Anthral
On the great promenade before the palace gates, in the shadows of the archways cast by the moon, a troupe of musicians played soft string music and a lovely man sang soft ballads and lullabies. He was a sable-furred anthral, luxurious brown hair around his face, his tail like a banner keeping time as it swung behind his rhythmic sway.A short-lived species that has built a number of dynamic societies over the face of Sof Sator, Anthrals are perhaps the most diverse people on the continent of Sof Sator.-Blood Queen and Vermillion Beast: Ballads for Butchers
Basic Information
Anatomy
Anthrals are a diverse species of simiinoid sapioformes that vary greatly in appearance and habitation, though do so according to consistent and well-understood patterns. Certain traits possessed by all Anthrals are:
The primary casts most commonly described in anthrals are: gloaming, ash, sable, umber, tawny, gilt, and lustrous.
The secondary casts most commonly described in anthrals are: scarlet, mahogany, chestnut, cobalt, azure, black, gold, blonde, and white.
In some rare cases, a color more commonly seen in a secondary cast can act as a primary cast on an individual anthral. This is a benign abnormality that occurs spontaneously.
In furred anthrals, patterns such as spots, stripes, or dappling may include a slight darkening or lightening of the primary cast, or may integrate color of the secondary cast. These patterns, like the cast itself, are inherited along family lines.
- Two legs and two arms. The shape of feet and hands vary, as do the number and shape of toes and fingers.
- Terrestrial habitation with some propensity for climbing and swimming, which also varies from one group to the next.
- Faces with two forward-facing eyes, a centered nose, and a mouth with a single row of upper and lower teeth. The shape and alignment of teeth varies.
- Bodies have vertically-oriented spines meant for upright, bipedal movement, though many Anthrals possess spines and hips capable of more variable locomotion, either for quick terrestrial movement of climbing.
- Anthral size is fairly consistent across all groups.
Subgroup
Alpin. This subgroup of anthral is distinguished by long tails, straight or curved horns on their heads, and cloven hooves with dewclaws. They are densely furred all over their bodies, often with thick tufts a secondary color of hair or fur on their heads or tails. These anthrals are thought to be specialized for mountain environments, with potential origins around the Rhyqirja mountains. Alpin anthrals are most commonly, but not exclusively, of an omnivate diet. Littorn. This subgroup of anthral is most strongly distinguished by clawed hands and toes, and can have boney spikes on their elbows, knees, or ankles. Their feet and toes are long and specialized for gripping or tearing motions. They usually not have fur except for on their head or tail, but can have fur. Some of them do not have tails. Most do not have horns. In many cases, their skeleton is clearly specialized for climbing, with hips slightly forward and more open to allow for reaching with legs and gripping with clawed feet and hands. Littorn anthrals are thought to be specialized for living on seaside cliffs, such as though on Sof Sator's northern coast, or for the dense forests of central Sof Sator. Potential origins include the dense woods of the Laines or the rugged cliffs of Ossea. Littorn are most commonly, but not exclusively, of a carnivate diet. Sollin. This subgroup of anthral very rarely has bodily fur, tails, or claws, though minor or vestigial versions of these can occur in some cases. They have five short toes not meant for gripping and stand with their weight resting on their heal, shifting to the ball of the foot to walk. They are not well adapted to climbing, their posture upright. They usually have better eyesight than other anthrals. Sollin are thought to be specialized for living in arid plains and flatlands, with possible origins in the fields of northwestern Sof Sator, such as the expansive plains outside of Revan. Sollin are more likely than other anthrals to be able to subsist adaptively between either an omnivate or carnivate diet.Cast
The Cast of an anthral refers to the color of its fur or skin. Most anthrals can be described by their primary cast, which is the color of their bodily fur or skin, and their secondary cast, which is the color of their hair or accents in their fur. Not all anthrals have a secondary cast. The cast of an anthral is genetic and can help to trace bloodlines, but one cast may arise from several different origins, so it cannot be used to trace long-term ancestry or the movements of population groups. All casts appear equally in alpin, littorn, and sollin anthrals, and a cast is just as likely to appear in a family line through spontaneous variation as it is through inheritance.Diet
An anthral's diet is one of its most distinguishing antributes. These are inherited through bloodlines, most often inherited from the mother, and are often more important than subgroup or cast when determining an anthral's way of life. Socially, the diet is also more likely to determine what community's an anthral chooses to join or is welcome to join. This is mostly thanks to the particular needs of carnivate anthrals to subsist almost completely off of meat and their ability to safely eat raw meat, so hunting and the keeping of livestock are very important to carnivate communities. Omnivate anthrals, on the other hand, eat primarily plants, so their communities emphasize foraging and agriculture. Most omnivate anthrals are able to eat meat, but it must be thoroughly cooked, and eating too much meat will cause long-term health problems for them. Some anthrals, particularly of the sollin subgroup, can subsist with either a carnivate or omnivate diet, but struggle if they try to mix these diets and can incur a period of illness when switching between them. There is a third diet type: the sanguinate anthral, which subsists exclusively on blood. Sanguinates can occur with any cast or subgroup, and will always occur in a child if either parent is a sanguinate. A sanguinate anthral cannot digest other foods, and is in their best health with a diet of blood from their own subgroup. This is due to the fact that sanguinate anthrals take on some of the attributes of the being from which they are drinking their blood. In rare cases, sanguinates get ahold of blood from magical or physically superior beings, and will express magical abilities or enhanced physicality similar to those beings. On the other hand, drinking from lesser beings makes them weak, ill, or confused. Starving sanguinates may drink the blood of animals, but will gradually lose their humanity if they must do so on a regular basis. Sanguinates will usually try to feed on the blood of anthrals from their own subgroup, most often feeding inside their own communities, which reinforces their health. If a sanguinate is lucky enough to be able to feed regularly from longer-lived sapioformes, they usually enjoy a longer lifespan than other types of anthrals, sometimes even a century longer. Socially, sanguinates have been pariahs in almost every community for as long as anthrals have existed in Sof Sator. Only in the past few centuries did a community of sanguinate anthrals form in Sof Sator, forming spontaneously on the western coast and eventually relocating to the Golden Reef. As of the year 1090, sanguinates are usually executed on-sight throughout Sof Sator, but the coastal nation of Revan will grant sanguinates passage to the Golden Reef. This has resulted in an exodus as sanguinates from all over Sof Sator travel to Revan in hopes of joining the sanguinate kingdom of the Golden Reef.Breed
When describing themself or other another anthral, an anthral will usually describe their "breed" by combining their subgroup and diet type. For example, an anthral can be described as a "Sollin carnivate," or as a "Alpin omnivate." Of the two categories, they are most likely to emphasize their diet, describing themself as a carnivate, omnivate, or sanguinate; while subgroup merely describes appearance and some physical capability, an anthral's diet describes much more important aspects linked to instinctive needs and way of life. An anthral will rarely pose their cast as an important part of their identity, as it has little to do with their behavior outside of arbitrary concepts of beauty and familial bonds that are better described by other standards.Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Assumed to be unique to Sof Sator, anthrals are the most populous sapioforme on the continent. As far as history exists, anthrals have formed communities in every corner of Sof Sator, and in the modern age there are more than twenty nations founded by anthrals. They are the majority population in every place they live. Internal variation exists in anthral nations. Alpin omnivates are the primary population of Pharaul, while their long-time enemies in the city of Gray-Watch are mostly sollin. The population of the Golden Reef maintains a populous ruling class of sollin and littorn sanguinates and a population of sollin and alpin omnivates used as slaves and livestock. No anthral nation is exclusively of any specific breed, however.
Civilization and Culture
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
As the most populace and diverse sapioformes in Sof Sator, anthrals have had extensive relationships with most others. Their societies are largely open to sapioformes of all kinds. The nation of Revan, founded by anthrals, has come to be ruled by termins, a fabriforme that is well-respected in all anthral kingdoms. In central Sof Sator, a population of anthrals has built a society alongside the qlen in Hycost Oerlok, and another group of anthrals share power with the othrizen in Idylmir. In the Writhesea, northeast of Nor Sator, the vast intelligence of the Aldenald Writhe has integrated a population of anthrals into itself; they now call themselves Writhewives, and with them serving as representatives the Writhe itself has joined the Nor Sator League as a fully-fledged nation unto itself.
In ancient times, anthrals cohabited in the vedrfol's civilization of Jeimr, alongside a population of tercaelo. While the tercaelo have no modern dealings with anthrals, this is more credit to the choice of the tercaelo to take on a millenia-long tradition of reclusion following the fall of Jeimr.
Scientific Name
Sapioforme Simiinoid Anthral
Lifespan
40-50 years
Conservation Status
Not conserved.
Average Height
1.5 meters
Average Weight
45 kg
Related Organizations
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