Canis

Geography
An arid territory covering much of the eastern continent. A land of cracked earth and dust, the only green often sighted in short scrub and the rare oasis. The hard ground of the northern territories softens into sandy desert as it moves south into Pyxis and east into (unknown land). To the west, the badlands rise into mountains of grey stone, across which lie the fertile soils of Lacerta. Further northwest, the edges of the dark forests of Lepus encroach.

Life in the Canis provinces is harsh; the badlands and desert give up their secrets only with the greatest reluctance. Those who live there learn its lessons or die in the sun’s heat -- or worse, join the beasts and feral packs of changelings that roam the wastes, preying on those not cunning enough to escape or defeat them.

People
Known formally as the Canim, or Canian; informally called the Wolves or Shifters by outlanters. They are for the most part nomadic desert scholars, shaman-mages and shapeshifters who live with the land and rarely stay in one place for long. They are a pragmatic people, not much given to elaborate social graces; mainly ascetic in lifestyle, they are not much for comforts other than the bare necessities of survival.

Independence and the ability to fend for oneself is valued, but there is little hesitation to contribute to the common good- for in such harsh lands, one never knows when one's own clan might find itself in dire need of aid. There is equal emphasis placed on both physical skill and arcane knowledge: both the sword and the staff have their roles to play in the constant requirements of survival.

Those of the Canim prefer to judge people on their individual merits- a man who acts like a beast, or a beast who acts like a man, would be treated as their actions, not forms, dictate. As such, they will and long have accepted a wide variety of individuals into their ranks, returning honor with honor, and seeing no reason to turn away someone willing to work for their share. Once proven dishonorable, however, most outsiders find it difficult to return to the offended party’s good graces. They themselves are known for an acute sense of honor and responsibility, and never break their word once given.

Learning is treasured. Considerable oral tradition exists, with word games and logic puzzles being common social activities. The written word remains greatly prized, however- it is of highest honor to be chosen to be sent to record one's knowledge in and help maintain the great Canis libraries, which outsiders rarely even know exist, and never are permitted within. One of these libraries forms the core of each of their cities, carved into the stone of the high plateaus on which the city rests.

Community
The people of Canis are diverse, subdivided in numerous different ways. The broadest of these are often termed "tribes"- typically a collection of clans from a particular region, possibly sharing some common history or even ancestry. If something happens to threaten a clan, it will usually be others in the same tribe who are first to respond or come to their aid. Tribes are each centered around a single city, where their records and knowledge are stored.

The next level is the clans, which are smaller, but rather more closely-tied groups. Clans often originally consist of several related family septs, though may expand to encompass more through adoption or alliance. Clans are typically the largest groups that associate closely on a regular basis- it's rare for any issue to need to be resolved beyond what a meeting of clan elders can manage.

Within the clans then are various septs, or family bloodlines. Individuals of the same sept often live and travel together, though they may separate and form bands of their own, or several septs from the same or different clans may band together. Septs keep close record of their ancestry and new members to the family, whether born, adopted, or married, copies of which are maintained with the rest of the clan's registries in the city libraries.

When not traveling with family or clan groups, Canis often form other, independent bands. The size and makeup of these bands vary widely, and often change as members come and go. It's most common for traveling Canis to at least temporarily join up with a passing band, as it's often dangerous to travel the lands alone.

Government
Very loose. Wandering bands handle most problems, moving from village to oasis to village as the need arises. Larger issues are handled by one or more septs or clans, with the wisest among them meeting to discuss the problem. Problems big enough to involve an entire tribe are vanishingly rare, and scholars shudder to think what sort of disaster could bring all the tribes of Canis to act as one. It’s less that they’re disunited, though, than that everyone handles their own problems, and only asks for help if they’re overwhelmed.

Economy
Barter. Canim have no use for coin, except to melt down as metal or trade with other nations. They’ll accept it, but usually at a considerable markup, and a wise trader offers barter in kind. Generally, they trade things that can only be found in the deep desert: spices, medicinal plants, certain gemstones, and an incredibly potent liquor made of cactus. (Well, _mostly_ cactus.) The latter is almost exclusively a trade good; Canim don’t often indulge in habits that would affect their thinking. It’s much desired in Pyxis, and always sold in very small bottles. Also: glassmaking/glassblowing.

Settlement
What passes for a "village" in Canis is often little more than a semi-permanent collection of dwellings- mostly tents of animal hide- inhabited largely by members of a particular tribe, clan, or sept. Though a given location may be in use most of the year, how many individuals are living there, as well as who, tends to vary and fluctuate, as various septs and bands come and go. Villages often serve as centralized locations to exchange news, information, and goods with other clan members.

A Canis "city" usually consists of a few permanent buildings, and a large number of temporary dwellings, which are inhabited to some extent year-round. Permanent buildings are typically built of stone, sometimes even carved into cliffs or mountainsides. Mostly, these house things like the carefully-maintained and closely-guarded Canis libraries, as well as temples, meeting halls, permanent communal clan lodgings, and occasionally even other buildings such as taverns, stores, and inns. Most of the city, however, consists of a sea of tents, erected wherever their occupants happened to find an open patch of ground. Most trade occurs in open-air markets in these tent cities, though as the nomadic Canis are constantly coming and going, what's there one week may be gone the next. It's not unheard of to wake up one morning to find an entire neighborhood has packed up and left overnight, only to be replaced with an entirely different one. Though a few of the permanent buildings might boast solid doors, these are usually painstakingly-built to admit the occasional non-human or demi-human, and far more common is simple curtains hung across the entryway.

Technology
Only that which is practical in the desert. Metal is generally used for weapons, wood is almost never seen. Bone, stone and hide are common materials. Glass is common. Tech level is generally pretty low, though a surprising number of Canians will know what to do with more advanced technology when they see it; it’s lack of material that mostly constrains them.

Magic
Elemental, tending towards the classic four elements (earth, fire, air, water) and spiritualism, but a surprising number of variants exist. Magic is common and well-respected in Canis lands; the word “shaman” is used as a catch-all for most types of magical talent, a role that comes with certain social obligations and expectations.

Canian magic is heavily ritualized, but systemic; the rituals are used as a focus for certain patterns of thought and states of mind, which focus and direct the power. Knowing the meanings behind the rituals, new spells and modifications to old spells are commonly invented. Most shamans are particularly adept with one or two elements, being more naturally prone to the mindsets involved. Most other nations (other than Lacerta) fail to fully realize the potency of Canian shamans, since a great deal of their effort is bent on survival, and they are generally careful to maintain the natural balance.

Cuisine
Canian food is intensely spicy, occasionally to hide what it’s actually made of. Salt is also used heavily in order to retain water.

Native Creatures
۞ Beebats - The bee bats of this region form colonies in the domes of caves and other rock shelters.

۞ Bearbees - Always found near beebat colonies. They are not commonly hunted in Canis lands due to the large golden bears being considered sacred.

۞ Chenji - These enormous black birds are awe inspiring predators of the plains. Standing at the height of most men, their wingspan is nearly three times as large. They can easily pick up a person and carry them... and have been known to pick someone up just to let them drop. They have sharp metal beaks and the tips of their primary feathers are silvery.

۞ Tet - Small rodents with a row of spikes down their spine a tuft of fur at the end of their tail, they are omnivorous, a common pest and the spikes on their back are barbed and snap off easily making stomping on them a generally unwise decision. They are considered disease carriers and not eaten as a practice.

۞ Jek - Skinny, long faced bipeds, they closest resemble tan furred monkeys with lizard like tails. They are moderately intelligent and seem to have actually created some sort of communication system between themselves. They are also fearless, approaching both prey and small villages with the same casual confidence. They are omnivorous and live in small groups.

۞ Chirrah - (Beauty pet) This quick and nimble bird is fast and clever. They often exist in small groups and are actually not competitors for the beebats honey as many animals are when colonies exist. They actually tend to prey on the bearbees instead. They drink their blood as a feeding practice and whole flocks of chirrah often gather to descend upon a single weak or young bearbee who gets separated.

۞ Squidrat - Squidrats in Canis have a peculiar social habit and acquired habitat. They live in burrow colonies in Canis and tend to drag their food and whatever shinies have caught their beady little eyes into their complex underground mazes. Reclaiming what you lost tends to involve a shovel and a lot of luck.

The World
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The End of the World
A majority of the population heeded the Oracle's call and moved to the Sacred City, bringing with them the contents of the hidden libraries. Being mostly nomads, they had little difficulty gathering or moving themselves. Most survived, but their population was low to begin with.

The Sacred City
To those who had long dwelled in the desert, the Sacred City was an alien environment; their shamans, especially those of the earth element, are unfortunately attuned to the surrounding nature (and thus some of the first to hear the Old Man’s call). Many of them, desperate for purpose, threw themselves into whatever roles they could find. Still, they stubbornly held to themselves and their values, and in general had severe difficulty adapting; they kept many of their old customs, even though the environment was completely different.

The First Cycle
Very few of the tribes survived this long; those individuals that did tended to have iron senses of self and equally iron senses of honor. Refusing to compromise themselves for the sake of the games, they were therefore seen (or encouraged to be seen) as a “safe target” for the unavoidable atrocities of the Games. One of the first nations to vanish completely.

Lacerta
Long ago, Canis and Lacerta were one people; the reason that the ancestors of the Canim clans migrated over the mountains has been lost to history, except in the most ancient of the hidden Canis libraries.

Both nations still retain historically good relations, though Canians often think of the Lacertan lifestyle as decadent, born of rich availability of water and shade. It’s all very well to disport with a nymph of water, but when you might have prevailed upon her to bless your sept with enough water to reach the next oasis, to do so seems overly indulgent.

Affiliated Characters

 * Altjira of Fajro of the Arrente
 * Ari of Bitterwater of the Senmurv
 * Bones the Medicine Man
 * Fantian of Thunderwind of the Shuo
 * Jaeson of Stormwind of the Sharaad
 * Obelix of Layland of the Tiger's Roar
 * Nico of ____ of the Sharaad
 * Tjuta of Ulv of the Sharaad
 * Yhi of Dragon's Eye of the Dragon's Claws
 * Yla of Varg of the Sharaad