Mehune (Meh-huu-ney)
Physical Traits
An Atlantean-made race with a distinct purpose in mind when they were created, the mehune are a small, but sturdy people. Standing no more than four feet tall, it could be expected that mehune are relatively light, but in truth they tend to weigh significantly more than expected, typically upwards to two hundred pounds. This is due to the density of their bones and muscles, as they were created to be the creators and craftsmen of the Atlantean settlements on Venus.
With keen eyesight and hearing, mehune are usually aware of anything and everything in their general vicinity. Their small frame and flexible joints allow them to squeeze through small openings and climb up any pipes or walls that may need their maintenance. Their hands and feet are specifically designed with this in mind, allowing for gripping onto fine textures and difficult handholds in ways that most other races will have difficulty with, but for mehune, all but the sheer walls hold little to no challenge.
Despite their small stature, due to their weight, mehune often consume quite a lot of food, even relative to someone of a larger size. However, their sturdiness does come with a downside. The density of the body means that injuries can be quite debilitating. A broken bone can be difficult to set correctly, and if not enough time is given for it to heal correctly, the injured in question is likely to have a significant handicap for the rest of their lives.
While mehune only have a gestation period of four months, their lifespan is comparable to that of a human, often living around seventy years. They develop and grow quickly, often reaching physical maturity by age ten and adulthood some time after. As they age, unfortunately the wear and tear on their bodies does take its toll, with many mehune in their fifties and sixties requiring canes and other tools to help them maneuver in their day to day lives.
History With the walking cities being built, the Atlanteans grew to realize that as great a mechanical wonder as they were, a machine of that size was going to have an incredible need for repairs and maintenance. Faced with the issue of rebuilding the cities to allow for easier repair and having to scrap their previous wonders, the Atlateans decided instead to create a solution to their problem instead, the mehune. Like all other Atlantean created races, the mehune did their job well. Despite being made to keep the cities running, there was no distinction of an “underclass” or anything similar. While not all mechanical jobs were done by mehune and not all mehune had mechanical jobs, there were certainly some mechanical jobs that only a mehune could do. As they were valued greatly, mehune could be found in every Atlantean city on Venus. When Ra arrived on the planet and made his intentions to rule clear, very little changed for the mehune. While there was no being on Venus with his innate talent for building, he seldom involved himself with all but the grandest projects, such as the Great Machine and Tower of Souls. As such, he allowed the mehune to tend to the cities with the assumption that they would recognize his right to rule with little to no need for his oversight. However, as more cities began to rebel and were subsequently destroyed or overtaken, it became clear that despite their talents, they would not be spared the same fate as the rest of the city's citizens. Now, in the current age of Ra, most mehune value the freedom that they currently enjoy. There are those of course that are still ruled under Ra, but there is no Atlantean race on Venus that is more ubiquitous so the majority live in cities that escape his grasp for now. Outside of the majority cities, you’re unlikely to find any large groups of mehune. Even when they favor a more isolated life, they are much more likely to do so in a city than any small town.
Culture The defining trait of a mehune household is self-reliance. Often living in large extended families, everyone who can contribute in a mehune household does, lest they feel the shame and scorn of being a burden on the household. Mehune households have no defining architecture across their culture. The reason being that as the family grows larger, they will simply build more and more rooms onto their home to accommodate the extra residents. Even when members of the family split off with marriage or when the home simply gets too large, you will find bridges and tunnels connecting the homes. These homes often have a cobbled together appearance to them as they are often built with function first and form second. With a knack for crafting, mehune will often craft small inventions that help them in their daily lives. A bed that's weighed to determine when someone gets out of it will start brewing a hot beverage or a hot shower that air dries the occupant as soon as the shower is done. These are some examples of automation that one might find in a mehune home, each being different to suit the needs of the occupant. This level of community is opposed by the mehune sense of individualism. While it is recognized that they are stronger and better as a group, there still exists a level of competitiveness to prove that one is better or more skilled than another. This often leads to competition, some friendly, some not. It can sometimes escalate to a fierce rivalry that is just as likely to lead to a death as it is to lead to a marriage.
History With the walking cities being built, the Atlanteans grew to realize that as great a mechanical wonder as they were, a machine of that size was going to have an incredible need for repairs and maintenance. Faced with the issue of rebuilding the cities to allow for easier repair and having to scrap their previous wonders, the Atlateans decided instead to create a solution to their problem instead, the mehune. Like all other Atlantean created races, the mehune did their job well. Despite being made to keep the cities running, there was no distinction of an “underclass” or anything similar. While not all mechanical jobs were done by mehune and not all mehune had mechanical jobs, there were certainly some mechanical jobs that only a mehune could do. As they were valued greatly, mehune could be found in every Atlantean city on Venus. When Ra arrived on the planet and made his intentions to rule clear, very little changed for the mehune. While there was no being on Venus with his innate talent for building, he seldom involved himself with all but the grandest projects, such as the Great Machine and Tower of Souls. As such, he allowed the mehune to tend to the cities with the assumption that they would recognize his right to rule with little to no need for his oversight. However, as more cities began to rebel and were subsequently destroyed or overtaken, it became clear that despite their talents, they would not be spared the same fate as the rest of the city's citizens. Now, in the current age of Ra, most mehune value the freedom that they currently enjoy. There are those of course that are still ruled under Ra, but there is no Atlantean race on Venus that is more ubiquitous so the majority live in cities that escape his grasp for now. Outside of the majority cities, you’re unlikely to find any large groups of mehune. Even when they favor a more isolated life, they are much more likely to do so in a city than any small town.
Culture The defining trait of a mehune household is self-reliance. Often living in large extended families, everyone who can contribute in a mehune household does, lest they feel the shame and scorn of being a burden on the household. Mehune households have no defining architecture across their culture. The reason being that as the family grows larger, they will simply build more and more rooms onto their home to accommodate the extra residents. Even when members of the family split off with marriage or when the home simply gets too large, you will find bridges and tunnels connecting the homes. These homes often have a cobbled together appearance to them as they are often built with function first and form second. With a knack for crafting, mehune will often craft small inventions that help them in their daily lives. A bed that's weighed to determine when someone gets out of it will start brewing a hot beverage or a hot shower that air dries the occupant as soon as the shower is done. These are some examples of automation that one might find in a mehune home, each being different to suit the needs of the occupant. This level of community is opposed by the mehune sense of individualism. While it is recognized that they are stronger and better as a group, there still exists a level of competitiveness to prove that one is better or more skilled than another. This often leads to competition, some friendly, some not. It can sometimes escalate to a fierce rivalry that is just as likely to lead to a death as it is to lead to a marriage.
- Starting Wound Threshold: 8 + Brawn
- Starting Strain Threshold: 10 + Willpower
- Starting Experience: 100
- Starting Skills:
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