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Biology breakdown: Vull'jorg

As with giants, the Vull'jorg are a humanoid species not too dissimilar from either the giants nor humans. That being said, they are still unmistakably their own unique being, with evolutionary traits that arose in their development not seen in other primates.  

Physiology

  Most striking about the Vull'jorg is their diminutive stature, rarely standing more than five feet in height and more commonly measuring less than four. In tandem with this short figure is their proportionally broad torsos, giving them a squat, squarish appearance and far greater stability in standing then humans, due to their lower center of gravity. A more subtle feature of these dwarf-like individuals is their higher density then both humans and giants, granting them an unexpectedly heavy weight and a high degree of both strength and durability, easily able to throw a fully-grown human over their heads, or shrug off trauma that would leave humans incapacitated. This of course comes with the trade-off of Vull'jorgi being exceptionally terrible swimmers. Vull'orgi limbs are of a more ape-like persuasion, with short, stubby legs and dis-proportionally long arms terminating in large hands, which enables an aptitude for climbing and digging, though this makes them poorly suited to long distance running and gives the Vull'jorg a slumped posture.   Interestingly, Vull'jorgi share the somewhat comically oversized ears of the giants they generally despise, giving them the most sensitive hearing of the three sapient races, aiding in navigation through tunnel networks. This implies that the Vull'jorg and giants are in fact closer in relation to each other biologically than they are to humans, ironic as it may be.   As a result of preferring to live underground or under the shade of trees, most Vull'jorg are of a very pale, ashen complexion and are liable to contract serious skin issues if they stay in the sun's light for extended periods of time. The exception to this rule being the Ird'korg peoples of Quon'gir's West Wing, who against the odds thrived in the desert environment of their home. Hence, the Ird'korg express more tanned complexions, ranging from light brown to red-bronze, depending on how close a community historically lived in relation to the deserts of the Red Waste.

Psychology

Contrary to what their appearance initially suggests, the Vull'jorg are extremely intelligent, capable of developing solutions to obstacles often at greater speeds to even humans. This is in no small part because of their different sensory proficiencies. While their eyesight is somewhat less developed for long distance then humans or giants, they have incredibly acute short-sight, able to pick out minute details, even in the gloom of caves thanks to their near night vision. Additionally Vull'jorg hands, while big, feature a similar degree of articulation to humans, allowing the manipulation and creation of tools to aid in their endeavors.   Vull'jorg have shown a general trend of being less inclined towards violence than even giants, with only the aforementioned Ird'korg historically being described as aggressive, owing to the higher competition of food this group would have adapted to. That is not to say all Vull'jorg are pacifist by any means, fully willing to stand up for themselves and wage war against themselves and others like any of the other two major sapient species. Though, such events of large scale warfare between the Vull'jorg are exceedingly rare, with The United Vull'jorg Dominion seeing just three major civil conflicts in its almost nine-thousand years of existence. Before the time of the United Dominion, such infighting was obviously more common, with tribal mindsets and fear of outsiders making diplomacy more difficult.   The genocide of the Fire-giants was the catalyst which allowed the Vull'jorg as a species to unite, and the event has had a long-standing impact on their dealings with outsiders. Humans are regarded with trepidation and caution, with different cultures of humanity having had wildly varied interactions ranging from positive relations facilitating small amounts of trade, to negative mishaps which have at several points threatened to cause war between the Vull'jorg and certain nations. Giants are significantly less nuanced as far as the Vull'jorg are concerned, with generational teaching making it so that the average Vull'jorgi holds a great aversion to any sort of interaction with giants.

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Author's Notes

Related Articles:   @Quo   Biology breakdown: Giants   The Rogue Sapiens


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