The Warrens

Home of the Rabbitfolk community in the Misty Isles of Eld.

**Hara/Rabbitfolk**

These three to four foot tall rabbits live in a massive burrow that they call the Warrens. The Hara are unique critters, and usually only grow to be 70 years of age. Their furs can be many colors, ranging from white to black, and combinations of both. They are nimble creatures, and tend to live their days out in quiet without much adventure, and certainly prefer peace over war.

### **Society**

In the Warrens, there are both rich and poor rabbits. Although the poor are considered poor, they do not go without the basic necessities of life. The Warrens has no official currency, but the Hara will sell surplus crops to neighboring communities. Within this deep burrow, there are 10 major families, each possessing about thirty rabbits. These families contain both close and extended family. The families can usually be identified by the fur color of the rabbits, but there will sometimes be strewn about furs within a family. Of these families, there are five dominating furs. The light brown, dark brown, black, grey, and white.

**Families**

 Each family does its own work, but there are three major families, which would be considered the more wealthy of the Warrens. The richest family owns the lake at the pit of the burrow. Within this lake, there are unique fish and plants. Since the Hara are herbivores, they do not eat the fish, but they are necessary for maintaining the plant life at the bottom of the lake. Another commodity that the fish provide is fish oil, which the Hara use in cooking. The second family regulates the growth of crops. Although carrots are the majority of what is grown, potatoes are also grown with the carrots. The final major family regulates the lumber outside the Warrens. The Highlands posses a massive and beautiful forrest which the Hara respect to a high degree. They only take what they need, and this family ensures that only small amounts of trees are taken at a time.

The Hara have two types of names in their society. They have their birth names, which are also called their native names. Then they have their foreign names, which are the names they choose when they are old enough to leave their burrows. The Hara tend to take on common names because their birth names are impossible for the locals to pronounce. These adopted names are their foreign names, and their birth names are the ones too difficult for the common person to pronounce. Within the Warrens, family and friends will refer to you as your native name, but when you leave the Warrens, outsiders will refer to you as your foreign name. The Hara know both by heart.

**The Guard**

The Hara are typically peaceful creatures, and do not commonly have a need for guards. Conflict between rabbits within the Warrens is borderline nonexistent, but on rare occasions do happen. The Guard is a small group of rabbits, about twenty, that defend the Warrens. The Guard is well trained with an ancient martial art which is based around neutralizing and disarming the target without killing them. They function more as a reserve group, while there are usually only four or five active guards at a time. The Hara prefer to stay out of external affairs as much as possible, but in case of a war, twenty guards would not hold out for long. Because of this, the Hara have a pact with the local wood elves. They provide the elves with resources unique to the Warrens, and the elves will provide defense in case of any emergency. As stated before, the Hara do not eat the fish at the pit of the Warrens, but they do harvest goods from them. This provided a perfect trade with the Elves; The Hara give them these rare fish, and they provide an elite fighting force.

**The Wanderers and Minorities**

On occasion, other leproids will find themselves wishing to be a resident of the Warrens. When this happens, the Council will vote to determine if the new leproid can stay. The vote must be unanimous, but if they decide to allow the new guest into the Warrens, they will either be adopted into a family, or a new burrow will be created for them. When single burrows are made, they are small but comfortable. The Hara treat these new residents just like any other Rabbit. The wanderers do not go without the basic necessities of life. Within the minorities of the Hara, there are breeds not commonly known. There are Hares, which tend to fit in just fine with the Rabbitfolk, and on a very rare occasion, you encounter a rare subspecies of Rabbit called the Flemish Giants. This rabbit grows to be six or seven feet tall, and is just like any other Rabbit outside of their size. They are uncommon, and they are their own race. This is not a deformity, and they are rumored to have their own society hidden somewhere deep in a forest.

### **Folktales**

There are two commonly known folktales within the Warrens. There is a story of a large Hara community which was slain by an enormous Rattlesnake. This is only a rumor, but there are many rumors surrounding this story. Some believe that it is just a story to entertain the children, while others say they knew it happened, and believe that maybe even some Hara survived the heinous attack. The second folktale is that of the rabbit spirit Cuniculus. He is said to collect the souls of those who have passed, and take them up into the sky. Each star is said to be a rabbit’s soul. Cuniculus grants life to those who are born, and when time is due, he takes it back to the stars. Parents tell their children that when they are lucky enough to see a shooting star up in the sky, that is Cuniculus bringing a soul to the sky.