Isomara Society
"Isomara are sentient creatures with the ability to use tools, farm, herd, and even tame local fauna. They are tribal creatures who live rather simple lives. Isomara typically live in colonies which are not run by any individual but instead is formed and ran through the word of the wise. Typically older Isomara have a larger influence than younger, however, younger Isomara often get a large say in matters as they can bring forth new ideas into the society." - Beginner's Guide
Isomara can reason, barter, create, and think for themselves. Instinct does not govern their intuition. Over the past few hundreds of years, their civilization has evolved a great amount. Their knowledge expanding with every moment. They are creatures which have lived by the same laws for generations. They help each other and depend on nature and on each other to live.
Knowledge
One of the recent and perhaps most useful creations is the building and placement of housing. Isomaras are fully capable of building small huts and shacks. These houses act as protection from weather and predators. They create a safe place for eggs and children.
Their huts and shacks are typically made out of bamboo, thatch, wood, sticks, palm fronds, and various other plant matter. They also use stones at times and also goom goo as a natural glue. Huts can be personalized and some Isomara choose to not even live in a hut. Many Isomara tend to live out under the bare sky. A vast majority stick to sleeping in nests and do not have a home for materialistic possessions. Isomaras are not inherently materialistic creatures and have only recently begun to create things such as clothes and random objects that prove no aid in the survival of their species.
Their huts and shacks are typically made out of bamboo, thatch, wood, sticks, palm fronds, and various other plant matter. They also use stones at times and also goom goo as a natural glue. Huts can be personalized and some Isomara choose to not even live in a hut. Many Isomara tend to live out under the bare sky. A vast majority stick to sleeping in nests and do not have a home for materialistic possessions. Isomaras are not inherently materialistic creatures and have only recently begun to create things such as clothes and random objects that prove no aid in the survival of their species.
A lot of these primitive nest-dwelling Isomaras will build their nest right next to the hut of a friend or loved one. As for the Isomara near the mountain range, there are many caves and small inner dwellings to claim as a home. Very few Isomara prefer this as it's often cold, damp and away from the sounds of others, but some do enjoy that type of environment.
One reason why caves and caverns are not chosen often is due to a lack of light. Isomara do not condone in the use of fire and thus have no torches or candles.
One reason why caves and caverns are not chosen often is due to a lack of light. Isomara do not condone in the use of fire and thus have no torches or candles.
As seen on the map many of the civilizations are near the beach. This reason is all thanks to the stars and the moon. Since fire is seen as harmful, Isomara depend on the sun, moon, and stars for light. The ocean water is perfect for giving off all the light they need at night as the water reflects the moon's light.
Examples of huts:
Huts are normally very small only fitting one to two adult Isomara and only have one room and usually one or no windows.
Housing and clothing are just two recent advancements in Isomara Society. One huge impact to their species was learning how to make and use tools. Long before Isomara knew they could tie a sand dollar to a bone using vines to make a shovel they used their large paws to dig. It was effective at the time, but quickly wore down their claws and nearly all Isomara had dirt and mud-stained paws. If they continued to claw at the ground it would get painful and tiresome.
Around a couple of hundred years ago Isolings were stumbled upon using sand dollars and shells to move sand around, as the items could hold more than their hands could! The adults have a brilliant idea and that became the first shovel. Crafting was still around like the creation of simple dyes and freshly squeezed juices but now thanks to this discovery Isomara have begun to develop more practical uses for items and materials found on the island.
Isomara are labeled as tribal creatures they are able to make small houses and basic tools and that is nearly what their limit is. Here is a small list of things that do not exist/ have not been created/discovered in their society: Wheels, Docks, Boats, and Pottery/Ceramics, Metal molded artifacts, Weapons such as bow-n-arrows, knives, etc.
Note: Some of these things may be discovered later on as this ARPG heavily revolves around the evolution of the species.
Somethings Isomara can create include but not limited to are: fences, baskets, bags, clothing, nets, fishing cages, spears, club, and harpoons (Usually not seen as Isomara can hunt and capture fishing using their own animal instinct and claws/teeth).
Economics
Isomara depend on their fellow Isomara. They live off the land and the ocean around them. The island which Isomara live on is roughly 200,000 square miles (a bit smaller than the state of Texas, USA).
Traveling to different areas to explore in a single day is very hard and tiring whether the Isomara walks, flies, or swims. To make up for this Isomara have developed an economy and a trading system.
There are some Isomara who will track for days exploring and making their way to the other side of the island just for rare material only found in another biome. Isomara will often meet up halfway or go to other nearby civilizations and purchase the goods to save time and effort from having to finding the items for themselves.
Isomara will gather resources from the biome from which they live in to use as bartering material for goods from Isomara from other regions. Bartering is a great tool as Isomara could trade food, plant matter, and other items for other goods owned by others, recently though this has become a hassle as some Isomara saw certain items being worth more or less than what other Isomara thought they were, so barting .
Example: One Isomara believed an apple to be worth 10 berries while a couple of others believed an apple was worth 35 berries.
This became a troublesome issue where there was high and lowballing of trading everywhere. A few Isomara saw this to be problematic and thus created the currency of the island which most all Isomara use today, Seashells. Seashells were abundant all around the island and were very easy to find. These two main factors contributed to the wide use of seashells as a natural currency of the Island.
Trading items are still prevalent and using seashells is not mandatory when making purchases from others. Pacings, the general shopkeeper, however only accepts seashells and does not haggle unless it's for a requested item. Other NPC's might take other forms of currency and items to barter.
One NPC, in particular, appreciates the old trade system and has revolved his life and created a newly found job for himself. Darwin is the self-declared delivery boy. He transports goods, messages, and currency from Isomara to Isomara for a small fee. He takes quite a lot of pride in his job and is willing to fly for miles upon miles to deliver goods to Isomara in need.
Traveling to different areas to explore in a single day is very hard and tiring whether the Isomara walks, flies, or swims. To make up for this Isomara have developed an economy and a trading system.
There are some Isomara who will track for days exploring and making their way to the other side of the island just for rare material only found in another biome. Isomara will often meet up halfway or go to other nearby civilizations and purchase the goods to save time and effort from having to finding the items for themselves.
Isomara will gather resources from the biome from which they live in to use as bartering material for goods from Isomara from other regions. Bartering is a great tool as Isomara could trade food, plant matter, and other items for other goods owned by others, recently though this has become a hassle as some Isomara saw certain items being worth more or less than what other Isomara thought they were, so barting .
Example: One Isomara believed an apple to be worth 10 berries while a couple of others believed an apple was worth 35 berries.
This became a troublesome issue where there was high and lowballing of trading everywhere. A few Isomara saw this to be problematic and thus created the currency of the island which most all Isomara use today, Seashells. Seashells were abundant all around the island and were very easy to find. These two main factors contributed to the wide use of seashells as a natural currency of the Island.
Trading items are still prevalent and using seashells is not mandatory when making purchases from others. Pacings, the general shopkeeper, however only accepts seashells and does not haggle unless it's for a requested item. Other NPC's might take other forms of currency and items to barter.
One NPC, in particular, appreciates the old trade system and has revolved his life and created a newly found job for himself. Darwin is the self-declared delivery boy. He transports goods, messages, and currency from Isomara to Isomara for a small fee. He takes quite a lot of pride in his job and is willing to fly for miles upon miles to deliver goods to Isomara in need.
Religion
The topic of this portion relates to the rituals, traditions, and laws within Isomara society. This will also expand upon the topic of exilement.
"Each Isomara has their own individual values and beliefs, but one core is widely shared throughout society. Many Isomara believe there is a pure flight beast covered in many wings and feathers and pillars of light. This pure form they call is "Haven" there are many rumors and 'sightings' of the Haven, but no true proof aside from the mysterious arrival of the dragon fruit which was rumored to have fallen from the sky.
Finger paintings can be seen on boulders and in caverns in the mountain biome of Dragon fruits and gigantic many winged Isomara. Most of these paintings were made with berries and made rather recently. What can we say Isolings just love fairy tales, so they'll imagine all these pictures and paint them all over.
Rituals are small actions performed for ceremonies and are tradition. Usually, these rituals are passed down from parent to child and sometimes to friends. Many of these rituals revolve around the act of exploring, growing food, blessing/wishing to become strong, fast, agile, and healthy.
One Isomara was kind enough to explain his ritual to keep Memics away from his nest near the jungle:
"This ritual was started by my grandmammie, she was always afraid of memics as a child, especially in March when they begin to awake from their hibernation. Firstly I make sure I have plenty of kelp, seashells, and a cup of goo. Oh! You'll also need at least two rocks! I use those rocks to crush the seashells. Make sure there are finely small bits and larger ones. Memics feet are fleshy, so sharp jagged things are not their friends. I carefully place the crushed seashells in a perimeter around my nest to protect me. The kelp I use as bait. They like dry kelp a lot, so I place that outside the circle with dabs of goo on them. Goo is poisonous to them!" The Isomara then laughed. "Either way if they eat the kelp or just step on it, they are in for a wild ride as goom goo can cause hallucinations if it gets in contact with skin. Good thing we Isomaras have very dense fur! Now, If the Memic manages to get past both the first layer of kelp and seashells I put kelp right on my nest with the goom goo spread on it as well as some crushed seashells. They are bound to fall into that trap!"
Once we heard this ritual that this Isomara would do weekly we felt it was rather contradictory and we advise not testing it.
"Each Isomara has their own individual values and beliefs, but one core is widely shared throughout society. Many Isomara believe there is a pure flight beast covered in many wings and feathers and pillars of light. This pure form they call is "Haven" there are many rumors and 'sightings' of the Haven, but no true proof aside from the mysterious arrival of the dragon fruit which was rumored to have fallen from the sky.
Finger paintings can be seen on boulders and in caverns in the mountain biome of Dragon fruits and gigantic many winged Isomara. Most of these paintings were made with berries and made rather recently. What can we say Isolings just love fairy tales, so they'll imagine all these pictures and paint them all over.
Rituals are small actions performed for ceremonies and are tradition. Usually, these rituals are passed down from parent to child and sometimes to friends. Many of these rituals revolve around the act of exploring, growing food, blessing/wishing to become strong, fast, agile, and healthy.
One Isomara was kind enough to explain his ritual to keep Memics away from his nest near the jungle:
"This ritual was started by my grandmammie, she was always afraid of memics as a child, especially in March when they begin to awake from their hibernation. Firstly I make sure I have plenty of kelp, seashells, and a cup of goo. Oh! You'll also need at least two rocks! I use those rocks to crush the seashells. Make sure there are finely small bits and larger ones. Memics feet are fleshy, so sharp jagged things are not their friends. I carefully place the crushed seashells in a perimeter around my nest to protect me. The kelp I use as bait. They like dry kelp a lot, so I place that outside the circle with dabs of goo on them. Goo is poisonous to them!" The Isomara then laughed. "Either way if they eat the kelp or just step on it, they are in for a wild ride as goom goo can cause hallucinations if it gets in contact with skin. Good thing we Isomaras have very dense fur! Now, If the Memic manages to get past both the first layer of kelp and seashells I put kelp right on my nest with the goom goo spread on it as well as some crushed seashells. They are bound to fall into that trap!"
Once we heard this ritual that this Isomara would do weekly we felt it was rather contradictory and we advise not testing it.
There are always new rituals popping up all the time. Some Isomara can believe in the craziest things. But, these rituals, in fact, can help a lot to the advancement of the species! Wind chimes were created for the use of telling when intruders like other fauna were near but turned out not many creatures fell into that trap. Some who didn't understand they were meant to trap thought that windchimes were supposed to lure out the mythical Haven. Later on, Isomara discovered that windchimes could help detect the weather such as wind... and some still believe it doubles as a summoning charm for Havens.
When it comes to traditions there are not many and like rituals, most are told from family to family. The Daycare, for instance, run by Carmen and Frio, have a tradition that every February they spend the time going around the island visiting all the Isolings and eggs they saved, got adopted, and grew up. They do this to spread love and to make sure those small ones remember that someone is always there for them to keep them safe and sound.
One species-wide tradition is that during Memic Awareness Month, which is March, Isomara go around startling other Isomara to help break the ice and tension. Catching others off guard is thought to be a welcome reminder that you should always be alert and attentive during this month and all times of the year for predators! Be careful celebrating this tradition though as some well-seasoned veterans have instant reactions to punch or kick if startled! Stay safe out there and keep on eye out for whatever lurks in the shadows.
There are very few laws within the Isomara society. They were all created hundreds of years ago to assure the safety of the species. The first and most important law relates to that safety.
"If one were to inflict unjust harm to another of their kind, with intent, they are to be called out and assessed. If actions deem them guilty, exilement will be their fate."
This law means that if any Isomara hurts another or multiple Isomara on purpose with severity, they will be arrested and then have what we would call a court case. They will be heard and allowed to explain their reasons and actions. A group of Isomara, mainly older Isomara of twenty or more years of age, will then assess the fate of the accused Isomara.
If the Isomara avoids the "court trial" they will outright be deemed dangerous and labeled a rogue exile. All Isomara who are seen as dangerous are exiled. Exilement is the act of banishing an Isomara out into the harshest biomes of the island to live out the rest of their lives alone. These biomes include the dense portion of the jungle where memics mainly reside, the dry desert, the rocky bare mountains, and lastly the freezing snow biome.
Along with being banished these Isomara's whites are dyed to stand out against normal Isomara.
Exilement is not to be taken lightly. It rarely happens but is the utmost worst punishment for an Isomara. No social interaction, no friends or family, and no help. You are out in the worst places possible surviving on your own against nature and the forces of the world. Most exiles are not seen and are assumed to have perished after years of being banished.
Coming across an exile is very uncommon as typically there are no more than a couple of exiles at a time because most exiles are not able to survive for years after being exiled. If anyone comes across an exile they are to alert all other Isomara in nearby settlements to assure their safety as exiles can become exceedingly violent towards their own species.
Politics
Within the Isomara society, there is no one true leader, no matriarchy, patriarchy, caste system, etc. The more experienced you are the more power have over the outcome of decisions. Older Isomara tend to have a larger say in things like exilement cases. Other younger Isomara still have power if they are given respect and acknowledgment.
The best way to explain the society of the Isomara is a democratic individualism. Each Isomara is allowed to be who they want and are not completely set to have one specific role forced upon them or to have one role forever.
You are your own person and may better yourself however you see fit as long as it does not interfere with the species laws, foundation, and traditions.
The elders of the island once made a law prohibiting the creation and use of fire. They had more and thus succeeded in passing this law, however, it was not just older Isomara who decided this. There were younger Isomara on the side of the elders as well. They brought up very good points against fire.
In the end, it was seen as too harmful and thus if it is ever found it is to be put out right away. Any Isomara who creates a fire within a civilization will be punished.
There once was a time they learned how to make candles from beeswax and string, but that ended when an Isomara caught their tail on fire. They never could seem to find a good container of sorts to put the candles in so they decided to stop making candles for fire. In the winter they stay warm thanks to their thick dense fur which is similar to an otter and with their fluffy manes they can stay warm.
Fire was only really needed as an additional light source and to cook and create various foods, but since Isomara can eat meat and fish raw, cooking is unneeded and more of a luxury to Isomara who enjoyed the taste of cooked foods. Plus there were some Isomara dedicated to the concoction and creating new cuisine but had to find themselves a new role in their life once fire was outlawed.
For extra warmth, Isomara will use hot stones. They heat up stones near the volcano and take them back in bulk. They make sure to rotate the stones out every day or so to make sure they always have heat. This is rarely used mainly in the wintertime around the marsh/jungle land and also the snow biome.
To move away from the topic of fire I would like to briefly explain that Isomara do have roles and jobs. These are more commonly called classes. They are allowed to pick their own class based on their own experiences, hobbies, and from what they enjoy. These classes include such titles as hunter or gatherer. All roles play a part in keeping the species strong.
Isomaras are not forced into one role and may change their class, but are not allowed to merely jump around doing as they please if they get bored with one job. These classes will become permanent for the Isomara later on in their life, so choosing what you want to do is very important.
The best way to explain the society of the Isomara is a democratic individualism. Each Isomara is allowed to be who they want and are not completely set to have one specific role forced upon them or to have one role forever.
You are your own person and may better yourself however you see fit as long as it does not interfere with the species laws, foundation, and traditions.
The elders of the island once made a law prohibiting the creation and use of fire. They had more and thus succeeded in passing this law, however, it was not just older Isomara who decided this. There were younger Isomara on the side of the elders as well. They brought up very good points against fire.
In the end, it was seen as too harmful and thus if it is ever found it is to be put out right away. Any Isomara who creates a fire within a civilization will be punished.
There once was a time they learned how to make candles from beeswax and string, but that ended when an Isomara caught their tail on fire. They never could seem to find a good container of sorts to put the candles in so they decided to stop making candles for fire. In the winter they stay warm thanks to their thick dense fur which is similar to an otter and with their fluffy manes they can stay warm.
Fire was only really needed as an additional light source and to cook and create various foods, but since Isomara can eat meat and fish raw, cooking is unneeded and more of a luxury to Isomara who enjoyed the taste of cooked foods. Plus there were some Isomara dedicated to the concoction and creating new cuisine but had to find themselves a new role in their life once fire was outlawed.
For extra warmth, Isomara will use hot stones. They heat up stones near the volcano and take them back in bulk. They make sure to rotate the stones out every day or so to make sure they always have heat. This is rarely used mainly in the wintertime around the marsh/jungle land and also the snow biome.
To move away from the topic of fire I would like to briefly explain that Isomara do have roles and jobs. These are more commonly called classes. They are allowed to pick their own class based on their own experiences, hobbies, and from what they enjoy. These classes include such titles as hunter or gatherer. All roles play a part in keeping the species strong.
Isomaras are not forced into one role and may change their class, but are not allowed to merely jump around doing as they please if they get bored with one job. These classes will become permanent for the Isomara later on in their life, so choosing what you want to do is very important.
Society F.A.Q.
Q. Can I design a home for my Isomara to live in?
A. Sure! Go right ahead! It is your character, you may design it how you wish and decorate it how you want.
Q. Will I be able to choose a class for my Isomara?
A. Yes, when the class update comes out. Stay tuned!
Q. Will fire ever be allowed again?
A. Who knows? This ARPG is all about the growth and change of the species, so perhaps the Isomara of this generation could change the tides.
