Guide to Kymans

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Kymans, aka 'WTF is that?!'
Written by Ruby

nightmare creatures for the intrepid explorer

biology
A Kyman looks like nothing quite as much as it looks like a streamlined deer, or maybe an antelope; something along those lines. Sure, their back legs tend more towards the feline's strength, and all four feet have hooves that are dangerously sharp, but there is something distinctly innocent and forest-like about the animal. Even vicious incisors, extending past the slim lower jaw and coming to violent points that hint at a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, cannot detract from the fact that this animal really doesn't look like it wants to kill you. In fact, it's weird - but kinda cute.

It is easy to overlook the extra arms, tucked in tight to the creature's chest, but they are there. They're very thin, and look fragile at first glance, but they have the kind of claws on the end that can rip through flesh and even hardened leather (and, more practically, dirt) with little effort. These arms have an extraordinary range of movement, for slicing and dicing in every direction. Males and females look pretty much alike, approximately the same size and shape, but males have horns that curl back, down, and around, like a ram's. Most are shades of gray or brown, camouflaging well with the caves and tunnels that make up their homes, but many have unique green markings that get brighter as they age. As a result, the oldest Kymans are the easiest to spot... although they are rarely the easiest to kill.

abilities & behavior
Their big, liquid eyes are mostly blind in daylight, and see shades of gray overlayed with heat signatures in the dark. It is their noses that provide them with most of their information about the world, and they can literally smell emotions. In fact, the best way to get one to back down without killing it is to make yourself scarier than it is (much like chasing away a bear, except instead of being bigger than it is, you need to be less afraid, more dangerous and vicious in your own head than they are in theirs. This is a fairly impressive feat).

They communicate in a kind of terrifying mammal-scream, much like rabbits. They also wave their extra arms together, and click their claws, in a kind of modified sign language. They're omnivorous, but especially like to eat draconids, and tunnelsnakes are easiest for them to catch (hence the underground living). They'd rather have wher or dragon, but it takes at least two of them to take down a wher, and more to get a dragon. Mostly they are interested in feeding themselves and taking care of their mates, but they have been known to torment smaller, weaker creatures on occasion. Beyond this predatory behavior, little about their day-to-day lifestyle is known.

mating & relationships
Mated pairs are the closest bonds, but there are also loose family or mating groups which return to the same general area every year to pair off and produce offspring, although maybe 10%-20% of a group may strike out in search of another group at any given time, especailly if one group had a particularly high number of one sex born that year. For example, if 75% of the new babies are female, some of them might get the idea that not all of them are going to make it through mating, and try their luck with a different group. There are maybe four or five of these 'family groups' total, but the one best known to Selenitas mates in the closed-off innermost ring of the Weyr. There are maybe 40-50 pairs in this loose group. They scatter during all but six months of the two year cycle, congregating only to mate, give birth, and raise their children long enough to send them out on their own. Mated pairs and lone adolescents have been spotted in the tunnels at other times of the year, but their numbers are never as large as during mating season.

Kymans mate once every two years in a month-long 'season', so each generation is approximately the same age. When the newest generation reaches sexual maturity (gestation is about 4 months so at about 20 months of age), all the creatures go back into season again. During this time, males and females pair off, often fighting to the death to keep their chosen mate. They mate for life... unless their old mate is killed by their new mate. Once all the creatures are paired up, the mating begins. After mating season, there is always an even number of males and females, as the spares are killed. They're quite touchy about their mates, and any threat to one will send the other into a kind of bloodlust-rage. Bad plan. They also only have one baby at a time, and about 50% of the time birthing the child kills the mother. It is fairly common for a 'husband' that loses his 'wife' to take the child as his mate the next year, if it is female and survives. There are no homogenous mated pairs - those that do not wish to produce offspring do not survive.