The Five Nations

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Serenghe are small, flying humanoid creatures that inhabit the world of Mencu. They are extremely diverse in appearances and even behaviors, but their intelligence level is the same as that of humans, if not greater. They are very much humanoid in their appearance, but there are several very prominent differences that set them apart.

Biology
Serenghe are very much like humans in the ways of biology, but there are several distinct differences between the two species. Serenghe typically stop growing between the heights of 3'3" and 3'8", but seldom grow taller than 4 feet (the tallest man ever recorded was 5'0"; the tallest woman was 4'10") in height, and typically only weigh between 40 and 65 lbs [Serenghe that reach 4 feet in height typically weigh around 80]. They possess large feathered wings, which is part of the reason for their slightly larger weight in proportion to their height. These wings are not simply for show; they are fully functional, and Serenghe can fly great speeds, heights, and distances with them.

Serenghe also have retractable claws on their fingers and toes, and said claws are retracted beneath the nails of the hands and feet. Their teeth are also considerably sharper, but are not large enough to be considered fangs. They possess keen eyes and very keen ears with a pointed shape. All of these attributes, as well as a reaction time of about 0.02 seconds, make the Serenghe great natural hunters.

It is also worthy of noting that the Serenghe have a rainbow of eye and hair colors. Their wing colors are similar, although only supernaturals possess golden wings. These traits appear to be independent of genetics, for although some things such as the style of hair and the physical/facial structure follow into one's offspring, there is no guarantee that said offspring will have similar eye, hair, or wing colors. Even different skin colors have been seen on numerous occasions.

Serenghe have full heads of hair from birth until death, but they lack hair anywhere else on their body, except their eyebrows/eyelashes, as well as some facial hair on males. Their wings are feathered, and this never changes. These wings are notoriously durable, almost to the point where they can act as shields.

Serenghe have a myriad of skin colors, ranging from a light color down to dark brown. lighter skinned Serenghe are classified as Koldians, while those with the darkest skin are called Tenscimors. Brown-skinned Serenghe that fall between these two groups are known as Clazmars.

Gender Differences
As with humans and various other species, there are plentiful distinct differences between male Serenghe and female Serenghe. There are certain aspects where the two genders are more alike than in other species, but the differences remain distinct.

Men
Male Serenghe typically have broader shoulders, are slightly taller, and are generally stronger than women. This is not always the case though, as an individual female may be stronger than an individual male. Men's voices tend to be deeper, and they grow facial hair. Men are more likely to shrug off injuries than women, and have slightly larger amounts of chi energy. Men are also more likely to be born with the Voice of Hachi, though it is much more noticeable in women.

Women
Female Serenghe generally have wider hips to facilitate childbirth, and have distinct breasts as humans do. However, because of the structure of their wings and limbs, they are typically faster than men. This too is not universal; individual males can be swifter than individual females. Women are much more likely to be born as Zaderei than men are, and they tend to have curlier (or perhaps messier) hair than men. While women tend to also have keener motion senses than men, they are also more likely to be born blind.

Behavior
Men and women also behave differently in certain situations. Men tend to be more passive, while women are usually swift to turn aggressive. Female Serenghe typically are swift to get defensive, and will resort to clawing and biting early in combat, particularly with other creatures besides Serenghe. Outside of threatening situations, women are typically very analytical, observing as much as they can about the situation before making a move. Men typically observe their opponents more in a dangerous situation, and so in combat, men typically exploit a woman's aggressiveness, while women exploit a man's passiveness.

However, it is worth noting that just because men are more passive does not mean they dislike fighting--they are typically just slower to anger, most likely due to their own levels of emotional control. Female Serenghe are notoriously fierce, and even many other creatures of Mencu are aware of this aspect.

Gender-to-Gender Associations
Although there is a gap between strength and speed of men and woman, this gap is much smaller in them than in humans. As a result, there is no cultural shame in a man attacking a woman first. Also, there is less humiliation in a man being beaten by a woman. Serenghe of both genders know the danger of an angered creature of their own species, and since women typically get aggressive much sooner than men, it applies more to them.

Despite these differences, men and women continue to be regarded as equals on Mencu, and one's gender will not give one any advantage or disadvantage in society by default.

Natural Abilities
Serenghe are born with several human-like instincts, but also possess many natural survival skills, which include utilizing their claws, fangs, wings, and most prominently, their elemental abilities. Serenghe are omnivores, and will eat just about anything they can find if they need to. The perks of their civilization are things that they claim are just "for convenience." For the most part, they are correct. There have been entire cities obliterated, and the inhabitants simply took to the surrounding wildernesses to survive--where they all did.

Serenghe use their swift reflexes to exploit creatures with slower reaction times. Against other Serenghe, this typically results in several fast-paced fights when combat is initiated, and also brings to life an old Serenghe psychology of "when everyone is special, no one is", which just means that since everyone has "special powers", they are not considered unusual.