Veyluu

The Veyluu (/ˈveɪ.luː/ VAYloo) are a nearly extinct race of small, furry mammals native to the planet Kheeban. They were the only sapient species on the planet prior to their near extinction. On average, they are 1.27 meters (4 feet, 2 inches) tall standing on their hind legs. They are ambipedal, able to walk in both orthograde and pronograde postures, with individuals choosing one or the other based on personal preference. They have high body mass, often weighing roughly 129.27 kilograms (285 pounds), with large amounts of thick, soft fat. Their mandible consists of two segments, similar to those of some Earth reptiles, allowing them to swallow prey much larger than themselves.

Veyluu are omnivores, though they are oddly picky eaters, with a particular dislike of foods with unusual textures. They primarily express affection physically, through contact such as hugging or snuggling, even among platonic friends. It is also not uncommon for them to temporarily swallow each other, though they seem to consider this an at least somewhat sexual act.

In Kheeban year 1245 PV (Earth year 2015 AD), a deadly pandemic broke out on the veyluu home world, rendering the species functionally extinct. Currently, Fletcher is widely believed to be the sole living Veyluu, though this is a misconception. Even so, the current number of surviving veyluu is quite small, estimated to be in the low hundreds, and the species is considered extinct. The pandemic that caused this extinction is still largely a mystery, but seems to be contained on the planet.

Biology and appearance
The Veyluu are a species of small, fat, furry mammals from the planet Kheeban, who are usually little more than a meter tall, though larger sizes are not unheard of. Their long necks comprise nearly half of their body length, not including their tails. They are covered in short, extremely soft fur, with longer patches on their heads, chests, and the soles of their feet. It can be almost any color and pattern, though all Veyluu have eyebrow spots and stripes on their necks, wrists, tails, and cheeks. Veyluu have high body mass, with large amounts of thick, soft fat, often weighing nearly 130 kilograms despite their small size. They tend to be bottom heavy, with most of their body fat concentrated on their wide hips, thighs, bellies, rumps, and tails. Their bodies are highly flexible, able to twist, bend, and wrap around objects with ease. All of their bodies' soft tissue has a high degree of elasticity. Veyluu have thick, muscular, prehensile tails, which can be used as an extra limb for both grasping and standing.

Their fore and hind paws are very different in a number of ways. Both their fore and hind paws have only four digits. Their hind paws are small and digitigrade, with no opposable digits. Their forepaws are significantly larger, plantigrade, and possess opposable digits, though they're short and fat, with somewhat less dexterity than human hands. The claws on both their fore and hind paws are retractable.

All sexes possess eight functioning mammary glands, the two on their chests being larger and more developed, with females' generally being larger than males'. The other six seem to be mostly vestigial. Their milk is slightly teal in color, with a faint garlic-like taste. It is highly fattening, and has a potent narcotic effect, which causes anyone who ingests it to fall asleep within minutes. Those who ingest it often experience some amount noticeable weight gain, proportional to the amount of milk consumed.

Veyluu have two mandibles connected by a stretchy ligament, similar to some Earth reptiles. They also possess small quadrate bones, allowing for an extremely wide range of motion of their jaws. This allows them to open their mouths wide enough to swallow objects several times their own size. The coronoid processes of the mandibles are small, seemingly vestigial, which may indicate that this ability was a relatively recent adaptation. They have six sharp incisors, the bottom two shorter and rounded, while the top four are long and form a triangular shape. Their cuspids and premolars are fairly typical of carnivorous mammals. Their four molars are broad and blade-like. Their pelvises and rib cages are also capable of spreading to accommodate large prey passing through their digestive systems.

The eyes of the Veyluu are fairly advanced. They are able to move independently of each other in order to look in multiple directions at once. They can also detect polarization of light more easily than most other species. Their irises contain complex, muscle controlled chromatophores, allowing them to change their eye color at will, with virtually no limitations on color and pattern. Their pupils are a distinctive diagonal figure eight shape under normal light conditions. In low light, they dilate into a roughly square shape, contracting into a narrow, dumbbell shaped slit in bright light. The Veyluu have excellent night vision. Their long ears are able to rotate for better directional listening. Like many other mammals, they have short whiskers on their faces. Their thick, prehensile tongues are long, roughly the same length as their standing height. On contact with bare skin, their saliva causes an extreme sensation of physical pleasure, often described as "intense" and "burning." It also acts as a very mild narcotic if ingested. The Veyluu are somewhat affected by their own saliva, but in very oddly selective ways. Unlike the rest of their bodies, the insides of their mouths are unaffected by the pleasure stimulation of their own saliva, but not the saliva of other Veyluu. They are also immune to their own saliva's narcotic effect but, again, not the saliva of other Veyluu. It is unknown exactly why this immunity is so selective. The Veyluu also possess multiple sets of vocal folds, allowing them to sing and speak in up to three different tones at a time.

The Veyluu are almost completely incapable of swimming. They have a very low tolerance to alcohol, getting drunk very easily, even with small amounts. They have the ability to regulate the rate of their digestion, speeding, slowing, and even completely stopping it at will. For reasons and by means unknown, Veyluu naturally produce large amounts of vanillin and allicin, giving them a pungent, sharp, warmly sour odor, similar to the Earth plant garlic. They also possess electroreceptors near their lips, which allow them to sense other living creatures under water, though this ability is seldom used due to their inability to swim. Out of water, these electroreceptors are only able to sense the electrochemical impulses of organisms they are in direct contact with.

Behavior
Veyluu are playful, curious creatures, with a fondness for games and activities. They especially enjoy playing in and around the water, despite their inability to swim. They also enjoy relaxing, spending much of their time resting in warm, dry places. The Veyluu are primarily crepuscular, and tend to be most active around dusk.

They are social creatures, seeking out the company of others, and becoming extremely lonely when isolated. Despite this, they also tend to be quite shy, disliking strangers and large crowds. Many Veyluu form small groups of very close mutual friends. They express affection primarily through physical contact, hugging, nuzzling, and snuggling being common among even platonic friends. One common social activity among friend groups is to gather for the sole purpose of snuggling each other all at once in a large pile, usually for hours at a time, and often falling asleep. This practice may be a holdover from more primitive nesting behavior. Veyluu often rub their elecroreceptors against loved ones, both as a sign of affection and a means of comforting themselves by sensing the "life force" of their loved ones.

The Veyluu are particularly drawn to shiny objects, and have been known to hoard them, many individuals having a particular favorite type of object. They are highly protective of their possessions, and become deeply upset if they are lost or damaged, even slightly. They also highly value hygiene and cleanliness, spending hours meticulously cleaning themselves before leaving their dens. Highly tactile creatures, they prefer to feel the ground under their feet, and dislike restrictive clothing. For this reason, they rarely wear anything that covers their paws.

Though omnivorous by nature, they are extremely selective of the food they eat. Many have a strong aversion to foods with unusual textures. They reject even foods they would enjoy the taste of simply due to the texture. For this reason, many have a strong dislike for most fungi, with a few notable exceptions. They may refuse to eat certain meats, while ravenously devouring different cuts of meat from the same animal. To further complicate matters, each individual has their own particular tastes and preferences. Despite their ability to swallow nearly anything whole, originally adapted specifically for devouring live prey, they often prefer to cut and chew their food. There are certain foods they will swallow whole, but this ability seems to be used primarily during mating and, on extremely rare occasions, fighting.

Reproduction
Veyluu reach maturity at 18 Kheeban years of age (22 Earth years). They seem to have no specific, established mating ritual, choosing a mate based on emotional attachment, often from among their group of friends. Veyluu engage in intercourse primarily for pleasure and, as such, the specifics of the mating process vary widely. However, they have been known to swallow each other as a part of the mating process. Veyluu romantic relationships are known to take many forms, between two or many partners of the same or different gender. Marriage is largely considered optional, and mated groups of Veyluu are generally considered to be married, whether or not they perform the marriage ceremony. Casual sex outside of mated groups is also not uncommon.

'The following information may be considered "not safe for work." Proceed with caution.' Veyluu have large genitals for their small size. Males have thick, cylindrical penises. When flaccid, they are very short and contained within a sheath, becoming several times larger when erect. The glans is round and nearly flat, flaring out when the penis is erect. Between the glans and preputial ring, there are six petal-like ridges along the top of the penis, and six small barb-like nubs along the bottom. These ridges and bumps are soft and fleshy. There is a large knot at the base of the penis, which engorges when erect. The sheath itself has what is often described as a pair of thick, sensitive, human-like lips. The genitals are almost completely hairless, apart from a long ridge of soft fur that runs along the middle of the scrotum. Veyluu semen is phosphorescent.

Females have thick, soft, fleshy, smooth labia, which form an inverted Y shape. This shape is the result of a short, prehensile, retractable tentacle at the base of the labia, which contains the urethra. The flat, interior side of this tentacle is covered in several highly sensitive erectile nubs. This tentacle can be used to grip a male's penis while mating, but also allows females to more easily urinate while standing.

Despite being mammals, Veyluu are oviparous. Females lay large, iridescent eggs in clutches of one or two at a time. After fertilization, the females carry the eggs for roughly two months as they develop. Their eggs vary widely in color, with shades of blue and green being the most common. The umbilical connecting the embryos to their yolk sacs leave more pronounced scars than those of other oviparous animals, resulting in distinct navels. Females can voluntarily develop and lay unfertilized eggs, though this is uncommon, as the process consumes a lot of time and resources, and serves little purpose.

The parents take it in turns to wrap their bodies around the eggs to keep them warm until they hatch. The eggs hatch roughly six months after being laid. The hatchlings are small, blind, and covered in soft, fluffy fur. For several months, the hatchlings are unable to stand or walk on their own, and require constant care from their parents.

Society and culture
Veyluu society is fairly simple. They have no single centralized currency, instead trading shiny objects for goods and services. Anything shiny can be used as currency, though certain objects are more commonly used in various regions, with objects from other regions often holding more value due to their increased rarity. Despite their somewhat greedy, materialistic nature, they do not believe in paying for necessities, and consider it immoral to require payment for food, water, shelter, or medical care.

Mandatory work is a concept Veyluu are largely unfamiliar with. Though there are certain tasks that must be completed to maintain a functional society, many of these are done voluntarily, with no compensation of any kind, simply to benefit society as a whole. Though there are businesses, they tend to be small, usually operated by a single individual or family, trading luxuries for shiny objects.

Due to their fondness for cleanliness and hygiene, Veyluu wash and moisturize their paws upon entering or exiting any building. Failing to do so is considered extremely rude. They have also been known to keep the streets of their towns and cities spotlessly clean. Their streets are often so clean that one could eat dropped food directly off the ground without risking even minor illness.

Since the Veyluu were granted space travel capability, there has been no central government, with towns creating their own simple rules, and leaving their enforcement to their residents.

Veyluu live in small, underground, den or burrow-like homes. These homes are usually built in hillsides in order to allow many of them to be built in a relatively small space. The doorways of these homes are often circular. The layouts of these homes are often somewhat similar, with a large central living room surrounded by smaller rooms, all connected to each other by tunnel-like hallways.

On rare, often significant occasions, Veyluu have been known to coat their fur in brightly colored powders. Different colors have different meanings, and some are unique to certain cultures and subcultures. The powder is usually applied by vigorously rolling around in it. Many of these powders are considered a luxury, and are often fairly expensive, though there are a few exceptions.

The traditional Veyluu marriage ceremony is a small, intimate, private event, usually consisting only of those who are to be joined in matrimony and one other individual, chosen as a witness by mutual agreement by the spouses. Those involved gather in a small, secluded place at twilight, completely nude. The spouses' fur is decorated in intricate patterns using a luminous paint made from wijoa mushrooms, with their genitals completely coated in the paint. Traditionally, these patterns prominently feature images of Veyluu eyes. The spouses present each other with a gift, most commonly an object hand made from natural materials. Each drinks an extremely sweet ceremonial wine, made from syfroa fruit. They then join hands and tongues for several moments to signify their union, at which point the ceremony is considered complete, and the spouses embrace. It is customary for the spouses to retire to one of their dens to mate.

Language
For centuries, the veyluu had their own spoken and written language, which was universal to all veyluu regardless of nationality or culture. How this language was formed and became so ubiquitous is still poorly understood. However, during their brief and disastrous attempt at colonizing Earth, the veyluu adopted English as their main spoken language. Over time, their own native language was all but lost, with only some words remaining in common use.

The veyluu have their own alphabet which, unlike their language, is still in common use, remaining the main form of writing among the species. The alphabet consists of 26 complex symbols, comprised of straight lines and circles, which roughly correspond to Earth's Roman alphabet.

Prehistory
The earliest known ancestors of the veyluu were aquatic cephalopods, similar in many ways to Earth octopodes. Despite the huge physiological differences between these aquatic ancestors and modern veyluu, they are actually very closely related. Modern veyluu actually evolved from their cephalopod ancestors alarmingly quickly, within the span of less than half a millennium. The cause of this rapid evolution is still unknown.

Ante Visitation Era
Prior to the event the veyluu refer to as the Visitation, Kheeban was largely ruled by two empires, the Tholmid empire on Thrumlir, and the Fo'Sha empire on Ja'jhera. Throughout the course of veyluu history, these two empires fought many brutal, bloody wars, claiming thousands of lives.

In the year 5 AV, both empires launched expeditions to find alternate routes to the opposing empire's home continents, Fo'Sha's navy traveling west, and Tholmid's traveling east. However, they instead discovered a third continent, Maateru. What followed was one of the most bloody wars in Kheeban history, as the two empires fought to conquer this new land, enslaving and murdering many of its people. As the war raged on, the death toll became so great that the extinction of the veyluu species seemed imminent.

The Visitation
Near the end of the war, both empires set their sights on the beachfront town that would later come to be known as Tranquilus, on Maateru's west coast. It was one of the last territories unclaimed by either army, and one of the most major sources of pearls, highly valued by veyluu due to their shininess. At the time, Tranquilus was one of the few safe havens for Maateru's natives, who had largely been driven out of their homeland by the invading empires. On the final day of 1 AV (Earth Date May 26, 476 AD), on the eve of the Veyluu new year, the two armies marched on the town. The two armies met in the center of the town, as terrified natives fled or barricaded themselves in their dens. A storm was brewing overhead, and distant thunder rumbled in the iron grey sky above as heavy winds lashed, kicking up the sand. Just as the two armies were drawing their bows, a blinding emerald light broke through the clouds above, and a strange, metal ship descended, coming to rest between the two armies.

Despite being such a pivotal moment in veyluu history, many of the specific details of this event have since been lost. The ship was piloted by members of an advanced alien species, though which species specifically is still unclear. The veyluu, in awe of their power and initially believing them to be gods, dropped their weapons and fell to their knees immediately. The arrival of this alien species completely changed veyluu society and culture, causing them to largely abandon concepts of wealth, nationality, race, and religion. It put an immediate end to all war on Kheeban, and ushered in an age of space exploration for the veyluu, as their alien visitors gave them thirteen ships as a gift.

Colonization of Earth
More information coming soon.

Post Visitation Era
More information coming soon.

Kheeban Veyluu Extinction
On the first day of 1245 PV, at approximately 4:50 AM local time, a strange pattern of violet light was spotted in the night sky over the lake in the center of the city of Carcosa. Shortly afterwards, an unidentified object entered the planet's atmosphere and landed in the lake, displacing a large volume of water and causing major flooding. Over the course of the following week, local veyluu began experiencing headaches, dizziness, and nausea. These symptoms soon began to gradually spread across the planet, greatly intensifying. Those effected soon began experiencing paranoid delusions, hallucinations, and frequent anxiety attacks. Victims became completely verbally inarticulate and extremely hostile towards other veyluu, viciously attacking them on sight. Within months, the first few began falling into comas. Neural scans indicated that, in this comatose state, victims continued to experience a state of acute terror.

Shortly after the plague began, a team of wooly researchers were sent by their queen to study the plague and its effects. They were given strict orders not to intervene in its spread, or to create a vaccine or cure, if such could be created. Though subject to extensive research, no cause for this ailment was ever determined, though it seemed largely contained on Kheeban. Eventually, the victims of the mysterious ailment began suddenly dying, seemingly for no reason whatsoever. Oddly, neural scans showed that, for a brief period prior to death, the terror that gripped them in their comatose state gave way to calm. However, as more veyluu died, the rate at which the afflicted fell comatose increased sharply.

As the plague worsened, one of the wooly researchers defied orders and called for the complete evacuation of Kheeban with the assistance of the Galaxy Elites. This act saved the remaining few living veyluu, but was deemed treasonous by the wooly government, outlawing the researcher who called for the evacuation and branding them a traitor to the crown.

Following the eighth month of 1245 PV, all attempts at communication with Kheeban have been unsuccessful, and scans for living veyluu on the planet's surface have yielded negative results. It is estimated that fewer than 200 veyluu remain alive, though Fletcher is currently the only documented surviving member of the species.