Wergerf

Semi-bipedial, wergerfi have long arms that make their motion resemble, the gaits of many great apes. Their powerful limbs allow easy and quick movement over the rocky terrain their ancestors called home. While standing, their movement is slower, but they are agile.   Being largely quadrupedal, they are toe walkers with tough, fatty fingers possessing rough pads. In place of nails, they posses semi-retractable claws that are thick, short, and concave to dig for roots and grasp the ground. Their hands in a relaxed state fold inward so that each digit will press against the others.   Powerful shoulders and backs make them look top-heavy, further amplified in males with their large manes. Their large upper bodies become more striking when compared to their waists.   From the side, the wide chest is still large, with muscles that bulge out, even for smaller wergerfi. The waist is smaller, with only a little girth added from a small tail that extends off their spine.   Coarse, dark fur covers their bodies with seasonal differences. In the warmer seasons they grow shorter, darker fur. Their skin can actually be seen through this fur, and with the exception of the mane, is not too unlike a hairy human or vegetian. In the colder seasons, their fur grows in thicker, and will become a lighter shade. Though the difference isn't striking, it is noticeable.   Males grow thick manes around their entire head and face, down their chest and backs. No hair grows over their lips, keeping the mane free from their mouth. Females grow smaller manes that sprout from the head and upper spine. Social hierarchy seems to have an impact on their hair growth.

Wergerfi have a somewhat shorter lifespan than other sentients, but develop much faster. Starting at conception, most wergerf females gestate for approximately 150 days, and give birth to small liters, from one to three wergerf babes.   Children can often be weened off from breastfeeding within months of birth, and grow rapidly from here. Puberty will often begin around 6-8 years for females and 8-10 years for males. Full physical growth is often completed by their late teens.   Though both genders can be sexually active year-round, starting at puberty, males are infertile unless spurred into a rut by a female in estrus. This is not a conscious choice, and any female can spur a male from a relatively far range.   Males who are spurred, are consider "In Brawl". Once spurred, males will often become energetic. In a modern lens, males will often become more adventurous, promiscuous, and rowdy. These brawls will last up to two weeks, with approximately 30 days between spurrings.   Females have estrus cycles lasting approximately a week and occurring roughly 40 days after their last cycle. Females can experience heightened sensitivity, but are otherwise unaffected. Females are fertile in this time, and if they become pregnant, will not experience another cycle until they have stopped breastfeeding for approximately 40 days.   Though males will always experience the brawl, around 45 years of age, they will become less affected, and eventually they will barely notice a difference. They will still remain fertile, but will have more difficulty reacting to the brawl.   Females around the same age, will start to experience longer periods between each cycle, eventually stopping all together, but with less predictability.   These estrus cycles are not governed by season as in many animals. Females experience almost monthly cycles, synced to nearby females. It is not uncommon for an entire village to sync and experience estrus cycles and "Brawl seasons" at the same time, with a few days difference from the first and last female.

Native to the mountains of Alban, wergerfi are still largely isolated to the tall mountains of the Froz region. A few have migrated out of the area with programs sponsored by the Alban government to allow their race to experience the larger world.

Though omnivores, the majority of their diet is made of starchy plants, nuts, and berries. With some modern agricultural practices introduced, they have started raising local goats, boars, and small cattle. Though they raise animals, they still rely heavily on hunting for meat. Despite trading becoming more common, most villages produce their own food with little being traded with neighboring regions.

Often missed under their manes, wergerfi have protruding ears that are oriented higher on the head and more forward than the imperial races. Sitting above and behind the eyes, the ears nestle against the mane line. Roughly the same size as human ears, the triangular ears can be moved at will to help focus on various sounds.   All other senses are comparable to the other sentient races, with only minor differences that are unimportant to anyone outside the medical industry.

First names are created from events or objects important during the pregnancy. last names, as they exist in wergef culture, are merely the parents names together.   All wergerf names are unisex, and are instead associated with local events that occur during conception, gestation, or at birth. As children are born in a litter, names are often assigned randomly at birth, unless a child has a striking feature.   A common translated example might be "Frozen Stormmeal". A name of "Frozen" could point out the child was born during a cold snap or the first freeze of winter. "Storm", if it was the father's name, could indicated a particularly prominent storm occurred around his birth. Last, if "Meal" was the mother's name, her parents may have had feast or important meal during pregnancy.

As only natural, wergefi tend to view humans, and by proxy, vegetians and elves as well, with disdain. Though most never actually meet humans, or do only occasionally, they know the stories of their past well enough to think of them as evil warriors bent on destruction.   Alban is trying to improve the conditions, but most wergefi do not trust their benefactors.