Siltmen can be divided into two major groups; the True, siltmen who live underground, recognize no government of any kind, and generally dislike aboveground species; and “uplanders” (though this term is generally used as a slur), siltmen who migrate above ground and live among general Paraisi society. The True generally have purple eyes and strong night vision, while uplanders sacrifice their night vision capabilities by adjusting their eyes to sunlight. Their eyes take on a yellower hue as a result. True strongly dislike and distrust uplanders, often calling them “false siltmen”, “traitors”, or “humans”. Uplanders, while not as hateful towards the True as the True are towards them, still largely distrust True and avoid returning to underground civilization, due to their insular nature

Siltmen is not a gender-specific term; most females consider themselves female siltmen, not “siltwomen”. Siltmen reproduction is unique among Paraisi species; females give birth via asexual budding once in their life cycle, to a litter of infants which vary in gender but possess their mother's genetic code. The infants are then abandoned, and are generally ignored by others until they reach the age of maturity, at 5 human years. The lifespan of a siltman is generally 30-40 years, although siltmen as old as 50 have been recorded living aboveground.

Siltmen become accustomed to sunlight through a process known as “unblinding”, which is completed by self-styled siltman doctors who provide increasing amounts of exposure to subjects until their eyes are able to handle strong light.

Silt diets generally consist of meats, and many True have no qualms with eating other humanoid races, although the consumption of fellow siltmen is generally unheard of.

History
Siltmen are one of the oldest species in Paraisia, although the further back one goes into historical texts, the fewer siltmen are known to be living aboveground. Siltman internal history is basically nonexistant, as they possess no written language of their own, and never developed an oral history. Encounters with ancient, more primitive siltmen are chronicled in several ancient documents, in which they are generally seen as monsters and do not appear to be sentient. However, siltmen have been sentient longer than many species on the continent,k having built primitive homes and weaqpons in their underground cities prior to most aboveground species.

The construction of the city of Union, the only large trading post between True and aboveground species, was agreed upon between the True and the Browe Brothers Gang following the initial attacks by the Blacksea.

Culture
Siltmen do not believe in friendship, romance, or deference to leaders, unless they personally benefit from the relationship. They hold absolutely no sexual feelings towards any species, and are, in human terms, basically sociopaths. Their “cities” are no more than dwellings which happen to all be built in a large cavernous area, and no currency exists in True society. True rely entirely on the barter system, and will often simply kill each other for supplies if they have nothing to trade. The only possessions of any real value among the True are weaponry and food.

Underground, they do not wear clothing, although aboveground, many will wear large robes to cover them from the sun. The siltman language, Sil, cannot be spoken by most other species, due to its unqiue combination of high-pitched sounds and hisses generated by their unique vocal cords.

True take on names they choose themselves, and do not have last names. Most silt names are monosyllabic, such Dech, Chyd, or Pyt. Most uplanders add a second syllable to their names to differentiate them and symbolize rebirth, such as Dechod, Chydra, or Pytren.

Uplander occupations generally take advantage of their lack of empathy and strong combat skills, as well as their nimble abilities with climbing and jumping. Many work as assassins and mercenaries, while some others become powerful and trusted slave overseers, due to their disinterest in empathy and lack of corruptabiliity by sexual means.

Religion
True have no official religion, and almost none of them outside of Union recognize any gods. Most uplanders worship Merises, god of glory, and aspire to lives of hedonistic pleasure.

Relationships with other species
Siltmen have no special relationship with other sentients, and are generally distrustful of other humanoids.

Military
True have no united military, and only fight together when mutual resources are threatened.