Hippodémoi

Crashing of hooves and animalistic shouts signal the passing a Hppodémoi warherd. The "horsepeople" as Exodite sources refer to these savage, yet noble creatures, are known to inspire fear, disgust, and awe in equal measure among the civilized races. Muscular, six limbed humanoids, posessing of a lover body not unlike a horse's, or oxen's, and an upper body of a man with extraordinarily thich bodyhair, these sentient, although primitive nomadic hunter-gatherers are fiercely territorial, but are also widely known for their altruism towards lost travellers and those that are forced from their homes through no fault of their own.  Warherds are known to be quite unpredictable though, and in times of famine, they oft' resolve to raiding their neighbouring civilized peoples, with whom, their relationship, aside from these incidents is almost completely amicable.

Basic Information

Anatomy

whatever their origin may be, it seems likely that these beastmen are the result of crossbreeding, between man and equine, however displeasing that idea is to civilized minds. Although from the perspective of survival, this admixture seems to have worked out very much in favour of the horsepeople, since they not only gained two extra limbs, but have evolved to retain two hearts, and a vascular system that can nigh' instanteneously shut one of it's halves off, for and indefinite time, without bringing about any negative side-effects healthwise, meaning they can take a pelta to the heart, and just keep on fighting like it was a mere fleshwound.

Biological Traits

They stand around 2.5-3.2 metres tall, when on four legs, and generally weigh around 300-500 Kgs, with females of the species being lighter and more agile. Biologically they can without risk of conplications live as long as a hundred years (due to their hyperspecialized Cardivascular system,) but rarely do, since life on the steppe is harsh and death common.

Genetics and Reproduction

Hippodémoi reproduce sexually,  females tend to give birth to one foal, and one foal only. Because of this, beastmen parents will die to protect their young, without any hesitation. And younglings are taught that they only live person, is the one who is cautious.

Growth Rate & Stages

Beastmen mature almost pararell with humans, except, for the fact that humans stop growing way sooner then their distant cousins.

Ecology and Habitats

They make their home on the plains of Quarakorum,  North of Massalia, and west of Tarrentum

Dietary Needs and Habits

They mainly live off of meat, nuts, berries, and other easily accesible resources in the wilderness. They are capable of digesting grains, and baked goods, although generally speaking, have a distinct distaste for them.

Biological Cycle

Hippodémoi herds are typically  well suited to facing the harsh steppe winters, but in years of plenty, when too many new facs join the tribes, the emergent younglings may develop intense rivalries, which often result in ill-conceived kinslayings, and bloody and pointless skirmishes, which can only consider one direct effect on the herd/herds: The number of able bodied hunters gets dangerously low, and starvation sets in around the end of the first month of winter. These times the herds break into warherds, and raid the surrounding peoples'Although several of these raids were repelled, or diplomatically handled, giving the beastmen the much needed supplies.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Hippodémoi live in herds, close knit family based groups, of roughly 50-200 adults, Each herd has an elder, the oldest of the group, and their word is law. Every adult member of the herd is responsible for sustaining themselves and their foal, and have to juggle hunting/gathering with guarding the temporary settlements, or tracking down trespassers.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Massalia protects Hipodémoi in exchange for a discounted price for the excellent hides and furs they collect.

Facial characteristics

Beastmen tend to have gaunt faces, with a sickly, lifeless complexion, ever watchful eyes,  and scarce if any facial hair

Geographic Origin and Distribution

There are only a handful of known herds, all falling under the protection of the kings of Massalia, whom guard their friends loyally. Despite this, it's unlikely that more than two thousand of their ilk roam Edrith.

Average Intelligence

Hippodémoi have sentience, that is undoubted, and human level intelligence, but their fusing with equidae, have struck them with  several hereditary disorders.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The beastmen have extraordinarily keen manifestations of all three primary senses. Their sense of smell is impeccable, they can also reliably spot a hare from several hundred steps facing the sun, and one must always know when venturing into their territory, they will hear your breath from a mile away.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Male: Kheiron
Nessus
Perimedes
Female: Olympias
Penthelesseia
Hyppolita

Beauty Ideals

The Hippodémoi posess more or less humnlike eutyideals with the cvea,  thickness of their body hair, and the mount and type of tattoos the individual wears.

Gender Ideals

Beastmen are a mostly non genderbiased species, with both males and females being able to hunt effectively, due to their immense physical strength and endurance. However, since only one child per couple is born, feamles are highly protected. the loss a would-be-mother is a terrible time of grief for the whole herd.

Courtship Ideals

Hippodémoi relationships are highly competetive affairs, in which the male must prove themselves worthy of the attention of the female. The precise manner in which this persuasion takes place, is entirely up to the would be lovers,  but most commonly they involve test of strength, cunning, or dexterity.

Relationship Ideals

A typical Hippodémioi family is a happy family, a celebration of their race, and their hardiness. So family relations are sacred, and the elders are obligated to pass on every single piece of information they ever learned, or run the risk of exile. inattentive parents are the greatessinners in Hippodémoi ideology.

Average Technological Level

They lead a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestlye, having no need for engineering arts, most craftsmen, or metallurgy. They hunt with flint and bone weaponry, or more recently, with mssalian bronzeware,  which they traded in exchange for the pelts they collected.
They are illiterate, have no use of vehicles, and are only known to construct temporary shelters for bringing newborns into the world,  at which times they construct tents made of animal hides, and they can disassemble as quickly as the made them.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

In the last twenty years, most Hippodémoi  herds have at least a few members who speak Koine, usually with a strong Massalian Accent, but among themselves they still prefer their own, proto language, that comminicates through a fair number of body language  states, and animalistic grunts and shouts.

Common Etiquette Rules

Hippodémoi greet people with a savage charge, that they divert at the last possible second, those who do not flinch, are respected as folk of strength and discipline. It is however a great dishonour to cower before a Hippodémoi charge, and one who falls into this pitfall of this foolish action, woll probaly never be further interacted with by anyone who wittnesses or comes to know of this

Common Dress Code

Males Display their bare chests at all times, showing off their tattoos, and collection of hair, while the females are, by human standards still very hairy, tend to have naked skin muh more common on their bodies, and for this reason tend to wear light jerkings made of animal skins, in order to protect against the cold

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Beastmen value individual freedom greatly, but posess a near paradox level of devotion to their herds, in the majority of the time taking care not only to pull their weight in the group, but acquire any and all effects that ensures the group's survival.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Every Solstice, when the moon is at it's zenith, a chosen few of each herd meet and attempt to relive the memories of their ancestors, by recreating the dangerous race through the break-neck serpentine roads leading up to slopes of Mount Thalassica, in hopes that through this practice can attain enlightenment. Outsdiers who cross their path during this night are usually trampled, kicked, or sometimes simply just have a pelta thrown at them. The victor of this race, gets the privilidge, choose a mate from each herd, symbolically being adopted by all herds, abd permitting the individual to have multiple offsprings. All of whom they must take as adequate care as they would for one child.

Common Taboos

It is immense disrespect meeting a Hippodémoi while mounted.
It is also not fitting, if a person uses the ignorance of their fellow, in order to get an advantage in any activity.
Striking children, is punished by immediate exile

History

Hippodémoi are illiiiterate, meaning that a of their documented history  can be summarized by the oral traditions and tales that the elders teach their young. Unfortunately, there is yet to be an Academios brash enough search for the beastmen, and persuade or coerce them to the matter of sharing their histories with the Exidotai

Historical Figures

Asbolus: The beastman elder who sparked the first instance of friendship between Exoditai and Hippodémoi, saved the life of Homeros Xenophilikos, Baselios of Massalia.

Common Myths and Legends

The hermitage: A tradition sparked of the oldest known Hippodémoi legends, in which the now unknown king of the Hippodémoi with his son by his side venture out to the plains to hunt.With  the prince unaware of the fact, that the old king was dying, excitedly leapt at the adventure, but soon mounted in suspicion, since his father was always narrating him, his teachings, but this time, it felt different, final, and somehow, tired. The beastmen recreate this tale when their elder feels that death calls close to them, and decides on their heir, which they only reveal to the youngest of the herd, in honors of the prinve that was forgotten.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Hippodémoi have remarkably strong ties to the Massalian royal family, and  a sort of symbiosis with the city's  residents, which ever more rarely, but still sometimes sours due to a desperate raid or some cultural and siplomatic mishap.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Démos Palaiós

Origin/Ancestry

Legends claim that the Hippodémoi are the unwitting victims of the Trickster's schemeing, who offered the customarily mounted warriors of the old folk immense strength on horseback.

Lifespan

30

Average Height

2.5-3.2 metres

Average Weight

300-500 Kgs

Average Length

3m

Average Physique

The avarage Hippodémoi can easily lift it's bodyweight, sprint for hours,  and ignore pain, hunger and injury with relative ease

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Hippodémoi ritualistically tattoo their bodies, with a white pigment made of bonemeal of an animal the tatoo's recipient hunted respectfully. They believe that by doing so, the spirit of the animal will be compelled to grant it's traits to the tattooed hunter. A hare for agility, a mountain lion for hunting prowess, a brown bear for strenth and fertility etc. The exoticness of a person's tatoos signal how they stand within the herd hierarchy.

Geographic Distribution

• Massalia

Related Ethnicities

• Zagroididae

Discovered by

Homeros Xenophilikos of Massalia