Emgu (M-goo)
Tengu that are native to the sprawling plains, vasts forests, and harsh deserts of Ardlam, they resemble emus and other large land birds instead of flying birds. Emgus are incredibly fast, trading in a tengus natural sneakiness for increased speed and stamina.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The emgu often prioritize learning Alka and Terran over other languages, but like normal tengu they often try to branch out into as many languages as possible.
Common Etiquette rules
The emgu consider it bad luck to run at night, believing that it the noise stirs up sleeping malevolent forces. Thus, they always charge extra for such jobs.
Common Dress code
The emgu take great pride in crafting and wearing protective shoes, as they must protect their feet while running at fast paces. Many emgu who don't have permanent careers as couriers often become cobblers and shoe-crafters.
Art & Architecture
Most emgu tribes are nomadic, with many emgu being members of the Earth Nomads. Thus, they have few permanent structures or settlements. Those that join or found couriers guilds in established cities often make sure that the doors to their buildings are large enough to accommodate their wide frames.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Unlike most tengu, the male is the primary caretaker of both the eggs and the hatched chicks. Emgu always inspect a hatched chicks legs immediately upon their emergence from the egg.
Coming of Age Rites
An emgu who is to come of age must make a run, a multi-day delivery of some sort of item across a large area. Most run the desert route of the Earth Nomads, but some families have specific run routes.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Emgu are often buried one the routes of their favorite runs, with famous emgu having large gravestones that are a popular sight that running emgu visit in hopes of getting a blessing of good luck.
Common Taboos
No emgu would ever let someone else who is not the recipent of a letter or package open it or view its contents, no matter the circumstances. Many believe that this rule doesn't apply to the emgu themselves, and that the price to pay for the emgu's swiftness is the knowledge the emgu gains from it. Such rumors are heavily denied by tengu courier guilds, and no proof has ever been presented, yet the emgu always seem to have the most up to date knowledge on current events.
Common Myths and Legends
A majority of emgu worship both of the tengu gods Horus and Hunginn. They venerate Hunginn as the god of messengers and Horus to help protect them on their message runs.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Due to their constant running and exposure to desert sands, the emgu focus less on keeping clean and more on the value of the items in their possession, especially their footwear.
Gender Ideals
Unlike with Materan tengu, male emgu are both the primary childcare taker and has the final say in allowing a potential mate.
Courtship Ideals
Female emgu must prove their worth to gain the approval of a father to win the right to mate. This is usually gained through a race or run through unfamiliar territory, often against other potential mates or against the father himself.
Relationship Ideals
Emgus favor directness instead of slyness, and thus have a bit easier making lasting friendships with others than materan tengu. Materan tengu often view them with slight distain, considering them simple minded, while Hangu view them as inferior creatures due to their lack of flight abilities.
Major organizations
The emgus act as neutral couriers, both in the Skretir Desert and the rest of Ardlam. Thus, they often work for even unscrupulous nations such as the Skrefal Sultanate or the Kuzon Imperialism.
Random Emgu Homelands
| % Rolled | Homeland | Trait Gained |
|---|---|---|
| 01-50 | Desert or Badlands | Tongue of Many Towns |
| 51-70 | Plains | Master of the Sudden Strike |
| 70-90 | Forest | Quick Reactor |
| 91-00 | Unusual Homeland | (Roll on Unusual Homeland table) |
Encompassed species
Related Organizations
Related Locations
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