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The Tulaki are a reptilian species that evolved in the Origin system in the Saggitarius Arm of the galaxy. Their genome allows for an extreme degree of physiological variability, which usually resolves into one of a number of distinctive castes. The majority of Tulaki are what the Ascendancy dubs “Saurian morphs”, and are somewhat large than humans, with greater muscle mass, large jaws and clawed digits, and are notably aggressive. The second most numerous caste are the “Serpentine morphs”, who are about the same build and size as humans, with finer features and less aggression. The least numerous caste display even greater genetic variability, but are universally much larger, broader and more physically powerful than humans - these hulking individuals are collectively grouped together as “Megasaurians”.
The Tulaki developed on the world of Origin, now the centre of the Dominion, and the Tulaki are the founders and remain the most populous species present in that Faction today. Their culture, with the Path of Tulak at its core, formed the foundation of the Dominion's modern culture and society. Even prior to the introduction of the philosophy of Tulak the Illustrious, the Tulaki were relatively culturally homogeneous for a pre-technological species, most likely due to the geology and geography of their home world, where the majority of available landmass consisted of a single supercontinent. Their early civilisation grew out of a society of various petty tribes and kingdoms, held together by merchant traders that traveled around the relatively fertile coastal region, with only a few tribes occupying the more arid middle of the supercontinent. Due to a few quirks of geology, most of the fertile, food-producing regions of Origin were relatively poor in mineral resources, and mineral-rich areas were relatively infertile and also tended to contain only a small group of specific minerals in each area. Trade, therefore, was essential, and the merchants created a sense of cohesiveness and spread cultural trends rapidly and widely.
The introduction of the Path of Tulak, which is thought to have occurred roughly around the same time as the Fall of Terra, took hold on a series of small island states on the northwestern corner of the supercontinent. Within a generation, these kingdoms had consolidated under the leadership of several aspiring Heroes and began to spread their faith along the merchant trade routes. While the faith spread rapidly, it caused considerable strife and upheaval among the nascent Tulaki people, as individuals sought to distinguish themselves in war, science and the arts. Following the widespread adoption of the Path, the Tulaki developed rapidly as a technological species over the next 400 Terran-years, with innovation powered by one-upmanship and ambition of action, rather than the financial and socio-class incentives that brought the Terrans to the same point. During this period also many wars were fought as warriors sought battles to distinguish themselves and leaders sought to unify their local area. It was late in this period that the Tulaki developed spaceflight and began to spread out amongst the moons and planets of the Origin System. Eventually, as wars became ever more destructive, and the fragile ecosystem of their homeworld became threatened, Enki the Unifier emerged and sought to bring the Priesthood of the Path together, with a centralised doctrine and also an advisory and bureaucratic function, creating the first iteration of the Ecclesiocracy.
The priesthood brought the various kingdoms and nation states together, guiding the efforts of aspiring Heroes to the furtherment of the Path and Tulaki society as a whole. It was during this period that the species began to refer to themselves as “Tulaki” (the disciples/children of Tulak), where previously they had used about a dozen different names to distinguish themselves as national or ethnic groups. This further encouraged working together and seeing themselves as a single cohesive people. The interception of radio signals from another emerging species in the Origin Sector around 550Pt galvanised the Tulaki even further - if they were not the only species in the universe, then spreading the Path to all sophont species was a religious imperative. The Tulaki managed to develop rudimentary warp drives within a few decades of intercepting the signals, and their civilisation leapt forward as they began a crusade to take the Path to the stars.
Tulaki character is strongly influenced by the Path of Tulak, and the various social and cultural influences it has. Depending on their role in society, most Tulaki are driven to excel at their area of specialty, challenging themselves to greater and more profound expressions of their chosen art. They tend to consider actions in the context of how they can express their own excellence or skill, and many Tulaki also enjoy sharing tales of their successes (and failures, if the story is good), with others. This can come across to other cultures as boastful or self-aggrandizing, but is seen among the Tulaki as an important part of community building.
There are some consistent trends in personality traits between the different Tulaki morphs, although these tend to be general trends rather than fixed expected behaviour for each morphic group.
Serpentine morphs often display a tight focus that is less present in the other castes, particularly in individuals that follow an artistic or craft-based trade. They tend not to be quite as confrontational as the other morphs as a general tendency. Serpentines also express a tendency to frequently make subtle, sinuous movements with parts of their body or their entire body, often while keeping their head and gaze in place. This may have evolved as a method of redistributing their weight and preventing them locking their limbs - as they possess fewer of the rigid load-bearing spinal scales that assist with weight distribution in other morphs.
Saurian morphs have a slight tendancy to be more aggressive, loud or confrontational than Serpentines. They tend to be more prone to make wide gestures and movements with their heads and arms, possibly to avoid stiffness and potential seizing of the larger muscle groups in these areas. Saurians as a whole tend to enjoy light physical contact as a social bonding activity with friends and allies, such as shaking arms, back slaps, embraces etc., but in today's society it is considered essential to seek permission before making these gestures.
Megasaurians tend to display similar personality traits to Saurian morphs. However, their variable genetics can create significant behavioural divergence in a few rare subtypes. Some Megasaurians are very conservative with their movement and willingness to engage socially, others are deeply energised by camaraderie with their fellows. Others possess a hormone profile that can cause them to be prone to terrifying rages when they engage in combat, or withdraw in times of stress. as with most aspect of Megasaurians, there is so little consistency that it impossible to draw generally applicable trends.
The three primary Tulaki morphs are defined by certain consistencies in appearance, but even within these groups there exists significant variation in scale colour and coverage, size and weight distribution, and facial structure. Colour in particular is highly variable - there are Tulaki coloured pale or vibrant emerald greens; lurid yellows, reds or oranges; silvery whites or matt blacks and purples; or many other colours besides. Tulaki do display some sexual polymorphism, but with the added complexity of their highly variable baseline morphology it can be difficult for other species to distinguish the different characteristics without significant study into Tulaki biology.
Despite their genetic variability, Tulaki are all identifiably reptilian, with scaled outer skin and lizard-like musculature. Their bones are somewhat lighter than terrans, but not hollow - compared to mammalian species, their body weight rests more on their musculature and an array of larger interlocking plate-like scales along the back on either side of the spine. In some Megasaurian morphs these load-bearing plates are enlarged into an external protective carapace or row of spines.
Tulaki have five-fingered hands with three joints, and a foot structure similar to a terrans, although their nails are considerably harder than terrans, and in some morphological variations may have pointed claws. Tulaki of all morphs can grow hair on their heads in a range of colours, usually a shade that complements the colour of their dermal scales. Tulaki are warm-blooded, and are most comfortable at a slightly lower temperature range than terran average.
Serpentine morphs, although they share roughly the same height as Saurian and some Megasaurian morphs tend to be more slight overall, and are closest to a Terran or Elysian in shape. They have fairly light, leathery scales covering their body, either a full covering or a few patchy areas. Non-scaled skin can either be a colour similar to the scaled areas or pale creams and brown hues more reminiscent of Terran skin. At a minimum, Serpentines tend to have a scaly covering on the forehead, cheeks and around the eyes, and then on the backs of the hands, while scaling elsewhere on the body is highly variable.
Saurian morphs tend to be somewhat larger and bulkier than Serpentines in general, but their primary distinguishing feature is their larger cranium, which usually is covered in thick, bony scales and may contain a large mouth or muzzle, and prominent teeth. Saurians possess large muscle groups in their necks and upper torso, which aid in supporting and moving the larger cranium. Some Saurians possess thick, scaled and occasionally spiked tails, although this trait appears to be genetically recessive so is relatively uncommon in the wider population, but can be more prevalent in certain genetically isolated populations.
Megasaurians, which form a small percentage of the overall population, are highly morphologically diverse. It is unknown what creates a Megasaurian, as one can arise from parents with very little Megasaurian ancestry. The prevalent theory is that certain key genes which are unexpressed in other morphs are, due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors, activated in utero or in early childhood, and this causes a cascading effect that activates other genes and causes profound variation in certain growth characteristics. Megasaurians are almost all significantly larger and bulkier than other Tulaki, and most have numerous other characteristics beyond the Tulaki norms. These characteristics include large fused scales forming a protective shell, an enlarged cranium bearing huge horns or head frills, large armoured plates, clawed hands, significantly elongated snouts and teeth, or a profusion of other characteristics. It is rare that two Megasaurians with the same attributes would ever encounter each other, they display such a degree of variability.
Tulaki have 3 different sub-types, which must be chosen at character creation. The different variations grant greater and more powerful abilities with increasing trappings requirements.
Serpentines are the smallest group of Tulaki, with a tendency towards a slighter build and more nimble limbs.
Saurians are mid-sized Tulaki, with a generally larger build supporting a prominent head.
Megasaurians are large Tulaki morphs which display an incredible diversity of form and ability.
Megasaurians get a variety of additional advantages depending on their Unique Phenotype - new Megasaurians should contact the Game Team either prior to or at the start of the first event they attend so that their abilities can be worked out. We take your intended physrep and work with you to create a suite of abilities that reflect the rough “type” of Megasaurian you are going for. This can result in a wide range of abilities, such as switching to Global Hits, various immunities to specific Calls or even whole classes of weapons under certain conditions, being able to generate certain calls, having natural Armour Hits, and a whole range of other possibilities.
All megasaurian physreps should make you considerably bulkier than a normal human. Note that big, bulky or padded costumes can be difficult to wear for long periods, either because of the additional weight or the risk of overheating. Some of these risks can be mitigated by designing your costume to minimise the risks - water packs, fans, breathable fabrics, good weight distribution and the like can go a long way to helping with these issues. However, costume evolves over time so we are generally happy to make changes to abilities based on any changes or improvements you make over time. Additionally, Players of Megasaurian characters can take advantage of Megasaurian Environmental Nano-treatment rules to take a break and strip the bulkier or more unwieldy parts of your costume for a time during events.
