Rama
build: large, heavy
height: 16 hh - 18 hh
hooves: cloven
horn: branching, with anywhere to 2 branches to 7.
mane: erect, crested
tail: leonine
feathering: heavy, all around the hooves and sometimes up to the knee
coloration: any color, striped or barred patterns
aging: live to be about 50, mature at 4, fertile until about 35, physically youthful until about 40
power: can manipulate the temperature of their immediate surroundings. This is sometimes conscious (which requires more effort, but produces a greater effect), and sometimes as a result of mood (so the joke 'did it just get colder in here?' is entirely appropriate in the presence of a cold-hearted Rama).
other: males sometimes have beards
Rama matings are monogamous, with the mare picking her stallion. Or a mare picking her mare, or stallion picking her stallion, as the case may be (it's not a big deal to them). Matings between members of different castes (see "Hierarchy" section) are strictly prohibited. A foal is born to whatever caste the parents were. Most foals are tended to either by an elder or a foal watcher.
As a general rule, elders are cared for by their firstborn daughter. If they have no daughter, they are helpless unless their son's mate chooses to take them in.
Rama society is governed by a strict caste system (detailed under Hierarchy), with gender roles secondary to caste roles. They are, however, fiercely matriarchic; never pick a stallion when a mare will do, and all that.
Ramas are polytheistic, worshiping a pantheon of seven major gods. Almost all songs, poems, and dances are dedicated to the praise of these entities. Most pious Ramas will revere all of these gods equally, while priests and priestesses may take a patron deity upon which to focus their devotions.
Lijim is the queen of the gods and the goddess of the earth.
Seram is the king of the gods, husband of Lijim, and god of the sky
Tia is their daughter, goddess of growing things.
Rall is the brother of Tia, and is god of the underworld
En is the brother of Seram and god of the sun
Soam is the sister of Lijim and is goddess of the sea and water
Ona is Rall's daughter and goddess of the moon
They have a festival in the Spring dedicated to Tia and Lijim, and a Fall one devoted to Rall and Ona, both of them held on the equinoxes.
Their underworld is divided into three levels- an upper world, an eternal paradise for the righteous; a lower world for the regular folk; and the lowest world for the great sinners.
Rama society is governed by a strict caste system. Mobility between castes is limited: one can rarely advance, never be demoted, and never marry outside of one's own social rank. The only causes for an increase in status are outstanding cases that are viewed as divine intervention.
In order from highest ranking to lowest, the castes are:
- The High Priestess, who leads the herd
- Priests and Priestesses
- Griots and Minders
- Warriors
- General working-folk (usually grouped by profession, but that’s far less strict)
- Jobless mares, stallions, and foals
- Slaves
The more branches a horn has, the luckier the bearer is supposed to be. Seven, the number of the gods, is the general maximum number.
Their culture is, for the most part, generous and forgiving (at least with other Ramas), since one never knows when the gods walk amongst them.
The most common greeting is a swift nod. If greeting a superior, they rear up onto their back legs and bring themselves down quickly, in a manner of salute. The higher they go, the most respect is meant.
Wrapping one's tail around another's is a very common expression of fondness, similar to holding hands in some human societies.
Their most intimate gesture is nibbling someone's ear. This is used as an expression of romantic love or lust, for the most part, and is considered vulgar to do in public.
The names of gods (and sometimes their possessions or body parts), or a general invocation of the gods, are frequently used as Rama expletives. Rall is generally invoked in a more negative context than the other gods, and any reference to "Rall's Land," is definately a negative one.
