Vuori

## Physical Description

Vuori resemble humans with sheep or goatlike horns on their heads. They can also boast a range of other features, including hooves, feet with a layer of keratin on it, keratin-capped fingernails, and, rarely, tails.

Vuori range from Faun/Satyr-like creatures in the north, and have demonstrated a gradual growth in horns further to the south, ending with Vuori that boast Bighorn Sheep-esque horns.

While those northern Vuori are considered to be Fauns or Satyrs, bearing similar beliefs about the earth, they do not share the typical lust or promiscuity with their mythological counterparts, scoffing at such a thing.

## Habitat

The Vuori live exclusively in North America, dwelling in many mountain ranges there, such as the Rocky Mountains or the Vancouver Island range. As a result, they live both in America and Canada.

## Culture

### Lifestyle

Vuori live relatively advanced lives for their secluded, and-from a human perspective-almost monastic lifestyles. Their cities tend to be of regular advancement thanks to their buying and bartering items from outside their home, and Vuori have improved it from the inside as well.

While their cities' homes and buildings are comfortable, they own no motorized vehicles, and Vuori paving and paths are considered steep by human standards, making visitors dwindle.

### Languages

The majority of Vuori speak English, though some communities boast French or Spanish speakers.

### Social Behavior/Norms

The Vuori have been categorized as timid, reserved, or even 'snobby' in some cases, holding great pride in their home and people. Their personalities are by no means animalistic, however, boasting all the complexities of a human's.

### Habits

Vuori all tend to bleat when frightened or overwhelmed by emotion. Surveys have also indicated that many Vuori favor the color green in decorations.

### Beliefs/Religion

The Vuori worship one lord, Panethis, who they claim ties the land and sky together. Their worship of him has common rules that include the maintenance and respect of natural cycles. The Vuori, in their own words, live on mountains so that they can be closest to this union of sky and earth and experience it for themselves.

Their religion has been cultivated safely alone for a long time, as very few missionaries were ever aware of the Vuori or ever wanted to attempt to make the dangerous trip to their mountainous homes.

### Holidays

Panethis has no dedicated holidays--or very little documentation exists of him having any--but Vuori tend to incorporate their lord subtly into their lives. Worship of him involves ringing bells, which becomes a regular practice to tell your neighbors a baby's on the way, or to celebrate a birthday.

Vuori also celebrate typical holidays, making it a tradition to wrap leafy wreaths around their horns at Christmastime. They do not celebrate Halloween, and neglect to ever comment why.

## History

Little is known about the Vuori history, as very few oral or written traditions have been passed on regarding their past. They made their first brief appearances and communicated with migrant humans around the time that North America was being settled. All but the Southern 'Bighorn' Vuori were known to humans by the time the United States had been created.

The Vuori were treated as cryptids in the times where they were still appearing, as appearances were scarce and the treatment of creatures that could be considered demihuman at the time wasn't the greatest.

### Early History

The Vuori have been speculated to not be native to the Americas, but mass refugees from Rome and Greece. No historical evidence has ever backed these claims up.

From early on, they had contact with native humans, sharing, offering, or buying supplies to sustain their lifestyle.

### Current History

The Vuori are just another--albiet isolated--people nowadays. They rarely leave their comfort zone, as heights naturally give them confidence and ease. Occasional Vuori have even demonstrated timid or stubborn behaviors that cause them discomfort in other environments, to the point of mental breakdown.

Vuori cities insist on sending one of their kind out into the world to important events, such as sporting, once every decade, to represent their people. Other Vuori, however, can be found living normal lives outside of their 'natural home'--it's just an uncommon occurance.