Echeron

The diminuitive Echeron (//, singular also "Echeron") were the native sentients of Sileria in the.

Biology and appearance
Substantially smaller than most species, few Echeron grew taller than 1.14 meters. They had numerous avian characteristics, including hard, sharp beaks which could be used to tear flesh or rip free plant matter. Their heads had coverings of scraggly, coarse hair which still left much of their scalps visible. Their eyes were substantially larger than those of most other species, each often consuming up to a fifth of the Echeron's face.

Echeron had short digestive tracts designed primarily to absorb nutrients. Breaking down of food occurred in a bulbous, bloated chamber between the Echeron's head and torso where a neck would normally be. When full of food being digested, this chamber could appear to s and other species to be a cancerous tumor; when entirely empty of food, the chamber deflated slightly, giving the appearance of a jowly neck and throat.

Echeron arms were disproportionately long, resulting in "wingspans" longer than the Echeron itself was tall. Their hands and feet had long digits with three segments each; their feet were, while their hands had three fingers and a thumb each. The digits of hands and feet were scaly, ending in talons, while their arms and legs were composed of softer flesh marked in spots by patterns of feathers.

The most abundant feather arrays were on the arms of the Echeron; they were sufficiently developed to allow the Echeron to glide on winds, or to fly with brief, strenuous flapping effort. Other feathers grew more irregularly, including on their bulbous necks and around their ankles. Echeron had a slightly crouched resting stance; though they could walk upright with effort, they preferred to waddle or glide from place to place.

Echeron reproduced sexually, and female Echeron laid eggs which were incubated over a period of four standard months before hatching. Infant Echeron matured slowly, usually not leaving their homes for schooling until seven years of age; they reached full physical maturity around twenty-two standard years. Echeron could live up to ninety standard years.

Society and culture
Curious by nature, the Echeron liked to investigate anything they came across with which they were not already familiar. Consequently, Echeron dwellings were usually equipped with a variety of security and privacy measures, including everything from translucent rather than transparent windows all the way up to armored walls and laser security grids. Invasion of privacy on Sileria was usually considered a failing of the invaded individual rather than a depravity of the invader.

Even though most Echeron buildings were suited to their size, the transportation and installation of heavy construction materials was largely beyond their frail builds, and they relied heavily on labor.

Due to their avian heritage and preference for high places, most Echeron felt safer at heights than they did at ground level. Buildings meant to intimidate Echeron were designed with high ceilings and nowhere to walk but the ground floor. In political gatherings, the most important or prestigious beings would occupy the highest places, and multitiered daises were very common features of political and academic meeting places.

History
Ancestors of the Echeron were true avians, but the species began to take on characteristics hundreds of thousands of years before the coming of the Golden Empire. As successive generations and species evolved toward erect bearing and walking, they also evolved away from true flight. Nevertheless, a combination of inborn inclination and their defenselessness against many of their natural predators inspired early Echeron to build settlements in canyon walls, cliffs, mountains, and other high places.

War among early Echeron civilizations was relatively rare, as supply chains put traveling armies directly into the path of their natural predators. As weapons and tools developed which allowed the Echeron to fight and kill predators, however, the species made up for lost time with long campaigns. Most fighting was ground-based; although they could fly briefly, Echeron had to use their winged arms for the purpose, and their feet lacked the dexterity to grip and use weapons effectively. Catapults, onagers, and similar weapons also quickly arose as counters to Echeron who tried to invade by air.

Echeron scientists loved tools and machinery, and many different civilizations advanced through scientific development more quickly than other sentients. By the time the Golden Empire arrived at Sileria, the Echeron had advanced to laser-based weaponry, although they were in the early stages and unable to do any real damage to the Empire's shields.

Once they agreed to join the Empire, the ever-curious Echeron ventured off Sileria in large numbers, wishing to explore the galaxy at large. Those who remained imported alien technology, often reverse-engineering it until copyright claims forced them to stop.

In the galaxy
Many beings disliked Echeron, whom they found nosy and invasive, due to their vastly different concept of "privacy". Their small size meant the Echeron were unsuited to service in the Royal Army, but some joined the Royal Navy instead.