Na'hutal

Na`hutals are tribal people, worshiping the sun and the moon as well as seeing the stars themselves as the flicker of life of those who had passed. With each passing they believe a star would grow brighter or a new one would appear. They held festivals for the sun and moon. Some of these were close to what was and is observed by other races across Tora. They held celebrations for migrations of fish and small game as well as conducted dancing in which the males would paint their bodies with markings and the females would wear festive attire and dance for their mates or in the attempt of attracting a mate. Na`hutals were also known to keep a sort of calendar to mark the cycles of the sun and the moon as well as the migration seasons of animals so they would know when the next festival would be. A naive and open minded race they are sometimes referred to as foolish, however they are by no means of lesser intelligence.

Infact it is believed Na`hutals are of average intelligence and enjoy tinkering with new rocks, plants, and tools. If left alone to their own devices these creatures could survive and even thrive quite easily. However due to their physical weakness when compared to the other races around them they often hide in burrows and cut themselves off from other races, with exception to those who they believe mean them no harm.

Some individuals believe that Na`hutals are a sneaky race of thieves and savages with some blaming them for unsolved crimes and murders. Others who dismiss these accusations see them as a slave race or a pitiable race that should be allowed to be free. Discussions around Na`hutals have sparked many debates on the veracity and moral implications of slavery, however these laws permitting the enslavement of Na`hutals persist, even while other races have recieved their freedom.

It is customary that female Na`hutals raise and teach the children to live while males teach younger males how to hunt. Unlike most cultures, tribes of Na`hutals have two leaders, one male and one female. The male Na`hutal leader who passes on knowledge of hunting, preparing meat, and leads the ‘great hunt’, an annual celebration where the tribe will wait for migrations of salmon which swim upstream to lay their eggs and capture a portion of them for a feast; though always careful not to over hunt so the migration will come next year as well.

The female Na`hutal leader passes on the stories of the tribe, fables and cautionary tales, as well as guiding the female Na`hutals in finding a skill they will train the rest of their lives. The female leader also guides young Na`hutal females in finding a mate and how to properly care for their mate. Though unusual mateships have happened in the past it is usually looked down upon as no offspring can be born.

Once a new Na`hutal is born the parents will either live with their parents who lived with their parents as Na`hutals prize family and hold deep emotional connections with them, or should there be disagreements amongst the family or should they not be welcome in the clan home they will build their own.

## Appearance

The bodies of male Na`hutal are covered in slick scales of which tend to be of a dull color, such as grays, pale blues, browns, and on occasion black, which is contrasted by the vibrant colored scales of the females, such as purples, greens, pinks, and darker blues. On occasion albinos of both genders can occur though they aren’t treated much differently.

Na`hutal males stand at roughly three feet tall and weigh in the range of sixty to seventy pounds, Na`hutal females stand at roughly two to two and a half feet tall and weigh in the range of forty to fifty pounds. Na`hutals have toes that splay out revealing webbing that allows them more dynamic movement underwater yet the toes come together when on land to allow them to walk and run unimpeded.

Males have a dorsal fin on their head they extend when swimming and retract on land with exception to mating rituals. Males have tails that widen out towards the end which allows them to propel themselves faster underwater to escape predators and herd fish, females however have shorter tails which lack the paddle-like end.

The males have eyes that are sunken in slightly with an almost glassy cover over them, while female eyes tend to bulge more though still have a glassy cover. Males are clearly built to be hunters while females have bodies better adapted to traveling long distances on land and eyes which prioritize watching for predators. Males also tend to have greater muscle structure than females. The sexual dimorphism of Na`hutals comes from the roles each gender plays in Na`hutal society.

The mouths of Na`hutal contain many small sharp teeth which are suited to their diet, they lose them frequently and regrow them rather quickly. A trait that has made them prized by those who would incorporate the teeth in charms and trinkets. Though the ethical procurement is questionable due to the rate at which trinkets are made.