Table of Contents

Indigenous Natives

The indigenous native inhabitants of Helevos, collectively called jinnies, are lemur-like viridplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigVirid

Referring to the Virid Kingdom of flora and fauna, toxic to human life.
creatures indigenous to virid forests and jungles throughout the world. Many are considered intelligent, though they are widely thought of as animals and vermin, and have largely been eradicated from areas of human habitation.

Appearance

Jinnies are apelike in appearance, with four limbs and a semi-bipedal stance, capable of walking on two limbs but often running on four. Many species have skin flaps between their front and back limbs which allows short gliding flight, an adaptation to their forest environment. Most of these are small and tree-dwelling, the exceptions being the banshees who have a very large wingspan and are capable of long soaring flight.

They have a similar skeletal structure to many red-blooded creatures, however they and are entirely unrelated to mammals. Being synapsidae they have a variable body temperature, enabling them to save energy by hibernating. Most give birth to young in leathery eggs, though the vrelieez are marsupial, laying a soft egg in an internal pouch which the pup eats over time.

Distribution

Jinnies are primarily forest dwellers, living in virid habitats throughout the world, from cool temperate to tropical jungle. There are some surviving populations in Anásthiasplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAnásthias

Anásthias [a-NAS-thee-ass / ænæsθiːæs], or [an-ass-THEE-as] is an equatorial island continent, heart of the Civilised World. The north straddles the equator and is hot and humid, while most of the equatorial centre is an upland plateau with fertile river valleys, and stretches of arid plains and desert in the shadow of the mountains. The south is temperate but more wild, separated from the civilisations of the north by the almost impassable Harthera
and isolated parts of the Civilised Worldplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigCivilised World

The Civilised World refers to the known regions of human civilisation, notably the continent of Anásthias, the Natorn Archipelago and surrounding islands.

Gastrinimer's 3rd century BME Map of the World, showing Anásthias and the Natorn Isles. Note: old maps place north to the right.AnásthiasAnásthiasAnásthiasAnásthias
, but few survive near human habitation due to environmental competition and prejudice. Many human societies have taboos or negative folkloreplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigFolklore

Folklore

This is in a series of articles about oral traditions, tales, folk practices, and folklore.

topics cult1
surrounding jinnies, particularly in the Anrel Isles.

Types

Species of jinnies occupy a variety of ecological niches. Most are tree-dwelling, though banshees make their nests in rocky outcrops or cliffs, and vrelieez prefer open forest or riverland. Jinnies are described as:

Behaviour

Some species are capable of using tools and show signs of intelligence. Most notably the vrelieez live in co-operative tribal groups, build shelters, and are believed to have a rudimentary languageplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigLanguages

List of human languages and dialects, contemporary and extinct.

Language

language

This is in a series of articles about Languages and Communication.

topics sidebar cult1
.

It is a common belief in Veedormim in Munatanplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigMunatan

Munatan [Moo-Nah-Tahn] is the southernmost region of Anásthias, south of the Dun Trisan mountains. The name possibly derives from a ancient Thalsic, meaning “Land of One Sun”, since the daystar is not visible in the southern hemisphere. Or it may be a reference to the Manthi people who were once the majority population of western Munatan. The term is an OrorrOrorrOrorrHartheraHartheraOrorrOrorrOrorrHartheraHartheraHartheran
that jinnies built had an advanced ancient civilisation and built cities and pyramids. The ancestors of the Veedormin people found these cities entirely abandoned amongst virid jungle, and occupied them, creating the first cities of Veedormim.