Lore:Teshari

SPECIES

Teshari	Denonyms: Teshari, Teshari Other Names: Tesh, Sirisaiyans Related Lore: Lore:Nova, Lore:Space Languages: SchechiThe common language of the Teshari, and later adapted by many other avian species, consisting of miscellaneous chirps.

Teshari

Teshari are a species of diminutive, non-avian dinosaurs known for their hypersocial behavior and nomadic, traditional cultures. A nomadic and diverse diaspora spreading across the Orion Spur, one thread holds these well-feathered wanderers together, in defiance of their scavenger roots: "Onwards and upwards." Packs are often found working together on practically any challenge or task, from traveling across the galaxy to artisanal and artistic technology and goods. Incredibly communal compared to other races, Teshari are known for intricate expressions of the self despite their collective nature, especially when it comes to gender.

Physiology

Teshari are known to originally hail from the planet of Sirisai. High tectonic activity led to the creation of extensive mountain ranges and spectacular volcanoes, all decorated with deep old-growth rainforests from seeds traveling miles on the thermals and often gale-force winds, shielding and cloaking incredible amounts of ecological niches. Having less boundless oceans than Earth, Sirisai is instead home to tremendous archipelagos and river systems teeming with life. Desert and arctic stretches host many species of migratory megafauna, all chased and tracked by the most impressive lifeform on Sirisai.

Teshari, an umbrella term loosely translating to 'Wanderer,' are a collection of possibly thousands of species all sharing one common ancestor. Sharing many traits with Terran raptors of old, they have bodies that are extraordinarily well-feathered with scales to be found on 'bald' spots, with highly developed claws and teeth. Their arms are decorated with true feathers as well, allowing for both incline running and sometimes even flight in the low gravity of their home. Four long ears stick up from the top of their heads, capable of moving freely and detecting even the faintest sounds.

While all disparate species are descendent from scavenging pack-hunters and still enjoy at least partly-raw diets, many have adapted to work in groups in other ecological niches as well, having an incredible variety of morphology compared to other species. Feather density, color, diet, and even the shape of their teeth can change wildly depending on where any given species is from.

Large predatorial Teshari stand at almost above four feet tall pounce and rip apart their big game, smaller two and a half foot cousins with oily feathers live semi-aquatic lifestyles darting for fish. Packs with 'bald' heads scarcely featuring primitive proto-feathers poke their heads above the desert sands to the smell of carrion, while others with puffy and paunchy bodies laden with fat prowl magnetic north for creatures migrating southward. There exist nearly-blind Teshari with svelte and stygian bodies living in caves, navigating by echolocation afforded by their rabbit-like ears, in sharp contrast to long-distance gliders that live at mountain peaks or the emergent layers of forests.

Gender

A prototypical Teshari, sleek in form and big in heart.

Teshari sex and gender is rather complex compared to most races of the Orion Spur. Physically, the distinction between both sexes of Teshari are muddier, immeasurably complex and far smudgier signifiers than in even humans; giving them an extraordinarily androgynous appearance.

Biologically, Teshari are capable of vast seasonal appearance changes. Color, feather thickness, musculoskeletal density, and pigmentation brightness can all vary depending on the environment or season that a Teshari finds themselves in for a few months. Most of these changes seem to almost synchronize unconsciously between members of a pack, even staying in some cases as they move to different ecologies entirely if one's pack is big enough. With hormonal aid, typically botanical in origin, Teshari can even entirely swap reproductive function from one to the other, often changing in response to pack composition. These are simply referred to as 'Mother' and 'Foster' gender roles.

Culturally Teshari observe two other aspects of personal gender identity -- the first being 'hunting gender,' as relating to physical capability; nominally based on size and aspects such as claws and teeth. This exists along the spectrum of Hunter to Watcher, traditionally packmates of the former taking the lead and packmates of the latter assisting or spotting beforehand. The second is a shared 'pack gender,' relating to a group's physical appearance and preferred environment for activities, most groups of Teshari sharing similar pack genders with others in their region.

It is formally proper, though unusual, to transliterate a given Teshari's gender in Sol Common to something like 'Hunting Mother of the Floodplains' or 'Watching Foster of the River,' though many simply utilize a combination of human pronouns based off varying factors. Teshari themselves in their native creole will use each gender as a sort of combination between pronoun and honorific; one would be referred to as Mother Nesuno in conversations relating to children or courtship, as Hunter Nesuno in conversations relating to pack activities, and simply as Nesuno of the Lake interpersonally.

Culture

Their culture from prehistoric times to spaceflight has been known to be hypersocial and communal -- a Teshari will do everything with their pack, from eating to personal grooming to entertainment and even sleeping. Eggs are raised by the whole pack, children taught the lay of the land and of secret hunting grounds by the whole pack, and open-air dwellings will be constructed and lived in by the whole pack.

Teshari are known to be excellent speakers, Sirisai host to hundreds of languages across hundreds of thousands of packs of varying sizes. Evolved to have a larynx and syrinx, they are capable of making a wide variety of sounds -- for coordination during hunts, for mimicking prey, or for artistic works of folktales songs and poetry. Even after the development of written word, Teshari still hold a strong oral tradition.

However, beyond their hypersocial and xenophilic nature, Teshari are equally known for their great ambition and scraping out every little chance for success for themselves and their packs. They are very driven, owing to their original nature as scavengers and opportunistic predators, accomplishing incredible tasks in their groups -- even seemingly-daunting construction tasks are easily handled within a manner of days.

Although Teshari have many technological achievements without outsider assistance, they are still a nomadic people that incorporate their traditional culture into their technology; rarely mass-producing things, and having a great focus on craftsfolk making artisinal goods with a high focus on aesthetics. Packs are willing to travel for long distances as long as their togetherness is maintained, picking up members at their leisure along the way, leading to their race reaching practically every corner of their home planet.

Packstreet's Back

Teshari tend to have an unusual level of cohesion in regards to population versus societal sustainability. Unlike most human-adjacent cultures, who tend to lose the ability to keep up with each other and organize effectively past an average of fifty people per group, requiring a dedicated 'organizer' or administrative role in their society in order to function, Teshari see the inverse of effectiveness. Small packs of Teshari, typically ranging between 3-10, can tend to struggle with interpersonal strife, mismanagement of resources and unhealthy codependancy habits formed during their lifespan within their packs. Frequent arguments, physical altercations, and butting of heads tend to be frequent among smaller packs.

At larger and larger pack sizes, packs averaging about fifteen to thirty members, Teshari are observed to become more capable of self-organization, social cohesion, and removing interpersonal strife. Those in large groups tend to get along moreso, even person to person, with healthier social outlets and behaviors observed. However, most packs tend to split up due to differing interests or even differing preferences in biome or environment, preventing most from getting past the hundred mark. A pack of hunters will seldom merge with a pack of factory workers.

When Teshari packs reach truly massive size, numbering in the hundreds or even thousands, an unusual phenomena is observed in which verbal communication drops more and more. Vocalizations are still very much present, and written language is still frequently observed primarily for record-keeping and mathematical purposes-- but large colonies of Teshari tend to communicate mostly by highly-skilled observation, interpretation of behavior, and developed nonverbal signaling unique to each colony- rarely out of any intentional movement against spoken word, or losing the ability, but it simply no longer becomes necessary for most interactions to function.

The 'ebb' and 'flow' of the society becomes entirely comprehensible to the critical mass of Teshari at all levels, requiring little leadership usually, as most members of the colony simply 'do their thing'. Whether it be working their usual trade, caring for young, or cooking and logistics, most Teshari in their colonies become so instinctually 'attuned' to the similar whims and familiar behaviors of packmates around them, they can instinctually predict the desires and needs of the rest of their colony. So, society tends to self-govern at higher capacities, requiring paradoxically less oversight and management.

This phenomenon is to blame for the rapid development of 'modern' technology in Teshari society before the natural separation of their diaspora by FTL travel; this noteworthy ability of self-organization making difficult manufacturing processes and research far easier, allowing for mass group artisanship rather than single-person artisanship.

Work in Progress: Footer subject to change at a moment's notice. Do not take a red link's presence, struck-through or otherwise, as confirmation (or denial) of their canonicity.

Nova Sector Lore
	Common Species	Humans, Tiziran, Unathi, Moths, Ethereals, Azulae, Slime Hybrids, Teshari, Synthetic Humanoids (and assorted robots), Pod Persons
	Other Species	Genemodders (Felinids, Ice Walkers, Dwarf), Ashwalkers, Hemophages, Snailpersons, Ordoht (Formerly Skrell), Plasmamen, Flypeople, Vox (Primalis et al), Tajaran, Vulpkanin, Xenomorphic Hybrid, Rouges (Abductorkin), Miscellaneous Species
	Nanotrasen	Nanotrasen, Central Command, Emergency Response Corps
	External Groups	The Syndicate, Interdyne Pharmaceutics, DS-2, Cargo, The Spider Clan
	Nova	The Nova Sector, Indecipheres, Freyja
	Concepts	Bluespace, Plasma, Faster Than Light Travel, Resonance ("Souls"), Death
	SolFed	SolFed, Earth in 2565, The SolFed Armed Forces, The SolFed International Capital District