Garrox

Garrox are nocturnal earth spirits brought to life by a Sire to protect and heal the world around them. However, when a battle between the deities rages, the species finds itself on the brink of destruction, on the verge of tearing themselves apart.

DETAILED INFORMATION HERE

## The history of the Garrox

Garrox are nocturnal creatures that thrive in areas of untouched forest, residing often in buildings that have been abandoned for years. They are earth spirits that strive to return the world to its natural state.

Garrox culture worships a creator deity and a trio of other deities; Sire, The nameless sire of the Garrox race, and god of the earth, life, and music. Veracity, god of knowledge, truth, and the night. Entropy, god of chaos, vitality, and the day. Parity, god of harmony, law, and twilight.

The creatures sire created were beautiful, bipedal creatures with large wings. They were intelligent, just and loving, adoring the world and all its inhabitants. They brought life to the world around them, and were there in times of great environmental peril to heal the land again. And they did this for a great many years.

However, in the last century, Entropy grew bored, and scattering the united species of the Garrox with lies and deceit, war raged. Many fled into hiding, others turned on their kind, becoming champions of Entropy. An explosive battle raged between the dwindling numbers of the species, and it wasn't long before they had nearly wiped themselves off the face of the planet. Veracity fought Entropy, but they found it harder and harder to find warriors of true in the land of lies. With the growing power from the chaos Entropy put a curse on the garrox.

Cursed by Entropy, the garrox became a twisted creature; a distorted shell of what they once were. Forced to their hands and knees by the malicious god they became quadrupeds, their wings stolen from them and left as withered, gnarled appendages that were rendered completely useless as a reminder of their misdeeds.

Since then, the struggling species has split, creating small packs of their dwindling numbers, where trust in each other is strained, if not non-existent. The champions of Entropy remain a threat, creating a single pack of their own. The forces of Entropy and  Veracity fight on to this day.

## NOTABLE FIGURES

### Gods

#### Sire

The nameless sire of the Garrox race, and God of the earth, life, and music.

#### Veracity

God of knowledge, truth, and the night.

Veracity loves knowledge for knowledge’s sake. They have amassed a vast library not only containing the writings of Garrox, but also those of other species. Veracity cares for truth over harmony; something Parity disagrees with.

Veracity is in a constant battle with Entropy. In an attempt to fight Entropy, Veracity blessed a band of Garrox as their heroes.

#### Entropy

God of chaos, vitality, and the day.

Mated to Parity

Entropy is a lover of tricks, mischief, and down right mayhem. Their followers are the same, spreading Entropy’s chaos throughout their packs and the surrounding lands. Entropy’s followers also keep up the mistrust between the packs.

Another pastime of Entropy’s is reanimating dead Garrox that met their end in a cruelly. These Garrox often hold grudges, and are given new powers from Entropy, making them much more dangerous than the average followers of Entropy.

#### Parity

God of harmony, law, and twilight

Mated to Entropy

Parity is a double edged sword. Their love of law makes them impartial to the other gods and the race as a whole. This often means that deception wins over truth, as Parity is grounded in tradition.

Parity’s followers uphold the rules and customs of their packs. They also maintain the environment around them.

### Pack Leaders

#### Inoveses

 Fierce leader of the Frostbloom pack. Once cold hearted, finding and caring for the young leader of Skyrise left a lasting impression of kindness.

#### Rocketto

The Umbrage Pack of Garrox is youngest pack, but certainly one of the most notorious. Led by Rocketto, the younger sister of the beastly Borak, and filled to the brim with refugees from Forsaken, this group of garrox already have an incredibly bad reputation. Wary, distrusting and incredibly hostile, this pack is most famous for its quick and quiet ambushers. Some say this new pack came to be in a battle between siblings, through which many of the familiar faces escaped Borak's tyranny. Though no one has actually asked their leader how they came to be, so no one can say for sure.

#### Borak

Lead by Borak, the most infamous and bloodthirsty Garrox of the present generation, is the Forsaken. His pack is filled to the brim with deserters, traitors and worshippers of Entropy. Unfortunately amongst their ranks, there are also those who are too terrified to escape - prisoners of war or those that suffer under Borak's rule. This pack remains just as strong as ever, despite the recent defeat at the hands of Skyrise and Frostbloom, and the betrayal of Rocketto and the members of Umbrage.

#### Belial

Leader of the Firefly pack. Many find his sudden change of title to be a fluke, as he is not the strongest or stealthiest of those his age. Nevertheless, he has no choice but to prove himself and satisfy the rest of his pack that he is, in fact, leader material. Even if he doesn't believe so himself.

#### Sulk

Competitive leader of the Mirewalk pack. Sulkie loves fighting and any form of competition, but is not foolish or arrogant enough to start a fight with the other packs. Sulk is fiercely loyal to their pack and strives to protect them.

#### Swift

Leader of the Skyrise pack. Swift is Bold and hard working, but easy to embarrass. Was overthrown and left to die. Their pack fell under the control of a brute named Borak, the numbers of this pack began to dwindle. It was only when the usurped pack leader, Swift, returned after being found and cared for by the Frostbloom Pack to reclaim his title, and defeated the cruel and hated tyrant that the pack began to settle once again. For the moment, they remain a neutral party amongst the packs, but consider the Frostbloom Pack to be their temporary allies for their part in overthrowing Borak. However, there has been a rather subtle change in their Royal's demeanour, and no one can quite pinpoint what it is.

## CULTURE

### Behaviour

Garrox communicate through a variety of chirps, howls and songs. They purr when delighted, growl when threatened, and scream like banshees to keep rivals and people at bay. Amongst their pack they are sociable creatures, but are often prone to fighting. However, interactions with other packs is almost certainly regarded with open hostility. Meetings amongst pack leaders occur very little, and only when attempting to gain the upper hand on others. It is not in any Garrox's nature to trust easily.

### Spirituality

Garrox are incredibly spiritual creatures. They commune often with the spirits of their fallen, and regard those that have died as champions of the Deities. They are very self conscious of their soul, regarding their stone skeleton and body as a sort of vessel. When they die, their skeleton remains and their body rots away to feed the earth, leaving a lush garden of grass and flowers in their wake. They believe that, while death is something to mourn, it is also the greatest gift a Garrox could give to their land. It is often that celebrations of other pack members lives take place upon their passing, and that packs will sing for many days in honour of their fallen comrade. Garrox are not creatures that grieve in public, but should a body be lost to water, or anywhere that the land may not benefit from it, the pack will mourn together for weeks on end. Touching a body is absolutely forbidden, as many believe that disrupting such a sacred thing as death could result in a curse upon the whole pack.

### Sex and Gender

The concept of gender or sex is not one that the species abides by. Their genitalia adapts at puberty to either sperm or ova producing, depending on what the pack requires. As such, cubs develop their own identity and chosen pronouns at a young age. Ova producing Garrox grow to be considerably larger, and are often the hunters and fighters in packs. They also raise the cubs, with several 'den mothers' appointed to look after the babies while the others hunt. Sperm producing Garrox are the scouts, often guarding territory boundaries or acting as messengers on behalf of the pack leader. Some Garrox happen to produce both to keep a balance in the pack. Garrox are monotremes - mammals that lay eggs but produce milk for their young.

### Lifestyle

Garrox  are pack animals, and treat their own packs as family, whilst all others are regarded with wariness and even contempt. Despite their seemingly peaceful quest to restore life to forests, many packs would not hesitate to kill members of other packs, and will go as far as to steal young cubs or attack elderly Garrox to send the other packs into chaos. They are omnivores, surviving on a diet of meat and plants and even bark and dirt when things get hard. However, they are also cannibalistic, and will eat their own kind without a second thought.

Packs are lead by Royals, Garrox that can be distinguished from others by their coloured, gem-like stone plates.

Garrox are vain creatures with a passion for fabrics, jewellery, and just about anything colourful or bright. They are scavengers, and as such will raid abandoned homes for anything they can wear. However, some choose not to wear anything whilst scouting the borders or hunting, as the thought of their beloved cloth or rags becoming tattered, worn, or snagging on sticks and stones is absolutely unthinkable. 'Dressing' each other is about as social as grooming each other, and many Garrox partake in such interaction often.

### Pack Leaders

Becoming a pack leader does not mean being born into a particular family. Garrox often appoint pack leaders from those who have proven themselves worthy in protecting their pack. Upon becoming a Royal, or leader of a pack, the Garrox's body undergoes a chemical reaction, causing them to slowly sprout gem like growths around their neck and chest, legs and sometimes head or back. As battle between Garrox consists of a lot of biting, charging and ramming against each other, this new plating is believed to protect these leaders from harm. A Royal can only lose their title in death though a new leader can be appointed.

## ANATOMY

The Garrox has a skeleton made of stone, hard to damage and harder to break. Their body is covered in tough skin and coarse, short hairs. The stones of their spine tend to cause a ridges and bumps across their back, and their shoulders and hips are incredibly blocky. Their brows and horns are connected, and their long ears have a central flap that closes to keep out water, dust, and other invasive things that may damage their ears. Garrox paws have the same dexterity of human hands, and as such they can be used to pick up, hold and grab things.

Garrox, who share very similar anatomy to horses, are thick necked and barrel chested. Their large rib cage leaves space for a larger pair of lungs and big heart. They can gallop at high speeds and not have to stop for rest, and can leap over fallen trees, rocks and other hazards with ease. Their claw tipped arms are often used to keep their balance, spread out at their sides, or used to spear prey as they get close enough snap their arm forward, claw extended.

Garrox are fierce and extremely territorial. Threat displays are not at all uncommon, as they are prone to fighting with anyone outside their own pack. Standing with their neck outstretched and chest puffed out to seem bigger is usually enough to ward off any threats, however they are also known to bare their teeth and claws, and in very extreme cases, unhinge their jaw and let it hang open as they scream to frighten their opponent.

### Subspecies

The Garrox species has four different subspecies - Petite, Neutral, Doe and Brute.

These subspecies used to live in various parts of the world, residing in different climates from their kin. However, in the years that followed after the attack of Infranos, the remaining garrox were forced to come together. Due to this, purebred garrox no longer exist, and as such every garrox is a mix of two subspecies, and takes their attributes from them. For example - a Brute/Doe mix may be tall and thick, or a Doe/Petite may be stilt legged with round, soft features. The possibilities for these mixes are endless, leading to many unique looking Garrox!

No subspecies is considered rarer than the others, and all are equally as common. However, purebred, single subspecies Garrox are not allowed.

#### **Petite**

Petite Garrox are often shorter, with rounder features than other garrox.  Sharing many of its traits and appearance with the species' cubs, the Petite subspecies was first assumed to be a mutation. However, this tiny clawless Garrox is very quick and has the best hearing out of all the subspecies. They lack claws, and survive mostly on scavenging from plants, fruits and carcasses. They survive best in hotter conditions, where they fan out their large ears as a sort of cooling system. They are not very good jumpers, however, due to their shorter legs.

#### **Neutral**

The Neutral Garrox has a little bit of each of their kin in their appearance, which gives them their name. A subspecies with no particular pros or cons, the Neutral Garrox has the best eyesight. They're incredibly vocal, moreso than other subspecies, and are good climbers, using their large raptor-like claws to support themselves in trees, rather than for killing and slicing. The neutrals often have the thickest hair, and dwell in colder climates.

#### **Doe**

Long legged Garrox that feed mostly on plants and fish, the Doe is the most graceful subspecies of Garrox. They're fantastic jumpers, and can scale dangerous terrain easier than others. However, they cannot climb trees like the Neutral subspecies as, like the Petite, they lack the raptor-like claw on their hind paws. They are also excellent swimmers, and those that live closest to water may develop webbing between their toes.

#### **Brute**

The stockiest subspecies, Brutes are skilled on the offensive and defensive. Their hide is often much tougher than others, and often sports short thick hair. Their claws are often thicker and longer, and their fangs are much more efficient. Strictly carnivorous, but not vicious by nature, the Brutes are often vital to any pack, and make fantastic cub sitters.