Talking Llamas
by hughpierre
Summary
Once upon a time, llamas could talk. 
One day, the good people of the High Mountains noticed that their llamas were not eating and staring up at the sky. The llamas explained that the gods had told them of a terrible coming flood and to hide as high as they could. So all the mountain people, and all their llamas, packed food for a long stay. They climbed to where the gods lived and, along the way, llamas told all other animals they encountered about the flood. As a result, pairs of animals walked in a line to the mountain peaks. They were just in time; as the very next day, a big wave came crashing through the lower valley. It was so tall that it almost reached the mountain peaks themselves. The wave swept all those remaining on the valley floor away.
Historical Basis
Every 50 years, the water levels of the seas, rivers and lakes rise. During its time, floods become frequent, seasons are harsher and the earth quakes more readily.
There are two 10 year winding up and down times in the cycle where the sea level slowly raises into a mountain-like bulge of water in the open sea that changes the gravitational direction for the waters to flow.
Spread
Belief and stories of talking llamas are abundantly told to children in the mountain territories.
It is a point of pride that contributes a sense of superiority over the lowlanders. The mountain people, with their terraces and vantages against floods, are less burdened with needing to move every generation, so their settlements are more established than their low-lying counterparts.
Variations & Mutation
Llamacorns
Why don't llamas talk anymore?Amaru, the llama dragon, so enjoyed the companionship of the world's llamas at his summit that he offered them permanent residence in his sky abode. The best of them accepted and were granted the power of flight through a single horn that grew on their forehead. Those who chose to remain with their herders gradually lost the power of speech with less intelligent llamas available to breed.
Cultural Reception
Llamas are very intelligent. When they could, they regularly conversed with their human partners on matters such as astronomy, agriculture and meteorology.
Tales of talking llamas are ubiquitous to the creatures' fortune-telling powers. It is the way in which children are informed on the necessity of sacrificial rites and initially desensitized to its goriness.
Llamas are a preferred animal to be ritualistically sacrificed in many festivals. Their entrails are regularly sort out for clues on star movements, earthquakes and weather patterns.
In this way, they still talk to us.
Related Ethnicities
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I've got a player in my campaign who would love this,lol.