Stoic creatures created by heka and nature in a union meant to counter the destructive force known as empyreans, monsters that were eating literally everything. Given back their forms by the netjeru Shenu, they became the first taothomet race unknowingly when they entered Quiescent Mind, fractured reality embedded in Umeon like a shard, and most exiting the altered region as the later named Su-Ankh, Reukh, and Mentandgar. Shenuankh still remain but in much fewer numbers than ever before.
Biology
They have cat-, lizard-, and ungulate-like appearances with mostly cat-like bodies with wings, and feet usually corresponding to their head type, and a tail ending with a flower. Their faces are quite primate-like but stylised more towards the rest of their body shape. They sometimes have metals and other elements that grow naturally on their bodies. Shenuankh are so closely tied to the basic elements of Umeon that they often show it not just externally with metals growing on them, but with the ability to tread on water, including clouds, also lava, and snow, as well as breathe in any air qualities, no matter how toxic, and sometimes even water.
Ankh are the creatures the Shenuankh evolved from, and before being overpowered by heka and Nin trees, were similar in appearance but were much smaller. Erratic little rat-like beasts, curious and poking their grabby hands into everything, learning to use tools, and beginning to walk upright. The growths and abilities the Shenuankh possess now are a much newer gene passed on to them when they were forced into their new form, given wings, and was subconsciously told to fight. As a reward they could go back to their old bodies whenever they wanted, but most found the ability to fly and manipulate the world more their fancy and stayed as they were. This means the original Shenuankh had three forms before entering Quiescent Mind.
History
At a crucial stage in Ankh evolution, they were taken over by the Nin trees in an effort to keep themselves alive against the Empyreans, choosing the Ankh for their higher intelligence. They transmuted the creatures with heka, figuring they could control and manipulate Ankh into protecting them against the Empyreans. When they did, they weren't expecting an actual Netjeru to interfere, Shenu, who gave them back access to their old forms. Shenu declared that these creatures had their own will and dreams.
Nin weren't having that and began assaulting the Ankh’s senses with their will, telling them to fight the Empyreans. Within their new forms they were willing to give the trees what they wanted, but they were free from the voices in their old forms. With the power of having a name just like everything else had, they could manipulate themselves as well and drown out Nin’s chattering. They called themselves Shenuankh after the Netjeru and the word used by it to refer to them, though the word used was collected from the Nin trees by Shenu, so really the Nin named them. They eventually discovered that their ability to change forms was not exclusive to them, but theirs was still unique, having more control and power.
The Shenuankh also found that the Nin may have been somewhat right, the Empyreans were destroying everything. They decided they had to do something to at least protect themselves and fought against the empyreans most destructive to the Shenuankh and their food supplies, not doing other beings any favours. Needless to say the trees were unhappy, and Ileli, the world tree, made the Shenuankh leave their northern territory under threat of taking what they had given to them. Convinced this was possible, being well aware of their origins, they left the trees of the north to head towards new lands. They passed through Quiescent Mind as they did, exiting the fractured reality and becoming new beings that the last of the true Shenuankh called Taothomet, kindred beings in no way like themselves.
Without knowing the origin, they believed the Nin did this, that they tried to take who they were from them, but still loved their new children and protected them.
Culture & Society
Mythology & Folklore
Having been around for a long time and not recording anything they pass information down verbally, most of their history has been skewed by bard-like exaggerations. But this barely takes away from their strange and obscure past, though most Shenuankh children grow up not believing the stories at all, telling them to their own children as more of a way to give them hope for their kind. That maybe one day they could bring peace to their kindred kind and finally bring back the halcyon days of old.
Language
Shenuankh have strange, almost musical voices, that make most daydream of space when they hear them speak, an echo that haunts most, and mesmerises the rest. The language itself was taken from words inflicted upon them by the Netjeru and Nin, giving the noises they heard names of their own.
Shenuankh
