Commissioned from Rikkoshaye
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Nahkeneh (singular. Nahkentli)
Physical Description
The Nahkeneh are an all-female species of anthropomorphic axolotls. Their species are the smallest on Mahwali, with an average height of 6 feet (1.82m).
Like most other species on Mahwali, the Nahkeneh are quite long-lived and individuals have been known to reach over 200 years of age. They retain their youthful looks throughout their adult life, even Nahkeneh who die of old age do not look a day older than 25 years. Death by old age is caused by internal organ failure, typically the heart.

Because they possess both lungs and gills, as well as non-permeable skins, the Nahkeneh are able to function equally well both underwater and on land.

A Nahkentli has six external gill stalks, known as rami, on her head. These rami are semi-prehensile, meaning that while they cannot grab nor hold anything, they can move and bend individually with some precision.

The Nahkeneh reproduce through parthenogenesis, but a Nahkentli daughter is not clone of her mother and has only half the mother's genetic material.

The Nahkentli digestive system is extremely efficient to the point where it leaves no waste-matter, and even the womb can serve as a stomach.
Due to this efficient digestive system, Nahkeneh gain much more calories and nutrition from their meals.

Nahkeneh are physiologically and neurologically wired to experience sexual stimulation by swallowing prey alive. Because of this, the Nahkentli body has several adaptations to make up for this species feeding behavior. Their internal organs are very strong and resistant to damage, unfortunately this also causes them to fail after a few centuries. In addition, it is easy for Nahkeneh to maintain their milk production and their milk is rich with nutrients, which enables a group of Nahkeneh to be fed even if only one of them is able to find prey.

While their small size would seem to make them ill-suited to prey on the other people of Mahwali, the Nahkeneh have two special adaptations to give them an edge.
First and foremost, they have incredibly strong and elastic organs which enable them to swallow prey much larger than themselves!
Secondly, and more importantly, their bite can deliver a potent venom. Although this venom is not deadly in itself, within one minute after its injection it induces a prolonged orgasm and sense of euphoria so intense as to render the victim completely incapacitated for two to six hours. In this state, the victim is helpless and unable to struggle, enabling the Nahkentli to feed.
The Nahkeneh are highly resistant to this venom, and if injected with it experience orgasm and euphoria for up to ten minutes while still able to respond to external threats.

Reproduction and Sexuality
The reproduction process is triggered by an intense and prolonged desire to have children, this releases biochemicals which cause one or more egg cells to be released into the uterus where they begin prenatal development.

Because of their reproduction method, no stigma exist regarding incest as there is no risk of inbreeding. The Nahkeneh also tend to be polyamorous and they view sex as recreation.

The Nahkeneh have two basic concepts of sex: nahan and nachue.
Nahan is the type of sex which expresses affection such as between friends and family. Nahan is usually used to seal alliances between tribes as it is seen as a symbol of friendship between both parties. Nahan is also used to refer to casual sex that is devoid of affection, besides the word's actual meaning.
Nachue on the other hand is the type of sex in which someone is taken advantage of. Nachue doesn't just cover rape, for instance it also covers consensual sex in which one party ends up being eaten.

Venom
The Nahkeneh do not only deliver their venom by biting, they also tend to coat their weapons with it, making them dangerous foes for non-Nahkeneh to face. In addition, the venom is often consumed by the Nahkeneh for recreation.

The Nahkentli venom has also made the Nahkeneh highly prized as slaves by the many civilizations of Mahwali. This is partially because the venom can be used as a weapon, but also because it can be diluted into a variety of recreational drugs.
The most common of these drugs is navanua, which is made by diluting the venom with water or juice, and induces only mild effects.

Society
The vast majority of freeborn Nahkeneh live in tribes on and around the Nawienehan islands.
Nahkeneh of Nawienehan do not wear clothes or jewelry, since these are considerably detrimental to their aquatic lifestyle. Instead, social status is marked with tattoos.

The tribes of Nawienehan are socially stratified based on a combination of meritocracy and lineage. There exist three basic social classes within these tribes: jahnachameh, kotsuameh, and ananeh.
At age twelve, girls receive their first tattoos as a rite of passage into adulthood and become jahnachameh (singular. jahnachatl), the main providers and laborers of the tribe.
Those jahnachameh who prove themselves worthy receive additional tattoos and become kotsuameh (singular. kotsuatl), the warrior elite and big game hunters of the tribe.
The tribe is led by the anantli (plural. ananeh) and once the anantli either dies or retire, the kotsuatl with the greatest merit and most prestigious lineage becomes the next anantli and is given the final tattoos to cement her status.

The Nawienehan islands have few resources that are valued by traders, other than Nahkeneh that is.
When Nahkeneh wage war against enemy tribes, they often capture several of their foes alive. In the past, these captives were devoured. Nowadays, Nahkeneh trade their captives as slaves to seafaring traders in exchange for goods from distant lands. This has led the Nahkeneh of Nawienehan to become reliant on war in order purchase goods which have come to be seen as symbols of prosperity and power.

While some Nahkeneh tribes, most of whom live on land, are content with this slave trade and treat outsiders as honored guests, other tribes, most of whom happen to live in the sea, view all outsiders as enemies and attack them on sight.

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