Wanderer

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper

 lifespan Currently unknown speculated to be thousands
 Homeworld Terresha
 Languages Maren, common
 Height 7'5 ( 226 cm ) - 9' ( 274 cm )
 Skin Full-range Greyscale
 Eye Colour Wildly varies
 Alignment Usually neutral
 locations Northern mountains, 'The Cradle', imperial capital
 Distinctions Bony protrusions, black scales, thick fur, long muscular tails, crystals in their brow

✦⸻⸻⸻ Children of the Wild ⸻⸻⸻Mar, also known as the "Children of Mh'nara" are a diverse race of sapient humanoids that can be found almost everywhere on Terresha. Due to their adaptations in multiple environments, scholars have identified multiple 'subgroups'.Superstitious and prone to aggression towards outsiders, for many years scholars assumed them to be nothing more than savage beastmen. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. They are honorable beings with complex social structures and intelligence rivalling and even surpassing man in the world of natural sciences. Worshippers of the planet, Mar value the order of the natural world, favouring shamanistic practices.

Biology

An adult Frost Mar with a wounded shoulder showcasing the crystallization effect of their blood.

Frost Mar are some of the largest of the Mar species, surpassing many of their kin in both height and weight. It is not uncommon for a Frost to reach over 8 feet tall, even 9 in rare cases. Dwarfism under 7 feet is documented but just as rare as those standing at 9 feet. The heaviest Frost Mar recorded weighed around 1200lbs.Frost Mar are the most animalistic in appearance out of all the species, covered in long shaggy fur often patterned to help them blend in with their rocky environments. Their ears are long and capable of full and independent movement.Prone to walking both upright and on all fours, Mar can stand both plantigrade like a human, or a pseudo-digitigrade where they can comfortably move around on their toes. Their big toe lifts off the ground with a massive claw capable of disembowelment with a firm kick. Due to this claw's size, slow growth and it's active use, Mar do not like to wear shoes. When they do, they often cut a hole for the claw. Their hands and feet have large fleshy pads similar to those of cats and dogs, acting as shock absorbers and allowing them to freeclimb rough surfaces with little issue.Their bodies are covered in a combination of Plate-like scales and scutes. Placement seems to be random, but the ribs, back of the hands and tops of the feet seem to be common.

The crystals on their foreheads are associated with the colour of their eyes and blood. Referred to as the 'soul crystal', it is believed to be a fragment of their creator. It is hot to the touch and comprised of pure aether. It functions as the heart and brain of the Mar, allowing them to survive normally fatal injuries so long as they remain intact or the head remains attached to the body.The crystals are incredibly sensitive, even the smallest scratch can cause them blinding pain. Pressing their foreheads together is a common act of intimacy, believing that they are bypassing the flesh and directly touching the other's soul.Their blood takes the appearance of liquid crystal and is equally hot to the touch. Being pure aether, it is extremely arcane sensitive and allows Mar to cast magic without glyphs or weaponry. Coagulated Mar blood, also referred to 'inactive crystal' is sometimes used in magic potions. Though most Mar will not willingly part ways with their life essence, black markets do exist.

 REPRODUCTION ⸻⸻⸻
Mar are a single sex species with each member having both sets of reproductive organs located internally. All Mar are capable of siring and bearing children to varying levels of success, usually determined by which organs develop faster as they age. How they are able to determine which pairs have a higher success rate when it comes to reproduction is unknown.Mar conceived at the same time are referred to as a litter, and infants are referred to as pups. All Mar of similar age share a birthdate unless born late or premature. Conception is based around an event referred to as The Ritual of Rebirth. Though the ritual has no set date or time, it is always after a large natural event of some kind; whether it be an earthquake, a landslide or an exceptionally powerful storm. The ritual involves alcohol, a lot of hallucinogenic herbs and group copulation. Reproduction is rare due to increased lifespan

Culture

Frost Mar live in small communal tribes, usually with a population around 60-100. Tribes of the same subgroup have a tendency to be somewhat hostile to each other, though large and elaborate festivals are often used to win favour with rival tribes to prevent bloodshed.Tribes are ruled by a single chieftain or Neyhta, the strongest Mar tasked with protecting and caring for the weaker tribe members. A chieftain is always tested, younger Mar always challenging the current ruler for control of the tribe. Should the younger Mar win, the chieftain is replaced. Should the younger lose, they are subjected to communal humiliation such as shunning and mockery. They hold the belief that one becomes wiser with every loss, so defeat and humiliation are expected as a form of personal growth. A Mar with thin skin is not worthy of being leader.Quick to react, Frost Mar are often considered impulsive and stubborn, thinking with their fists instead of their brains. They simply prefer to nip problems in the bud before they fester and cause issues later on, regardless of how small or insignificant.Despite their natural affinity towards magic, they do not use it often, instead relying on their immense physical strength. Magic is mostly commonly used by shamans referred to as 'Earthspeakers'. Earthspeakers are the religious leaders of the tribe, tasked with preparing rituals, communing with the spirits and healing the sick; their knowledge is expected to rival that of a PhD in Botany, any less and they are considered honorless pretenders and an afront to the La'a.

 RELIGION ⸻⸻⸻Mar religion centers around the Spirits of The Wilds or the La'a (pronounced Lah-[click]-ah / Lah-ek-ah) in verbal Maren. The La'a are guardians of the natural world, holding dominion over all of existence. Their numbers uncountable, their power ranges from frail to world altering. While most do not have physical forms, those that do prefer to take the form of animals to blend in with the world around them.Mh'nara the Earth Mother is the oldest of the La'a, holding dominion over nature itself, life, death and rebirth. She is thought to be the mother of all lesser spirits as well as the Mar themselves and is universally worshipped regardless of spirit affiliation. Before the Cataclysm, her mate Mh'nare the War Father was also commonly worshipped, though he has since fallen out of favor with the peace and unification of the tribes.The laws of the La'a are absolute: respect the natural world and those that live within it. Every animal, every vegetable and every blade of grass is under their command and all must be respected. It is forbidden to overhunt and overharvest and disrespecting the spirits and souls that live among them will bring nothing but ire. The La'a are capable of inflicting terrible punishment upon those who break their laws; anything from causing famines and natural disasters to outbreaks of disease and bad luck. While vengeful, the La'a are also capable of giving incredible boons to those who respect their wishes.Mar perform rituals for all important aspects of life: preparation for battle, conception, death and forming alliances between other tribes to name a few. The rituals are elaborate and lengthy, hours of dance and drinking are common with practitioners painting themselves with natural dyes and Earthspeakers dressed in elaborate costume made to replicate the appearance of a La'a of choice.

 LANGUAGE ⸻⸻⸻
Referred to as either "Mar" or "Maren", their language a hybrid tonal / body one. The language is very complex and considered one of the hardest active languages a mortal is physically capable of learning. While it has very few sounds, words can have up to 6 different meanings depending on the pitch of the speaker's voice and body gestures. The language also implements a series of clicks and hisses adding further complexity.Due to the complexity, Mar sentence structure is usually in active voice and sentence structure is made up entirely of independent clauses. Mar also have a tendency to refer to themselves by name instead of words such as I or youAn example would be instead of "Jack cried because I climbed faster than him, and I apologized for embarrassing him." In spoken Mar it would sound like "Jack cries. Jill climbs faster than Jack. Jill embarrasses Jack. Jill apologizes to Jack.Names are divined by the mother after ingesting a tea made of hallucinogenic herbs. They claim the herbs allow the pup growing inside the mother's womb to speak to the planet and be granted a name in a language referred to as Wildspeak. Wildspeak does not have a lexicon nor a known alphabet and is considered to be a 'Universal Language'; one that cannot be spoken or learned, but everyone who hears it just 'knows', according to Earthspeakers.Mar do not have surnames, instead they are given titles around the time of their birth based on events or 'omens' given by the La'a as a sign they are watching over the pups. An abnormally plentiful hunt lead by the father may result in the pup being named 'Bringer of the Harvest', while pups born during the primary onslaught of the cataclysm were named 'Mh'nara's scream'. Titles may be bestowed to a single pup or to an entire litter. Pups who share a title form a bond similar to blood siblings referred to as a band.In the event where an omen does not occur and nothing noticeably unique happens, the pup is referred to as Forgotten or 'Nii'h' and deemed as bad luck. In many cases, the pups are abandoned as soon as they are able to fend for themselves and often end up being taken by travelling caravans and sold into the slave trade.

 CUISINE ⸻⸻⸻Frost Mar are primarily hunter-gatherers, relying on large game herds and vegetation that grows in the more temperate hemiboreal valleys that are scattered throughout the bottom half of the Northern Mountains. Despite the harsh climate the Frost Mar are accustomed to, their diets are surprisingly diverse.An important staple in their diet is dried meat and fish. Terrestrial ungulates like wild boar and elk, as well as white fish like pollock are most commonly hunted. Due to their slow metabolism allowing them to go weeks to a month without eating, the meat is often either salted and dried, or ground up and mixed with animal fat and berries to create a pemmican-like bar to prevent it from spoiling.Mushrooms like Ox Tongue and Chaga, trees like Maple, Sumac, 'Arctic Palm*' and Birch, ferns, wild tubers like Yampa, Tiger Nut and Salsify, honey, rice and wheat, and berries like Black, wild Grapes, Choke and Cloudberries make up the rest of their diet.Brewing is an important part of everyday Frost Mar life and is taught at a young age. Due to the way their bodies can reach extremely high temperatures, the alcohol is most often burned out by the time the body starts breaking it down, rendering them almost completely immune to the intoxicating effects of chronic ingestion. While they make multiple kinds of brew, one stands above all in its importance: Honeybeer.Despite the name, honeybeer does not contain actual honey, sweetened instead with a thick sugary syrup made from arctic dates and other fruits. It is named for its bright yellow color and white granulations on the bottom resembling that of fresh honey. Referred to as the Elixir of the La'a, it is usually reserved for special occasions or given as a gift of great honour. It is the preferred drink of The Baemk' who goes to great efforts to obtain it by deceitful means.