Cervano

The Cervano are a Landfolk race with a few distinct ethnic subgroups, and who are somewhat are commonly found all throughout Howl Basin. Like most Landfolk, they're known for a strong sense of community. Like their cousins, the Lagos, Cervano tend to be popularly thought of as timid, mild-mannered people, but within Landfolk communities and the greater society of the Basin they also tend to be thought of as gregarious, charismatic, and noble.

History

Cervano can be found throughout the World, bordering on being endemic. They come in a large number of ethnic varieties most of which originated outside of Howl Basin in time immemorial, though there's no good way to tell just by looking at any Cervano if they're from one of the newcomer groups or not.

Culture

Art and Architecture

Cervano are excellent artists and artisans, and their culture long praised "the beautiful form that demonstrates the function" even before they started to meld into the greater Landfolk culture. Cervano homes tend to be very clean, well organized, and maintained to a high standard. Wealthy Cervano collect fine art, even exotic varieties.

Language

Cerf, the Cervano Language, has a lilting quality and its own unique script. Most Cervano also speak Lagosi; then again, so does almost everyone else in the Howl Basin.

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.

Cervano diets are entirely vegetarian as a matter of course; they do not have the physiology to readily digest meats. They have a special fondness for dairy, and especially for cheeses, which they have some skill at producing. "Plain but elegant" are the bywords; Cervano chefs have gotten by with a surprising knack for teasing rich and balanced flavours out of simple, straightforward, recipes.

The Cervano Mus have a variety of cultivated swamp plants not seen in the cuisines of other groups, which many Basin folks mistakenly identify with Cervano diets overall. This has given a reputation for "strangeness" to the Cervano diet, which is strange only in that they are one of only three obligate herbivore races found in the Basin (the others being the Lagos and the Ramu.)

The Cervano have a rich history of distillation in both their traditional medicines and their spirits, the line between which is sometimes blurred. Cervano Rye is especially well-regarded.

Religion and Spirituality

The Cervano tend to be syncretic, merging the popular religion of the day into their longstanding traditional beliefs. This has lead to them largely assimilating into the broader culture on one-hand, while having a cultural comprehension of the Strange Occurrences that happen in the Howl Basin (and, presumably, the rest of the World) at the same time.

Science and Technology

Cervano have by and large embraced the technological revolution that has spurred settlement of Howl Basin as part of the Frontier, but also shun the physical artifacts of that science where they fail to align with the aesthetic sensibilities of the Cervano. This means that while they're happy to consume goods made more easily by manufacture and will tolerate certain infrastructural advancements, they Cervano by and large do not adopt things such as Steam Power into their daily lives, unless they are satisfied by the aesthetic look of those objects as much as they are the function.

Society

Cervano in society tend toward professions where their aesthetic sense can be satisifed or their personal charms serve as a boon. While most are farmers, homesteaders, and ranchers, quite a few live in the cities and townships. Educated Cervano who leave academia tend to become artists, especially painters and sculptors. In more religiously liberal communities they are often found among the clergy, and even in more orthodox communities they sometimes enjoy political office.

Cervano Mus

The Cervano Mus are a subset of the Cervano who have a more robust and much larger overall physiology than their more mainstream cousins, and they also have a culture all their own. These Cervano tend to live much more solitary lives, homesteading in and near lowlands, marshes, and swamps. Many of the Cervano Mus fit in better with the Mountainfolk, but quite a few of them still identify with the Landfolk and join urban lifestyles.

Physiology

General Body Plan

Lagos are an anthropoid species, on average between 1.6 to 2.4 metres tall, with fully furred bodies and deer-like (or, with the Cervano Mus, moose-like) heads.

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 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.

One especially noteworthy instance of this is the Cervano Mus, a variety of Cervano with more moose-like features. They are typically as much as half a meter taller than their cousins, between 1.8 and 2.3 meters tall on average, with a much stockier overall physique.

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 Attributes

Cervanos start the game with +2 Intuition in exchange for -1 Analysis and -1 Presence.

Heritage Trait

All Cervanos have the Forest Royalty (Heritage Trait) property.

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

• Trained Eye (Heritage Trait) - Many Cervanos have a permanent boon on Skill Checks related to Appraise (Skill).
• Cervanos' Kindling (Heritage Trait) - The spiritual connections in the Carvano culture granted them a boon on checks related to Strangeness.
• Cervanos Mus (Heritage Trait) - Cervano Mus Hardiness-derived pools at double their usual rate.