Astorian

Astorians are the predominant sentient species on the planet of Stora.

Appearance
Astorians are a bipedal mammalian species with the notable feature of opposable thumbs which allow for intricate object manipulation.

Most of an Astorians body has minimal hair aside from the top of their head and two sections along their brow bones. As a lack of hair exposes an Astorian to potentially harmful sun exposure Astorians are highly adaptive in the fact that they are able to darken or lighten their skin over time depending on the strength of sun exposure to protect themselves. This biological mechanism has also shown that Astorian can present patterned skin, meaning that they may have darker and lighter patches of skin based on areas exposed or covered to the sun.

Astorians are simultaneous hermaphrodites and are sexually polymorphic, meaning they have both male and female gametes, and they can alter their presenting sexual characteristics to adapt to environmental, or social pressures.

Sexual characteristics only begin to present once an Astorian has reached sexual maturity, at that stage they will begin to present with either male or female characteristics, this inherent presentation relates to underlying genetic preferences to a style of partnering.

Male characteristics present as wider shoulders, a typically lower voice pitch, generally higher endurance and faster muscle growth. Whereas female characteristics present as wider hips, a typically higher voice pitch, generally higher pain tolerance, and mammary glands. There are a few methods which can prompt Astorian’s body to transition to the opposing characteristics, the most common being pregnancy between a couple.

When one partner is pregnant they will need to be female presenting to eventually give birth, at this time the other partner may change/remain to either female presenting, called empathetic partnering, or change/remain to male presenting, called protective partnering.

Empathetic partnering is triggered most often if resources are more available, or if the couple is part of a large community so the couple can take turns feeding the baby, also this type of transition comes into effect at the last 30 days of the partner’s pregnancy.

Protective partnering is triggered on the other hand when there are less resources available, or if stress levels are too high over the period of the pregnancy.

After a pregnancy either partner may revert to their initial sexual characteristics over time, although it is uncommon.

Other triggers which cause characteristic transitions are not fully understood, but are likely psychosomatic. This transition can take between 20 to 35 days to be complete, although there are early warning signs it is in progress, mainly an increase in appetite and periodic irritability.

Behaviours
Typically Astorians are social in nature, forming communities of various sizes and languages to communicate. Within these groups there are social classes which denote different functions and social influence of an individual within the community, with one individual, or a small group of individuals heading decisions for said community.

Separate communities have been known to clash over territory or resources, although generally cooperation between communities is more common.

Along with their communal nature Astorians are curious of the environment around them, this curiosity has led to their ability to create tools for protection against predators, and grant access to more resources. With less concerns relating to survival Astorians continued to make technological advancements and expand their territory over time.

Habitats
Astorians are adaptable to most environments due to their technological advancements, although they have a preference to open areas with ready access to fresh water, and they will often alter the environment to fit this preference.

Within their territory Astorians will typically construct buildings to house separate families within a community before constructing other types of buildings. Depending on the number of homes and specialised buildings it will denote the type of settlement it is; If a settlement is not near a river it is common for a water well, or water pump to be present to access underground aquifers. Settlements such as towns and cities will often have multiple water wells/pumps.
 * Hamlet: A small group of 2 to 8 homes.
 * Village: A small group of 2 to 8 homes, may have up to 4 commercial buildings, has an area dedicated to religious practices.
 * Town: A group of 8 to 30 homes with multiple commercial buildings, has an area dedicated to religious practices.
 * City: A group of 30+ homes with multiple commercial buildings, has multiple areas dedicated to religious practices.

Diet
Astorians are omnivorous and can be found to eat a large variety of foods, however a typically balanced diet for an Astorian will involve a mixture of meat, vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy, and sugars to varying degrees. Access to food groups, or even cultural importance of said food groups will typically influence an Astorian diet.

As a result of being able to cook foods or otherwise process food for later consumption, Astorians more frequently seek to satisfy taste over nutritional value if food sources are more available.

Life Cycle
When an Astorian reaches sexual maturity they are allowed to look for a partner. Ignoring cultural differences that usually influence partner selection, Astorians usually court their potential partner for a period of time, during this time each partner is tested to determine compatibility as Astorians typically mate for life.

As Astorians naturally have both male and female sex gametes available to them, the partner who bares the child can be actively chosen. Typically those who birth children are referred to as the mother, and the other partner as the father. Some couples who have multiple children can practice take turns baring children to term, although this factor is strongly influenced by culture.

Once pregnant the mother will begin developing sexually dimorphic characteristics if they were not present previously. This presents in development and enlargement of mammary glands for milk production and bone reconstruction. Astorians during pregnancy increase the density of their bones throughout their skeleton apart from their hips which change structure to accommodate the approaching birth. This reconstruction will produce a long, drawn out pain in affected areas throughout the pregnancy.

The mother will carry the baby for 3 months, or 300 days, and during this time the mother will experience cravings for specific foods related to the baby’s developmental needs. Once the baby is ready to be delivered the mother will experience contractions lasting several hours until the baby is birthed.

An Astorian baby is dependent on both parents for around 6 months, during this time they will learn to walk, grasp the basics of communication, and other basic social skills. At this stage, Astorian babies are unable to protect themselves from harmful sun exposure as they cannot alter their skin pigment, as such they must remain shaded.

After 6 months the Astorian has become a child and will be taught various skills by their parents, community, or cultural education system.

At age 3 the Astorian has become a pre-adult, meaning that they are now considered responsible for their own actions, and are able to do certain things that would otherwise would be age restricted them. This is also the period where Astorians commonly begin work.

At age 6 Astorians become sexually mature, and consequently considered an adult, during adulthood Astorians typically leave their parental home but remain in contact with the parents and community that helped raise them.

Astorians typically live for 27 years, however as age expectancy is typically around 14 years Astorians consider those over 10 years as elderly.

Trivia

 * On average an Astorian can change skin tone over the course of 2 weeks if they maintain the same lower or higher levels of sun exposure.
 * Astorians up until the Third Era believed that uncooked vegetables and fruit caused diseases. As a result jams and boiled vegetables were the norm in most diets.
 * While partnerships are often seen as the first stage in creating a family, there isn’t a large amount pressure to have children as Astorians loose very little fertility with age, also most members of a community will aid in raising children.
 * In rare cases during copulation a double pregnancy may occur. The chances of this happening unintentionally is 1:1000.
 * Due to the mother’s bone reconstruction during pregnancy, childbirth is more uncomfortable than painful.
 * Even after the pregnancy the mother will retain their sexually dimorphic characteristics, only reverting back to their previous state after 6 months. During this period it is common to try for another child as the mother will not experience the pain from reconstruction.
 * While Astorian babies still typically have larger heads compared to their body, they are slightly more developed than human infants at birth which helps in developing their independence.
 * Those who reach 11 years may begin to grow facial hair or their hair may change colour to white, as this is the only time it either conditions develops it has become a sign of wisdom.
 * A rare genetic condition called constellationitis may present in Astorians which present in white bioluminescent specks around their forearms and back, additionally those with the condition are unable to change sexual characteristics. This condition is always found within Seers of the Living Roots.