The Carrthussians are the 4 to 5 foot tall bipedal insectoids reminiscent of praying mantises from the planet Carrthussia.

They have multifaceted eyes and green blood.

Carrthussians have exoskeletons which they shed a number of times during their lifetimes. Shedding takes place every few weeks in infants and rapidly growing children, then less frequently as they pass through puberty toward adulthood. The exoskeletons of these young Carrthussians are a pinkish-brown. The first and second adult molts take place at ages reminiscent of human 18 and 21 year benchmarks. Exoskeletons at these ages and beyond are a gray-brown. Exoskeletons are pliable but tend to become more rigid as individuals approach their next molt.

A pair of vestigial wings appear at the first adult molt. The second adult molt is usually taken as indicating their passage into full adulthood. They will molt again every three to four years as they age.

Because the exoskeleton is pliable (and because of their size,) it can not serve the same support function as with terrestrial insects. Carrthussians have an internal skeleton of bone. Males and females have a chitinous hair-like growth on their heads which comes in a variety of shades of the gray-brown and which they style (and color) much like humans.

The male body structure is fairly slender and cylindrical. The female has curves reminiscent of the human female "hour glass" figure, although, unlike humans, these are not physiologically and structurally related to childbearing. They are simply secondary sexual characteristics.

Carrthussian names (at least in the vicinity of the city of Inngearr Sirronn) often have a double consonant following a vowel (as with "Apprill" or "Frannki.")

Although they have evolved socially beyond the need for religious beliefs, Carrthussians do believe in "signs" which indicate good or bad things to follow. For instance, the third moon of the planet seen rising through a field of heat lightning is considered a "good sign." Rain during a wedding ceremony, especially a hard rain, is considered to be a "bad sign."

When Carrthussians die, their property normally passes to the eldest child unless some restrictions are included in the will. When the heir is not an adult and/or must fullfill some stated restriction, the property is held in trust by annonymous trustees.

Stepparents have the same legal rights and responsibilities as biological parents. It is not necessary for a stepparent to adopt a child of their spouse. In the case of divorce, the parent that the children no longer live with no longer has the legal rights and responsibilities of a parent. Children do not necessarily have the same feelings for a stepparent as for their biological parent, which can be a source of friction between the child and the stepparent.

Other life forms of Carrthussia include:

Dittyfalcons: Insectoids about the size of terrestrial sparrows. They resemble terrestrial winged grasshoppers, although they are carnivores, hence the name "falcon," which humans appended to their Carrthussian name, "ditty." They go through 4 molts before they mature at about 8 months of age. Dittyfalcons live in flocks. Wild dittyfalcons can sense radio waves and their behavior can be controlled by radio broadcasts. This is normally of little consequence, since different members of a flock are sensitive to different wavelengths. However, dittyfalcons can be domesticated, cloned and selectively bred to produce flocks that can be radio-controlled for various purposes. For instance, Rory Molle has a flock that he uses for precision cloud seeding in his rainmaking business ("Appril Showers").

Page updated: 14 June 2019
Page created: 24 November 2017