Whogi

"Shallow waters can still drown you."

The Whogi are a small but formidable race of marsh-dwelling frogfolk, averaging only 4 to 5 feet in height, yet renowned across Gaiatia for their unparalleled agility, peculiar medicinal practices, and dominance over the swampy wilds of Chikara. Native to the humid jungles of Halash, now part of Kibonoji after the Elfese exile, the Whogi have thrived in territories others feared to enter. Poisonous plants, sinkholes, and disease-ridden wetlands are death to most; to the Whogi, they are home. Masters of the marsh and swamp, the Whogi long evaded conquest, even at the height of the Elfese empire who frequently saught to conquer them. Their ability to cling to slick walls, leap to treetop heights, and traverse hazardous terrain made invasion impractical, while their reclusive nature and lack of expansionist goals meant few sought them out to begin with. Yet when their swamps were threatened, few forces were as terrifying in guerilla warfare. Preceded by thunderous croaks and shimmering tongues that could whip a weapon from a soldier’s hand before they knew what hit them, the Whogi earned a deadly reputation. Though generally peaceful, their participation in The Great Schism was neither noble nor villainous. The Whogi had no stake in imperial ideologies and saw the war as another storm to wait out. They fought only when forced, on both sides of the conflict, retreating back into the bogs the moment the tide allowed. For this neutrality, some races resent them; others admire their pragmatism. To the Whogi, survival has always come first. Though predominantly people of Kibonoji by virtue of circumstance, there are scatted presces of the isolationist Whogi in Everwealth as-well, off-shoots of tribes who were not so fortunate during the Schism. In the deepest reaches of the The Hungering Marsh, beyond the reach of most maps and too toxic for even Goblins to brave, reside the Great Spawnclans of the Whogi. Here, ancient rites are still practiced, spirits are believed to croak through the trees, and the air is so thick with mist that it refracts the sun into swirling halos of green. These clans are often at odds with each other, locked in slow-moving cycles of rivalry and reconciliation. Their wars are fought with ritual duels, hallucinogenic mist dances, and displays of skill judged by tribal elders. A unique and potent trait of the Whogi is their skin’s secretion, a thick, iridescent sweat that coats their bodies in humid conditions. This slime, though harmless to other Whogi, is wildly hallucinogenic to most other races save for the perculiar Gnomish who instead break out in sneezing fits. Prolonged exposure can result in disorientation, prophetic visions, or in rare cases, spiritual possession. It is said that licking a Whogin in the right state of mind can show you your death, or someone else's. Some alchemists harvest this secretion for rare truth-serums or dreamwalk elixirs. Despite their diminutive size and languid demeanor, the Whogi are not to be underestimated. Their culture, rich with symbolism and ancestral reverence, emphasizes oral storytelling, ritualized dance, and intricate body painting as a means of preserving history. Each mark, each croak, each leap carries meaning. Outsiders mistake them as lazy or pacifist only once. Thereafter, they speak of bouncing warriors, of glowing eyes above the fog, of tongues that snatch breath from lungs and toss armored men like dolls. For the Whogi, violence is not personal. It is simply what must be done.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

• Mihana.
• Rikae.
• Orahua.
• Teva.
• Lanuri.
• Kalami.

Masculine names

• Kaoro.
• Tuvani.
• Rakar.
• Hemu.
• Vano.
• Taraki.

Unisex names

• Nohu.
• Talka.
• Hiri.
• Vaku.
• Panu.

Family names

Whogi rarely use family names outside formal trade or treaty contexts. Those who do adopt them often use descriptive locational or ancestral tags, such as of the Green Hollow, Spawn of Seven Pools, or Mistwalker.

Other names

"Swampkin" (neutral/common), "Croakers" (colloquial), "Lickers" (derogatory), "Leechfriends" (sometimes affectionate, sometimes slurred), "Bogsouls" (honorific among marshfolk).

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

Whogi society is tribal, semi-nomadic, and deeply animistic. Each swamp, bog, and jungle river is believed to have a spirit or will of its own. Offerings of fermented fruit, insects, or carved stones are made to appease these spirits before traveling or harvesting. Despite their isolation, Whogi are inventors at heart. They pioneered leech- and maggot-based healing, bug-keeping practices that revolutionized pest control, and were the first to synthesize Mire-Iron, a swamp-forged metal used in infrastructure across Everwealth.

Shared customary codes and values

• Protect the water, it is your blood.
• Never waste a creature that dies by your hand.
• Croak not for war, croak for warning.
• Those who retreat live to jump again.

Average technological level

While not industrial, Whogi innovation focuses on adaptation. Their tree-perch dwellings are resistant to flood and decay. Their tools are often forged from bone, shell, and Mire-Iron. While they lack cities, their jungle holds more alchemical and biological knowledge than many Everwealthan libraries.

Common Etiquette rules

• Flicking one’s tongue in greeting is considered respectful.
• Interrupting another’s croak (song or speech) is a serious offense.
• Refusing offered food is impolite unless followed by a croak of gratitude.

Common Dress code

Minimal and functional. Plant-fiber wraps, vine-woven belts, bark-based armor, and woven satchels. Body paints and moss jewelry are common, each color or pattern conveying tribe, mood, or spiritual alignment.

Art & Architecture

Whogi construct stilted dwellings and vine bridges, woven into the treetops or grown from cultivated jungle roots. Their art is ephemeral, made of leaves, mud, and light, designed to degrade back into the earth. Musical croaking, rhythmic drumming on gourds, and intricate insect dances are favored performances.

Foods & Cuisine

Insect protein is a staple: crickets, grubs, leeches, fire beetles. Steamed marshroot, fermented waterfruits, and swamp-brew teas (some mildly hallucinogenic) are common. Food is often shared communally, seasoned with pungent herbs and honey-slime.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

• Spawn Pools: Birth is a communal event. Eggs are laid in sacred warm pools protected by the whole tribe.
• Croak Circles: Evenings of storytelling, where each Whogin croaks a part of the tale.
• Tongue Trials: A rite of passage where youths must pluck an object from a high perch with their tongue under the gaze of tribal elders.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

New hatchlings are coated in mud, then cleansed in a sacred bog, whispered over by the eldest healer. They are given their first paint-mark by a parent or chosen guardian.

Coming of Age Rites

To be considered an adult, a Whogin must successfully hunt, heal, or help the tribe in a way deemed meaningful. The trial varies, some craft a new bug-trap, others defend a spawning pool from predators.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Dead are not buried but returned to the water. The body is floated on lily-pads, covered in fermented fruits and incense-stalks, and gently pushed into the deepest part of the swamp. Their croak-song is sung for seven nights thereafter.

Common Taboos

• Polluting still water.
• Harming a croaking beast.
• Cutting a tongue in anger.
• Ignoring a spirit's offering site.

Common Myths and Legends

• The Croak Eternal: A mythical song said to summon the jungle spirits to war.
• Kunu the Bugfriend: A trickster Whogi who stole fire from a sun-dragon by trapping it in a beetle shell.
• The Three-Leap Doom: A tale of a Whogin who leapt too far, too fast, and drowned in sky.

Historical figures

• Healer Votaki: Synthesized Mire-Iron, revolutionizing swamp safety.
• General Karka-Tuun: Used his tongue to disarm and maim ten soldiers in a single leap during the Schism.
• Mist-Seer Halua: Predicted the shifting of the swamppaths, saving three tribes from being drowned by rising marsh.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Smooth skin, vibrant mottling, wide eyes, powerful legs, and a well-kept tongue are considered attractive. Paint and bioluminescent oils are used for flirtation.

Gender Ideals

Fluid and function-based. What matters is what a Whogin can do, not who they are.

Courtship Ideals

Courting involves shared croaking duets, exchanged insects, and mutual grooming.

Relationship Ideals

Partnership is seen as both romantic and practical. A good mate feeds, warns, and watches your back. Lifelong bonds are rare but honored.

Interesting Facts & Folklore:

• A Whogin’s tongue can lift twice their weight, and some use it in combat like a whip.
• Many Whogi believe dreams are shared across swampwaters, and two Whogin who sleep near one another can "drift" into the same dream.
• Bug-keeping is a sacred task, with rare fire beetles passed down like heirlooms.
• Whogi who breathe in fermented swamp vapors during the Croak Circle are said to see the future in ripples.

Idioms and Metaphors:

• "Shallow waters can still drown you." (A warning never to underestimate the small or simple.)
• "Croak loud, leap far." (Speak boldly, act boldly.)
• "His tongue wanders before his brain." (Said of impulsive or foolish folk.)
• "Still waters keep secrets." (Silent types are often dangerous.)
• "Dream near the same tree." (Implying closeness or fated companionship.)