Name: Nahn’jhoor
Leaders: Hree-wri’hwahn, eldest shaem-lead.
Type: Although not an actual city in any way, Nahn’jhoor is a place where the shaem gather while their leads consult, and for the seasonal religious celebrations. It is, in truth, a single stone. It is shaped like the spiraling, conical horn of a unicorn, extends only three feet above the ground, and is silver-gray with pale dappling - much like the color of Eachthighern. Nahn’jhoor is a closely guarded secret of the Meanmna.
Location: In the center of the Hunterlands of the Western Mainland.
Monetary unit: The Meanmna have no trade, own no possessions other than the communal ‘ownership’ of Nahn’jhoor, and have no use for money.
Ethnicity/Race: Meanmna, and occasionally the guardian Hunters or migratory pegasi.
Language: Racial telempathy, telepathic versions of the Hunter language and Common.
Religion: Eachthighern, sylvan god of unicorn and pegasi.
Climate: Hot and arid during the summer, with very little wind. The fall and spring are cooler, with sudden, violent but infrequent squalls and downpours. Winter is bitterly cold, and frequently gets snow, although rarely very deep..
Resources: The Meanmna are self-sufficient, living off the grasslands.
Flora and Fauna: Myriad species of grass blanket the flat terrain. Low-growing vines are found near the springs, protected by the thin, black thorns that cover them profusely. The thorns are barbed, and will break off into any flesh they penetrate, slowly working deeper. Near the coast a wild shrub with dark, oily leaves can be found. These are occasionally eaten by the shaem-leads for their narcotic properties, to aid in mind-walking. Stunted, gnarled trees are frequently found near the shrubs. Countless varieties of flying and burrowing insects live in the grasses, lending the constant sound of chirping, clicking and buzzing wings. A wide variety of seed and insect eating birds can be seen gliding, circling or hovering overhead. Small herds of giant Sable Antelope travel constantly from one source of water to the next, the long sickle curve of their horns a warning to any who get too close. Herds of Hunter-tended black cattle are occasionally seen wandering the same route as the Antelope, guarded by Hunters mounted on massive black bulls.
History: The Meanmna are an intelligent race of tiny creatures, no more than two feet tall at the shoulder, that come in every color imaginable. They have the bodies of minute, slender horses, a single curved, spiraling horn on their forehead which contains a paralytic and possibly lethal poison, and the wings of an insect. Their primary diet is insects, which are supplemented with a variety of grasses. In pursuit of the large varieties of flying insects, they will frequently take to the air in short flights, wings an audible blur of shimmering color. However, the can only fly for short distances, and can’t gain much altitude - Like a cricket, they use their wings more to extend leaps than to actually fly. Meanmna clans are called ‘shaem’, and the eldest member of the shaem is the ‘lead’, who is also religious leader and responsible for teaching newborn Meanmna how to use their innate telempathic abilities.
In the not-too-distant past, the Meanmna had been hunted to the brink of extinction by seekers of the rare and exotic, as well as for use in spell components. They would almost certainly have been destroyed had their pleas to the god Eachthighern not been answered; to protect them, he made a pact with the group of humans now called the Hunters. The Hunters gained the knowledge necessary to save their own tribes and clans, in return for guarding the Meanmna from those who would prey upon them. Still, the shaem bear the memories of their near-extinction so vividly that they are no longer friendly toward strangers. If they can escape without being seen, they will do so - but if attacked, or if they think they are being hunted, they will go so far as to gather other shaem together and lay a trap for the suspected predator.
Notable & Notorious Individuals
