Venus: Vartons

[The Charon]

This carbon dioxide-breathing, carnivorous, predominantly male species are fighters and proud of it. They are humanoid, and dinosaurian, draconian, or raptor-like in appearance, and gifted with powerful teeth, claws, and a damaging tail. They can spit acid, and females can breathe fire as well.
Females are rarer than males and are natural leaders, able to think clearly in stressful situations despite their own tendencies towards violence. A rare few females, upon reaching certain secret qualifications, undergo a ritual that transforms them from bipedal dragon-like beings into huge dragons. These Queens are massive and are able to lay many clutches at a time. They live for centuries and are the rulers of nations.
When angered, Vartons can vent excess sulfur and oxygen along their frills, causing a fiery effect. They do not do very well in an Earth-standard atmosphere- to a Varton, the air is too thin (too much nitrogen, not enough Carbon Dioxide or Oxygen)

Only females are capable of magic, though in theory a male with enough practice may be able to manage a few small spells.

A common slang term for them is 'dragons' and 'dinos'. Their blood is a hot sulfurous yellow and though they are able to produce a great deal of heat internally, they do poorly in cold environments because their scales do not insulate them well.

(Naming Conventions: Think gruff and brutish. Males, especially, often have brief, tough names - Grak, Brug, Takkit, Mork. Females would have longer names, but still hard syllables. G's, K's, T's and R's are common.)  

[The Charon]

Biology

Vartons are large, carnivorous lizard-like creatures with keen eyes, a keen sense of smell, and excellent hearing. They are also quite fast and have many natural weapons, including sharp claws and teeth, a painful flail of a tail, the ability to vent sulfate ions and heat as flame from their fins and tail ends, and the ability to spit concentrated acid. Females also are able to breathe a concentrated blast of sulfurous flame, possibly due to their innate magical power.

They breathe in Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen, and their respiratory systems are able to handle Sulfur and Sulfuric acid as well. They split carbon atoms from oxygen atoms using injested protein to fuel the reaction and provide them with energy. Like earth creatures, they have a problem with free oxygen radicals and additionally an overabundance of sulfate ions. To deal with this, they vent extra oxygen and sulfate, as well as heat, as flame from special organs on their fins. This doubles as a defense and a display.

Vartons have uneven sexual distributions. There are many more males than females, on at least a 10-1 ratio and sometimes (especially on Charon) more than that. Males tend to be built for speed and energy consumption, with large claws and frills for showing off and fighting. Females tend to be built for more sustained strength, with smoother lines. Females are also generally (with some exceptions) more intelligent than males, and can use magic and breathe fire. They are also longer lived.

There are usually very few actively reproducing females. these are the ‘Queens’. When a Queen dies or if an oppurtunity comes, the ‘ladies in waiting’, a group of females (often related to the same queen but sometimes not) will fight each other to take her place. The winner, powered by the endorphins, social pressure, and a secret ritual, undergoes a shocking transformation from a bipedal humanoid with semivestigal wings to something that could rightly be called a dragon. Varton Queens are extremely long lived, large, and very powerful, as well as capable of flight. They are the rulers of the Vartons.
Non reproductive females (sometimes termed princesses) usually act as Varton diplomats, surrounded by a male guard. Male harems are kept, and clutches are large.

They bleed a sulferous yellow that burns the skin of other species, as it is acidic and very hot.

Color Specs:
Vartons are lizard or reptilian patterned in muddy or partially desaturated tones. They range from dark reds, to dark yellows, to browns and blacks. Females can be blue or green, and to find these colors in male patterns is extremely rare, as are whites, purples, and pinks in any gender.

Their horns and the ribs on the frills and wings are either a bright bone white or yellow, the frill and wingmemranes being similar to the body color, except either lighter or darker.

Their eye colors are most commonly a bright, intense yellow. It is less common, but possible, for bright green, bright blue, bright red, dark blue, dark green, or dark red eyes. It is extremely rare to see black eyes, but not impossible.

 

[The Charon]

History

Society/Beliefs:
Vartons believe that everything can be solved with violence. Brawls are common, as is outright murder. Though Vartons are most likely to attack other Vartons, they have been known to get into fights with other species as well.

Originally, their society on Venus was a nest of wars and diplomacies between kingdoms ruled by Queen Vartons. They didn't do much science and were focused on their lands and each other. First contact by the Enchloro and later the Humans , Lurians, and Dioti changed this. Vartons, having previously treated areas where extraterrestrial probes had landed as sites of superstition- to be feared- they instead began to use it to invent weapon and transport technologies. They mainly did piracy, banditry, and mercenarial work for and to other species, but the nations of Vartia (Venus) were actually threatening war on the Sol System alliance when the Zoo invaded.

A truce was formed and they aided in the construction of the Charon.

Their society is ruled by the queen, who is often mother to thousands of Vartons. It is managed by her 'ladies in waiting', the princesses who seek to gain favor, and perhaps, eventually be transformed into Queen Vartons. All other citizens are the males, who are primarily soldiers or, if not that, warriors. There are a few scientists and philosophers among them, however.

Their representative on the Charon is a decorated Princess and her two most trusted bodyguards. She is considered to represent all Varton interests on Charon, regardless of kingdom or queen.

 

[The Charon]

On Charon

Vartons are brave and tough, making them excellent footsoldiers and explorers. They can also handle situations that would kill other weaker species (though they are not invulnerable like Hadans) and are sent in when a problem needs a simple solution.
in more ways than one! Because of their belligerent nature, male Vartons make up much of the Outlaw population in the Bilge. Because the queens tend to keep a tight hold on their females, Female Outlaws are rare- there is only one known one, and possibly a few more in the wings.
They keep to their own wastelands, mainly, but a few have made lives for themselves outside of their kingdom. Some males of a more philosophical or scientific bent find that being away from their brothers and sisters is healthier for them, and some genuinely like the company of other species.
However, on Charon, their inner anger and natural weapons cause them to be treated with a wariness that limits the success of any who try to succeed in pursuits other than those that require brawn.

Attitudes:
In general Varton society, as long as you are a fierce warrior, that is all that matters. To them, the other races seem soft.

The Heraculeans have the right idea, but are too into inner harmony. This is baffling to most Varton.

The Lurians have no discipline, and the Nayame are wimpy to a fault.

The Dioti are also wimps, but the females respect their magical abilities.

If anything, the Varon are favorable to humans- who can be very ruthless warriors and are good at making up for their weakness- and the Enchloro, who they see as equals in discipline.

They have no opinion on the Deriviapods or the Hadans.