Yautja Prime

The Yautja,(pronounced Ya-OOT-ja), known colloquially as the Predators or Hunters, are an extraterrestrial species characterized by their hunting of other dangerous species for sport and honor, including humans. The Yautja are a sentient humanoid race that breathe an atmosphere similar to that of Earth's but possess a level of technological advancement far in excess of anything available to humans. The Predators stalk and kill their prey using a combination of highly advanced technology, such as active camouflage and energy weapons, combined with comparatively primitive traditional weapons, such as blades, spears and nets. The Predators often ritualistically mutilate their prey and usually claim a trophy from their kills. Capable of interstellar travel in star ships, the Predators have hunted on Earth for centuries and have also had prior contact with the Engineers. Aside from their repeated conflicts with humans, the Predators have notably been associated with Xenomorph XX121, known to them as kainde amedha ("hard meat"), whom they revere as perhaps the worthiest of all prey.They have been known to deliberately breed the creatures from captive Queens in order to hunt them, often as part of initiation rituals for young Predators.

Predators are bipedal humanoids, physically distinguishable from humans by their greater height, the long, hair-like appendages on their heads (nicknamed dreadlocks), clawed hands, reptilian skin and their faces, which feature arthropod-like mandibles and no visible nose. The biological purpose of the distinctive mandibles is unclear – some have proposed they may be used in reproduction or mating rituals. Yautja use them to convey emotions; for example, flared mandibles apparently signify anger or surprise, mandibles clicking together can signify interest or curiosity, and Yautja have even been said to "grin" with them. Predators have also been known to employ their mandibles as weapons, using them to inflict grievous bite wounds on their opponent. As well as the fleshy dreadlocks around the side of the head, some Predators have also been seen to possess sparse quills on their cheeks and above the eyes.

While generally uniform, each Yautja's physical appearance includes a number of subtle variations, akin to human genetic diversity. Similarly, while Predator heights vary, they are typically over 7 feet tall, although some have been known to grow to 8 feet or even taller. Despite this, shorter individuals have been recorded, who stood the height of a typical human. These individuals are unusual and their smaller height the subject of ridicule in Yautja society. The species' reptile-like skin can range in color from light to dark, be mottled or clear, and can appear dry or moist and clammy.

Sources on what species class Yautja are the most adjacent to vary, however many note that they have reptilian characteristics that may be more than superficial. Along with scaley skin, their armor features a wire mesh designed to keep the wearer warm; it is noted to be very uncomfortable for humans, even at the lowest setting. However, some Yautja do not have this mesh and it may not be that Yautja are reptilian, per se, but rather that they are simulating the environment of their homeworlds which are said to be arid.Yautja are a dual-sexed species, though most encounters with humans have been with male individuals. The species has a breeding season, in which female Yautjas will choose the most skillful males to sire their offspring. Presumably, males return to their homeworlds for this event as females do not go off-world as much as males or for the same reasons. Young Yautja, called Sucklings, are born to females after an unknown amount of time. Females are shown to have mammary glands and Dachande was able to recognize them for what they were in humans, which would suggest Yautja are somewhat mammalian in addition to having reptilian traits. Young Yautja appear to be born live; there has been no evidence that they are hatched from any kind of egg. It is not clear which of the two sexes brings up the offspring, and it may even be possible that neither parent raises their children when they are very young. According to Dachande's accounts, Yautja seem to have a "village-raising" approach to parenthood. He and his half-sibling had different mothers, yet were in constant company and very close, which is uncommon for half-siblings with different sires. For Yautja with common bloodlines, this could be the case throughout their upbringing, however males who have esteemed bloodlines are much more involved with how their offspring are developing. A Yautja is said to reach physical adulthood at about 50-60 years of age, which is the age equivalent of an 18-19 year old human. However, until they are Blooded, their clan still considers them unable to hunt without supervision and limits their privileges within the clan.

Yautjas can live to be thousands of years old and are one of the longer-lived species recorded. The only species known to live longer are the Drukathi and certain strains of Xenomorph, such as the Queen.

Yautja bone and muscle tissue is considerably denser with greater tensile strength than that of a human, making them highly resilient to physical damage. They are capable of shrugging off and surviving gunshot wounds with minimal or even no medical attention and can endure radiation doses which would be fatal to humans. They are also highly resilient to most bacteria and viruses. They are incredibly strong, easily capable of outmatching a conditioned adult human male in unarmed combat or even manhandle Xenomorphs with their bare hands as well as land blows that can shatter solid concrete. They are capable of tearing a human's head and spine from the body with little effort, while some larger specimens have even been seen to tear a human body in half using only their bare hands. This strength evidently extends to their lower bodies as well, as Predators have been seen to jump up to three times their own height, and are capable of falling up to ten times their height and landing safely on their feet. They are skilled climbers, and in fact appear to prefer moving at height through trees or across rooftops in pursuit of prey, typically jumping from one vantage point to the next. Though capable of surviving exposure in Antarctic temperatures for an extended period of time, it seems as though Predators have a preference for hot equatorial climates.

Despite their brutish and violent demeanor, Yautja intelligence rivals and possibly exceeds that of humans. In addition to their more highly advanced technology, they demonstrate the ability to learn and adapt to a prey's habits and behaviors, frequently spending time observing and studying them under the cover of their active camouflage to both identify worthy prey and formulate a hunting strategy. Despite their aggression, Yautja operate under a strict honor code when on the hunt, never harming those who can't properly defend themselves. The Predators are also capable of showing respect to those that are able to fight on the same level as them. That being said, when pushed a Yautja's sense of pride can make it lash out at a perceived insult.

Predators possess their own language, both in spoken and written form, the former of which resembles a series of clicks, roars, snarls and growls. They also have dialects, which deviate sharply enough from the Yautja common tongue that translators cannot make heads or tails of it. The written language is expressed in a pattern of dashes not dissimilar in form and function to many Earth-based languages. These written symbols appear on the creatures' gauntlet displays, helmets, architecture and many other surfaces.Predators regularly imitate human speech that they overhear. It is unclear to what degree the Yautja can comprehend this speech, although the creatures at least seem to hold some understanding of the language as they have been known to repeat phrases at vaguely appropriate times as a form of communication with prey. Older Predators with more experience among humans have on occasion been known to actually learn to speak English, at least to a limited extent. It has been known for humans and Yautja to successfully communicate using sign language.

There is evidence that Yautja understand the concept of humor. Laughter is universal – even in their species – and the Predator equivalent of a belly laugh is the rapid clicking of tusks.

When given a compliment from a higher authority, similarly ranked Yautja will touch the hair of the complimentee in acknowledgement.

Yautja technology is distinctive in many respects, not least of which is its unusual combination of ornate, tribal appearance masking deadly, sophisticated weaponry. However, despite the species' obvious technological prowess, including access to adaptive camouflage and plasma weaponry, traditional, ancient weapons, such as blades, knives and spears, are still employed widely (and apparently considered by the Yautja as being more "honorable" than advanced technology). At least one Yautja weapon uses a metal that does not correspond to any known element on the periodic table, and many devices have been shown to be completely resistant to the effects of the acidic blood of Xenomorphs, an otherwise incredibly corrosive and destructive substance. With this said however, the Wristblades and chest armor of immature Young Blood Yautja are still made of metal that is not resistant to Xenomorph blood; it seems such advanced armor must be "earned" through initiation rituals that first test the individual's prowess with more rudimentary and challenging equipment. Many of the Yautja's tools make use of thermal imaging to track prey, while some aspects of their technology have been in use for millennia. Individuals of the species will often utilize their own bespoke variations of tried and tested Yautja weapons, constructed from different materials and with varying degrees of tribal or symbolic ornamentation.

Yautja culture centers on the ritualistic hunting of other dangerous lifeforms, and this practice appears to be the foundation of their very society. Predators will travel huge distances – even across entire galaxies – in order to face opponents they consider a worthy challenge, and may also kidnap and transport prey across similar distances to bring such victims to a hunting ground of their choice. Defeat in a Hunt is apparently a cause of great shame to the Yautja, and often leads to the individual committing honorable suicide, typically through the detonation of their Wrist Gauntlet's Self-Destruct Device. Upon their death, a hunting Yautja's spacecraft will return to the species homeworld on automatic pilot so that a record of the individual's Hunt, recorded through their bio-helmet, may be returned to its kin. The Yautja have a Code of Honor during the hunt that it expects all members of the species to adhere to on pain of not being seen as a "true Yautja" and therefore subject to being destroyed. Therefore, most Yautja are moulded around that code, being ruthless but honorable, with the exception of Bad Bloods. Aggression and arrogance seems to be innate in Hunters, especially young males.

The Yautja society appears to be a heavily gendered one; even the names of the Predators tend to have masculine and feminine connotations, similar to many romantic language such as spanish. Male names often end with 'e' (i.e: Dachande, Tichinde, Skemte, Nakande, ect.) while female names tend to end with 'i' (i.e: Vagouti, Hashori). Dachande even nicknames Machiko Noguchi "Da'dtou-di", which is the feminine form of that name.

Some names, such as Lar'nix'va, Bakuub, and Warkha do not fit into this naming trend however. This could be because the names are unisex or that different clans have different naming conventions.

Yautja society operates a class or ranking system, nominally based on an individual's hunting experience and prowess. Their titles include:

Un-Blooded: The unrefined hunters of the future, Unblooded Yautja are young predators who haven't completed basic training. They are, or are close to, physically mature adults. Most Unblooded, and therefore subsequent classes, are male but female hunters do exist, implying a minority of them within the hunting body. Young Blood: Young adult Yautja who are yet to be seen as "adults" and "true hunters" in the eyes of the clanmates. These hunters are refined enough to overpower a skilled human fighter, however their skill against a Xenomorph varies. Once they kill one, Yautja mark themselves with Xenomorph blood, completing their initiation into Adulthood. Some clans skip this rank and consider all who complete basic training Blooded, while other clans require the defeat of a Xenomorph (or presumably another sufficiently dangerous target) to be promoted from Young Blood to adulthood proper.

Blooded: These Yautja have successfully killed their first Xenomorph and given that is such a broad title, skills vary. Once a Yautja is blooded, females will begin to pay him mind for breeding purposes and his rank could deviate into more specific ones. A veteran Blooded can serve as Adjutant, a second in command for a higher ranked Predator. Elite: Elites encompass the more dangerous of the Yautja race. They have the skill to take on several Xenomorph at once, including large, dangerous castes such as Praetorians, Predaliens and even Queens. Elites seem to take on some of the more nuanced, lengthy, and taxing problems and missions in the Yautja world. These can be assigned, as in the case of Dark, or self-volunteered, as in the case of Wolf. One clan, the Elite Clan, exclusively counts Elites amidst their membership.

Leader: A Leader is a Yautja who has been selected or volunteers to lead and teach Un-Blooded hunters. They appear to be a specialized version of the Elite rank. Elder: The Older, wiser members of the Yautja race. Many of them are Clan Leaders. Ancient: Ancients are very old Yautja, some of which are responsible for creating the laws by which the species abides. To this end, they use Enforcers to put an end to crime, both within and without the species, especially to hunt down and eliminate rogue Bad Blood, Predators who have forsaken the Yautja Honor Code and brought great dishonor to their clans and themselves. In extremely dire circumstances or a massive insult to the entire species such as the emergence of the Predalien Queen, Ancients can join battles directly, such as the Ancient Nuke Carrier, who willingly went on a suicide mission to deploy a nuclear warhead in order to annihilate the Predalien Queen and its entire hive. Matriarch: A Matriarch is the female counterpart to a Clan Leader. While Clan Leaders rule in off-world affairs, Matriarchs rule and command Yautja Prime and presumably any other world they inhabit. Among one of the highest titles in the species.

The Predators are polytheistic, and their equivalent of the Grim Reaper is the so-called "Black Warrior", who is seen as an eternal adversary who eventually wins all battles. They also have a warrior god, called Paya, who is godlike in their hunting and fighting abilities. They are also called "The Conquering Warrior".

They also believe in a Warrior god who can wield bolts of lightning and those who honor him mark themselves and their helmets with thunderbolts. This god has no name and is simply referred to as a "warrior god"

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