Panotti

Official Art by Djinn

**Panotti** are a race of average sized bipedal humanoids considered to be a variant of humankind featuring noticeable bodily mutations. They are found in almost every continent with populations varying between country to country, and are not known to have any specific homeland (although are thought to have originated from somewhere in Central Asia). The Panotti are most well known for their sizeable ears which are comparable to that of an elephant, making them visibly distinct from average humans.

## Brief History

The Panotti have been identified in a variety of cultures since the early 2000s BCE; however an attempt to properly catalogue them and study their differences was only made around 77-79 CE by Pliny the Elder, and later in the mid to late 1300s by the explorer Sir John Mandeville. Since these periods, populations of Panotti have been identifiable in cultures throughout the world with individuals showing varying levels of integration with host cultures. In the modern world, although not common, Panotti are not seen as particularly unusual either, being an especially common sight in larger metropolitan areas with a variety of racial inhabitants.

## Biology & Culture

Panotti are most notable for their large elephant-like ears which usually hang down from either side of their head onto their shoulders. The evolutionary origins of the ears are not fully known, but most likely improve the Panotti's hearing over long distances as well as act as a natural shade from the heat of the sun. The ears can however also act as a negative restraint on a Panotti's ability to move their head with speed, causing their ears to sometimes block their view or even slap their forces with a light force.

Panotti culture is varied and often differs between the nations that act as host to them. Most Panotti are heavily integrated into their home societies, with little culture differentiating them between them and their human counterparts. There are however several Panotti groups which formed both thousands or years ago as well as more recently that are almost exclusively made up of the species. These exclusive groups often exhibit nomadic cultures, choosing to travel between regions rather than integrate solely into one particular society.

In some societies that are less tolerant of non-human races, Panotti are seen as a lower-class of individual, and afforded less rights than humans are, creating tension between the species. In this cases many Panotti have either chosen to act against their unfair treatment, or form Panotti exclusive societies.

#### Magic & Religion

Similar to humans, Panotti have no specific racial relationship with magic outside of an individual context. Many Panotti are non-magic users whilst others find themselves to be Orphic depending on various genetic circumstances. It is however observed that those Panotti who are proficient with magic, tend to lend themselves to more agricultural or herbal focused arcane arts, the reason for this is unknown.

In terms of religious relationships, Panotti often differ in their beliefs depending on their social contexts. However in some Panotti exclusive societies, gods are known to either take on Panotti physical traits in their depictions, or in some rare cases, be gods that are exist solely within a Panotti cultural context, though this latter circumstance is rare.

#### Relationships with other Races

Panotti relationships with other races are circumstantial depending on the society they inhabit. These can be friendly and well-integrated, or on occaision oppressed and placed onto the margins of society. Those Panotti that do find themselves being discriminated against will form sometimes found Panotti exclusives cultural societies.