#brollen

I’m pretty much writing everything i have in my worldbuilding notebook down here

Bipedal mammals with domed heads with three horns on each side, 6 in all

horns “sprout” from the upper sides, curve out and taper

no velvet, no ridges, ivory colored horns hat curve out and have pointed ends

longest pair is closest to the back of the head, middle set is shorter and the pair closest to the eyes/face is the smallest and thinnest

rough, leathery skin. roughest and hardest on the domed portion of the head and bottoms of the feet, softest is the palm and undersides of fingers

horns are not shed and grow from the skull, a broken horn wont grow back

thick, degitigrade legs with clawed feet, build for long periods of running at a constant pace

short tail for balance

typically build more bottom-heavy, also for running

thick skulls, thickest part is the domed portion

the dome “blends smoothy’ into the head with no thick ridges separating the dome from the rest of the head, the dome also has square-ish hard “plates” that are unmistakably divided due to dividing lines.

their homeland is an island with a few peninsulas an a large archipelago south of it called Istellen, more on Istellen later

they naturally have the energy and stamina to run longer and faster than an average human can

give birth to live young, normally only one, rarely two

born with tiny round nubs instead of horns, the horns grow in later in life

while omnivorous the Brollen diet is typically composed of mostly meat. This is regional however and will have its own little post later

a culture of hunters and travelers, important values are cooperation, understanding, and non-wastefulness

4 different main cultural regions: Docklands (western part of the island, mostly the coast) Tribelands (forested southern parts of istellen and the large archipelago) Templelands (northeastern part of istellen, very mountainous and hilly) and Huntlands (the central plains of istellen)

4 languages that have a lot of overlap, but enough differences to count as separate languages

dockspeak, Tribespeak, Templespeak, and Huntspeak

earliest brollen communities were large nomadic groups that traveled in what is now called the Huntlands

eventually some of these large communities decided to semi-settle in the southern forested region and its large, large swamp-to-archipelago. it has countless forested islands in varying sizes separated by shallow waterways that slowly deepen as one goes farther out.

they technically never settled permanently in their camps. brollen were always coming, going, and returning for many reasons. but unlike before, there was a set place to come back to, to be home. a place where they can raise young and live when they wished to take a break from constant roaming.

these semi-settled communities grew and became tribes, giving the southern forested regions the name of Trbelands

later on, when brollen religion changed and grew for reasons to be explained separately, brollen began to travel to the northeastern mountains and valleys to build temples and sanctuaries dedicated to their god and his Starry Guards.

communities formed and grew around these religious locations, forming towns typically outside the periphery of  the temples.these communities flourished, allowing for brollen to spread out and build towns elsewhere in the mountains and valleys. The region was named Templelands for all of its holy sites.

The western coastlines were once a part of the Huntlands, but later became the Docklands as towns along the coasts were founded and grew around trading, communication, and travel with the lands outside Istellen. This is the smallest region of the four, but it is also the most densely populated for its size.

brollen jewelry is commonly made out of seeds, bones, horns and antlers from prey, and wood.

magic is a large and important part of their culture and languages

lots of percussion and vocals, very rhythmic 

the moon and sun are sacred, as they are the sources of power for the Starry Guards Monlal and Corona

the summer solstice, known as the “day of the sun” is a sacred holiday/religious event  held in the name of Corona and the sun

the winter solstice, known as the “day of the moon” is much like the “day of the sun” but held in the name of Monlal and the Moon, with more of a focus around celebrating life after death and those who have gone. This is due to the moon being the place where deceased brollen with a connection to their God go after death.

the equinoxes are also sacred holidays where both the Starry Wardens and their god Laniakea are celebrated and worshiped.

many common expressions are based off of hunting and their religion. some examples are “by the sun”,” by the moon”,”sunlight bless you”,”Moonlight guide you”,”praise the sun(or moon)”

singing is a large part of brollen life. they sing for fun, as a social activity, and in worship to their God and Guards

singing for any reason is usually considered to be honoring their Starry Guards, brollen often tilt their faces up and “sing to the sky” in belief their Guards will know they’re singing for them, and revere them.

Because of this, singing groups often do so outside or in a room with some sort of hole in the ceiling to allow their songs to reach the celestial bodies

also, brollen can sing VERY LOUD