Ghaan

## Description

The Ghaan were a race of hairy, thick-boned hominids from the continent of Farull. Though no larger than todays humans they were significantly taller than their neighbors the Uba and Kecil.

## Technology

Of the three hominid races coexisting before the Age of Fire began, the Ghaan were said to be the most primitive. Though able to sign and speak many languages they had no concept of writing, drawing, or sculpting and were not considered to be as intellectually advanced as their peers. Ghaan wore very little clothing (if any, depending on the era) and fashioned only the most utilitarian of stone tools like mortar and pestles and crudely serrated spearheads.

## Lifestyle

The Ghaan were nomadic hunters and gathers who visited every corner of Farull. They spent most of their time traveling, carrying only absolute necessities like weapons for self defense, hollowed out gourds used to store water, and leather slings with which to carry them. They would stop only for areas of exceptional bounty, and even then for no more than a week. According to cave paintings left by the Uba they built simple and deliberately flimsy lean-tos intended to fall apart after a short amount of time and hide their trace. They built them against the sides of large trees and boulders and camouflaged them with foliage. The Uba also asserted that the Ghaan did not know how to use fire and ate all their meat raw.

## Relationships

Having explored the entire continent the Ghaan were quite familiar with both the Uba and the Kecil. They had a checkered past with both races, however, and forming actual alliances took several generations.
The Uba, though peaceful, were very wary of outsiders and took many encounters to warm up to the Ghaan. First contact was said to be very tense and certain tribes of both species opted to avoid all contact from then on. Most Uba would eventually come to accept and even invite the Ghaan's presence though, trading them knowledge of cooking and medicinal herbs in exchange for wild game and seeds collected from parts of Farull they themselves could not explore. In time the two would even interbreed, creating the Ubaan race.

Knowledge of Kecil-Ghaan interactions was mostly passed down orally, at least until integration with the Uba began. According to stories passed down by Ghaan elders the Kecil were utterly terrified of their appearance. They described them as monstrous giants, unnaturally tall and freakishly strong, and fled whenever they were near. It took dozens of visits before any Kecil would even try to speak with them. The two races learned to communicate and barter some time after that, but at least from the Ghaan's perspective it was an uneasy peace, with the Kecil cooperating more out of fear than respect. This allegedly lead to many setbacks in their relations, including the decision of one particularly short-tempered tribe to abandon the endeavor altogether and begin hunting the Kecil as food.

Much later, in the Age of Fire, the Ghaan would come into contact with two other races, the Dryll and the Makilek. The latter became bitter enemies almost immediately, said to look down upon them for their limited intellect and crude craftsmanship, and drove them far from the borders of Northern Pangaea. The Dryll were initially enemies as well and fought against the Ghaan in many early conflicts. How the two became allies is not entirely clear, as even after intermingling with the Uba the genetically pure Ghaan tribes never developed writing and so did not record their history. The Ghaan were not said to have turned directly on any of their former allies, but after forming their connection with the Dryll they did migrate deep into Western Pangaea to live alongside them, perhaps to avoid fighting with their fellow hominids. Dryll writings make only scant (yet very fond) mention of them, describing them as friendly people and "good drinkers".

## Decline

Like the Uba, the Ghaan became much rarer after the rise of the Ubaan. Their newly hybridized children became greatly sought after as they had the mental capacity of the Uba but sacrificed none of the Ghaans strength or toughness. The Ghaan viewed them with great adoration and began prioritizing Uba and Ubaan mates over their own kind. The last remnants of their kind, those who resisted integration or simply wished to preserve the old ways, traveled west into the jungle and were never heard from again. The Dryll say they had "great troubles" giving up their nomadic ways but found comfort in Dryll society and still exist, few in number but happy and treated as equals. The Ubaan, who have not seen their kin face to face in generations, doubt this very much.