Hap'ti

Hap'ti are a sentient humanoid species inhabit Uraliwa. They are based off real life rabbits and are similar to humans in many aspects. They live in large settlements throughout Uraliwa and worship Wara'hap, the sun deity, which they believe gives them the ability to channel the power of the sun.

Brief History

Hap'ti originated from the forests of the Lower Continent where they struggled to survive against a variety of predators until the discovery of Channeling. Their population grew and they developed much of the culture seen in present time. One hundred years ago Umbrages started appearing and dominated the entire Lower Continent, killing a large amount of their population and driving the survivors to the island of Uraliwa where they currently live alongside the Liyap'ti.

Biology

Anatomy

Hap'ti are bipedal species with a humanoid frame. They have an average height of 1.5 meters and an average lifespan of 60 years with a recorded maximum of 100 years. They have long ears on the top of their heads that grants them sensitive hearing, and a snout capable of making out scents with enhanced accuracy. Their long feet and powerful legs make them adept at sprinting and dodging. Their body is covered in warm, earth-colored fur (with a white-furred front torso) that bulks up in the winter and is shed over the summer. They are somewhat frail and possess naturally low stamina, making the use of tools and channeling essential for their survival. Their hands have four fingers and a thumb, allowing them to pick-up, hold, throw and manipulate objects with precision. They possess human-like intelligence and have a strong sense of community.

They bear a strong resemblance to the Liyap'ti, though Hap'ti are shorter and bear warmer fur colors. Hap'ti and Liyap'ti can reproduce with each other.

Reproduction

Hap'ti reproduce sexually and go through mammalian pregnancy. Their gestational period is roughly six months. Fetuses can be absorbed during pregnancy due to insufficient nutrition, high stress or disease.

Diet

Hap'ti are fully herbivorous and thus cannot eat meat or most animal products. Their developed brain requires them to have a varied and calorie-rich diet, and so they are drawn to grains and starchy roots. Due to a vestige of their evolution they also require high amounts of fiber, typically consumed in the form of dehydrated grasses. They also require maintenance for their strong teeth, usually done by consuming said grasses or chewing on flavored tree bark or tough roots.

Some Hap'ti are able to digest mushrooms, and even those who aren't still ingest some kinds of mushroom as a recreational drug. They also chew on leaves that contain stimulants such as caffeine, and use vegetables to brew alcoholic beverages.

Social Structure

Hierarchy

The highest authority figure in a settlement is called the Overseer. They are responsible for approving major projects and managing the allocation of resources for the settlement. They act as a vessel for the deity Wara'hap's will and so have the final say in all decision that affect the community. Though it has never happened before, if an Overseer is thought by the general community to have strayed too far from their ideals, the people may dethrone and replace them.

There is no rigid caste system in Hap'ti society, but there is a social hierarchy based around their categorization of jobs into Circles. These Circles are numbered from highest to lowest, with the higher Circles having the most prestige (mirroring their cosmology):

1. The First Circle encompasses scribes, managers and temple channelers. They query information from the community, transmit it to the Overseer and issue orders according to their will. It is the circle with the most prestige and its members have direct access to the Overseer's word.
2. The Second Circle encompasses teachers, temple caretakers and channelers who attend to the community as a whole. It is the circle with the lowest number of members, as promising workers are often recruited into the First Circle.
3. The Third Circle encompasses artisans, medics and nature hearers. The latter analyses the environment around the settlement to make sure everything is in balance. Workers in this circle do not rotate their jobs because their skills are not so easily interchangeable.
4. The Fourth Circle encompasses farmers, construction workers and couriers. It is the circle with the most workers as their jobs are essential to society.
5. The Fifth Circle encompasses miners, guards and executors. They are looked down upon due to their proximity to death and darkness. Mining is often issued as a punishment for criminals.

Although jobs in higher circles are more prestigious, every working citizen is rewarded for their labor equally. With the exception of the Third Circle, workers do not have a fixed job, instead rotating between them on a regular basis according to the community's needs.

Economy

Land is owned by the community as a whole and any conflicts are discussed in assembly with all of the impacted. Trading is done by the First Circle as a whole and as such there are no individual traders of merchants.

Food, shelter, tools, basic clothing and medical care are provided to all free of charge as long as their work schedule is in order. Hap'ti are required to work a certain number of days per year and can determine their own schedule unless a manager requests them for an emergency situation. It is frowned upon to take more than two days off in a row, and workers who take a day off must inform a manager so that labor can be redistributed among the day's available workers.

At the end of every month, workers whose schedules are in order earn a certain amount of marks — small copper pieces that can be exchanged for luxuries such as extra clothing, accessories, specific food orders and hiring a scribe's services among other things.

Technology

In human terms, Hap'ti are roughly in the bronze age, copper is used on its own very frequently due to a landslide having closed access to major tin deposits until the current year. Bronze is made into tools, weapons and simple mechanism as well as artwork.

Hap'ti agriculture is considered highly advanced. They are able to domesticate and hybridize plants for specific needs, aided by spells that speed up plant growth and processing. Hap'ti of the grasslands are known for developing a variety of useful grasses, while those who live in the semi-arid region make the most out of their water sources with large irrigation systems.

Culture

Religion

Main article: Sunscripture.

Hap'ti worship the sun deity Wara'hap, who they believe gave them sentience and the power to channel so that they may fill the world with new sights and experiences. The three key virtues dictated by their religion are community, harmony and beauty. They have adopted some beliefs from the Liyap'ti, such as the existence of spirits that can influence the physical world.

Communication

Main article: Uranakuy.

The current main language spoken by the Hap'ti is called Uranakuy. It was created from their ancestral language as well as that of the Liyap'ti so that both of them could interact with each other with more ease. It is composed of a set of short words with basic meanings (dawn, seed, tree) that can be combined to form more complex ones (dawnstone, rattleseed, scentree). Their writing system is ideogram-based and written top-down and left-to-right. Because very specific concepts often require composing many symbols, a special character is used to separate words.

The ears play a large part in oral communication as they are used to convey emotions and point out the person spoken to in a group setting among other uses. Hap'ti born with lop ears tend to use their hands instead.

Naming Traditions

Hap'ti are traditionally named after plants using their ancestral language. Feminine genders are typically named after edible plants, while masculine genders are typically named after other useful plants.

Examples of feminine names:

• Yukaruna (A starchy root)
• Makuya (A sour fruit)
• Si'iluwi (A white berry)

Examples of masculine names:

• Kuri'wa (A tall tree)
• Arinka (A medicinal herb)
• Ku'urun (A pigment berry)

Examples of gender neutral names:

• Alpa (Assorted seeds)
• Kawasu (Gourd)
• Hutara (Bamboo)

Hap'ti last names are composed by the season one was born in as well as the highest Circle among both parents. For example, an individual born in winter with parents who work in the First and Third circles would have the last name "Wintersfirst".

Coming of Age

Hap'ti who reach a certain age milestone are required to take part in a practice called the Daybreaking. Hap'ti receive basic education which includes basic channeling practice and spells, and are guided to use them to help with a different job each day. Their schedule is organized by the First Circle and it involves jobs for all five Circles. Experienced workers may endorse Hap'ti toward a specific Circle, and the Daybreaker may join any Circle that gave them endorsements. If no endorsements are given out, they will join the Fifth Circle.

After an entire year has passed, Hap'ti take part in the coming of age ceremony called the Blooming in order to become full citizens. They are expected to pick partners among those who took part in the same cycle of Daybreaking with them so they can form a new family. After the ceremony, they officially become full citizens and can request a new house for their family and join the labor force.

Gender

Hap'ti settle into their gender after taking part in the coming of age ceremony. There are traditionally four genders in Hap'ti culture:

• Dam: dominant feminine gender.
• Sire: dominant masculine gender.
• Doe: submissive feminine gender.
• Buck: submissive masculine gender.

The distinction between dominant and submissive genders is mostly aesthetic and a matter of romantic and sexual presentation, though there are typical occupations associated with each gender. As Hap'ti are a matriarchal society, high-status positions are typically filled by feminine genders, with the overseer always being a dam.

Family Unit

A family, called a nest, is typically headed by a dam who forms romantic and sexual bonds with 2-3 bucks or does. Nests with multiple (and even all) dominants are common, but nests with only submissives are not. The children of the nest are expected to live in the same household up until they go through Blooming.

Beauty Ideals

Hap'ti prize large bodies due to the association with good harvests, and vibrant-colored fur. Having a larger white-furred section on one's front torso is also considered desirable, as that gives them more space to apply body paints with a larger variety of colors as opposed to those that would have to contrast sufficiently with their earthen fur.

Fashion

Hap'ti's garments vary according to their Circle. Lower Circles who deal with manual labor and dangerous tasks often wear more functional clothing, such as padded garments and long skirts imbued with insect repellents. Masculine genders tend to wear more colorful clothing and jewlery, while feminine ones favor gold and silver accents and darker tones.

Third and higher Circle workers often leave their torso bare so that body paint may be showcased on the white patch of fur. An individual will usually come up with a design early in life and wear it throughout, though certain occupations and festivals demand for certain motifs to be present in their designs. First Circle workers often ditch clothes entirely so that they may apply body paint on their full bodies, with the exception of golden accessories.

Perfume is an essential part of Hap'ti culture. What started as a way to mask their scent from predators turned into a cultural phenomenon. A Hap'ti's usual perfume choice can say a lot about their personality, and specific kinds of perfume are used for festivities and rituals.

Taboos

Due to popular interpretations of their religious stories, the consumption of animal products is looked down upon. Consumption of meat is outright forbidden, and wearing garments made out of animal parts also is with a few exceptions such as naturally shed deer antlers. Honey has become acceptable for Hap'ti to consume in recent years as beekeeping becomes more sophisticated and less harmful to the insects. Disrupting animal lives in any capacity was originally forbidden but the domestication of animals has since been reinterpreted as a good act, akin to domesticating plants.

Physical violence is taboo as it is considered a gateway to murder. Fifth Circle workers who are tasked with killing certain animals are looked down upon by others. The breaking of promises and contracts of any kind is highly problematic as it would lead to violence becoming the only acceptable form of enforcement.

Having one's white fur exposed with no body paint is frowned upon, but it is not criminalized. It is encouraged for individuals to customize their outfits and establish a personal style, both for the sake of self-expression as well as being able to be distinguished from Hap'ti with similar stature and fur patterns.

Opinions on the Liyap'ti

Upon first contact, there was skepticism about the Liyap'ti's connection to the moon deity (currently named Wara'liyasi). The original Hap'ti mythos did not see Wara'liyasi as a being capable of granting channeling powers like the sun deity Wara'hap is. After countless discussions between Hap'ti channelers and Liyap'ti sages, major changes were made to Hap'ti beliefs, such as Wara'liyasi's increase in status and the addition of spirits to their beliefs.

Certain aspects of Liyap'ti culture offend the Hap'ti, such as their non adherence to pacifism. Liyap'ti who integrate into Hap'ti society and participate in the labor system often voluntarily join the Fifth Circle as they do not share the same taboos. The consumption of animal products such as honey and Blood Bowl derivatives was initially an issue, though views on the former have been changing in recent years.

The Liyap'ti's ability to organize themselves for the development of large infrastructure projects despite being semi-nomadic fascinates the Hap'ti. The Liyap'ti have been queried on their methods and their techniques may be used in emergency situations, but it has been determined that it is not a suitable lifestyle for most Hap'ti.

Major settlements

• Holy City
• Hapuri Town