Codex: Shalinae/zh-hans

沙利奈人

Name: Shalinae (plural), Shalin (singular), Shalin (adjective)

Sexes: Male and Female

Height: 7 to 11 feet tall.

Weight: 250 to 500 lbs.

Eyes: Violet, blue, or green with round pupils.

Feather Coloration: Varies based on tribe and geological location with brown most common in the local area.

Skin Coloration: Comparable to Terran and avian standards (where appropriate).

Lifespan: 60 years.

外观

沙利奈人是巨型鸟类与地球人的混合体，在前者原本的颈根与后者腰部的位置融合为一体。因此，银河俚语称他们为“鸟陶尔”——这个称呼如今被认为相当准确，因为他们符合这种表型的大多数特征：两条手臂、两只手、可对握的拇指、鼻子、嘴巴，甚至雄性的胸肌与雌性的乳房。腰部以下则继续呈现两条结实的鸟类腿、利爪、羽毛、鸟类般的躯干，以及两只覆羽翅膀（每只翅膀几乎和地球人的身高一样宽）。

它们的解剖差异体现在细节上。沙利奈人的羽毛生长着有机钛合金晶格，使羽毛足够坚硬，能够偏转大多数化学推进的投射武器，同时又足够轻盈，能辅助飞行。它们的利爪、牙齿和骨骼也采用类似复合材料，因此可以轻松咬穿或抓穿铝和更软的钢材。更有趣的是，它们上半身的肌肉与器官组织极其轻盈——力量和能力接近地球人，但密度几乎只有一半，让这些看似头重脚轻的生物能够以完美平衡小跑和振翅。

沙利奈人的耳朵也与地球人的结构大相径庭。它们向上竖起、狭长，尖端呈尖形——更像某些奥萨尔人的耳朵——但外侧覆盖的是羽毛而非毛发。其化学构成中的独特合金甚至让听觉器官能够感知磁场，引导迷失的沙利奈人以惊人的速度和准确度回家。一些理论家怀疑，这个种族厌恶科技的根源正是这种感知能力：现代电子设备产生的不断变化的磁通量，会被感知为令人不快的感觉。

繁殖

“鸟陶尔”的生殖器官位于鸟类半身的腹侧，就在尾羽下方。雌雄都有泄殖腔；雄性的泄殖腔在阴茎松弛时将其隐藏起来。两枚内部睾丸通过一根长18至32英寸的大型阴茎输送精液。这让体型庞大的生物更容易彼此交配。雄性阴茎全长有三个隆起的“环带”，插入时会刺激雌性深藏的阴蒂；最下方的隆起会在高潮前不久及高潮期间略微膨胀。沙利奈人的阴茎拥有类似人类的“龟冠”，因此与U.G.C.认可的物种具有惊人的生物相容性。

The female vagina is deep, elastic, and ringed in incredibly powerful muscles strong enough to lock a mate’s penis inside by the ringed bands around its circumference. This securing reflex appears to kick in during female orgasms but may also be performed consciously according to seven independent researchers’ very enthusiastic reports on the matter. The vaginal exterior is otherwise unremarkable. A clitoris is present, though recessed into the cloaca enough that it does not visibly present itself, even while engorged into a ¾" (20mm) bulb. Orgasm with shallower penetrations is still possible thanks to this organ, but Shalinae females frequently express sentiment preferring larger lovers.

Fertilization results in a single offspring. TamaniCorp scientists have expressed interest in researching the lack of any twin births so that they can “cure” it. Xenogen researchers have petitioned numerous times for access to a steady supply genetic material to research but have been stymied by the convoluted legal status of the planet currently being untangled by Confederate authorities.

Pregnancies last for nearly one full year, after which a watermelon-size egg is laid. The eggs are remarkably durable, with thick shells reinforced by organic metal alloys and a surprising tolerance for high heats. During cooler nights, a parent will squat atop it to maintain warmth; the unborn Shalin are much more vulnerable to cold than their feathered forebears. Eggs seem to trigger a singing impulse in nearby adults, resulting in a near ceaseless stream of input for the unborn’s consciousness, rich with the collective history and knowledge of these primitive peoples.

Hatching is assisted by an adult’s talons. No matter how sharp the young bird-person’s developing claws may be, they lack the strength to crack the thick shell. It is up to an outsider to assist in their egress and welcome them into the world. Shalinae young emerge fully capable of understanding their people’s speech, even if they lack the fine motor control and muscular conditioning necessary to speak themselves. In a few days, they’re talking.

Childhood passes quickly on Phaedra II’s irradiated plains. By ten years of age, they are considered adults of their people, and display all the hallmarks of sexual maturity. At 14, they reach their full height. This seemingly accelerated aging continues through their entire lives. Menopause sets in by 45, and the average Shalin does not live beyond his or her sixth decade.

Culture

Bird-taurs are a tribal people, preferring the wilds of their homeworld over the Nuka cities or Hyraxxi convoys. Most are nomadic, making use of their mobility to cross great expanses of terrain when food becomes scarce or threats arise. Portable shelters can be easily deconstructed and carried on their capable backs. Woven harnesses with sophisticated baskets allow an adult shalin to jog for miles with hundreds of pounds of food and other cargo. They pass the time on such trips by singing to each other, reinforcing their verbal histories and warning away any predatory animals in the vicinity.

Few would wish to battle a flock of the massive creatures.

The tunes they sing are curated by a small group of elite “Song Wardens.” These shamanistic birdfolk are responsible for protecting the lyrics of their oral histories and knowledge from change, and they ceaselessly drill their acolytes on the correct words of their thousands of musical passages. Most tribes hold their Song Wardens in a position of honor. It is their duty to advise and report to the tribe’s leadership so that the lessons of history are not forgotten. So great is their cultural memory that some equatorial groups still recall how to manufacture snowshoes, or treat hypothermia.

Of course, any tribal culture becomes home to a great amount of variation. The Shalinae are no different. Some tribes have chiefs. Some have councils of elders. Some appear to be pure republics. The variation expresses itself physically as well. Hunting-focused tribes often become capable fliers with forms like hawks. Fishing groups have bodies and plumage similar to terran ducks. Roaming traders often come to have flashy plumage like a parrot. And the lost tribes - those whose Song Wardens died or were rejected - are the most varied of all, freely absorbing exiles into their ranks or merging with the meager leftovers of tribe-annihilating hyraxxi raids.

Some lost tribes even dare to use technology after training for months to ignore the pain of fluxing magnetic fields or learning to identify which kinds of machines are safely, magnetically deadened. Truly the Shalinae are a fascinating people, though unlikely to make a significant mark in the greater UGC beyond any genetic quirks the MegaCorporations decide to make use of. Uplifting of any source is inadvisable, and a Shalin that wishes to enter the electromagnetic hellstorm of space is as rare as a winning lottery ticket.