Norrith

The norrith are a sapient species living in the northern ice cap of Etharai. They live in villages dug into the ground, partaking in mining, agriculture, and hunting. There are two major groups of norrith: the snowsunken norrith, and the nightwalker norrith.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Norrith are a grey-skinned species with two pairs of arms and one pair of legs. They have solid white eyes, no nose, and ears that lie nearly flat against their heads. They have 4 fingers and 2 thumbs on each of their hands, one thumb on either side of their fingers. This allows for a string grip and finer manipulation, which, combined with their 4 arms, allows them to do a plethora of things not possible by other species. The species have mouths, but no vocal chords, rendering the majority of the species mute.

Ecology and Habitats

Norrith live in and are adapted for extremely cold environments. While they do need some additional warmth in the form of clothing to live in their natural habitat, they are much more resistant to the cold than any of the other species on Etharai.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The norrith are omnivores, and prefer a mixed diet of meats and plants. They can eat almost anything found in their biome, and have a number of cultural dishes based on the foods found there. They make interesting use of snow and ice in their dishes, using it alongside food to cool it off, add water, or add an icy crunch.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The norrith are primarily found on the northern ice cap, though they can also live a bit further south, so long as the environment is cold enough for them. Technically, there are no downsides to living in a hotter environment, but it is highly unpleasent the hotter the climate gets, and they greatly prefer the cold. Due to their difficulties communicating with other species, they tend to stick together and stay on and around the northern pole.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The norrith are exceptional at seeing in harsh winter conditions, a vital skill where they live. They are able to see fairly well during blizzards as well, though this skill is not as necessary with the rarity of such events.
The norrith do not have as great a sense of hearing, able to be described as passable at best. This causes issues in communicating with other species, especially given the norrith's language.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

The norrith choose names that are visially representative of their children. These names can change as a person grows, or they can stay the same for an entire lifetime. Norrith names are hard to transcribe into writing, as they tend to be a mix between the signs for different words, that do not do well being meshed together on paper.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

The norrith speak a signed language known as Norrith Sign Language, or NSL. NSL is a language having evolved with norrith anatomy in mind, and requires the use of all four of their hands in most cases (though this can be reduced to two hands if a norrith is busy working on something else). As such, NSL is difficult, if not impossible, for outsiders to learn. This combined with the norrith's subpar hearing makes communication between species difficult.

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Lifespan

60-70 yrs.

Average Height

7-8 ft.

Average Physique

The norrith are a well-built species, with muscles developed for either hunting or mining, activities that all norrith participate in at some point in their lifetimes as a coming-of-age landmark.

Geographic Distribution

• Ice Caps

Related Ethnicities

• Nightwalker Norrith
• Snowsunken Norrith