【 Fetrachki 】

Ortherions are bipedal, furred, intelligent creatures that dominate Fetrachki, though they can be found in many other parts of Tathar thanks to their adaptability, ingenuity, and technology. They are divided into multiple subspecies, which can all interbreed to produce hybrids. All ortherions are omnivorous, though some lean more towards herbivory or carnivory.

Hervus are identified by their hooved feet and potentially antlers. They're known to be greatly adapted to extreme terrain, moving over it much easier than other ortherions, as well as overall being somewhat reclusive from other ortherions, preferring to be amongst themselves. Many hervus have antlers, which they will shed and regrow once a year, depending on when in the year they were born.

Arkhunds are the most populous thanks to their generally sociable and cooperative behavior, as well as their ease of adapting to a variety of environments and lifestyles. They are recognized by their relatively blunt dentition, non-retractile claws, and feet with bare soles that allow them to walk plantigrade or digitigrade comfortably.

Zemuras are the most distinct, immediately recognizable by their strange proportions and long, furred tails with tufts, as well as their completely hairless hands and feet, the latter of which have fully developed thumbs. Most of their population resides in the jungles, being more at home in the trees than on the ground.

Lagomys are the smallest. Their numbers are much lesser due to a lack of territory and dominance compared to other ortherions, and these numbers are spread out across many small settlements without any particularly large central population. Other than their size, they are easily identified by their snout's convex bridge, primarily plantigrade feet, and often partially hairless hands, feet, and tail.

The commitment of a relationship between ortherions can vary depending on the subspecies and culture. Although heavily simplified, it's generally consistent that arkhunds are monogamous and may or may not choose a new mate after the loss of the previous one; hervus and lagomys take on many mates and are fairly lax about commitment; zemuras often have 1-3 long-term mates at one time, which they are unlikely to replace.

After conception, gestation lasts roughly 7-8 months across all subspecies. During this time the mother's breasts become pronounced, as they're normally completely flat and discrete. The number of breasts varies by subspecies; hervus and zemuras have 2, arkhunds and lagomys have 4. Ortherions are an altricial species, and after gestation, young are born with closed eyes and ears, an inability to move independently, and a very short coat of fur that might vaguely resemble their adult coloration, but often does not.

Hervus and zemuras tend to have 1 young at a time, rarely twins; arkhunds and lagomys tend to have 1-2, rarely triplets.

From birth to around 3-5 months old, young will usually be carried by their parents. Between 4-7 months of age, they will be comfortable crawling and pulling themselves up to stand. Notably, zemuras at this age will be fairly comfortable holding onto vines and doing simple climbing. By 1-1.5 years old, all young are typically able to walk competently, and zemuras can climb competently as well.

Around this age is usually the latest that young will receive their surname. It's common practice across Fetrachki to give young the surname of the parent whom they inherit their first ability from, and it can take some time for this first ability to reveal itself. If the parents both share an ability and the young inherit it, or if they don't display any abilities by 10 years old, they may have both surnames or the parents'll otherwise discuss it.

Ortherions are technically sexually mature at around 11 years old, but will tend to not recognize each other as potential partners until closer to 15 years. Around 11 is also when antlered hervus develop their pedicles, and at around 15 they'll develop their first set of antlers.
It's generally accepted that arkhunds should take partners at no younger than 20 years old, hervus and lagomys 18, and zemuras 25.

Prime fertility for ortherions of both sexes and all subspecies is around 20-30 years of age. By 40 onward, fertility begins to decline, and by 60 many ortherions are effectively infertile.

Common social structures vary by subspecies and culture, though often rely heavily on the sexes of the individuals, and overall ortherions lean towards matriarchal tendencies. Below is a brief, very simplified summary of each:

Hervus are primarily led by does, with bucks serving to enforce the decisions of does. A social hierarchy is maintained mostly by deference rather than force, and climbing it often involves subtlety and secrecy. Hierarchal position is also heavily influenced by personality, with more dominant and confident individuals staying in the top and more passive or submissive individuals accepting lower positions.

In more traditional settlements that adhere closely to the "natural order," bucks can be treated as brutes or lacking the ability to form their own opinions, leading to assorted instances of dismissal and disrespect, while does can end up with having too much responsibility put on them, leading to stress and anxiety, which they're then further demanded to be able to handle. Genders are prominent as a concept among hervus, with members of both sexes commonly feeling as though their assigned roles don't suit them. Trans and non-binary hervus also face discrimination, often with the accusation of wanting to shirk whatever their 'original duties' were. Hervus have two commonly accepted sets of pronouns, based on sex (he/him and she/her,) though some are pushing for the acceptance of they/them.

Many hervus have antlers, both males and females, though the antlers of males tend to be larger and/or more elaborate than those of females. Communities of antlered hervus tend to view those with larger racks as intimidating, aggressive, and powerful, while those with smaller racks are seen as more leaderly, confident, and dignified. As both males and females can be antlerless, views towards those without tend to be neutral, though it's not unusual for antlered groups to turn away the antlerless due to confusion about how to treat them, especially the more extreme groups that really incorporate antlers into their hierarchies or lifestyles.

It's extremely common for hervus to decorate or modify their antlers to express themselves or to indicate their role, and damaging them is treated casually due to them shedding anyway.

Arkhunds regard boars and sows equally, and in family groups, heavy expectations are placed on the guardians' monogamy, teamwork, and capability to raise and guide their pups. It's believed that guardians should strive to better each other to give their children the best life possible and prepare them sufficiently to be independent. Incompetence and cruelty aren't tolerated. Separation of guardians is extremely frowned upon if they are actively raising pups, and single parents are stigmatized.

Sexes and sexualities of guardians generally aren't scrutinized. Two boars are welcome to raise pups so long as they do it well. Gender has little to no prominence as a concept among arkhunds; individuals are treated as such, without influence from their sex or role in relationships. Therefore, arkhunds generally only utilize one set of pronouns (they/them) and find sex or gender-based pronouns odd.

Zemuras are very matriarchal, and kings are often seen as too rowdy, unpredictable, or brutish to contribute anything meaningful to most interactions. Kings may still be permitted into the circles of queens though, and a queen vouching for a king is taken seriously. Zemura families are relatively loosely defined, as usually entire communities will help with raising kits; "family" can often mean anything from one's direct blood relatives to an entire village. Despite this widespread familiarity, personal space, belongings, and territory are very important, and only closely bonded individuals tend to be very close to each other physically; arguments or even fights can easily break out over disrespect in any of these regards.

Most zemura settlements are fairly traditional, meaning these beliefs surrounding the sexes are very pervasive. Dismissing, mocking, or infantilizing kings who don't have a queen's support is heavily normalized. This has led to gender roles being a prominent feature in zemura society, and trans zemuras are discriminated against. If discovered, trans queens are not taken seriously- often being mocked even more than cis kings. Trans kings are seen as strange, usually pitied for being confused, and more respected than cis kings. Non-binary zemuras are hardly acknowledged as a concept, and will usually still receive treatment based on their sex. Zemuras have two commonly accepted sets of pronouns, based on sex (he/him and she/her.) Some are pushing for the acceptance of they/them, though not usually within their homeland.

The pervasive, widespread nature of these gender roles and treatment among zemura settlements are often the main reason zemuras leave their homeland to live elsewhere in Fetrachki, seeking more accepting settlements. They tend to end up in mixed settlements or ones heavily populated by arkhunds.

Lagomys live in a very rigid hierarchy. In any given group, there will be a single kiyu at the top, who is confident and well-liked by the group as a whole and who serves to break up and resolve conflicts; lias are just under them, who act dominant over everyone except the kiyu; lerhas are beneath them, who are normal individuals that don't go out of their way to dominate anyone; and leus, who are actively submissive and often only interact with each other or lerhas, going out of their way to avoid the kiyu and lias.

These ranks shift as necessary- often violently, as the lias will scramble to determine the new kiyu. Outright challenging or killing the kiyu to take their rank is taboo, and doing so would result in the entire group ostracizing the offender. Strangers aren't commonly welcome in established groups, as this can also cause a violent reshuffling of the hierarchy.

A somewhat similar system of dominance and submission applies to relations between groups, where more dominant groups take or fight over preferential resources from other, more submissive groups that try to simply stay away from contested areas.

Sexes and sexualities generally aren't scrutinized. Gender has little to no prominence as a concept among lagomys; individuals are treated as such, without influence from their sex or role in relationships. Therefore, lagomys generally only utilize one set of pronouns (they/them) and find sex or gender-based pronouns odd.

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