Apelong
Eminent Guardians
Deep in the jungles of The Great Nest roam a peoples diverse and strong; the Apelong. They are a Wild Race that resemble apes and monkeys and vary in size as much as they do. They live in societies with three levels: Family, Tribe, and Nest; every individual Apelong bears 3 proper names, but two of them only have true meaning outside of Apelong communities, with one exception -- When an Apelong faces a Gnome, it is not uncommon for them to recite all their names, as a gesture of defiance. These names carry political importance, as Apelong meet every year to discuss the comings and goings of their societies and avoid fragmentation (an old problem for Apelong civilization).
The Apelong live in Meritocracies, where the whole is ruled by someone of great merit who has proven themselves. In antiquity, this used to be specific to violent merit or a show of strength. But as time has moved on this tradition has changed, and a leader's merit may be challenged in a myriad of ways. Typically, leadership skills are a default, but the idea of the "Challenge" has morphed at a local level and each tribe and Nest requires something unique to their leader. The Mwepesi Tribe, for example, demand their leader show prowess in a special dance-like performance while the Sumu tribe demandes their leader show how resilient his body can be to poison and intoxication. Though irrational from an outsider's standpoint, each tribe's demands have a valid reason for expecting these qualities, which result in the most capable leaders (The Mwepesi are small and live in thick, impassable bush-like trees that require great dexterity to traverse, while the Sumu live in the Bog, near the Bullywugs and are often exposed to dangerous substances). Once a challenger proves himself, the onlooking crowd clamors in acceptance or grumbles in disapproval. It is seen as extremely dishonorable to deny the crowd's demands and some challengers or old leaders have suffered great community punishment for doing so.
The Apelong are split into three subraces: Thintails, Wanefaces, and Tallbacks making them a very versatile race when it comes to looks and capabilities. Yet, though once upon a time the Tallbacks had been rulers of all the Apelong, all subraces now see each other with equal respect, channeling their authority not from prowess, but from the communities they rule over. This unity has been crutial, as the Apelong are constantly at war with the Gnomes, who have settled in the jungle for centuries, bending rivers and constructing great cities of stone. The Apelong see them as the ultimate enemy, destroying and morphing their surroundings to their whims without any regard for the well-being of the natural world. An old myth helps fuel this rivalry, as the Apelong believe that the Gnomes want to capture the Apelong to perform vile explorations of their insides, slicing them apart to behold their entrails, so as to feed their unquenchable curiosity. Though none can say if the gnomes actually experiment on the Apelong, the myth is colloquially accepted as truth, and young Apelong often fear the idea of being the prisoner of a Gnome.
This centuries long rivalry has really hurt the Apelong. The Tallbacks especially, who seldom run from an encounter against their more organized and deceitful enemy (Gnomes often use poisons in their assaults), have suffered great losses. Once the majority of the Great Nest, their numbers are now waning and the Waneface have come to be the most populous Apelong subrace. Regardless, the Gnomes usually need quick access to their cities and towns to restock and rest, which the Apelong always take advantage of. The periphery of rivers and channels is often 'peaceful' for the gnomes, whereas to venture inland can be deadly, as the Apelong have no trouble surviving in the wild.
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