Daeghra

The Daeghra are one of two semi-native intelligent species on Khaltotuin and would be considered to be the "dominant species" by humans.

Name
The word Daeghra comes from the Proto-Daeghral dʰædzurh meaning self-governing. While this term is used primarily to refer to one or all of the species, it technically refers only to those who have undergone the Akhasïm, the ritual initiation into Gathra. Members of the species who have not are officially known as anraaki.

The collective group of all Daeghra is officially known as the Daeghred.

Appearance
Although there is a huge range of diversity and variety within the Daeghra (see: Gens), there are many characteristics of appearance that are, if not universal, quite commonplace.

Daeghra are quite humanoid in appearance, in fact close to identical to humans in most ways. Perhaps the most immediate difference noticed, however, is their skin tone which can range from light grey to nearly black, but always remains some shade of gray.

Though it can vary, they also typically exhibit slightly exaggerated brow ridges and protruding ridges on the forehead following the superior temporal lines. In addition they tend to have large eyes, dilated pupils, and long slender fingers.

As the species has no real sexes or genders, secondary sexual traits (such as breasts, facial hair, face/body structure, etc.) can be found in all combinations.

Physiology
Although this information is long lost to them, the Daeghra are descended from humans. Technically they would still be classified as abhumans due to much of their recent evolution being controlled and initiated by an epigenetic virus.

Anatomically, they are nearly identical to humans, save for a few extra redundant organs, larger hearts and lungs, and slight skeletal differences including two fewer ribs. That is about where the similarities end, however.

One of the biggest differences from humans as well is that all Daeghra are naturally born intersex with fully functional "male" and "female" genitalia and sexual organs. Virtually all Daeghra can both become pregnant and impregnate another.

Biochemically speaking, the Daeghra are wildly different from their human ancestors. Just one example is that instead of haemoglobin they use haemocyanin instead, resulting in blue-gray blood.

In addition, their hearts beat in triplets, instead of the lub-dub, lub-dub of the human heart, the Daeghra heart goes lub-wub-dubb, lub-wub-dubb.

The average body temperature of a Daeghra typically falls between 33.5 and 35.1 degrees, slightly lower than that of humans.

Lifecycle
Daeghra pregnancies are, at least compared to humans, relatively short. They typically last just around three of their months, but as a result infants are born fairly undeveloped and must be given special care in large amounts for the first year of their lives.

After that first year, however, Daeghra children are slow to grow, develop, and mature. They reach puberty around the age of fifteen but aren't entirely sexually mature until about the age of twenty-one when they are considered to be adults, though they continue to develop somewhat until around thirty.

Most Daeghra undergo hormonal shifts typically in their early fifties which has the effect of balancing out their hormones a bit better but rendering them sterile.

The typical life expectancy is about ninety but it is not terribly uncommon for Daeghra to live into their 120's.