Hartings
Hartings are humanoids living in the taiga of north-east Thara.
Basic Information
Anatomy
They are slightly larger than humans (5/4 of a human), have two fingers and a thumb on each hand and only two toes and a comparatively broad head with large ears. The ears are covered with a protective membrane. Their eyes are sunking into their skull, their nose is reduced to a small bump with two holes in the middle of their face. Their mouth is fairly large with a slight overbite.
Dietary Needs and Habits
They live off vegetables that grow very slowly in the cold or fish that is caught in the icy sea or in the lakes, along with the few animals they hunt, like game animals or fish.
Biological Cycle
Their life-cycle is longer and much slower than humans. The child mortality rate is very low and an average couple raises two children on average. Their pregnancies last about 18 months and they virtually never get twins. Their life expectancy is about two times as long as humans.
Dementia or other mental diseases are not connected to age in Hartings. If anything, their mind gets sharper and more complex with age. Physical strength will decrease as well as reflexes and coordination, but their mental abilities remain strong until they die of old age, usually because they are too weak to eat.
Behaviour
Most of the time interacting with other species they wear a mask to hide their face. They clothe themselves in thick pelts, which hide their bodily features so much that one can only distinguish them from large humans by very attentive observation. They don't speak very much and rarely come to the south to interact with tharian humans. Their voice is very deep and they talk very slowly and carefully. Overall, everything they do is much slower than most other species.
Even among themselves they live a very secluded lifestyle in separate huts scattered across the north-tharain taiga. Despite of living very far apart, they are actually a quite social species. But unlike other species, Hartings regularily use the Astral Plane as a means of communication. It is way too laborious to physically visit other families, so they simply enter the Astral Plane and commune like that.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Hartings heavily rely on their family until the point that they create their own family by marrying and moving to a new house. They do not have much of any other social structure than the small family. Exceptions are gatherings in the Astral Plane for various reasons. These are not clearly organized or fixed on any regularity. One reason could be a wedding. Usually friends, extended family and even just acquaintances are invited for a gathering in the Astral Plane, where everyone congratulates on their wedding and then continues to have conversations with each other. Another reason for these gatherings might be very pressing issues or dangers. In these gatherings it is then discussed on how to deal with these issues.
Since physical strength might decline with age, but their mental capacities wont, usually the older a Harting is, the more respected he is. This resulting respect also leads to younger Hartings being more protective of their elder conspecifics.
A family consists of a father, a mother and their children. Once the children have married and moved into their new home, the parents live alone in their old house until they die. In that time they can participate in social gatherings in the Astral Plane more oftenly, until they are too weak to do so.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Hartings possess a constant connection to the Astral Plane unlike any other species. That allows them to quickly send messages out into the plane to other Hartings in case of an emergency. They can also sense the Astral Imprint of someone they meet in the physical world and can share this imprint with anyone in the Astral Plane any second. In case of an attack they can share the Astral Imprint of the culprit in an instant, without actually being in the unconscious state of being in the Astral Plane. This constant connection also allows them to be alerted of someone wanting to communicate with them in the Astral Plane. For a full communication they still have to go into full unconscious-mode.
Hartings usually go to the Astral Plane using their innate magic affinity paired with the fumes of burning a special herb, which makes most species hallucinate. They use it regularily in their house in the fireplace as a way to access that plane and to communicate with other Hartings.
Civilization and Culture
Gender Ideals
While the education of the children as a whole is a task for both, males and females, the mother still cares for the children in the first few years the most. The father is usually the provider, bringing home the food he either found or hunted. In the time, where the father is helping to build the house with the son, the mother is more oftenly providing the food for everyone helping. Even though the tasks might be different, there is no difference in status or respect. Both genders are respected equally.
Courtship Ideals
The father usually looks for a possible partner for his son in the Astral Plane. In order to do so, he communicates with every family with a daughter in the fitting age. Once he has found a fitting partner, father and son will meet her and her family in the Astral Plane to confirm that they are a good fit. Usually such arranged relationships work out well and children trust their parents with picking a partner for them.
After that first meeting, the son will start the journey to meet his new partner in person, which is most of the time a few days of walking. While he is on his way, the couple have the chance to get to know each other using the Astral Plane. Once he arrived and spent a few days with her family, they both leave for a house of their own. They either pick an abandoned house, once inhabited by a couple who since have died of old age and fix up everything or they have to build a new house. In that case 'neighbouring' males will come to help the young couple, which are usually some hours away as well. The search for a new house or a spot is also done in the Astral Plane, to minimize the energy spent.
Once their home is prepared, they will count as a wedded couple and the wedding will be held with a huge gathering in the Astral Plane.
Common Etiquette Rules
Since Hartings are very social, using the Astral Plane, any conscious action against a fellow Harting is punished severely. Unintentional actions are forgiven easily, but intentional crimes are most likely never forgiven. Severe crimes can even lead to an exclusion from social interactions on the Astral Plane, which will lead to social isolation and even their children having to physically look for partners instead of in the Astral Plane.
While this sounds hard and unforgiving, this also acts as a security for Hartings among each other, because as soon as someone does something evil, they can get reported to the rest using the Astral Plane. This prevents Hartings from hurting each other, as well as the physical distance. Usually though, Hartings are very friendly among each other. They like to philosophize and and spend a lot of time in the Astral Plane with their felllow Hartings.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Hartings believe that The LORD is in everything, present in all of nature and all the things that come from nature. They worship recurring things like the seasons and all cycles as part of life, which is also their main aspect of the deity. Especially everything living is sacred in their eyes and causing harm to other creatures is only excused by a threat on their own life. This includes hunting for their survival. Their faith is not organized in any way, rather passed down by their fathers to their children generation to generation.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Hartings only have one sentien species neighbouring their home, the tharian humans to the south, more specifically, the Kingdom of Keltingen. Hartings keep to themselves a lot, just some actually trade with humans. While interacting with humans, Hartings are wearing their masks with human-like faces along with their usual clothing, which completely conceal any dissimilarities to them in shape. An inattentive observant might confuse them for weird large humans. The only thing that could give them away, would be the hands with only three fingers and their very deep voice.
While interacting they speak very little and are very patient with their dialogue partner. They don't perceive themselves as much superior to anybody else, since they are very meek.
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments