Humans & Brunlings: Know the Difference

 

Humans & Brunlings: Know the Difference is one of the required readings for any individual wishing to take part in Project Genesis. Brunlings are one of the two sapient hominids native to the planet of Sabel, and knowledge of their history and background as a species is vital to their appropriate use and implementation within the worldbuilding of this project. As such, the goal of this article is to help provide a primer on who the brunlings are and how the operate with their human neighbors. It will also explain what the brunlings will and will not do, what kind of religions they form, and how they see themselves at a individual and social level for those interested in creating a brunling nation or culture.

Lore

Interactions

Within the setting of Project Genesis, humans and brunlings originate on separate continents – humans hail from the northern continent of Nurthra, and brunlings from the southern continent of Sunthra. Given the general scale of the distances involved between the two races, interactions between either were scarce for most of history. The first generally accepted encounter between humans and brunlings is cited as having occurred around 3000 BCE, near the northern coastline of Sunthra. Though the two species had some interactions with one another in terms of trade, culturally, the two were sufficiently "alien" enough to the other that large-scale cross-cultural contamination was somewhat reduced by IRL ("in real life") terms.

The major calendar defining moment in Sabelian history would be the Great Unsettling in 1 CE. It was during this period that the first major waves of human tribes and warrior hosts from Nurthra began to migrate across the TBD Sea and into the eastern half of Sunthra, opposite the TBD Mountains. By this point in time, the brunlings had established their own collection of city-states and nomadic tribes, and had mostly settled the majority of the continent on their end of the TBD Sea. Among the great empires that existed in Sunthra at this time would be Brunethel itself, which had already come to dominate most of the western half of Sunthra.

Due to the long-standing effects of brunling inheritance of major memories through their patriarchs, the violent conquests and uprooting of brunling populations in the east of Sunthra would play a major role in defining how many of the brunlings came to view humans going foward. While the brunlings of the west and Brunethel would generally remain on cordial terms with humans, those who were forced to flee from the east would maintain overtly hostile relations with their new human neighbors. Consequently, all of the brunling nations within central Sunthra have notoriously bad or difficult diplomatic relationships with the human nations on the southern continent, and those from the north that support them.

In the modern era of Sabel, relationships between humans and brunlings can range from friendly to tense to hostile. Because the brunlings are a fictional race, it would be necessary to discuss diplomatic relations from their point of view for clarity. As a guide, brunling nations which have had little to no major interactions with human cultures, such as those on the extreme western end of Sunthra, or near to the south pole, are generally neutral or cordial toward humans. The same applies to human nations in the far north of Nurthra and throughout most of Austra. Those brunling nations within western Sunthra, like Brunethel, generally have a wider range of views on humans, but generally lean toward being friendly or neutral. As a rule, all brunling nations located within central Sunthra bordering the human nations in the east have historically been hostile toward humans. The best comparison would be the relationship between the nations in the Balkans, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

The Basics

Humans and brunlings are not in any way the same species in spite of their visual similarities. Though both appear to be human on the outside, brunlings are functionally different in every other way biologically and psychologically. Their interests can likewise different from their human neighbors, though not so much as to make them completely alien; though their goals in life vary greatly given the distinct biological roles individuals have within their species.

Provided below are a list of generalized differences between humans and brunlings for those seeking to make use of either group for Project Genesis. It should again be noted that these are simply generalized differences that should in no way serve as a hard-cap what either side can or will do. In particular, the "Aspirations" section is simply to demonstrate how brunlings think and operate separately from humans. Brunlings as a rule are extremely family-oriented, and will place the needs and concerns of their fathers far above any individual concerns that arise.

General differences between humans and brunlings

	Humans	Brunlings
Origin	• Austra • Nurthra	• Sunthra
Sexes	• Male (♂) • Female (♀)	• Apex (Δ) / Frumling (F) • Mesa (O) / Fereling (f) • Nadir (∇) / Neshling (n)
Population	6 billion (FY20)	4 billion (FY20)
Society	Individualism (strong) / Collectivism (weak) Humans are naturally self-serving individuals who, more often than not, place personal comfort above collective interests. Though this may at first appear to be a negative trait, such individualism has permitted the growth of the arts and sciences as outgrowths of personal interests and patronage. Many communities in human society are indeed very communal and traditional, but many of these have fallen out of favor as economic and political liberalization allow for more personal freedoms among the human population.	Collectivism (strong) Brunlings place (in order of importance) family, tribe, and race above else in their society. Totalitarian and collectivistic government structures are far more common among the brunlings that democratic systems that would be more common to humans. Individualism is considered more the domain of the apexes, but even then, they are guided by their ancestral faiths toward ideals that place duty to family and nation above their own personal whims (though not always). Brunlings are rigidly devout and conservative, excessively communal, and violently opposed to major social changes.
Aspirations	Males • Propagate lineage and attain female physical/emotional access • Attain respect of peers and family members through personal feats • Perform work fulfilling responsibilities as signs of masculinity Females • TBD • TBD • TBD	Apexes • Establish legacy and bloodline to continue family line • Attain to high social status—political, religious, or otherwise • Build a large family for the purposes of personal affirmation Mesas • Protect and provide for family and ensure its long-term survival • Establish record of personal accomplishments for patriarchal approval • Attain admiration of apex/nadir partners for physical and emotional access Nadirs • TBD • TBD • TBD

See also

Required reading

• Geopolitics of Sabel: A Comprehensive Guide
• An Introduction to Sabelian Timekeeping

Community rules

• Rules of Project Genesis