Beuttep

Boo-tehp

Content warning!

This article contains literally one sentence mentioning some gross bodily ingredients for a potion

We are all children of the All-Mother, and as such, we must dedicate ourselves to the survival of our great family.

— A Beuttep mother to her child.

The Beuttep are a people accustomed to life within the dark, underground caverns of Tchaoxlik.? They are devout followers of their All-Mother, Auroull,? and see motherhood as sacred. Constantly beset by monsters, it is their collective goal to drive them back, protect themselves— and more importantly— Auroull. As a consequence, the typical Beuttep cares more for their collective than themselves, their family, or friends.

Extra Info

Related Nation(s)

Tteunor,? Pottott

Related Religion(s)

Auroullrob?

Form(s)

Beuttep: Form

Language(s)

Auroullott?

For information on physical forms, read,

A Short History

The Beuttep have only existed for around 200 years. While there are traces of long since past civilizations within Tchaoxlik, none seem to share any artistic themes, stylings, architecture, or even physical size with the sightless people who inhabit the depths now. Even the settlements of Tteunor? seem almost purposefully built away from those strange, primeval ruins— it is almost as if the Beuttep's creation, and the subsequent growth of their civilization, was planned.
And, in fact— it was.
This terrible secret was discovered by Peub Neubo?— a member of Tteunor's Council of Mothers— who overheard her beloved All-Mother proposing a plan that would lead her people to certain doom to another councilmember. An evil beast, she heard, had long wandered the world in pursuit of Auroull— wishing for nothing more than to devour her, and absorb her power. This beast was fast approaching her home, and Auroull wished to save herself at the expense of her children.
The All-Mother and the council would hold a grand festival in the nation's capital of Onett?— the crowd would then serve as a lure for the approaching beast, and allow for Auroull to escape as it swallowed the city and its people whole. Shortly afterwards, the All-Mother would seal the great caverns— trapping her ancient enemy within the depths forever, and abandoning her children. Even more condemning— it was revealed that the never-ending plague of monsters that endangered the Beuttep were drawn to Auroull's great power, the same way it had lured the approaching ancient evil. This meant that her presence was a direct threat to their survival.
Peub would not die for someone who would so coldly throw her aside, and immediately left to reveal her discovery to her people. Many felt betrayed, confused, angry— and left to form the new nation of Pottott. War swiftly followed, as Tteunor was unwilling to recognize the new nation— and many of its people were still willing to die for their beloved All-Mother, even after her secrets were revealed.

Tradition & Values

Life in Tchaoxlik is dangerous, and one has greater chances of survival in numbers. As such, Beuttep culture is heavily collectivist, emphasizing duty to the collective people over one's own safety. If one were given the chance to protect other Beuttep, even at great cost to themselves, they would be expected to do so. If one cannot aid the collective, they are seen as something akin to dead weight. Even more important than the collective, however, is the safety of their beloved All-Mother. The Beuttep are expected to put Auroull above all else. To some, even the opportunity to sacrifice oneself for the All-Mother is a great honor.
The Beuttep are a devout, faithful people, who worship Auroull as their godly mother. Much of their worship extends to the mothers of their own society, as motherhood is seen as a holy, sacred gift that must be honored. It is not uncommon for women to become mothers simply to follow in Auroull's footsteps— and many believe that each time they go through the trials of childbirth, they become more like her, and gain holy strength. Of course, this gives Auroull more power in the form of new, indoctrinated followers who will defend and one day die for her.

Common Values

• We place the collective before ourselves.
• We believe there is strength in numbers.
• We believe the All-Mother loves us all.
• We believe mothers are the strongest of us.
• We believe motherhood is sacred.
• We believe nothing should go to waste.
• We believe one must be useful to have value.
• We believe one should listen to their elders.

Counter Values

• We place ourselves before the collective.
• We believe individuals can be strong.
• We believe the All-Mother is a heartless traitor.
• We believe mothers are no stronger than others.
• We believe motherhood is overvalued.
• We believe it is ok to waste.
• We believe everyone has a use.
• We believe our elders are often wrong.

Taboos

It is taboo to waste material from hunts, especially monster hunts— many believe that if they do not use every part of a slain monster's corpse, the thing will rise again and seek revenge against them.
As motherhood is seen as sacred and holy, women who are barren are believed to have been punished for some great sin, and are exiled to the island of Allen Noul, which sits in the middle of Rott Allen— the sea of algae. To avoid expulsion, many of these women go to great lengths to hide their condition, and some Beuttep even pass their children to their barren sisters to protect them, in defiance of the church.

Milestones

Birth

At the center of every Beuttep settlement lies a sacred building known as an auroboll.? When a mother goes into labor, they do their best to reach one of these holy edifices. Each is staffed by priestesses who live and die within the building's walls, their role is to act as midwives to their visitors, and maintain the structure.
When a mother enters the building, she must leave any male companions at the door. She is then brought to a bed, and made to drink an alchemical concoction made from the discarded umbilical cords and placentas of other Beuttep mothers. This potion is said to be rejuvenating, and, to an extent— relieves pain. Two priestesses will act as midwives, and ensure the mother makes it through the process safely. After the child is born, they are placed in a sacred pool in the center of the structure— full of water blessed by Auroull herself— in which they are washed clean and prayed to, before being reunited with their mother.

Coming of Age

At the age of 13, Beuttep children join a band of bneull?— monster hunters— for a mock hunt. Here, they must successfully kill a captured monster, or die at its feet. If they are unable to fell the beast, they are seen as incapable of defending their people, and thus useless to their society. Those who survive without killing the monster are given a second chance the following day. Should they fail and survive again— they would be exiled from Beuttep society, and left in the cavernous depths to fend for themselves.

Death

It is believed that the dead attract monsters, and once their belongings have been salvaged, their bodies are collected, and buried away from cities in burial grounds called killtt. Bneull will use these grounds to attract and hunt down potential threats— not letting even the bodies of their families go to waste. On their way to the nearest killtt, bodies may stop by local alchemists so that they may butcher them for alchemical ingredients that can only be found in their kin.

Pastimes

Many Beuttep enjoy a sport known as aulleub.? Two teams of three players compete in a flat circular field, at the center of which lies a shallow pit containing a hollow stone ball. This ball is filled with smaller stones so that, when kicked, it is easily audible and thus tracked.
Each team competes to kick the ball to the edge of the field, and then back to the center, gaining a point for each completed run. If the ball is stolen from one team after they had reached the edge, they must get the ball to the edge of the field again once they get it back. Players work to keep the ball from their opponents by kicking it away, or creating noise to make its location more difficult to discern. Most settlements have at least one aulleub field, poorer settlements denote theirs with rings of stacked stones— while more affluent areas will carve theirs directly into the ground.

Timekeeping

Given that, underground, there are no easy ways to track its passage, the Beuttep have a loose concept of time. A "day" is the period one is awake between sleeping, and one's day does not necessarily align with the the days of those around them. The Beuttep rise and slumber according to the whims of their bodies, schedules are practically unheard of.
The Beuttep rarely plan for precise moments, instead, if one wishes to do something or go somewhere— they do it immediately. Either one will already be around those they wish to involve, or they will quickly go and gather them. When plans are made, they are tied to loose variables, such as when a particular person wakes up, a certain sound can be heard, or simply the next time all parties involved are together.
On the rare occasion that an event must be held on a specific day, the day is tied to the sleep cycle of Auroull. This is, of course, still quite loose— and those that wish to participate can only approximate their arrival based on their own cycles.

Miscellenous Traditions

Greetings & Farewells

To greet or send off one another, the Beuttep utilize wide, grand gestures that are quickly and easily distinguished with echolocation. To greet someone, a Beuttep will raise their arms outward at each side, palms faced upward, stopping at shoulder height. When greeting a loved one, a Beuttep will cross their arms, and lightly grab the other party's face with the backs of their hands— tapping once or twice, before letting go. To say farewell, one will outstrech their arms into the final position of a greeting— then turn their palms upside-down, and move their arms back to their sides.

Eating

Hot or even warm food is mostly unheard of by the Beuttep, who have yet to discover fire. While they make ample use of the naturally hot reull stone to brew alchemical potions, they have yet to see a need to use the same material to warm their food.
In fact, if one were to present a Beuttep with a hot meal— they would likely find it repulsive, after a long life of cold, or room temperature meals. Given this fact, meat is generally avoided— and eaten raw on the uncommon occasion that it is consumed.

War

War is new to the Beuttep, and not something they have developed tradition for. Notable, however, is the practice of jamming— where one copies the frequency of the enemy's echolocation with their own, rendering them blind.

Naming

Beuttep children are given first names based on their shape and texture. Like with many other languages throughout Qet, family names in Auroullott are passed down through each generation. It is said that Auroull herself formed the Auroullott language— and it is no surprise that this would lead to linguistic similarities with tongues found on the surface.
Common Masculine Names: Nolltt, Ren, Nett, Rett, Nollett, Aner, Kotto, Kenoll, Aokott, Kob
Common Feminine Names: Aurott, Tteur, Reub, Aureub, Bettun, Poull, Aeun, Aoulleun, Rollell, Beutt
Common Neutral Names: Anett, Onoll, Pollob, Ottoll, Tteun, Aurell, Lleur, Llott, Olleur, Lloutt
Common Family Names: Neubo, Aurpoll, Oukob, Kotteuneull, Reubun

Ideals, Love, & Gender

Relationships

Women will approach men, offer out their hand, and— if he places his onto hers— they become a pair. As motherhood is highly valued within their culture, polygamy is fairly common. Though, it isn't uncommon for monogamous couples to exist, either. While most couples are heterosexual, pairings between women are seen as especially strong— given the potential for all parties, rather than just one, to become mothers, and obtain holy strength through that process.

Beauty

Given their blind state, the Beuttep have little in the way of beauty standards beyond bathing semi-regularly. Touch and shape are highly regarded, however, and many pursue softer, smoother skin. Careful posing, and movement, is also seen as attractive— and some spend much of their lives honing their own walks and gestures to attract partners.

Gender

Beuttep society is matriarchal, and women hold the grand majority of power within it as a result. It is frowned upon for men to practice alchemy, and they are barred from holding office, and witnessing birth. Despite these restrictions, Beuttep men are able to pursue just about anything else they desire— many working alongside and even leading women in businesses, bneull, and the military.
Outside of religion and governance, theirs is a fairly egalitarian society— after all, they must work together to survive, and squabbling over gender roles would get in the way of doing so. To a monster, a meal is a meal— no matter their gender. As such, there are few expectations hoisted upon either gender— save for the spiritual ideals placed on Beuttep women.

Alchemical Artistry

For the Beuttep of Pottott, who have opened up trade with foreign nations such as Rektouzk— it has become apparent that their most valuable goods are their potions.
The Beuttep pursue anything that can ease the dangers facing their people each and every day, and alchemy helps significantly to lower the gap between bneull and the monsters they face. For generations Beuttep alchemists have practiced and experimented with numerous ingredients, temperatures, and processes to develop powerful potions and grenades.
This skill, when mixed with the rare ingredients native to their home, makes their alchemy quite valuable to foreigners. A few Beuttep alchemists have even moved to the surface, both in pursuit of greater wealth, and to expand their alchemical knowledge with materials more readily available on the surface.

Art, Architecture, & Dress

Art

Beuttep art mainly consists of sculpture and music. Common subjects are Auroull, of course, various monsters— as it's believed that their souls will not leave unless they have a body to pass through— and heroes. Beuttep sculptures are sometimes carved from singualr stones, while another popular form of sculpture involves the artist interlocking many smaller stones and then carving those into their finished piece. This symbolizes their own society, and how many souls form the singular collective of the Beuttep.

Architecture

The Beuttep construct their settlements from broken or loose stones arranged atop one another to form domed structures. With these stones masterfully balanced, and often interlocked— their structures are sturdier than one might expect from their feeble appearance. Most buildings consist of three domes; one large central dome, and two smaller domes somewhere along the sides. Arches are common sights, and stalagmites will often grow atop older roofs. Their buildings can be impressively large if built against the walls of the vast caverns they call home, and if one could see in those blackened depths, these impressive domed towers would be visible from miles away.
A standard sized household will shelter one or two families, typically only close members of each. It is not uncommon for children, once grown and in charge of their own families— to comandeer a portion of their childhood home, should there be enough room to do so. Many, however, will need to move away— or graft an additional set of rooms to the original structure. Over time, a home may grow to house many families— full of aunts, uncles, and distant cousins. In this way, many Beuttep homes tell a story— one of a growing, changing family. Within these homes, furniture is typically created from monster bones, various hides, and stone.

Dress

As the Beuttep rely on echolocation for their sight— many qualities of dress simply cannot be perceived by them. As such, they do not wear clothes— but they do wear jewelry. Beuttep jewelry focuses on creating shapes rather than being shiny, or colorful. Many women will wear ntteupeb, or, "wings—" triangular wing-like forms worn around one's upper arms or legs. These are typically made from animal hides, bone, or stone.
Sawn-off monster horns and teeth are worn by both genders, and are often placed on the forehead to mimic the felled creatures— often as a trophy, of sorts. Some, however, will strap them to their shoulders or hips, as well. When expecting to talk with llib tettareb (lightbearers, or, humans who posses sight) in a friendly manner, some Beuttep will don loincloths, and tie a cloth band over their face— so as to hide their missing eyes, and make the foreigners feel more at ease.

Religion & Myth

The Beuttep are one of, if not the only, few human groups within Qet that know their true origins— that they were born from Auroull. As such, they revere her as a god, and dedicate themselves to protecting her life and following her example. As a result, motherhood is highly valued, and seen as a way for one to gain holy strength.
Views on the sight-bearing outsiders, who seem helpless and— ironically— blind to the Beuttep, vary. Some correctly think that they, too, came from their All-Mother— but are not her chosen people. Others believe these strange beings are intelligent monsters, seeking new ways to hurt them. Most are wary of outsiders, but as a few have manged to learn their languages, and they theirs, new opportunities have arisen.

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