Arborists

## Overview

The Arborists were a race of Servitors tasked with planting, growing and maintaining trees and tree groves. They were small beings, none more than 4 feet tall, pot-bellied with dark green fur. Their masks were lighter shades, most commonly light green, but some Arborists bore fruity red, orange, yellow or purple masks. They were exceptional climbers, and possessed strong gnawing teeth and jaws, that they used to prune and trim their trees. Many Arborists planted seeds in their scalps, which would grow as in soil into dwarfed trees. The Arborists found great pleasure in grooming each others' tree-crowns.

The Arborists sated their purpose in many ways. Arborist communities would create public arboreta, where any clan-member could come and perform any work that needed doing to maintain the garden. While broadly vegetarian, the Arborists favoured growing fruit-trees for food, with their communities tending to cluster in areas with the right soil for such crops. The Arborists knew a way to grow special peach trees, that lived forever and bore fruit all year round. These so-called "Winterpeach" trees were cherished by the Arborists as evergreen food sources.

Arborists possessed knowledge of weaving and string-making, which they used to make baskets and bags for food, and storage huts to keep them in. They also understood firemaking, and cooked food on special occasions. But Arborists themselves did not build houses, or rely on fire for warmth or food preparation, as they felt perfectly at home outdoors.

The Arborists possessed no knowledge of metallurgy. Most of their tools were made from wood, string and knapped stone. Those that weren't were relics from the Masters. Astoundingly hard-wearing axes and saws, made of some long-forgotten metal, by some long-lost technique. The Arborists cherished these tools deeply, and kept them as status symbols.

The Arborists lived around the north-western tip of the Urmani Peninsula, prior to the Urmani's arrival. The Urmani thought the Arborists were weak and cowardly. They called the Arborists "Ninnies", and immediately conquered and subjugated them, taking their land and groves for their own. The Urmani took Arborist women as trophies, and forced them to bear children. At the time the Urmani possessed Primacy, and this combined with the extensive nature of their subjugation lead to the Arborists being bred out of existence.

The Arborists collectively agreed not to share their secret knowledge of tree-tending with their conquerors. This was largely pointless, as the Urmani made no attempt to learn the Arborists' ways anyway. As the Arborists faded into extinction, their knowledge was lost forever. Their groves of Winterpeach trees became even more prized, for no more would ever exist.

## Rebirth as Ninmani

In the centuries following the Arborists' erasure, a race of Neoservitors arose among the Urmani, who became known as the Ninmani. The race began with a number of queerborn Urmani who possessed anatomy that echoed the old Arborists. They were short, or stocky, or had pot-bellies. Their fur was green, or their faces brightly coloured. Some possessed strong gnawing teeth, while others had permanent antlers resembling tree branches, that sprouted leaves, flowers or even fruit. And all of them felt drawn towards the practise of arboriculture, which they proved quite talented at.

At first, these queerbirths were few in number and spread out. But over time they became more frequent, and many Urmani began to notice the commonalities between them. The queerborn noticed too, and began seeking each other out. Gradually they collected into communities of like-minded individuals, and began breeding with each other. Their children inherited their odd anatomy, which over generations blended into a more consistent whole, forming a new race. They were still much taller and stronger than the Arborists had been, but they would have appeared distinctly akin.

Many Urmani took to calling the people of this new race "Ninmani", after the old slur Ninnies. But the queerborn soon took up the name themselves. Many proto-Ninmani had faced bigotry and mockery for their anatomy, leaving them feeling distant and detached from their supposed Urmani kin. So they jumped at the chance to build a new racial identity, and set themselves apart from the Urmani.

Since their racial identity formed, the Ninmani have been at odds with the authorities of the Kingdom of Urman, wanting a racial homeland of their own. In the year 111 CE, Lord Manari Tile of Cuminsop issued an open invitation to all Ninmani, to come and live in the town of Cuminsop in the Rut Mountains. The Ninmani flocked to Cuminsop and its surrounding lands, tripling the population in just 4 years. They quickly pushed the local farming towards arboriculture, producing apples, oranges and peaches. They also established public arboreta for all Ninmani to sate their labour needs (unknowingly recreating the old arrangements of the Arborists).

The Ninmani lived peacefully as the subjects of Cuminsop for many generations, gradually becoming the dominant race in the region. Then came the Nine Rebellion, when House Nine lead the Lords of Urman in rebellion against the unpopular Tilun dynasty. With the ruling powers distracted, the Ninmani declared Cuminsop and its surrounding farmland to be independent of the Kingdom of Urman. They named their territory Ninman, and swore to hold it against all enemies.

After the Nine Rebellion had concluded, three seperate attempts were made by Urmani lords to try and take Cuminsop back. But in all three cases they were repulsed, hindered by the rough mountain terrain and the stubborn defence of the locals. Ninman remains free and independent to this day, with queerborn Ninmani still trickling in from Urman.