Life in Aedra

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Life in Aedra

Introduction
The island Aedra was inhabited by dogs and felines around thirty years ago and have since then adapted to this world at a remarkable speed with the help of the Sky Gods and native spirits.
The first tribes were founded a few years after they had arrived, with the Meteor Tribe and Solar Stag Tribe being among the first. Today, more than a dozen tribes exist, many of them have more than twenty members.
A tribe is usually led by one male, ranked as Jarl, he may rule the tribe alone, or together with a female ranked as Viscountess.
All members of the tribe also have ranks, but each tribe may have different ranks than the next, depending on what the tribe considers a priority.
No dog or feline living here will age beyond three years old. It is yet unknown what may be the cause of this. Those that are brought to Aedra from Earth will also stop aging. Despite this, dogs still add a year to their age each time a year has passed.
A new year has begun when for a day the sky is lit with a bright white light that moves in similar fashion to fireworks.

Beliefs
There are two main beliefs that the inhabitants may choose to follow, the native spirits of this world, or the Sky Gods, the former being more common. They have learned about the history of the Sky Gods, but most of them have a negative relation to them due to them being brought to this world and abandoned without a choice.
A more popular belief is to believe in the native spirits. Many tribes have their own chosen spirit that they follow and pray to, the main one being the Solar Stag spirit. Usually, the tribe will worship the benevolent spirits, but there are also tribes that worships the malevolent.
Some tribes will even have members ranked as Priests. They will spend most of their time praying while also constructing and
maintaining shrines. Spirits are represented in the pattern of the stars, but giant stones can be found all around the island that has been risen by the spirit itself. Usually, writing can be seen on these stones, describing what spirit it holds, and what it may do. They often travel to these stones and place various items around it, in hope that it will enhance their prayer and the chance of them being heard.

Flags and Paint
Each tribe has their own color that is painted onto their members and belongings. The tribe will have set markings that represent their rank, and these markings will be unique to them. The paint is collected from wild flowers that populate the entire island.
The color from the flowers can easily be collected by hanging them to dry and placing something bowl-shaped underneath, usually an antler.
A tribe will have at least one Artisan ranked member that willre-apply paint onto the members and their belongings.
Along with paint, the tribe will also have a flag, painted in their colors, as well as a symbol that is unique only to them. The flags are seen within the tribe area, at each entrance and around their territory to mark out that the land is claimed. Whenever a tribe territory is abandoned or wiped out, a flag will be risen, vacant of any symbol, showing that the territory is once again unclaimed.
A territory that is known to be uninhabitable, whether due to low prey, harsh climate, beasts or other reasons, may be marked out with red crosses to warn others to stay clear of this area.

Buildings
Canines and felines usually sleep in large huts that are built to withstand the harsh climate. The foundation of some of the more advanced huts were not constructed by them themselves, they are believed to have been built by the spirits that watch over this world, a less popular theory is that the Sky Gods are responsible.
They can however add on to the huts, they can reinforce the structure and decorate the interior.
Some territories may also have tall walls in certain areas, protecting those who live there from dangers that may be lurking on the outside, though not all predators will be stopped by the wall.
These walls were also not built by the canines or felines, though they may be reinforced or repaired by them.
Two strong wall structures surrounding a large area was located on the island when the first inhabitants arrived, one in the north and one in the south. These areas were quickly claimed due to the safety and position the walls provided.

Domestication
There's plenty of native wildlife on the island, and each species has markings that glow in the dark that protects them against ghouls.
This ability didn't evolve through natural selection, it was instead given by spirits or Sky Gods.
Inhabitants have taken an interest in some of these species because of the way they are protected in the dark, the main species being the Nova Antelope and the Imperial Moose. They have learned how to tame and raise these species within the territory. Aside from the extra protection they give against the ghouls, the animals can also give food and leather whenever the tribe needs it. Those who have gained the trust of their animals can also use it to transport heavy logs that they themselves are too weak to carry on their own.

The Nova Antelope is the most common choice to keep as cattle because of their friendly and trusting nature. Their lifespan is usually around 12 to 15 years in captivity.

The cattle, which are mostly undisturbed and protected from other predators, will thrive in captivity and produce many calves each year. If the territory isn't big enough to supply food for the cattle, the tribe will have to relocate the herd each summer to other feeding grounds. Shepherds will stay with the cattle during the whole summer to keep them protected from other predators. Once summer is over, the cattle will be herded back to the territory and kept within an enclosed pasture. The cattle will have to feed on the grass inside the territory until spring arrives.
While most of the cattle will be killed, a few selected cows and bulls will be kept alive for breeding purposes. Those who are in charge of the cattle may get attached to these individuals, they may even name them and nurture them back to health whenever they get injured.

The Capital
A place that is often mentioned by tribes is the capital, referring to the territory of the Matriarch. The Matriarch is a female that is the leader of Solar Stag tribe, the largest tribe currently existing on the island with over 40 members. Her appearance is yet unknown, the only ones who know what species she is is her Baron and Viscountess.
Throughout the years, the Matriarch has set out a set of guidelines, to keep life in Aedra as peaceful as possible. No tribe has to follow these guidelines, but doing so will grant them access to get more help from the capital if needed, and ally bonds with other tribes can be created.
The capital is located in the Virean province. The territory is vast and stretches from the Emerald Realm to the Floating Isles, with the Oracle Lake claimed as well.
The Matriarch sets the guidelines and gives orders, but she doesn't execute them herself, but her Baron and Viscountess will take charge from there to carry out her wishes.

Another sub-ordinate order is the Guild. They are a small pack of canines and felines that once a year travel around Aedra to gather scrolls from each tribe. On these scrolls, everything that has occurred in the tribe in the last year is written down, from how their cattle is doing, to loss or increase of members.
There are two Guilds, the Highland Guild, which travels the northern part of Aedra, and the Lowland Guild, which travels the south. Highland Guild is lead by female Rifle Axilyah, and the Lowland Guild is lead by Rifle Royale Nordulv. Each Guild has very few members, but they don't need to be great in numbers as they are protected by the capital and the Matriarch. It is strictly forbidden to cause them any harm, if someone breaks this law, the capital will consider it as a direct assault on their tribe and they will attack.

Games
Days can be hard to push through, the everyday concerns and chores that awaits members of a tribe can sometimes become overwhelming.
To combat this, they have created various games that the entire tribe often takes part in.

Races- Path & Cross Country
Tribes can organize races that takes place on a set route where competitors has to gather a flag or torch at each checkpoint.
The races are held either on a cleared path with logs and creeks as obstacles, or at a more dangerous location, like in the mountains or thick forests. This game can just be for fun, but there's also competitions held where one has to qualify and compete in several rounds.
It happens that tribes sometimes organize a race together and have tribe members compete.

Pawball
Two teams compete to get a ball-shaped object across the field onto their ground.
It's not allowed to take the ball in the mouth or use anything other than the legs to get it across the field.