Troodon Sapiens

Troodon is a species of sapient, troodontid dinosaurs native to the planet Earth. This species was one of the three dominant sapient races on Earth 66 million years ago, alongside Saurornitholestes and Dakotaraptor. All but two Troodons were wiped out during the K-pg extinction event. The two individuals who survived the extinction were Antonio Umbra and Penny Umbra. An additional member was created in the form of Morrigan Baxter, a human who became a mutant Troodon following her exposure to Primordial Ooze.

There are three species of Troodon; T. Sapiens, T. Inequalis, and T. Borealis. T. Sapiens possesses human-level sapience, while T. Inequalis and T. Borealis were non-sapient. T. Inequalis is a direct ancestor of T. Sapiens

History

Troodons initially lived in communal Clans consisting of multiple families scattered throughout Laramidia. These Clans all either ended up dying out, or grew exponentially and became nation-states. Originating in Northern Laramidia, many Troodon populations migrated southward, where they came in contact with Saurornitholestes and Dakotaraptor for the first time. The three species and their nations were not united for the majority of their history.

This changed approximately 800 years before the K-pg extinction, when a civilization of sapient dromaeosaurs known as the Acheroraptors, who were fleeing some sort of disaster in their homeland arrived in North America. The Acheroraptor quickly began a campaign of conquest throughout Laramidia, conquering most Maniraptoran civilizations across Laramidia, with the exception of the southern part of the continent, and the northernmost points. The Acheroraptors were harsh rulers to their newly-conquered territory, treating the native Maniraptorans like second class citizens. This caused much unrest within the Achero Empire, with revolts, riots, defection, and partisan activity frequent.

A combination of the Acheroraptors' arrogance and internal crisis allowed the Maniraptorans in southern Laramidia to unite as one and begin to take up arms, fueled by the near-constant stream of defectors from the Achero Empire. Finally after several decades, the United Maniraptoran Coalition launched a full-scale invasion of the Achero Empire, led by Arch-Martial Almas Formosus, and his two lieutenants; a Dakotaraptor named Varira Veloci and a Troodon named Byron Umbra. After a decisive victory for the Maniraptoran Coalition at the Battle of Hell Creek, the coalition officially formed into the United Triumvirate of Laramidia, and a year later the war was won. The vast majority of the surviving Acheroraptors were forced to flee either back into Asia, or take their chances in crossing the interior seaway.

Following this victory, the Troodons, Dakotaraptors, and Saurornitholestes lived together as equals in one united nation spanning the entirety of Laramidia. The country became hugely prosperous, making many advances in all fields until it was wiped out along with almost everything else in the wake of the K-pg extinction event.

Culture

Like the other sapient North American Maniraptorans, Troodon culture revolved mainly around the hunt, communal cooperation, and knowledge. The Troodons in particular valued traits like intelligence, cunning, ingenuity, and creativity over strength or status.

The Troodons, like the Dakotaraptors and Saurornitholestes, followed a religion where they worshipped a deity that resembled a double-headed, winged deity known simply as 'the Raptoran'. This religion pushed ideas like nature's preservation, social openness and acceptance, logic and reason, strategy, equality, and hard work. Their religious texts also held stories telling of/foretelling the 'Four Trials'. These four trials were:

The Trial of Survival - which focused on if the three species could survive the primitive ages of civilization and successfully begin to advance.
The Trial of Exploration - which focused on if the Maniraptorans could begin to expand their civilizations to continue to prosper.
The Trial of War - which focused on if the three species could unite as one against a greater common foe.
The Trial of Cataclysm - which focused on if the Maniraptorans could live on past a world-shattering cataclysm and truly prosper.

Appearance and Biology

Troodons follow the typical therapod body plan. Like all Maniraptoran dinosaurs, they possessed a thick coat of feathers covering their bodies. The feathers of Troodon ranged in color, with males typically having green, black, gray, and white feathers, while females typically have black, brown, ginger, white, and rose-gold feathers. Troodons have large eyes specialized for their nocturnal lifestyle, which usually ranged the warm-color spectrum from off-white to burgundy in color. Troodons also possess a neurotoxic venom which can be delivered via a bite or through simple contact with saliva, causing paralysis and loss of consciousness for most creatures that are bitten.

Natural Abilities

Venom
Superhuman speed and agility
Nightvision
Venom
Jaws and teeth
Talons
Heightened sense of hearing and smell
binocular vision

Type of Government

Troodons have typically always followed a technocratic system; where society is lead by a group of individuals deemed most qualified for the role.

Notable Representitives

Antonio Umbra
Penny Umbra
Morrigan Baxter (mutant)
Blacktail Nithoides
Almas Formosus
Byron Umbra