Hard Shelled

  Long ago before the first rise of Tiamat large Prehistoric beasts roamed the land and sea, one, in particular, were turtles the size of mountains and islands. It’s unknown of their origin either they were placed by the gods or maybe visitors from the outer planes. But when the chromatic queen did rise she did not like the threat of these gargantuan size beasts so she herself sought to deal with them. She ended up battling a large island-sized turtle named Moa. Moa knew she couldn’t beat the Chromatic Queen but could hold her off to buy time for the other living life in the region to escape. In her last moments, Moa released a surge of energy but it left herself vulnerable to Tiamat so in the end the dragon killed her. As her large island body sank to the depths of the ocean Tiamat flew off and went to find her next target. As history went on the waters of Moa's resting place were calm but slowly a landmass started to form where Moa had perished. One summer day turtle-like humanoids began emerging from the water and making their way onto that land making it their new home.  

Adventurous Life

  The Tortles settled on Moas shell, the island they first set foot on. Her last wish was to create a new life and start for her kind, which she did when she sacrificed herself in the battle with Tiamat. As time went on the Tortles society grew and they developed their way of life. Tortles are quite nomadic in the way that the choice is given to them really young if they wish to stay or leave their home. Most choose to leave to embrace their adventurous nature and wander and travel all parts of the world to see what wonders it hides or to see how many experiences they can have in one lifetime. Because of this tradition tortles are found all over the world in this current time and most only know of Moas Shell as myth and legend.  

Anatomy

  Tortles are humanoid reptiles that stand on average just shorter than humans but it’s not unheard of for them to be much smaller or taller than a human. They have 2 arms and 2 legs and walk and hold things because of their hands and feet which have 5 toes and fingers each with a set of claws on them. Their rough and scaly skin range from greens and browns but other colors have been known to be seen. The most stand-out thing about a tortle is its shell. They wear their shells almost like a vest and a very large backpack. The front shell is more small and compact and usually, a color lighter than their skin whereas the back shell being oversized and bulky takes up pretty much all their body mass and is a usually darker color than their skin.  

Genetics and Reproduction

It is common for Tortles to only reproduce once a lifetime because of their short lifespan. But those tortles that choose to not tend to become quite old and live longer because the process is quite draining on the life essence of a tortle. Female Tortles on average tend to lay 4 eggs and after six months they hatch.  

Growth Rate and Stages

  Young tortles crawl around after birth but quite soon learn to walk. Their growth rate is faster than humans but the stages are about the same. Tortle reaches adulthood at 15 and on average live to 50 but can exceed that if they choose to not reproduce.  

Ecology and Habitats

  Tortles like warm and tropical climates and tend to settle in already built coastal cities and towns though on rare occasions will set up their own town, usually remote and on the coast. Tortles mostly center around nature like farming or hunting and gathering. Although tortles that grow up in a big city might lean more into the trading and bartering side of things. It’s not common for tortles to be orphans. They form their own family units with other orphans and tortles mostly do this when they are young to feel safe but even when older either stick with the family or keep in close contact if they choose to go at it alone.  

Dietary Needs and Habits

  Tortles are Omnivores. Which one a tortle likes is up to them but in their society standards it is usually a great debate. Tortles eat all kinds of vegetables and fruits but for meat they tend to only like seafood and don’t find red meat appetizing.  

Biological Cycle

  The Tortles biological cycle is like most humanoids, As they age their strength and vitality are less. It is usually hard to tell when a tortle is old because they don’t lose color or go grey but their shell continues to grow throughout their life so an old tortle has a very large shell. This large shell eventually becomes a tortles tomb. When a tortle is very old and its shell becomes too heavy for it to carry the tortle ventures off into the wilderness. Eventually it will not be able to carry the shell any longer and where they fall is where they die peacefully. Over time their shell will become a part of the land.  

Additional Information

  Somewhere out in the ocean there is a settlement of tortles called Moas Shell. Most tortles leave this place to experience the outside world but those that stay live here in this tortle sanctuary till their last days. Due to the years that have past tortles come from all around the globe now so the information on Moas Shells whereabouts is rare and those tortle that do leave from there are sworn to keep it secret.