Loxodon

Transcribed here are translations from several discovered Pronged Sisterhood documents found within the remains of a broken beached ship off the the coast northern of the Isle of Modal. While not all documents could be fully translated, some articles within them could be roughly defined. The following is simply that, at His request. - Teifel High Templar Sexari, Dwindlin 2nd, 1022

Basic Information

Anatomy

Resembling the elephants of Old and the types often found both within several locations in the T.H.D. and G.F.R. areas, 'loxodons' over the course of the Year of Blood accelerated rapidly to become more hominid-like. To clarify, previously, as with nearly all 'New Blooded' creatures, they were much less naturally intelligent and more akin to their bestial cousins in both mental and physical capacities. However, during the Blood Year they became much more similar to the Old Bloods, decreasing in overall size, becoming more upright, not unlike sapient creatures. In addition to this, as discovered by probes, their neural structures, chiefly the cognitive areas, become denser with the skull radius increasing in addition to this. Several other minor changes occurred, but the extent of the development happened to nervous and skeletal structures. The end result is a bipedal, two armed, upright and perhaps fully sentient creature derived from elephants. Curiously, despite the rapid cranial changes, the overall head and neck mass of the previously sub-evolved species changed to allow more upright maneuverability and less spinal related risks.

Genetics and Reproduction

The sophos remains largely the same as before in terms of physical reproduction. However, there are a few notable changes. First, where once the sophos was largely similar to that of other animal elephantidae. During the year, the seasonal musth that males once entered now prolonged to be year long. In addition to this, the amount of of musth has been decreased substantially, by nearly 96.6% for all males. For females, the entire cycle had changed from that of elephantidae to that not dissimilar to the 'Old Blooded'. Gestation is still largely the same and so is growth patterns. Males still reach physical maturity by fifteen years and females by thirteen.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Sophos still remains an omnivore by technicality. Although they are capable of digesting meat, it is heavily discouraged both on an individual and communal basis. This is largely due to the strangeness related for a 'Loxodon' to do such a thing. In addition to that the digestive system is on average more prepared and functional when consuming plants.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

In what could be defined as a face, most sophos still retain a peachy fuzz along their heads, growing thicker further away from the eyes, nasal passages of the trunk, ears and mouth it is. In addition to this, an interesting trait is that most females have lost their ability to produce full length tusks. Instead, the average female sophos tusk is only half a foot long compared to previously, where female sophos could grow tusks up to two feet long. Males, however, still retain their ability to produce tusks, although the size has also decreased. Before where the average among males was 2'5", it is now 1'3".

Geographic Origin and Distribution

As was discovered, most of the advanced sophos exist within the Hyborean region, specifically in what is currently considered Kol'Einith and Genoa. Most of their communal places exist either along the coast or one of the local rivers.

Average Intelligence

The sophos' average measurable intellect has increased drastically. Now able to solve more than simple puzzles, they have adapted to the many ways of the nearby 'Old Blooded' ways of life mixed with their own elder traditions. In nearly all definable ways, the 'Loxodon' has reached the standard sapient level in terms of creativity, problem solving, logistics and communal relations. However, compared to many other of the 'New Bloods', the sophos has advanced further in native spiritual and personal wisdom, even surpassing the sapient's own advancement when compared one to one in time.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Interestingly, the neural structures for smell enhanced within the sophos' brain. Yet at the same time, a good portion of rods found within their eyes simply died out and vanished, leaving them with a near human-like sight. Even worse yet, their brains lost much of the advancement nearly all elephantidae had made in regards to hearing, also setting them close to a near human-like perception in terms of sound.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

Where as with time Bile is expected to decrease in presence, it has in truth remained steady among sophos for currently unknown reasons. However, the Mite per neural cell has increased drastically, although it is also unclear if this is in relation to the advancement of sophos or other unaccounted factors.

Civilization and Culture

Average Technological Level

Despite being able to access the relatively ancient although efficient and available technologies of nearby Old Bloods, nearly all sophos tribes reject this 'modernity'. Although all tribes are at the least proficient with metal working to some capacity, they largely only make use of this for weapons, certain tools and a small amount of textile uses, such as buckles, rings and pins.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Sophos, as observed lost their own previously natural sense of communication once the temporal glands that existed before the Year of Blood shrunk to a now grape sized organ. After this, they quickly adopted the Old Tongue and any other nearby dialects that would prove useful, depending on where the specific sophos community was. Among the now advanced sophos species, there doesn't appear to be any attempt to restore or instead make a new racial specific language.

Common Dress Code

A notable belief across sophos tribes is the established idea that wearing anything higher than the waist to be a cowardly act. I could not find the exact origin of this belief, but I theorize that it relates in some way to the ancestral stories and memories of acting as hardly better than pack creatures, as many progenitor sophos are still alive today and can recount to some extent their lives during and before the Year. Especially cowardly for sophos is wearing the furs and clothes of other creatures. Worst of all, of what can be considered a sort of capital offense, is wearing armor of any kind above the waist. Although most sophos tribes are not active in conflicts, they are trained to hunt and even fight in close combat with the animals and dangers of the wilderness most of their tribes reside within. Having spoken to several sophos, they themselves claim the their thick hair and underlying heavy swathes of skin have saved their hides several times, quite literally.

History

From my updated understanding, as you requested in your last package, the history of the sophos can be briefly summarized in the following:

Pre Year of Blood

Before the Blood Year, 'loxodons' as commonly referred to where used largely as slaves and a sort of 'servant kind' by several Highsun communities and organizations. Docile enough to not kill and intelligent enough to act as simple aids and hardly better than beasts of burden due to their unique anatomical structure. In the wild they existed largely as clans of large, usually thirty to fifty, familial units. These units, known as herds at the time, were often hired for use in construction, transporting of goods and even several conflicts. However, the male populaces tendencies to require a season's long period of silence and isolation deterred many non natives from bringing the loxodons across the Realm(s) and increasing their use and exploitation. Up until 999 P.B. very little had changed overall in sophos society.

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Year of Blood

During the Year, as with many 'New Bloods', the changes imposed upon loxodons were drastic, painful and even horrifying to those inexperienced with such Bile related changes. From this, the 'advanced sophos' emerged (and will later be categorized as a new species). Here, unlike many other creatures that had rapidly changed were not met with total fear and alienation with their already good standing with many Old Bloods within Highsun met an accepting but weary world. Aiding many during the Southern Exodus, generally speaking loxodons were one of the few 'New Bloods' to be accepted into the Realm as normal intelligent creatures by the northern New Bloods.

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Post Year of Blood

Currently, loxodons retain more sense civility than other recognized 'New Bloods'. Largely this is due in part to inter species collaboration and experience. While the Temple does not recognize the species to be much better than the beast-like creatures they used to be, some Hyborean societies recognize them and even other 'New Bloods' as potential normal 'people'. However, interestingly, most of the herds have gone, as most loxodons have instead opted for tribal societies across the T.H.D. area, instead of integrating with the more technologically advanced and established natives.

(Not seen within the discovered Sisterhood related recovered texts. Above, an oil painting of a gladiatorial loxodon likely within a Corolis arena)
"My friend, if you want a close call, listen to this tale about the Brute." The hoardling blood arena show-runner, Zorsha, taps the canvas next to him. It depicts a loxodon blood arena gladiator standing stoically amid the blood of his enemies. "Sometimes the arena battles can go awry. This business is not like that other fancy prancy stuff they show near the Temple. Sure, we soften up the quarry before the fights by whatever way we can, that much is expected, but sometimes that's not enough. Now, I had known the loxodon actually preferred nearly no armor at all but that was his choice. An admirer who had gotten close to him once told me that it was a..." Zorsha waves a clawed hand, "'home choice'. Once, during a fight with two dozen of those lizard troglodytes, one of the pike carriers lodged it's long arm right into the Brutes neck. My friend, we were all stunned, even the Brute for a mere moment. Before it's fellows had the time to rush the big fighter, the Brute grabbed the fucking shaft and snapped it in two. With one hand he took out the part that had pierced him and with the other, spun the broken shaft down into the offenders face, killing it. Turns out, his kind has a smaller neck than what it looks like. When I went out to get the pike's head, it just was covered in a swathe of broken, heavy, leathery skin. I'll tell you though, for once the Brute was damn near theatrical." Belbet the Mutt Hunter's written recordings of a part of a conversation he had with Zorsha, an infamous blood arena director. Dated 1035 P.B..

Scientific Name

Elephantidae sophos

Lifespan

Males: 73 Years. ; Females: 88 Years.

Average Height

Males: 7'9" feet. ; Females: 6'11" feet.

Average Weight

Males: 390 lbs. ; Females: 341 lbs.

Average Physique

Among all adult sophos, unlike other Old and New Blooded's who have advanced, they still retain their primitive muscle mass along the spinal column, legs and core. Most of this mass is used to support their own bodies, as the mixture of still having mostly elephantidae structured feet, becoming bipedal and having incredibly heavy upper bodies puts an incredible amount of stress on their bodies if not given rest after prolonged periods of time. Although this does not hold true for all sophos, nearly three fourths of their total species populace still retain their woolly hair. Those that did not migrated south towards the Lanavar region.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Most of the woolly sophos retain their more primitive mixtures of brown, black and red hair. Among the woolly and non-woolly the average sophos skin coloring is a mixture of dark and pale gray, depending on the creature's point of origin and external factors such as sun exposure and heat.