Lupia

Beneath the warm, bright, and green lands of Muria are the luponha. These quick and agile beings are a lovely example of Akari's effects on Liphan's work. The Kingdom of Lupia is a network of dozens of small towns surrounding the single larger city of Dangle. Lupia has a unique structural design that stops most intruders within the periphery without them ever even entering one of the settlements.
The buildings in Lupia hang from the ceilings of the large caverns in which they reside, usually with drops of up to a few hundred feet beneath them. The luponha traverse these towns by taking advantage of the lower gravity and their incredible jumping ability, hopping between hanging ropes, large platforms, and other subterranean structures. Economically, Lupia is actually very similar to inner Muria, using a barter system rather than currency. People get what they need and eat what they need, and as long as everyone works together nobody needs to get less than anyone else.
The actual caverns beneath Lupia are made of lush and dark forests, and though the luponha often travel down for hunting or gathering, the large beasts that drove them onto the ceiling in the first place still roam. Large peripheral creatures are constant threats in the underforests of Lupia, and travelers are warned to be wary when traveling without means of traversing the sky.

by beeple

The City of Dangle

The city of Dangle is the largest of the hanging Lupian settlements. Where most Lupian villages are close to a wall or supporting pillar, Dangle is unique because it is both close to the water (a rarity in the Periphery) and miles from any wall. Traveling to Dangle is done via a series of complex ropeways along the ceiling and through tunnels that criss-cross through the ceiling of the cavern. Long pully systems allow the population to lower themselves to the cavern floor where they can hunt, fish, and otherwise explore. Entire farms of hanging plants exist dotted around the town, with large nets hung beneath to catch the ripe fruit that would normally be lost to the abyss, allowing them to be scooped up by the farmers and eaten or processed.
Dangle is also home to the Lupia's royal leader, a luponha titled the "Hanging King". Contrary to the name's sinister air, the Hanging King is actually a respected member of a long lineage of rabbitfolk going all the way back to the original founder of the first hanging town, whose name was Dangle, and though the outside world may perceive the name as intimidating the luponha see nothing wrong it.
The unusually large bats that populate the skies of the Periphery are often tamed by the people of Dangle, hitched up with barding and saddles made to hold a number of luponha at once, as well as large hanging nets meant to carry packages or other supplies without impeding the mount's wings. Large wooden posts are hung from the Periphery's ceiling to house these creatures, and larger platforms exist for them to rest on while they eat.

Structure

The Lupian people aren't complex when it comes to chains of command. The rabbitfolk are free, and as they move through life they are unrestricted in which paths they may adopt. Though within Lupia itself it is a common cultural expectation for individuals to have chosen their role in life by the time they've matured and pursue that choice until they've succeeded and can provide for their entire family, not merely their own children.

Demography and Population

The population of Lupia is almost exclusively luponha, with a small number of mousefolk and other peripheral races.

Military

Dangle is protected by a military unit formed by the second Hanging King, named after the king himself. These brave heroes are known as the Royal Knights of Wobble or, more colloquially by the common people, the Wobbleguard. The Wobbleguard are an elite few, usually around 500 guards at any given time, all trained to take full advantage of their speed and jumping ability to maneuver across the battlefield. Some focus more on using magical talents to remain in the air, while others embrace the physical end of things, leaping over stalactites, structures, or even the enemies themselves.

Technological Level

Where the muriha above them quickly developed alongside the surface people, the luponha remain in a rather undeveloped state of rudimentary survival tactics. Simple machines such as the wheel or pullies have been invented and are used in daily life, but past that the tools of the simple luponha haven't evolved significantly.

Religion

The spiritual side of the luponha's culture revolves around three core values: sight, speed, and luck. See where you want to be, get there, and hope that the world lets you. While they are not nearly as luck-oriented as, say, Kobolds, that aspect is still prevalent. This belief is practiced in many ways, from special totems to holidays and festivals. The most common of these practices is a series of charms, called a Trifur, held by those who are more devout than most. The Trifur is a piece of glass, a tuft of one's own fur, and a coin, strung along with any kind of cord such as a string or thin chain, usually worn around the neck. It is believed that keeping a Trifur on hand, even if you're not wearing it, will bring good fortune.

Foreign Relations

There was once a time where the luponha were a common sight on the surface, intermingling their society with the muriha, learning from one another and influencing their respective cultures. To this day these influences can be seen within aspects of both races' music and art, still clearly apparent generations after the luponha chose to separate from the surface.
When the muriha first began to communicate with the races outside of Muria, such as the elves of Filyn or the sea folk leeward of the coast, the luponha decided that it would be a good idea to do the same. In time, the luponha would begin to reach out as a people alongside the muriha, engaging with many. These were their first encounters with those of those down flow.
The people of Friggamn and the people of Auburn, through some unknown and unrecorded circumstances, got ahold of the corpse of one of the rabbitfolk. This is when they first learned of the secrets of luponha hide. Word began to spread like wildfire and across the land the magical benefits of this new resource became known. Whether the laws of where they were protected them or not, luponha travelers started to go missing. As fewer and fewer of their family and friends came home, the people of Lupia began to grow more cautious, and as the horror stories of what the surface folk had been doing to them trickled back, in turn, fewer travelers would leave the safety of their home.
Around that time, the relationship between the luponha and the muriha also began to deterioriate, and after only a few generations the luponha became nearly unheard of on the surface, having become entirely isolated beneath the crust of Sedden.

The City of Sway

The second-largest settlement in Lupia, Sway, acts as their connection to the surface world. Located at the bottom of a large surface ravine called the Hubruk, this city is strung across the gap between the two sides of its opening above Lupia. Incredibly strong winds constantly howl down from the opening of the ravine, and large windmills hang on the bridges between the sides to catch the wind. These are used to grind plants and other materials, and to power the large wooden elevators which hang on long ropes and allow for travel between the surface and Lupia.

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Dangle

Alternative Names

Lupon, Den Country

Demonym

Lupian

Leader Title

The Hanging King

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Economic System

Barter system

Official Languages

• Lupian

Neighboring Nations

• Filyn
• Muria