Shavra

Overview

The Shavra are the founder species of the Shavra Network.

Biology and Appearance

Physiology

Shavra are mammalian in nature, hailing from the many deep underground caves of Voshathar. Because of this subterranean evolution, they are completely lacking in eyes. Instead, they rely on sharp hearing, ultrasonic echolocation, and a substitute "fifth sense": rudimentary natural psionic capabilities. At their most basic, the psionics take the form of a group "networking," allowing the real-time sharing of geometric information, allowing them to intuit their surroundings.   Some members of the species are particularly psionically gifted or well-trained to unlock their natural psionic power, allowing non-verbal communication and mind-reading, or much more rarely, precognition.   They are bipedal, with two arms ending in five-fingered hands including opposable thumbs. Their heads take a fairly ordinary shape, but they do not have eye sockets and their noses are almost flat against their face, giving a squashed appearance. Their heads are hairless, but both sexes grow vellus hair on the arms and legs.   The central nervous system of each Shavra has between six and twenty nodes connected to the spine. These are connected to the innate psionic abilities of Shavra, although exactly how is not understood. It is known, however, that Shavra paralyzed from the neck down lose their psionic powers, and the surgical removal of the nodes also eliminates psionic powers. Efforts to draw exact correlations between particular node characteristics and particular abilities have proven fruitless, with two exceptions: Those with more nodes are more likely to develop strong psionic abilities, and those with two nodes above the collarbone are more likely to develop precognition (and chronic neck pain). Some who lack psionic powers elect to surgically remove inconvenient nodes, but this practice is considered taboo by many and is banned by Strethianism, although not in Network law.   During the fetal stages, the spine develops attached "seeds," which develop into nunfunctional buds during childhood. During puberty, the buds migrate away from the spine on connected nerves until they "settle," attaching firmly to the body and activating. The nodes on adult Shavra are static and form a pattern of small bumps across the individual's back, ranging from just above the collarbone to the edge of the shoulder blades and down to the pelvis. Like a fingerprint, these patterns are unique to each individual, despite a variety of commonalities. The exact shape, size, and position of each node is apparently random. A uniform dispersal and shape (usually small) is a sign of malnutrion or a developmental disorder.   When experiencing intense emotion or exercising psionic powers, the nodes swell and become sensitive. Cortisol makes the nodes swell and harden, making touch painful (stressed Shavra avoid contact between their back and anything else), and can enhance telepathy—the use of telepathy releases cortisol. Adrenaline makes the nodes swell and enhances psionic acuity and potency, but does not majorly affect how sensation is perceived. Endorphins make the nodes swell and soften, making them pleasurably sensitive, and enhance empathy, which encourages social bonding between romantic partners, parents and children, family, and friends. A hand on the back is a gesture of affirmation, not comfort, and usually causes a stressed Shavra to recoil. Hands on the shoulders, or a massage of the superior trapezius muscles, can release tension and stress.

Physical Variations

Their skin tone ranges from nearly transluscent to a dark gray, although these optical differences are meaningless to them. Shavra who primarily live "underground" (whether literally, or simply "within buildings") possess lighter skin tones, while those who spend much of their time exposed to the sun possess the darker skin tones. Children are born with a skin tone which is typically somewhere between their parents' tones, but individual Shavra can experience a fair degree of change throughout their lives. This change happens within a range, however, and the darkest and lightest tones are only achievable with generations of adaptation. As the colony worlds lack the extensive subterranean networks of Voshathar and base much of their economy on farming, darker skin tones are particularly common on the colonies.   This was initially perceived by some other clusteral species as a racial breakdown, but it is entirely mutable, with even the most extreme tones able to be lost or gained within three generations. The darkest skin tones are especially rare and only possessed by the most hardy surface-dwellers. In the modern era, the lines are frequently blurred as urban living is more common and there is less need for most to venture out of doors, leaving some "surface-dwellers" to retain very light skin tones.   The difference between male and female is much more stark, with significant physical differences in proportion. Without the visual component to mating, physical attraction becomes a matter of shapeliness and proportion: females advertise their fertility via certain markers such as exaggerated hips, and males advertise their ability to protect and provide via markers such as height, breadth, and fitness. The proportions of Shavra females are universally noted as being especially geometrically attractive.

Society and Culture

Societal Structure

From the earliest times, guides have held a special regard in their society given their necessity and the skill it takes to memorize the complicated maze of cave systems Shavra have inhabited since the dawn of their time.   Over time, their importance grew and morphed, becoming not just physical guides but historical guides through the oral tradition and even becoming spiritual guides. They always held a place of honor, and it was very common for guides to be selected for positions of leadership, in many ways giving into an aristocratic ruling elite formed of guides, positions passed down through families as parents trained their children to fulfill the same roles. They extend the same respect to foreign guides as they do their own, and will often generously reward those who guide them through foreign lands.   Geometry was naturally important and instinctively understood, as they could sense in three dimensions, but could not see, so "visual" distinctiveness was accomplished through sculpture and shape. The most skilled sculptures and artists were invaluable to society, and often filled the role of primitive "city planners," helping ensure that cities were easily navigable by organizing the geometric composition and layout of the buildings.   Psionics also plays an important role, with precogs being highly sought-after as advisors to ancient kings, merchants, and generals. Their visions also greatly influenced scientific advancement, and proved invaluable in the Shavra's advancement to space.

Family Structure

Due to the numerous threats to life in the subterranean tunnels, females were often kept cloistered in tunnels (or later buildings) known to be particularly stable and safe while the men ventured out to grow food, hunt, and explore.   Because of the high death rate among men, remarriage was common and it was not unusual for males to have multiple mates simultaneously. Guides or precogs often had the most due to their social standing, and powerful telepaths also frequently had many mates, leading some to allege that they used mind-control to trap females, while in reality it was due to the intimate "mind-touch" possible with telepathy being especially desirable to female Shavra.   Parents trained their children of the same sex in their occupation, fathers taking their sons as apprentices once they reached a certain age, which varied by culture, and mothers training their daughters to become mothers themselves someday. Males and females usually lived separately (with the exception of children below the age of apprenticeship), due mostly to the semi-nomadic life common to males.   Females rarely took on the role of guide due to its often dangerous nature, and their psionic abilities were usually left underdeveloped in preference for their more valuable role as mothers. However, those with precognitive abilities did still use them, often taking on an informal law enforcement role in the enclaves, resolving disputes, preempting misbehavior, and otherwise maintaining order among the females and children present. But as civilization advanced and became more secure and safe, gender roles loosened and blurred, with females often taking guide roles within protected cities, and subsequently advancing to civic leadership roles.   With the declining death rate among males as civilization advanced, many were unable to find mates, resulting in cadres of angry males demanding limitations or bans on polygamy because a few males often had an excessive number of mates. This societal pressure succeeded, and the ruling classes who benefitted by the current arrangement acquiesed, signing such laws in many regions. In the modern era, such bans exist across the board, acknowledging polygamy as unnecessary and counter-productive to society.

Shavra in the Cluster

Due to their psionic abilities, Shavra are widely regarded with suspicion outside of the Shavra Network, with many fearing the abilities they can neither understand nor experience. On the other hand, many governments, militaries, and corporations eagerly seek precogs and telepaths for their own ends.   Because of this, it is very uncommon for Shavra to emigrate to other nations, and Shavra who find themselves outside of the Shavra Network, whether through conquest or some other means, often seek to immigrate back to Network space.   Similarly, it is also very rare for other species to settle within the Network because they'll be surrounded by a distinctly alien culture, moreso than in many other star nations. Shavra struggle in alien cultures due to those cultures' heavy reliance on sight to provide visual cues. They are sometimes perceived as demanding or needy due to their constant requests for detailed verbal instructions or guidance.