H'nemthe (Jedi Renaissance)

H'nemthe were a reptilian species native to the terrestrial world H'nemthe in the of the galaxy.

Biology and appearance
A race of reptilians, the H'nemthe were a sentient species of reptiles. The H'nemthe people were bipedal beings with a bilateral symmetry, having a front and a back end, as well as an upside and downside. Their body comprised a head, neck, torso, and four limbs. The upper limbs, called arms, ended in hands which had four fingers each; the lower ones, called legs, also ended in feet with four digits. H'nemthe fingers had multiple points of articulation, and one of them was an opposable thumb that allowed for fine manipulation. Each digit was tipped by straight, tough claw. Finally, they had one head perched atop a torso with a square skull comprised of two forward-facing eyes, a long gently curved nose, tympanic membranes for hearing, and double rows of cheekbones. The top of their head was crowned by four short horns, called conelets, which functioned as heat-detectors which allowed them to hunt as well as detect the moods in others. Their small mouth, concealed under folds of flesh, was filled with both grinding and canine teeth. Their tongue was razor-sharp, and could lash out to assist in striking down prey. H'nemthe had a three-chambered heart consisting of two atria, one variably partitioned ventricle, and two aortas that lead to systemic circulation of oxygen-rich blood. A cold-blooded species, they had limited physiological means of keeping their body temperature constant and relied on external sources of heat. An omnivorous reptilian, the H'nemthe were skilled hunters, using their conelets to detect prey in the wilderness, even at night. Other then the occasional hunt, H'nemthe typically sustained themselves off of fruits and vegetables. Female H'nemthe were strictly herbivores until their mating ritual, where they cannibalized their mate.

H'nemthe had two sexes: male and female, with the latter being distinguished by their overall smaller stature and lighter coloration. Members of the H'nemthe race could not interbreed naturally with any other race. Despite overall physiological uniformity, H'nemthe varied greatly in appearance, and no two looked exactly alike. One of the diversity factors was height. H'nemthe averaged 1.7 meters in height, although males were usually taller and heavier than females. A nocturnal species, the H'nemthe had golden eyes adapted to daylight conditions when society began to develop, with color vision and advanced visual depth perception as well. H'nemthe were sexually-reproduced animals, requiring the mating of an opposite sex couple to produce offspring. H'nemthe mating ritual involved the male fertilizing the eggs of the female, before the female cannibalized their mate by disemboweling him with her tongue. Because there were approximately 20 H'nemthe males to every female, all eggs were under protection of the state and it was considered treasonous to the species to abort, mishandle, or otherwise harm an egg or child. Breaking out of their eggs on their own, H'nemthe crawled on all four limbs for three weeks before learning to stand. According to the Principles of Freedom, the legal transition from childhood to adulthood was only attained after eleven standard years of life. H'nemthe had an average lifespan of 75 standard years. Those who were keenly attuned to the Force could live up to 150. At any rate, individuals past the age of 85 were considered to have reached an age worthy of veneration. Natural signs of ageing in H'nemthe included the dulling of the skin, the loss of teeth, and loss of motor-function. Old H'nemthe would experience a decline in many cognitive processes, frequently losing track of time, misidentifying people or places and, in extreme cases, momentarily forgetting about their own identity or state.

Government
A peaceful, pacifist species, the H'nemthe adapted to their life on their tumultuous homeworld by eliminating the harshest aspects of emotions from their daily life. Once civilization was fully established on the world, the H'nemthe as a people celebrated the principles of unity, balance, and spiritual well-being. To this end, all H'nemthe were invested in the health of their society and in their planet, viewing prosperity as a shared communal state, not something one individual could achieve over another. Participating in a direct democracy, the government was made up of female officials, as the males often had short lifespans due to the H'nemthe mating ritual. The Planetary Senate on H'nemthe consisted of delegates selected by local governments from across the world, and ruled in the stead of an executive officer.

Customs
The highly structured H'nemthe society was shaped by the natural ratio of the H'nemthe sexes: only one female was born for every twenty males. Despite this imbalance, their culture was based primarily on the search for true love and the creation of new life, which they considered to be the ultimate in spiritual fulfillment. When a female H'nemthe consummated her relationship with a male, she eviscerated him with her knife-shaped tongue, considering it a proof of love. As a result, male and female H'nemthe mated very rarely, and then only in the case of true love. Since virgin females were rare, they lived a sheltered existence, and were seldom allowed to leave their homeworld. Strict traditions also restricted virgin females to a vegetarian diet, ensuring that their first lover's flesh was the first meat they tasted. The males of the species were timid and spent a considerable amount of their adult lives looking for true love. Many outsiders considered the deadly H'nemthe mating rituals to be a bizarre contradiction in an otherwise peaceful society. H'nemthe philosophers disagreed, however, pointing out that life coming from death was the way of the universe. In their beliefs, death was merely a change in form that paved the way for future generations. H'nemthe believed that a male killed after mating would receive the ultimate spiritual reward by going on to the netherworld to act as a spiritual guardian for his offspring, and males were thus unafraid of the certain death that would come their way if they found this love.

H'nemthe prized music, and their music in turn was considered pleasant by non-H'nemthe. They also valued calligraphy, and H'nemthe who had either of these skills were given great accord in their culture. Poetry was also very important to the H'nemthe, and it was traditional for lovers to write each other poems. Females especially were expected to be talented in the arts. H'nemthe also enjoyed sciences and history, and studied them to learn more and prepare themselves for potential leadership opportunities. However, the Hori spoken language was considered unpleasant to outsiders, as it was squeaky.