#ythrili

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BASIC OUTLINE

a fluffy woodland species

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they are a magic capable species, but rarely utilize these abilities outside of emergency, or for minor life conveniences

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Mostly vegetarian diet, revolving a lot around eating flowers, fungi, and things like leaves/tree bark. Many floral and berry teas.

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There are about 5,000 of them in total. They have had a violent past of bad interaction between them and other species (pretty much just out of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, they've never been openly antagonistic towards others or anything. None of these conflicts were ever their fault, just random things they got caught in the middle of), and after losing about 75% of their original population, they finally decided their native lands weren't safe,  the remaining individuals fled and settled into new more isolated lands. Since their migration to this new large forested area, they have been incredibly reserved and  not really open to outsiders.

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Very traditional, isolated and self-focused, they place extreme importance on keeping true to their culture and repopulating their species. Though not in a hostile way (like they don't hate outsiders or anything), more just exclusively out of fear , after living in such a harmful environment in the past, they are very very cautious and self preserving, and just want to be left alone in peace and never threatened again. Part of why they find it important to celebrate themselves and keep their traditions alive is because they never know when some new disaster may happen, and they don't want to lose anything this time (like during some of their earlier conflicts stuff would happen like, a library with all their relevant info would be burnt down and the information is now lost forever, or a small group of craftsman would be killed and they were the only ones who knew how to use certain technology or etc, etc,), so it's really significant to them to connect with their roots and learn about themselves and live a very ancient lifestyle, usually politely refusing any outsiders or outside trade or outside technology, opting instead for the way they've been doing things for centuries. (though they don't consider their way of doing things to be superior, or others' to be worse, they just see them as different methods of accomplishing the same goal. Like modern ovens wouldn't be seen as evil or wrong or bad, but they'd still just prefer to cook over plain fire if needed, etc.)  Though other groups can find them to be a little rude due to how they seem to want nothing to do with anyone else, they are actually very kind and considerate when forced to interact with others. They're a peaceful and non-violent species, so they tend to be extremely respectful and considerate of others, they're just also a bit self-isolating lol.

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They're incredibly festive and have a very strong sense of community and belonging, and they celebrate an abundance of different ceremonies of nearly every occasion. There are many elaborate social and group activities occurring often.

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They very rarely leave their homeland, and most (like 99.9% of them) spend their entire lives in the little wooded area designated to the species. Most live in little tree homes, but they also have a lake and an elaborate system of damp caves that they thrive in (below is an image of their land)

But on the rare occasion that someone does have a desire to leave for personal (their ideas don't fall in line with their society, etc.) or scholarly (they'd like to study the outside land and other cultures, etc.) reasons, they are readily allowed to leave and are usually wished off well and given an elaborate farewell ceremony. This is difficult though, since the Ythrili also have no monetary system, but most outside cultures do. Essentially anyone who leaves is going to be unprepared, and at least initially, be homeless and poor. Usually they try to bring items with them that they can perhaps trade with outside cultures for food, shelter, or some kind of common currency, but this doesn't always work. Thus, it's seen as a large and heroic, very brave commitment to ever venture outside the homelands. Even if one of them only stays gone for like a month and then returns back to the property, all the rest of the Ythrili are still going to like applaud them as extremely courageous and be incredibly interested in any stories or items they've brought back from their travels. They know how difficult and scary it is to leave their sheltered lands, to the few rare traveling Ythrili are always highly respected.

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✿Physical Details✿

(ghh i know this image is ancient and pixelated and barely readable, I plant to do an updated one but I don't have any other reference images for them, so I just have to use this for right now lol)

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also, I have a post with some old sketches of them to also help show how they look HERE (link) 

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✿ Culture ✿

✥ There is no distinct religion, but many of the ceremonies and traditions  do have association with a strong connection to nature, and can seem very similar in nature to a sort of religion (though they claim to have none)

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✥ Mating is seen as much more of a scientific and unemotional thing, and relationships are not nearly as common in Ythrili as in other species. About 45% of the population chooses to have no relations whatsoever or just has no interest in mates, 20% have loose and open casual relationships, and only 30% have long term committed relationships with others (the other 5% are children and thus aren’t considering anything about mating/dating yet).  Friendship and group community are seen as significantly more important than romantic or sexual relationships. Sexual relationships are still seen as important to an extent, but it’s mainly because they need to increase the population. Mating is rational and is done solely for the sake of adding to the population. The parents who create the child often are not in a relationship (they usually just choose two random people out of the pool of current mating volunteers), and usually don’t even play a significant role in raising the child themselves. Since their society is so extremely close-knit, children are often raised by many people, and are often looked after, cared for, and taught by a wide variety of people in the group rather than just by their two biological parents. Their society is largely communal, and that reflects in the method of raising children and mating.  

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✥ There is no official schooling system, but there are many different roles in society which people take on out of individual choice, and some choose to be teachers, scholars, and specialists. It’s common for those in roles like this to collectively teach the population a wide variety of skills. So though there’s not necessarily a school system, they are still a reasonably educated species that places emphasis on having skills.  It's just usually more informal, like if you wanted to be a craftsperson for a living, you'd just approach a few of the random people in the village who make crafts and ask "hey can you teach me how to do that?" and they'll probably just be like "yeah meet me here tomorrow morning and we can go over some things". Or for more abstract things like learning history or science or etc., you may have to speak to a designated teacher who handles that sort of thing, but it'd be the same where you and maybe one or two other people just meet them out next to some trees in the morning and listen while they explain stuff to you lol.

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✥ Because of their peaceful, reserved, group & community focused culture, violence is extremely rare within the species. 99% of all violent acts, crime, and death/harm are caused by outside evens or outside species acting as the aggressor/instigator.

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✥ A few Ythrili speak multiple languages in order to be able to communicate with outside species if needed (usually those in the Leader or Strategist roles), but they do have a small communication system of their own, mostly consisting of:  chirping, rattling noises, squeaks, humming, whistles, clicking noises, and gurgles.

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✥ - Clothing - : Fur collars are very custom, used in almost every outfit. They vary and can range from basic to elaborate in style.

(^ fur collar examples) (god i know these are so blurry , I'll try to draw new images for this really soon hbhhjb)

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They are barefoot a majority of the time, since they have foot pads, and thus really only need foot cover if they’re in a harsh or extreme environment. Most common clothing is just long robes with pants or shorts underneath. The robes can vary in sleeve length but usually are always at least knee-length and typically bell-shaped. Most clothes are very simple but can be more layered, bright, and intricate for special occasions.  

(extremely blurry and pixelated examples of Ythrili clothing, possibly)

✥ Shininess of hair and skin is seen as a standard of beauty, so many will rub honey or plant slimes onto themselves to appear more shimmery and slimy and gel-like.

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✥ Body piercing is highly common and part of many traditions. Piercing ceremonies happen nearly once a year, and there are many special ornaments and piercings associated with special events and certain lifestyle choices.  (I’ll make a graphic showing common types of piercings sometime soon)

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♢ Common Roles in Society ♢

There is no real hierarchy in society, all living is largely communal and cooperative. Resources are pooled, people usually share their homes, children are raised by many parents, etc. But, there are a few typical roles that people may choose to adopt in society. It’s encouraged that everyone pursue their interests in order to have a fulfilling life and ways to pass the time. Though they wouldn’t really be considered ‘jobs’ since there is no system of money or payment, many people still refer to them as ‘careers’ or ‘life-callings’. Normally, the path someone pursues is well known to the rest of the members of the species, so they will gradually begin to fill this role and become relied on for it (ex: “Oh, she has extensively studied plant life and knows everything about them, if you have a question about plants, you should go talk to her!”, “Oh well he’s a well known activist in the community, if you're studying historical politics you should definitely go talk to him”, etc). It's expected that everyone fill some sort of role as their responsibility to contribute to the collective, but it's usually simple work that you do at your own pace, you get a lot of time to decide, and can always change roles at any time (or mix two, if you want to specialize in multiple areas, etc.)

 Not every individual will fit into one of these categories, but these are the eight most common (in no specific order).

✽ Crafters - Those who do woodworking, sewing, candle-making, jewelry creation, etc. These individuals commonly make essential furniture, supplies, and other items for the group. Usually any small things that are practical for daily use.

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✽ Caretakers - Mostly attend to children, since they are raised in a group-style, but this also includes medical doctors who study the species, and mental health specialists as well. There are a few physical-trainers also, but this is not common.

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✽ Scholars/Scientists - Those who focus on academics. Typically historians, researchers, chemists, etc. They all have their own specialties and are free to pursue whatever interests them. It is common for them to double with other roles as well  ( caretaker + scholar, activist + scholar, strategist + scholar, etc.)

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✽ Engineers/Laborers - Those who coordinate in designing the layout and build new places or organize the environment. Most everyone participates in manual labor equally (if they are able), but these individuals specialize in knowing how to build, being physically fit, and knowing how to efficiently coordinate these projects, or teach others how to do things quickly. It is also common for them to double with other roles, or have extra hobbies on the side, since new things are not constructed often, and they have a lot of “off-time” from their typical role.

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✽ Food Specialists - People who grow, gather, and prepare food for the group. Often chefs and farmers. They also often do rationing, and keep track of distributing food equally amongst the population, or keeping an eye on making sure people's special dietary needs are met. They usually also keep track of the weather, study agriculture and know a lot about the science of food and plants, so their role typically extends far beyond just simply growing and preparing the food.

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✽ Artists - Those who further the culture by producing arts, music, popular literature, and all things similar. They are also commonly the ones in charge of piercing or doing any body modifications, and also coordinating the ceremonies and special events that are held all of the time. They often work alongside others in little groups, and commonly coordinate with the Crafters.

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✽ “Leaders”/Activists - Though there are no set leaders or elected officials of the group, there are individuals who spend time surveying the group, keeping peace, and speaking up for anyone who’s needs may be getting ignored. They are the closest things to lawyers, law enforcement, or politicians that exist in this society. They often just spend most of their time getting to know everyone, listening to everyone’s opinions,  and aiding in communication/ spreading ideas to the collective. They like to handle people problems, and often will help in settling disputes or making big decisions once they are informed of everyone’s perspectives. They are also usually the ones who are sent to communicate with outside species, or in charge of responding to the invitations from others.

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✽ Strategists/Philosophers - Those who spend most of their time simply thinking about things. Idea people who are always contemplating the big picture, analyzing society, and thinking of ways to improve things or frame ideas in a different light. These individuals are also often the ones who coordinate community gatherings where ideas are discussed and voted on. They often coordinate alongside the Leaders/Activists, and help them with policy/strategy or coming up with new theories and ways of viewing a particular situation.

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✿ Health Info ✿

✥ They can have allergies and slight flus/colds, depending on the person’s genes. Certain allergies or proneness to cold/flu are found to run in biological families (which even though children are usually comunally raised and may not know their parents, there are still records kept of the true family lines of the species, used to health reference and etc.). But overall, illness as a whole in the species is not entirely common outside of these minor things.

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✥ “The Glass Sickness”: However, there is one known illness known to affect the species. The condition is characteristically known for the fact that affected children’s pigments do not fully develop, leading them to have more glassy, cloudy, almost translucent skin. This is nearly always accompanied by blindness, joint and bone issues, breathing problems, circulation issues, physical deformations, frequent rashes/allergies, 75% higher chance of early or sudden death, and trouble with motor control. Those with this illness also tend to have much stronger and more extensive magic abilities (if they even live long enough to discover this), but specialists of medicine and illness have still found no concrete reason for this seeming correlation, though extensive research has taken place on the matter.  This is really the only well-known condition in the Ythrili species, other than basic allergies, bacterial infections and a few common (and usually mostly harmless) genetic mutations. ‘The Glass Sickness’ currently affects up to 25% of the population, and is considered a very serious problem, though the source and possible treatments are still mostly unknown. Treatment is usually just focused on making the person's life as comfortable as possible and helping them in every way they can, until eventually they die from one of their medical complications.

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✥ As far as mental health is concerned, rates of mental illness are very low (only about 3 - 5% of the population). The species does have a natural inclination towards a slightly anxious temperament, so anxiety disorders are the most common overall. In the population of older Ythrili who have lived through the violence, war, and relocation of the species, symptoms of PTSD are somewhat frequently observed.

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✥ Those who have physical and mental health conditions are very well taken care of, and typically recover very fast (or at least see some sort of remissions in symptoms/ learn to cope with them easier), partially due to them being a very collective society and always looking out for one another. Those with any debilitating condition receive much support and specialized care.    In Ythrili society, food, shelter, and all necessary accommodations are already provided to all members of the group regardless of who they are, what they do, or how much they're able to personally contribute. The concept of paid jobs doesn’t really exist, since they have no monetary system and resources are simply distributed equally or as seen fit (like some people may naturally eat less so they request less food, etc.). People just pursue whatever interests them and will work actively in their fields of passion/societal role, but are normally never paid. Though occasionally people will trade or barter or make deals with each other for extra resources, most everything is just readily available to individuals naturally, as they pool their resources and usually manage them well in a way that there's not many shortages or anything.  Because of all this, people don’t commonly suffer any sort of resource insecurity due to being mentally or physically sick. Since everything is provided for them anyways, being incapable of working doesn’t largely impact them in this way. Though they do all make efforts to recover as quickly as possible to return to the things they love, they aren’t under as much stress as other societies, and typically take as much time as they need to work on or heal from their conditions. The lack of stress, resource insecurity, and health stigma, all make it much easier for individuals in this society to recover quickly, and if not, still be accommodated for.

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✿ Lifecycle ✿

✥  Mating ceremonies are held every so often when they notice that the population is dwindling or they are in need of more members.

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✥  There are no real ‘males’ or ‘females’ in terms of mating, it simply takes two people to reproduce, but essentially any adult can reproduce with any other adult, regardless or sex/gender. (not that they really even have much of a concept of sex or gender to begin with lol, their anatomy and culture is pretty different from many other groups, and usually wouldn't make sense to have such divisions)

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✥  Coloring and spotting occur gradually as the child grows. Babies will be nearly entirely one color and have no spots and only a small amount of fur, but by the age of about 28 - 35 years old, an individuals coloring and spotting patterns will be fully developed, as well as having much more fur.

–The Stages of Life –

First, two people reproduce. Once a person is pregnant, they will go into a hibernation phase in the caves for about 50 - 60 days. The whole group takes turns bringing them food and caring for them during pregnancy.  Once the children are finally born, they will be roughly the size of a fist, and typically occur in even numbers (two kids, four kids, etc.). Then the parent will take the small babies and wrap them in silky sacks made from a plant that commonly grows in the caves. They stay, monitoring the children as they develop in the fluid filled egg-like cocoon thing. The damp, dark, cool environment is ideal for this development phase.  After a week or two (depending on the child) they will pop out by themselves once growing too large for the egg thing. At this point, they have grown roughly to the size of a common cat. The parent will then remove the fluid from the child’s lungs and clean them off, then leave the cave with them, or send them off to leave with another person who will care for them.  -

Now, they are in the first stage of waking life. They are cared for by the collective tribe and just hang out and grow for a few years. After a while (around 4 - 5 years old), they will begin to grow rapidly, gaining more vibrant colors and spots while also shedding skin.  A ceremony is held, and they are wrapped in bandages and ceremonial attire, then moved back into the caves. They rest and mostly sleep for a few months as they grow. Then, a new ceremony is held where they are cut from the bandages, taking all outer layers of skin with it, emerging with their new much more vibrant and glossy skin.  This is one of the biggest ceremonies for the species, and is often accompanied by a continued week of feasts and celebration. Since children are often born in groups (10-20 people will decide to try for pregnancy all at the same time so that it’s more easily coordinated within the group), it’s usually 20 - 30 children in the ceremony at the same time, and it becomes a very big event.  -

Now the most physically transformational phases are over, and they proceed with normal life. Though there are many different ceremonies held over other events (learning a new language fluently, mastering a skill, saving a life, doing good for the species, declaring a ‘life-purpose/societal role’, turning 10 years old, turning 15 years old, turning 20, etc.), most of the large events centered around physical development are over at this point.  -

By age 30 - 35, the individuals are fully developed, with things like height, weight, spotting pattern, colors, hair, fur, personality, and brain development all fairly stable at this point.  -

Lifespan is naturally from around 440 - 700 years old. The dead are significantly honored in elaborate week long ceremonies, since outside of times of war (where many may die simultaneously), death doesn’t occur very often. One person may die once only every 10 - 20 years. Since it’s a fairly small group of people, all very non-violent and well provided for, basically all incidents of death are from natural causes, 95% of them solely from age.  After death, a body will be taken to the large lake in the middle of the Ythrili lands, and wrapped in the petals of massive flowers that grow native to the area. Once fully wrapped in petals, they are sent out onto the lake, often with decorative stones, items, or candles placed on top of them, and are left to float along until eventually sinking to the bottom to decompose.  This lake is seen as sacred because of it’s ties to the rituals of death, and aside from very rare exceptions, it’s considered extremely taboo to swim in this lake or travel through it. (Though it's permissible to gather food or medical ingredients from the lake, and water may be taken from it for special things, and sometimes people can be in it during specific ceremonies, largely people don't mess with it)