Shalnhh: General Information about S'Kra

It is certainly possible for S'kra Mur to find members of other races attractive. It is also possible for them to become romantically and physically involved. It is not commonplace, and it is definitely not looked upon favorably by the more staunch traditionalists, but it does happen.

It is not genetically possible, under normal circumstances, for S'kra Mur to conceive a child with any of the other six races. Those rare -- >>>exceedingly<<< rare -- abnormal circumstances are not accidental, not understood or even believed by the populace at large, and will, perhaps, be mentioned at another time.

S'kra are reptiles, not mammals. Therefore they have no mammaries(Translation: breasts). It is not considered improper for female S'kra to be naked from the waist up -- at least no more improper than wearing a t-shirt and old jeans to a formal dinner. ;) S'kra Mur of both genders do tend to clothe themselves head to toe nearly all the time anyway, generally favoring loose, flowing garments and lots of jewelry (though adventurers, being the rebels against society that they are, often make their own fashion statements. Much to the chagrin of the traditionalists.)

S'kra gender can be determined by subtle differences in bone structure of the face and hips, and more directly by scale patterns of the face and neck. S'kra have no trouble figuring it out at a glance, other races generally don't either if they've been around many of them (which adventurers tend to) though they may be confused if they've lived in some enclave all their lives. Voice is a reliable way to tell as well, for those accustomed to the S'kra (the tone is a bit different). On average, S'kra females are slightly larger than the males, but individual variance makes that difficult to tell.

On any other aspects of S'kra sexuality: don't go there. It's not a matter for public discussion. If you are curious, read up on lizards. :)

Other tidbits:

Tails are long and slender but not prehensile (cannot curl around and grasp things tightly), nor up to the stresses of impact from a whip-like motion. They do, slowly, grow back if severed, though that depends on the break (in the rarely-performed ritual where a S'kra is rendered "tailless" there are certain things done to prevent regrowth). In a way, think fiber optics -- bend at too much of an angle and it cuts off the signal (resulting in soreness and numbness), a little farther and it snaps <ouch>.

They do have five fingers on each hand. They end in claws rather than nails, though they are fairly blunt. Infants have an instinct to sharpen them, but they're discouraged from it. There is a major taboo against that in S'kra society, for a reason buried in obscurity.

They have human-like legs rather than lizard-like legs, and can sit comfortably in "normal" chairs provided their tails are not subject to discomfort or excessive stress. They tend to sleep on their sides and prefer loose sand (preferable), or in hard beds covered with several pillows or quilts or other padding, or on the ground with the same.

While they have no means to regulate their own temperature, they are not subject to discomfort and damage at what would be considered uncomfortable and "somewhat dangerous" temperatures for humans. S'kra *do* die much faster of hypothermia than Humans do, and cannot survive quite as long in deadly heat as Humans can. They just don't suffer as much from frostbite, dehydration, blisters, etc. on the way.

They are omnivorous, though they mostly prefer meat. At one time in their very early history -- as they would say, while they were still Ushnish's uncivilized beasts rather than the race that Hav'roth and Peri'el molded them into -- they did occasionally eat the flesh of others of the Seven Races after defeating them in battle. The practice is very rare and seriously criminal now, and anybody who does tends to be put to death or declared tailless or both. (As with everything else, rumors do exist...)

They have a poor sense of smell even compared to Humans, and less sharp vision though they have wider peripheral vision and far better night vision. Their vision degrades very seriously as they age (Dzree could not read without assistance during the last two years or so of her life). They have a fair sense of hearing and an acute "proximity sense" (some form of echolocation based on ambient sounds), which old blind S'kra rely on to avoid walking into walls. It was once asked whether their eyes have nictatating membranes, which caught me by surprise and I still haven't really thought about it yet. :)