Dreugh

The Dreugh are a race of sentient aquatic creatures which reside within the oceans surrounding Indriania. They are intelligent crustaceans that mostly keep to themselves and others of the same species. Knowledge of them is not widespread and they are rarely seen by others, however they are known to have existed since the Early Period. They are often seen as a mysterious and sometimes hostile race towards the other inhabitants of Indriania, which has lead to their reclusion from the rest of the continent.

Outward appearance
The Dreugh have the outward appearance of a chitinous semi-humanoid crustacean bearing multiple sets of limbs, which can lead to them being mistaken for an unintelligent sea creature. They have 8 limbs in total: 4 below the torso which are used for movement such as crawling, swimming and walking, and 4 above the torso which are used for manipulation of objects and defensive/offensive action.

The first set below the torso can change shape and form to fit different purposes. The main shape that they usually take is that of all 4 limbs clasping together into a sort of tail-like form that allows the Dreugh to easily swim within their natural environment. The other shape that these limbs can take is one where all 4 limbs act independently of each other in a walking/crawling form that allows the Dreugh to move on the ocean floor, allow it is less common to see them this way. The limbs above the torso of a Dreugh are analogous to arms in humanoid races such as Humans or Elves, being able to hold and interact with objects, however one set is usually more tuned to manipulation of objects while the other act as natural weapons for the Dreugh.

Appearance-wise, variation within individual Dreugh can differ significantly. Some are covered with more chitin than others which leads them to become natural warriors, while others can have less. They can also differ in color with the most common being a reddish rust color, a faded bluish color, or a mix of both. Overall however, they generally look similar with some variation mostly occurring above the torso (in the face, head, chest, etc).

Biology
Biologically the Dreugh differ greatly from the other races of Indriania. However, being the only fully aquatic race within the bounds of the continent, this difference is not unwarranted.

The Dreugh live solely within the oceans surrounding Indriania. This is due to the fact that they cannot survive out of water or they risk asphyxiation, which makes living on land impossible without some sort of magic or technology involved. Because of this, this makes interaction with others hard to carry out in any capacity. As well, the Dreugh are covered with a chitinous plate. This makes for great natural defense, and thus injuring or killing a Dreugh is extremely difficult. This plate is grown after a Dreugh hatches, and slowly hardens as the Dreugh matures.

The lifespan of the Dreugh is not entirely known, however many speculate that they can live for hundreds of years before dying of old age. There are many theories about the reason they can live for such long lengths of time, but most agree that it is not a magical process like that of Elven races. Instead some believe the Dreugh are naturally adapted to be resilient to most forms of biological damage, thus allowing them to live longer.

Abilities
Dreugh do not have many natural abilities like other races may have. The most notable is the ability to temporarily harden the chitinous carapace which surrounds their body, making them resistant to most attacks. The process by which this happens is not entirely known, however most agree that is a non-magical natural process.

History
The Dreugh are known to have existed since the Early Period in history. Their natural history on the continent and beyond are not well documented, however. What is known about them is that early in history they lived across a vast area of ocean directly around Indriania and surrounding landmasses (such as the isles of Prilaron, which has evidence of Dreugh colonization). From this they lived in far-reaching underwater cities and settlements, which often gained the status of Metropolises among the ranks of Dreughkind. However they slowly waned in power, and after the Early Period many of the structures and cities built by the Dreugh were left abandoned within the oceans of the planet.

After this the Dreugh become what they are today, a reclusive yet sometimes hostile race that others have little knowledge about.

Contact with other races has always been scarce within Dreugh history, with most of the contact being either unresponsive, accidental, or hostile. It is unknown why the Dreugh act in this way towards the other races, although some speculate it may be a mix between an inability to communicate (due to the fact that they live underwater) and mistrust towards others. Some examples of Dreugh interactions throughout history include the Sea Wars (1E 410 - 1E 736), Beastcrafting (the practice of creating aquatic creatures, often times hostile ones), and the many disruptions that the Dreugh create within shipping routes by attacking or sinking boats and ships.

Culture
There is almost no information available on Dreugh culture. As stated before, interaction with Dreugh and other races is limited at best, leading to a drought on knowledge on them.

Many small pieces of evidence can be gathered as to what Dreugh culture is, however. The hostility that Dreugh sometimes show may simply be a miscommunication or misunderstanding of intent between cultures. It appears as if the Dreugh think of themselves as protectors of the ocean in some way, or simply seek to protect their territories that others unknowingly pass through or encroach upon. This is corroborated with the fact that the Dreugh most often come into conflict with the Maor, who fish, sail, and live within the oceans of Indriania.

One aspect of Dreugh culture that is partially known is the warriors of Dreugh society. Often times during Dreugh attacks, they are known to wield a traditional two-headed axe. These axes are known to be blessed with salt before being used (although to what deity is unknown, it could possibly just be a cultural practice). When peaceful encounters with Dreugh occur, they mostly happen near the coast. This could be because the bridge between land and sea is the most likely place to encounter a sea creature (if you are a land dweller), or because the Dreugh have some sort of significant reason to swim to and interact with the land.

Lastly, the Dreugh are known to live in underwater cities and settlements, although they are usually fiercely guarded and entrance is almost impossible without a prior agreement on the reason why.

Language
There is little knowledge on Dreugh language. This it to the point where it is simply named 'Dreughan', with almost no documentation or cross-translations between any major language.


 * Some phrases in Dreughan

We are the inhabitants of the ocean

Nx uyx dtx asturadusdz ip'dtx ilxus

Salt blessed

Zuqd-rqxzzxw

The Enchiridion (the name of the Southern ocean of Indriania in Common)

Dtx Xslt'ayawais

Religion
There is little documentation regarding religion and the Dreugh. There are some aspects known (such as the aforementioned practice of blessing objects with salt), but no general overarching information regarding it and it's significance within Dreugh society. There are some Dreugh gods that are known of such as Ur-Malok and Alxur Jyid'xwu as well, but a complete pantheon or branching religions stemming from the Dreugh are not recorded in detail.