(SEER-in-ee) Sapient, spacefaring race. Their home-world is located approximately 3,500 light-years from Sol.

The Sirini are quadrupedal organisms. They are endoskeletal and endothermic. Their skin is an extremely dark purplish blue, fading to almost black, and possesses a smooth, leathery texture. The main sensory organs are located underneath, at the end of a long, muscular neck.

Sirini possess six limbs in total. Four are used for locomotion. The legs are strong, and the central body mass is suspended from their juncture. Each leg terminates in a claw-like hook. The material of this foot is extremely resilient, though purchase is difficult on slick or uneven surfaces. Sirini are extremely poor climbers.

There are two small, weak arms on either side of the head that are used for fine manipulation. These arms possess hands with five fingers each: two short ones that flank two longer ones, plus an opposable digit.

Sirini possess a head with two eyes, a mouth, tiny earholes, and two nostril slits.

They are omnivorous, though they prefer the meat in general.

Sirini are capable of speaking human speech.

Sirini rely primarily upon eyesight. Their visual resolution, focus, and motion sensing are much better than that of the average human. They sense light differently from humans, and prefer a blueish light for illuminating their cities. The Sirini eye is completely black, similar in appearance to that of a shark.

Although Sirini can detect sound, this sense is not as highly developed as that of humans. They lack external ear funnels. Their olfactory organs are well-developed, and they rely upon scent as a primary means of detecting the sex of other Sirini. Humans cannot detect this odor.

Sirini are omnivorous, possessing appropriate teeth. The esophagus is situated so that they must swallow upwards. The primary digestive organs are located in the high main body cavity. Sirini who are sick or very weak may need to lie down to take nourishment. Sirini do not find this position comfortable at all.

Unlike humans, their digestive system is more distributed. There's is a stomach-equivalent that reduces food into a slurry, but their “intestines” are run along the legs, delivering nutrients more directly throughout the body. They excrete from two identical organs that end just above the tips of the rear legs, on the inner side of the body.

Viviparous, but strangely so.

Sirini have a very slow sexual cycle. They will only want to reproduce every couple years, at which point they will seek out mates.

Sirini have three sexes. The first two – the “mobile” genders – each deliver half of the genetic material, in the form of two genetically incomplete proto-forms that will merge with one another. An analog would be if egg cells started to divide in perfect genetic harmony, but stopped at a stage where the fetus was still a millimeter or so across and still missing the other half of its genome. One of these two genders has the genetic “right hand” and the other has the “left hand”. Those genders have no significant outward difference that other races can spot. They have a slightly different scent, so it's just accepted that like ants, Sirini can tell the boys from the girls, but the average human really can't.

Sexual organs on the mobile genders are located on the inside of the front two legs. The proto-forms take years to develop in holding organs located further up the inside of the leg. They alternate which limb they mate with based on whichever one is ready to go.

When a pairing is ready to mate, they will seek out the third gender, known as womb matrons. These Sirini produce no genetic material of their own. They're larger, bloated, and almost completely immobile. These helpless matrons are fed and guarded by the mobile genders. The Sirini gather matrons in cloisters and jealously hide their location. Only about 1% of Sirini are born as womb matrons, and the mutation of a fetus into a womb matron is actually controlled by a slow hormonal cycle in the matron herself.

When two Sirini are ready to mate, they will seek out a womb matron cloister. The pairing will deposit a single “dose” of sexual material into receptacle sacs located on the legs of the womb matron. This act can occur simultaneously or within rapid succession. If the two halves meet properly, they will merge on the multi-cellular level to form a complete, viable fetus, which will grow into a child. The two mobile parents may remain with the womb matron to protect and provide for her, or they may return to their duties and leave the womb matron in the hands of a permanent cloister guard. Traditions vary from place to place.

After several months of gestation, the womb matron's sac will burst and release the child. The child will be attached by an umbilical cord that will remain for the first several months of the child's life. During that time, it will not stray from the womb matron, which will teach the child speech, culture, and other formative ideas. This is the only parent the child will ever know. The cord will eventually fall away, and the child will be removed from the matron and taken into society. This separation is a great emotional trauma to the Sirini, but it's also a necessary one since it gives them an idealized, sentimental view of the matrons and, thus, increases their dedication in guarding them.

Sirini develop much more quickly than humans, reaching adult mind and size in around five years.

Much to the chagrin of both races, human and Sirini psychology is fairly similar. Both races have strong passions, curious minds, and spiritual inclinations. The main difference between humans and Sirini is the weaker role social image plays in Sirini psychology. Sirini tend to be unconcerned with their position in society, hiding “scandal” from each other, or trying to project any sort of image.

While they may keep military or industrial secrets, Sirini are generally an honest race that looks down on all forms of deceit.

Like humans, Sirini feel strong emotional bonds toward those around them. However, they tend to feel loyal to a wider range of individuals, rather than just friends and family. They also feel strong sense of duty to the organizations they belong to and toward the race as a whole.

Rather than use social hierarchies like many races, Sirini organize themselves into circles, called “Hrats”. Each circle is responsible for a given task, such as governing a region or running a corporation. The Hrat is comprised of those best suited to perform a task, and members will be replaced by those found to have suitable skills. Every Hrat is considered equal in rank and equal in society. Even those that have governing power are not considered above other circles, but instead to simply be tasked with providing order. Sirini language contains no honorifics reserved for individuals in esteemed social positions.

Sirini thought is dominated by the pseudo-religion of Thet, which means “total truth”. Sirini believe that every facet of life – including science, art, religion, emotion, and history – all paint a picture which represents a single, unified truth. They believe it is their destiny to learn that truth as dictated by the one god, Sirin, and to that end they have spent thousands of years compiling a massive library of all they've learned and accomplished.

Human observers have loosely compared Thet to Absolute Idealism – a comparison which is not without merit.

In art, Sirini prefer visual, tangible objects over the intangible (such as music). Their art also tends to be rather minimalist, relying on simple, evocative forms instead of intricate mosaics or complicated illustrations. In keeping with the unity of Thet, they find equal beauty in nature and their own, artificial creations.

STOLE,

* Kaasren

* Zenth