name: astrovyrn
home planet: n/a
avg. height: 1.7 - 1.9 meters
diet: phototroph, omnivore

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a living relic of a bygone era.

their second layer of skin, with symbiotic phototrophs and extra magical protection, acts as a built-in space suit; the inside is filled with breathable air and a miniature ecosystem. magic is also how they move in space - they turn extra energy into a physical form that can be expelled from their wings.

astrovyrns can communicate with each other across long distances via electromagnetic/radio waves using the antennas on their heads (a set of two omnidirectional antennas at right angles to each other), however they can also speak.

astrovyrn language is basically dual-tone MFSK modulation, and its eight symbols (frequencies) have phoneme equivalents in spoken language. in most places, a section of the UHF band is reserved for astrovyrn communication.

the reason they don't seem to fit in with the other species is… they don't. they used to fit in, in a previous era. the others are long gone, and long forgotten by even the astrovyrns, only remaining in ancient illustrations. it's not clear what caused this, though it's believed to have been a more large-scale, "universal" version of the typical mass extinction event.