The Arcona are a species of intelligent, limbed serpents native to the planet Cona. Their desert world is devoid of free water, but has dense concentrations of ammonia. The Arcona evolved claws to get at the water pods concealed beneath the rocky soil of Cona, and ammonia is employed in a supplementary circulatory system used to rid waste from their bodies. The Arcona’s eyes, set wide apart on their anvil-shaped heads, have thousands of individual receptor cells that register color, but give no delineation to form. It is the bulbous, diamond-shaped heat-sensing organ set between their eyes that brings their blurred multicolor world into focus. The Arcona sense of smell is based on their long, flickering tongue that collects molecules for analysis. Arcona live in loose, family-based collectives called nests that are ruled over by the Grand Nest. The society arose from the need to protect the young Arcona. The…
