Toringu - Closed Species

One day, the gods and goddesses who reigned over the realm from their perch gave a big sigh. They were watching keenly from the skies, happy that their creations had gone so well and yet... something was missing. Later that very day, they met up and together they decided to introduce a species molded after themselves and from the breast of a mortal creature. So they took two sparrows, a male and female, and created a new animal, the likes of which have never been seen before. A species that could learn and advance further than any of the creatures that already roamed.

They continued to do this to multiple birds and even moths and butterflies, creating entire tribes of these creatures. Every time they felt the new species looked as if they needed help, the gods and goddesses would descend from the heavens and lend them the knowledge to utilize and advance their civilizations. Tools, fire, seeds, planting, solar energy; all of which were handed over and learned by the newborn species. They treated the growing colonies as their children, coddling them into their prime before finally departing, leaving them with a final message.

“In 40 years, dear Toringu, creatures unlike anything you have seen here shall crash into that outcrop on a big rock of fire,” Lady Tomoe gestured to a toothy outcrop, long lashes pressed delicately upon her golden cheek. “Do be ready to face the worst, prepare. Prepare young ones. As these creatures do not intend to befriend you, nor do they wish to become your livestock. They will eat you, you are their livestock.”

“We may not be able to come back to save you this time, so I leave you my feather to remind future generations that we watch over them. Stay safe, dear children.”

And like that they left, leaving behind a golden cape feather, a large eye-like pattern dazzling the surface. They kept this feather in a protected glass case, sealing it away from prying eyes and from that day on set to preparing for the encounter predicted to occur in a mere 40 years. They worked hard to build towns and cities, walls, barriers, weapons. But they could only prepare so much as they had no idea how. What would these enemies be weak against? Strong against? They had no clue.

So with perimeters built, they waited, and waited… life continued as normal but not quite as one could not live without glancing anxiously over their shoulder. The day came, in the middle of winter. The wind howled like angry wolves and ice bit at the cheek at the posted soldiers. They trembled and bit their tongues, holding in complaints as they peered into the foggy distance, white blurring their distance. Night approached and it was because of the darkness, they were able to see a green streak break the night and hurtle towards the ground. Hitting relatively near the mountain, everything went dead silent. Nothing happened. Yet. So fearful and riled up, they relayed the message to their generals and soon scouts were sent out to investigate. None of them came back -- more so nothing from them came back.

The waiting game commenced once more.

Until they were attacked at night. The Toringu were prepared, they killed many of the invaders but not enough to compensate for the large numbers that were wiped out by these alien beasts. Each time they repelled them, they came back shortly after, attacking the Toringu when they were weak and still recovering. Eventually, the Toringu were pushed so far back, they were in the town last visited by the gods when these ‘demons’ attacked again. They swallowed up Toringu by the number, multiple eyes ablaze with malevolent intent. Stalking the streets with long claws and dripping fangs, they were always looking for their next meal. Women and children alike, all gobbled down or torn to shreds. It took a mage to repel quite a few with magic and a master strategist to pull the golden feather from its case, flapping it at the demons and from it descended a powerful sun-colored gale from the feather -- it illuminated the entire night sky with its luminescence.

The demons, later named Dogons (or akuma in some other cultures) close to the blast were obliterated and those further away went into hiding. Only appearing every hundred or so years, but ever since then the techniques have gotten better at keeping these aliens away and have not failed. Even if they did, there are many a trained Toringu ready to fight at a minute’s notice.

So it goes…after all, it was only a myth.

Recent research just shows they shared common ancestry with birds and no real evidence aside from a giant golden feather is there to prove gods really did exist or if the feather was even capable of producing such a blast. The continents of Mu have grown complacent with accepting fact over anything else. Advancement had reached the point of solar power and minor forms of electricity to power city lights and development. Electrical systems are still in the rise but still primal and for the most part only affordable by the rich or large organizations. For the most part, the rest use animal power and tools for nearly everything or even themselves as the ingenious evolutionary traits have served them well. Mainly the hand and thumb part of course.

This is across all major cities scattered along the entire planet. Most tend to be clustered in the big East sea which isn’t really a sea of water. Just rolling plains and lush jungles and high mountains. There, three nations rule. Two of which are empires, the other although big consists of nomadic pacifists. One located in the North, one further South on a spread of islands. They speak their respective languages which is a close sounding relative of Japanese and Mandarin. Hindi is spoken by the nomads and eventually, their language and beliefs have reached even the ears of the northernmost Imperial Toringu.

The West is very mountainous, clusters of tall fir forests reach into the sky, providing more than ample shelter for the Toringu inhabiting the area. There too are kingdoms of great worth. One on the west and one on the east coast, both are major shipping posts. Other hubs are smaller but just as developed or developing. They rely greatly on the help of livestock; living, breathing, and eating them. Aside from what the East would consider an inferior, they still rely heavily on each other.

The islands on the South consist of other Toringu of special capabilities and foreign languages. These islanders are built tough from.conditions on these islands yet more often than not have very colorful plumage. These islands are advanced but isolation has set them back a bit. They live closely with the ocean and rely heavily on their environment as livestock of bigger types are of no real use to the Toringu. Similar to those in the arctic regions attaching the Western continent to the polar caps. On this stretch are a group of Tengu adapted to the cold and its harshness. Capes shortened and instead body feathers thicker, it is easy to mistake them as something else. Their bulk and musculature compensates for the lack of the ability to glide.

On the west side of the Eastern continent is a few scattered deserts then a large one smack dab in the middle of this collection. Now, no one would care much about the Toringu in this region if not for their ways of extracting oil and providing raw materials in trade. So being forced to cooperate with them is another thing the other nations deal with. They have evolved with normal sized capes, deeper set eyes, longer lashes, and considerably less leg fluff

Art is the biggest area on the rise. Be it painting, music, or dance. Entertainment is what this species lives for now. Peace, prosperity, and art. And boy, they do love their art. Intelligent enough to form social rankings and eventually social classes, the upper class indulge in the arts the most. And albeit the smallest class, they spend the most. Lavish feasts and diets, jewelry, plated armor, gold, weapons. The newest inventions and usage of electricity as well. They’re usually the biggest consumers.

The middle class too do well, very well. Living in the plentiful houses surrounding those of the royals and upper class who dwell often in the center or on a spot overlooking the entire city. The middle class is the biggest of the classes and are often considered those working with a home and ample food to eat and support their families. They don’t live in any particular discontent so are often free to do what they feel is best. This class is the one that makes up all other jobs, such as shopkeeper, bartender, restaurant owner and chef, bards and storytellers, ah yes, even some of the engineers. Guards would be an odd exception to this, neither middle, lower, or upper class. They void the entire system though most would consider them low or lower middle class citizens as they are not much different than mercenaries.

Lower class is where the problems start. Often the class recruited to head off into war first on the front lines, it is because their lives are seen as dispensable. This is due to not meeting an income quota or having a stable job or roof over one’s head. They live in the slums and more often than not become thieves, adventurers, or mercenaries due to the inability to find job elsewhere. They live off of table scraps.

Tensions between the lower class and upper class are high.

Farms usually line the exterior of these cities, where middle and lower class citizens work to farm the land for sustenance first then commercial usage. They can even use crops and meat to complete the tax quota as long as they feed the people. Beefier and larger animals have been selectively bred, but even then, they are treated nicely and allowed to free roam. They have lots of land to use and lots of hands, so why not use it properly? Adventurers and herbalists often follow a similar pattern of foraging and sending it back to a shipment box.

The food and commodities are eventually sent back to the markets to be sold.

Markets are very busy places, almost an entire world of its own. A mix of people come here to sell and buy, thieves come to steal, and warriors to seek work.

Though places with the most culture are the inns and bars.

Art and concept belong to me.

These are a closed species until I work out all kinks then I'll probably decide on making it a semi-open species.