Teyan

Teyan are a reptilian species of red-scaled humanoids native to the Triangulum Galaxy. As a species they are strong, proud, and intelligent warriors, as well as skilled combat tacticians. Many consider the Teyan self-aware predators - and to an extent, they are. War-eager warriors, they are utterly savage in combat, and quick to jump into battles for the thrill of the fight alone.

There is some animosity between Teyan and the Ankoran, largely due to the Teyans role in the Covenant-Dominion War. This bitterness is slowly beginning to heal—as shown by the cooperation of the two races in many fields of scientific and economic partnership —but many Teyan still resent the Ankoran, and vice versa.

Physiology
Teyan are orange-red scaled sauripod homosaurians (bipedal reptilian humanoids with tails), naturally suited to tropical planets with an atmospheric composition of primarily oxygen. As a general rule, Teyan are tall, muscular, and agile; their bodies are built to sprint long distances in order to chase down prey, with large paws to provide a large area from which to push. Combining this with the Teyan's digitigrade legs provides extra speed, and dampens the sound of a Teyan charging forward, providing stealthy, swift movement. Though it is not obvious on first examination, a Teyan ankle is a part of the leg, and the foot itself is unable to bend from the lowest portion of the leg.

Their claws are naturally dull, due to wear and tear applied through near-continuous use, though are often sharpened to a knife's edge by each man or woman, especially within military ranks. This is also seen in the claws on Teyan toes, though they are usually left blunt, or filed down on occasion, for the sake of easy shoe manufacture and dress.

Teyan posses detachable lower jaws, and a digestive system capable of accommodating meals that other species of such a size would find uncomfortably large. It is unknown why this biological capability has evolved, as it is rarely utalised by members of the species, though some use their dislocating jaw to impress, confuse, or disturb other races. It is theorised this ability evolved as an anti-choking mechanism, allowing for Teyan to reach into their mouths to pull any lodged food from their gullet, or to forcibly dislodge it.

The breasts of the female Teyan serve little to no biological purpose. Teyan women do not produce milk, leaving scientists to conclude their growth is purely a physical sign of reaching sexual maturity.

Psychology
As a species, the Teyan are characterised by a predatory nature, hunting for sport, and fighting for the thrill alone. Death games were not uncommon in the ancient past, such as arena battles and death-races, though made illegal in recent decades and replaced with less dangerous, though still violent sports. The reptilian race are warriors to the core, and have a tendency to pick fights they know they have little chance of winning, if only to prove they are capable of achieving victory.

Teyan are easily capable of breaking down under certain conditions, though these conditions are typically unusual from the perspective of other sentient species: Teyan love combat, and high-stress battlefields are almost therapeutic to them, though being unable to 'vent' their need for combat for too long can cause Teyan to become unstable, highly irritable, and eventually become hostile to whatever moves within their vision, as they are overcome by maddening bloodlust that can only be stated by sufficient violence.

Diet
As a species of carnivores, Teyan will primarily consume a diet of meat, fish, and other assorted animal tissues. Though the Teyan digestive system is perfectly capable of ingesting plant matter, such matter provides little to no nutrients, though often does not cause sickness from ingestion. This allows Teyan to consume alcohols, though their tolerance is unusually high for a species that does not consume plant matter as a main dish.

The Teyan diet is considered to be 90% meat or fish products, 5% plant matter (mostly consumed in seasoning, or in drinks, typically alcoholic) and 5% other animal products, such as milk and eggs.

Culture
The Teyan are well-suited for combat, such is their ferocity, agility, strength, and natural martial prowess. This has become reflected in their culture, which reflects their natural lust for battle and respect for strength.

Social Structure
Teyan social structure is organised into large family units, oftentimes led by the eldest matriarch. Groups will typically encompass three generations of the family - the grandparents, parents, and children of the group, although four or even five generations can sometimes be found in a family group. Men will typically join the new family unit of their wives upon union, although it is not unheard of for the two to form a new family unit together instead. Although this separates the two family units, it remains forbidden for members of the parent brood and child brood to breed due to blood ties.

While the etymology of names varies with region and lineage, Teyan traditionally bear three elements to their names: Their given name, their bloodline name and their brood name. Teyan publicly identify by their given name, and brood name, rather than their bloodline name, which is typically only reserved for within families.

Military Philosophy
The Teyan people are a highly militaristic species in general, with highly aggressive and territorial tendencies; Teyan are not considered an adult - both by peers and their respective states - without some formal military training behind them. Consequently, Teyan are made to serve at military academies upon reaching sexual maturity, and must pass at least three combat-based tests before reaching legal adulthood. Upon completion of their training, a Teyan will then accept a single preferred weapon from their academy that they will keep for the rest of their life.

Teyan soldiers are brutal in battle, and utterly reckless. Soldiers will often charge onto the battlefield in the best of health, only to crawl back, victorious, though near-death. The result is countless bio-mechanical replacements and enhancements. This is oftentimes to the point a Teyan becomes a 'cybernetic juggernaut'; a point where they are more machine than organic. This has resulted in minor apotemnophobia and technophobia in newer recruits, unused to such a wide display of implants and bio-mechanical upgrades.