Mountain People
From Gothpoodle
Gorilla/Chimp: High sexual dimorphism: females 4'7" 220lbs; males 6'3", 500lbs. Male hair turns from black to silver-gray on maturity, brown eyes, drum when aggressive, females only fertile when food abundant, omnivorous, constantly hunting and foraging to maintain bulk.
Names
Short, single syllable, barking sound. King takes the name of his ancestor-god.
Development
- Hunter-gatherer bands based around a dominant male and his adult female mates, sometimes a successor son or beta males, and children. Rely heavily on the leader for protection, hunting, and decision making. Fight with neighboring groups over mates and territory. Very little in-group violence. Death of male leads to chaos, infanticide by incoming dominant male.
- Tribal villages form as agriculture allows settling, beta males take their own harems and fighting evolves into wars for land, food, and mates. Females are plunder, daughters are used to reward loyal warriors, cement alliances, or as gifts to appease or bribe other tribes. Settlement occurs mostly in fertile mountain valleys along the rivers, coming down out of the cloud forests (which are treated as sacred ground for the new deified tribal ancestor gods and places for coming of age ceremonies, most of which involve hunting). Raising of pigs and buffaloes, very limited farming.
- Hereditary kings develop from chiefs claiming direct lineage to the gods, artisans rise from weaker males, tribute (including females) demanded from conquered states and subjects, limited public architecture (mostly king's residence/temple) and luxury goods, and plunder and war the primary ways to make a fortune, very limited trade. Justice and ownership are very centralized, little delegation to warrior caste that makes up the defacto nobility. Castes: Royal family, warriors (allowed mates), artisans (not allowed mates), slaves. Females are property, no social position. Only real social mobility is from artisan caste to warrior caste. King is the primary religious figure, his family serve as priest caste.
