Jamoura
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Revision as of 06:34, 24 April 2009
 They all look like this | |
| Height | 8' (males), 7' (females) |
|---|---|
| Weight | 500-600lbs (males), 450-500lbs (females) |
| Lifespan | 850 years |
| Major features | Bestial appearance, immense size |
| Abilities | Natural camouflage |
| Population | 300 |
| Most common in | Spires, Tadera |
| Reputation | Intelligent, reclusive |
| Racial gods | Caiyha |
| Subraces | None |
The Jamoura are a race of humanoid apes as ancient as the great forests in which they make their home. Truly bestial in appearance, they are a generally peaceful folk devoted to intellectual pursuits that may take decades, even centuries to master. Known for their reclusive nature, the Jamoura were already few in number before the Valterrian. Afterward, their population was all but wiped-out which led them to escape further into their forest homes; burying themselves in their studies. Occasionally however, these gentle giants emerge from hiding, curious about the outside world and the knowledge it may contain.
Contents |
History
The Jamoura were not always the intellectuals they are now. In ages past, the Jamoura were a simpler species. They wandered the forests of southern Sylira as animals, surviving as animals do. Unlike other animals however, they displayed a rudimentary intelligence that they used to fashion simple tools from rocks and sticks which they used to attain food easier and even go so far as to improve their chances for and quality of survival. They existed in social units led by alpha males who directed large groups of up to 30 other Jamoura and worked together to ensure each others survival. Thus they were born, lived and died in the forests as simple creatures existing in the grand structure of nature.
Then came the humans. With the creation and evolution of the human race came changes to Jamoura that would forever alter their very being. At first and for quite some time, the Jamoura saw now difference in life after the arrival of humans. As the human population grew and evolved however, they expanded. With this growth and expansion came the eventual need for resources. Mining, logging and hunting found their way to the Jamoura. The forests they lived in were slowly destroyed by the humans thus food and shelter for the great apes vanished. The Jamoura did as the other animals did and fled deeper into the wild. The humans still pushed forward and soon the Jamoura themselves became targets. Confrontations between human hunters and the Jamoura became more frequent and death resulted on both sides. Unfortunately for the Jamoura however, the humans intellect was too much to overcome. The Jamoura quickly lost the battle for supremacy over the forests and with their already small numbers now even smaller, they had no choice but to continue fleeing as far as they could from the human incursion. Thus the Jamoura found themselves pushed as far north as the Tadera region. There, with only a relative handful of their species remaining, they made their home in massive forests of the place now called Spires.
The plight of the Jamoura did not go unnoticed however. Someone of great power and influence had been watching for quite some time. They watched and felt every wound, every tear and ever pain that the Jamoura felt. Normally, this person would allow nature to take its course as the struggle for survival played out as it did everywhere in Her realm. Caiyha, Goddess of Flora, Fauna and the Wilderness was sickened by the acts of the humans and heartbroken by the horrors suffered by the Jamoura. In response, she planted the seeds of a new era into the blood of the Jamoura and claimed them as one of her special children. These seeds were passed on to the Jamoura young and grew as they did. After a few generations of growth, these seeds turned into a new form of Jamoura. These beings were no longer the simple, primitive creatures that had been hunted and pushed to near extinction. Instead, they had become vastly intelligent, superior to the humans who had once used intelligence against them.
Caiyha, though leaving her seeds to grow on their own, had thought the Jamoura would use there gift to strike back at the humans. They surprised her though by not taking the fight to their enemies. Instead, they devoted themselves to more peaceful and scholarly pursuits. They learned about the forests in ways they could never fathom and they embraced all that it had to offer. In time, their bodies began to take on aspects similar to the great trees around them. They grew to immense proportions, their size and strength far surpassing any human. Their intelligence and wisdom increased to startling levels. They quickly became one with their home and one with the forest.
Interaction between the Jamoura and humans eventually returned. By this time however, both races had matured and meetings between the two races, while somewhat awkward at first, became neutral. While the Jamoura had a racial memory of what had been done to them by the humans, the humans had all but forgot the Jamoura even existed as so much time had passed since their first pain-filled confrontations. The Jamoura, ever thirsting for more knowledge, found that the humans had a wealth of information though knew little of what to do with it. Thus came a bit of intellectual sharing between the two races and both benefited with growth in culture and society and a friendship actually began to emerge.
Unfortunately though, it all would end just as it began so long ago. The humans, as humans will be, became ever jealous of the Jamoura and the knowledge they felt the apes were still keeping from them. This suspicion turned jealousy got worse and small conflicts broke out. In turn, things got worse until the Jamoura abandoned the humans and pulled-back to their reclusive nature in their remote home of Spires. The humans were enraged at what they perceived as betrayal and they began hunting the Jamoura anew. This time however, they sought the bastions of knowledge they felt the Jamoura possessed. Before things could get any worse however, the Valterrian occurred.
Shielded by the great trees, the Jamoura weathered the destruction with the guidance of their Goddess. The humans once more forgot about the Jamoura, focusing instead on their own survival. Four centuries after the Valterrian, the Jamoura remained isolated from the outside world. It wasn't until partway through the fifth century did they finally began to emerge. This reintroduction to a changed world has been very slow. A few of the younger Jamoura ventured out of their forests seeking knowledge of what had happened since the Valterrian. Explorers, scouts and students, these venturous individuals are ever-looking to expand their knowledge and some have once more begun attempts at extending hands of friendship to humans in hopes of finally achieving a mutual level of respect and sharing.