Kholo

Basic Information

Anatomy

Kholo are hyena-like humanoids with short muzzles, sharp teeth, and large, expressive round ears. They are generally well-built and muscular, with females being on average stronger than males. The body is covered in fur, rougher on the back and softer and lighter on the stomach and throat. The softer fur tends to be off-white, tan, or brown, while the rest of the body fur tends to be slightly darker shades. Stripes or spots are common. Some males and most females can also grow a head of hair, which can grow to be quite long.
Most kholo stand between six and seven feet tall. Females tend to be about a head taller than males, and correspondingly stronger.
Kholo are considered adults at fifteen, and live about sixty years on average, though some can reach a hudnred or more in good health.

Kholo Heritage

Ant Kholo

Ant Kholo are the most distinct kholo heritage, being significantly smaller than others.
Ant Kholo have sharp features and comparatively large ears. They stand around 3 feet tall, with notably less variation between males and females than with other kholo (although females still tend to be slightly larger and somewhat stronger than males).

Great Kholos

Great Kholo are larger than your typical kholo, always with tawny fur and brown spots. They stand several inches taller than most other kholo. They are demonstrably stronger than your average kholo, with even the males rivaling the females of other kholo heritages.

Sweetbreath Kholo

Sweetbreath Kholo, as their name implies, have a unique biological adaptation in the form of oddly pleasant breath which they use to entrance their prey.
Sweetbreath kholo tend to have striped, pale fur.

Witch Kholo

Witch Kholo have very shagger, dark fur. They are capable of making truly uncanny sounds, mimicing sounds or voices they've heard and throwing their voice to deceive their prey.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Kholo are omnivorous. Their primary means of obtaining food is through hunting and gathering.

Behaviour

Female kholo are generally more agressive than males.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Kholo originally come from the southern regions of Torvan, primarily in the grasslands and savannas of The Boneriddled Plains.
Outbreaks of Frenzy have caused many kholo to migrate north, through The Divide and settling in The Myrathi Riverlands

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Newborn kholo are given a root name, typically that of a bone, plant, or animal (though never Hyena, as this is considered narcissistic and arrogant). As a kholo reaches certain milestones in life, they add descriptors to their name. Root names are often passed down through families, while descriptors are chosen to fit the kholo's personality or accomplishments, usually in raucous ceremonies.
Descriptors can be prefixed or affixed, and may be a single additional word (such as adding "Red" to the root name "Thorn") or a short phrase (such as adding "in Shadows" to the root name "Elephant"). Descriptors can be appeneded to existing ones to further emphisis a point (such as adding "Unbent" to the name "Iron Reed" to further emphesis the individual's fortitude).
Descriptors are earned at regular points in a kholo's life, such as when they reach adulthood or when they reach the age at which point they are considered an elder. They are also earned when a kholo achieves a significant role in society, such as becoming Cheif Elder, clan bonekeeper or storyteller, or a respected leader of a hunting or raiding pack.
Great deeds may also earn a kholo a descriptor, such as securing a significant victory in battle or improving kholo society in some manner.

Example Names

Jackal, Onyx Elepahnt in Shadows, Red Thorn, Unbent Iron Reed, Wistful Tooth, Woodpecker.

Gender Ideals

Kholo women typically work as hunters, warriors, and leaders, whil men become artisans, caretakers, and gathers. However, adherence to gender roles can vary between clans.
The roles of bonekeeper and storyteller are gender agnostic, and these possitions often serve as a route to authority for male kholo in an otherwise matriarchal society.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

All kholo share a common Kholo tongue which is composed of various growls, howls, barks, and similar sounds. While kholo of different regions have developed their own accents and dialects, the Kholo tongue is still broadly mutally intelligible.
A recent development in Kholo communication is Kholo Hand-Speak, a sign langauge developed originally in the Stingbearer tribe which quickly spread to other tribes due to it's useful ability to allow functionally silent communication among hunting party members.

Common Etiquette Rules

To kholo, the concept of honor is nothing more than a pointless risk—in fact, the Kholo word for "honor" translates literally to "risk without reason".
Wasting time on anything but victory, whether it's mercy or cruelty, is seen as little shy of immoral. Kholo see effectiveness as a cardinal virtue and belive that the best fight is one that never gives the opponent a chance to strike back.

Common Dress Code

Kholo typically wear minimal clothes as a matter of practicality. They tend to live in hot climates and are already covered in fur for protection. Armor is worn when available and necessary.
Kholo do have a basic concept of decency; they'll generally wear at least a loincloth. They'll also wear a variety of ceremonial clothing, including fine tunics, cloaks, kilts, skirts, dresses, and footwraps during celebrations and events.
Jewlery, especially that made from ancetral bones, are ubiquitous. Those kholo who have hair often braid it, and will include beads and charms within the braids.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Kholo have an unsentimental, metter-of-fact approach to life, and prioritize results over methods. They are usually loyal and generous to their people and ruthless towards outsiders—though who a kholo considers their "people" depends on the individual and may in fact include non-kholo.
Kholo appeal to their ancestors on a day-to-day basis. They will invoke their kin to bless cubs, ward off disease, or grant luck on hunts.
Kholo will call upon their gods on special occasions or in times of crisis.

Kholo Enclaves

Kholo typically live in semi-nomadic clans of 10 to 20 interrelated family groups, containing between 100 to 200 kholo total. These clans move between a handful of permanent camps near watering holes or good hunting grounds.
Clans are ruled by a council of female kholo, typically selected from the oldest members of each family. This council of elders selects one of their number as a Chief Elder, who is essentially the first among equals and sets the agenda. The council is adviced by the clan's bonekeeper and storyteller, as well as one or more kholo who lead hunting or raiding packs.
Bonekeepers focus on tending to the wishes of kholo ancestors and gods—they take their name from the ancestral bones that festoon their clothing and homes.
Storytellers serve as teachers and sages, and are expected to have an encyclopedic knowledge of local history, regional lore, and anything else relevant to the clan. They typically speak several langauges.
Kholo clans will hold impromptu festivals when their routes intersect, and gatherings of two dozen clans or mroe happen every few years. At these gatherings, clan leaders discuss matters of war and politics while others trade, celebrate, mingle, and play traditional sports and games.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Perhaps the most misunderstand kholo practice—and the most disturbing to outsiders—is the kholo practice of ancestor worship through endocannibalism. Kholo consume their dead as a sign of reverence, holding a grand feast and transforming the bones of the fallen into art or weapons.
Kholo extend this honor to respected foes, hoping to bring their enemy's cunning or strength into the clan. To the kholo, it's almost more offensive to not eat a dead body, no matter its origin; kholo see no point in wasting good meat.
Refusal to eat the flesh of a dead kholo is considered an insult to that kholo's memory and sacrifice and an implication that the kholo's flesh is unworthy of consumption. In fact, kholo will refuse to eat the bodies of particualrly hated foes; particularly warmongering kholo will even spike the bodies or heads of such despised enemies on tall spears placed about their holdings to dishonor the dead and intimidate would-be invaders.
In the native Kholo tongue, there exists an extremely offensive epithet that literelly translates to "not worth eating".

Mother Tongue: Placeholder

Lifespan

60 years or more

Average Height

6' - 7' (Great Kholo will be several inches taller)
~3' (Ant Kholo)

Geographic Distribution

• Boneriddled Plains
• Myrathi Riverlands