Ruwa Sea Cow

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Racial Magic

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First Ability

Ithisda's Manipulation

Those with Ithisda's Manipulation are able to manipulate, control, repel, attract and reshape liquid freshwater present in their environment. They can essentially control all water around them, minutely or in larger motions, as though it were an extension of their body. Sometimes used to flood a bank with desireable plants or help move themselves along the water, it can even be used to douse wildfires.

Ithisda's Aura

Those with Ithisda's Aura are able to summon or generate liquid water from Ithisda's Plane, either from their body or into the area around them. This water disapears after the caster cuts the effect or loses consciousness. They are also immune to damage from water or water magic.

Ithisda's Will

With Ithisda's Will, they can produce waters which amplify the magic of others upon contact or extend this effect into water already present. Mostly used to amplify the magic of their companions.

Ithisda's Step

Those with Ithisda's Step can enter and exit Ithisda's Plane via portals and travel the plane freely, without injury or drowning. They are able to bring others with them while maintaining contact. Portals are any freshwater in their environment large enough to fit through. Many of those with this ability use this to find new bodies of water in the physical world and travel between them or simply moves their family in and out of the plane as a safe sanctuary.

Second Ability

Lothvem's Touch

Those with Lothvem's Touch are able to afflict a state of infatuation, lust or tranquility via touch. Mostly used during mating season or used to calm each other in times of chaos. Can even be used to pacify a predator in a pinch.

Lothvem's Aura

Sea cows with Lothvem's AuraCan generate emotions or states related to Lothvem in those around them which fade once the effect ends.

Lothvem's Sense

Sea cows with Lothvem's Sense can sense emotions, thoughts and states related to Lothvem in those around them and learn details about these emotions and thoughts by touching a target.

Lothvem's Binding

Sea cows with Lothvem's Binding are able to bind specific emotions, thoughts or memories related to Lothvem to someone's mind. This can either be to restrict access to that thought or memory or can be used to make it so the memory can never be forgotten. Mainly used to strengthen bonds of love between members of their group.

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An unexpected beast can be found in lands bordering the Shamsi Desert, in perhaps the last place one would expect to find a manatee—the fiery grasslands of Kasar Wuta! Deep inland and strafing desert sands, manatee beach themselves or even manipulate water magic in order to feed on land. These sea cows are often seen along the edges of lakes and rivers, grazing on orange grasses alongside other domestic species. While ruwa manatee can be found throughout the coasts of eastern Alkelbulan, they most favor the waterways of Kasar Wuta and Musi Kongo. They are seen in the largest numbers when they migrate into Kasar Wuta during the rainy season, when these usually fiery grasslands flood. Ruwa sea cows have no limitations as to what kind of water body they can inhabit either, living just as easily in the ocean as they do in brackish or freshwater environments. However, they have fewer predators inland.

These clever and adaptable mammals have a way of finding their way into every kind of water system whether these are rivers, oceans, lakes, estuaries, resevoirs, lagoons or swamps. Generally, their only limitation is temperature, avoiding anything lower than 65 F (18 C), but might also be hindered by harsh waterfalls as they are slow swimmmers, especially in Musi Kongo. Within Kasar Wuta, ruwa cows can be found from the eastern coast all the way to Lake Sade in Kanem, central Alkelbulan. They will make their home everywhere from shallow flats, mangrove swamps and inland lakes or in major rivers like the Sene River, Chari River and Oya Kwara River. During the dry season, when water flow is low, they retreat to inland lakes if not migrating back towards the ocean.

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Anatomy

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Original Ancestor

Trichechus senegalensis
West African Manatee

Lifespan

30-70 years (when domesticated)

Size

Length: 15 ft (4.5 m)
Weight: 790 lbs (360 kg)

Ruwa Cows have thick skin, up to an inch thick, similar to their closest living species: the elephant! They even use their prehensile lips to grasp food similarly to how an elephant uses their trunk. This is an aquatic species but like dolphins and whales, it still needs to breath. Despite this, they can hold their breath underwater for up to twenty minutes! Ruwa sea cows are naturally gray but the algae growing on their small, almost imperceptable hairs makes them appear brown or greenish. Azure and indigo markings sprawl across their body in their magic form, placement depending on their manifestations. Ruwa sea cow are plump and slow, their body widest at the middle. They usually meander along at around 3-5 mph despite being capable of swimming up to 20 mph when threatened. They can use their paddle like limbs to move food towards their mouth or scrape algae off of each other with their nails. Far more dramatic are those which manipulate the water with movements of their fins and tails, meandering onto dry land to graze in tunnels of water! They only have one kind of tooth, molars, which are used to grind up vegetation and which can grow back when lost. They also lack back legs, having only a flipper.

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Ecology and Behavior

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Ruwa sea cows are nocturnal, most active towards the end of the day and during the night. During the day, they find shallow, quiet waters to sleep. They live in tightknit groups of 1-6, apex predators. In fact, they avoid the al-Nil River for both its irradiated waters and large predators like the al-Nil Crocodile and Apapi. Ruwa are an incredibly social species, spending time every day bonding and communicating through touch, sound and smell. These smaller groups join into large pods when migrating, especially during the wet season. Ruwa cow are also fairly intelligent, capable of learning basic tasks, recognizing different colors and are especially sensitive to touch. They have a gentle, easy going disposition and a tranquility that is difficult to shake. Even when accidents with boats and fishing nets occur, they remain curious and playful towards humanity especially those they have formed bonds with.

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Diet

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These easygoing sea cows have a love for the orange grasses of Kasar Wuta, flocking to these grasslands in large numbers during floods for the taste of plants blessed by Ferith. Otherwise, ruwa sea cows are actually omnivorous. They'll readily feed on molluscs, clams and fish, sometimes making up more than half of their diet. For the rest of their diet, ruwa cows seek out flora above, adjacent to or hanging over the water while others eat only mangrove tree parts. Whatever is available, manatees eat four to nine percent of its body weight in vegetation every day--quite a bit given their size! Special microorganisms live within their large intestines to help break down this incredible amount of vegetation.

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Life Cycle

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Male and female manatee look very much the same but males are usually a bit smaller. Females are sexually mature as early as three years old and can birth a new calf every 3-5 years while males need 9-10 years to fully mature. Otherwise, ruwa manatee can breed year round. Manatee are polygymous, the same female mating with several males. Males might even push and shove each other over the right to mate. She will give birth to one calf at a time, her pregnancy lasting 13 months. Calves are able to swim right away and, while manatees all share a strong bond with their group, the bond between a mother and her calf is the strongest.

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Domestication

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There was a time when these amicable creatures were hunted regularly by poachers for their meat, oil and bones, but now domestication of these sea cows is more commonplace. While poaching still occurs, its severely prosecuted as these are both sacred animals and important cattle. It can be difficult to contain a ruwa cow thanks to their magic, so ruwa shepherds instead focus on attracting these creatures and supplying them comfort. They are most often domesticated in Kasar Wuta, raised just as readily as Tamadla Goat and Aa-hemet Donkey if not side by side.

Pastorialists gather their favorite grasses, clams and even dihe (sun-dried algae) and prepare safe, comfortable places for them to sleep. Ruwa shepherds are even known to spend time bonding with their manatees similarly to how the manatee socialize with each other, forming a considerable bond of their own.Aside from being a rich source of oil and meat, ruwa cows are known to protect their home villages from wildfires and floods using their water magic! These are intelligent, serene and compassionate animals which will assist their caretakers as readily as they would each other and they adore playing with human children. Since their domestication, they have become the heart of many riverside communities of the Serer, Masala and Kameeni.

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Myth

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This is a highly respected animal in Alkelbulan, sometimes called Mami Wata in coastsal legends representing a goddess of the sea, wealth and beauty. She is known to flip over boats in order to invite people to her underwater kingdom. The Serer living along the Sene River particularly revere them as a sacred animal, viewing these creatures as the guardians of secrets about the future from their creation myth.