The Ionait

"Whatever you do, do NOT give one of these things a hug. You'll have to spend days washing all the slime off."
-Leon

Overview
The ionait are the second member of the Delgasi races, alongside the ascari and okrams. Often referred to as slimy sea witches, they live up to their name because their whole specie is dependant on their natural affinity for magic. They're also the artisans and tailors of the Delgasi races, and are known as the only amphibious member of them, being able to thrive on land and sea water.

Biography
Ionait are ambhibious creatures resembling salamanders and axolotls. The body structures of males and females vary greatly, but they all generally have external gills like those of an axolotl's, a row of fleshy spines from their head to their upper back, three pairs of whiskers, four eyes, and four nostrils. They have arms with four-digit hands, including a thumb. Their feet are webbed, and a long eel-like fin runs down the length of their tail. Their blood is blueish-purple blood and have amphibious lungs that they use to respire when on land. They also produce a lot of slime on their body for protection against attacks, be they microbial or physical. A remarkable part of the ionait is that they're boneless. Instead, they keep the shape of their bodies via an internal vascular system separate from the one that carries their blood. This system is filled with a thick jelly that the Ionait pressurize throughout their bodies to maintain their form. This is enough to maintain their bodies even when subjected to full gravity when on land. They can also use this system to stretch their body parts like taffy. Because of this trait, one cannot easily crush an ionait or tear them apart.

Females (right) appear fat and girthy. Their size and mass does make them a lot less agile and slower than the males, but they have more magical powers. their heads have the traditional shape of a salamander's and their arms appear to possess no wrists. They also have much shorter, but stronger legs. Females have slower metabolism than males, and so they have longer lifespans.

Males (left) are slim and lanky. They display the full extent of their boneless physique with their erratic twisting in the water and energetic movement on land. Their limbs are longer than those of females, and they're capable of much faster movement and reaction. Their snout protrude past their mouth. However, their faster metabolism also means they have a shorter average lifespan than females.

Sociology
Before the Delgasian republic, ionait live in tribes. They have a female-dominant society and their tribes are lead by a matriach. Males often do the more laborous works while females maintain things like economical, spiritual and social issues, though no true prejudice exist among them. Their society is very traditional pagan-like, deeply revering and respecting nature and take their task in protecting their lands very seriously. Their society revolves around maintaining the cycle of life and death in the world around them. They spread seeds and coral larvae in the right current, and protect and exterminate certain wildlife to keep this balance. They even go to the extent of viciously attacking the ascari and okrams that invaded their land, pitting their magic against machine and might.

Despite their pagan society, the ionait are not peaceful like the ascari are. Naturally, they prefer to avoid trouble, but they will attack without warning if you enter their sacred grounds. Disrupting and damaging the environment is also a good way to piss them off.

In the current age, under the new Delgasian republic, the ionait's ways has changed little. Now, each tribe's matriach answers to the republic, otherwise their hierarchy remains unchanged. They're also more tolerant of visitors now, but they retain thair wariness against anyone who isn't ascari, ionit or okram. Perhaps they won't respond to intrusion by killing, but they will still make their point known via their curses and hexes. It is this behaviour that resulted in the Delgasians' notorious isolationist standpoint.

Technology
Ionait have the lowest tech level; tribal-aged tech compared to the ascari's future-aged and the okrams' medieval-aged ones. Their affinity for magic more than makes up for their low tech level, and their traditional crafts are well-made and can catch even the fancy of a future man. They mostly wield wands, staves and charms made of plants, bones and coral to bolster their magical powers.

Magic
Ionait have been using magic before they even gained sentience. With all that time, they've perfected their spells to the point of notoriety across the galactic cluster. Their affinity for magic is the reason why ionait have low tech levels and prefer to stay that way even during the time of the Delgasian Republic. From the ability to shift the lands to commanding flora and fauna to even inflicting supernatural illness. Master mages among the ionait can display the true extent of their people's power by cheating death itself.

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Huzzah! The second of the Delgasi races, now complete! This took way too long! As usual, ask about them if ou so wish. I cannot think of anything else to write; it is late here and I am sleepy.