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The '''singers''' are
They are descended from the ancient [[Dawnsingers]] who first inhabited ancient Roshar before the [[Shattering of Adonalsium]], first emerging upon their creation around ten-thousand years prior to the [[True Desolation]].{{wob ref|1723}}{{book ref|sa3|111}} The level of biological similarity they have with their ancestors is unclear.
Singers predate the humans as inhabitants of Roshar.{{book ref|sa3|111}} Around the time of the [[Recreance]],{{epigraph ref|sa3|81}} many of the singers had their [[Connection]] and [[Identity]] stolen, pieces of their souls ripped away.{{book ref|sa3|17}} This made those singers docile and subservient, which humans called parshmen and
== Etymology and definition ==
''Singer'' and ''listener'' are the translations of what the singers call themselves in their own respective languages, [[Dawnchant]] and ''Listener'', both in the Dawnate language family.{{wob ref|3977}} ''Singer'' technically does not refer to the entire species, with the species name being currently unknown.{{wob ref|11846}}{{wob ref|15134}} ''Listener'' refers specifically to the singers which, at some point prior to the [[Recreance]], turned away from Odium and abandoned their [[Regal]] forms and chose to settle on the [[Shattered Plains]].{{book ref|sa2|i|4}}
Etymologically, ''Singer'' refers to their singing of the Rhythms of Roshar,{{cite}} and is likely derived from ''Dawnsinger''.
== Evolution ==
Singers did not evolve naturally, but were instead intentionally created by [[Adonalsium]] some time prior to its Shattering.{{wob ref|12266}} It is unknown how much modern singers differ from their distant ancestors.
They were created as an essential part of the Rosharan ecosystem, to what effect is unknown.{{wob ref|1723}} They were also intentionally made to be able to breed with humans.{{wob ref|9235}}
== Biology and Appearance ==
{{image|Call to Adventure - Willshaper.png|side=right|width=250px|A femalen singer}}
Singers are humanoid, but not entirely similar to ''Homo sapiens'', differing in various notable aspects.
They are bipedal, and posses a foramen magnum at the base of the skull; they also have a large intracranial space, comparable to ''Homo sapiens''. This, alongside a presumably well-developed cerebrum, gives them a high cognitive capacity. It is unclear how prominent of a supraorbital ridge they possess, if any. They have a protruding nasus very similar to that of humans
=== Aging and Senescence ===
Apart from their polychromatic skin, singers have other features that differentiate them from humans. They grow at a faster rate than humans and have slightly shorter average lifespans.{{wob ref|13401}}{{book ref|sa4|83}} In the [[listener]]s' culture, [[Venli]] started to learn about singing as a keeper of songs at age three and is considered adult at age ten.{{book ref|sa4|83}}
Their epidermal marbling whitening at the edges is a sign of age and senescence.{{book ref|sa4|62}} Furthermore, elderly singers can experience cognitive decline, memory loss, and difficulty developing new memories.{{cite}} Dullform experiences rapid degradation in mental faculties as one ages, Singer children are born in dullform, and do not experience the normal cognitive impairments of dullform in adult singers.
=== Carapace ===
Their bodies have red-orange carapace growing over
The amount of carapace and where it forms is dependent on the form the singer is in, for example, in warform it manifests as
=== Circulatory System ===
Singers have orange blood.{{book ref|sa3|38}} They possess a heart which pumps blood through their body in a closed circulatory system.{{book ref|sa3|111}}{{wob ref|15302}}{{cite}}
=== Endoskeleton ===
Their endoskeletons are made up of red-coloured bones.{{cite}} They are known to possess a sternum, which is fused with their gemheart.{{book ref|sa3|i|7}} Within the bone is a white marrow-like substance.{{wob ref|9353}}
=== Epidermis and Epidermal Marblings ===
=== Gemhearts ===
Like many local species in the Rosharan biosphere, singers possess [[gemheart]]s, though theirs have a cloudy white coloration, and are fused to and grown into their sternum.{{book ref|sa3|i|7}}{{wob ref|9353}} Those gemhearts allow them to bond with [[spren]], letting them change their '''forms''', leading to a change in both appearance and some mental faculty.{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} Due to their gemhearts, singers do not leak [[Lights]] like humans do.{{book ref|sa4|31}}
The gemheart forms due to the internal chemical workings of the body, which uses the nutrients and chemicals present in crem in order to form the gemheart.{{wob ref|756}}{{wob ref|13335}}
=== Mandible and Molar structure, Metabolism, and Diet ===▼
=== Height ===
Their teeth are built differently than human teeth; their molars allow them to chew through shells, their dental formula is unknown. This is further assisted by a divergent mandible structure, with several bones not present in human mandibles.{{wob ref|3922}} Their metabolism is geared towards metabolizing these shells, allowing them to make better use of the local fauna.{{wob ref|2778}} ▼
Due to Roshar's relatively low gravity, they are relatively tall compared to humans from other planets, averaging at over six feet (1.83 metres).{{cite}} Their height varies between forms, with forms such as Warform being taller and bulkier than other forms,{{book ref|sa3|37}}{{book ref|sa4|68}} and with envoyform being even taller than warform and Alethi humans.{{book ref|sa3|37}}{{book ref|sa4|68}}{{book ref|sa4|31}}{{book ref|sa3|109}}{{book ref|sa4|11}}{{book ref|sa3|i|7}}
▲Their teeth are built differently than human teeth; their back molars allow them to chew through shells, their dental formula is unknown, but is likely divergent from the dental formula of ''homo sapiens''.{{wob
=== Metabolism and Diet ===
Their metabolism is geared towards metabolizing shells, which their jaw structure helps them to crush, allowing them to make better use of the local fauna.{{wob ref|2778}}
Singers can drink crem without getting sick.{{wob ref|11570}}
=== Ocular Structure ===
=== Sexes and reproduction ===
Singers possess four distinct sexes; male and female, which are capable of reproduction, and their neutered variants, '''malen''' and '''femalen'''.{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} Singers' sex will change from between male and malen, or female and femalen, as they change forms; the vast majority of forms are either malen or femalen. As such, most singers are asexual the vast majority of the time.{{wob ref|3400}}{{wob ref|3388}} Singers usually identify as one of those four genders as well, though some identify with a non-quaternary gender and singer culture recognizes at least one non-quaternary gender.{{wob ref|11152}}
Singers cannot switch between male and female or malen and femalen by biological means, though it is possible to do so through Invested means.{{cite}} Their sex-determination system is unknown, and following from the inability to switch between male and female, ultimately decides between two sexes, despite their tetramorphism.{{wob ref|3922}}{{wob ref|5782}}
==== Interspecies Breeding and Introgression ====
The listeners lived on in the [[Shattered Plains]] for the next few millennia, forming a number of tribes settled in the craters around the western edge of the Plains. Eventually, they made contact with the Alethi and, through diplomatic efforts, forged a treaty. However, on the night the treaty was to be signed, the listener [[Eshonai]] learned about King [[Gavilar]]'s plans to return the "listener gods" -- the [[Fused]] -- to Roshar. Fearing the consequences, the listeners arranged for Gavilar to be assassinated.{{book ref|sa3|prologue}} As a result, they were forced to flee, abandoning their homes for the more distant plateau of [[Narak]] right as humans arrived to exact vengeance. Thus began the [[War of Reckoning]].{{book ref|sa2|i|4}}
After six years of constant warfare, the listeners, manipulated by one of the [[voidspren]], recovered stormform, one of
=== The new singers ===
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