Wenver
The Wenver are, according to legend, descended from the Wened, the first children of Wen, the ineffable god of the Moon. They are quite closely related to the Sanwen.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Both skin and hair colour tends to be tree bark coloured, and it varies according to the predominant tree species in the forests which the individual comes from. Usually also tinged with Grey.
Whilst colouring is hereditary, an individual or family's colouring can change gradually over time if a great deal of time is spent somewhere else (e.g. a redwood skin spends lots of time in a birch forest, they will gradually become more silver). Wenver are the tallest of the sapient species on Osnaveena. Both men and women are roughly the same height, and the average height is about 6’.
All Wenver are tall, slender, cold sensitive, and humidity loving. They are almost exclusively skinny and long limbed, and fat Wenver are ridiculed. They are also unusually dextrous and limber. Various racial groups can be distinguished by skin colour and eye size. Their feet have incredibly long, finger-like, prehensile toes and shoes are never worn - this allows them to grip the branches amongst which they make their settlements.
Wenver have very large eyes (betwee 4-6cm), which are opal shaped. They are rather similar to a cats eyes and hve a third lid which protects them from bright lights. Typical eye colours include grey, green, hazel, brown or yellow. The iris is extremely large (like a cat’s), and fills most of the eye space. The pupil changes size dramatically, allowing them to see easily in various light conditions, from full moon to almost pitch black.
Wenver have very long, slim noses – live in cold climates but are warm blooded. They have no hair on their heads.
Whilst colouring is hereditary, an individual or family's colouring can change gradually over time if a great deal of time is spent somewhere else (e.g. a redwood skin spends lots of time in a birch forest, they will gradually become more silver). Wenver are the tallest of the sapient species on Osnaveena. Both men and women are roughly the same height, and the average height is about 6’.
All Wenver are tall, slender, cold sensitive, and humidity loving. They are almost exclusively skinny and long limbed, and fat Wenver are ridiculed. They are also unusually dextrous and limber. Various racial groups can be distinguished by skin colour and eye size. Their feet have incredibly long, finger-like, prehensile toes and shoes are never worn - this allows them to grip the branches amongst which they make their settlements.
Wenver have very large eyes (betwee 4-6cm), which are opal shaped. They are rather similar to a cats eyes and hve a third lid which protects them from bright lights. Typical eye colours include grey, green, hazel, brown or yellow. The iris is extremely large (like a cat’s), and fills most of the eye space. The pupil changes size dramatically, allowing them to see easily in various light conditions, from full moon to almost pitch black.
Wenver have very long, slim noses – live in cold climates but are warm blooded. They have no hair on their heads.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Fully nocturnal, Wenver see well at night but take some time to adjust to seeing during the day. If they travel during the day, they often wear blindfolds which reduce or completely obscure the sunlight in order to protect their night vision. This is partly of religious significance, since they believe themselves to be children of the Moon, but also has practical aspects – the bright sunlight burns their eyes, and even short exposure can cause pain. Long exposrure can permanantly dmanage the eye and lead to partial sightedness or even blindness.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Wenneth –similar to Sanwen – they pronounce S as –th (they have a cultural lisp). Although Wen live in many regions, there is one accepted pronunciation for the language (like the Academie Francais of Louis XIV), and those who do not speak it are considered hicks.
Wenver are Matrynomic – Women take their own first name and then the first name of their Mother. Men take their grandfather’s first name, and then name of their Mother. At the naming ceremony, Silver objects are traditionally presented, often moon-shaped jewellry. All Wenver names are tri-syllabic:
Women’s names begin with a W: Wehanei , Wyndarthno, Wadherrin, Men’s name’s begin with any other letter; Th, F and Y are popular. Thanherrin, Ynbathno, Favalyth
Wenver are Matrynomic – Women take their own first name and then the first name of their Mother. Men take their grandfather’s first name, and then name of their Mother. At the naming ceremony, Silver objects are traditionally presented, often moon-shaped jewellry. All Wenver names are tri-syllabic:
Women’s names begin with a W: Wehanei , Wyndarthno, Wadherrin, Men’s name’s begin with any other letter; Th, F and Y are popular. Thanherrin, Ynbathno, Favalyth
Courtship Ideals
Matrichal Wenver society used to be much more extremely segregated, with men being regarded as second class citizens. At the present time, theoretically, females and males are equal in social status. However, there has still never been a male ‘Matriarch’. It used to be that monogamy was unusual and many women still have several male mates. The ruling Matriarch has many mates, but these are largely status symbols, since the Matriarch is rarely of mating age (usually 60-70 years old).
These days, Wenver are usually in monogamous relationships, although some double standards apply - sexually licentious behaviour is often seen as bravado amongst women, whilst in men it is still commonly seen as improper.
An extremist sect of Wen worshippers - the True and Exact Church of Wen - ritually damages the phallus of a male at birth, preventing them from enjoying sex. This is seen as a way of encouraging modest and proper behaviour amongst men.
These days, Wenver are usually in monogamous relationships, although some double standards apply - sexually licentious behaviour is often seen as bravado amongst women, whilst in men it is still commonly seen as improper.
An extremist sect of Wen worshippers - the True and Exact Church of Wen - ritually damages the phallus of a male at birth, preventing them from enjoying sex. This is seen as a way of encouraging modest and proper behaviour amongst men.
Average Technological Level
The wenver have a very high technological advancement - in fact, as high as possible without the ability to work metal. Their advances include;
Agriculture (incl. complicated tree building etc)
Physics and motion, They have all sorts of lifts and things.
stone and obsidian for blades
hammerstones
watermanagement systems? Waterbuts colleting rainwater, filtered through various stones and meshes. Passed through bamboo pipes into houses.
water taken from rivers. Pumps into the trees, or lifted in buckets (this is old fashioned).
ropes, basketry
Incredible weaving. Best fabric in the world.
use of windmills to automate the grinding of rice, pumping water, sawing of timber, paper making
Excellent alchemical and medical understanding
Major exports
Fine fabrics, alchemistry (medicines and poisons), dyes, knowledge and ideas, wooden artefacts, basketry,Major Imports
Premade metal objects, premade silver votive objects, or silver jewelry.Culture and Cultural Heritage
Wenver music tends to favour soft voices, and thus is unsuitable for large halls or performance areas. It is an intimate affair. common instruments amongst the Wenver are pipes, panpipes and flutes, though vocal music is by the most common. Another common instrument is the Silken Lyre, a kind of harp played by plucking silk strings set onto a wooden frame. It is incredibly soft, and cannot be heard above a speaking voice.
Instrumental music is much more common amongst the Wenver than amongst other speices and cultures, though this bvaries somewhat from area to area. The songs tend to be a series of abstract or barely related poems in a Wenver Haiku form (5, 3, 2, 1, 1 - that is, Fibonacci's sequence in reverse). Themes may dwell on history, but more usually regard nature in all its forms and seasons.
Instrumental music is much more common amongst the Wenver than amongst other speices and cultures, though this bvaries somewhat from area to area. The songs tend to be a series of abstract or barely related poems in a Wenver Haiku form (5, 3, 2, 1, 1 - that is, Fibonacci's sequence in reverse). Themes may dwell on history, but more usually regard nature in all its forms and seasons.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Tradition demands the planting of a tree for every child born. The care and ownership of the tree is given ceremonially to the child at the age of 7, symbolising the end of early childhood and the beginning of the road to adolescence. If the birth tree dies, it is seen as a bad omen for adulthood and such adults are often ostracised, viewed as cursed by Wen, or even exiled. This propagation of the forest lands of the Wenver is a way of being in touch with the trees and giving back to the community.
Funeral customs
Wenver go through a long and complicated process of death. In the place that they died, the presence of the WenEdanweh (the angels of Wen) is asked for, to guide the soul back to Wen and the Hereafter. If all is undertaken properly, the body of the dead Wenver must be returned to the place of birth or the roots of the spirit tree. A water mage is necessary – they first remove all of the water from the body, and return it to the birth tree or to another family tree in the native forest. The body is then buried in the earth, so that the earth and air of the body may return naturally to the weave. Wenver believe that there is an infinitesimally small amount of fire in their bodies
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(and those who can see the weave know that there is a little bit more than that, but not usually much).
Common Taboos
Favoured occupations amongst the Wenver include chefs, weavers, academics, philosophers, forest rangers and resin collecters.
Fire is a huge taboo amongst all Wenver cultures, and wenver are very afraid of fire. It is viewed as massive threat to the woodlands and the treetop settlements of the Wenver. Subsequently all their metal objects tend to be imported from other cultures.
Fire is a huge taboo amongst all Wenver cultures, and wenver are very afraid of fire. It is viewed as massive threat to the woodlands and the treetop settlements of the Wenver. Subsequently all their metal objects tend to be imported from other cultures.
Preferred fighting style
Women and men fight, but men are viewed more as cannon fodder and rarely rise in the ranks to command. The Wenver also have a notorious secret service. Bows are the preffered weapon, and Wenver make excellent scouts and assassins, since they are stealthy and nocturnal. They also fight with rapiers sometimes, though this is rare. Wenver rarely mix magic and combat because of their regard for Wen, the Moon Mother, but are fsormidable in combat.History
The Wenver are descended from the Wened. They were originally seeded in an island forest in the earliest days after their making. The Wenver remained in the Tropical forest island, which they continued to expand. They also spread to some of the surrounding islands. They particularly enjoy humidity, and coastal or forest cities. They found the ‘New World’, and new cities were colonised in rainforests of tropical and subtropical environments.
A really devout worshipper of Wen will never see the sunlight.
Describe a small settlement
Houses built into trees – trees are often force-grown into concave shapes – platforms are added from wood. Basketry daubed with tar or clay is used to waterproof external walls. Paper screens are used to divide rooms.Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
The Wenver believe that they are the only truly refined race, since they live at one with nature and understand its ways. They believe themselves to be sophisticated, learned, wise, skilled in many things and highly evolved. Wenver are particularly proud of their cloth weaving, which they view as a representation of the weave of the world.
The Wenver believe that the Gos are are crude little earth monkeys, who are unfortunately excellent at working metal. They have a healthy professional relationship regarding imports and exports, but find the Gos's ways bizarre and incomprehensible.
The Wenver believe that the Sanwen are traitors to Wen, and there is an underlying resentment on a cultural level between the two sub-species. In addition, they believe that the Sanwen have low intelligence, and are crude, cultureless, debauched and unrefined. Despite this, they are the only race which can successfully co-exist with the stubbornly nocturnal Wenver.
The Wenver believe that the Gos are are crude little earth monkeys, who are unfortunately excellent at working metal. They have a healthy professional relationship regarding imports and exports, but find the Gos's ways bizarre and incomprehensible.
The Wenver believe that the Sanwen are traitors to Wen, and there is an underlying resentment on a cultural level between the two sub-species. In addition, they believe that the Sanwen have low intelligence, and are crude, cultureless, debauched and unrefined. Despite this, they are the only race which can successfully co-exist with the stubbornly nocturnal Wenver.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
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