Tabulons (Tabulontis Matalino) are an intelligent, spacefaring species native to the moon Uingffh. As the most abundant and widespread species of treylum, the tabulons are characterized by their large complex brains, bipedalism, bioluminescence, and numerous sets of wing-tentacles. Thanks to their unique brain structure, the tabulons have established complex social structures and social norms, which prevail on scales as small as families to as large as nations. Their intelligence has also allowed them to develop advanced spacefaring technology - a feat only accomplished by two other species, the Lortei and Mordions, in the Ingffhaestian System.
The tabulons originated from a small group of survivors of the archeotabulon (or Drori) species, another advanced civilization, 3 billion years ago after said species' cataclysmic near-extinction. From there, the surviving Drori devolved into less intelligent lifeforms, giving rise to the treylums. As Uingffh gradually regained its former superhabitability, the treylums slowly evolved into more intelligent forms, developing a set of six tentacles with wing-like extensions in the process. Eventually, the first modern tabulons evolved in what is now Kaywell from Tabulontis Miressia or a similar species roughly a million years ago.
From there, the tabulons quickly spread through other parts of the Ulstonian Continent, after which they spread further into Uingffh's island continents, such as Uveerius and Uopia. For their first 500,000 years of existence, the tabulons existed as hunter-gatherers, but the latter half of their existence saw the species develop agriculture, permanent settlements, and other hallmarks of behaviorial modernity. The species' society continued to evolve until reaching its current space-faring state, becoming present across numerous star systems.
Tabulons, along with other sentient species within the vicinity of Ingffhaestia such as the humans, notably display some biological similarities including their cellular structure, their organs, etc. This is due to the fact that all of these species are descended from the Drori, who seeded life on various star systems 3 billion years ago in a final effort to preserve their species. Though these seeded biospheres maintained a few of the core characteristics of Uingffhian life, they ultimately evolved into unique forms to adapt to their planets and moons' unique environments. The tabulons, however, differ from these other species in that they are directly descended from surviving Drori individuals as opposed to being seeded artificially.
Biology[]
Physiology[]
Tabulons are marked by a prominent spherical main body, which houses the vast majority of their organs including those in their central nervous system. The front of this body contains similar features to those on the face of a human: a pair of eyes, a (largely obscured) nose, and a mouth. Their eyebrows notably vary based on sex - males have featureless eyebrows, females have eyebrows with prominent long lashes, and somales have three sets of eyebrows layered on top of one another. Eyebrow style, however, can be changed if so desired, such as during transgender surgery.
Four limbs analogous to arms and legs protrude from the sides of this spherical torso. These limbs are notably much thicker and stubbier than human limbs due to Uingffh's higher gravity; many other bestia (animal) species on Uingffh also possess this adaptation. The arms contain retractable claws which can injury, but are mostly used for grabbing objects.
Two pointed ears similar to those of Earth cats exist at the top of the spherical body. These are the visible components of a tabulon's auditory system and work similarly to human ears; due to their larger size and cat-like structure, tabulons can hear sounds of much higher frequencies than humans.
Several pairs of tentacle-like appendages extend from the back of a tabulon's body. Most tabulons possess three pairs of tentacles, but genetic mutations leading to more than three pairs are not uncommon. These tentacles complement the arms in grabbing and reaching objects, being weaker but more flexible. An array of feather-like materials similar to feathers extends from the bottom of each tentacle; these "wings" exist to attract potential mates.
The caudal end of a tabulon is marked by a bushy, rounded tail. This tail can function similar to a tabulon's tentacles and can assist in grabbing and holding onto objects.
On average, tabulons stand around a meter or 3 feet tall from the bottom of their feet to the top of their spherical body, but this varies. Members of the somale sex tend to be particularly large, with some reaching upwards to over two meters in height.
Typical tabulons possess a coat of fur that covers their entire body, including their private parts. Because of this, clothing is not a necessity in tabulon society and is limited to fancy decorations like rings, eyepieces, hats, crowns, etc.
Bioluminescence[]
Bioluminescence forms a notable feature of tabulons, with both their eyes and their "wings" possessing the ability to faintly glow. This trait mostly exists to attract mates, but it can also aid in navigating through low light environments to a certain extent.
Genetics and Variation[]
An individual tabulon's most distinguishing feature from other individuals is their fur coat. The color of tabulon fur coats can vary between a wide variety of colors, including all hues on the traditional "ROYGBIV" sequence. Color used to vary depending on region, but this is no longer as applicable due to large amounts of race mixing and immigration in present-day tabulon societies.
Within color "races", tabulon fur coats often possess unique patterns of stripes and minute differences in primary hue that distinguish them from other members of the same color. Many tabulons develop circular, ovular, or swirl-shaped spots that disrupt the striped pattern during their teenage years. These spots remain on their fur for their entire lifetime. Similar spots may develop where bruises and wounds occur. Many individuals of other species compare the appearance of a tabulon's fur coat to that of a gas giant or ice giant planet as viewed from space; the fact that some tabulons wear rings around their bodies as an accessory only strengthens this comparison.
The colors of tabulons' wing-like appendages and eyes can also vary between individuals. Like their fur, their bioluminescent body parts can come in all hues on the traditional rainbow as well as other colors; multicolored and/or gradient "wings" and eyes are also common. Unlike fur coat colors, wing-like appendage and eye colors have never correlated to region, with all tabulon "races" boasting a wide range of possible eye and wing colors.
Size/height can vary as well. In addition to size variations between the three trinary sexes, size variations within individuals of the same sex can also occur. Furthermore, the sizes of certain body parts in relation to the rest of the body can vary; for instance, some tabulons have larger wing-like appendages than other tabulons. Bilateral symmetry is almost always preserved, though.
Genetic Mutations[]
Like almost all other forms of life, tabulons are subject to genetic mutations while being conceived. Many genetic mutations seen in humans, such as color blindness, heterochromia, and down syndrome, can occur in tabulons as well.
Many tabulon-exclusive genetic mutations exist as well. One of the most common of these is Polymelia of the wing-like appendages. An estimated 3% of tabulons are born with more than the usual three pairs of wing appendages, with the most common number of pairs within that 3% being four. 0.5% of tabulons have five pairs of wings. Having six or seven pairs is exceedingly rare; only 0.1% have six pairs while only seven individuals with seven pairs of wings have been recorded in tabulon history. Having an odd number of total wings or an asymmetrical arrangement of wings is also exceedingly rare. Wing appendage polymelia - specifically cases with four pairs of appendages - can be hereditary; a notable example is the Tharsis Family, whose members all have four pairs of wings. Other variations of wing-like appendage polymelia, however, are almost never passed down to descendants or offspring.
Another notable genetic mutation in tabulons is heterochromia in the bioluminescent parts of the wing-like appendages, which occurs in around 1% of the tabulon population. This typically manifests as the colors on the left appendages being different from the colors on the right appendages. Wing appendage heterochromia tends to occur in conjunction with eye heterochromia, with the colors of the wings still matching with the colors of the eyes. Wing appendage heterochromia can occur independently, though. On very rare occasions, wing heterochromia and eye heterochromia can occur independently of each other in the same individual, with the wing colors not matching with the eye color. In even rarer cases, the heterochromia can manifest in a pattern diverging from the usual left-right case; for instance, each of the individual wings may have a different color.
Tabulons may also be born with patterns or shapes on their wing-like appendages, eyes, or both, causing these body parts to appear similar to a mosaic; because of this, this mutation is referred to as mosaicry. Mosaicry occurs in around 0.5% of all tabulons and can alter not only the appearance of the wings' and eyes' surfaces, but also the shape of the wings on rare occasions; for instance, mosaicry can cause the wing-like appendages to have rounded edges as opposed to the usual triangular edges. In these cases, the wings' shape will tend to align with the pattern on the wings' surfaces. Neprus Nerugol is a notable tabulon individual with mosaicry. Mosaicry was more common in tabulons in the past due to its potential usage as camoflauge, but has since begun to decline with the modernization of tabulon civilization.
An exceptionally rare, yet highly publicized genetic mutation exclusive to tabulons is Tabulon Glowing Disorder (TGD), or Galeemia, which occurs in a mere 0.0001% of tabulon individuals. As its common name implies, TGD is when the bioluminescent features of the wings and eyes are present throughout the entire body, resulting in a tabulon that glows. Most commonly, bioluminescence of certain stripes on a tabulon's body occurs, but some Galeemia-affected tabulons experience bioluminescence across all parts of their bodies. Due to their extreme rarity, tabulons with TGD have cultural significance - both positive and negative - in tabulon society; for instance, discrimination against tabulons with Galeemia is a pressing social issue. Despite the presence of "disorder" in the name TGD, the mutation carries no adverse health effects on the tabulon affected; some TGD tabulons have interpreted this as a form of discrimination against people with their condition. Tabulons with Galeemia were much less common during prehistory, when their excessive glow tended to easily reveal their location and attract predators.
Gender and Sex[]
Shol Gregrox Kaywell, an example of an adult tabulon somale.
Jool Halleoneus Kaywell, an example of an adult tabulon male.
Tyepolbynar Imterril Kaywell, an example of an adult tabulon female.
Unlike most animals on Earth, bestia on Uingffh, including tabulons, possess three sexes: male, female, and somale. Outwardly, sex is expressed through the shape of a tabulon's eyebrows; men possess "normal" eyebrows, women possess eyebrows with long lashes, and somen possess layered eyebrows. Somales also tend to be physically larger than men, who tend to be physically larger than women, but exceptions are common.
The three tabulon sexes translate to a gender trinary in tabulon culture and society, with gender norms being attached to each of the three main genders. However, these norms have largely faded away due to progressive social movements. Like with humans, tabulon gender does not always equal their sex/gender assigned at birth; they may realize that they are a different gender than their sex implies or adopt a gender identity outside of the traditional gender trinary. Individuals that fall under the latter are referred to as "non-trinary", analogous to non-binary identities in humans.
Prior to the rise of progressive gender equality movements in Uingffhian society, somales were seen as the "dominant" sex out of the three trinary sexes and tended to enjoy a variety of privileges in tabulon society. Somales often had the final say in familial matters and held important positions in society and politics. They were also associated with the arts and creativity, with traditional somale children being depicted as engaging in writing, drawing, painting, composing, etc. Gender roles for tabulon men and women, meanwhile, held similarities to those of human men and women, but were considered more equal in that they were equally submissive to somales. Gender roles deviating from the traditional "somale dominance" model did exist in other cultures, particularly those unaffected by Kaywellian imperialism such as those of Uopia and Uveerius.
Lifespan[]
Reander Lito Kaywell, an example of an older tabulon. Note the dulled color of his wings and eyes.
Sarnus Robau Kaywell, Reander's son and a much younger tabulon, for comparison. Notice how Sarnus' wings and eyes are both much brighter and more vibrant than Reander's despite sharing most of his father's genes.
Tabulons, on average, live a little over three times as long as humans, equating to around 300 human years. However, tabulons also age three times slower than humans; for instance, tabulon infants remain infants for three times as long as human infants. Old age, along with aging in general, is less discernable on a tabulon than a human, with tabulons retaining a relatively constant appearance (aside from their size) their entire lives. However, some tabulons' bioluminescent eyes and wings fade or dim as they age.
Culture and Society[]
As an intelligent race, the tabulons have developed complex social norms and customs unique to their species along with impressive technological feats. Tabulons are unique in their ability to teach generalizable information, learn complex vocal behaviors, start fires, cook food, etc.
Clothing[]
Arein Nesme Atlas, an adult tabulon somale, adorned in a customary ring and eyepiece.
Like many other intelligent species, tabulons create and wear clothes and other similar items on their bodies. Unlike human clothing, however, tabulon clothing is considered entirely voluntary; the fur coat of a tabulon both covers genitals and ensures warmth, eliminating the need to wear clothing in everyday life. Typical tabulon clothing instead serves as mere decoration, sometimes being viewed as a sign of status; nonetheless, mandatory full-body clothing does exist for more extreme circumstances such as deep sea diving or space travel.
Typical tabulon decorative clothing most commonly occurs in one of three forms. One is a ring that encircles a tabulon's lower waist; these are usually circular, but may also come in other shapes like diamonds or hexagons on rare occasions. Though rings may appear to float without actually being attached to the tabulon's body, they actually contain nearly-invisible bars connecting to an equally nearly-invisible inner ring fitting tighter around the waist. Another form of tabulon clothing is a monocle-like eyepiece that encircles one of the eyes. Unlike rings, eyepieces may feature gemstones, fancy shapes, or other decorative additions. Tabulon clothing may also come in the form of a crown, visor, tiara, also possibly adorned in gemstones and other decorative features; full-on hats are rare among tabulons due to the species' protruding, cat-like ears presenting an obstacle to hats.
Slightly rarer forms of tabulon ornamental clothing include halos (similar to rings, but mounted around the forehead instead of the waist), bracelets/anklets, and stylized pins or shapes attached to a random part of the body. Practical wear, such as glasses or contact lenses, also exist for tabulons who need them.
WIP