II Mythos Races Family Gnorri are confused by many things that surface dwellers take for granted, but the concept of family may well be the most alien to their kind While gnorri value companionship and engage in something akin to sexual intercourse with favored partners, such actions are not linked to the act of perpetuating the species (see Life Cycle below for details) In any event, as a result of their unusual “childhoods,” no gnorri knows or much cares about the identity of its parents or how many siblings it might have, and a gnorri never really desires to know its children Gnorri are capable of forming friendships, and these can last for entire lifetimes in some cases, yet the concept of familial love is a curiosity at best to the gnorri Life Cycle Upon reaching maturity, a gnorri plankton achieves the size and rough shape of something akin to a humansized eel It sheds its skin one final time and emerges a gnorri, growing to full size after another three or so years spent in constant hunger Since gnorri are fully capable of laying and fertilizing eggs immediately upon emerging from this eel-like shape, they can be biologically considered mature adults, but in most cases they wait until they are full grown to seek roles in gnorri society Once a gnorri reaches its full size, its metabolism slows dramatically Whereas it takes only a few years for a gnorri to go from freshly-hatched plankton to fullsized member of its race, an adult gnorri can live for centuries unless killed through violence, misadventure, or illness A gnorri becomes middle aged at 150 years, old at 250 years, and venerable at 500 years Once Once or twice a month, a female gnorri expels a mass venerable age is reached, though, a gnorri’s body swiftly of eggs from her body, abandoning them to drift on begins to degrade, and the fluidity of its flesh and bones the currents These eggs can drift for days or even rapidly vanishes Upon becoming venerable, a gnorri weeks before losing viability When in the presence of loses their ability to adjust the number of their arms gnorri eggs, a male gnorri exudes sperm in an almost and the protective features of their amorphous entrails unconscious reaction more akin to sweating than They live every moment of their life in increasing pain, sexual release Once fertilized, gnorri eggs hatch within causing most venerable gnorri to take their own lives 24 hours into microscopic plankton-like creatures that or to seek death via the great walk For a gnorri that is drift and churn among others in their myriad numbers not killed prior to the natural expiration of life, death Since it is traditional among gnorri to exude their comes painfully as a rigor mortis-like condition sets eggs in certain designated areas, and numerous gnorri in within months, resulting first in general paralysis, use the same areas to store their eggs, there’s really no followed shortly thereafter by heart failure and death way to keep track of how many hundreds or thousands of children might arise each generation or to identify the parents Most newborn gnorri are consumed by predators, but the sheer volume of young ensures enough survive the two to four months it takes to grow to adulthood During this time, the gnorri shed their outer skin multiple times to make way for their rapidly expanding bodies Society Family ties are only one surface-creature “tradition” that is lost upon the gnorri As they have no concept of heredity or birthright, no true aristocracy exists among the gnorri In a gnorri settlement, accomplishments are what determine merit, rather than bloodline or pedigree As gnorri age, they seek greater accomplishments, and as a result, leaders among the gnorri tend to be older 31