Canid

"We don't fetch, we finish."

The Canid are a resilient and adaptable race spread across Gaiatia, with ancestral roots in the windswept lands of Kathar. They are instantly recognizable by their furred bodies, keen senses, and a quiet, restless drive that sees them working, building, and pushing forward long after others have tired. Often likened to the Maned for their striking regional differences, Canids from warmer climates tend to be lean-limbed with short, bright fur, while their colder-blooded kin sport thick coats, stocky frames, and earth-toned pelts. While they live shorter lives than most humans, Canids mature quickly, reproduce more often, and rarely succumb to illness or fatigue without a fight. Though they aided the Orcish conquest that displaced the Dwarfish from their homelands, today’s Canids are many generations removed from that time. Still, echoes of distrust linger in certain Dwarfish communities, even as most recognize the modern Canid as tireless laborers, skilled tradesfolk, and unshakably loyal allies. Among the least numerous races in Everwealth, they are nonetheless known for showing up when it matters, shoulders bent beneath burdens others would rather ignore.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

• Lusha.

• Orza.

• Mirin.

• Vekka.

Masculine names

• Drev.

• Kolven.

• Rashan.

• Turo.

Unisex names

• Yera.

• Bran.

• Savo.

• Kell.

Family names

Often occupational or descriptive in nature. Examples:

• Stonebite.

• Redhowl.

• Wicknose.

• Broadpaw.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Canids commonly speak Ravvik, a barked, rhythmic language with sharp consonants and repeated syllables. In mixed regions, it is often peppered with local slang and gesture. Examples:

• “Tcho-vra!” Hold fast!

• “Yel’drassa” I give you my trail. (A vow of loyalty.)

• “Varu’tin” Quiet now. Listen.

Culture and cultural heritage

The Canid culture is defined by movement, memory, and mutual reliance. Historically nomadic, their traditions are carried not in books but in songs, crafts, and the muscle memory of repeated labor. Canids do not build monuments to themselves; they mend roofs, feed towns, and keep watch through the night. Their kin-clans often take in strays, both literal and figurative, and see strength not in isolation but in coordinated survival. While not typically religious, most Canids follow animist beliefs rooted in hearth-flames, ancestor bones, and road-spirits.

Shared customary codes and values

• "Every step counts." (No labor is beneath dignity.)

• "Leave no one behind, unless they bite first."

• "Work earns rest, not the other way around."

• Betrayal is met not with fury, but with permanent exclusion.

Average technological level

Canid inventions focus on practicality: collapsible tools, durable leathers, weatherproof fabrics, and simple signaling systems. While they rarely invent, they excel at refinement, turning half-finished Orcish designs or Dwarfish relics into something sturdier, lighter, and easier to repair. Their architecture, when not nomadic, favors wooden latticework, bright accents, and central fire pits.

Common Etiquette rules

• Eye contact is respectful but brief.

• One does not speak during chewing.

• Offers of food or warmth should not be refused without cause.

• Never touch another Canid’s ears or tail without invitation.

Common Dress code

Clothing is heavily regional. Warmland Canids wear bright sashes, open vests, and light trousers. Coldborn Canids wrap themselves in dense furs, felted wraps, and thick boots. Most Canids, regardless of region, wear at least one item passed down through kin, an old belt, a scarf, or a charm.

Art & Architecture

Canid art is less ornamental and more emotive. They favor storytelling tapestries, clan-marked ceramics, and carved walking staves passed from hand to hand. Their architecture, where permanent, often uses sloped roofs, communal sleeping halls, and arched stone ovens. Colors lean toward deep reds, ochres, and slate-blues, meant to both resist wear and feel grounded in all seasons.

Foods & Cuisine

Canid cuisine is filling, simple, and often spicy. Meats are slow-roasted or cured; vegetables are pickled, mashed, or turned into stews. Broths are thick and fragrant, often with garlic, roots, and regional game. A favorite street food is grishk, a pan-fried dumpling stuffed with cheese or meat. Sweets are rare, but honeyed nuts or spice-breads mark special occasions.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

• The Pack Circle: A communal meal held during major transitions, births, deaths, new homes.

• Stonegiving: On birthdays, a Canid gives a shaped stone or charm to someone who helped them that year.

• First Howl: Young Canids are taken on a night hunt or journey and return howling as a declaration of maturity.

• Trailfire: A seasonal festival where stories are traded over bonfires, and wrongs are ritually "burned away" through symbolic offerings.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Newborns are wrapped in old pack-cloth and anointed with ash from the hearth fire. Their name is not spoken aloud until they’ve survived their first season.

Coming of Age Rites

At around 13–15, a Canid must complete a Lone Trail, a week alone in wilderness, trade route, or labor camp, returning with a tale, a scar, or a token.

Funerary and Memorial customs

The dead are buried in shallow earth beds, curled like sleeping pups, often with a tool or charm they cherished. Stones are placed atop the grave, each one a memory from a living kin. When possible, ashes are mingled with bark resin and burned in clan fires.

Common Taboos

• Abandoning a packmate or charge.

• Killing for pride or revenge.

• Letting a fire die out without cause.

• Wearing another’s scent markings without permission.

• Barking without purpose, reserved for alarm or celebration.

Common Myths and Legends

• The Iron-Tailed One: A legendary Canid who fought with a tail forged of chain, said to never break a vow.

• Redflank’s Leap: A story of a Canid who leapt an impossible canyon to warn a village of floodwaters.

• The Starbone: A fabled relic said to pulse with the heartbeat of the first pack.

• The Songless Hunt: A dark tale of a Canid who hunted alone too long and forgot how to speak.

• Warm-Fang: A mythic mother-figure said to have birthed the first clans in a den of fire and salt.

Historical figures

• Orza Telfane: A Canid scout instrumental in the Orcish campaigns, both reviled and revered.

• Drev of the Grey Kiln: Credited with teaching Everwealth miners new shaft-reinforcement methods.

• Kell Barklight: A poet whose trail-songs are still sung in labor camps across the southern provinces.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Scent, grooming, and vitality matter most. A clean coat, bright eyes, and a confident gait are signs of pride. Ornamentation is minimal, simple braids, charms, or stitched sigils.

Gender Ideals

Gender is fluid but often associated with roles: trail-guardians, hearth-keepers, and voice-callers. Expectations are social, not biological, and vary wildly across kin-clans.

Courtship Ideals

Bonding begins with shared tasks, guard duty, hunting, or repairs. Gifts are practical: a meal, a sharpened blade, a warm coat. Howling duets often signal deepening affection.

Relationship Ideals

Partnerships are built on effort and trust. Long-term mates usually cohabitate but often maintain separate tasks or trails. Raising young is communal. Betrayal is cause for exile.

Interesting Facts & Folklore:

• Fire-Touched Fur: Some Canids born with reddish coats are said to have luck or prophetic dreams.

• Kinscent Trails: Trails are sometimes marked with braided fur tufts or scent-oils, readable by Canids for days.

• The Bone Chest: Many carry small boxes containing tokens of family or former packmates, updated yearly.

• Tail-Tapping: A silent form of group communication, especially in noisy environments.

• Packshadowing: A Canid ritual where one follows an elder silently for a day to learn from their habits.

Idioms and Metaphors:

• “Don’t chase your own tail.” Wasting time or effort.

• “His nose is full of smoke.” He’s distracted or chasing a false lead.

• “Bark quiet, bite clean.” Don’t boast, just act.

• “She’s pack-bitten.” Loyal to a fault, even when it hurts.

• “Mark the trail, not the tree.” Focus on the path ahead, not the ego behind.