The Reynards

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Reynards are a more reclusive race native to Ecumene, making their home in the steppe lands of the Orienal Range. As one of the Intelligent Races, they have achieved a high level of technology, intelligence, and society that not many other species have, but have long preferred to sort of keep in a state of pseudo-isolation, never cutting themselves off from the world, but existing as a distinct and foreign part of it. The Reynards are a canine race, being most closely related to foxes.
Most Reynards are of fairly medium stature, ranging anywhere between 5'5 and 5'10 feet tall, rarely being shorter or taller than this range. They are covered in hair from head to paws, this hair being lighter in warmer months and thicker and fluffier in the colder months (a majority of the year in the part of the world where the Reynards live). To this end, Reynards will shed once a year around the middle of Spring. The fur at their feet is shed first, going up their legs and shed upwards along their body from there. This hair can be a variety of colors and patterns. Most Reynards are of an auburn, brown, or grey coloration, often flecked with other colors, with white or grey coloration on their underside, or with differing coloration on their limbs. Though it is quite rare, some Reynards have completely white or completely black fur.
Reynards have a generally triangular face with an elongated snout. The race's sense of smell is nothing to scoff at, being stronger than that of the Humanoid races, but still weaker than that of specialized, domesticated dogs and even that of Goblins by no small margin. Where Reynards excel is in their hearing. Their large, triangular ears are able to pick up slight sounds with great precision, though only within a frequency range of 700–3,000 Hz, it being harder for them to hear lighter sounds of a higher pitch at such a great distance as they otherwise would be able to. Despite their canine origins, Reynards are omnivores, though they still display more prominent canine teeth.
Reynards also display whiskers. Whiskers, more scientifically known as vibrissae, are incredibly stiff, fine hairs used to sense the environment around an animal. Whiskers on Reynards are found above the eyes, on the cheeks, on the upper portion of the snout, and under the snout. Whiskers are made of keratin and have no nerves, but function through the inclusion of a blood sinus within their hair follice, this blood sinus being absolutely full of sensory nerves. Through the movement of the whisker hair in response to both the air around the Reynard and the environment they interact with, Reynards are able to more easily detect movement, locate objects, orient their snout, discriminate between textures and shapes, and maintain balance than they otherwise would be able to without their vibrissae.
As stated before, Reynards shed their thick fur during the Spring and Summer months so as to thermoregulate. Due to their body being covered in fur, Reynards have a very limited ability to sweat, meaning that they must pant when especially hot, increasing the rate of evaporation across the moist surfaces of their inner body, cooling it down. Even still, Reynards have sweat glands on their hand and foot pads, and snouts.
Indeed, though Reynards have a vaguely Humanoid hand shape, they still have pads on their distal phalanges and on their palms. A Reynard's feet, however, are much more canine looking. Where a Reynard's hands have five digits, their feet only have four. Instead of nails, Reynards have claws that are semi-retractable. Though not the entire claw is able to retract into the appendage, having most of it able to retract makes it much easier for claws to stay sharp and healthy. Generally speaking, Reynards have shorter limbs in proportion to their elongated bodies, though they are still very agile on the whole. Most Reynards can jump 6 feet in the air vertically. All Reynards sport a long, fluffy tail that is over half of their body length.
Reynards exhibit very little sexual dimorphism, but it is there. Females tend to have smaller heads, wider noses, and longer canines, and tend towards being smaller than males. Female Reynards also have two breasts on their chest. As members of the Intelligent Races, Vampires can feel attraction to all of the other races, though they can only breed with their own.

Genetics and Reproduction

Reynards have canine (so mammalian) reproductive organs, and have a gestation period around the same amount of time as Humans. Most Reynard women only give birth to a single pup.
Reynard pups are born without hair, blind, deaf, toothless, and unable to thermoregulate. It takes about two weeks for them to open their eyes and ear canals and begin to grow teeth. At three weeks, a Reynard pup has developed a near full coat of fur. Thereafter, they develop quite similarly to Humans. They are toddlers until around three years of age and are thereafter children until 12. This starts their adolescent years, which end at around 21, where around they become fully-fledged adults. A Reynard is considered senior when they reach the age of around 65. As a Reynard ages, they lose the sheen in their fur and their muzzle greys.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Reynards, despite what their appearance may lead you to believe, are an omnivorous race. In fact, the foxes they are closely related to are also omnivorous. Despite the dryness of their homeland, the Reynards have since time immemorial been a primarily sedentary and agricultural people centered around the fertile rivers and temperate zones of the Orienal Range. To this end, wheat and corn, as the staple crops of the region, are a major part of the Reynard diet. Both are very often turned into flour, which is then baked into loaves of bread, rolls, or flat cakes. Unlike the much warmer and fertile Great Steppe, the Orienal Range does not overly lend itself to the rearing of cattle, and as such the primary animals raised and then eaten within this region of the world are goats, sheep, and pigs. They may be smoked, fried, baked, turned into sausage or put into dumplings, stewed, or even barbequed (barbecues being a beloved social event among the Reynards). This race is known for its consumption of "less desirable" pieces of meat such as chitterlings, blood sausage, and "sweetbread" (the pancreas). Often added to meat dishes and food in general is the spice blend known as Merkén: a mixture of dried red pepper, coriander seeds, and salt. Cheese also makes many appearances in Reynard cuisine, and, rather uniquely, is very often added to soups and stews. Some vegetables common in Reynard cuisine include potatoes, squash, pumpkins, onions, quinoa, tomato, peppers, and cabbage. Jams of cherry, strawberry, rose, and bilberry are also quite loved.
As for beverages, milk is quite common, and tea imported from elsewhere in the world is also fairly so. In the realm of alcohol, fermented apple cider reigns supreme, but corn beer and sweet, undistilled grape or apple wine are also quite commonly brewed and drunk.
Like most races, Reynards eat three meals a day. Rambosa (Breakfast) is the first and smallest meal and is usually made up of chipa (cheese-flavored rolls), pastries, and some sort of warm beverage. Karu (Lunch) is the largest meal, commonly consisting of stew or a large meat dish served with various side dishes with potato or corn as their main ingredient. Stews and soups are even more commonly served during the evening meal, Oikoite (Dinner), which is usually a much lighter meal after the heavier Karu during the midday.

Additional Information

Social Structure

The Reynard lands have always been tumultuous, but not because of great outside threats, because of their own divisions. Traditionally, the Reynard people are organized into "bands", a sort of kinship link. Reynards within a band have some link to one another, no matter how far removed, and as such share a surname. Though they are more often than not just lines of lineage that mark where a Reynard is from and who they are associated with, bands do have recognized leaders who are able to represent the entire band (with bands ranging in numbers from the hundreds to the thousands). Morubixaba, as they are called, are traditionally elected by the entirety of the band, but this has long since changed.
Indeed, in days long past, Morubixaba were elected rulers who usually sat on councils with others of their kind to form Band Confederacies. However, after Trinitization, powerful Morubixaba would begin to establish themselves as hereditary, not elected, rulers. So began the rule of the Ñemoñe'ẽ Akãngora (Crown Councils). While still technically Band Confederacies, they quickly morphed into something that was much more hierarchical and modeled on the feudalism of the Dwarves and Men, and these Morubixaba wasted no time in forming more sophisticated governments and forcing their former brothers and sisters into a system of semi-feudalism in which Reynards, in return for a land grant, must do work that their Morubixaba commands of them, pay a tax, and join his armies if required of them.
Of course, though, quite a few Reynards refused to accept this new system. Many bands and Band Confederacies, usually referred to as Ñembyaty (Fraternity), continued with the old traditions of democratically electing their Morubixaba and individual families working individual plots of land that they have held for generations. The Ñembyaty have really only been able to survive in the most rural areas of the Orienal Range, as the survival of this ancient and simplistic system really depends on a low population and relative peacefulness. On the other side of the coin, there are the Dinastía (Dynasties), ruled by Dinasta-Kuéra (Dynasts). These are an even more evolved form of the Ñemoñe'ẽ Akãngora, in which the Council as a whole is abolished and a singular, hereditary leader has established themself as a sort of Reynard Absolutist Monarch. These systems are found within the traditional Reynard centers of population, which slowly and surely began to subsume the much less powerful and influential bands they confederated themselves until there was only one band at the top: a band that usually has a great deal of privilege compared to the other bands in the nation. However, even despite this, the Dinastía do not practice the semi-feudal systems of the Ñemoñe'ẽ Akãngora, as out of cynic populism, they have usually developed systems of yeomanry. There is also a minority of Reynards living in the lands of the Sylvan Empire, who are forbidden from electing Morubixaba and who live as serfs under Elven lords, much to their discontent.
However, despite the wide variety of government systems and ideologies on how Reynard civilization should develop itself, the Reynard Cantons (the general name for a Reynard polity regardless of system) have constantly organized, re-organized, and disbanded the "Great Reynard Nation". This is, in effect, little more than a treaty of non-aggression and loose cooperation masquerading as a super confederacy to, hopefully, finally, at long last, bring unity and peace to the Reynards.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Reynards use the basic naming system of a given name followed by a surname, though this surname is the name of the band they are a part of. (As there really are no Guarani surnames, Reynards will use real-life Guarani given names for both their first and last names). Some examples of male Reynard names are "Marangatu Pytuna" and "Tabaré Ka'akupe" and some examples of female Reynard names are "Camocim Arandu" and "Thainá Ysyry".
Hereditary Morubixaba and Dinasta-Kuéra both have adopted special naming schemes to show their power. The actual rulers will style themselves as "Karai" (Lord) or "Kuñakarai" (Lady), their name followed by "gua ha'e" (of the), followed by the band they are part of. For example, a Morubixaba on his Band Confederation's ruling council may be known as "Karai Chapai gua ha'e Katu" (Lord Chapai of the Katu Band). Their families are styled the same, just without the prefix.

Gender Ideals

Like the Elves and the Dryads they share a continent with, Reynards practice complete gender equality in social, political, and religious life. Reynards do not recognize gender roles in any way shape or form and never really have, as they have had no need to. That is their tradition and it has always been seen as needless to adopt foreign conceptions of gender that will only serve to inhibit the Reynards. Married couples will usually own everything in common and divide the work either evenly between themselves or based on their own skills and desires, not by any conception of what work is "masculine" and what is "feminine". Furthermore, the Reynards are quite accepting of not just homosexuality, but transgender and non-binary individuals, in contrast to most Commonalists. Indeed, Reynards were accepting of transgender and non-binary Reynards even before Trinitization, and this cultural ideal has survived through their transition to the Common Faith.

Relationship Ideals

Arranged marriages are still quite common amongst the Reynard people, with families both noble and peasant often making payments of dowries and giving their children absolutely no say in the matter, though the matchmade couple is usually at the very least introduced to one another before the marriage itself. It is very taboo to marry outside of your band, so it is actually quite common for all Reynards to marry their cousins and niblings, though it is just as common to marry a much more distant relative.
Family and friends of the groom and bride are invited to the ceremony but each of their parents, who are also in charge of planning the wedding in general. It is custom for the guests to gather around the venue (often a village square or something of that sort) and clap and howl as the bride and groom arrive hand-in-hand, flanked by their parents. As they come to the guests, the guests all bow and part to the side, allowing the couple to walk through alone. As they do, a wedding prayer is said, wishing the couple happiness and health in their married life, with the parting of the crowd meant to symbolize the fact that they must now go it alone, but still together. After this is done, the party is able to start.

Average Technological Level

The lands of the Reynards are not completely backward, but they are much less developed and industrialized than other places. There are only a few railroads throughout the land, radio and most modern comforts are limited to the rich and powerful, and electricity is very expensive and limited only to the largest (and most foreign-friendly) Reynard cities.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Reynards speak a language known as "Reynard" which is in essence real-life Guarani. This language uses an alphabetical system of writing known as "Runic", which utilizes 40 letters to form words and phrases, with the letters themselves looking quite like those used in the real-life Deseret Alphabet.

Common Etiquette Rules

Reynards are, generally speaking, very personable people. There is almost no conception of personal space within their culture, so it is not uncommon to see public displays of affection or for Reynards to practically be on top of one another in a social setting. Furthermore, it is commonplace within Reynard culture to almost never bathe alone. When one bathes, it is usually with a close family member or romantic partner who helps with the grooming. Though generally a xenophobic people, it is customary within Reynard culture to be incredibly deferential towards strangers as a way of "keeping the peace", though the extremeness of this can be cause for confusion. For instance, Reynards will almost always agree with the opinions of a stranger (or if they disagree, it will be in the lightest terms possible) and if a stranger asks something along the lines of "How far is it to the closest village?" the villagers will answer "Very close!" even if it is very far away, not out of any desire to deceive, but out of a desire to please.

Common Dress Code

As the Reynards practice full gender equality, there is no difference between the dressing habits of men and the dressing habits of women. The base of all fashion within the Reynard polities is the anaku: a long drape dress, straight in shape, that goes down to the ankle. Usually, it is tied around the waist with a sash. Alongside the anaku, Reynard laborers will often wear a shawl known as a lliclla, pinned to the shoulders, which is also useful for carrying goods. In colder weather, Reynards are also known to wear a type of cloak called a yakkoya, more similar to a blanket than anything else, which is either tied around one shoulder or thrown over both.
Though the dress of the Petty Nobility and Dynasts is vaguely similar to that of the peasantry, there are key differences. Clothing worn by the upper class is usually woven with intricate geometric patterns and lined with feathers. Their clothing is usually made of better fabric, where the lower class wears wool the higher class wears cotton and even silk, and many nobles take to wearing intricate capes. High-class Reynards with closer relationships to foreign powers are known to augment their native styles of dress with those of the foreigner: it is not at all uncommon to see a Reynard of this type sport a tie, vest, and tailcoat alongside their anaku.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Houses And Architecture
The average Reynard farmer lives in a home similar to the real-life Hogans of the Navajo people. They can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with walls of timber or stone packed in with earth for stability. No matter the construction of the walls, a hogan usually has a bark roof. Due to the packed earth walls of the structure, it can be easily kept cool by just natural air ventilation and the sprinkling of water inside the home during the Summer months, and easily kept warm in the Winter via a fireplace.
The ancient Reynard cities and urban centers, such as Yataigo and Hohelena, have their buildings constructed in much the same way, though they are usually centered around massive palaces vaguely similar to the real-life Cliff Palace, made of stone and a complex of blocky towers, within which their Dynasts live and hold court.
Music And Art
Reynard weavers are well known for their lace work, which they call Ñandutí (Spider Web). Ñandutí lace work is beloved not just in the Reynard lands but fascinates those of other races with its intricacy. On the whole, Reynard culture, and therefore their art, is not known or cared about internationally, for the race as a whole is considered one that will amount to nothing, but the Reynards themselves have little care for the foreign arts: they enjoy their own paintings, their own writings, and their own songs.
At one point in time, most Reynard music was in the form of powerful, group chants, but centuries and centuries have caused this more traditional form of music to fall to the wayside and be replaced by Reynard polka: a special brand of polka which combines two rhythmic schemes at once that result in an immensely unique sound. Though there are slower songs that can be enjoyed, true Reynard polka is fast-paced and danceable, utilizing instruments such as Paraguayan harps, guitars, double bass, trumpets, takuapu, mbarakas, bandoneons, and whistles.
Sports And Games
As with the rest of the world, the Reynard have come to enjoy rugby a great deal, but they are not without their own native sports. Chunkey is one such game. Played on massive fields with embankments on each side and a pole in the center, the game is started when a player from each time rolls a hoop on the field. He may then move, throwing six-foot-long sticks with notches on them, with the hope that the hoop may fall on top of one of these notches. Depending on what set of notches is closest to the hoop, points are given, and the player who first gets twelve points wins, ending the round and allowing others from the teams to take the field.
Funerary Traditions
Upon the death of a Reynard, their body is brought to a crematorium and incinerated after everyone who desires to has taken a last look at the body and says whatever they need to say. During the incineration, the Reynard is draped in white rags as a symbol of purification. Afterward, their ashes are to be gathered up and sprinkled around a nearby forest as a sign of respect to the Gods, as well as to express hope that their deceased family member has found their Eternal Peace.
Philosophy
Until very recently, the Reynards were largely ignored by Ecumene at large due to the perceived lack of profit in their homeland and the perceived irrelevancy of their nations, and they were quite content with that fact. It has never been the Reynard way to care for the state of the world at large: they care for what they can see. Indeed, it is ingrained within the Reynards to care deeply for their immediate family and blood relatives, but to be incredibly dismissive of the struggles of those you do not know. After all, you do know them, so you can do nothing for them and you should focus your energy on yourself and those you do actually know. Anything else will bring chaos and displeasure to all. To this end, conflict between the Reynard people became normalized. If outsiders are not willing to live in perfect harmony with the insiders, war is the only solution to be seen, and this culture of mistrust and paranoia is the reason that every iteration of the Great Reynard Nation, a union meant to finally end the wars and division for the common good of all, falls to pieces. So it is that the Reynards have been deeply shaken by the recent discoveries of abundant minerals in their lands, not to mention the Sylvan invasion decades ago. For the first time, interest is being piqued in the Reynards, and they for the most part do not like the spotlight, though there is also no small number of Reynards who seek to drag the race out of their narrow-minded view of community.

Common Taboos

Offensive Slurs And Insults
Slurs for the Reynards include "Hounds", "Lycans", "Dogmen", "Fleabags", and "Puppies".
Reynards often refer to other races as "Bareskins" and "Platefaces".
Cultural Taboos
There is no doubt that the biggest societal taboo within Reynard culture is marrying outside of your band. This is seen as a blatant betrayal of your family and your kin in general, and is bound to get both bride and groom completely ostracized. Adultery is seen similarly, no matter who it is with, and "blood atonement" (honor killings) are quite commonly inflicted upon adulterers or those who are believed to be adulterers.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The Orienal Giant Elk is the traditional pack and riding animal of the Reynards, as horses are not native to the Orienal Range. Funnily enough, the Reynard people have never been too fond of dogs, but they absolutely love cats. Killing cats in Reynard society is almost as taboo as killing another Reynard, and when a household cat dies, the entire family will go into mourning and give them a funeral as though they were another Reynard.
Though the Reynards have long sought to keep to themselves, this has not stopped others from breaking the door down. The Sylvan invasion shortly after the end of the Elven Wars resulted in a swath of Reynard territory being integrated into the Kaiserreich, and while most Reynards absolutely despise this fact, some see it as a necessary loss on the road to cooperation with the Elves: for in return for the resources being found across the Range, the Elves bring rails, electricity, and factories. Though the Nereids have not invaded the Reynard lands, they are also seen as foreign vultures by many and willing patrons by others.

Lifespan

70-80 years

Average Height

5'5-5'10 feet