Ryphorian

Ryphorians are the most populous species on the planet Triaxus, the seventh planet from the sun in the Pact Worlds System. Triaxus' eccentric orbit causes centuries-long winters and summers, and as their average lifespan is about 80 years, most ryphorians experience nothing but one long winter or summer during their lifetimes. Ryphorians have adapted to their unusual environment with a peculiar trimorphism.

Appearance

Like the other species who inhabit Triaxus, ryphorians have evolved to shift their physiology with their environment. This adaptation creates many differences in generations within the same family line that would be seen as strange to other races.

Ryphorians differ significantly depending on the season in which they are born, owing to the length of Triaxus' seasons. The dark-skinned, wide-eyed, hairless ryphorians born in the summer phase are called summerborn, while those born in the winter have white fur and light-shielding narrow eyes and are called winterborn. Those born in the brief spring or autumn are known as transitional and have a blend of such traits. Even those born away from Triaxus take on the adaptations of their ancestral world's current season.

However, with gene therapy and hormonal treatments available, an individual ryphorian's appearance is no longer an indicator of Triaxus's current season, and taking steps to change one's seasonal form is a mark of wealth and status in some ryphorian cultures.

History

Long before The Gap, the ryphorians of the Allied Territories and their dragon allies battled against rival dragon nations of the Drakelands, with Dragonkin fighting on both sides. The tactically crucial isthmus between the two warring continents was the Skyfire Mandate, defended by a legion of ryphorians bonded with intelligent dragonkin mounts. As spaceflight was developed and the territorial wars became moot, particularly after the Gap and upon the signing of the Absalom Pact, active ryphorian-dragon hostilities ceased, primarily because their rival dragons became aware of the financial benefits open trade with other members in the Pact Worlds could bring. The Allied Territories largely lost their reason for cohesion and are now united only by the loosest official body. Technological advancements have enabled modern ryphorians to live in ease no matter the current season of Triaxus. While most ryphorian nations have prospered under the new interplanetary arrangement, a few have refused to modernize fully and still cling to the old ways.