Lepora

The Lepora are agile, perceptive, and dedicated to the life force of all living creatures. Their skills as medics, scouts, and herbalists reflect a deep bond with the physical vitality and well-being of their community members, and their life force connection gives them an intuitive sense of health and vitality in those around them. Lepora culture is one of warmth, gentleness, and steadfast care for one another and the world around them, embodying a living connection to the Holy Spirit and the sacredness of life.

The Lepora view themselves as guardians of life and vitality, seeing every act of healing as a way to preserve their kin’s health and strength. Their cultural emphasis on understanding and nurturing life force makes them empathetic but practical in their approach, highly dedicated to their work but never sentimental. This detachment serves them well as medics, allowing them to make quick decisions and act decisively.

The Lepora are a tightly-knit, community-centered people whose culture revolves around the values of compassion, service, and vitality. Known for their affinity with life energy and spirit magic, they act as caretakers, healers, and messengers within Faunari society, guided by a deeply rooted belief in the Holy Spirit, a force they associate with light, love, and the sanctity of life. Their devotion to the Holy Spirit informs their dedication to aiding others, maintaining harmony within their communities, and nurturing a sense of peace and hope wherever they go.

The Lepora are nimble, observant, and deeply attuned to life force, with a respected role as medics, scouts, and life-force healers in Faunari society. They are defined by their precise hands, sharp senses, and commitment to the well-being of their kin. Their magic amplifies their instinctive connection to living bodies, making them swift, skilled healers and caregivers in even the most challenging situations.

The diverse appearances among Lepora make them highly adaptable and varied, and each individual’s markings, ear shape, and fur type contribute to their identity within Lepora society. These distinct physical traits play a role in their culture, as their close family members and friends often recognize each other by sight and scent alone, reinforcing their strong communal bonds.

Lepora culture is centered on fostering life, health, and joy, with an emphasis on community and interdependence. They are known for their kindness and hospitality, always willing to extend help to those in need. Though they are physically small, their strong sense of purpose and resilience make them respected members of Faunari society.

They place immense value on healing, emotional support, and growth; Lepora healers and medics are common and are seen as respected figures who not only tend to wounds but offer wisdom and comfort. Their connection to spirit magic allows them to intuitively understand the rhythms and needs of the body, making them talented medics and caretakers, often assisting during births, injuries, and times of illness. The Lepora also consider the roles of scouts and messengers sacred, as these roles allow them to carry vital information and serve their communities through essential, life-sustaining work.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Lepora society is matriarchal in nature, often led by wise elder females known as Lightbearers who guide the community in spiritual and societal matters. Elders serve as mediators, ensuring that disputes are resolved harmoniously, and they are also keepers of the old stories and the teachings of the Holy Spirit. Family units are close-knit, with extended family members often living together or nearby.

Though they are outwardly gentle, they have a strong protective streak and are wary of those who disrupt peace or cause harm, viewing threats to life as an affront to their beliefs. They have a reputation for their quick wit and cleverness, but they are typically mild in mannerisms, preferring peace over conflict.

Facial characteristics

Variations in Ears and Tails: Ear shapes vary widely, with some Lepora having slender, elongated ears that give them a striking silhouette, while others might possess rounded, shorter ears that sit more snugly against their heads. Their tails are often small, fluffy, and round, though some have slightly longer tails with extra fur.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Dexterous Hands: Lepora hands are small and nimble, suited to fine, precise tasks—whether they’re stitching wounds, stabilizing fractures, or administering herbal remedies. This dexterity makes them natural healers and craftspeople, using tools and plants to restore others to health.

Keen Eyesight: With their large, sensitive eyes, Lepora take in details instantly, noticing changes in physical expression, slight shifts in posture, or color variations in skin tone—all of which are key to diagnosing ailments. Their natural alertness allows them to read subtle signs of distress and assess injuries quickly and efficiently.

Heightened Hearing: Their large, sensitive ears detect even faint changes in breathing, heartbeat, or body movement, enabling them to respond immediately to signs of pain or fatigue. This acute hearing allows Lepora to work calmly and quietly in stressful conditions, intuitively aware of the needs of the wounded and sick.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Naming Conventions in Social Contexts

1. Birth Name
   The Lepora birth name is a deeply personal marker of identity, reserved for moments that require solemnity, such as spiritual ceremonies, coming-of-age milestones, or sacred gatherings within the Lepora community. This name isn’t commonly used in day-to-day interactions and is rarely shared with outsiders. When it is spoken, it’s a sign of respect, trust, and genuine connection, as sharing it implies a deeper bond.
2. Affectionate Community Moniker
   The Lepora’s affectionate moniker is their main introduction to the world, used in most interactions both within and outside their community. These monikers, such as Moontail or Sparkwhisker, are often descriptive, highlighting their personality, skills, or notable traits. When meeting outsiders or introducing themselves in casual or professional contexts, the community moniker is always used. It’s a friendly, inviting name, meant to make others feel welcome and offer a glimpse of the Lepora’s essence without disclosing their private, sacred name.

Cultural Significance and Usage

• Community-Driven Living
  Because the Lepora don’t rely on last names or lineage-based titles, their sense of belonging comes from shared experiences and shared burrows. A Lepora might choose to live in a burrow aligned with their occupation or craft—like the Medic Burrows for healers or the Glittering Burrows for jewelcrafters—where community ties are deepened through daily life. The burrows create natural social circles within the Lepora community, each with unique customs, knowledge-sharing practices, and mentorship traditions.
• Day-to-Day Use
  In day-to-day life, a Lepora’s community name is used in nearly every setting. This encourages unity and warmth, as it’s often said that hearing their community name feels like “a hug from home.” In contrast, the birth name is treated with respect, reserved for solemn events, formal occasions, or moments when the Lepora’s individual identity is especially important.
• Role of the Community Name in Identity
  The community name gives Lepora a sense of place and recognition within the group, celebrating their individuality while still honoring their close-knit society. It allows the Lepora to feel both seen as an individual and as a cherished part of the whole. Each name, whether Liron or Whisperbreeze, becomes a quiet honor, a symbol of their place in the world.

This dual-naming tradition is thus a way for the Lepora to reinforce their shared identity while giving space for individual expression—a reflection of their delicate balance between self and community.

EXAMPLES:

Male Native Names

1. Liron
2. Davren
3. Merin
4. Rykal
5. Enil
6. Sorren
7. Falan
8. Berin
9. Kiran
10. Velyn

Female Native Names

1. Lirien
2. Serin
3. Tyra
4. Noriel
5. Varis
6. Mirieth
7. Elira
8. Cerys
9. Vaila
10. Ninora

Unisex Native Names

1. Elen
2. Tharen
3. Runa
4. Jorin
5. Laris
6. Varen
7. Riel
8. Calan
9. Selan
10. Myral

Affectionate Monikers

1. Moontrail
2. Sparkwhisker
3. Lightpaw
4. Whisperbreeze
5. Cloverstep
6. Emberfoot
7. Breezefur
8. Honeydust
9. Ashpelt
10. Softstep
11. Quickstep
12. Doewhisper
13. Stormfur
14. Dewclaw
15. Mossnose

Common Etiquette Rules

Greeting and Farewells: When greeting each other, Lepora often say “Light’s warmth upon you,” a phrase evoking the blessings of the Holy Spirit. As a farewell, they might say “May your path be bright,” wishing the other safety and guidance on their journey.

Lepora are known for their gentle gestures and calm demeanor, favoring indirect communication and avoiding confrontation. They express joy in small, affectionate ways, often using touch to convey friendship, whether it’s a brief touch on the shoulder or a friendly nudge.

They tend to observe before speaking, considering each word carefully, and have a reputation for their soft voices and calm speech, which can be reassuring and grounding to others. They place value on listening and are naturally empathetic, making them sought-after mediators.

Common Dress Code

Civilian Attire

Lepora clothing is simple but thoughtfully crafted, favoring light, natural fabrics that allow for easy movement, essential for their active lifestyles.

• Common Garments: Tunics, robes, and vests are popular among Lepora of all genders, often made from lightweight, breathable materials like cotton, linen, and wool. The clothing is designed to be layered, allowing for comfort in various climates.
• Colors and Embellishments: Soft, earthy tones are common, with shades of green, brown, and gray being especially popular. Some opt for gentle pastels or accents of brighter colors, symbolizing vitality and spirit. Clothes are often embroidered with symbols of life and light, such as sunbursts, leaves, and intricate patterns representing the Holy Spirit.
• Accessories: They favor functional accessories like leather belts, pouches for herbs and tools, and simple jewelry made from wood, bone, or beads. Feathers, dried flowers, and small stones are often woven into necklaces or tied to their garments, representing protection and blessings from the Holy Spirit.

Healers and Medics

Lepora healers are highly skilled in life magic and practical medicine, often working as field medics, herbalists, and spirit-guides. They focus on healing injuries and alleviating suffering, both physical and emotional.

• Attire: Healers wear long, layered tunics and light, durable aprons filled with pockets for herbs, poultices, and medicinal tools. Many wear short cloaks or shawls that drape over the shoulders, often fastened with an emblem representing the Holy Spirit. To aid in their work, they may carry small charms and amulets made from polished stones or beads, which they believe bring protection and calm to their patients. Their attire is typically soft shades of green, blue, or white, symbolizing life and purity.
• Accessories: Small, easy-to-carry satchels and leather-bound pouches filled with herbal remedies, bandages, and talismans are always at hand. Some healers wear a slender circlet adorned with dried flowers, feathers, or soft animal fur, symbolizing their dedication to preserving life.

Scouts and Messengers

Scouts and messengers serve a critical role in Lepora society, delivering messages and maintaining connections between distant Faunari communities. They are swift and nimble, traversing great distances with ease and speed.

• Attire: Scouts and messengers wear fitted, lightweight vests over long-sleeved tunics and sturdy leggings, allowing for ease of movement and comfort. Their outfits are often in earth tones—browns, greens, or soft grays—helping them blend with their surroundings while traveling through forests or open plains. They also wear wide-brimmed, hooded cowls that shield their eyes and ears from the sun but allow their keen hearing to pick up sounds.
• Accessories: Each scout has a small charm of a feather or wind symbol on a leather cord, symbolizing their dedication to speed and communication. They carry slim, leather-bound journals for recording messages or marking trails, along with small, braided bracelets or belts representing the paths they travel.

Gatherers and Foragers

Gatherers and foragers collect food, herbs, and materials for the community, using their keen senses and knowledge of the land. Their work is essential to maintaining the Lepora’s food and resource supplies.

• Attire: Gatherers wear light, short-sleeved tunics and loose trousers, along with short aprons or hip pouches to hold tools and gathered items. Their attire is usually a patchwork of earthy colors—tans, soft greens, and warm grays. They may wear wide-brimmed hats or headscarves for sun protection, along with thick, flexible gloves to handle thorny plants or rough terrain.
• Accessories: Gatherers use woven baskets or backpacks lined with herbs for protection against pests. They often carry a staff or walking stick for navigating uneven ground, decorated with carvings and small leather ties to keep away bad spirits. Their clothes often have decorative patches or patterns symbolizing bounty and growth.

Spirit Guides and Elders

Spirit guides and elders are the spiritual leaders of the Lepora, responsible for maintaining the community’s connection to the Holy Spirit and offering wisdom and guidance. They oversee sacred rites, healing ceremonies, and other spiritual gatherings.

• Attire: Spirit guides wear long robes in soft, neutral tones like cream, pale green, or silver-gray, adorned with small symbols and beads representing the Holy Spirit. Their robes have light embroidery that resembles vines, stars, or waves, symbolizing different aspects of life and growth. They may also wear hoods or sashes with embroidered patterns representing wisdom or age.
• Accessories: Spirit guides carry walking staffs decorated with feathers, beads, and small wooden carvings. They wear necklaces with pendants made from stones or polished wood, thought to enhance their connection to the Holy Spirit. Some spirit guides wear small pouches of herbs or dried flowers as protective charms, as well as rings or bracelets that represent different spiritual connections.

Cooks and Bakers

In Lepora society, cooking is seen as a nurturing act that brings the community together. Cooks and bakers are responsible for preparing meals that nourish both the body and spirit, creating simple but flavorful dishes.

• Attire: Cooks wear short, belted tunics over knee-length trousers for easy movement, often with long aprons in warm, earthy tones. Aprons are embroidered with small symbols of abundance, such as wheat stalks or the sun, to bring good fortune to their meals. Cooks also wear headscarves or caps to keep their fur out of food and often roll up their sleeves to prevent spills and messes.
• Accessories: Cooks carry small pouches of dried herbs, salt, and spices, which are carefully chosen to enhance flavor and, according to Lepora tradition, imbue food with protective properties. Some may wear amulets of small clay pots or carved spoons, symbols of their dedication to nourishing others.

Artisans and Crafters

Lepora artisans are renowned for their delicate, highly detailed work, crafting everything from fine jewelry to intricate embroidery. Their small, nimble hands allow them to produce crafts that other Faunari cannot replicate, making their pieces highly valued across communities.

• Attire: Artisans wear fitted, lightweight tunics with three-quarter-length sleeves that do not get in the way of delicate tasks. The tunics are typically simple in color but adorned with small, embroidered designs or tiny beads around the collar, showcasing their craftsmanship. Over the tunic, they wear tool belts with loops and slim pouches for easy access to specialized tools like beading needles, thread spools, and jewel-setting tweezers.
• Accessories: To further support their craft, artisans wear hand wraps or gloves with cut-off fingertips, offering a combination of protection and precision. Their pouches and satchels are designed to hold an array of fine tools and delicate materials. They may wear magnifying lenses or glass monocles attached to a chain around the neck, allowing them to see minute details clearly as they work. For jewelry-making, artisans often have small, retractable loupe glasses that can be flipped down for a closer view.
• Personal Touches: Their attire often has delicate stitched patterns or small symbolic beadwork that represents their individual trade or mastery level. Many artisans wear a small apron or sash with pockets specifically designed to hold fine wires, gemstones, or needles. Some Lepora artisans add small trinkets, such as charms or beads, to their attire to showcase their skills, often swapping these items as gestures of respect or friendship with fellow artisans.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

The Lepora’s deep attunement to life force shapes their cultural roles and values:

• Life Force Healers: From a young age, Lepora learn techniques to channel spirit magic to enhance their natural healing skills. They can instinctively soothe pain, improve blood flow, or stabilize vital signs by tapping into the life energy of those they aid.
• Focused Battlefield Medics: The Lepora are revered as quick-responding healers during battle, known for their ability to assess injuries at a glance and administer care with practiced precision. Their agility allows them to move swiftly through chaotic environments, delivering aid even in the heat of conflict.
• Community Health Keepers: In addition to battlefield work, Lepora serve as community healers and herbalists, passing down herbal knowledge of plants that strengthen the body and mind. They prepare medicinal salves, teas, and tonics that improve physical endurance, calm nerves, and help others recover from injuries and illness.
• Herbal Knowledge and Apothecaries: Known as skilled herbalists, Lepora healers have extensive knowledge of local flora, enabling them to create salves, teas, and poultices for various ailments. Their small villages often include an apothecary’s workshop, where Lepora tend gardens filled with medicinal plants and experiment with new remedies.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The Holy Spirit is central to Lepora life, symbolizing light, love, and the essence of life itself. Lepora believe that the Holy Spirit resides in all living things, guiding them with warmth and nurturing energy. They hold simple but heartfelt ceremonies in its honor, and young Lepora are taught from an early age to recognize the Spirit’s guidance in their lives, often reflecting this belief in small acts of kindness.

Blessings for Life Events: Lepora ceremonies center around blessings for new births, milestones, and other life events, invoking the Spirit’s guidance and love.

Healing Circles: During illness or injury, Lepora gather to hold healing circles, joining together to focus on the affected person and share warmth, care, and energy through spirit magic.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Faunari

Average Physique

Standing around 3 to 3.5 feet tall, they possess a blend of delicate yet agile builds suited for their roles as medics, messengers, and scouts. Slender, Agile Frames: Most Lepora are slim and lightweight, built for speed and nimbleness. Their limbs are long and lean, allowing for swift movements and easy maneuverability through tight spaces or dense terrain.

Large, Expressive Eyes: Their eyes are oversized, round, and highly expressive, capable of detecting the finest details and subtle color changes. Eye colors vary widely, from soft browns and hazels to striking blues, greens, and occasionally rare reds or ambers.

Prominent, Sensitive Ears: Lepora ears are tall, often reaching above their heads, and highly flexible, with the ability to rotate and twitch in response to sounds. These ears are incredibly sensitive, attuned to even the softest whispers or distant calls, and come in various shapes—some are longer and upright, while others might be shorter and slightly flopped, depending on lineage.

Soft, Dense Fur: Their fur is typically short and velvety, with thicker patches around the neck, wrists, and ankles, giving them a natural insulation against cold climates. Color patterns are highly diverse, ranging from solid hues like white, brown, black, or gray to spotted, mottled, or piebald coats. Some Lepora display distinct markings on their faces or limbs that stand out against the rest of their fur.

Their hands and feet are dexterous and slightly elongated, with short, strong claws that allow them to dig, forage, or handle delicate materials as needed in their healing practices. While these claws are not suited for combat, they excel in precise tasks, from handling delicate herbs to quickly dressing wounds.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Color and Markings: While some Lepora have single-colored coats, others display speckled patterns or patches reminiscent of wild rabbits. Some may have a stripe running down their backs, a “mask” of color around the eyes, or offcolor-tipped ears and tails.

Additional Traits by Lineage

• Hare-Inspired Lepora: Those with hare-like lineage tend to have longer limbs and faces, with leaner bodies suited for speed and endurance. They often have larger, wide-set eyes and sandy or reddish fur.
• Snow or Tundra Lepora: These Lepora are adapted for cold climates, with thicker, dense fur in pale shades like white, silver, or frost-blue. They have compact bodies, small noses, and rounded ears to conserve heat.
• Meadow or Woodland Lepora: Often found in milder climates, these Lepora sport earthy tones of brown, gray, and tawny, with shorter, streamlined fur. They may have slightly broader faces and large, forward-facing ears well-suited for listening for distant sounds in open fields.