Lagos

The Lagos (singular: Lago) are a rabbit-like Landfolk race which are commonly found all throughout Howl Basin. Like most Landfolk, they're known for a strong sense of community. Outside of those communities, they have a reputation for timidness, but amongst the Landfolk they are considered to be exceptionally adaptable, even to the point of bravery, and are frequently praised for their alertness and quick reactions, and should not be dismissed out of hand in a pinch. Considered a modest and unremarkable Howl Basin "staple" in the civilized areas of the Basin, outlaws are wise not to under-estimate the Lagos adventurer, who is typically clever, resorceful, and more in touch with the wilder aspects of their heritage than you would otherwise expect.

History

Lagos can be found throughout the World, and there's no clear understanding on their direct origin, as accounts of their presence are more or less cosmopolitan as far back as records go, and that includes Howl Basin. So far as they are concerned, there are no meaningful distinctions between Lagos from different geographic areas other than some physiological aspects, so there has been little conflict between native Lagos and those who have moved into the Territory.

Culture

Lagos Kick-Boxing

The Lagos culture has a long and well-developed tradition surrounding an endemic martial art, of which there are many regional and family-line variants, known as Lagos Kick-Boxing. The art is a highly ritualized form of empty-handed combat mostly used, by the current era, for social and even romantic pursuits, and the sparring forms are usually so heavily stylized that they almost more closely resemble dancing, with both partner's actions being heavily choreographed. The ability for two partners to make it fully through a "scrum" (as these dual-kata are known) without fumbling is considered highly auspicious for the matter at hand. The style is falling increasingly out of fashion through cultural inter-mixing with other Landfolk.

A very rare version of Lagos Kick-Boxing known as "The Wild Child's Dance" is considered materially useful in actual combat, but the increasing reliability of automatic and repeating firearms is driving it out of fashion and it is mostly only seen as an oddity.

Language

The Lagosi language is more or less the common language of the Howl Basin and is certainly the common tongue used by the Landfolk altogether.

Food

"The right way to rob a movin' train is to stop it first."

- Anonymous Lagos Bandit

This article or section alludes to information that is under active development and subject to change.

Lagosi physiology calls for a diet that is entirely vegetable. Their bodies are not particularly set up to adequately digest animal matter, and instead they rely heavily on grains and the products made from grains alongside a variety of fruits and vegetables to maintain good health. Many Lagosi foods have very low moisture continent, both in order to allow for better stockpiling and because of the needs they have in maintaining good dental health.

Lagos are also very well known for their beers; unsurprisingly for masters of cereal agriculture they also have a developed history and culture of working with cereals to produce alchohic beverages, of which beers are primarily the favourite.

Religion and Spirituality

For the most part Lagos are orthodox when it comes to religion and are not especially given to flights of fantasy or to interest in the occult, both of which are culturally discouraged. Lagos can tend to be superstitious, perhaps even to a fault, and their common mythology is full of fables of fae, spirits, ghosts, and gremlins, to which they ascribe no shortage of unfortunate circumstances and events.

Science and Technology

Lagos are not luddites like many of the Mountainfolk or their Cervano cousins, but they are also not given to rapid adoption of the latest and greatest technologies. Their culture (in general) strongly emphasizes the tried and true, and their overall attitude to science and technology reflects this. They prefer small and incremental improvements to machinery and methods rather than dramatic innovation, and focus accordingly on their work.

Lagos also have no major usage for labour-saving technology, given their typically large families and dense communities. In general, they view over-industrialization as a potential threat, possibly leading to mass idleness of their families and destruction of their way of life.

Entertainment

See Also: Lagosi Music, Lagosi Literature

If you work hard, you must play hard. The Lagos have a strong culture of music and dance, both of which they frequently fill their spare time and working days. You would be hard pressed in all but the poorest communities not to find at least one guitar or fiddle, and often you'd even find the luthier to go with them.

Legos also, especially recently, have a bit of a literary culture. As the more progressive Lagos start to take advantage of the labour savings provided by industrialization, some have begun to make a living by chronically and even novelizing Lagosi folk tales.

Society

There are broad overlaps in most of Lagosi society regardless of where they're from. Lagos are quite possibly the most common Landfolk race in the Basin, and outside the Hivefolk cities of the Basin they might be the most common race overall. Unsururpsingly, a discussion of their society is much like attempting to discuss the society of the Howl Basin. Lagos of all strata of social class, wealth, and occupation can be found, from simple plains wheat-farmers to narrowly specialized academics to outlaw adventurers.

Lagosi families tend to be quite large; a confluence of physiology and social pressures leading to anywhere from five to seven children being the norm in most households, and such households holding together until the children's late teens. It's somewhat customary for familes that do divide to build additional cabins, cottages, and so-on on their property for the daughters who are starting their own families; it's also a cultural custom that young Lagosi men go out to seek their fortunes elsewhere.

Howler Lagos

Howler Lagos, being those whose families have been in the Basin before the Basin was considered part of the Frontier, are, to some, synonymous with the basin. They are not the only native group to the Basin, sharing the distinction with subsets of the Varki, Cervano, and Delvin, as well as subsets of the Woodfolk and Mountainfolk, and, technically, all Eyriefolk, but they're the only group with the same degree of ubiquity across all the different environments in the Basin.

Howler Lagos are also probably most responsible for the reputation for timidness all Lagos are saddled with, and are almost always found exclusively within their own communities, perhaps sometimes in community with other Landfolk, but almost never in the major cities founded by the Hivefolk.

"Comer" Lagos

By comparison, Lagos who either migrated into the Basin themselves or were born to those who had are considered "Comer" Lagos. They tend to be a bit more adventurous than their native cousins and have a higher chance of being found in more cosmopolitan communities.

Physiology

General Body Plan

Lagos are an anthropoid species, on average between 1.6 to 2 metres tall, with fully furred bodies and rabbit-, hare-, or pika-like heads. They are broader in the horizontal than the average human and have a very "solid" lower body, known to be especially well-muscled in their legs. Some develop prominent "ruffs" around their necks that rest atop their chests; this is believed to be related to one of their grooming behaviors and is not directly related to sexual dimorphism, though it is seen somewhat more prominently in females.

They have extremely short tails, which may be concealed within their clothing or exposed, depending on preference and cultural attitudes at the time, as they are not strongly used for communication.

Ethno-Geographic Variances

"The right way to rob a movin' train is to stop it first."

- Anonymous Lagos Bandit

This article or section alludes to information that is under active development and subject to change.

A variety of Lagos sub-ethnicities exist that are loosely coupled to geographic distribution, both within the Howl Basin and around the rest of the World. These varieties are almost too numerous to list but are commonly adaptive, and can change both general appearance (ie, fur coat) and body proportion (including relative limb/neck length, ear length, overall head structure) quite significantly. These differences more or less breed true generation over generation.

Crowned Lagos

Very rarely, perhaps as few as one in a million births, a Lagos will be born who, around the time of adolescence, develops antlers or horns, the exact nature of which vary according to other elements believed to be related to bloodline; this phenomenon has not been known to be coupled to either gender or sex and examples of the phenomenon are seen across the spectrum. Some ascribe supernatural properties to the so-called Crowned Lagos, or peculiar fates. Depending on the cultural attitude of the community some Jack Lagos go to great lengths to conceal their nature (including having the horns removed or cut short periodically) while others might embrace them as a mark of their own exceptionality.

Gameplay Mechanics

"The right way to rob a movin' train is to stop it first."

- Anonymous Lagos Bandit

This article or section alludes to information that is under active development and subject to change.

Base Aptitudes

Lagos characters have +2 Intuition, -1 Strength, and -1 Hardiness when applying their initial aptitudes during character creation.

Heritage Trait

"The right way to rob a movin' train is to stop it first."

- Anonymous Lagos Bandit

This article or section alludes to information that is under active development and subject to change.

All Lagos have the Alertness (Heritage Trait) property.

Lagos may also select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:

• Comer Lago's Exuberance (Heritage Trait) - Comer Lagos are necessarily social and their adventurous streak extends that social grace to socializing with other races and folks, granting them a boon on the usage of social skills.
• Howler Lago's Society (Heritage Trait) - Howler Lagos have a reputation for reliability that proceeds them have a boon on Connections checks whenever they are in a Landfolk community.
• Crowned Lagos (Heritage Trait) - Jack Lagos recover Willpower-derived pools at double their usual rate.