Brunling
Brunlings (Triplos brunensis) are the largest extant group of alvonatal in Sabel, and the second-largest group of sapient beings after humans. As with humans, brunlings are characterized by the bipedalism and high intelligence, possessing virtually all of the basic traits and characteristics that define humans. The brunling species originates from the southern continent of Sunthra, where they developed complex societies and civilizations, and where today the majority of their population resides. Historically, relations between brunlings and humans have been cold or outright hostile, largely following the events surrounding the Great Unsettling around 1000 BCE, during which millions of brunlings were displaced by vast migratory waves of humans from their home continent of Nurthra.
| Brunling | |
|---|---|
| File:N/A.png | |
| An adult brunling apex (left), nadir (center), and mesa (right) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Alvonatalia |
| Family: | Triplonidae |
| Subfamily: | Triploninae |
| Tribe: | Triplonini |
| Genus: | Triplos |
| Species: | T. brunensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Triplos brunensis TBD, XXXX
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| Subgroups | |
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Although brunlings and humans share a number of topical physical characteristics, neither species can be described as belonging to the same overall race of hominid. It remains unknown at which point brunlings split from humans, or how brunling even became a species of alvonatal mammals to begin with. Most anthropological records indicate a deviation from primates approximately 2–2.5 million years agos, though the divergence of brunlings from their nearest ancestor T. sunthranesis is also unclear. What is known is that the ancestors of brunlings originated from Nurthra, and likely migrated across the ancient land bridge connecting Nurthra to Sunthra around 1.8 million years ago, just prior to the land bridge's disappearance around 1.5 million BP. It was from this group that brunlings would emerge and spread across the rest of the southern continent. Ultimately, the brunlings would grow rapidly, developing highly-stratified patriarchal communities, which would expand into vast civilizations covering most of Sunthra. Today, the global population of brunlings sat at X billion as of 2023.
Brunlings are extraordinarily distinct from humans in how they think, operate, and interact with others. But above all, brunlings are distinct in how they reproduce as a species, which is what truly sets them apart from their human neighbors. Much like humans, brunlings are a sexually dimorphic species, though they possess three rather than two sexes; these are apexes (frumlings), mesas (ferelings), and nadirs (neshlings). Apexes are the sole reproducing members of their population, and are physically larger and stronger than mesas or nadirs. Mesas and nadirs possess no reproductive capabilities, and are instead defined by their general roles within the population; with mesas serving as protectors and providers, and nadirs as serfs and laborers. Apexes reproduce aesexually, and are capable of siring offspring following puberty, at around age 16, and infertility, at around age 80.
Brunlings are omnivorous, and can and will consume any edible flora or fauna available to them. Like humans, brunlings mastered the use of fire for cooking and generating warmth hundreds of thousands of years ago with their ancestor T. sunthranesis. Because of the physical differences among the brunling sexes, while apexes and mesas can survive for eight weeks without food and four days without water, nadirs can only survive for six weeks and three days without food and water. Brunlings are diurnal, sleep for approximately eight hours per day. Childbirth for the species has historically been safe, as apexes do not give birth via a narrow vaginal birth canal, but an elastic navel opening. Childcare for brunling offspring who are helpless at birth is generally divided among the sexes, with apexes providing guidance, mesas serving as wet-nurses, and nadirs handling the bulk of the day-to-day childrearing needs.