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Qelurs
The Qelurs are large, intelligent, mobile plants that live in Kano Rainforest with the Verreans. They were the lowest tier of the Middle Ones during The Collective Era. The Qelurs prefer living in rainforests, which they are well adapted to. They maintain close relationships with the Verreans and more recently, the Opar-Han.

Alternate Names: Bear Otacaians (By Humans)
Main Nation: The Verrean-Qelur Alliance
Native To: Kano
Species: Otacaian
Classification: Mobile Ursidae Plant Lifeforms
Diet: Omnivorous
Skin Colors: Light to dark green
Blood Color: Bright green
Lifespan: 100-120 Years
Size: 6'0-6'7 Males, 5'3-5'11 Females
Living Style: Various (Urban, Rural, Nomadic)
Language: Otacaian Basic (Kano Dialect)
Gender Status: Matriarchal
Famous Cuisine: Uskar Syrup
Earth Accent Comparison: Indian English

Anatomy
To the untrained eye, they would appear as mammals, but the Qelurs are plant lifeforms, just like the Verreans. Obviously, they are not like other plants; they are intelligent, they have sight, smell, and hearing, they are capable of speech, they are mobile, they are vertebrates, and they are omnivorous, consuming food like mammals. They do not have mammary glands because they are not mammals.

The Qelurs resemble bipedal anthropomorphic bears who are covered from head to toe in what appears to be shaggy, green fur, but that fur is actually very thin plant fibers which protect their bodies. They are covered in these fibers save for their pectorals, bellies, the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet.

They have green colored skin with a big head, Human-like eyes with white corneas, rounded green irises and rounded dark green pupils. They have rounded ears like a bear, a green muzzle, big snout, and large canine teeth. Males have a large body with flabby pectorals, big round bellies, very thick arms, stocky legs, and a short button tail. Females will be much smaller than the males with a generally leaner appearance, though some females will still be stocky in appearance. They have five fingered, beefy Human-like hands with an opposable thumb and five toed feet which have tough, black claws.

In place of bones, they have thick cartilage-like fibers within their bodies, and they have chlorophyll in their bodies rather than blood. They act more like mammals, only acting like plants if they are sick or damaged in some way. They are susceptible to pests and like all plants, they draw energy from the sun from photosynthesis and can become lethargic during the night.

Personality
The Qelurs are generally peaceful, laid-back, good-natured, supportive, humble and hospitable people who detest conflict. Despite their reputations as skilled artisans and craftspeople, they have a deep respect for nature, and despite being pacifistic, they will defend themselves if provoked and it is best you do not get on a Qelur’s bad side.

Government
The Qelurs are part of the Verrean-Qelur Alliance. The alliance is run mainly by the Female Qelurs and Beta Male Verreans. The Verrean-Qelur Alliance doesn’t have a president or leader but is ran by a council of 20 individuals composed of 10 Verreans and 10 Qelurs called the Supreme Council. The Capitol of the Verrean-Qelur Alliance is Atorea on the mainland of Kano, on the outer islands there are two major cities, Mani and Oauna which are the only cities the other Otacaians can visit, but visitation is strictly monitored.

Domain
The Qelurs live mainly in the Kano Rainforest, those outside of Kano tend to live in environments or areas with a lot of moisture or sunlight.

Politics
The Qelurs have had an alliance with the Verreans far back in history to protect and maintain the harmony of Kano Rainforest. After The Fall, the majority of Verreans and the Qelurs now live within the depths of their rainforest home, in a status of self-imposed exile to protect the rainforest’s diversity from other Otacaians who want to ravage it. The Verrean-Qelur Alliance maintains extensive overseas trade with Otacaia but in a state of semi-isolationism. Strict regulations were placed on commerce and foreign relations by the Supreme Council. Hardly any non-Qelurs or non-Verreans are allowed into the continent of Kano.

They had attempted to form diplomatic relations with the Dinaks in the past, due to the Dinaks protecting Patrasha similarly to how they and the Verreans protect Kano Rainforest, but the Dinaks turned down their offer, in part because the Qelurs and the Verreans were members of the Middle Ones and were allowed to own Dinak slaves during The Collective Era. The Qelurs have maintained more amiable relations with the Opar-Han, their relationships with Jithrans is shaky, while their relationship with the other Otacaian groups are more ambivalent.

The Verreans and Qelurs patrol their territories with armed boats and airships ready to attack any intruders who attempt to enter Kano.

Society and Culture
The Qelurs are a mercantile people, even after The Fall, Qelurs outside of Kano continue to dominate Otacaia’s economy. From banks, to innkeepers, to business organizations, even to less respectful acts such as illegal drug trade and, horrifically, the slave trade.

The Qelurs have become a very prosperous people because of this, and many use their resources around the planet to assist the Verrean-Qelurs Alliance to protect Kano Rainforest from destruction. They deeply respect nature, just like the Verreans and the Dinaks. Size matters in Qelur society, being large is a symbol of beauty and power. Having a round potbelly is a sign of beauty and great physical strength is highly attractive in males.

The Qelurs are a matriarchal people. Males are double the size of the females who are more common than males, for every one male Qelur there are seven females. The females dominate their households and their families, families trace their ancestors only through the female line. Unlike the male dominated races, like the Golars, Akryans and Tot’Kocha (Toa’Sivod and Toa’Nixod), the males do not try to overpower the females, the Qelurs have always been the calmer and more rational of the Otacaians. They rarely get angry unless they are protecting their land from poachers, pirates, or lumberjacks.

Due to their close origins and history, the Verreans and the Qelurs have integrated themselves into each other’s societies. The Qelurs practice polygamy and polyandry, like the Verreans, but monogamous relationships are more common. However, they are more conservative regarding privacy whereas the Verreans are much more open to expressing private feelings, emotions, and acts.

They prefer to solve a problem through talking or thinking rather than attacking full force, only doing so when there is no other option. They are very generous, when they have an abundance of something, they will share it among themselves of with their Verrean neighbors.

Verreans who leave Kano tend to be adventurers while Qelurs who leave Kano tend to be merchants. It should be noted that Verreans are not very offended by adultery, whereas the Qelurs are. The Qelurs seek to adopt practices of the culture to a new country they move into, whereas many Verreans refuse to conform and are determined to “stand out in the crowd”.

Qelurs who run “respectable” businesses are highly respected by their own people in and outside Kano, while those who run “shady” businesses are disdained. Qelurs who choose to become slavers or drug dealers are no longer welcomed in Kano and become permanent residents of the countries they settle in.

Clothing
The Qelurs in Kano wear very minimal clothing like the Verreans. They will wear simple loincloths, like a sumo wrestlers’ mawashi, sometimes adorning long strings or beads around this loincloth for decorative purposes. They will also adorn themselves with ties or jewelry. The females wear no bras and are topless. Qelurs outside of Kano will usually wear mainstream clothing depending on which country they are in.

Food
The Qelurs are omnivorous and eat mainly honey, syrups, berries, plants, fish, insects, tree bark, roots, small mammals, nuts, seeds, fruits, and small reptiles that live in the rainforest. They are renowned for creating an edible syrup, known as Uskar Syrup which is extracted from the sugary sap of a tree that only grows in Kano. Uskar is their main export, and it is a favorite of other Otacaians.

The Qelurs, Otacaia © Jafan Adis, 2022-2023. All Rights Reserved.