Sylvan (species)

Sylvans '(silva domus)' are the only extant members of the subtribe Silvas. A terrestrial animal, Sylvans are characterized by their quadpedal locomotion. Though largely akin to humans in this regard, Sylvans have many unique characteristics that diversify them from their mammalian or humanoid counterparts. Sylvans posses a heavy fur coat, large ears (or rather, ears with large tympanic cavities) and frontal noses which make them easily distinguishable. Unlike many mammalian creatures, Sylvans possess ambidexitery in all four limb appendages.

Sylvans began to exhibit evidence of behavioral modernity around 50,000 years ago, with the first communities centered around sources of fresh water, a rare commodity in the frozen mountain valleys of their homeworld, Esylvana. Early Sylvan societies transitioned to sedentary agriculture approximately some 10,000 years ago, domesticating plants and animals, thus enabling the growth of civilization. These societies subsequently expanded, establishing various forms of government, religion, and culture around the world, and unifying people within regions to form states and empires. The rapid advancement of scientific and medical understanding permitted the development of fuel-driven technologies and increased lifespans, causing the Sylvan population to rise exponentially before three-fourths of the species was killed off in the nuclear war of 2003 (stellar calendar). However, since the cataclysm, the species' population has largely recovered.