Shoag

The shoag are the most numerous of the shaktar species. They believe that they are the truest descendants of the Ancients and given their physical resemblance to the few pictorial carvings found of the Ancients this could be true.

The shoag can trace their origins back to the Ancients who once ruled this world. There is significant doubt among scholoars if the shoag are the true descendants of the Ancients or simply a distant relation. The shoag themselves are under no illusion that they are the true descendants of the once powerful race.

The shoag are warm-blooded members of the shaktar species. The shoag are not fully warm-blooded as many other species, but instead must supplement their bodies natural heat with that from other sources. If a shoag cannot get enough external heat, they will slow down to conserve what heat their body naturally produces. This is not the stupor seen in many reptiles, but instead manifests as a desire to eat more vegatation.

Technically they are omnivores, but the shoag only eat a small amount of vegetable matter over a month's time, not enough to fully sustain their bodies. In colder weather the shoag will increase the amount of vegatables they eat as it increases the ability of their body to maintain its internal heat.

They walk fully upright and measure about 6 1/2 feet at the tip of their head. Physically their bodies most closely resemble humanoid-crocodiles. They have scales, claws, webbed feet (but not hands), and a powerful tail. While their bodies are not fully streamlined, they are very fast swimmers over a short distance using their tail to propel them while their feet allow them to make quick changes in direction. A nictitating membrane and palatal flap allows them to open both their eyes and mouth while underwater.

Unlike crocodiles and other lizards, their head more closely resembles a human with a extended snout and jawline. Their mouth is full of sharp teeth, that are regularly replaced, and well-suited eating meat not plants. Their eyesight is about the same as a Human, but their hearing is terrible requiring anyone talking to them to be within a few feet to be clearly understood. They make up for this by having a superior sense of smell, it is the best among the intelligent races of Miranda.

The shoag have spread to nearly all of the lands, except in the most frigid tundra and artic environments. While they are physically capabile of living in such an cold envrionment, they would have to spend too much of their time supplementing their bodies own natural heat.

The shaog are not the longest-lived race upon Miranda, but most will live for over 100 years. The oldest known shoag lived into his second century before slain by a rival for his position.

Shoag have very smooth scales on their front of their trunk, inside their arms and legs, and along their head and neck. The scales along their back of their trunk and tail is hard enough to repel an arrow shot from a medium distance. Blood vessels in these hard plates give the appearance of changing color when the shoag is emotionally charged (excited or feeling threatened).