They are a strange yet wonderful people— Aria Kalmin
At the edge of the vast lakes of
Nolar live a strange race of animated cairns. They worship a 14-foot pillar of salt that gives them life and dwell in a land of perfect geometry.
Morphology
Yulani are animate groups of smooth stones hovering about 4 inches away from each other. As they grow older they often collect more stones. One of their stones often has vaguely anthropomorphic facial features, yet these little touches have no utility, and their existence is unexplained.
The bottommost stone in a Yulani's structure is always the largest. They use it as a form of locomotion by rolling, sliding, or sometimes hopping on it. Aside from their bottom stone Yulani can rearrange their bodies in whatever way they want.
Being creatures made from river rocks, Yulani lack opposable thumbs. To manipulate the world around them, they extend the magical force that holds them together towards the object they wish to move. This power can only affect other rocks, forcing Yulani to get creative in their building techniques.
Shyla, the Mother
Yulani cannot reproduce. They rely on their mysterious deity for new members of the species. At the beginning of every Yulani's life is Shyla's blue light. Shyla is a 14-foot-tall pillar of salt-like material, about halfway up her is a circular blue "gemstone" that glows with an inner light. Whenever a Yulani dies she creates a new one, so that there is always exactly 112,358.
Shyla is a silent god, she demands little of her people, but on occasion, she will speak. Her voice will ring in the minds of every Yulani when she has a concern to voice. Her messages are often cryptic and unclear, torturing sages of decades while the attempt to make sense of them. When she does give a clear command all must follow, whether they want to or not.
Art & Culture
Yulani society works like clockwork. They have no leaders, legal systems, or currency, it is simply contrary to their nature to do anything that detriments society or that violates the status quo. They are not shallow creatures either, their culture is as dense and rich as any, they simply don't have the same desire for individualism that most sapient creature has. Yulani create art to benefit their peers, not to express their inner nature or to seek monetary gain. Their culture exists to create a group identity, and they do not cling to it or blow its significance out of proportion.
Culture
Yulani have a very alien culture. Their anti-individualistic nature and limited population create a harmonious yet mechanical society. Boredom and wanderlust are not in their emotional repertoire, they are perfectly content with doing whatever society demands of them. They do still possess a curiosity about the sciences, but only for the purpose of improving the standards of living in their community.
Art & Architecture
Yulani are obsessed with geometry. They live in a land of natural perfection and thus wish to replicate it. Their art is made with ultimate care, perfect circles, immaculate symmetry, and complex ratios are common themes in pieces. Above all else, the yulani revere the golden ratio. It features in the vast majority of their art and is the primary influence on their city planning.
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