Rurrins - Randomverse Wiki

THIS AINT DONE IM JUST TESTING SHIT LOL	Rurrins THIS PAGE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. TO ADD: EXTRA PAGE IMAGES, ARTS 'N FASHIONS, WHATEVER ELSE LOL PLACEHOLDER FOR PAGE IMAGE Rurrins are a largely planetbound race of mammalian bipeds originating from planet Syu-Mahri. They are skilled burrowers and fighters, with a inclination towards developing psychic powers. The tendrils on their backs are incredibly strong and flexible, and mainly used to navigate branches and tree roots. Their societies are largely subterranean in nature due to the violent and unforgiving nature of their homeworld's surface. Their technology is not particularly "advanced" by galactic standards; while they are aware at least in theory of other alien races, few rurrins have had the resources available to reach space, even when surrounded by alien technology. (While part of this is driven by fear, there is some active suppression of research being applied to many of the larger rurrin cities...)
Physiology Rurrins are bipedal, plantigrade warm-blooded nocturnal mammals. They usually average around 5-6 feet in height and often have thick, stocky builds. They are omnivorous scavengers and mostly only hunt if desperate. They are covered in dense mid-length fur over much of their body, with stiffer and more wiry hairs on their heads, tail tips, ear tips, and covering their tendrils. Their arms and legs terminate in incredibly large and powerful furless paws with large and durable keratin claws. These claws are usually not especially sharp, as their main purpose is for burrowing and tunneling in soil. The skin on these paws is especially tough and difficult to pierce. Attached at the shoulderblades are their “tendrils”, simple and incredibly flexible extra limbs that generally come in one two four pairs. The fur covering these tendrils is hooklike, giving them an almost velcro-like texture. These extra limbs are primarily to allow for navigation around mazes of tree branches and tree roots while keeping their limbs free, though also serve the secondary purpose of allowing one to carry a great deal of things - most frequently, this is how a mother carries around a litter of pups. Their heads are shaped like tapered ovals, rabbitlike in shape. The purpose of their longer hair is uncertain. They have particularly large and sensitive ears that typically hang over the back of the head, but can pivot in other directions if necessary. They do not have whiskers, though their eartips serve a similar purpose. Their eyes are sideways-facing and allow for a wide field of vision, though they have a blind spot over the bridge of the nose. They are incredibly sensitive to light, allowing them to see in incredibly dark spaces but impairing them in direct sunlight. They can come in nearly any color and heterochromia is rather common. The horns on their heads come in numerous shapes and configurations, and are made of the same keratin as their claws. It is believed the horns on rurrins were once, in ancient times, much larger and came in more practical shapes, originally for fighting and marking territory, but as their species shifted to a more underground lifestyle they became vestigial in nature. While not all rurrins have horns, they can be present regardless of sex. Their furless tails are primarily for balance and communication, flexible enough to allow for a wide range of nonverbal signals. They can also be swung around with a great deal of force, though this is not recommended as the skin there is not as tough as that on the paws. Rurrins sexually reproduce in a way typical to mammals, and give live birth to litters that usually average four to eight. They undergo an estrous cycle bi-yearly, though contraceptive drugs have been developed and are widely accessible to allow individuals personal suppression and regulation of these effects in themselves. Newborn rurrins are born furless and with their eyes closed, and generally grow in a downy coat by one week, though the more wiry fur can take up to a year to fully grow in. Rurrin children grow up quickly and are generally capable of walking and talking at 4 human years, and by roughly 14-and-a-half human years have reached adulthood. Without taking into account childhood deaths or deaths by physical injury, the average rurrin lifespan is 45 human years. The oldest rurrin on record, however, reached the age of 87 human years, so it is believed that further medical advancements may be able to greatly increase the average projected lifespan to some unclear extent. While it is rather uncommon, psychic powers of varying strength have been known to manifest in some rurrins. The source of these powers is unknown (they do not appear to be purely genetic in nature), though the strength of the powers are known to be influenced by what moon the rurrin was born under. Generally these only manifest as simple psychokinesis, but there have been recorded instances of telepathy, pyromancy, and electrokinesis.
Culture Communities and Daily Life Due to the incredibly dangerous nature of Syu-Mahri’s surface, rurrin communities mainly consist of underground networks of burrows and underground caverns. Cities tend to build around the large underground hollows that form around the roots of mega-trees, building homes under, around, and through the roots. Some smaller communities are nomadic and thus comfortable with creating a temporary cozy nook in the ground and moving on next moonrise, but more permanent homes are generally built of or reinforced with sturdy wooden planks, often if applicable pulled from the exact tree whose roots the homes are built around. These homes are rarely ever regularly shaped, as they are built to fit as perfectly as possible into the space they are in. Rurrins are a naturally social species, coming together in tightly knit groups to ensure each others’ mutual care and protection. In smaller colonies, frequently every individual knows every other individual, while in much larger ones smaller and more close-knit sub-colonies tend to form. Many small nomadic communities consist of one or two families travelling together, occasionally visiting by larger and more stationary colonies and joining up with an outsider or two. Colonies are primarily non-hierarchical direct democracies, though family-based nomads tend to defer to an elder and some cities of significant size follow other forms of government ranging from representative democracy to monarchy. The majority of rurrin cultures do not have the concept of currency and instead rely on bartering. Children are generally raised by the entire colony or sub-colony and tend to view the entire community as family. For this reason, rurrins primarily pair up with outsiders, and in many colonies young rurrins seeking to start their own families often leave the colony to start their own. Depending on the culture, there is not often any special emphasis placed on a bond between parent and child as compared to any other familial tie, though the parent’s role is generally at least acknowledged - and in some cultures, parents are revered after death. Romance is not a common concept, as the bond between two parents is not treated as much different than the bond between either of them and any other particular member of their community. Despite these two things, however, having a one night stand and ditching your kids instead of helping everyone raise them is generally considered a careless jerk move at best and exile-worthy behavior at worst. For safety, the average rurrin community stays underground by day and sends scavenging parties above-ground to gather resources by night. Stealth and swiftness are highly valued traits in a rurrin, as is decent self-defense skills. There are niche communities of purely diurnal and/or above-ground rurrins, however - outside opinions on these groups range from “they’re brave” to “they’re terrifying” to “they’re stupid.” They do not have access to mass-production, so those with the skills to make functional and durable tools are held in high regard. Quality-of-life innovations spread quickly between groups of colonies that are often in contact with each other, but often take a while to reach outside of those circles. While some larger cities have access to hydroelectricity, it is not commonplace outside of them due to the impracticality of the available generators for a nomadic lifestyle. (...While there has been work into reverse-engineering the technology behind the killer machines that plague Syu-Mahri, it is only in small pockets of individuals due to Malum pressuring many of the larger cities to forbid this line of research.) By and large, due to the focus on survival and taking care of one’s own community, violent conflict between different rurrin colonies is uncommon - but certainly not unheard of. Most are small-scale between groups of nomads, squabbling over resources or personal grudges, but large-scale wars between cities are known to happen now and then. Communities uninvolved in such wars prefer to keep out of it as best they can. Spirituality and Symbolism Much of rurrin culture and spirituality revolves around the celestial bodies around their planet - the sun, and the seven different-colored moons that orbit their world. The sun, due to its presence during the day, is associated with power and danger - however, whether that means it should be feared, revered, or both depends on the specific culture. All moons but the seventh - the gray moon - are revered to some extent, both due to their association with the night and due to their unclear but definite influence on those born with psychic powers. The colored moons have also all lent to symbolism of colors being very important to rurrin culture and a spiritualization of rainbows. The specifics of what the moons are and what they represent is varied - common beliefs are that they are guardian beings or the worlds from which the six mythical heroes have been sent, though some less superstitious individuals believe them to each have some sort of magnetic or psychic fields unique to them rather than any magical aspects. Some believe in a zodiac-esque system where what moon a child is born under influences their life, though these beliefs are mostly for fun. The most commonplace associations with each of the first six moons and their colors are as follows: Red: Heroism and courage, a strong drive to protect the weak. Associated with blood (often one's own), strong friendships, passion, and the evening. Orange: Tenacity and hard work, the ability to finish grueling tasks because they must be done. Associated with soil, burrowing, practical solutions, and wood sculptures. Yellow: Intensity and power, the ability to lead and command the respect of others. Associated with claws and teeth, violence and adrenaline, radiant speeches, the thrill of the hunt, and sunlight. Green: Stealth and craftiness, cleverness and analytical minds. Associated with plant life, improvisation and innovation, keeping and finding secrets, and winged insects. Blue: Patience and observance, tuning into the surrounding world. Associated with the sky, peace in solitude, storytelling, mystery, and the depths of the oceans. Purple/pink: Hope and healing, a will to find and nurture the best in others. Associated with fruit and flowers, artistic endeavours, the warmth of others, supporting the weak, and the comfort of dark spaces. The seventh - gray - moon is not revered the same way as the others, as it is the source of the haywire war machines currently plaguing Syu-Mahri (detritus left in orbit from a previous civilization that once lived there, frequently caught in Syu-Mahri’s gravitational pull and brought on-planet to wreak havoc.) Nicknamed “the moon that hates”, it is the source of a great deal of superstitions and fears. Many consider it an ill omen to be born under the gray moon, or even to scavenge under it. Some especially superstitious folk will roll a ritual die to arbitrarily assign a new color to rurrin children born under the gray moon, just to be safe. Fables and legends of the rurrin people are mostly passed around orally, and heavily vary from community to community. However, one of the most widespread and significant rurrin legend is that of the six mythical heroes: Centuries ago, one of the deadliest machines fallen from the gray moon landed on the surface of Syu-Mahri, an enormous mechanical dragon whose nickname translates roughly to “Forbidden-flames”. Wreathed in multicolored fire it had stolen from the other moons, it razed miles upon miles of forest and obliterated countless communities. However, when all hope seemed lost, a hero descended from each of the other six moons, cloaked in rainbows and equipped with powers beyond wildest imaginations. Together, they fended off Forbidden-flames and put it to slumber, before vanishing into the sky. The details of the legend and the descriptions of the heroes vary from culture to culture but the basic skeleton of the story remains the same. There is no decisive proof one way or the other that the heroes existed, however Forbidden-flames is known for a fact to exist and its inactive body is considered off-limits to visit for fear of its reactivation. Souls and the afterlife are not a common concept in rurrin culture. Some pockets believe in varied forms of reincarnation, some believe that particularly powerful psychics may have their mind transcend their body (often to live on one of the moons) instead of truly “dying”, and some remote groups believe that the machines plaguing Syu-Mahri are animate by the wrath of rurrins who died unjustly or unfulfilled - but largely, the concept of "ghosts" and life after death is not a concept to them. After one dies, they are believed to simply be gone. This has instilled a heavy fear of mortality and a moral imperative to protect one another's well being, but more importantly it has also drove them to strongly value memories of individuals and the preservation thereof. To be fully forgotten is considered a "second death," so heavy emphasis is placed upon recording and retelling individual life stories for future generations. There's been significant disagreement, however, over whether these stories must be kept as accurate as possible or whether it's acceptable (or even encouraged) to exaggerate for effect and smooth out the less pleasant details. Funerary rites depend on the specific settlement, but tend between two different extremes - incredibly elaborate and complex (several day festivals celebrating the life the deceased had lead, grand and somber banquets, a play putting on a detailed reenactment of the deceased's life), or simple and understated (friends and family coming together around the grave to decorate it and tell stories of the deceased's life). Most, however, have a spiritualized aspect to it; whether that be congregating under the moon the deceased had been born under to thank it for the life they had been granted, or risking danger (and ruined sleep schedules) to tell stories in broad daylight and "brand the memories into the surface of the sun." This emphasis on memories has also given naming a special significance in rurrin culture. While a rurrin has a single birth name which usually always translates to “(number)th child of (mother’s favorite of her own names)”, this first name is simply a base for further names to be added onto. These additional names commemorate either particular skills an individual succeeded at or notable achievements in their life, so even after death a total stranger can still gain a glimpse into the deceased’s life merely by reading their name in full. Depending on the particular community’s traditions, these names are often either self-chosen and approved by loved ones or a communal gift to the individual. There is no upper limit to how many names one may have, though in casual conversation only one name is used. Revoking a name is seen as one of the most dire of punishments, and revoking all of an individual’s names is considered symbolically on par with execution. Choosing to drop a name of one’s own volition, however, is a more hotly contested topic with no common consensus. Changing a name is generally reserved only for if it no longer fits.

Rurrins

THIS PAGE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. TO ADD: EXTRA PAGE IMAGES, ARTS 'N FASHIONS, WHATEVER ELSE LOL

PLACEHOLDER FOR PAGE IMAGE

Rurrins are a largely planetbound race of mammalian bipeds originating from planet Syu-Mahri. They are skilled burrowers and fighters, with a inclination towards developing psychic powers. The tendrils on their backs are incredibly strong and flexible, and mainly used to navigate branches and tree roots.

Their societies are largely subterranean in nature due to the violent and unforgiving nature of their homeworld's surface. Their technology is not particularly "advanced" by galactic standards; while they are aware at least in theory of other alien races, few rurrins have had the resources available to reach space, even when surrounded by alien technology. (While part of this is driven by fear, there is some active suppression of research being applied to many of the larger rurrin cities...)

Physiology

Rurrins are bipedal, plantigrade warm-blooded nocturnal mammals. They usually average around 5-6 feet in height and often have thick, stocky builds. They are omnivorous scavengers and mostly only hunt if desperate. They are covered in dense mid-length fur over much of their body, with stiffer and more wiry hairs on their heads, tail tips, ear tips, and covering their tendrils.

Their arms and legs terminate in incredibly large and powerful furless paws with large and durable keratin claws. These claws are usually not especially sharp, as their main purpose is for burrowing and tunneling in soil. The skin on these paws is especially tough and difficult to pierce.

Attached at the shoulderblades are their “tendrils”, simple and incredibly flexible extra limbs that generally come in one two four pairs. The fur covering these tendrils is hooklike, giving them an almost velcro-like texture. These extra limbs are primarily to allow for navigation around mazes of tree branches and tree roots while keeping their limbs free, though also serve the secondary purpose of allowing one to carry a great deal of things - most frequently, this is how a mother carries around a litter of pups.

Their heads are shaped like tapered ovals, rabbitlike in shape. The purpose of their longer hair is uncertain. They have particularly large and sensitive ears that typically hang over the back of the head, but can pivot in other directions if necessary. They do not have whiskers, though their eartips serve a similar purpose.

Their eyes are sideways-facing and allow for a wide field of vision, though they have a blind spot over the bridge of the nose. They are incredibly sensitive to light, allowing them to see in incredibly dark spaces but impairing them in direct sunlight. They can come in nearly any color and heterochromia is rather common.

The horns on their heads come in numerous shapes and configurations, and are made of the same keratin as their claws. It is believed the horns on rurrins were once, in ancient times, much larger and came in more practical shapes, originally for fighting and marking territory, but as their species shifted to a more underground lifestyle they became vestigial in nature. While not all rurrins have horns, they can be present regardless of sex.

Their furless tails are primarily for balance and communication, flexible enough to allow for a wide range of nonverbal signals. They can also be swung around with a great deal of force, though this is not recommended as the skin there is not as tough as that on the paws.

Rurrins sexually reproduce in a way typical to mammals, and give live birth to litters that usually average four to eight. They undergo an estrous cycle bi-yearly, though contraceptive drugs have been developed and are widely accessible to allow individuals personal suppression and regulation of these effects in themselves.

Newborn rurrins are born furless and with their eyes closed, and generally grow in a downy coat by one week, though the more wiry fur can take up to a year to fully grow in. Rurrin children grow up quickly and are generally capable of walking and talking at 4 human years, and by roughly 14-and-a-half human years have reached adulthood.

Without taking into account childhood deaths or deaths by physical injury, the average rurrin lifespan is 45 human years. The oldest rurrin on record, however, reached the age of 87 human years, so it is believed that further medical advancements may be able to greatly increase the average projected lifespan to some unclear extent.

While it is rather uncommon, psychic powers of varying strength have been known to manifest in some rurrins. The source of these powers is unknown (they do not appear to be purely genetic in nature), though the strength of the powers are known to be influenced by what moon the rurrin was born under. Generally these only manifest as simple psychokinesis, but there have been recorded instances of telepathy, pyromancy, and electrokinesis.

Culture

Communities and Daily Life

Due to the incredibly dangerous nature of Syu-Mahri’s surface, rurrin communities mainly consist of underground networks of burrows and underground caverns. Cities tend to build around the large underground hollows that form around the roots of mega-trees, building homes under, around, and through the roots.

Some smaller communities are nomadic and thus comfortable with creating a temporary cozy nook in the ground and moving on next moonrise, but more permanent homes are generally built of or reinforced with sturdy wooden planks, often if applicable pulled from the exact tree whose roots the homes are built around. These homes are rarely ever regularly shaped, as they are built to fit as perfectly as possible into the space they are in.

Rurrins are a naturally social species, coming together in tightly knit groups to ensure each others’ mutual care and protection. In smaller colonies, frequently every individual knows every other individual, while in much larger ones smaller and more close-knit sub-colonies tend to form. Many small nomadic communities consist of one or two families travelling together, occasionally visiting by larger and more stationary colonies and joining up with an outsider or two. Colonies are primarily non-hierarchical direct democracies, though family-based nomads tend to defer to an elder and some cities of significant size follow other forms of government ranging from representative democracy to monarchy. The majority of rurrin cultures do not have the concept of currency and instead rely on bartering.

Children are generally raised by the entire colony or sub-colony and tend to view the entire community as family. For this reason, rurrins primarily pair up with outsiders, and in many colonies young rurrins seeking to start their own families often leave the colony to start their own.

Depending on the culture, there is not often any special emphasis placed on a bond between parent and child as compared to any other familial tie, though the parent’s role is generally at least acknowledged - and in some cultures, parents are revered after death. Romance is not a common concept, as the bond between two parents is not treated as much different than the bond between either of them and any other particular member of their community. Despite these two things, however, having a one night stand and ditching your kids instead of helping everyone raise them is generally considered a careless jerk move at best and exile-worthy behavior at worst.

For safety, the average rurrin community stays underground by day and sends scavenging parties above-ground to gather resources by night. Stealth and swiftness are highly valued traits in a rurrin, as is decent self-defense skills. There are niche communities of purely diurnal and/or above-ground rurrins, however - outside opinions on these groups range from “they’re brave” to “they’re terrifying” to “they’re stupid.”

They do not have access to mass-production, so those with the skills to make functional and durable tools are held in high regard. Quality-of-life innovations spread quickly between groups of colonies that are often in contact with each other, but often take a while to reach outside of those circles. While some larger cities have access to hydroelectricity, it is not commonplace outside of them due to the impracticality of the available generators for a nomadic lifestyle. (...While there has been work into reverse-engineering the technology behind the killer machines that plague Syu-Mahri, it is only in small pockets of individuals due to Malum pressuring many of the larger cities to forbid this line of research.)

By and large, due to the focus on survival and taking care of one’s own community, violent conflict between different rurrin colonies is uncommon - but certainly not unheard of. Most are small-scale between groups of nomads, squabbling over resources or personal grudges, but large-scale wars between cities are known to happen now and then. Communities uninvolved in such wars prefer to keep out of it as best they can.

Spirituality and Symbolism

Much of rurrin culture and spirituality revolves around the celestial bodies around their planet - the sun, and the seven different-colored moons that orbit their world. The sun, due to its presence during the day, is associated with power and danger - however, whether that means it should be feared, revered, or both depends on the specific culture.

All moons but the seventh - the gray moon - are revered to some extent, both due to their association with the night and due to their unclear but definite influence on those born with psychic powers. The colored moons have also all lent to symbolism of colors being very important to rurrin culture and a spiritualization of rainbows. The specifics of what the moons are and what they represent is varied - common beliefs are that they are guardian beings or the worlds from which the six mythical heroes have been sent, though some less superstitious individuals believe them to each have some sort of magnetic or psychic fields unique to them rather than any magical aspects. Some believe in a zodiac-esque system where what moon a child is born under influences their life, though these beliefs are mostly for fun.

The most commonplace associations with each of the first six moons and their colors are as follows:

Red: Heroism and courage, a strong drive to protect the weak. Associated with blood (often one's own), strong friendships, passion, and the evening.
Orange: Tenacity and hard work, the ability to finish grueling tasks because they must be done. Associated with soil, burrowing, practical solutions, and wood sculptures.
Yellow: Intensity and power, the ability to lead and command the respect of others. Associated with claws and teeth, violence and adrenaline, radiant speeches, the thrill of the hunt, and sunlight.
Green: Stealth and craftiness, cleverness and analytical minds. Associated with plant life, improvisation and innovation, keeping and finding secrets, and winged insects.
Blue: Patience and observance, tuning into the surrounding world. Associated with the sky, peace in solitude, storytelling, mystery, and the depths of the oceans.
Purple/pink: Hope and healing, a will to find and nurture the best in others. Associated with fruit and flowers, artistic endeavours, the warmth of others, supporting the weak, and the comfort of dark spaces.

The seventh - gray - moon is not revered the same way as the others, as it is the source of the haywire war machines currently plaguing Syu-Mahri (detritus left in orbit from a previous civilization that once lived there, frequently caught in Syu-Mahri’s gravitational pull and brought on-planet to wreak havoc.) Nicknamed “the moon that hates”, it is the source of a great deal of superstitions and fears. Many consider it an ill omen to be born under the gray moon, or even to scavenge under it. Some especially superstitious folk will roll a ritual die to arbitrarily assign a new color to rurrin children born under the gray moon, just to be safe.

Fables and legends of the rurrin people are mostly passed around orally, and heavily vary from community to community. However, one of the most widespread and significant rurrin legend is that of the six mythical heroes: Centuries ago, one of the deadliest machines fallen from the gray moon landed on the surface of Syu-Mahri, an enormous mechanical dragon whose nickname translates roughly to “Forbidden-flames”. Wreathed in multicolored fire it had stolen from the other moons, it razed miles upon miles of forest and obliterated countless communities.

However, when all hope seemed lost, a hero descended from each of the other six moons, cloaked in rainbows and equipped with powers beyond wildest imaginations. Together, they fended off Forbidden-flames and put it to slumber, before vanishing into the sky. The details of the legend and the descriptions of the heroes vary from culture to culture but the basic skeleton of the story remains the same. There is no decisive proof one way or the other that the heroes existed, however Forbidden-flames is known for a fact to exist and its inactive body is considered off-limits to visit for fear of its reactivation.

Souls and the afterlife are not a common concept in rurrin culture. Some pockets believe in varied forms of reincarnation, some believe that particularly powerful psychics may have their mind transcend their body (often to live on one of the moons) instead of truly “dying”, and some remote groups believe that the machines plaguing Syu-Mahri are animate by the wrath of rurrins who died unjustly or unfulfilled - but largely, the concept of "ghosts" and life after death is not a concept to them. After one dies, they are believed to simply be gone.

This has instilled a heavy fear of mortality and a moral imperative to protect one another's well being, but more importantly it has also drove them to strongly value memories of individuals and the preservation thereof. To be fully forgotten is considered a "second death," so heavy emphasis is placed upon recording and retelling individual life stories for future generations. There's been significant disagreement, however, over whether these stories must be kept as accurate as possible or whether it's acceptable (or even encouraged) to exaggerate for effect and smooth out the less pleasant details.

Funerary rites depend on the specific settlement, but tend between two different extremes - incredibly elaborate and complex (several day festivals celebrating the life the deceased had lead, grand and somber banquets, a play putting on a detailed reenactment of the deceased's life), or simple and understated (friends and family coming together around the grave to decorate it and tell stories of the deceased's life). Most, however, have a spiritualized aspect to it; whether that be congregating under the moon the deceased had been born under to thank it for the life they had been granted, or risking danger (and ruined sleep schedules) to tell stories in broad daylight and "brand the memories into the surface of the sun."

This emphasis on memories has also given naming a special significance in rurrin culture. While a rurrin has a single birth name which usually always translates to “(number)th child of (mother’s favorite of her own names)”, this first name is simply a base for further names to be added onto. These additional names commemorate either particular skills an individual succeeded at or notable achievements in their life, so even after death a total stranger can still gain a glimpse into the deceased’s life merely by reading their name in full. Depending on the particular community’s traditions, these names are often either self-chosen and approved by loved ones or a communal gift to the individual. There is no upper limit to how many names one may have, though in casual conversation only one name is used.

Revoking a name is seen as one of the most dire of punishments, and revoking all of an individual’s names is considered symbolically on par with execution. Choosing to drop a name of one’s own volition, however, is a more hotly contested topic with no common consensus. Changing a name is generally reserved only for if it no longer fits.