Liyap'ti
This article is a stub! It will be fleshed out at some point in the future.
Table of Contents
Liyap'ti are a sentient humanoid species inhabit Uraliwa. They are based off real life hares and are similar to humans in many aspects. They are semi-nomadic and can be found in the mountains and shores of Uraliwa. They worship various spirits, both natural and artificial, and consider the moon spirit Wara'liyasi to be their patron deity.
Brief History
Liyap'ti originate from one of the many factions that inhabited a mountain range in the Lower Continent. Their faction was considered neutral and acted as impartial mediators and record keepers for the endless civil wars over territory. When Umbrages started appearing throughout the Lower Continent, the Liyap'ti were the only ones to take them as a serious threat and were ridiculed for it. As the Umbrages encroached into the mountain range, the Liyap'ti fled and were the first to reach the island of Uraliwa where they now live in peace with the Hap'ti.
Biology
Anatomy
Liyap'ti are a bipedal species with a humanoid frame. They have an average height of 2 meters and an average lifespan of 70 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 fur that can range between various shades of gray and white; it bulks up in the winter and is shed over the summer. Their bodies tend to be tall and muscular, providing them with increased strength and stamina at the cost of reduced agility. 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 even though they spend most of their lives in very small groups.
They bear a strong resemblance to the Hap'ti, though Liyap'ti are taller and have less colorful fur. Hap'ti and Liyap'ti can reproduce with each other.
Reproduction
Liyap'ti reproduce sexually and go through mammalian pregnancy. Their gestational period is roughly nine months. Fetuses can be absorbed during pregnancy due to insufficient nutrition, high stress or disease.
Diet
Liyap'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.
In contrast with the Hap'ti, they require a higher amount of sugar and protein to mantain their strong bodies. Grains found in the mountains provide them with protein, while Redfruit and honey are popular sources of sugar.
Social Structure
Nomadic Lifestyle
Liyap'ti are semi-nomadic and do not settle into permanent residences for most of their life. They build villages near significant resources such as rivers, fertile soil and abundant forage, and an extensive network of roads connects them. The infrastructure is maintained and owned by the community as a whole, property does not belong to a single person or group of people.
All Liyap'ti have a Fate, a concept that determines the migration routes of each Liyap'ti. The mountains are divided into four distinct Zones based on altitude:
- Hanpa: The summit.
- Hakpa: High altitude zone.
- Kaypa: Medium altitude zone.
- Rinpa: Low altitude zone.
The Liyap'ti move into a different Zone at the start of each season according to their Fate. They are free to move anywhere within a Zone, but are forbidden from moving to another Zone until a new season has begun. The central point of a Zone houses a large stone monument which serves as a gathering point for Liyap’ti to trade information about the zone and divide important infrastructure tasks.
At the start of winter most Liyap’ti move into a Zone which comprises a large settlement located around Liyapuri Lake, high in the lush mountains. Food is brought over from the other Zones and shared among all. Some Liyap’ti are tasked with walking up and down the mountain to make sure ice does not block the flow of the river which stems from Liyapuri Lake.
Hierarchy
There are two major roles in Liyap'ti society: walkers and sages.
Walkers comprise the majority of the population. They take on a semi-nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place at the start of each season and attending to whatever tasks they can. Liyap'ti greatly value age and experience, and so older individuals are higher in the social hierarchy.
Once an individual has reached an advanced age or becomes unable or unwilling to move through the mountains, they become a Sage. Sages are considered wise keepers of knowledge, lore and tradition. They settle permanently in a Zone of their choosing, usually near the central monument. They take care of long-term tasks such as farming as well as spread their accumulated experience to all walkers who cross their path.
Economy
Technology
Liyap'ti are adept at stonecutting due to their affinity for mountainous environments. Their trademark stone bricks are fashioned into durable houses and roads, as well as extensive waterways that regulate the flow of water throughout the mountains. Grasses are woven into strong fibers that are used in rope bridges all throughout their territory. Wood is primarily a material for building tools though it can also be used for building.
Unlike the Hap'ti, the Liyap'ti do not practice pacifism and thus are experienced in processing animal parts. Some notable crafts are fur clothing, bone tools and accessories and products such as soap made by rendering fat. The flesh itself is used for growing mushrooms.
Culture
Past Influences
In their homeland the Liyap'ti were one among many factions and played a specific role in their society. Once they fled to Uraliwa they no longer had the support from other factions and thus had to learn how to perform certain activities through whatever written records they managed to bring with them. This has led to many Liyap'ti feeling lost and lonely even when among their comrades.
The revival of the faction system in Uraliwa is a matter of contention among Liyap'ti Sages. Some are of the opinion that it would be beneficial to start over with the insights acquired from the shortcomings of the old system, while others argue that the division itself is what fueled the endless civil wars that plagued their homeland.
A small group of Liyap'ti proclaim themselves as successors to other factions, most notably the Liyap'ti that live in the coast of Uraliwa. They abandoned the Walker-Sage distinction entirely and have taken on a fully sedentary lifestyle.
Religion
Communication
Main article: Uranakuy.
The current main language spoken by the Liyap'ti is called Uranakuy. It was created from their ancestral language as well as that of the Hap'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. Liyap'ti born with lop ears tend to use their hands instead.
Naming Traditions
Traditional Liyap'ti names are composed of three parts, based on animals present in their homeland. Some examples are:
- Yana (wooly camelid)
- Hei (large rodent)
- Atuk (small canines)
- Rusita (multicolored spiny fish)
- Hanwaru (high-altitude amphibian)
- Nasiya (freshwater crustacean)
- Kunturi (large scavenger bird)
- Pariwan (salt lake bird)
- Usu (honey producing insect)
An individual's full name symbolizes their fate and is usually associated with an aecdote involving the animals represented in their name. For example, the name Hei-Yana-Atuk belongs to someone whose Fate is to move from the summit to the lowest altitude zone (Hanpa > Hakpa > Kaypa > Rinpa) throughout the year. Hei are large docile rodents whose size alone deters most predators, so many animals including Yana follow them as they move to lush low-altitude pastures. However, some predators such as the Atuk are not deterred, and will follow and kill any Yana that stray too far away from the group.
After contact with the Hap’ti, the Liyap’ti began combining their last two names to better match Hap'ti names. For example, Hei-Yana-Atuk becomes Hei Yatuk.
Coming of Age
The first big milestone for a Liyap'ti is to become a Walker after reaching a certain age. Sages (and volunteers) gather in order to prepare clothes and tools, and a feast is held the night before they set off to start their journeys. An important object related to their coming of age is the Recordkeeper. It starts out as a small bundle of thread received after the coming of age feast. Liyap'ti add new strings and trinkets to it after each significant event in their lives, using different colors, shapes and materials to represent specific memories they would like to keep.
Once a Liyap'ti settles down and becomes a Sage, they receive a robe made out of dark fabric. The Recordkeeper is then undone and all of the strings and trinkets are attached to the inner part of the robe such that it becomes colorful and distinct. THis robe is typically worn with the dark side facing out when outdoors, and is flipped inside out to expose the decorated side when indoors or in social gatherings.
Gender and Roles
Currently the Liyap'ti do not possess a concept of gender. In their homeland gender was associated with one's faction, so the concept became irrelevant once they fled to Uraliwa. Their past gender identity shares certain aspects with the Hap'ti's Dam and Sire genders, being associated with vigilance, erudition and mentorship.
Some individuals from newer generations born in Uraliwa have begun identifying with Hap'ti genders.
Family Unit
Infant Liyap'ti are raised primarily by Sages of the settlement they were born into, but it is uncommon for Sages to have children of their own due to most becoming Sages at an advanced age. Their biological parents must visit them whenever they end up in the same zone as them, but must not forego their duties in order to spend more time with them. New Walkers tend to stick with those with the same Fate as them, but often find themselves with few permanent connections. Two Liyap'ti can become bonded and choose to spend the rest of their lives together, with one adopting a new name to signify the change in their Fate.