Lapineridae

Lagomi (Feral Lapine)

Sometimes there will be a Feral Lapine, or Lagomi, child will be born to normal Lapine parents and can be seen with a mix of different emotions depending on the tribe. Some tribes see them as a curse for the tribe failing in some capacity and others see them as a boon from their ancestors. Instead of the humanoid feet of regular Lapine, they possess rabbit-like feet (Sometimes with or without paw pads) with large claws and occasionally fine hair covering their hands and forearms. Additionally the hair on their ears is sometimes much wilder and their tails are slightly longer. The have enhanced constitution, slightly above average agility and often are able to bound across great distances or easily dig through most areas with open soil.

Tribe Structure

Each tribe has two major leaders, the Starcaller/Storyteller and the Hunt-Master.

The Starcaller/Storyteller is the de-facto leader of the tribe and is usually the eldest female. They almost always have some kind of connection to divination through star-reading. Most of their duties mirror that of a tribe shaman, doctor or druid; Utilizing herbal medicine and star divination to cure most ailments and make decisions for the tribe. They usually have an assistant who will be next in line when that Starcaller finally dies. There's no consideration for bloodline in succession, it is always an individual that has that same spark of divination/connection to the stars as their predecessor. Starcallers are not forbidden from having children and families, but their duties and tribe leader and soothsayer often supersede their family, so their male partner will be the one who takes care of child-rearing. In very rare cases, such as low population, the Starcaller's husband can also be the Hunt-Master, in which case they will often split parental duties or refer the children to an aunt/uncle. Often the women of the tribe will work with the Starcaller to discuss decisions about the tribe's future and to care for their young.

The most important duty of a Starcaller though is the maintenance of the tribe's Mythal, a magical effect that is hosted within their body that permeates their tribe's immediate vicinity and every Lapine within it. Similar to an Elven Mythal, it is a magical field that houses specific conditions, i.e. warding away evil, keeping breeding chemistry in check to keep their population steady, promoting health and wellness, etc. Because the Mythal is heavily tied to the magic of the land they occupy, the Starcaller can be very susceptible to disease or sickness if the land is or has become corrupted, which means they are often the very first to sense it. It is not uncommon for tribes to pick up and move far away if the land is deemed incurable or in need of time to heal. They take special care not to exhaust the magical energy of the land and only expand/enhance the mythal through their star divination magic if there is an excess and draw it back if there is a shortage. Because of their connection with the Mythal, they often gain druid-like and wizard-like abilities, though this is not always the case.

The Hunt-Master is more or less as it sounds. They lead the hunting/foraging parties and are often the kind of caretakers for the lands they roam. In contrast to the Starcaller the Hunt-Master is usually the eldest male. They keep track of animal population, movements and health so as not to over-hunt and will often shift the tribe's diet to either allow certain species re-population or target overpopulated species. At home they lead the crafters in shaping animal or plant materials into products for the tribe and are known to be able to craft fine fabrics. The most sacred fabrics are able to magically show the night sky and stars at any time of day, as if looking through a looking glass. These sacred fabrics are usually reserved for the Starcaller's divination tent and are only traded outside of the tribe in the most dire times or as gifts to those that have done the tribe a great deed. Most of the time men and women not in childcare spend half their time hunting/foraging and half their time crafting. If an individual is injured beyond recovery or has some other disability that will prevent them from hunting/foraging, they usually take up the majority of cooking and repair work as well. It's not often you see a Lapine cook that isn't missing a few fingers or even an arm/leg. \columnbreak

Behavior

As a tribal/nomaid peoples, Lapine hold a great deal of reverence for the land and the life it provides them with. Any form of perversion of nature is taken as a grave offense and often can lead to heightened tensions if not rectified. They are not openly hostile to travelers, but are wary enough to not share any information that could place the tribe in harms way. Most that gain a Lapine's trust are those that place their lives on the line to provide aid to the tribe or prove their willingness to live by the tribe's culture.

Lapine traditionally breed in the fall and have children in the spring and the introduction of a new tribe child is often cause for major celebration. Couples usually consult with the Starcaller to divine if it's time for them to have children or not, and in dire cases the Starcaller may even alter the tribe's Mythal to forego the usual breeding chemistry supressesion, allowing for rapid re-population. As Lapine physically mature around 21, being considered mentally fully fledged adults around 26-30 and living for close to 240 years, most only have 1-2 children at a time and the tribe can go years or decades without need of new children. Rarely does the population ever exceed a few hundred and is never below 50. If the population does fall below 50 the tribe will often call for aid from other, more well-populated, tribes to mix in with due to the need for genetic stability. Lapine can breed with most other mammalian-type humanoids but the Lapine genetics often overpower other races much in the same way the Orc genome acts.

Individuals are not forbidden from leaving the tribe on the condition that some day they will bring back something useful. Either rare items they cannot make themselves or something that will help the tribe in the long-run. Sometimes individuals do not return and they are not (widely at least) remembered negatively, though individuals they were close to might be a bit distraught. If an individual believes they will be living away from the tribe for the indefinite future, they may sometimes opt to set up a small shrine or reliquary they take with them, which houses a miniature Mythal. This Mini-Mythal often only extends for a few hundred feet at most and only bestows temporary effects. Usually the only effect the Mini-Mythal is strong enough to bestow is to keep their reproductive chemistry in-line with other humanoid species .