Aiae

The Aiae are a species of intelligent, semi-humanoid creatures who inhabit the continent of Aia. They are primarily arboreal, building their cities and homes among the branches of trees and on the ground below. Highly gregarious, they actively seek out and incorporate elements from other cultures and locations as a means of both education and growth.

Physical Description
The Aiae are both very large and very complexly built beings. Their bodies consist of a very animalistic lower body which includes six legs and a lengthy, whip-like tail, and a more humanoid upper half, which has two arms and the head.

Their legs are built for both speed and climbing. They are highly agile, and able to move quickly even through dense and tangled brush and undergrowth. The tail is not prehensile, but serves as both a balance and a defense mechanism, though that is rarely used by modern Aiae.

Their arms and hands tend to be proportionally longer than most other species with humanoid characteristics and they possess a total of 12 fingers. Their hands are delicately boned, which allows them the dexterity necessary to be able to perform complex tasks that require fine movement.

Their facial features bear a strong resemblance to many of the other species found on Miran, in that they have relatively large, often slanted, eyes and a semi-flat nose. Mouths are proportionate to the size of the head, though not all Aiae have well-defined lips.

All Aiae are covered completely in scales. These scales may range from being large and rocky to extremely fine and almost skin-like. Coloration tends to fall within earth tones, favoring browns, greys, greens, and occasionally reds and dark yellows. Mutations can occur, and white or black Aiae are not unheard of.

Some Aiae also have hair, though this is rare and is mostly found in Aiae who have another species in their genetic background.

There is little sexual dimorphism within the Aiae. The average full length for both males and females is between 27' and 34', including the tail.

Population
There are 4,875,000 Aiae on Miran. The entire population is concentrated within the continent of Aia.

Language
The primary language of the Aiae is Pfise. However, many Aiae also speak Miranen and Meccai.