Lapites

## The Lapites

The Lapites were made to resemble normal rabbits, with varying fur colors and impossible patterns.

### Notable abilities

Exceptional hearing and keen sense of smell, as well as good night vision.

## Habitat

### Habitat

Prairies, valleys, and plains, with lots of grass to eat and good visibility to watch for predators.

## Description

The Lapites are a race of rabbit people, who are comfortable on both fourpaw and twopaw. They are essentially shaped like giant rabbits that have rudimentary thumbs and average intelligence, with above-average paranoia. They are quick to flee and always on guard, though at the current moment, their lives in the open plains south of the World Anchor has been an easy one.

## Physical Appearance

Upon their creation, the Lapites were described as such:

> *"Their legs and torsos lengthened and their spines straightened marginally, allowing them to go on all fours or stand upright, like he did. They didn’t have opposable thumbs, but he shifted a part of their arms closer to the rest of their paws, allowing them to grip simple tools. The claws he strengthened even more, reinforcing them with bone and outfitting them with power enough to carve at stone. He allowed their enormous ears to swivel upright and catch sounds, or go flat against their heads. Excited now, he set about distinguishing them from one another and from the brownish, greenish backdrop of the Anchor, spattering some with orange spots and white stripes, others with silver chest fur and white paws. Others still he left solid colors, lengthening their fur and expanding the shades to encompass everything from red to violet. He gave one floppy ears that pointed straight to the ground. Another he gave a mane like his own, russet and warm. He bestowed little differences to each of them, hoping that, in time, the differences would shape ambitions. But for now, they would only need one ambition: survival. And to make sure that that was achieved, he gave them the most important gift of all, the gift of intelligence. Yet, handled improperly, it would be the greatest curse of all. He yearned to see how far it would take them.​​​​​."[1*
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The Lapites, above all, resemble giant rabbits, because that's what they are. They have fluffy chest fur, big floppy ears, twitchy noises, poofy tails, etcetera. They range in appearance from cute and adorable to wily and deranged. The average Lapite is about 5'10", 6'11" with the ears pointing straight up. Compared to humans, Lapites are skinnier, and their spines are a little more curved forward, due to their natural inclination to sit on all fours. They have long, easily rotated ears that can twist in all directions to better capture sound, and muzzles for drawing in smells. They are also know for having strong, blunt claws that are capable of cutting through stone, should they be motivated enough.

## Characteristics

Lapites are naturally jumpy and nervous, though this goes away with years of ease and complacency. Their eyes are suited to the dark, but not exceptionally so. Their good sense of smell and great hearing allows them to always be one step ahead of any potential threat. However, living out in the open makes them easy targets, and they have rather short lifespans, living only about 25 years. They sleep at night, always making sure to have someone on guard. Almost all but the most zen of Lapites have nervous tics, like obsessive whisker straightening, ground thumping, or lip nibbling. They are, overall, a very antsy race.

## Cultural Traits

The Lapites live in the plains, so they value wood and eat grass. They don't have much of a currency, but do appreciate delicious-tasting plants and cool rocks.

#### The Arts

Lapites have fur, and much of their art revolves around weaving shed fur into intricate designs. It is considered an extreme honor to receive a blanket, hat, or gloves woven from the giver's fur, because it means they put a lot of time and care into making it. They also make flower crowns, wood carvings, and rudimentary grass clothing and accessories.

#### The Open Calm

The Lapites are currently experiencing a cultural divide- peace at being out in the open beneath Oraelia's beautiful sunlight, and anxiety at being easy prey to snakes, large birds, and whatever beasts are good at killing oversized rabbits. The majority of Lapites enjoy the freedom of being outdoors, and essentially act like blissed out, peace-loving hippies, but the minority who do the protecting and patrolling of Lapite lands are constantly on edge, and rather resentful of the ones so attuned to the Open Calm, which they see as weakness.

#### Food

In terms of food, the Lapites are capable hunter-gatherers, though they far prefer gathering to hunting. They are omnivorous, but in the barest sense of the word, and only hunt large bugs and worms- nothing with fur. They eat grains, grass, bark, berries, roots, flowers, and other foliage. Their favorite food is pumpkin.

#### Weaponry

The Lapites have the potential to be on par with dwarves in their weapon crafting, as their digging skills would make them good metallurgists, but they haven't reached that level yet. Currently, they fight with spears, and occasionally torches.Furthermore, life in the open makes them quick to respond with hostility and wariness, though even the most grizzled Lapite will turn tail and flee upon facing a big enough foe.

#### References:

1. ↑ From the post https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5093162