skirtos

Skirtos are a fictional sapient species created for science fiction and role-playing settings. They are typically depicted as amphibious bipeds native to water-rich worlds, with social structures that emphasize cooperation and maritime trade. The concept has circulated in multiple works and game systems, where authors adapt biology and culture to fit their worlds.

Biology: Skirtos range from 1.6 to 1.9 meters in height. They have color-changing, semi-translucent skin, webbed fingers and toes, and large eyes adapted to low light. They possess a dual respiration system, allowing breathing air and extracting oxygen from water when submerged. Depictions vary on life cycles and reproduction.

Society: Skirtos organize into clan-based networks that rely on communal decision-making and ritual councils. They prize navigational lore, seamanship, and oral storytelling. Their language is characterized by melodic intonation and body signaling, enabling relay over long distances in coastal and archipelago communities.

Technology and economy: They favor bioengineering and organic technologies, integrating living components into tools and ships. Vessels are occasionally described as living crafts grown rather than built. Economies emphasize cooperative trade between island habitats and rely on tidal power and bioluminescent energy sources.

In media and games: Skirtos appear across novels, games, and RPG sourcebooks, where authors adapt traits to fit their settings. They are commonly depicted as diplomatic traders or explorers, but portrayals range from peaceful scholars to aggressive raiders. The lack of a single canonical account allows creators to reinterpret their biology and culture.