Califa (Cah-lee-fah)

The Califa are a humanoid mammalian species. They have standard human features including two arms and legs connected to a torso. Although all Califa have mammary glands, they do not have permanent breasts. They are practically indistinguishable from an androgynous human.   The Califa have lower recovery capabilities than a regular human. Although their ability to survive the initial injury is comparable to a human's, they recover much more slowly, and even something as mundane as a broken bone can take up to a year to fully heal. Particularly severe injuries may never heal fully.

The most distinctive feature of the Califa is their simultaneous hermaphroditism. All Califa have both male and female reproductive organs in roughly the same configuration as a standard human. These structures are present from birth and mature during a Califa's adolescence (around 12-16 years of age). Generally the female organs mature earlier than the male organs by about a year.    Califa do not reproduce through self-fertilization and engage in sexual reproduction between two individuals. As the Califa have similar sexual organs to humans, sexual reproduction works in a similar fashion. The penetrative partner is considered the sire, while the dam is the penetrated partner.   Pregnancy in a Califa lasts an average of 41 weeks, though it can vary by up to 30 days. Pregnancy can be hazardous to a dam, due to similar conditions to a human pregnancy. A Califa dam grows breasts during pregnancy; breast tissue becomes reduced following the weaning of the child.

Califa can survive in any environment that a human can survive in.    As an intensely social species, Califa require social interaction for healthy living. Isolated Califa start to show symptoms of Fading , a potentially deadly condition, within months. Fading can quickly cause the mental death of a Califa, and their bodies soon succumb to malnutrition.

The Califa are omnivorous and eat a wide variety of plants and animals. Although a Califa can survive for up to 5 weeks without food and 3 days without water, their condition can rapidly deteriorate in this time and recovery can take years. Treatments for starvation or malnutrition do not have guaranteed outcomes, and a starved or malnourished Califa can still die even when food and water are provided.

Most of a Califa's senses are similar to a human's, though their low-light vision is stronger than a normal human's. The sun of the Califa home realm is slightly weaker than a standard sun, and a Califa is more capable of seeing in low-light conditions.

Califa names are composed of two parts: a personal name and a familial name. The personal name identifies the individual while the familial name identifies the family of the sire. People do not change their familial names following marriage, and a marriage can contain members of various familial names.    Familial names are prefixed by either no' or vas'. The prefix indicates the social rank of the individual; no' is used by commoners while vas' is reserved solely for nobility. The origins of the prefixes come from the word meaning "of" in Vulgar Cartanian and High Faliscan respectively. Although the sire's familial name is usually passed down, the dam's familial name may be used in some circumstances. Such situations include when the sire is unknown or the dam is of a higher rank than the sire.    Commoner familial names emerged in the form of bynames typically indicating a person's occupation or area of residence, but eventually they were codified during the preparation of the Grand Census hundreds of years ago.    Noble familial names have been used far longer than commoners. These names link an individual to one of the 144 founders of Falis 2000 years ago, and the lineage of the individuals in the family is carefully maintained. Not all noble familial names are treated equally; they are divided into 12 ranks of 12 families.    The familial name Hars is seen as a mark of shame for an individual. This name is given to orphans whose parents are unknown or when neither parent wants to pass their familial name down to their child. The name means "who" in Vulgar Cartanian.

Courtship rituals vary between common and noble Califa classes.   Commoners often participate in a complex courtship process. Initial contact between prospective partners is preferably discreet and friendly expressions of interest, as to not appear presumptuous, aggressive, or arrogant. Letters or gifts are frequently exchanged between partners, and if one of the partners is already part of an established family, the other members will participate in the process as well. If any of the partners find that they have poor chemistry, the process may end in this early stage. This initial stage often lasts up to 2 years and may be longer depending on the number of members in an established family.    Following the establishment of a bond between the members of a family and a potential new member, the new member starts to become incorporated into the family. A sexual relationship may start to form between the members of the family and the new member, though this is not necessary. Publicly, the partners are expected to be conservative in their behavior with few public displays of affection between partners. This stage generally lasts a year before a proposal of marriage is made.   Courtship between noble families is a far more controlled process. Noble families often utilize arranged marriages for their children. There is a focus on the family, bloodline, and class of a prospective partner, and partners are also screened for potentially deleterious health conditions, both current and in past generations. Marriages are seen as a promotion of both families' good names; a marriage to a higher-ranked family can elevate a family's reputation. On the other hand, marrying an individual too lower-ranked can cause a scandal, even for members of the family not directly involved in the marriage.    The arranged marriage is solely between the Lord and a potential spouse; little consideration is paid to other spouses' opinions as to the marriage. The influence of a spouse is directly proportional to their position in the order of marriages. The first spouse is treated with the highest respect, while a fourth spouse may wield little influence even within the household. The first marriage is reserved to benefit the families' reputations and produce children, while later marriages are often done to facilitate other social functions.   It is illegal to force a person into a marriage, regardless of the ranks of either partner. Punishment for this crime is similar to that of rape: death.

Califa often form polyamorous relationships. An average Califa family includes 4 adults and their children. The members of the family are faithful within the group, although new members can be added to the group with the approval of all members in the family. Childrearing duties are shared between adults, regardless of biological relationship to the child.   The members of a commoner family are generally equal in power, while a noble family is led by a single person with the spouses ranked according to their occurrence of their marriage. The head of a noble family is the individual of the higher-ranked family, while the lower-ranked members take positions as their spouses.   The members of a family have intensely close bonds. Members of an established family may engage in public displays of affection, though public sexual displays are illegal. Privately, a family may engage in intimate actions. Physical intimacy is more prevalent in the early stages of a marriage, while emotional, intellectual, and spiritual intimacy grows in relevance in a more mature relationship. Jealousy within a family is seen as a shame on all members of a family.   It is possible for a person to leave a marriage. Divorce is more common among the commoners; it is a rare, though not entirely nonexistent, event amongst the nobility. A divorce in a commoner family is not seen as a shameful event and can occur for any number of reasons. Nobles are often more restrained in the use of divorce. A spouse's inability to produce children, especially when the spouse is either the First or Second, is the most common reason for divorce amongst noble families, though a spouse may leave the relationship after acts of extreme cruelty.

Califa lack gender-differentiated clothing, and any individual may wear clothes appropriate for their class, regardless of if it is a dress or suit.    The Califa utilize sumptuary laws to control fashion between the common and noble classes. These laws predominantly control the fabrics and dyes available for the creation of clothing for the different classes. Commoners are restricted to low-quality fabrics, while the nobility may use higher-quality fabrics and rare dyes.    Noble Califa are subject to different strict sumptuary laws depending on the rank of their family. All noble families are allowed to wear fur, though the different kinds of fur are restricted to different ranks, with the rarest, highest-qualities furs reserved for the king and highest ranked families. Fashions are also controlled with sumptuary laws, and various statutes have been passed to control the expense of household liveries. These liveries allow for the easy identification of individuals of families through the use of fabrics, colors, and designs.    Indecent exposure only refers to the genital area, and it is illegal to bare one's genitals in public. Many Califa, especially in the common classes, go topless, except during the winter. They typically wear pants or a skirt on their lower body and are nude from the waist up, though jewelry may be worn.    Pregnant commoner Califa often go topless as well, displaying their growing breasts and stomach for all to see. A pregnant Califa is seen as a sign of good luck, and during the harvest season, pregnant Califa participate in festivals and are treated as omens of a good harvest. Particularly large breasts may been supported with a chest wrap.    Noble spouses are expected to display a certain level of modesty. Spouses, especially those of the higher ranks, are fully-clothed in public, and they often cover their hair or face when amongst strangers. Many will wear headscarves over a wig cap to fully control and cover their hair; the more extreme practice is the use of a veil that completely covers the spouse's head and face, usually with a mesh to allow the spouse to see. A spouse in a lower-ranked noble family may wear a hood that only partially covers their hair; this practice is allowed to the common classes as well.

Almost all adult Califa, regardless of class, bear tattoos on their bodies. Tattoos are used to signify important life events, and the first tattoo is usually the one to mark a Califa as an adult at age 17. Other common tattoos are ones that indicate marriages and children. Rarely, tattoos are simply decorative. Individuals in a marriage often get matching tattoos to indicate their relationship.