Gens

Gens (Khaltsh: ghens) are distinct subtypes of Daeghra which combine physical and phenotypic traits, culture, and even language to a certain extent. The gens are grouped into larger families based on similarities as well.

Stal Family
All Stal have a stone-like carapace protecting their torsos. They make up the majority of the population and have a reputation for being stubborn.

Truskens
Native to Kraeth, Truskens are typically tall, fair, hardy, and hale. They are known to be legendary hunters, but are considered by some to be uncivilized. They commonly tattoo their whole bodies and/or faces with intricate designs.

Uirens
The average Uiren is of medium height, round faced, and ruddy. They are natives to Kraeth and Barnyl and are almost universally well liked and considered to be both sophisticated and romantic.

Merats
Hailing from Greto, Merats are short, have aquiline noses, and medium complexions. They tend to be quite orderly and civically minded, though unfortunately they are commonly quite racist.

Tuldhars
From Armalïk, Tuldhars are very tall, have high cheek bones, rather dark skin, and tend to be both stoic and mysterious. They are, however, some of the finest singers and swordsmen on all of Khaltotuin.

Tsighik Family
Those of the Tsighik family tend to be quite hairy and bear semi-bestial features, especially in the face. Before slavery was banned they were commonly used as slave labor. Generally speaking, they are not trusted by non-Tsighiks and looked down upon, but their actions do little to help their reputation.

Khargïts
Natives of the Ashuanbai Desert of Armalïk, Khargïts tend to be short, squat, bow-legged, have a sallow complexion, and golden eyes. They are both tremendously fast and agile with great senses of balance and possessing of great manual dexterity.

Due to a quirk in their physiology they are able to emit a resonating bass drone from their throats to either scare off potential threats or impress mates.

They tend to live in multigenerational family groups and practice arranged marriage. They prefer, at least in their natural habitat, to wear as little as possible and are known for fighting either bare-handed or with staves.

Tarmal
Of medium height and lean, the Tarmal are natives of Tsarak and Dharnush. They are long-faced and quite fond of piercings. Many refer to them as the "fisherfolk" as they traditionally have been primarily fishermen and are rather partial to and adapted for water, not to mention many are able to catch fish barehanded.

They have huge lung capacity, nictitating membranes, the ability to close their nostrils, and webbed digits. Unfortunately, due to spending much time in polluted water, many Tarmal's skin begins to flake off after a time and they must seek treatment.

Tarmal take pregnancy and parenthood very seriously and utterly devote themselves to their offspring. An example of this is that even in small Tarmal communities every evening at dark all the mature Tarmal gather around to sing a mass lullaby.

For the many Tarmal hired to work in the water it is not uncommon for them to get a rebreather surgically implanted in their throats.

Ulthwan Family
Members of the Ulthwan family are typically considered the most beautiful of all the gens, despite their complete and total lack of hair of any sort, not to mention their typical arrogance.

Ulthashki
Hailing from the jungle borderlands where Greto, Tsarak, and Dharnush meet, the Ulthashki are short, lithe, fair, and have large almond eyes and pixie noses. They are seen as by far one of the most primitive of the Ulthwan gens, second only to the Charg.

They live almost entirely on the fruits and nuts of the trees in which they inhabit as they are virtually entirely arboreal, spending nearly all their lives in the trees. As a result a mutual distrust has developed between them and any folk settled on the ground. In addition they do not take kindly to any logging activities in their territory, nomadic though they may be, and use bone as their primary construction material.

Ultherimi
Though once from the coastal regions of Tsarak, the Ultheremi long ago settled in Greto and there they have stayed. They are very tall, possessing perfect proportions, a medium complexion, and pointed chins. They are also the longest lived of all the gens.

The common perception of them is that of a highly civilized and cultured people adept as both artisans and scholars. They are obsessed with the accumulation of knowledge and literature. Despite all this, they remain rather humble. Interestingly, they rarely leave their homelands.

In addition, they are often called upon to act as teachers, instructors, mentors, or mediators.

Ulthadi
Natives to Barnyl, the Ulthadi are of medium height, lean, have a dark ashen complexion, dark sunken slanted eyes, and tend to be taciturn, suspicious, and insular. They are known as the best beast trainers, animal handlers, and riders in all of Khaltotuin, but their skills extend onwards as they are also the most gifted engineers in the world, seeming to be born naturally into it and requiring little to no training.

They dislike outsiders and many ill-fated rumors abound about them.

Charg
The Charg, natives to the central rift valley of Dharnush, are tall, broad, and of medium complexion. They have jutting jaws and bestial teath, upturned noses, and heavy brows. They are known as fearsome and barbaric warriors and are generally treated as pariahs.

They are, however, no less intelligent than any other gen, though they have quite the reputation for being brutish and uncivilized.

Long ago the Charg were not the crude, bestial, disfigured creatures they are today. In fact, they rivaled the Ultherimi in all things including culture and technology. The Ultherimi could not stand it, but the Charg had a far superior military and so the Ultherimi resorted to vile tactics.

They infected the entire Charg population with a mutagenic virus that encoded itself in their DNA, forever corrupting them, at least in the flesh. Once the Ultherimi had seen what they had done, they were horrified and took on their current outlook of humility and went in a mass exodus to Greto.

Interbreeding
While there are no anatomical impediments to any members of different gens having sexual relations, there are other consequences.

Mainly biologically and genetically speaking, things can get tricky if the goal is conception. Having a child with a member of one's own gen should be no problem at all. Doing so with a member of a gen at least in the same family as your gen will still be pretty easy, but not quite so easy.

Now having a child with a gen from an entirely different family, while it does happen, is quite rare and highly dangerous for both child and bearer. In fact, the Tsighik gens simply cannot breed outside the family.

The one exception to this rule is that Charg, due to their innate mutagenic properties, can breed with any gen, even a Tsighik, as easily as if they were another Charg.