UNITED LISSONIAN TREEHOLDS

Biology

Lissonian are believed to be a rarity among the known interstellar powers - they're wholly extraterrestrial, and yet they've evolved into something that could be biologically plausible on Earth, and are therefore one of the most stunning examples of parallel evolution on an interstellar scale. Visually, the Lissonians appear human, or at least almost human. Aside from a few differences regarding hair colors, growth patterns of eyebrows, and the pointed fingernails which can extend into stubby claws which are a remaining biological holdover of their evolutionary ancestors, a Lissonian could theoretically pass for a human. However, aside from basic biochemistry and the use of deoxyriobonucleic acid as a genetic carrier of information, this similarity is only skin-deep.

Thermoregulation

A Lissonian maintains a relatively steady internal body temperature of 30 Celsius, easily maintainable in their home environment through arteriolar vasodilation. Lissonians do not have sweat glands, as the high-humidity environment of their homeworld renders evaporative cooling extremely ineffective. Instead, Lissonians run oxygenated blood through capillaries near their skin to thermoregulate, causing themselves to grow an increasingly vibrant shade of pink as the temperature increases. In cold environments, Lissonians grow increasingly pale, and extended exposure to the cold can cause the Lissonians to undergo what is essentially body-wide necrosis of the top layer of their skin, as the tissue is not receiving any nutrition. While this looks disturbing to humans, and it is extremely painful while they recover, there are no long-term repercussions from this exposure, assuming proper treatment of the skin while it recovers is undergone.

Central Nervous System

A Lissonian's brain is in the same place that most bipedal, roughly-humanoid organisms keep it - in the head. Structurally, it is three-lobed in nature, though the central lobe that divides the two other lobes is functionally an enlarged cerebullum. This would give the Lissonians excellent hand-eye coordination, if it was not for the fact that their cerebellum seems to be optimized for climbing and avoiding damage from hazardous falls. Lissonians in free-fall instinctively right themselves in order to land on their feet, an ability not unlike that of the Terran species felis catus. Lissonians refer to the combination of this enlarged cerebellum and the rest of the structures that comprise the 'reptile brain' in humans as the 'jungle mind.' Lissonians have a deep rapport with the native wildlife of their homeworld, and the more neurobiological-based schools of thought surmise that the larger presence of these structures in Lissonian neurobiology could play a role in this rapport. The more psychologically-based schools of thought dismiss this theory as speculative nonsense, and chalk up the rapport to ingrained cultural training.

Lissonian neurons are coated in a phosphorescent substance similar to that found in tritium illumination sources. This may provide contribute to their resistance to radiation, but it also serves another purpose. At four locations on a Lissonian's body (apex and base of the spine, and on the underside of each wrist), they have nerve trunks close enough to the surface of their skin that the glow of this phosphor can be seen through the skin. This provides the Lissonians with a visual indication of the radiation levels in their environment, a useful ability for a species native to a planet with varying levels of natural cosmic radioactivity. Additionally, two of these nerve trunks (the ones along the spine) can be used for minimally-intrusive brain-computer interfaces, which is detailed further in the primer on Lissonian technology, though using them in this fashion causes them to constantly phosphoresce.

Sensory System

As an evolutionary descendent of a tree-dwelling species on a high-gravity world, Lissonians have an extremely well-honed sense of balance. They have two vestibular receptors as part of their inner ears, much as humans do, but they have three more of them as well - one in each foot, and one near their waste at a location that approximates their center of gravity. Lissonian hearing seems to be tuned more towards hearing higher pitches and sudden bursts of noise, but lacks the ability to distinguish between low pitches. Lissonians cannot 'smell the ocean' as humans can, as their nasal senses lack the ability to pick up on odors that humans would associate as 'ocean smell,' presumably due to the ever-present status of these odors on the Lissonian homeworld. A Lissonian has a poorly-defined sense of 'cold', their thermoception being tuned to sense higher temperatures rather than lower temperatures.

Of further note is vision. A Lissonian's vision is optimized to be useful in all prevalent illumination conditions on their homeworld: illuminated by Liss, illuminated by Lisson, illuminated by Liss and Lisson. Consequently, their visual range is wider than humans, extending from 370 nanometers through the near-infrared to end around 1.4 micrometers. A Lissonian cannot see actual thermal signatures, but it can see rather well in conditions where infrared is the primary illumination source. The Lissonian eye's ability to keenly sense the color green is attributed to the phosphorescence of the previously-mentioned nerve trunks in their body.

A Lissonian's fingertips do not have a high amount of touch sensitivity, as these segments of the digits were formerly devoted entirely to structural integrity of their claws. As the Lissonian claws fade away into evolutionary quirks, the species is slowly gaining more and more feeling in their fingertips. A Lissonian's feet, on the other hand, have amazing tactile sense, to the point where most Lissonians where shoes not just to protect their feet, but also to keep themselves from being driven mad by every little structural imperfection of the surface they are walking on.

Lissonians have a highly-developed sense of touch with their lips and tongue, owing to those bodily parts' roles in reproduction. Eating can be a highly arousing experience for a Lissonian, depending on the texture of what they are consuming. However, there are also social mores regarding the contact of the lips with things (aside from food), as this can be viewed as provocative and licentious. Hitting a Lissonian in the face is viewed as a 'dirty hit' if the object makes contact with the mouth - this could either be a grievous offense or an attempt to initiate mating, depending on the object and level of force used.

Hair

In their days as an exclusively tree-dwelling species, Lissonian hair on their head was short, but since they're adaptation to living in platforms constructed in the trees it now has a tendency to grow longer. The hair's purpose was to serve as an insulator for the brain, cushioning it against impacts from warfare or falls. Unlike human hair, which has high tensile strength, Lissonian hair is naturally rigid with a high compressional strength. Where a human has to add substances to their hair to get it to stay in place, a Lissonian has to add substances in order to move the hair into place. Common hair colors are purple, green, brown, and black.

Nails

Originally used for climbing and defense (but not really as an offensive weapon), Lissonian nails are effectively claws, or at least they used to be. With the move away from tree-dwelling to structure-dwelling the Lissonians have slowly been losing their claws on a timescale of millenia. Due to the presence of bone and muscle structure needed to support the claws, the last segment of their fingers has very little in the way of touch sensitivity, but this has been increasing as the claws fade away. These claws are made of the same rigid subspace that comprises a Lissonian's hair. A Lissonian that uses their nails to attack in situations other than self-defense is regarded as having gone more than a little mad, as this kind of feral lashing out was once attributed to being possesed, insane, or - more recently - infected with a deadly, mind-altering pathogen known as falira.

Circulatory System

The Lissonian circulatory system is designed for prolonged exertion, with moderate levels of stress. It's designed to work regardless of gravitational orientation, so a Lissonian has no issues with pointing their head towards the ground for extended periods of time. The heart has three chambers, and combines the functions of both a human heart and spleen (the third chamber is the spleen-equivalent). Since coboglobin is free-floating in Lissonian blood, the spleen-equivalent chamber synthesizes free coboglobin rather than 'blood cells.' A Lissonian's blood is pinkish when oxygenated, and a deep amber color when not. While the Lissonians do not have 'blood cells' as humans know them, they do have two cell types free-floating in their bloodstream - an equivalent to lymphocytes (with a range of variants), and a closely-related cell that is known as a 'radiocyte.' These radiocytes (also known as R-Cells) are responsible for the Lissonian's resistance to harmful ionizing radiation. When a radiocyte comes across a cell that has been degenerated by ionizing radiation, it kills the cell and prompts a neighboring cell to rapidly engage in mitosis to replace the dead cell. Cancer is virtually unheard of in Lissonians, and stems from a deficiency in radiocytes.

Digestive System

A Lissonian's dentition shows the signs of their omnivorous diet, and is reasonably similar to a human's in terms of structure. They have four incisors, four canines, and four molars per jaw. Unlike humans, a Lissonian's body responds to the loss of a tooth by growing a new one in it's place - no doubt an evolutionary response to losing teeth in falls. This takes several months, however, so it is not something taken lightly. The Lissonian tongue and lips are highly sensitive (see Reproductive System), leading them to become gourmets obsessed with the texture of food.

The Lissonian digestive system displays the usual features of omnivore digestive tracts - esophagous, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, pancreas, and liver, much like a human. However, they also have a fully-functional cecum located before the small intestine, allowing them to digest plant matter more efficiently then a human. Evolutionary speaking, this owes to their unpredictable diet from the millenia before they had developed agriculture and herding.

Dietary Needs

• Water - The Lissonian body is roughly 60% water, but since they do not rely on evaporative cooling they loose less water than humans do per day. A Lissonian only needs to consume about half as much water as a human.
• Nutrient Intake - A Lissonian goes through metabolic energy at a faster rate than humans due to the radiocyte activity in their body. A standard day's intake for a Lissonian is 3000 kCal, compared to the recommended 2000 for humans.
• Cobalt - Lissonians require more cobalt than a human does, due to the fact that it has replaced iron as a compound for carrying oxygen in their blood.

Skeleton

A Lissonian's skeletal system is very similar to a Human's in terms of overall layout (two arms, two legs, rib cage, pelvis, etc). However, there are extensive differences in bone structure and composition. Lissonian weight-bearing bones such as legs and arms are noticeably thicker than a human's, usually by one or two centimeters, as the higher gravity of their homeworld requires this.

The entire musculoskeletal system of a Lissonian is designed to mitigate the largest hazard that their ancestors faced - death by falling. While the bones are strong, the joints that connect those bones are supple, and highly resistant to injuries such as sprains and strains. A Lissonian might fall 10 meters and have their limbs splayed every which way, and then just get up, brush themselves off, and go about their business.

The non-weight-bearing components of a Lissonian are composed primarily of cartilage, giving the species remarkable flexibility for their high-gravity home. The majority of the strength of this part of their musculoskeletal systems comes from their resilient ligaments and tendons.

Lissonian hands and feet are roughly the same size as a human appendages, however they only have four digits on each one (3 fingers/toes, 1 opposable thumb/big toe)

Respiratory System

Lissonians breathe in pretty much the same way that Humans do. Oxygen goes in, Carbon Dioxide comes out. Their lungs are optimized to work in a 1.25 bar atmosphere as opposed to 1 bar, so they're a bit more susceptible to elevation changes (at least from a human perspective), but the thick atmosphere of their homeworld meant they could thrive all through their native environment. As a biological safety measure that allows them to eat in a variety of alignments to the ground, the Lissonian trachea is an entirely distinct passageway from their esophagus - they cannot choke, but consequently they also cannot breathe through their mouths.

Reproductive System

Lissonians are a mono-gendered race that reproduces via hybridogensis. Unlike species such as the Yoitsuni (which utilize faculatative parthenogenesis), two gamete sources are still required to form a Lissonian offspring. Gamete exchange is facilitated through oral exchange of gametes, sometimes resulting in both Lissonians become pregnant. Contrary to myth, a Lissonian's saliva is not always laden with gametes, glands in their mouth that produce the gametes only activate through stimulation of the lips and tongue. This process usually takes fifteen to thirty minutes of contact and is the 'enjoyable' part of the mating process. After this duration of time, a flap of tissue inside the Lissonians' esophagous will have moved to block the path to their stomach, and open a pathway to a body cavity located below the lungs.

This body cavity is where the actual offspring takes root and grows. The gamete exchange itself is a simple process, the participants simply...swap saliva, for a lack of a better term, and then swallow it, if both partners swallow then they both have a chance of becoming pregnant. The fluid containing the mixed gametes makes its way to the aforementioned body cavity, whereupon a second set of gametes are added from the host Lissonian. There's a 25% chance of a successful zygote being created from this bizarre (by Human standards) mixing of fluids. If one is not created, than the fluids either remain until one is created, with the chance increasing by 5% each subsequent time gametes are taken in (though any given 'dose' of the gametes has roughly a 10-day lifespan).

Once a zygote is created, it grows much like a human embryo, with the notable difference that the umbilical cord is connected a bit higher on the body, roughly right below the sternum. The reason for this is the location of the body cavity that the embryo is growing in, the orifice of which is located roughly in the same place as the human bellybutton.

Scientifically-speaking, Humans and JolKoar are capable of interbreeding with Lissonians, as all three species utilize deoxyribonucleic acid as a genetic information carrier. Look, I was bored one day and my brain went off on a "what if" tangent.

Diseases, Genetic Abnormalities, and Parasites

Falira ("The Mad Death")

This bacteria transmitted through the saliva of infected animals is best comparable to rabies. It causes acute inflammation of the brain, manifesting as poor thermoregulation, increased salivary production, irrational behavior (such as lashing out at nearby people), and eventual paralysis and death. Vaccines are available for Falira, and infection is treatable if caught early enough in the infection.

Poariah Marilath ("Slayer of Children")

This genetic abnormality in Lissonians used to rarely be survivable past childhood, as it causes the body to be unable to produce the radiocytes essential for survival on the Lissonian's homeworld. The lack of these radiocytes removes the body's ability to fight back against the degenerative effects of ionization radiation, dooming the Lissonian do a death in the form of wide-spreading cancer. While a true 'cure' has not yes been developed, there are treatments available these days in the form of radiocyte infusions, alternative methods of increasing resistance to ionizing radiation, and - of course - moving off-planet to somewhere that doesn't have as much radiation.

Culture

• Intergovernmental Organization/"World Government" - United Lissonian Treeholds
• 3 Major and 5 Minor Nations ("Holds")
• 1 "Global Language" [Lissonian], 2 "Major Languages" [Leef, Mariata], 5 "Minor Languages" [Charesh, Railaka, Shakana, Taina, Zaina]
• Societal Scribbles
  • Marriage/Union - no 'set number', anywhere between 2 and <some stupidly large number here as a record>
  • Koshiir Ra: Leef -> think scandinavian
  • Koshiir Ra: Charesh -> think middle eastern
  • Koshiir Ra: Railaka -> think indian
  • Koshiir Ra: Shakana -> think australian (i.e. everything is trying to kill you in Shakan) with bits of "no natives until people from Leef fled there to escape <thing>"
  • Cultures/Holds
    • Charesh - Born Pilot, Desert Dweller, Heat Tolerance, Level-Headed, Seagoing
      • Charesh holds a unique place on Lissonia - they make their home on the landmass of the planet that lacks any jungle. Language-wise, Charesh is guttural.
    • Leef ("Land of Lee") - Agricultural, Charming, Connoisseur, Gregarious, Jungle Dweller
      • Richest among the Holds agriculturally, Leef could feed the vast majority of Lissonia...if they weren't constantly trying to one-up Mariata. Leef is the second-oldest civilization on Lissonia, arising separate from Mariata a short time after the rise of that oldest of the Holds. To this day, Leef still has the largest population of herd animals and arable 'farmland,' and they are consequently also one of the most stable societies on the planet since they rarely suffer resource shortages. However, this has also led to a certain quirk of culture, for the Leef are some of the most hedonistic Lissonians on the planet. Cultural celebrations of plenty abound, with participants gorging themselves to excess before spending several days to recover. Leef had little to no interest in conquest, and the only reason that their language became so popular was due to the popularity of their culture's festivities and cultural emissaries which spread alongside Mariata's explorers. Language-wise, leef is flowing (for a lack of a better term), almost musical.
    • Mariata ("Land of the Children") - Forester, Glib Tongue, Jack-of-All-Trades, Jungle Dweller
      • Oldest among the Holds, Mariatan culture and history goes back thousands of years. While there may have been Lissonian culture before the rise of the Mariata, it was the Mariata that made the first attempt at civilization in the trees of the largest subtropical landmass of Lissonia. The climate in the area was similar to that of the northern Mediterranean on Earth. Language-wise, Mariata is a 'babbling' language with no concept of spaces or pauses between words in a sentence.
    • Railaka ("Followers of the Paths") - Efficient, Forester, Forward-Thinking, Industrious, Jungle Dweller, Specialist
      • Railakan culture revolves around devotion to the Paths, with each Railakan following anywhere from two to four Paths. The Paths are a combination of spiritual journey and career path, though not every path is as suited for work as others are. Each Railakan has at least two paths - a Chosen path and an Assigned path. Chosen paths change as the Railakan ages, while an Assigned path is determined during youth. Additionally, one or two Inherited paths can be passed down from parent to child, in the case of multi-generational goals such as long-duration experiments, family business, and the like. Railaka is an offshoot of Mariata, and as such their languages are very similar (think Latin's relationship to Spanish, Italian, and French)
        • Artist
        • Beast-Speaker - animal tamer
        • Disciplined Warrior - Psionic-only path, originally developed as a way to control the privacy-intruding impulses of Railakan psions. Any psion born into Railaka has this as their Assigned path (by law). Disciplined Warrior followers made up the majority of the Railakan military. Railaka maintains no standing military, but the Disciplined Warrior followers form a sort of militia in service to the state.
        • Scientist
        • Sage
        • Seer
    • Shakana - Adaptable, Distrustful, Explorer, Forester, Guerilla Fighter, Jungle Dweller
      • Unlike the other primary cultures, the Shakana are a relative newcomer on the societal scene. Descended from the Order of Shakan, a religious minority that believed in constant exposure to hardship to temper the soul, mind, and body. Disgusted with the hedonism that had been running rampant during the reign of Emperor Lødæfeesk, the Order left Leef 300 Earth-years ago to settle the harsh lands of the landmass referred to as Kæorga - the dangerous lands. Kæorga was a feral land, rich with wildlife and untapped resources. The reason why it had been left alone was the dangerous nature of the native wildlife - everything there was dangerous in some way. But in the risk, the Order saw the potential for enlightenment and spiritual perfection. Beginning with only a small colony, the Shakana soon spread across Kæorga, living in a harmonious perpetual battle with a land that still seems intent on killing every last one of the Shakana through a variety of nasty creatures. 200 Earth-years later, the Shakana had tamed the Kæorga and set their sights on the next hostile frontier - space. Language-wise, Shakana is defined by hard consonants. Shakanan culture is still driven by the four core edicts of the Order of Shakan - danger, discipline, self-depravation, and self-perfection.
        • Danger - Exposure to danger is the path to discipline and self-perfection.
        • Discipline - Only through discipline can danger be overcome, and discipline leads to self-perfection.
        • Depravation - Depravation increases a reliance upon one's own personal discipline and skills.
        • Self-Perfection - The ultimate goal of Shakan, reliance upon one's own perfected self.
    • Taina and Zaina - Forester, Good Listener, Historian, Jungle Dweller, Religious Influence
      • While individually they count as 'minor cultures', together Taina and Zaina rival Mariata for influence and history on Lissonia. Taina and Zaina are constantly bickering with each other over which of them is the true inheritor to their progenitor culture, the Aina, which fell around 100 Earth-years ago, right around when the Lissonians were making their first forays into space. Aina was a theocratic nation led by the majority faith of Lissonia when the Lissonians entered space, and proof that life was not unique to their planet shattered the Aina faith into two distinct faiths. Taina and Zaina are the 'victors' of the bloody civil war that erupted in Aina, if there can be said to have been victors. Taina's stance is that all the other civilized species are descended from the same 'progenitor jungle' and have taken to searching space for it, since they believe that the faith's historical doctrines must have had some sort of subconscious truth. Zaina's stance is that the 'progenitor jungle' couldn't possibly have existed, but that the rest of the faith is still true, including all the prophets and mythical history. Language-wise, Taina and Zaina are very similar, and both contain elements of tonally-based language.

Cuisine

Lissonian cuisine is diverse, and with a heavy emphasis on food texture as much as taste. And more notably - it's actually safe to consume for humans. Lissonian dietary needs are split roughly 30%/30%/30% between meats, fruits, and vegetables, with the remaining 10% being things that are harder to classify (fruit-like vegetables, meat-like fruits, and so on).

Marilith Shakur ("Child of the Great Tree")

This amber-colored liquor is roughly 15% alcohol by volume, and is a product of fermentation and dilution of the sap of the shakur tree. It is traditionally served in a wide, shallow bowl, with the seeds of the roolah plant mixed in it, which are almost microscopic in size. A human drinking marilith shakur might feel like there's lots of tiny bubbles in the liquid due to these seeds, but to a Lissonian its more like...something erotic. A DC 5 Constitution check avoids the headache and hangover-like symptoms that can accompany consumption of this beverage. The beverage itself has cultural significance, as it is surmised that the discovery of the fermented sap of the marilith shakur could be responsible for the rise of Lissonian civilization - not unlike the theories that beer or wine could be responsible for the rise of Human civiliation. This beverage is a staple of the Mariata hold's cuisine.

Leepas ("Lee Balls")

This dish is made of ground lee (a tree-dwelling herbivore not unlike a giant sloth) meat, infused with an oddly simple array of spices (for Lissonian cuisine), and shaped into orbs. The orbs are then pan-seared, after which time they are simmered in a mixture of lee stock and marilath shakur. The mixture is simmered until the lee stock and marilath shakur have completely evaporated, and the orbs are then pan-seared a second time to return them to the proper temperature. The steaming-hot meat pieces are then served right out of the pan, and are traditionally eaten with bare hands. This dish and variations of it are a staple of the Leef hold's cuisine.