Biology
Tever are humanoids descended from mesothermic ambush predators. They possess distinctive long and pointed ears, which act as heat sinks – by diffusing heat through the ears, the Tever’s actual body becomes less obvious to thermally sensitive prey. The bright patterns on their faces and limbs evolved as a threat display, and are often accentuated or altered with tattoos and/or scarification.
Tever ancestors were strict or obligate carnivores – modern tever are able to synthesize the necessary compounds they would otherwise only get from the meat of their prey. Tever are reliant on their diets to regulate their body heat, as hot foods (such as fresh meat) and drinks raise their core temperature to replace the heat lost through the head and ears. Slow-release MRE packs alleviate the need for Tever to hunt and eat continuously, as was once necessary.
Tever infants are hairless, rugose and quite helpless. Their heads and mouths are lined with patches and patterns of bright colour, which evolve as they age into the distinctive patterns on their faces. These patterns allowed their caretakers to spot and identify their young through the dense foliage of their homeworld; Tever children do not cry, a necessary adaptation towards stealth in their evolutionary history.
The age of physical maturity in Tever is around 20 years, though the age of majority – defined in philosophical terms as the age at which one should have discovered their purpose – is 35. Their average modern lifespan is approximately 70 years; a great improvement over the historical average, which was skewed considerably downward due to the dangers in their lifestyle.
Though dampened by their lives in polite society, the natural instincts of Tever are strong – especially in the young, who are often driven to hide and “pounce” on their playmates in order to develop hunting skills. Even older Tever are prone to outbursts of savagery and hostility when pushed, though these fight-or-flight reactions are generally confined to emotional outbursts rather than physical violence. For this reason, Tever are often shown more patience than other species regarding instinctive displays of their temper, but they are still expected to follow and uphold Alliance law to the same standard as anyone else.
The Tever are known for the Scora (scoh-rah, “bark-like”) subculture, one of the few practices of their species which survived the latter day obliteration of their history. Scora Tever perform cosmetic scarification on themselves and each other to accentuate the threatening qualities of their appearance. Such modifications range from cutting notches into the ears or raising keloid ridges over the nose, to extensive carving of the face so that it resembles a fearsome mask.
