Glirens

Glirens are a humanoid species of ratfolk that once walked Totania, but is now extinct. Before the Korvians took power over the Avians, and as the Orcs roamed the continent, the Glirens were the dominant species of Beastmen in the continent of Udai until they were wiped out in the Beastman Genocide.

The Kingdoms of Gliren

Lort by Jarhed

The Gliren had many different kingdoms throughout their history, which often splintered, had civil wars, broke apart, or dissolved into other empires. Not all will be listed below, but the most notable are.

The Verpfeifen

Not an official nation of any sort, it is said the Verpfeifen were the first Gliren to find a way to escape Orcish hordes by digging tunnels underneath the ground.
While most Gliren records are gone, the only accounts of the Verpfeifen are from Mammen trade logs.
At that time, the Mammen did not even refer to the Gliren as such, but instead called them Verpfeifen because they would spy on the Orcs and report back when it was safe for the Mammen to dock.
The only reason they can be traced to the Gliren as that a Mamman poem was found which refers to Gliren as Verpfeifen. An excerpt of which reads:

The Death of the Spy

As he stumbled away, to herald news to his peers,
The Verpfeifen ran, with his large mousy ears
Attuned to the screams of the people around.
The Orcs were coming, and this was their sound.

House of Ratazana

The first major nation of Gliren, the House of Ratazana was a family of Gliren that gathered enough people together to build a city which eventually spread out into a nation. When the Ratazana family supposedly died out, the nation collapsed and a new one took its place, but its impact on world culture was still greater than most of its successors.

Nyx by Jarhed

Krysa Kingdom

This was the peak of the Gliren's power, where they were said to have spanned the entire southern coast of Udai and even the forest to the north.
Most Gliren ruins that can be found date back to the Krysa Kingdom, and most records that are not from its most recent incarnation come from the Krysa because of how well documented they were.

The Holy Nyx Empire

A schism occurred that split apart the Gliren nation. A number of factors led to this split, but the major one for the Holy Nyx Empire was the worship of the Goddess Irkalla as their creator instead of Nyx. To learn more about why there was debate around these two Goddesses, check the sidebar.
The Holy Nyx Empire was the largest of the fractured Kingdoms, though it was furthest from where the Krysa Kingdom had been.

Bud the Hollow by Jarhed

It was said to span the land around the floating islands of Udai, though it did not reach up onto the islands themselves.

Szczur Kingdom

The only other notable nation from the schism, the Szczur Kingdom came about because of a succession crisis. The daughter and son of the previous King of Krysa were arguing about who should take over, and so the daughter formed the Szczur Kingdom.
It was the first target of the Beastman Genocide, and many scholars blame it for the destruction of the Gliren people, though this can in part be attributed to academic sexism.
The only thing the Szczur are truly to blame for is fragmenting the Gliren, but all of the Gliren Kingdoms have this sin.

Religion

The Glirens were made by Nyx, Goddess of Shadow and Lies. Like the Mammen, they were made as common rats alongside other similar rodent-like creatures.
However, unlike the others, the Gliren evolved thanks to the intervention of Irkalla, Goddess of Loss and Grief, who decided to introduce grief and other human-like emotions into the heads of these creatures to try and see how it would effect them.
This led to the rats gaining sentience and ultimately developing a civilization to cope with these emotions and attempt to mitigate their causes.
Due to this, many worshipped her and attributed their true creation to Irkalla, though there were schisms amidst the nations that led to holy wars and civil wars, even the founding of new nations altogether.

Extinction

It was two events that led to Gliren Extinction. First, there was the Korvian Orchestra conquering the continent of Udai.
The First Korvian King, Warbler, led an army of immortal Korvians with powerful abilities around, taking all of the land for his people.
However, he had no hatred for the Glirens. While his army tore through the Gliren army to keep peace for his people, he did not tear down nor even take their cities. All he did was weaken them so that he would be unchallenged.
When he disappeared, another army appeared. An Orcish army of all of the clans joined together to get revenge for what the Korvians had done. They were called the Grand Clan, and they were led by Chief of All Clans, an Orc named Bud the Hollow.
The Orcs were the main target of the Korvian Orchestra, and so they decided to strike back now that the Korvians had lost their Immortal King.
Bud led what was called the Beastman Genocide against the species he considered Beastmen, creating the classification for all Bestial Peoples in Totania, for he believed the Korvians gave them all preferential treatment and that they all deserved to suffer.
The largest group to suffer from this was the Gliren, who were most easily findable due to their wide empires and prominent role in continental politics.
Ultimately, the only known species to be completely wiped out in the Beastman Genocide were the Gliren, who were the main subject of the "extermination plan."
Ultimately, the Draconians and their Fourth Grand Wizard, Wiscys Nicandir, would stop the Grand Clan, but it would be too late for the Gliren.
It is said that the Draconians still honor Gliren today by having a tradition of not killing any rats to make up for their failure to save the Gilren people.

Rahtt Empire

The Rahtt Empire was the final Gliren Kingdom to stand. It was centered in the lands of the House of Ratazana, and led by the Rahtt Dynasty, who claimed to be descended from the Ratazana House.
They were the final frontier against those Orcs of Bud the Hollow's Grand Clan, and were the final nation wiped out during the Beastman Genocide, of which they were a leading force in pushing back against the Orcs.
It is said that the World Court preserves a Gliren in an immortality field, and that this Gliren is from Rahtt, from their capital of Kealborg.

Settlements

There are scarce remnants of Gliren settlements in Udai, but still some are known.

Tombi by Jarhed

Kealborg

The most notable is their Capital City of Kealborg, which was in the desert of Udai. The capital once of all Gliren in the Krysa Kingdom, the schism that split it apart left it with a smaller population, but eventually the Rahtt Empire would make it the Capital once more.
Once it was a bustling city of Gliren, at the time the largest city on the continent.
They had a close trade relationship with the (at the time) seafaring Mammen who helped to deliver Gliren goods to other Gliren settlements and even to the Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, and Kamejin.
All that remains of it now, at least at first glance, is the Temple of Irkalla, and a field of graves surrounding it. A field that spans beyond sight, for there is one for every Gliren that died during the Genocide.

Wadelis

Wadelis was the capital of the Holy Nyx Empire, and was built right beneath the resting place of the floating islands. It was grand enough to attract the attention of Giants, but it is said that most of it was destroyed because of its small size being near imperceptible to Giants.

Otitown

Otitown's location is unknown. There are many ruins that could be Otitown, but it is discussed in many Mammen trade ledgers, often shipping and receiving large loads from trade vessels, so it had to have been a large and prominent settlement.
However, Otitown has been lost to time.

Ruzrugh

It is unknown what this city was once called. It was a coastal settlement of Mammen that was run mostly by Gliren, and would ultimately be the site where the Mammen would truly settle in and call Ruzrugh. However, at the time of any Gliren Kingdoms, it was not called this.

Culture

There are few remnants of Gliren culture that are still known, but what has been preserved is listed below.

Spies

Gliren were particularly small and had great hearing, which meant that Gliren were often hired around the world for missions to spy on others.
It appeared that spies were highly honored in Gliren society, as many monarchs were said to be former spies. The Gliren considered the skills of a spy particularly useful for leading a nation.

"I would sooner trust a Spy than a King, for I know a Spy holds secrets, while a King stares us in the eyes while lying that he has nothing to hide."

— Gliren Proverb

Language

Gliren language has never been replicated or translated, though records from Mammen documents say it was largely made up of high pitched squeaks that they couldn't understand. Attempts to recreate it have come up short, as it sounds far too dissonant from how it was described.
There are inscriptions in Gliren that could provide more insight into their history and culture, but these have never been translated and, if things continue the way they have, likely never will.

Biology

Height

Gliren were said to be generally no taller than 4 feet tall, on average being about 2-3 feet, though there were some major outliers that somehow grew to freakish heights.

Tails

There is much to say about Gliren tails, like how they are able to move just like their arms or legs, at will. They have great strength and grip, being able to hold objects of varying weights, though they must be worked out like arms or legs to gain muscle mass.
The tails also regulate body temperature and can help dealing with poisons by filtering it through their tails and away from vital organs.
A Gliren could also remove the outer layer of skin from their tail if it is caught in something or if they are in any form of danger. This will remove the skin from the tail, letting them slip away. The process is known as degloving and, while it can be painful, it is the greatest natural defense mechanism that Glirens are born with and can be used at any point when Glirens are startled or in any high-emotion situation.