Wolven
The wolven people are one of the three Eala races, and share their origins with the felinic and mustenel peoples. They are believed to be directly involved in the creation of the Foxen Empire and are known as the ancestors to the foxen people.
Best known for the large families, strict customs, and excessive amounts of body hair, wolven people prefer to live in colder climates and usually make their homes in areas that have snowfall.
Outside of their own countries wolven people are often stereotyped as a friendly and loveable people, as most wolvens who enjoy travelling tend to be kind and friendly people. However, this perception of wolven people can often lead to a lot of shock for Sentients travelling into wolven countries, as a within wolven countries people deviating from the norm may find themselves alienated by more conservative and less well-travelled wolvens.
Physical Traits
Av. Height: 6’9
Wolven people are tall and bulky. They gain both fat and muscle quickly, and are the largest humanoid Sentient race; with only valenor and kuloke being larger in size on average. Because of their large size they tend to find travelling to other countries harder than most races; as the buildings and furniture of many other countries do not accommodate wolvens in either height or weight.
Like the other Eala races, wolven people have tails and furred ears. Their features resemble those of wolves and are used to communicate emotion.
Their ears are usually large and thickly furred, as are their tails, and they have thick body hair; especially on the hips and back where their tails join their spine. They also have thick fur-like hair on their cheeks, chests, and ankles.
Wolven hair is usually black or dark brown, though blonde and white hair are becoming increasingly common as Queen Distro’s close relations with the Foxen Empire has lead to a lot of mixed-blood families.
There are also red and orange-haired wolven people— though they are rare and inherit their vibrant colours from a recessive gene thought to have originally come from felinics. A red or orange haired wolven child may be born to any wolven couple. This hair colour, though rare, is considered very attractive.
The skin of a wolven person is usually pale and clear of blemishes. Birthmarks are rare, but because of their paleness it is common for wolven people to have pinkish-red blush spots on their noses, elbows, shoulders, and knees. They bruise easily but don’t scar often.
Their teeth are usually compact and evenly-aligned with a strong, white shine. Wolven dental issues are rare. Wolven people are also known for having rather large tongues. This gives them a unique tone to their voice that many other Sentients are unable to replicate.
Sex and Gender
The most obvious difference between wolven men and women is their facial structures. Men tend to be more squared off, with harsher jawlines and more defined cheekbones, while women tend to have rounder jaws and softer features.
Women naturally have more body fat, which gravitates towards their lower body, while men have more muscle mass and tend to be more top-heavy than the women.
Unlike most other Eala races, full facial hair growth is common in both women and men.
Wolven women are internally very different when compared to most other races; they have two wombs and can become pregnant in both. Usually they will only be pregnant in one womb at a time, though there are some women that are able to become pregnant in both and have double-pregnancies. These double-pregnancies can effect birth in two ways; either the women will give birth to babies in varying stages of development, or will give birth twice in a very short amount of time.
Racial Variations
Southern
Southern wolvens come from colder climates, generally found on the lower section of the map such as Kazzaquin, Nalaba, Ja’Ja Nakan, Konde, and Bonark.
They are generally taller and furrier and have an easier time developing insulating fatty layers than their Northern cousins. Even when on diets of fruit and vegetables and not their usual fatty diet, Southern wolvens gain weight at an impressive rate.
Northern
Northern wolven people come from the warmer kingdoms such as Gorut, Krte, Turent, and Canis La’can.
They are shorter than the Southerners, and their muscles tend to be leaner and less defined.
The shoulder-scarf neck fur pattern is native to them and is believed to have developed to help them keep cool during the warmer months.
Common Disabilities and Health Issues
Fast Metabolisms
At first, a fast metabolism may not seem like a bad thing, but underweight wolven people cannot regulate their body temperature properly and those born with fast metabolisms tend to die young if not put on high-fat meals or moved to a hotter climate. Their bodies often start to digest themselves if they do not have a meal every 2-3 hours, and so they are unable to sleep in full cycles and are sickly because of it.
Malformed Ear Cartilage — Floppy Ear Syndrome
Rarely, the cartilage in a wolven person’s ears may not form properly, leaving them with floppy ears. Usually this is accompanied by stunted growth, muscle pains, and the susceptibility to develop arthritis at a young age.
In some, this can be corrected at a young age through specialised diets and medications to encourage cartilage growth; but not all are able to straighten their ears or rid themselves of the painful symptoms that accompany them.
Relationships and Life Stages
Marriage
Wolven people tend to get married young and spend their entire life with their partner.
It is rare for wolven relationships to break down as wolven people have naturally strong bonds and an instinctive urge to find compromise for shortcomings. Divorce is rare and only tends to happen if the couple finds they absolutely cannot stand each other anymore.
Even those who were in arranged marriages or married for political reasons will try to find ways to make their relationships work.
Most wolven kingdoms allow marriage as young as 10; though these marriages have to be approved as non-abusive by high-ranking government officials and run the risk of being annulled at any time before the couple turns 20.
Non-abusive usually constitutes a small age-gap between two completely willing individuals, both of whom are aware of the seriousness of the choice they are making. Marriages are annulled if they are discovered to have been made due to parental pressure or if the couple are extremely displeased in the relationship. This is usually handled well by the officials, but racism and queerphobia have been known to affect the outcome of marriage applications. This is very easy to see in Canis La’Can, where Mystics are given citizenship and the wide variety of cultures makes racism more obvious.
To be married without government permission in a wolven country an individual must be 20 or older; once over twenty, two consenting adults cannot be denied their right to marry.
Life Stages
Every 2-3 months, female wolvens go into a heat cycle. Their heat can last anywhere between 4-10 days. The worst of their heat generally lasts for 12 hours; referred to as the ‘primal day’ by some.
Their heat is indicated by increased shedding of body fur and uncomfortable warm flushes. During their primal day they become very emotional and may have trouble regulating their sexual arousal response. They tend to be very affectionate during this time and spend most of their time seeking physical contact from their partners.
Most wolven females prefer not to leave their homes during their heat, and it is an understood norm (or law, in some countries) that female wolven servants get paid leave to recover from their cycle.
It is possible for a wolven to get pregnant at any time, but if they conceive while in heat their chances of baring more than 4 children raises by 60%.
Gestation can last anywhere between 8-10 months, depending on the number of children that are conceived. With twins and triples being more common than singular births, 9 months is the wolven average. The labour usually lasts 10-15 hours, though the length increases with each extra child.
Wolven girls will have their first heat when they are around 14 eclipses old, and by 16 their physical growth is nearing completion and they are able to start bearing children with minimal complications, though they usually encouraged to wait until they are around 20 before they attempt to have children.
Most wolvens will stop trying for children when they are 45, and use herbal contraceptives to prevent unwanted births, but a healthy wolven woman can have children into their late 60s.
Lifespan Facts
• Wolven lifespans average 80 eclipses.
• Less than 4% of wolven males go into heat, but their heat can be so bad they often end up bed-bound.
• Around 6% of wolven men, and less than 2% of wolven women, are infertile. Infertile women do not go into heat.
• The birth average of wolvens varies greatly, as pregnancies always hold an unknown number of children, but most wolven women will have at least 7 pregnancies in their lifetime.
• Miscarriages are almost completely unheard of; the only known miscarriages in wolvens have been due to severe illness, which usually cause the death of the mother shortly after.
• The highest known birth count for a single pregnancy is 23 surviving infants, with 2 dead. 6 different fathers were involved and the mother nearly died during labour. The Nalaba queen was so impressed with this feat she invited the family to live in the palace and betrothed one of her own children to the first-born.
Culture
Everyday wolven culture varies from country to country, though many parts of their overall culture remains the same.
They are very strict with maintaining their own customs and do not like it when people behave in ways that they have not deemed “normal,” especially so with richer families.
Families
In most wolven countries children won’t leave their parents, even after having their own children. It is considered perfectly normal to stay with your family, immediate and extended, for your entire life. The wolvens who do leave usually leave after marriage, and then it’s often only to join their partner’s family.
Wolven people from Animon-dominated countries like Canis La’Can will stay as a family group until their oldest ancestor (e.g, grandmother/grandfather) dies.
Once the oldest ancestor has passed, the next oldest wolvens (e.g, mothers, fathers, uncles, and aunts) will split into smaller families. Most of these new family groups still have upwards of 60 family members, due to wolven culture encouraging parents to have as many children as possible.
Families smaller than 40 people are considered below average, though they are not unheard of. Most wolven people are too busy caring for their own families to pressure others into having children, but most openly encourage choosing to have kids.
Those in small families often have troubling earning enough money to maintain their homes, and many choose to become live-in servants for richer families.
In southern wolven families the eldest will carry a cane. Not because the cane is needed for disability— but as a sign of their status. Different types of leaders may represent themselves with different canes; a hitting cane might be used by a very strict leader, while a decorative cane may be carried by someone more gentle.
The fact that many wolvens stay with their families is not to say they can’t leave if they want to; plenty of wolvens leave their families for the want of moving elsewhere or having their own property.
Because of wolven people’s large families their houses tend to be excessively big and it is not uncommon to not see relatives for a week or two, besides while eating meals in the dining hall, while living in the same house.
Food
Diets are one of the largest varying parts of wolven culture. Every kingdom has their own preference for what they eat, how they cook, and the way in which their food is obtained. Generally, however, northern countries will farm as the main source of their food, only hunting for larger game animals such as deer; while southern countries prefer to hunt and gather, with herbs being grown in backyard gardens.
Due to the climate difference, different meats are preferred. Southern wolvens tend to have higher-fat diets made of heavy meats and vegetables so they gain weight faster, while northerners prefer leaner meat and fruits so they are slimmer and less likely to overheat.
All wolven cultures love sweet succulent foods, and sugar is more common at the dinner table than salt. However, the type of sweeteners used depend highly on the kingdom. Tree syrups, jams, and naturally sweet alcohols are a major part of a southerner’s pantry. While sugarcane, coconut sugar, and honey are farmed heavily in warmer climates. When it comes to meat, seal is a southerner favourite; though most northerners find the excessive blubber off-putting and will go for leaner fats like poultry and cattle.
Kazzaquin is the only wolven country with a national food —a soup made from seal blubber, maple syrup, oats, and oyster— which they gift cans of during visits to foreign countries. Immortal Queen Distro is the only ruler to have ever denied the gift from Kazzaquin; outright stating that she found it repulsive and nearly starting a war in the process. The only reason war was avoided was the ex-Har’py Prophet, Setani’Selina, accepted the gift in Distro’s place.
Language
Wolven accents tend to be very heavy. It is hard for wolven people to change their accents after growing accustomed to their way of speaking. Their spoken language tends to be very clear, however, and is considered one of the easier languages to learn.
Wolven people use ink and quill to write, mostly. They write in thick cursive and most foreigners have a hard time reading the language.
Wolven laughter is, mostly, very gentle. Light chuckles and big grins are the trademarks of a wolven laugh.
Naming Conventions
Wolven people have 3 names: their first, middle, and family names.
Wolven first names are chosen by their parents and each name is tied to a deeper meaning. Some wolven people don’t consider the meanings of their children’s names, though many others take it very seriously. Some examples of first name meanings are listed below:
• Toro means ‘Shall never be alone’
• Krish means ‘Defiant’
• Dellor means ‘Wanderer of the North’
• Lua means ‘Princess’
• Coski means ‘Achiever of greatness’
• Ellow means ‘One who seeks to please’
• Rorlbar means ‘Strong’
• Ykelt means ‘Honest’
• Ziu means ‘Brave’
• Sensin means ‘Mountain standing strong against the wind’
• Mingan means ‘Born in a blooming garden of flowers’
Like first names, middle names also have traditional meanings behind them. There are many traditional middle names that are specifically used as middle names, though a lot of wolvens also have traditional first names as their middle names (especially if they are being named after a family member). The middle name of a wolven person is supposed to be chosen by the head of the household, though there are some exceptions. A wolven’s middle name is something private; only shared with immediate their family.
The family name of a wolven often indicates which country and what area their ancestors are from, as each wolven country has its own list of traditional surnames. Most wolven kingdoms’ find the names of their royals are the same as their kingdoms- Though some (such as Canis La’Can) have had the royal names change or die out over the years.
Common Religions
Animon
Starku
Aurn
Emaltoni
Clothing
Everyday wolven clothing is made from faded and dull-coloured cotton (sometimes lined with wool or fur), while their formal-wear is made from bright silks with insulation padding only the seams, if there is any insulation at all.
Most clothes are loose-fitting, and although wolvens live in colder climates they don’t tend to wear thicker clothes unless the temperature drops to 5 degrees or less. Sometimes, they find they overheat even in these low temperatures and will refuse to put on anything more than the minimum amount of clothing needed to be polite.
Jewellery is common, a show of wealth, and worn by both men and women. Often a wolven will wear excessive amounts of jewellery to show off their wealth; with intricate metalwork and thin fragile chains being considered higher-value than crystals or rocks.
Most wolvens will wear strong perfume and cologne when out of the house.
Other
Canis La’Can’s ruler, Distro Nigelle, is a famous foxen / wolven mix who became an ageless dragon-shifter. She is known as Immortal Queen Distro and is worshipped not only in her own kingdom, but by any who believe in the foxen Maiden Klict. Though she can be eccentric and impulsive she works towards peace for the world and allows sapient Mytics the same rights as Sentients in her kingdom.
Many wolven people are prone to overheating, even in snowy climates. They can survive up to -60 degrees and are most comfortable between 10 and -10 degrees.
Wolven families, because of their size, tend to cremate their dead and have a room in their house dedicated to their lost family. Eventually the ashes of the dead will scattered at the family’s discretion, usually 100-200 years after the person’s death, or when all family who knew them personally have passed away. Though this is mostly for space, it has helped ward off necromancy in wolven cultures.
Their cities and towns are often painted in bright pastel colours. They maintain their buildings fairly well, with many wolvens making a living by cleaning buildings and repainting damaged walls.