Shuddeni
Contents
Appearance
Shuddeni are subterranean, sapient humanoids who have a distinctive lack of eyes. They instead perceive the world with a passive, pseudo-psionic blindsight, allowing them to discern shapes and distances with ease. Their skin is grey in tone and noticeably wrinkled; they often apply scented oils to these folds as a cultural norm. Their bodies are hairless, making their most notable physical change during maturity the depth and prominence of their skin creases. While they can (and do) survive on the surface, shuddeni bodies are sensitive to sunlight, and become more easily fatigued when exposed to it.
Culture
Power, control, and command are the most significant factors to a shuddeni. Their natural intelligence and charisma allow them to often move quickly through academic or philosophical circles; when combined with their lust for authority, shuddeni make for obvious, if sociopathic, leaders. When in a position of command, they often believe that the inherent supremacy of their decisions or outlook make them superior-- and in turn, those who follow them often find themselves belittled, marginalized, or otherwise degraded. A shuddeni may act cooperatively, or encourage cooperation in others, but ultimately, anything which threatens his personal power or autonomy is anathema to them.
A shuddeni typically delights in violence, either their own, or those of their underlings. Their magical, and at times, physical, talents are almost always turned to this end; yet, even if they personally abstain from open war, their rhetoric will willingly compensate. Evil is a biological necessity to a shuddeni, influenced as they are by Tzet-Askhari. Functionally, to them, it is the only true constant. They believe its seed either should exist, or does exist, in all sapient life. This makes them despise all who encourage goodness, purity, peace, or compassion, as these concepts are, to them, merely veils which shroud a mortal's true and inalienable nature.
Relationships
The closest races to the shuddeni are the aelin and srryn. Aelin who have embraced evil often find significant commonality with the shuddeni, because their obsession with their own racial legacy dovetails well with shuddeni ideals of hierarchy. However, shuddeni often consider them needlessly decadent, easily distracted, and are unimpressed by their dramatic, self-aggrandizing narratives. In contrast, the srryn can appreciate the bloodthirsty shuddeni nature and their will to oppress others. The shuddeni laud the reptilian urge to dominate, but often consider them slow-witted and simple. This usually makes them particularly vicious henchmen rather than collaborators or friends.
The shuddeni find some connection to the caladaran, as their strong intellects make them well-matched to debate. However, they divide sharply on how the world should be, or which principles should guide it, making their bond somewhat tenuous. Nefortu, with their love of malicious tricks or open destruction, at times align with the shuddeni, but those partnerships often end when the former disrupt goals or ventures with their flighty, chaotic nature. Kankoran rarely align with shuddeni interests, making them incompatible unless drawn together by an outside force, such as the Coven of the Shunned. The alatharya frequently fear and avoid shuddeni, in part because of shuddeni cruelty, and in part because of their own divinely-forced neutrality. Ch'taren never suffer the shuddeni, leading to constant, open hostility between them. However, the most tortured relationship is with the chaja, whom the shuddeni have enslaved for centuries. Depending on that chaja's personal bent and background, he may be the most devoted servant, or the most uncompromising foe.
