Shanata
Knowledge Level:
2 - Very common, even the farmers of Midgard know this. Midgardian Shanata (Asgardian and Utgardian Shanata could be different in small or greater detail.)
Standard information
- Shanata are the intelligent hunters of the forests. They live both in Midgard and Asgard forests. The plural of Shanata is Shanata.
- Average time of life: 50 years, but Shanata can "reset" their lifecycle by living fused with a tree for half a year. They can do this 8 times on average but they lose more wisdom every time, slowly turning into savages with each passing cycle.
Shanata Lifecycle
Shanata live for roughly 50 years but can reset there lifespan by living in a tree for half a year. They fuse with the tree (much like a dryad) and the three saps out his energy and wisdom.
This is healthy for the three, but stressful for the Shanata's body and mind. The Shanata leaves the three when he is young again but will have lost a portion of his intelligence and wisdom. The Shanata receives a new name and sometimes has a slightly different personality depending on the three he lived in.
Shanata that have lived trough 6 or 7 of these cycles get increasingly asocial and dumb. They are mainly used as shock troops and are always warriors. There have been no reports of Shanata having a strong enough body to live trough there 10th cycle. Most of the Shanata die at there 8th or 9th cycle, but even more often before that trough violence.
Shanata Values
The Shanata are energetic and highly territorial, even more so than the Nymph. They shun technology even more than magic and claim that technology is only used to cover up the parts where the races that use it are weak.
The Shanata take care of the forests by cutting down weak or sick trees and letting them rot to feed the strong and healthy threes. They have the same approach towards animals, kill the weak to help the strong. They are very fanatical about evolution and find that "natural" evolution moves to slow to there liking. They will therefor fasten the process of evolution by the means stated above and will kill themselves or drive themselves into danger if they find their body unfit to take care of themselves.
Culture
Shanata culture is even more bent on practicality. They shun anything that is not necessary for survival or gaining might. They do not mourn or bury their dead, they have little to no emotion apart from fear, anger, surprise, disgust and acceptance. They posses little to no ethics, and no laws at all. For survival reasons however, they almost always respect the laws of other environments.
The mother does nothing to help the children grow up and simply leaves them to die or fend for themselves in a relatively safe part of the forest. No shanata knows his parents.
Love is almost non-existing. Lust in female shanata only surfaces when a female encounters a very strong (strength however is not just physical strength) male, and lust is always present with the males.
The shanata frequently test themselves with self-imposed limitations or challenges.
Shanata do not want to understand the world around them unless it gives them a direct notable higher change of survival and only practice religion when the god or angel or demon in question will give them direct might in return.
Shanata mages only have 2 names, or 3 names at max. Some shanata tribes shun magic and therefor these "mages" only use spiritual magic, within these tribes, magic users are always priests or shamans.
History
Not much of the history of the Shanata is known. But not much has changed either. The shanata have evolved, and therefor become stronger, and adapted themselves. But no other notable changes in the race where reported. Ever.
Diet
Shanata eat everything they can get there hands on and nurtures them. They are not above hunting and killing each other for food unless they gain more by working together and hunting in groups (which is often the case).
Language
Most shanata don't speak unless the venture out from the forests (which they don't do often.). They prefer to communicate trough body language, odor and hand signs. Silence is golden when hunting in groups.
Art, music and literature
There is no shanata art, music or literature.
Physical appearance
Shanata look like normal elves, but have broader shoulders, more muscles and are frequently naked. They have body hair everywhere and their hair is filled with green forest waste. Twigs, leaves and moss. If the shanata skin is shown, it is often greenly colored by the moss they sleep in. If shanata venture out from the forest, they sometimes buy or make a pair of pants and cover their breasts because of the emotional stigma attached to the naked body by the other races.