Horizon 101: Qirut (Patreon)

Classification: Aquatic

Place of Origin: Nastea, Zyria

Native Language: Nali

Consisting of three different races, the qirut can stand anywhere between 4'8 to 6'7 feet, and have a wide array of colors and markings to differentiate them. The species is monoecious, meaning that every individual is born with both reproductive organs and are suited to mate with any other. Due to this though, qirut races are unable to reproduce with others outside of their specific race and species.

They are a quadrupedal species with the ability to stand upright. Though their speed is adequate on land, their webbed feet, hands, and the fins  along their head, neck, and tail make them excellent swimmers. Their hands have five fingers with light webbing at the base while they have  four toes that have heavy webbing. Their ears are also webbed and stick  close to their heads, only sprawling out as a show of expression. They have a slightly extended snout, with their noses sticking close and  nostrils being nothing more than two close slits on the face. Their mouths possess a set of lips with two small canines that rest on the top of their bottom lip, another set unseen to the eye, and the rest being far less sharp and mostly used to eat the fruits and vegetables that also make up their diet.

Like stated before, there are three races and though there is no sexual dimorphism, these three races are uniquely different in appearance. The Yulphai are slender and the most colorful of the three. They are tall  and their fins are more like wavy manes than actual fins. They come in an assortment of saturated colors. Unlike the other two, they are the slowest of the three swimmers but with the most deadliest poison. Their iris is small and black against a sclera that is usually the same color as their face.

The Selgaih come in different shades of blue, purple, and green while their markings are far more extravagant, allowing life in the coral reef to be far easier. Their fins and more shark-like than fish and exist on their backs and the upper part of their tail. They are the fastest swimmers. Like the Yulphai, their pupil is black but the sclera is a mix of their marking colors.

The Dregnien is the shortest of the three, they have large black eyes while their sclera is a range of colors to allow them to capture more light to illuminate their dark surroundings. Because of this, they also are weary to lit areas and will either be seen wearing a full head breather mask or will simply stay to water, letting the other two races negotiate for them. Unlike the other two, they do not have fins but  sensory stems with no tail. Four on their head, two on their jaw, five along their spine. While their bodies are mainly one color, specific color, their stems and markings are brightly colored.