Garané

Basic Information

Anatomy

Garané are a digitigrade, bipedal species with a vaguely humanoid form boasting several unique anatomical features. Here's a breakdown of their internal and external makeup:
External:

• Bipedal with Digitigrade Legs: Garané walk upright on two strong legs with a digitigrade posture, meaning their knees are bent permanently with the weight resting on the toes. They have strong metatarsals adapted for this plantigrade gait.
• Large Four-toed Taloned Feet: Their feet have four digits each, tipped with sharp talons for gripping and tearing during hunting and locomotion.
• Four Strong Arms: Unlike humans, garané possess four long and powerful arms ideal for climbing, fighting, and manipulating objects.
• Long, Muscular Tail with Spiked Tip: A distinctive feature is their long, prehensile tail. This muscular appendage aids in balance, climbing, and combat, with a dangerous blade-like spike at the end.
• Humanoid Torso: The torso resembles a human's, housing vital organs and providing a strong connection between the limbs and the head.
• Sharply Bent Horns: Two horns protrude from the top of the head, curving sharply backward. These horns are lightweight and remain relatively small throughout their lifespan.
• Eyes: Large eyes with exceptional night vision capabilities. They possess a tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer behind the retina that enhances light sensitivity in low-light environments. Additionally, their eyes have the ability to switch between regular sight and infrared vision at will. This suggests a more complex nictitating membrane (second eyelid) that can adjust light reception.
• Bioluminescence: Garané eyes are capable of bioluminescence, glowing when their emotions are heightened. This luminescence is caused by specialized cells behind the eye producing light, similar to bioluminescent deep-sea creatures.

Internal:

• Skeletal Structure: The skeletal structure is similar to a human's with a bipedal design, but with adaptations for the powerful four-armed form and the long tail. The leg bones are reinforced to handle the digitigrade posture and support their weight while walking on the toes. The arms and shoulder girdle is robust to accommodate the additional limbs. The tail is be comprised of numerous vertebrae designed for flexibility and strength, with a denser structure at the tip to form the blade-like spike.
• Musculature: The primary muscle groups are concentrated in the legs for powerful leaps and propulsion, the arms for manipulation and combat, and the tail for balance and striking. The torso has strong core muscles to coordinate movement with four limbs and a tail.
• Digestive System: As carnivores with an omnivorous tendency, garané have a digestive system similar to a large cat's, with a single stomach and a short intestine optimized for processing meat. They also possess a cecum, a pouch located at the beginning of the large intestine, which aids in the digestion of tougher plant material and helps break down toxins from poisonous mushrooms they can consume.
• Vision: The ability to switch between regular sight and infrared vision suggests a unique adaptation in their eyes. They possess a special reflective layer behind the retina, the tapetum lucidum, which is present in many nocturnal animals and allows them to see in low-light conditions. Additionally, there are light-sensitive cells beyond the typical rods and cones, allowing them to perceive infrared light.

Genetics and Reproduction

The species reproduces as most any other, with males and females seeking each other out during a mating season. Which part of the year this season happens depends almost entirely on the local environment, but it's almost never at the beginning or ending months of the year.
Being an egg-laying species, gestation period is around four months, and then when the egg is laid, must be incubated for another four months before finally hatching. Only a single egg is possible at a time, given the size of them and the mother's body limitations. However, twins are still possible, though exceedingly rare, as a single egg would have to host two embryos. Twins, when they happen, are seen as good omens, and are revered and fiercely protected and cared for despite their initial smaller-than-average size.

Growth Rate & Stages

Infancy 0-1
Baby 1-3
Toddler 3-6
Young childhood 6-14
Late childhood 14-20
Early adolescence 20-26
Late adolescence 26-34
Early adulthood 34-70
Mid adulthood (fully developed) 70-200
Late adulthood 200-400
Old 400-500
Elder 500-600

Ecology and Habitats

Garané settlements, no matter their location, are typically quite crude in appearance. That said, there's a level of planning and foresight that goes into each that suggests some level of education or knowledge in civic needs that one might not expect of people so brutish and territorial.
In caverns, settlements are often decided based on local resources, and thusly are usually very close to natural springs, both hot and cool; hot being used for bathing, and cool being used as a water supply, once adequately filtered. A combination of lefvada and raw strength has let them carve stone and rock into viable living quarters, as well as other useful facilities. Abodes are frequently adorned with dyed leathers, animal pelts, and bones, and most common utensils and tools are also made of bone, crystal, or sturdy rock. Beds are simple matters, typically no more than a thick pile of furs, sometimes padded with dried plant matter underneath that may or may not have a natural fragrance.
Cavern settlements also have both private and public lavatories, the toilet holes dug deep into wherever they can find softer ground, and a surprisingly sophisticated plumbing system is implemented even further down, which funnels waste into a designated room yet deeper into the earth. In this room, lefvada channels are etched into the walls, floor, and ceiling, and the rock itself is deeply infused to filter the waste and encourage nature to break it all down faster. With garané skill being on the low end when it comes to lefvada, however, the infusions must occasionally be refreshed - an essential job no one wants to do.
In addition to the numerous small homes in a cavern settlement, there are larger structures for various purposes. Most commonly found is a market hall, where hunters come to barter their hauls to other garané, and there's what's effectively a civic building, where the multiple tribe leaders gather when important matters need discussed (or as is often the case, fought over.) It's also in this civic building where tribe members can approach their leaders with requests, reports, and even petitions.
Finally, there are public baths, set up wherever a hot spring is found. While quite basic, there are benches carved from stone, and the spring pools themselves have lefvada channels etched into the walls to constantly purify the dirt and grime that enters the water from daily use. Garané are expected to bring their own cleansing materials, as none are provided.

In forests, garané must contend with the other natives for land - the foreshad. Most commonly, garané are killed on sight by the foreshad, but there are small pockets of woodland the world over where garané have found havens. And, in a handful of cases, the local foreshad have even made deals and agreements with the garané, the terms and details varying in each - but generally, they're ones of mutual benefit.
Forest settlements, much like in caverns, are typically as close to a water source as possible. Be it lake, spring, or river, they always manage to set up near a body of water sufficient for their numbers, both current and projected. Again, though, structures are quite crude - built with fallen branches, leathers, pelts, woven plant matter, and bones of slain creatures. They also mark the bounds of their territory with clear indicators. Numerous poles of whatever material was on hand at the time are adorned with long, dyed strips of leather and are set up at regular intervals around the settlement's perimeter, with designated entrances and exits having their poles adorned with a string of bone chimes.
Like with caverns, in addition to regular, smaller abodes, there are lavatories, as well as a market hall and civic building, but with the extra free space forests provide in contrast to tight cave systems, there are extra structures. They usually consist of a small school, where the elderly among them teach the youngest generations, and a house of healers, where those with the ability to heal and mend care for the sick and injured. Depending on the settlement, there may also be a larger building dedicated to certain sports - most commonly, wrestling, as well as blood sports.
Jungle settlements are the same as their forest variety in many regards, but are usually able to expand further and take up more space, since they have few to no foreshad to fight with. This allows them enough land to keep animals and raise them for slaughter, easing the workload on hunting parties. As of yet, however, they haven't quite figured out refined animal husbandry or farming.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Almost exclusively carnivorous, a steady supply of food is often difficult for most loners, and only slightly better for tribes with their numerous hunters. They can eat their kills fresh and raw, and generally prefer it that way, but at some point, the culinary arts were introduced to the garané (by whom exactly, is lost to history), and the species has been observed cooking and even seasoning some of their meals.
They can also consume and get supplemental nutrition from fruits and vegetables, but the bulk of their diet must consist of meat for them to maintain their health. They are able to eat certain poisonous mushrooms, as well, and being immune to the toxins, often add these mushrooms to their meals if they're the sort inclined to cook.

Behaviour

Rather violent and territorial, they often fight amongst themselves, which, much to the relief of their non-garané neighbors, helps keep their population down.
They're smart enough to organize tribes and cause problems, but usually not smart enough to say, win a game of logic. What planning there is is usually rough and full of erroneous assumptions, as well as ego clouding one's judgment. Exhibiting a "might makes right" mentality, most are brutish and rough, seen as little better than monsters or lesser animals by many of Vruanhai's more civilized peoples.
They have some ability with lefvada, but it's weak compared to the 'shad and ss'akan species.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Garané are an unusual mix of loners and tribes. It's not uncommon for garané to be asocial or antisocial, often wandering away from others of their kind in the wilderness to live their life as they please. These individuals usually travel solo, and rarely in groups of two or three, and then only with members of the same sex. However, loners tend to have the shortest life expectancy, having no one to rely on but themselves. And, seen as nuisances at the best of times and menaces at the worst by their ss'akan and shadreagh neighbors, they are often killed on sight.

With enough having wisened up to the threat of non-garané species and peoples, tribes formed over the years, and small, permanent settlements were established where any garané are welcome to come and go as they please. In these settlements, multiple tribes often live, managed (if somewhat poorly and violently) by the tribe leaders.


Each tribe has a leader (their "official" title varying between tribes, ranging from "chieftain" to simply "ruler" to just "leader;" and sometimes, for the conceited, "master") who acquired their position through might and cunning. They are entrusted with making decisions for the tribe. Additionally, they are expected to be able to defend their position, or get replaced. Rarely, they may abdicate their position to an heir. A leader, regardless of sex, is commonly expected to have many mates, and therefor multiple offspring, of which any can potentially be named as heir. A mate claimed by a leader is considered off limits to the rest of the tribe, unless the leader has made an exception known.

In addition to a leader, tribes also have designated hunters, who are trusted to bring in food and other needed supplies, and warriors, who are all expected to fight and defend the tribe. Sometimes, depending on tribe needs, the roles of hunter and warrior overlap. Heirarchy among these roles is up to the leader, and so varies within each tribe. Sometimes a leader has their people report directly to themself, or sometimes a commander (or several) is designated among the best of their people, and it is the commander who's expected to report to the leader.

Tribes are generally small, numbering fifteen individuals at the smallest and around a hundred at the highest. For survival, or even for territory reasons, smaller tribes tend to be targeted by larger ones, their leaders slain, and the remaining numbers absorbed. What roles the absorbed members take on is dictated by the leader of the winning tribe.

Facial characteristics

Fairly flat faces, with protruding tusks and fangs that don't get very large. Eyes are almost always red, and emit a soft glow when their emotions are high. Other possible eye colors are yellow, orange, and rarely, purple. They have no visible pupil. Eyebrows are ridged, with small spikes coming off the outer ends. Behind the jaw hinge and around where the ear would be are another pair of small, curved spikes. Atop their head is a pair of horns, rising about an inch from the skull before bending and sweeping back over the head.

Body Tint, Coloring and Markings

Garané are always dark-hued, including colors like deep greys, blacks, blues, purples, and rarely, greens. Their front and back is often countershaded, with the underarms, inner legs, and torso regions being lighter, and the back and tops of limbs being darker. They also always have stripes, tinted darker than the rest of their body, which typically wrap around each limb, and on the torso make M-shapes that can sometimes break up along the outer sides. There's also a neck/collarbone marking that varies in shape among each individual, but typically resembles a large teardrop.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Garané can be found most commonly in the deep caves and caverns dotting the world of Vruanhai, but they may also be found in dense forests and jungles.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

In addition to regular sight, garané have the ability to see in infrared, and can switch between the two at will. Their regualar sight is keen and sensitive, their large eyes able to take in more information than some other species. They rely heavily on sight, because their ears are little more then holes in the sides of their head, half concealed by spikes. While they have decent hearing, it's around average in comparison to humans. A blinded garané is considered majorly disabled, and does not survive long. Likewise, their senses of smell and taste are also around average.

Civilization and Culture

Courtship Ideals

Males and females will mark an area they've made safe when their typical mating seasons come around. Pheromone markers serve to attract potential mates, but if more than one suitor shows up, the local resident requires them to fight until only one is left alive. This ensures only the strongest of their species survives.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

There is some speculation amongst other Vai peoples that the garané have not been sapient for very long, when compared to other species such as the verans. Often ranked as being not much above more animalistic creatures, garané are seen in a poor light at the best of times. It's difficult for either the 'shad or ss'akan people to communicate with them in any meaningful, productive way, and thus no trade or beneficial relations has yet been established.

Lifespan

400-600 years

Average Height

6'6" - 8'5"

Average Weight

300 lbs - 550 lbs

Average Physique

Lean but muscular.