A new race of critters.

[Saigonnus]

Recently I had thoughts on creating a race from scratch, and I wondered what you all think about the basic idea. Any thoughts or ideas could help me in refining it so it's realistic. I know it's long, but bear with me... I want to be as inclusive as possible on what I already have.

Ruaka are forest-dwelling creatures that reside in temperate/subtemperate climates. They are short of stature (perhaps 4 feet tall maximum) and lean with a ridged forehead, rounded face and thick hair over most of their body. They live in small, close-knit communities with their homes in burrows beneath trees, the roots often acting as part of the structure. Their society is matriarchal and passive for the most part, overseen by a quad of elders, one to represent each of the facets of life within society (hunting/gathering [which also covers their combat] , crafting/artifice, trade/commerce and a wise woman (shaman) that oversees those in society "blessed" with "magic". Above them is a Chief Elder who makes the ultimate decision on anything put to a discussion.

Deeply spiritual, the Ruaka believe in the circle of life much like a druid, and magic is extremely rare in Ruakan society and is similar in aspect to druids would have, intermixed with tales of old medicine men. Often magic manifests itself in allowing the "user" to summon creatures, interacting with things in nature "growing staffs from trees" or "moving silent through thick brush", going into trances to speak with their ancestors (requires a hallucinogenic medium). They also share a kinship with bears and unless a Ruaka is stupid, they are never prey for a bear. They can speak to bears empathically and often ride them in battle using special harnesses; when it becomes necessary to defend their homes.

Their typical weapons are spears, staves, slings/bolas, nets, javelins and small stone knives (flint/obsidian etc.) and use the skin of animals sewn with bits of stone for armor when they must fight. They don't have much interaction with outsiders and very territorial, killing most "invaders" without hesitation. They also don't trade with anyone not Ruaka, so have somewhat limited resources.

To avoid inbreeding, Ruaka have bi-annual gatherings at holy sites so the young males and females can meet/greet and potentially be chosen as mate to a Ruaka from a different "village". Also, it is typical for a craftsman or trader to visit other villages and when that happens; if they are caring for a young Ruaka of suitable age, they take them along as apprentice so they can see potential mates and be seen. When a mate is chosen, the Ruaka with a higher standing in their "village" is the one that takes the other home and the "marriage" is overseen by the elders of the village when they are both considered to be "adult".

Children from a union are only cared for 100% of the time by their biological parents for the first five years of life; when they learn to speak and to write in the Ruaka tongue. After that, they are raised by the community, studying with the different clansmen and overseen by the parents and by the elders. They are taught to hunt, trap game and how to identify the plants and animals around them. They also learn to grow crops and care for livestock (they herd goats and keep rabbits). They also learn the basics of all the crafts and as they grow, they are funneled into the skills they excel at. Once they are "adult" at around twenty (they live 200-230 years) they can choose their craft (usually what they had excelled in) and takes their place in society.

Crime among the Ruaka is almost nonexistant, but when something does occur, the penalties vary from a stern warning; for minor offenses or first time ones. Exile to the sour marshes for a length of time is for more serious crimes like betrayal, assault etc... more serious crimes like rape or murder is punishable by banishment to the "grove" where the shamans gather to transform the offender into a tree; a tree that can later be summoned to do the bidding of the shamans (pennance). Sometimes the sentence is for a set period (five years) and sometimes it's for all time; or at least until the tree dies.

If you have anything else or ideas to add, feel free to let me know as they are still a work in progress.

[ThinkerX]

Hmmm...

Ewoks?

[Queshire]

Primative forrest dwelling people that ride a predator as a steed isn't very original....

First, I would get rid of the connection to bears, that seems tacked on, and not very practical. They couldn't use bears half the year as they woul be hibernating, and unlike wolves or horses, I'm pretty sure they're solitary so a bear cavalry wouldn't make much sense.

Second, if they attack humans, have a lower tech base then humans, and are phsically weaker then humans, then why haven't humans exterminated them yet? Yeah their tricks might make it harder, but they're pretty much ****ed if humans decided to simply burn their forest to the ground.

Third... hm... I would suggest putting more thought into their magic / beliefs then having them be simply a druid clone.

I'm all for originality, but I think you gotta think outside the box more. Take a look at various animals and imagine how their society would behave if they evolved sentience instead of monkeys, Consider various what ifs, and so on.

[Saigonnus]

Well, I wasn't suggesting that they go out of their way to attack humans, actually they are somewhat insolar, and like in nature use concealment as their primary defense from other races that happen into their territory (unless of course it's one or two and easily dispatched). They live beneath trees so they are easily "concealable" should a large party of humans trod through their village, they simply make their village look like any other clearing in the forest until the others go away.

I was thinking that perhaps of having a magical "highway" utilizing their ability to travel in woodlands so easily and without being detected. It would be a certain route from one village to another (or to a sacred place) that is so utilized that it has become magical in itself and when a Ruaka is on the route, they are indetectable even if a human happens to be looking right at them or standing where the route is.

Perhaps the body hair does make it seem like they are ewoks... though in truth I was thinking more like scotsmen than bears.

As for the bears, I guess I hadn't given it much thought, just sounded cool, but didn't take the actual realities of a bear into consideration. I was just thinking that wolves as mounts were a bit overdone (with the whole Orc/Worg thing) that it wouldn't be original either. Who's to say that bears in a fantasy world act like they do in the real world? Maybe they developed a bit differently to fill a different niche in the ecosystem. Perhaps instead, they ride large deer... could be intimidating seeing 6 foot wide racks coming at you. :P

[Queshire]

Hmm.... honestly I don't know much about the subject, but I don't think riding would be that popular in a forest dwelling species to begin with. I mean, even if they ride a species suited to the forest like deer, there would be a limit to how fast they could go while safely navigating through the trees and they would have to be alert for getting smacked in the face by tree branches.

[gavintonks]

were you not thinking of avatar?

[Saigonnus]

Perhaps I am out of the loop here, but what's that? I hear you all mention it like crazy, but I have never been big on watching TV, so perhaps it's something I have never seen. Does it remind you of something from there?

[Saigonnus]

Hmm.... honestly I don't know much about the subject, but I don't think riding would be that popular in a forest dwelling species to begin with. I mean, even if they ride a species suited to the forest like deer, there would be a limit to how fast they could go while safely navigating through the trees and they would have to be alert for getting smacked in the face by tree branches.

Just got the mental image of a poor critter on a deer falling backkwards off of his mount having just been attacked by a random tree branch. :P

[Aravelle]

Perhaps I am out of the loop here, but what's that? I hear you all mention it like crazy, but I have never been big on watching TV, so perhaps it's something I have never seen. Does it remind you of something from there?

Avatar is a sci fi/fantasy movie created by James Cameron. It was extremely popular when it first came out 2-3 years go, I think. The movie is noted for its tall, blue, feline aliens and their nature embracing culture. Think Pocohontas or Dances with Wolves meets Ferngully with a dash of Smurfs. I recommend looking into it. :]

[Queshire]

I was not impressed by Avatar, it felt too formaliac. (is that a word?) Like they just took a bunch of tropes and tossed them together in the most obvious and bluntest way possible in a pure money making attempt. I could predict just about everything that happened in that movie within the first five minutes. The only thing that impressed me was how he actually got the bigger dragon, but even the hero taming the untamable alpha predator is too damn predicatble. Sure, it may be a technically sound story, it's got all the nuts and bolts, but there's no soul, no art to it! I look at it as an example of what NOT to do.