Kyleth
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Kyledus Idealis, more commonly known as Kyleth or sometimes Kyld, is a sapient species native to northern Pelia, more specifically, almost exclusively to Kyldigard, with a small sub-species population known as the Kitan in Kitantis.
Kyleth are bipedal merfolk with many human-like features, such as their humanoid facial structure and facial fins, which often resemble human hair. It is widely considered the oldest and only extant species in the genus Kyledus, although this claim is disputed by the Kitan people of Kitantis, who proclaim themselved a so-called "sovereign species". Kyledus Idealis is significant for being the world's most complex genetically modified organism, with its roots being traced back to Kethesite genetic evolution engineering experiments around 150-200 AR. A partially amphibious species, Kyledus Idealis are found mostly on land but will often spend large sums of time underwater.
Genetic Traits
Coloration & Ethnicity
The Kyleth species is a diverse species which comes in many different types of scale color, as well as scale patterns. As the Kyleth are a sentient species, the different scale color groups are considered ethnic groups rather than seperate subspecies.
The peoples of the north and historic northeast of Kyldigard developed lighter scale tones, mostly palettes of blue, ivory, or other shades of off-white. These peoples are usually referred to as Moteul [ˌmɔ ˈtʏl] and Blic [ˈbli cˌ] respectively. The Moteul and especially Blic developed lighter scale tones during settlement due to the harsh cold weather and less sunny climate, while their southern brethren retained darker scale tones due to receiving more sunlight.
The peoples historically native to the west and southwest coasts, meanwhile, are typically mid-ranged in scale tones, with varied shades from orange-red to pinkish-red. These peoples are known as the Frezcij [ˈfr̥ɛ ʒijˌ]
Finally, the peoples of the historic southeast (now south-central) , more specifically around Lake Guwuk, are divided into two subgroups: the Comung [ˌcɔ məŋˈ] and the Scuejaj [ˈʃwɛ jäjˌ]. The Comung live in the southernmost parts of Kyldigard, mostly around the southern bank Vrrezcyth River, and have bright orange scales, whereas the Scuejaj live mostly around the Gizcazc River and east of the Vrrezcyth, although in recent decades, the Kyldigardian capital city of Muremysct has become an ethnically diverse metropolis, despite being located in what is traditionally Scuejaj land. The Scuejaj have a complex, multi-colored body pattern, akin to the patterns of one of the species' close evolutionary cousins, the Showa Goldfish.
There are giant variants of the northern Blezc and Motul ethnic groups known as the Eof [ˈɛ ɔfˌ] and Kytang [ˌkɪ täŋˈ] respectively, with the latter also known as the Kitan [ˈki tänˌ] in Kitantis specifically. Whether the Eof and Kitan/Kytang are ethnic groups of Kyleth or a seperate sub-species or even species (in the case of the Kitan) is politically disputed. In the cases in which it is not considered a part of Kyledus Idealis, it is given the unofficial name of Kyledus Perampla, or sometimes Kyledus Supremus by Kitantite scholars.
Body Proportions
Normally-sized adult Kyledus Idealis are on average between 50 and 86 inches in height, from their feet to their head. Their heads are comparable in proportion to that of the average human head, at around 9 inches from chin to skull, with the Kyleth head being about two centimeters longer at the back of the skull, and with Kyleth jaws being more effeminate and round than the average human jaw.
The average Kyleth armspan (from one fingertip to the other) is around 49 to 95 inches, excluding larger species variants.
Kyleth leg length (from hip to the ground) is typically about half their height, at around 3 feet on average.
Kyleth tails on average, when measured from base to end, are the same height as the rest of their body measured from the head to the ground.
The fins of a Kyleth typically measure from a few inches to a few feet in length and width depending on the fin's location on the body.
Kitan/Kytang and Eof Kylds are much bigger, around 115 to 200 feet tall with mostly the same bodily proportions. Their typical armspan is around 105 to 220 feet long and their leg length is around 80 to 105 feet on average. Their fins on all parts of their body also grow much proportionally longer and larger than typically-sized Kyleth.
Sociology & Behavior
Language
Over the course of the species' history, many different languages, pidgins, and creoles have been made for communication, however starting in 634 A.R. with the unification of Kyldigard proper, a process by which most languages of Kyldigard would be unified and assimilated began, leaving the Kyledo-Pelian language family with only one isolate language of Guarderruth for many centuries.
Around the 8th Century A.R., the Aravianist regions of southwest Kyldigard, who had been linguistically assimilated by the Khijovian-speaking occupiers, started to develop the beginnings of what would become the Fjojgym dialect of Khijovian, and upon re-integration, this dialect would only be influenced more and more by its Guarderruth surroundings, eventually leading to the modern, mostly intelligable dialect of the parent language.
The colonization of Kitantis in the 14th century lead to eventual dialect development in the region, which was only strengthened by its subsequent independence and nationalistic government takeover. Eventually, the language only known by outsiders as "Kitantite" or informally in older texts as "Kitan-Speak" developed and became the dominant language in the region.
Underwater, Kyleth communicate using a mixture of North Sea Sign Language, or NSSL, and a near-silent acoustic code language called the North Sea Kyld Pidgin (in Guarderruth, "Com Kyldij Zcungthear Merrm", literally "North Sea Kyldi Mixture", colloquially called "Cozcumerr" [ˈcɔ ʒə mɛrˌ]), which utilizes non-vocal bubble release patterns from the mouth and a series of click consonants to communicate without the use of most vocal sounds short-distance.