[centre][u]Extract from [b]Chronicles of the Garinth[/b][/u]

[b]Chapter I[/b]

[i]as penned by the hand of Arguis[/i][/centre]

[i]Introduction[/i]

Garinths came about long before humans existed on Orabakh. Their exact date of creation is questionable, though it is quite possible that they came into existence along with the continent itself. Created by Vowzra, he sought to correct the deficiencies of Mankind and create a species which would inherit Galbar and, eventually, drive humans to extinction. This would be done, Vowzra believes, through a mixture of garinths being in every way more capable than humans and thus naturally able to out-compete them when it comes to survival, gathering food, building up nations and so on. Moreover, garinths are capable of breeding with humans and were created in such a manner as to appear more attractive and viable partners to humans than others, thus ensuring that where a garinth and human are competing over a human partner, it is the garinth, in the majority of cases, that will emerge the victor.

Before discussing garinth society and their growth over time, it is rather important to note their physical appearance and attributes. A garinth's appearance would differ depending on its race. [url=http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/planetoftheapes/images/e/e8/Maurice_with_young_apes.png/revision/latest?cb=20150618010043]Orangus garinths[/url] are generally rather large and very intelligent. While strong and fast, fighting is not their forte and they are much more at home running the day to day lives of their fellow apes. The garinthian bureaucracy and governmental system was created largely due to the wit of orangus garinths.
The largest and most powerful of the garinths are the [url=http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/planetoftheapes/images/0/00/Buck.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20141016221910]gorus garinths[/url] whose huge size, strength and speed are simply unmatched. While certainly not lacking in intelligience, gorus garinths are generally not found in any professions outside the military, their physical traits seen as overwhelmingly more useful than anything their intelligence could provide elsewhere. Their strength also comes in useful in construction work and other heavy-duty tasks.
The most populace of the garinths are the [url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/custom/Embeds/Dawn_Planet_Apes_Four_html.jpg]chimpus garinths[/url]. A fairly well-balanced race, they are very strong and fast, and are well-known for their agility flexibility, as well as their wit and intelligence. The average garinth is by far more intelligent and physically more powerful than the average human.

Unlike humans, and many other Galbarian species, the vast majority of garinths are incapable of using magic. However, they are very resistant to magics which meddle with their minds and innards, and telekinesis is ineffective against them. There are among them those who are capable of using magic, and these tend to be rather proficient magickers. They are, however, rare and far between, making up 0.1% of the total population at any one point. 

Their population has grown tremendously and has stabilised at seventy thousand for the last decade, though there are expectations that the population will invariably increase with time.

[centre][u][b]***[/b][/u][/centre]

[i]Garinth Society[/i]

Family relationships are vital to garinths. They initially lived in extended family groups of as many as twenty to one hundred and twenty individuals, and initially had a fission-fusion social organisation, in that they break off into smaller interchangeable groups and periodically come together. It was pretty much the hunter-gatherer lifestyle of early human communities. However, they very quickly traversed this period and began to form far larger 'tribal' patriarchal social organisations. Each tribe was led by the garinth who displayed the best attributes and generally ruled so long as he could prove he remained dominant. Should he be defeated by another in a test of strength, and later both strength and wit, he would have to forfeit leadership of the tribe. As time developed, however, tribal leadership became a thing arrived at via consensus of all those males over the age of one hundred, and leaders were chosen for life.

Garinths, as with humans, reach sexual maturity in their early teens. Females typically give birth once every five years, usually to one baby, meaning that initialy population growth was extremely slow. However, over time, this ensured a rather stable and predictable upward trend in population growth; growth which became faster the greater the population grew. Infant garinths are reared by their mothers and have very close relationships with siblings, grandparents and extended family, who often share in their care. Infants are extremely important to garinth society. If a mother is injured or dies, others will take on the role.

Mothers and sons typically have lifelong bonds, as do all members of the family and tribe. This bond is also shared on the inter-tribal level between all apes, and their sense garinthness over-rides all internal disputes, wars and tribalism when it comes to it. Because garinth females have babies only once every five or six years, mothers are able to nurture and teach their children intimately. Babies are not weaned until they are about three years old, and remain close to their mothers for the first decade of their lives.

If a garinth mother falls ill, older siblings, family or other females in the tribe will tend to the sick mother’s child. Young garinths have been known to die of grief when their mother dies, so great is the bond. In most situations, however, the young fare well in the care of older siblings, family and the tribe.

While fathers and mothers do not form monogamous bonds for life, the males in a group play with the children and protect them. Whether or not they are biological fathers, males in the group play important roles in the lives of the young, particularly due to the patriarchal society structure.

Garinths live, eat, hunt, and play communally in their tribes, and it is not uncommon for young from different tribes to meet up and form their own play groups, or even hunting parties. Garinths tend to warn each other of danger and inform each other of good hunting grounds, and their inter-tribal relations tend to remain ever friendly, even where a tribal war is raging. Garinths make it a law not to kill the young or females or the old and not to cause pain and suffering to settlements where other garinths dwell. Battles are fought outside settlements, in the forestlands of Garinthia and up in the trees.

Garinths learn from each other and are extremely quick at doing so. They have developed their own language and writing methods, and had created spears long before they developed into a more tribal society. Knowledge is passed down orally from generation to generation, taking advantage of their tremendous capability to learn things by heart. The average  garinth would be able to recite tomes of oral traditions passed down from parents, grandparents and great grandparents, and beyond, all who would still be alive due to their average life-span stretching to two hundred years, and possibly to three hundred. Females are able to reproduce from the age of fourteen to around two hundred and fifty, when menopause usually occurs. Males, are capable of reproducing from the age of thirteen until their death.

Touching and grooming are extremely important for garinths. Garinths will present their backs, a sign of trust, to someone with whom they feel safe, seek to bond with or otherwise be in relationship with. Some groom slowly and methodically. Some sort through the other’s hair, probing, picking and stroking. Others groom frenetically. But the root of the behavior is the same: a means to deep bonding. These tactile rituals calm tensions and foster relationships. Garinths embrace each other as a greeting or for comfort or consolation and are generally extremely caring, committed, sensitive, loyal, altruistic, affectionate, witty and intelligent. They are also territorial (both on the inter-tribal level and on the national level, treating infringement on garinth hunting grounds as an affront to them all), and can be dishonest, manipulative, unfair and violent.

For garinths, sexual contact fulfills many social needs. It is used for pleasure, for avoiding conflict, for reconciliation, for appeasing, for bonding, and many other things. Views can differ depending on the individual, and there have been some garinths who have even entered exclusive, monogamous relationships, or dabbled in homosexual relations.

Garinths hunt for for food communally, forming tribal hunting groups of males. It is not unusual for one tribe to give other tribes any surplus food. Garinths also have an understanding of forest agriculture and nurture many trees. Thanks to them, the majority of trees in their forest home are fruitful and provide all manner of fruit - apples, mangoes, oranges, bananas, avocados, papayas, lemons and others. While omnivorous, their biological make means they are capable of extracting a great amount of energy from all foods they consume, meaning that even huge populations can live off very small amounts of food. 

Garinths acknowledge and respect a hierarchy within their tribes. The tribal chief is the highest authority within the tribe, along with the tribal council of fifteen. Males over the age of two hundred are greatly respected, then those over the age of one hundred and fifty, then those over the age of one hundred and then those over the age of fifty, while those below the age of fifty are considered juveniles and have no great authority. Females have their own hierarchy, very similar to that of males, though they are generally subservient to males. Things become more complex in the case of a particularly old and revered female and younger males, and it is not uncommon for women who are high within the female hierarchy to establish themselves as authorities in the male hierarchy also. 

On the inter-tribal level, the tribal chiefs and elders form what is known as [i]The Garinth Council[/i] every five years and elect a new High Chief, who acts as something of a king for his time in power. A High Chief can be elected an infinite number of times and is considered the absolute, highest authority during his time. He dwells in his own settlement and has an advisory body made up of members of all the tribes, as well as an inter-tribal force - something of a personal army which is obliged to follow his every command. He manages tribal wars and can act as a mediator where necessary, and also acts as a uniting force (though he is not vital for this) where garinths as a whole is threatened.

[centre][u][b]***[/b][/u][/centre]

[i]Garinth Religion[/i]

Garinths have had no interaction with the gods at all, and their creator, Vowzra, did not make himself known to them. They do, however, have superstitions and beliefs, largely inspired by their forest home and culture.

Given their patriarchal society, it is only natural that their religion is also rather patriarchal and places men above women in all ways. Even their creation story displays this, which goes as follows:

[indent]Hazik was a great and powerful garinth, birthed from the Great Tree of Life, known as Garabil. He dwelled alone, travelling the great expanses of the void of pre-existence, and from time to time he would return to Garabil and would sadly tell her of the nothingness he had seen.
'Why is it just you and I, mother? IS there nothing else out there?' 

Seeing his clear state of misery, the Great Tree of Life told him not to worry and to go to sleep in her branches. And so he climbed as high as he could and settled down in the highest branches where he lay down and fell asleep.

When he awoke, the Great Tree of Life was gone and he found himself in a great forest, full of life and vigour. Excited by this, he ran off to explore this brave new world, forgetting his mother completely.

He travelled long, and in his wake there sprung rivers and seas and lakes and trees. Animals which had not existed before came to be and Hazik was amazed by all this. But when he came to tell his mother of all this, he could not find her and grew sad once more. He wept and his tears watered the earth, and from the earth there grew a hand. He pulled upon it, and out sprung the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. She had been created from his tears of loneliness and the life within the earth, and she became his partner and spouse, Hazikti.

Hazik and Hazikti were prolific and their offspring grew in the forest, and there they remained even after Hazik and Hazikti were long gone.[/indent]

As Hazik was the first, and as Hazikti was created of his tears and the soil, it is ingrained in garinth thought that males are pure garinths while females are lesser beings, created from tears and soil. Males, on the other hand, were created from the Great Tree of Life and are thus directly linked to the Spirit of the Great Tree of Life, the ultimate deity in the garinth religion.
Garinths believe that males, upon their death, will be reunited with the Great Tree and live in eternal bliss, while women must earn their place beside the Great Tree and will have the honour of dwelling ever as the servants and maids of the Great Tree, should they lead a good life.

Worship of the Great Tree consists of watering, honouring and protecting all trees in the garinth forests, and all forests and trees in general. Cutting down trees is considered taboo, unless there is a dire need to do so and it is for the good of the community, though at least one tree must be planted in place of the one cut down, though planting three in place of the one is the norm.

Garinths have not developed a religious class of priests and the such, though there are among them those referred to as 'Shamans', 'Spirit Walkers', or, most commonly, 'Masho'El', those who walk with God. Masho'El generally isolate themselves from society and live their lives in meditation and have in fact been granted a 'magic' (though that is a rather inaccurate description of this capability) which allows them to reach out to spirits within the Astral Home and communicate with them, as well as travel the streams of Time in a similar fashion to Vowzra, though on a far lesser level. Strangely enough, despite the patriarchy, females are permitted to become Masho'El, and find the ultimate liberation from the hierarchy and power over males in so doing.

Though they live this spartan, solitary life, Masho'El do engage in sexual activity like all other garinths. Their children are generally revered and tend to follow in the footsteps of their Masho'El parent.

This is the religion of garinths, and it is prevalent among them all.

[centre][b]Extract end[/b]

[u][b]***[/b][/u][/centre]

[centre][color=black][b]Vowzra, Level 6 God of Time 
19 Might 6 Free Points[/b][/color][/centre]

Over the years the god of Time had not been idle, for he had been hard at work creating that which he knew to be missing in the world - other than the garinths, whom he had made into the most perfect beings possessing free will and creativity. With their intelligence and strength, their unity and dedication to one another, he knew that they would one day spread all over Galbar and eventually force humanity into extinction. Or perhaps they would not...

Seeing how souls travelled to the Astral Home upon death, where they would eventually be sent to the world of the living, Vowzra could not help but feel that there was a great injustice in that. To think that the soul of the criminal, the killer, the burglar and the oppressor should, at the end of all things, find itself beside the soul of the faithful worshipper, the meditator, the doer of good, the sage and the oppressed. Were the gods so unjust as to allow that to be? There had to be order in the world. There had to be balance. The one who did good was to be rewarded, and the one who did evil was most certainly worthy of punishment.

With that, Vowzra set about creating four personal planes of existence, though only one of them could be truly be called a 'personal' plane. This one was known simply as the Celestial Plains. Here would the souls of those who did good find their rest. They would feel no pain here and no grief, no evil would taint the world and they would live eternally, with no sickness or ailment. 
The Celestial Plains were not as any other normal world, for they did not remain the same. Indeed, they were shaped by the collective imaginations and desires of those who dwelled therein. Protected by the god of Time, there would the good souls dwell.

Then did Vowzra create the Three Planes of Hell. These were not personal planes, but rather, they were gateways into separate dimensions altogether. The Plains of the Hells of Time were a plane which allowed the Hells of Time, or The Warp, to leak in. Its horrors and its creatures seeped in, its madness and sickening terror became manifest, and there would the souls of the evil-doers go.
The Plains of the Hells of Flame were a plane allowing the Demon Realms to make themselves manifest within, with all their decadence and degradation. There would the souls of the evil-doers go.
The Plains of the Hells of Death were a plane unlike the others. There was no madness or decadence here; no degradation or sickness; there was only the absolute calm and coldness of death. Perhaps it was, in a way, perfect. Perhaps it was the ultimate horror. There would the souls of those who dabbled with the dead go.

In the Three Planes of Hell, there dwelled many strange creatures, some more horrifying and more monstrous than others. In the Plains of the Hells of Time, there dwelled creatures whose very presence could drive even gods to madness. Indeed, they had about them the characteristics of gods - perhaps they were gods. Gods cursed to damnation within those hells, cursed to eternal madness, living as husks of their formers selves. There were also other creatures, strange beings with many tentacles, like squids which swim the clouds and voids of The Warp. They had about them a screech to imbue within all things terror, and a gaze to drive all things to madness, and a presence to cause all things to wither and die or grow young once more. There were many strange and truly hellish things. Of the Three Planes of Hell, there was none more strange and more lethal to gods and men alike than that.

As for the Plains of the Hells of Flame, therein dwelled all kinds of demons. From the smallest imp to the greatest of the Lords of Hell, from Legions (a great amount of demons who came together as one) to incubi and succubi. Demons were extremely powerful beings, and the Seven Demon Lords of Hell were considered gods, or anti-gods, while the Demon-King of Hell, Akropis, was on the level of Arch-Gods. For one reason or another, these creatures could not enter the Universe without prior summoning, though it would require a most powerful - and foolish - summoner to bring forth a Demon Lord, or even the Demon-King.

And in the Plains of the Hells of Death there dwelled all the undead terrors imaginable to the necromantic mind, and all those imaginable to a being far greater than the necromantic mind. Vowzra could not put his finger on it, but there was a great presence, a mighty presence within those Hells, one as great as that of Akropis or the crazed gods of the Plains of the Hells of Time.

As for those who were neither good nor evil, it was decreed that they would continue on to the Astral Home to be reincarnated and live their lives again. Perhaps then they would be of the doers of good or the doers of evil, and thus seal their eternal Fate.

Zera, the Ram of Time, sat waiting for the souls of the dead. Seeing into their life and into their actions, it judged them all and weighed their deeds on the Scales of Time, which knew all and weighed with Justice and Truth. The evil would not find in death an escape, and the good would not find their goodness unrewarded. Thus was the ultimate order and balance. Thus was the ultimate justice.

[color=black][b]'Let them say what they will, but let them not say that I was unjust.'[/b][/color]

[hider=Might]
1 Might to create the Celestial Plains
1 Might to create the Plains of the Hells of Time and open them to an external dimension
1 Might to create the Plains of the Hells of Flame and open them to an external dimension
1 Might to create the Plains of the Hells of Death and open them to an external dimension
1 Might to create garinths
[/hider]