Lifestyle/Communication

Posted 7 years, 10 months ago (Edited 3 months, 20 days ago) by Vera

Food/Work:
Most Langurhali are omnivorous/scavengers. For the most part, they do not hunt, and carnivorous individuals only scavenge. Mostly, they gather mushrooms, vegetables, nuts & berries. They're highly communal and all have a job within the pride. Being a brand new race of only a few hundred so far, they live in a tribe-like social structure where there may be only a few who train for building, cooking, entertaining, teaching or what-have-you. All Langurhali spend time training their bodies to be as flexible as possible, as they are especially susceptible to stiffening joints if they are left inactive. Being part plant, it's like they can literally become "planted" in one spot. Many practice extreme contortionism as it encourages a flexible, healthy spine as long as they practice.

Hierarchy:
There really isn't one; each Langurhali often has a specialized skill that is crucial to the function of their society, whether it's building tree homes, cooking, making clothes or constructing boats to adventure in. They treat the Elders like royalty to an extent, but mostly it's for show and a way for them to show their appreciation for their wisdom and long years of hard work building their community. There are two in particular, Eulric and Cirlu, who receive the most dramatic displays of appreciation as they are the oldest Langurhali. They've each been given the title of "Heartwood", a term slightly akin to ruler or leader, though no one in particular rules or commands the Langurhali, the wisest and most helpful Elders received this title as a result of their contributions, not because they commanded the Langurhali to. The Elders are often just big kids at heart, but they have the strongest connection to the Willow, so their moral sense and wisdom is considered the best to follow for the species to thrive. The Elders prefer to blend in and to be treated as equals. Even at special events, they get bored and wind up sitting down with the young to tell them stories and teach them lessons.
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"Religion":
Every culture has a religion, or at least a way of getting in touch with themselves and relaxing their minds as in a ritual or therapy. While the Willow is simply their home, as the Earth is to us - something they appreciate and nurture, the Langurhali have many rituals and traditions built around the Willow that they hope to carry on to their children for generations. There are holidays, songs and dances that the Langurhali often treat as spiritual, encouraging celebrations to help bring everyone together, remind them of all that they have, and give them something exciting to look forward to annually. I know this is vague, but I hope to expand on it in the future. Essentially they could be compared to the pagans/witches of Earth's culture, but don't treat these practices as particularly taboo as it is such a common part of daily life to be in touch with nature. The Langurhali value their history albeit brief, and love teaching the story of the Willow and their original planet to their young. They remind themselves of where they came from by use of their sigil, a symbol commonly seen on anything from jewelry to sculptures all throughout Willora. 

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The Langurhali below the Elders carved the original, massive version of this sigil using wood from the Willow (it can easily repair itself and it's so large, the Langurhali can make homes & furniture out of its bark without causing any real damage) when Willora was just beginning to grow into the world it is today, thus Eulrik looking quite young with his shorter ears. This original sigil is about two stories high, and is kept above the doorway into the Willow itself. Willow bark, when separated from the tree, petrifies quickly into a tough, stone-like state. There are many smaller versions of the sigil all over Willora, some even carve valuable gemstones into the shape of the sigil and use it as currency. Some are made from pieces of the Willow's roots and stained with the glowing slime mold, which can continue to live and glow for years when kept in contact with a part of the Willow. The bark can sustain any kind of plant life for months at the least, so some Willorians will plant a vine at the top of their personal sigils and use it as a living necklace, which may grow leaves or flowers with the changing seasons. It is not a religious idol, just a symbol to remind them of their history. The Elders symbol (two brown leaves) is typically only worn by the Elders, or a green version is given to other Langurhali as a reward for heroism or other exceptional deeds. All Elders wear some piece of jewelry with the symbol made from petrified Willow wood.

Clothing:
The Langurhali can look outlandishly colorful with vibrant markings and intricate clothing and accessories, but they don't wear or have any of the fancy, factory-made, perfected items that we do. They may have piercings, but they are not stainless steel, but often made of petrified wood or other hand-made things, as they don't have the benefit of many of the materials we do. They love to create, but they have somewhat limited materials and no big factories to mass produce perfectly machine-sewn clothing. For example: they can make things like glasses (as there are some Langurhali who specialize in creating smooth, yet malleable glass), but they don't have plastic, so the frame would likely be asymmetrical twisted wood, or something made of bone or soft minerals that can be cut and/or shaped. Glasses are often useful considering several Langurhali will be born with eye mutations/deformities, so this was an important thing for them to learn how to create. There are Langurhali who can carve and sculpt, but it's never exactly perfect since they create things more for function than beauty, and even if it were for beauty, they find beauty in the imperfect. Even with items that are "mass" produced, each one will be a little different.

They may have clothing, but it would be torn and/or re-sewn, have a thicker knit, smell of moss and mold, poorly repaired with patches etc. You can't expect great craftmanship with such big, clumsy fingers and long, mutated claws. They love to decorate themselves, but still look woodsy and wild. Loose, thin, flowing clothing is a must when present, as it is not so comfortable to have your fur pressed against your body. It is feasible that one or two Langurhali specialize in sewing and reproducing human fashions from history books etc. they may find, but the quality would still be not so good and probably made of decaying fabrics they've found in the woods. The most current fashion styles they would know about would be found in very old books about humans.

The ones that create more intricate clothing usually have unusually long fingers and have practiced all their lives to have the ability to create fabrics with astounding detail, and this quality and "frivolous" intricacy is reserved mainly for the Elders, which is fine as most younger Langurhali don't care to restrict themselves with fabrics, and Elders don't move around much and enjoy the feel of fabric warming their thinning hide. The clothing makers design gowns, robes & other regalia for Elders, or for Elders as a gift to those who have accomplished some great deed, such as wisdom, heart and leadership abilities. This does typically take time to achieve, but can happen to a Langurhali of almost any age. The design of their gowns/robes lean toward the medieval with delicate detail that resembles elven wear. It is made to be tough and protective while also heavily decorated, sometimes overly so to the point of tackiness, but there are so many gems to be found in Willora, and they make good use of them. Some may contain the Willow's "magic" as well, such as the ability to heal or give temporary energy, and they often use them for pieces closer to the body, especially for the more frail Elders. The gowns have tail guards build in, which help to keep their fur clean & presentable. The Elders typically dress in their elegant wear for special, rare events. Langurhali are a humble species who don't care for the frivolity of status symbols or exclusion based on wealth.

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Basic Langurhali "adventuring" attire is mostly strips of cloth tied together with straps and clasps with symbols of their sigil. They are light and airy, easy to get loose from if they get tangled and can be used as camouflage, for heat, to cover one's face in toxic air, and other such uses while out adventuring in the wilderness.

Since they have plant-like biology, when their skin is punctured, plants may begin to grow out. The depth and intensity of the wound determines how fast and large the plant life will emerge. They can be trained to use their will to control this ability in combat. With enough fury and strength, they can punch their fists into the ground and send out roots that thunder through the ground and can pierce through flesh, or poison their enemies with toxic spores or spraying flowers. Some enemies may try to take sharp objects from them/restrain their claws so they can't use this ability. With the use of their new attire, they can easily stimulate plant growth from the embedded claws behind their sigils. The one on their chest is risky to use, as it stabs into their heart, and it takes a lot of healing ability to repair injuries to their organs. But when used properly, and with enough focused will, it can cause a devastating attack. Only Langurhali with advanced skill may use this or any Langurhali if desperate enough.

Atmosphere/home life:
Much like raccoons, Langurhali tend to love shiny things and collect lovely natural treasures. Their dens are decorated by various things they find pretty, such as bones, feathers, shells, live and even dead insects and animal horns, pelts, etc. Their dens are often very open and airy. There are various types of climate around the Willow, from desert to arctic and everywhere in between, and the Langurhali live in the areas most comfortable to them. Depending on the specifics of their anatomy and genetics, they may live in caves, in the sea, or high in trees. The clothing they have and the things they use that may be used by people are often found objects. Even if they have a home that looks like a human's, it's typically not as functional. For example, they may find a toilet somewhere and find it pretty, so they drag it into their den, but nothing in it would work (not that they could use it for its intended function anyway), and it would likely be used as a plant box filled with herbs or flowers. Their dens are decorated by various things they find pretty that may just be junk to us. They like to make teas. If there are 4 walls around them, they are not perfectly symmetrical and they usually don't bother with things like doors to separate rooms, but instead make use of fabric or other things from nature for privacy. Windows can be made from a material similar to glass, but more malleable, that grows from some rare Langurhali as a mutation in place of horns or claws. Glass-making is a very rare and sought-after practice, as it takes so much time to make anything. Windows, glasses, cups, containers and mostly small trinkets made from glass are very valuable.

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Beauty:
Every individual has a different, unique set of likes/dislikes... there is no real concept of conventional beauty among Langurhali. If there is anything universally beautiful among them, it is that the more imperfect and twisted a feature is, the more beautiful they are considered. Someone born with one hoof and one paw, or have a few extra limbs? They don't feel sorry for them or find them frightening; they admire them. Five eyes on just one side of your face? You won't get stares of anything but admiration. What our world may consider perfect and beautiful, they would consider unimpressive and bland. Mutations are like a gift from the Willow. Langurhali are often easy to recognize just in their asymmetrical silhouette..

Communication/Signaling:
Langurhali can speak and have a language of their own, which is very simple to know the basics of, but the number of words in their vocab is nearly infinite. They retain memories of their original alien language and have also made their own language using bits of all languages around Earth. Despite having such an extensive vocabulary, they tend to prefer communicating in gestures and basic clicks and mews as it saves time and energy. They tend to use their more extensive language skills to communicate more intimately with close loved ones.

Langurhali are trained at a young age to learn the basics of tail signing as well, which is yet another language all on its own. Most Langurhali have excellent vision at close or extended range, and can relay a message quickly from one end of Willora to the next using these tail signals (as well as their intuitive "sense"). Professional tail signers train their whole lives to be fast and expressive with their tails and limbs. These are often the most lithe and quick-moving examples of Langurhali you can find. They are high-energy and typically especially flexible with ultra-long tails and minimal fur to weigh them down. If their fur is long, they can simply tie it down with ties every foot or two near the end and can sign with the best of them. Night-time signing includes lights at each of these ties, as not all Langurhali can see well at night. These signers may also use their tails during events/celebrations and can put on incredible light shows.

Many Langurhali that may have difficulty socializing/speaking use their tails to express their mood or hint at what they need or want. For instance, a grumpy or overstimulated Langurhali may sit down away from others with its tail laid straight out behind it as if to say "do not cross this line", or if one is particularly lonely but shy about asking for company, a Langurhali may sit with its tail held high and the tip dangling above their head and gently swaying from side-to-side, as if to say, "hey, I'm here, anyone want to spend time with me?"