This is an expanded explanation of the different races. Each race has their own unique traits and aspects about them. In this section, the Lupine.
The Lupine race is divided into three main tribes. Translated into common tongue, the tribes mean Wolves of the Plains, Wolves of the North, and Wolves of the Forest. The latter tribe, while it sounds odd, there are some forests on Lupinia. The planet is not completely devoid of plant life.
The Wolves of the Forest live in more mountainous regions, particularly near the north and south poles of the planet. They use the natural caves as their homes, fixing them to suit appropriately. These Lupine are not nomadic, as they tend to remain in one spot and hunt and gather fruit and vegetables that grow in the area. In the north, the tribal region borders that of the Wolves of the North and the Wolves of the Plains, and the northern Lupine have set up trade with both tribal groups. Those Lupine that live in the southern regions of the planet, bordering Jackai territory, have made certain to know the difference between Hyna and Jayna tribes. They have developed intricate weapons to defend themselves, matching the quality of the Hyna tribes. These Lupine are also very adept in combat, no different than their cousins to the north.
There is a belief that the Wolves of the Forest at one time lived in the same area, in the mountainous northern regions, but dwindling food supplies forced a very difficult decision. Three Alpha leaders took it upon themselves to travel south, exploring the vast reaches of the planet as they went, and making allies with the Wolves of the Plains and the Jayna tribes in the Jackai territories. Most of the packs members survived the trek, having fought off disease, Hyna warriors, and other dangers. These Lupine provide a great ally to the Jayna tribes. Both northern and southern tribes share the same markings. Thick, well cared for fur with black and grey markings.
Wolves of the Forest will often have litters of three or four pups, which stay close to the home dens until they come of age. Both male and female join the hunt, because the pups may grow to become pack leader at some point. Alphas can be either male or female, as prowess in the hunt, wisdom of the pack, and shrewdness in trade are considered high traits. Wolves of the North have studied the movements of the wildlife and often will send out calls to other packs if game is entering a tribal area. They never hunt more than what they need.
In the northern regions, just beyond the mountains, live the Wolves of the North. These Lupine are quite used to the harsh conditions at the north pole, and have managed to create protective clothing to ensure their survival. They also live on a large diet of indigenous wildlife, and very few plants. Most of their vegetables comes in trade with the Wolves of the Forest.
Wolves of the North have developed tools to aid them when they need to make homes, hunt or create and repair clothing. They are a peaceful group of packs, and do not have many quarrels, though word has spread to them about the extremely vicious Hyna packs of Jackai. These packs will often create their homes out of large blocks of snow, or even underground cave systems. The central most pack has one cave system, and is used as a meeting place for many of the packs in the north to rest from travels, trade or merely visit old friends.
Packs in the north are small, as a mated pair will only have one or two pups These northern wolves are also nomadic, especially during the summer months, when game is available. They will hunt what they need, collecting a good deal for the winter months, making clothing and blankets from hides, and tools from whatever bones that are left behind. These Lupine believe that using the entire kill is most sacred. To waste any one part is shameful. During winter months, the packs will congregate at one of five underground caves. These caves act as communes for the various packs, and they share their game with the entire community. In early summer months, meat is smoked and preserved for the long months ahead. Tanned hides are traded, or prepared for shipment to trade with the Wolves of the Forest.
Alphas are elected, with each pack having an Alpha, and one Alpha will be a part of a council that helps to make decisions for the different packs. Packs will often consist of five or six families. Passing on traditions is important to these packs, and when winter darkens the world, the elders will often gather the younger pups together in the communal dens and teach them essential things, such as tool making, tanning, or even smoking meat for preservation. As well, the pups are taught stories and encouraged to remember them to pass onto their own children.
Wolves of the North are a rugged Lupine race, and have very thick fur with black and white markings. Rarely do these Lupine take up any sort of call to venture into space, though they have met the Vulpine, Critainians and Lionids. Many of these packs have met the salvage ship Sifter’s crew, having formed a close bond with the different members and even making sure that the Critainian crew members are kept warm whenever they visit.
The last Lupine tribes are the Wolves of the Plains. These Lupine are much more lithe and somewhat smaller than their northern, and southern mountainous, cousins. But many of the same traits that the previous two tribes have are reflected in these Lupine. They have a great respect for the world around them, and even have similar hunting patterns to the Wolves of the North. Packs are a bit larger with these Lupine, however, although they are nomadic. They do have their paths they follow, mostly following the large grazing herds of the plains. Packs closer to the Jackai territories have developed their own battle tactics, especially when game trails lead close to the neutral territories.
These packs have developed an intricate irrigation and water management system, and have even managed to grow some of their own food. These are only with packs that have chosen more stationary areas, and find that game trails cross quite close to their location. Most of these are also located near large gathering points, either near the Wolves of the North, or near some of the traditional hunting areas of the Jayna tribes. These more stationary locations have added landing strips when Lionid, Vulpine or Critainian dignitaries or merchants come to trade, or discuss issues critical to the system as a whole. Besides the orbital hub near Pau Theta I, these stationary Lupine packs act as a neutral party for negotiation between different space faring groups. It was in the largest of these packs that the elders and Alphas from the Wolves of the Plains, Wolves of the Forest, Wolves of the North and even some from the Jayna tribes oversaw the treaty that ended the Great Vulpine Pantheran War. This is when the Lupine Space Treaties were signed that dictate the movement of vessels throughout the system. It is somewhat ironic that the heads of three space faring superpowers, the Vulpine, Pantheran and Critainian, signed their treaty with the only race in the system that has very few space faring vessels, and even less interest in going off world.
The Wolves of the Plain, as described earlier, are much smaller than the other tribes, but are much quicker. Mated pairs will often have three or four pups at a time. These Lupine are much lighter in colour, with less thick fur that is often coloured brown or beige. Alphas for each pack are determined through a series of tests that include strength, wisdom, intelligence and endurance. These age old traditions have formed into a series of Olympic like events that many of the Northern hemisphere Lupine take part in, as a joining of fellowship among the different packs and tribes.
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October 23, 2011 | Categories: The Barrow's Revenge, Writing | Tags: Lupine Star System, prose, Science fiction, Writing | 1 Comment »
This is how early I start working on an idea for next year’s NaNoWriMo. Using the costume editor in Champions Online, I came up with a group picture and individual pictures of an idea that has been just sitting there for a while. The characters have had different incarnations over the years, the newest being CanadARM-D.
The assembled team.
Here’s the premise: As more and more pressures are put on the world, a billionaire industrialist decides it’s time to form a team that can handle certain situations. Donelda Stewart, who used to be a costumed vigilante during the 1970’s and 1980’s, brings together several people, while at the same time fulfilling a contract to the Canadian Government to develop a robot that would be able to enter hostile situations with the primary goal of rescuing those injured and in need of medical attention. Thus, CanadARM-D (last picture) was created. Canada Armoured Reconnaissance-Rescue ‘Droid is the full name of the development and the name taken by the prototype, who acts as a member of the team Stewart brought together.
The android CanadARM-D
Stewart knew that most situations that would require immediate attention involving injured civilians would need to have a doctor on site. She contacted Doctor Facra Englen (second from the right), a trauma surgeon and an expert in DNA sequencing. Englen was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba to Palestinian immigrants. She was born with a rare genetic mutation, which is what spurred her interest in genetic science. She wanted to learn why these genetic mutations happen, and learn why they happened to her. Fadra Englen was gifted with an odd mutation. While possessing all of the human abilities every single person on the planet has, she also has traits of panthera tigris; The Common Tiger. Her skin has markings of a tiger, ranging from orange to black to white, her fingernails grow like claws, her sight and hearing is improved well past normal human abilities, her musculature is far greater than most Olympic level athletes, and she is much more agile than a very athletic human. Fadra is a practicing Muslim, taking the tenants of the Qur’an very seriously with regard to the sanctity of life. She receives no payment from Stewart, on her own request, as she believes that this team must act as role models for others to live by.
Doctor Fadra Englen
The third and fourth team members are actually members of something else. Dominique Turgeon, or Canadienne (third from the right), is the lead guitarist of the Montreal indie rock band, Blanc Noir. Together with Yves and Jacqueline Manderville, Michelle Villenueve, and Raven Running Cloud (fourth from the right), they are one of the most popular rock bands on the indie circuit. Dom has even gone public with her dual identity, which she inherited from her father. Jean Pierre Turgeon fought against FLQ Terrorists during the October Crisis of 1970, dressed in a similar red and white uniform of Canadien. Dom has something a little extra, however, aside from her training with Tae Kwon Do. She has a mutant ability to achieve the speed of sound. Dom has been clocked running at speeds of 1237 kilometers per, which is faster than the top speed of Canada’s CF18 fighter jets. Dom has been crime fighting, and rockin’ out as a guitarist, since she was in her mid teens. Dom was born in Laval, Quebec, and is Metis, as part of her ancestry is European French and Mohawk First Nation.
Dominique Turgeon, a.k.a. Canadienne.
The other member of Blanc Noir to be a crime fighter is Raven Running Cloud. Raven, like Dom, comes by her crime fighting from family members. Her father, Maxwell Running Cloud, was known as Hawk’s Scream, a moniker he took up when his wife was murdered and Raven kidnapped. Raven, as it turned out, was taken to a secret facility and had several experiments conducted on her. She was 8 at the time, and spent two years in the facility before Max, along with Dr. Englen, his sister Naomi Running Cloud (who was the first Grey Kestrel), and the Mannekin (the son of Donelda Stewart), could rescue her. The experiments had two very serious effects. First, Raven was completely blind, only able to see certain light spectrums which would allow her to “see” a person’s aura. The other was an increased strength and physical mass. She appears to weigh about 150 pounds, but in reality she weighs upwards of 500 or 600 pounds. She took up her Aunt Naomi’s namesake, and began fighting crime as a sidekick of Dom’s, as her father had retired a few years earlier. Raven was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and is a member of the Whitecap Dakota First Nation.
Raven Running Cloud, a.k.a. Grey Kestrel
So this is what I’ll try and work on for next year’s NaNoWriMo.
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October 23, 2011 | Categories: Flag on my Backpack, Fun, Hawk's Scream, randomness, Writing | Tags: Canada, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, Writing | Leave A Comment »
