TARANAN
singular: TARANAN plural: TARANANS or TARANAN both correct.
pronounced like "TER-a-nan"
SPECIES TYPE: dragon, mammalian
LIFESPAN: Several hundred years
REGION OF ORIGIN: Va'el (vyldes) and Axatha (kortha)
THE SPECIES
Mammalian dragons with an error in emergency defense.
APPEARANCE
Taranan are mammalian dragons that live in a few caves and tunnel systems in Nskanetis as well as living nomadically across the world. They have short, downy fur; large, mobile ears; and a long snout with a longer tongue. Large wings allow them to fly long distances, even burdened. They have a whip-style tail that often curls at the end.
Despite their large size, Taranan are adapted to be able to survive primarily as insectivores, and many with their mouths bound (see Culture) subsist on primarily insect protein, the pulpy insides of the alien Avella melon, and other things obtainable with just their tongue while those with more flexible jaws have a wider variety open to them.
Taranan are always pastel colors, most commonly yellow or orange. Cool colors are almost never seen in Taranan. Most Taranan have a sable-like marking on their back.
CULTURE and ABILITIES
Most Taranan have their mouths bound or their vocal cords surgically disabled. It's very rare to have a fully-grown Taranan about with full voice access.
This is due to one of their abilities - Taranan 'singing' can change another sentient being's morality to match the Taranan's. The intent is to confuse an enemy and stop them in their tracks at the very least.
dnd alignments used for simplicity
This is not always a good thing.
And, possibly obviously, this doesn't work if the Taranan and other being share the same general moral compass.
This is a problem, however, because most Taranan have some issue in the hypothalamus linked to this ability. Typically, setting off this ability is seen by the Taranan's brain brain as a flight or fight response, but something happens while the ability is in progress to cause the hypothalamus to misfire and not stop misfiring as long as the singing continues. This also, unfortunately, leads to the affected Taranan not stopping singing until their untimely death, hence the cultural binding of mouths and surgery. Some Taranan do develop a mutation that allows them to speak and sing without issue, but so far, it has not spread far in the population.
Taranan do not have a culture of silence - they also developed telepathy over the years and use this to communicate amongst themselves and other species. Some have attempted to use telepathy to 'sing' without issue, however, the results were baffling, yet predictably problematic.
Taranan from different areas have different cultural norms - Va'el Taranan are more secretive, living further from other species. Not many are allowed into the tunnels of Major Va'el, instead being kept on the surface of Minor Va'el. Kortha Taranan in Axatha tend to wear jewelry more often and are more sociable, often attributed to them living closer to society. Traveling Taranan, while an extremely varied bunch, are known for kindness primarily.
Taranan can be ridden, but they are sapient and must be asked for consent.
What happens when baby Taranan first cries?
Not much, their morals are Neutral Baby. It takes a bit for the final song/hypnotic song ability to fully develop anyways.
yes this has been asked