Pei Monkey (PAY)

Little golden emperors...
The goddesses did not create them nor did Deres discover them. Bearing no genetic connection to Thangiens or humans nor any Oldworlder primate, these wiry diminutive creatures have lived on Thanged far longer than humans, perhaps as old as the Grand Cresta. Standing roughly knee-high, they primarily dwell in trees and forage for fruit. In the old myth of the Cresta and the Imp, Pei had to set aside their ancient hatred of gherfen, when faced with subjugation. Crestas view gherfen as a nuisance, but the monkeys hate the "helmed hawks" with bitter ferocity. The word itself is believed to have origins dating back to Freelanders of asian descent with ties to a myth that only recently has started to gain more circulation.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Pei are distinguished by their long wispy golden fur and long muzzles. They are quadrupeds and have five fingers and toes. Their tails are about as long as they stand tall and they keep them curled most of the time but are not prehensile like Oldworlder primates. They have a set of prominent canines but only bare their teeth in warning.

Biological Traits

Males tend to live longer than females and young tend to have less fur on their tails and faces. Females have a narrower face while males have large furry tufts on their cheeks and the curious curious black moustache that gives them the appearance of a shrewd emperor. Patriarchs are identified by the amount of wrinkles along their muzzles and their shining bald crowns.

Genetics and Reproduction

Pei are monogamous and have a birth cycle of roughly 4-5 months with both parents sharing duties.

Growth Rate & Stages

Can reach maturity within a half Thangien cycle (twelve months Earth Time). Fur starts out as patchy and stringy before the second coat fully grows in.

Ecology and Habitats

Treetops are the domain of the little emperors, but curiously enough they go out of their way to avoid the Eastern Jungle. The denser growth would make an ideal habitat to avoid gherfen altogether, but until fairly recently scholars did not know why.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Being fructivorous, courts tend to monopolize most fruit-bearing trees. If a tree bear tries to intrude, the entire court will "go to war" to drive the invading bear away. On occasion Pei will venture to the ground to harass a wandering sttanavoseni and steal their seeds. If the tree runs out of fruit, the court will relocate to another, keeping in tight formations to dissuade gherfen.

Biological Cycle

Despite not growing a winter coat, Pei shed frequently, sometimes using their own fur in bedding or for dowries. Older Pei start to go bald on their heads and chests and their tails start to lose their bushiness.

Behaviour

Because gherfen also build eyries in treetops, if a court catches sight of one, they will literally wage war against the entire flock, not stopping until they successfully drive away the gherfen by smashing their eggs or tearing down their nests, or the court quite simply suffers too many losses to sustain an offensive.
Pei seem to "date" members of the opposing sex before reaching full maturity, either offering bits of their own shed fur or trinkets of food and engaging in play. If a fiancee is unfortunately killed before adulthood, the surviving partner will grieve several months before attempting to find another partner.
Researchers have observed Pei courtship rituals in which a male must provide the patriarch of a neighboring family with a "dowry" consisting of various bits of plant-life, foodstuff, even handfuls of fur. If sufficiently satisfied, the patriarch will grant his blessing and allow the male access to a female of his choosing. Courts consist of 4-5 separate families and intermarry presumably to avoid inbreeding as well as grow the court and maintain fighting strength.
Pei actually perform funerary rites by dropping clumps of fur over a body and keeping scavengers from the remains, chasing away vitreelas and tree bears and picking insects off until the Twin Suns effectively mummify the body and they finally drape heavy grasses over it.

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Gold Pei Monkey by Mardrena

Gel pen on black paper

Additional Information

Social Structure

Large groups consisting of different "families" are referred to as "courts". A senior male leads the rest in finding new sources of food or fending off gherfen. They while away most of the day in the treetops, venturing to the ground at night to defecate or explore. They will engage in social grooming and rarely ever attack each other except during play.

Domestication

Pei generally avoid humans whether city-dwellers or Freelanders, but they seem to know that humans have the good stuff. Due to their small size and coloration its easy for them to sneak into a camp and rifle through a Freelander's belongings and help themselves to some dried food. They do not traditionally eat meat but seem to like the taste of dried and seasoned jerky. They do poor in captivity and cannot be kept as pets due to their social needs. They are not considered a nuisance by Lonesteaders.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Clean tufts of Pei fur can be plucked from low-hanging branches and used in a variety of Freelander crafts such as decorative braids or charms. Because of increasing human travel through Kundain, Pei have gotten the idea to make trinkets of their own fur as part of dowries.

Facial characteristics

Unlike Oldworlder species, Pei have long muzzles somewhat like a baboon with close-set eyes and low brows.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Pei can be found just about anywhere in the Kundainian Plains region or the Southern Salt marsh and will frequently visit Tirmutua outside the walls of Bainshaebo, the banks of the Winding White, or the great river delta. They will not venture to the Northern Ring or beyond and give the Eastern Jungle a very wide berth.

Average Intelligence

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Pei Monkey Sketch by Mardrena

Rough pencil doodle

Courts are smart enough to not only engage threats, but deploy tactical maneuvers that would make Ander Vai-Stel-Vethu jealous. They have been observed to use tools whether sticks, rocks, or reeds and have learned how to carry items in large hulls or pieces of bark. If a gherfen flock attacks and attempts to grab one, the entire court will dogpile the offender. "Sentries" are commonly posted on the highest branches to warn of incoming attack, shaking branches and screaming loudly in warning. They will lob sticks and rocks at tree bears to drive them away and scream and beat at vitreelas trying to feed on fallen members.
Pei know of the healing properties of Richtho leaves: how to identify them and apply them to wounds. They have even learned how to store them in hulls filled with water or dry them on branches to mix in crude poultices. Instead of abandoning or casting out wounded court members, they will go out of their way to administer primitive medical care such as setting bones and binding splints. Perhaps in another few million cycles they might become true emperors...

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They have fair eyesight and smell and keen hearing, but even that cannot protect them from diving gherfen all of the time.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Helmed hawks are their hated eternal enemy and tree bears and vitreelas annoying scavengers, but Pei have been observed to have an unusual relationship with Grand Crestas. Deres first made note of this during his journey, spotting a wound-weary Cresta stallion approach a Pei standing on a rock beneath a tree. The Pei proceeded to apply fresh Richtho leaves to the cuts and actually patted the Cresta on the muzzle. Deres nicknamed him the "Doctor of the Plains" and devised a story for his grandchildren upon his return, extolling this altruistic behavior.
If a gherfen successfully dislodges a Pei from a tree, instead of running back to the tree, the Pei will run to the nearest Grand Cresta and latch onto its belly until the gherfen gives up and flies off. This might seem counterproductive, but the tactic serves two purposes: draw the gherfen away from the court, and force the gherfen to expend energy chasing its target. The Cresta, for its part, seems to tolerate the Pei's antics. Deres couldn't help but laugh that the little Pei could "tame" Grand Crestas where men had failed.

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Beast Buddies by Mardrena

Made with Inkscape

Civilization and Culture

History

Pei have existed longer than recorded human habitation on Thanged with ancient Freelanders making drawings of them in the Northern Ring during the Dread Winter. According to some variations of the Cresta and the Imp, the Pei attempts to best the Imp and comes close to succeeding only to be ultimately outwitted by the nimble devil.
The word "Pei" itself has no known definition or meaning, but Freelanders began referring them as such sometime after the Dread Winter, and the name caught on with the wider populace.

The Silk Emperor

An extremely obscure Freelander myth that only fairly recently in the last century or so started gaining wider circulation. According to the tale, a very eccentric man either named Liu Pei or Lo Pei did not wish to live in the city nor live like a savage. He missed the silk of his homeland and after much effort learned how to make a facsimile from native insect cocoons. He erected large tents draped in silk out on the plain and furnished the interior as grandly as any palace. He had many daughters and required suitors to present large dowries and complete tests of skill. His palaces grew to be very large as his court expanded, and the walls of silk would ripple in the wind. Travelers took to calling him the Silk Emperor and he and his court lived in peace for many years far beyond the walls of Bainshaebo.

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Liu Pei, the Silk Emperor by Mardrena

Made in BlackInk

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Little Emperor vs Helmed Hawk by Mardrena

Made in BlackInk

One year, the storm season proved more chaotic than usual, and great caevas clouds raked across the plain reaching further south than ever before. Man and beast fled before the storms or took shelter in Bainshaebo, but the Silk Emperor and his family simply were simply too engrossed in festivities to notice the coming danger. Exasperated with his absentmindedness but not willing to see him and his entire family die needlessly, Witheren Goddess of Righteous War turned him and his entire family into monkeys, allowing them to escape disaster.
Since then, the little golden emperors have held court out on the plains, suitors offering dowries and patriarchs swaddled in their voluminous golden robes and stroking their moustaches. Instead of fine silk they have the trees and open air. Instead of opulent trinkets they have the bounty of nature. Witheren granted them knowledge of how to avoid danger and prosper in the wild.
Now this isn't to say that Witheren necessarily created Pei monkeys, only that she simply turned humans into them in an effort to save their lives. Given how fiercely Pei battle gherfen, who's to say she doesn't favor the little emperors in her own way?

Historical Figures

Liu/Lo Pei

-mythological "Silk Emperor" from which the species got its name. Neither Thangien nor Freelander, said to have attempted to build a kingdom independent of Bainshaebo to the south along the Winding White.

Common Myths and Legends

The Cresta and the Imp

-Popular animal fable where prominent wildlife of Thanged solicit aid from the Cresta against a otherworldly foe.

The Doctor of the Plains

-Children's book written by Deres about a Pei offering help to a proud Cresta stallion.

The Silk Emperor

-VERY obscure creation myth about Pei monkeys explaining some of their behaviors.

Gold Pei Monkey by Mardrena

Pei Monkey Sketch by Mardrena

Scientific Name

parvum aurum imperator

Lifespan

15-20 cycles (30-40 years Earth-Time)

Average Height

15-20 inches

Average Weight

20-30 lbs

Average Physique

Physical might is not a strong suit of the Pei. They can lift roughly half their weight but are mostly lean muscle. Speed and dexterity are their greatest assets. They are fast enough to outmaneuver tree bears and vitreelas and outrun a gherfen if need be. They can grab sttanavoseni before they can dart into their burrows.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

The parts of their bodies not covered with fur are generally pale-pink or cream-colored. Their eyes can come in a variety of colors such as red, yellow, blue, green, or brown. Their fur is always gold with slight variations in tints.

Geographic Distribution

• Kundainian Plains
• The Southern Salt

Beast Buddies by Mardrena

Pei Monkey, Stained Glass by Mardrena