Kamik

Kamiks are one of tha major races in Nora. They are notable for resembling humanoid foxes and are considered beautiful and patient.

The kamiks are a peaceful race native to south west Nora. They resemble humanoid foxes and are actually a sibling race to the far more aggressive gnolls. They farm and hunt in peace and prefer to be left alone by other cultures. Kamiks have a highly magical tradition and revere a spiritual presence known as the Sublime Song.

History


The kamiks are distantly related to gnolls and have a common ancestor with the barbaric raiders.

Rural Culture


Kamiks as a people prefer rural lifestyles rather than the busy traffic of the city. Kamiks have all but perfected agriculture and animal husbandry.

Kamikian culture is rich in tradition, music, and spiritual ritual. Kamikians continue a long oral history tradition through stories, songs and proverbs. In rural areas, Noran culture's impact is minimal; the literacy rate in common script among these kamiks is quite low. However, more than half the adult population can read the local gnoll script; small schools for children where this is taught are quite more common. Kamikian children are given their name on the seventh day of after birth, and their children are almost always named after a very important person in their family.

Hakilo Tradition

The kamiks have a rich oral history that is passed down through praise singers or hakilos. This passing down of oral history through music has made music one of the most distinctive traits of the kamik. They have long been known for their drumming and also for their unique musical instrument, the julo. The julo is a large twenty-one string harp-like instrument made out of a gourd covered with cow skin. The strings are made of fishing line. It is played to accompany a hakilo's singing or simply on its own and improvisation is common.

The futawo is another traditional musical instrument of kamik. Its name in gnoll means "dual," or "married" because of its consisting of two, short, bamboo reed pipes put together, making the futawo a double-piped instrument. The futawo consists of two pipes of equal length, each pipe has small holes for playing. It requires a special technique called "circular breathing," and can only be done by trained hakilos. The futawo is played by the kamiks as an accompaniment to stories, and a native line dance.

Unisex Gender Roles

The kamik do not separate roles from male and female except when dealing with unavoidable biology and life cycle issues such as pregnancy. The males and females are treated as equals in every way.

In addition to this gender equality (or perhaps because of it) there is no formal marriage system practiced by most kamiks. Mating pairs are considered temporary and casual.

Family Structure

Growing from values common in rural societies, the kamik family structure revolves around the extended family.

Sukergot

As a biproduct of the kamik's agricultural lifestyle is the casual consumption of sukergot, a grass-like plant with psychotropic properties.

Language


The Kamikian language is a simple language with only seven syllables. Each syllable is associated with a musical note, a number, a color and a hand signal. Hence, the language can be conveyed in many means, several of which are non-verbal.

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