Re: Game Stories
A glossary for the Dreevanly challenged
Binding - The marriage contract and social unit of the Dreevan. This is not a 2 person deal like Terran marriage, but is usually 3, 4 or 5 members, sometimes less or more briefly. To join a binding, all the exisiting members have to make an oath to work together, understand, cherish forever. Likewise the new member has to make the same oath. There are no annulments or divorces heard of in Dreevan history since the beginning of this system. There are romantic commitements in a binding as well, but these are yet harder to explain in terran language.
Glide - The process of using the wind to coast or direct yourself somewhere else. This is the main means of travel as the wind is sufficiently strong and Dreevan are light enough to be carried by it with as little as 60 miles an hour unaided by implements, or with the proper equipment the best gliders use, as little as 30 miles an hour. Because Dreevan evolved from flying creatures, even newborns have some sense of what it means to fly, physiologically.
Newborn Glide - Caring for born is not considered the responsibility of the one who created them, which may be a shock to Terrans. Birth is considered both a affirmation of the Bindings' strength and sacredness, and a gift to the whole of Dreevan. The newborn is light enough that in early history they would be thrown off into the windflow unless held tightly. The conclusion was not to hold tightly, but to let the wind guide the fates of the newborn. Some never make it to adolescence, others do.
Typically, the child will glide for years, with an innate sense for food sources and a loathing for land just as innate. Sometimes bindings will take in the child and feed them, but usually they let them loose to glide again, because at that age children still retain the primal flying instincts and only wish to fly (they think they are flying, though they only glide). Usually the urge for land and family takes over (the equivalent of human puberty) at from 13 to 17 years old. (They start to need more food than they can get by instinct soon as well)
Watcher - A rare Dreevan who enjoys watching and hearing about the sight of successful Dreevan and all their varied exploits. They offer suggestions to some bindings who respect them, and many listen to them, but that is the only form of their leadership.
Dreevan - A herbivore, evolved from species that fly only. Because of this their frame is quite light. It is also remarkedly flexible. Almost completely without agression, the response to predators in the past was to hide in places underground or caverns where the flying had less success finding there way.
Hrokono - A very rocky mountainous planet, dominated by hardy vegetation accustomed to the wind and sloping mountains. Evolution was very tough on vegetation, and as a result, what remains is very accomodating to the wind and tough to break at all. Also dominated by flying animals over any other type of complex animals, though a few live in enclosures within the mountain depths. Water is rare, and most species have evolved to having only a tiny amount of it.
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