Base: Mammalian
Stat Placement:-- Toughness: 3
-- Reproduction: 2
-- Industry: 2
-- Psyche: 2
-- Morale: 1
Noir'an are bipedal, anthropoid organisms that hail from the planet of Oristania, located within the Big Blue System. Possessing quite human characteristics -four limbs, each bearing five digits each, a pair of eyes, mouth, nose, ears, and hair-like projections- it can be a common mistake to see them as just that; human. However, Noir'an possess a number of distinct characteristics separating them from their convergent counterparts.
Most notably, at a passing glance, Noir'an "hair" is capable of shifting colors, as well as producing bioluminescence in much the same way as organisms on Earth. What appears to be hair is in fact a large bundle of thin and hollow projections, each with a single specialized nerve cell running down its length. Chromatophores are packed into the projections, and each respond to nervous impulses of a specific kind; nerve cells in the projections can release any number of chemical signals that trigger specific intracellular responses. Chromatophores possess 12 different luxin proteins, each of which reacts to oxygen to produce light when helped by the enzyme luxinase. Nerve cells release a specific signal to trigger the release of luxinase species into the chromatophore from cellular reticulumn encircling its membrane, which in turn triggers the activation of a specific luxin. This whole process is what allows Noir'an hair to produce different light effects, either as a simple color shift, or as a glow.
These color shifts are also apparent in their so-called "eyebrows", collections of chromatophore cells just under their skin situated above the eyes. Noir'an possess four of these, two above each eye, and act in much the same way as their hair, though are more often influenced by body temperature than in their hairs. Usage of these colors shifts serves to act as a silent form of visible-light communication between one another. Constant shifts in color allow for complicated language system that conveys mood, intention, and subsequently acts to eliminate the potential for lying in Noir'an; eyebrow chromatophore color shifts can be easily distinguished by other Noir'an, and when one is lying, it is reflected in their eyebrows.
Though apparently strongly tied to visible-light communication, Noir'an have adopted eyesight capable of seeing in three light spectra; visible, UV, and infrared. Due to the pitch-black conditions of their home planet and region of residency, they have evolved to see perfectly in the dark, as well as detect heat in other organisms. Their eyes possess three distinct regions; the hyperhemisphere, hypohemisphere, and the middle pupil. The upper regions of their eyes (hyperhemisphere) possess light receptors capable of detecting infrared light waves, whereas the lower region detects UV light. Noir'an brains allow for the processing of images as multispectral images. Their pupils are elongated, unlike a human's, and do not constrict to change the amount of light entering them. Three spots beyond the cornea of the eye each receive light signals separately, allowing for trinocular vision in each eye. Increased flicker rates in each allow for the tracking of much faster movements than in humans eyes, as well.
Noir'an are strict carnivores, consuming organisms above the producer food chain, and can also subsist on detritus. Their mouths possess only two pairs of incisor-like teeth on their upper and lower jaws, with the entirety of their other teeth being made up of sharp canines of varying sizes. Due to their relatively small size amidst an ecosystem of giants and their hunting nature, Noir'an have adopted much tougher muscular and skeletal systems to cope with danger, lifting/hauling, as well as the gravity of the planet itself. Bones in Noir'an are much more adept at resisting compression and bending, and their muscle-to-tendon connections feature increased strength. Advanced sarcomere units allow for the maintenance of muscle contraction such that energy is not expended holding a contraction in place, which results in phenomenal endurance.
Stay within a group of Noir'an long enough and one will realize that they are an entirely "female" race, in terms of human concepts. Noir'an are asexual organisms, producing offspring through a complex and unearthly manner that miraculously allows for the production of children better adapted to their environment despite lacking a way to incorporate natural selection.
Noir'an genomes are nitrogen-based, but possess a number of additional players in the role of genomics. With an advanced epigenome that reacts to changes in the environment, as well as characteristics within the Noir'an itself, Noir'an can actively shape a second genetic structure called the
casconome which essentially serves as an immense database of all genotypes that were present in their parent's lineage. The casconome is organized in such a way that individual genotypes can be selected for amidst their grouping (for example, selecting a genotype for a specific body height amidst genotypes that code for other heights) based on the activity of their main DNA's epigenome. Environmental factors stimulate the epigenome which causes increased usage of certain genes in the DNA, which in turn trigger the production of chemical markers that are placed on specific casconome sections. When a Noir'an creates an embryo, genotypes with more markers on them are more likely to be selected, and thus create a child that is born adapted to the environmental conditions of their parent.
Noir'an have short lifespans, reaching, on average, an age of fifty years before their muscles suffer from a unique form of degradation that leads to death. At the age of ten, Noir'an begin having children, at least one every four years, whom they care for until they too reach "adult" age and begin having a family of their own. Gestation takes seven months, and children are born able to walk within the first few minutes. "Families" in Noir'an society are dictated by blood lineage as well as bonds formed between two Noir'an called "Oovals" based on trust and time spent with one another.
Noir'an society is highly lacking in stratification or hierarchy. Individuals unanimously consider one another equals, and actively go out of their way to prevent conflict from arising between two or more individuals. Fights rarely end without fatality, however, due to the vicious nature of Noir'an who attempt to defend themselves. Natural instinct dictates that uncooperative Noir'an are an extreme danger to progress and safety, and so quarrels between Noir'an tend to become quite bloody. Beyond this, events that could cause such turmoil are avoided, and due to the inability of Noir'an to lie, crime is almost nonexistent in their culture.
