Rodent Beast-men
Small, smelly and often grabby in their attempts to get the shiny things and the cheese. Shunned for the most part of polite so society or treated with equal parts disgust and disdain. The Rodent tribes of Beast-men, while numerous in number and ravenous in hunger are often harmless when left alone. However they often seemingly prefer to be exploited by Humans and other races, most people believe this is because they have alternate motives. In truth however, it is better to live in the sewers were you are the apex predator than live in the wilds, were wild animals would be more then willing to eat you.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Often made to make them sound more like mouse names then names for beings that look like rats. Nibbles, Juliana Cheeser, Little Cheese, Cheeddar, Squeak, Whiskers, Catnip.
Masculine names
Often made to make the Males sound threatening or big, so they go with much more vulgar names. Eats Blood, Man Lick, Boot Wearer, Stabs Dog, Cat Stealer, Consumes Child, Puke, Punch, Bad Rat, Gorged on Leather, Knee Caps.
Unisex names
Those who can't fit in to any part of the clan, thus becoming serfs or even slaves with in their own clans only fit for manual labor or are born outside of the clan structure tend to prefer names that describe them. Thin Paw, Small Nose, Tiny Whisker, Fragile Bones, Bruises Easily, Consumes Dirt, Licks Snow.
Family names
Only the chosen of the Clan Mothers have the right to pick out one of the pups from the brood room to raise as their own child. However this means that their names are not so much Family names but are names that remain constant through the clan or tribe. X Razor Claw, X Sharp Tooth, X Mangy Back.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Rodents often pick up first Mammalian, and then Common afterwards any shaddy form of communication used in their region's underground. After those three they might pick up Elven or Dwarven, best to know your enemies or soon to be friends are saying.
Shared customary codes and values
Shared values between Rodent tribes are vary divers and differ from tribe to tribe. However a common thing is survival of the clan, and survival of the individual are shared by all tribes. They will beg, grovel, and scheme to get what they want. To put the strongest on top and to keep their own heads, they would willing sell out their brothers to other members of the tribe. However one Human saying holds true with the Rodents, "I, against my Brothers, My Brothers and I against the world."
Common Etiquette rules
Life is to be taken by the reins and attempted to made work for you. Through schemes, groveling or force you must make sure that you succeeded. Thus the Rodents have made sure to instill an Culture that often forces the weak to work towards the betterment of the strong, all the while the weak still plot their raise to strength.
Common Dress code
As they often live in places that make if hard for them to trade or they live in sewers and caves which makes them not like able to trade with. Either way they will often just wear whatever they can steal or whatever they make themselves.
Art & Architecture
Their 'Art' is not in painting or grand structures made from stone or wood, but in their stories and tale that they make. Even a lie that is told in a certain way can make for a good story. Epic tales of their gods dealing with the four tyrants of the other mortal races or the tales of their clan and it's own history, often these stories are embellish just beyond a reasonable extent.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
When a litter of pups are born they are gathered together with the other new born pups of the clan. After a while the writhing mass of young stop being able to be recognized by even their own mothers.
Coming of Age Rites
When a Rodent comes of age they often are seen as full adults and are sent to the surface or to the nearest settlement with some adults, either to trade or steal supplies depending on the clan.
Common Taboos
There is nearly anything that is totally taboo, one major taboo is Leaving the Clan without permission from the Clan mothers. This will often cause the individual to never be able to return, and might even be attacked on sight if they're seen by their own clan.
Historical figures
Their Primogenitor is called, Rodenna of the Three Moons.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Often having a soft coat and clean claws and tail is simply not enough, sometimes what matters is having a vast amount of shinnies and cheese.
Courtship Ideals
Often forgoing courtship for the mad dash of finding a mate, mating and then running away before someone bigger comes along and snaps your neck for getting close to the females. This is the reaction of most of the males to the idea of "Courtship" the females however see it as taking a selection of males and then only using the essence of any number of those they have coupled with. While the Males will always think that the offspring are theirs the females can fertilize any number of offspring with any number of male's seed.
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