Paijez

The Paijez creatures have qualities that the humans beyond the arches may refer to as fae or faerie. My interactions with the species are limited, only a few weeks, but I have found the colony that lives in our little woods to be very social, some even knowing our language, and the children often play with my son. I remember crafting Paijez houses with my mother as a child but never seeing them myself as we lived in the city. I have often been intrigued by writings from Jita'nii where human and Paijez culture interact much more than they do here and I look forward to the opportunity to communicate with them and learn more about their culture here in Aureus.
Lady Sarah Kenneth's Journal

They live in all of the mainland countries in Zùnarìbh but do not live on any of the little islands or the larger island of Aurelia. Mostly they live in the undergrowth of heavily forested areas.There are core similarities among all of the Paijez across the continent - their appearance, family structure, and government structure. There are variations of dialect, workforce structure, and interaction with human cultures between colonies as they spread so far apart.
The Paijez have existed as a species as long as the world has. They cannot be said to have officially been "discovered" as they have been seen by humans for as long as they have shared the world. However, each country has had a human or group of humans who have begun the study of the species.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Paijez are magical plants. They look like a North American star flower. The leaves flow down, looking like a skirt for both genders. They have two arm like tendrils branching off above the leaves and two-six more tendrils weaved among the leaves that they use to move around, like legs. Their basic structure is like that of plants, their tendrils and leaves are made up of an almost identical cellular structure to that of most small flowering plants. Their core "stem" is tougher, more woody than the tendrils.

Genetics and Reproduction

The species mate in male and female pairs and bond for life. The species reproduces an average of five times over the course of their lives. When reproduction occurs, the female body creates a pod buried within the leaves where seeds form 5-10 at a time. Eventually the pod releases the seeds containing the genetic information to continue growing within a lightly woody protective shell. The parent plants prepare a moist, mossy bed for the seeds to finish germinating. Germination happens as the seeds continue growing inside until they break through the protective barrier and they continue to grow as seedlings.

Growth Rate & Stages

The Paijez grow very slowly compared to non sentient, herbaceous plants, they also live for a very long time ~100 years. Each Paijez may take more or less time to develop in each stage. Their growth stages are as follows:
infant stages

Pod stage: Seeds row and form in a pod within the mother's body. 1 year.

Germination stage: The seeds are released and continue developing within the seed casing. In this time their brain and organs finish developing. 6 months.

- Seedling stage: The seedlings grow out of the seed casing but remain stationary in the moss. In this time their body develops, forming their core stem, tendrils, and little leaves. 1 year.
Child stages

Vegetative stage: The little plants begin moving more and more while continuing to grow. In this phase, the creatures are very thin and tendrilly with no leaves or petals developing. In this time they begin to learn familial and social culture of their species. They learn how to move around, begin learning to use their magic, and how to talk. The focus is on growing the body and building the mind. They might continue growing up to 6 "leg" tendrils until the ripening stage. 10 years.

Budding stage: Flower petals and leaves begin developing and grow into their "hair" and "skirts". The body continues to grow very slowly. They continue to learn more and more about the world around them, their minds still absorbing new information and skills. They act developmentally very young compared to older Paijez (like humans ages 8-13). 10 years.

Adult stages

Flowering stage: The plants tendril growth continues to slow down. The flowers and leaves continue growing until they reach their full length. Their genetic ability to reproduce develops to completion in this time. Once this stage is complete, the Paijez are fully developed and ready to begin their own reproductive cycle. 8 years.

Ripening/Reproductive stage: The Paijez in this stage are capable of reproduction. Socially, they might bond with a partner and raise families, reproducing an average of 5 times. They work together as a culture and interact with the cultures around them in jobs and family life. Sub-stages can include pollination and fertilization between bonded pairs and the mother's side of the pod stage. 60 years.

- Ebb stage: They Paijez begin to reach the end of their life cycle. Their body has completely stopped developing and will no longer reproduce. They remain strong and capable but will begin to decline during this phase leading into old age and death. 10 years.

Ecology and Habitats

The majority of Paijez live in colonies in forests, building homes of living plants in the trees and underbrush. They can manipulated and use the plant life but they also care for the plants and protecting them if needed.
Colonies in forests near homes and towns will often work together though how much varies from place to place.

Dietary Needs and Habits

They gain sustenance from water, sunlight, sugars (like fruit), and some chemicals from decomposing plants and animals.
They gather food using their magic to grow or ripen some as needed, but they do not keep fields. They have store houses at the base of some trees, using the energy from the ground and roots to help preserve it as needed.

Additional Information

Social Structure

They live in colonies of 100-1,000 spread out over the mainland. Each colony has a chief along with a group of Paijez in the Ebb stage who act as governors, jury, and councilors. They generally live throughout their colonies as family units (children, parents, and grandparents).

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The Paijez are the only species in this world that can harvest threads from the "silk plant" and many colonies conduct trade with humans for it.
In urban human towns, Paijez will sometimes voluntarily work with the humans, helping with garden or park maintenance. In a few areas, the Paijez are captured and forced to help or kept as novelties, attractions.

Facial characteristics

The flower portion of the creature looks like hair, the petals point up and back, away from the tiny face. Their eyes are always very dark green, almost looking black in certain lighting.

Average Intelligence

They are an intelligent species with legends, myths, histories, science, math, grammar structure, and magic.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The Paijez have access to the magic energy that flows throughout Zùnarìbh (Magic System. Their basic magic level matches that of the humans when it comes to things like healing or energy changes. They are very strong when channeling plant energy and can cause plants to grow, mature, and move faster and in ways that human's cannot.
In addition, the Paijez can communicate with each other almost literally through the grapevine. They can code messages in the energy vibrations of plants to be passed along, they use special markers like address labels. This way they can communicated with other Paijez on the opposite side of the continent.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Within the Paijez, there are 6 major groups with sub clans in each group. Because they can communicate over long distances through plants, they share their basic government and family structure. And as many of the Paijez as possible meet twice a year in a large, family reunion type gathering in the mountains bordering K'henta, Jita'nii, and Aureus.
Paijez Jita'nii

3 clans

Value working alongside all of the species in the country. Help with agriculture and forest preservation.
Paijez Ilan

2 clans

Value isolation and forest preservation. Mostly avoid interaction with humans though they have a few ambassadors so they know what the humans are doing.
Paijez Nechlar

2 clans

Value nature. They focus mostly on expanding the forests and prairie land.
Paijez Aureus

3 clans

Value home and family life. They don't generally care about the other species in the area as long as their homes are left alone.
Paijez Alterrah

2 clans

Value family life and nature. One clan lives and works with the humans in their main city of Garint. The other lives in the mountains.
Paijez K'hetna

4 clans

Value strength and cunning. Works with humans but relations are tense.
Paijez Panthera

1 clan

Value strength and independence. Ignored by humans but sometimes that means getting bowled over by them.

Relationship Ideals

The Paijez bond for life in pairs of male and female. The bonding typically takes place around the age of 30 but there are variations.
They value loyalty and strict work roles in relationships. These work roles are decided between the pair and the elder who binds them. These roles are divided equally and they may be from a couple big categories: community jobs, household jobs, familial jobs, and ambassador jobs.

Average Technological Level

They use almost no technology at all unless they are working with humans in their gardens. As a general rule, they live in and work with plants.
They do have containers made of special rock and fibers that they use to carry chemicals they harvest from decaying matter.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Their main language is Cintan and it acts as a universal language for the species. Every Paijez learns formal Cintan in school so that they can communicate with all the other Paijez communities.
Each large group has different slang and colloquialisms and each clan within those groups has a slightly different dialect based on the blending of Cintan and the language of the country they live in.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The Bonding: Whe Paijez are ready to bond, they meet with an elder and work out their jobs and where they will live. The pair then stand before their families and the elders and vow their bond. Then they walk together through their village to their home while the rest of the Paijez watch, like a parade.
New Growth festival: The beginning of spring when winter has finished and the plants begin growing again. The majority of Paijez become seedlings in this season as well. They have a village wide feast, decorations, and dancing.
The Sleeping: When winter comes the plants sleep under the snow (in areas that get snow otherwise it is just the beginning of the cooler time of year). The Paijez form a long dining hall out of roots and undergrowth and have an indoor feast and reminisce about the previous year.

by Mimagine Art

Origin/Ancestry

Star Flower

Lifespan

100

Average Height

Paijez are around one millimetre when born and grow to be 3-5 inches tall.

Average Weight

They weigh very little.

Average Length

If they fully stretch out all their tendrils, they can reach 7-8 inches long.

Average Physique

They are very thin and fluid, their bodies made up of a stem and tendrils. They are fairly strong, especially when pushing through cracks.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Their petals are white with possible variations of light greens, blues, or purples at the base near the head fading into the light green color of their heads. This color darkens down the rest of their bodies in varying shades and combinations of greens, green-yellows, and browns.