| Humans |
| Thropes |
| TABLE OF CONTENTS |
A Neo-Ancient Grecian-like culture, Eden has been almost completely isolated from the rest of Mobius for several hundred, perhaps even thousands, of years, and is only known to the outside world through legends. These legends come in two forms. Some versions speak of a utopian society where human and thrope live together harmoniously, others speak of a demonic place where people are kidnapped from their homes and never seen again. The civilization does in fact exist, and both legends are based in truth.
Its city resides under the ocean around the central region of Mobius, separated and covered by a series of massive semi-translucent domes. The main hub of the city, and largest of these domes, connects to the base of a small crescent shaped island which serves as a port. The outer shell of these domes reflect the ocean around them, making them difficult to see, while on the inside they simulate the sky with a day and night cycle. Climate is strictly controlled, with scheduled rain and a constant spring-like atmosphere. Food is grown either through hydroponic gardens or imported from the island above. Meat is obtained through domes dedicated to non-thropic livestock.
Eden is unique in its culture, as humans and thropes live together in a symbiotic relationship; Humans being of the higher tier while thropes serve below them. Their dominant religion is Prosapia with their god being known as Pateras. Their currency is called lefta and transportation consists of seated hovering chariots, or hovering convertible-like vehicles, though these exist largely for the higher classes. Lower and middle classes generally travel by foot.
Fashion consists largely of stylized togas and robes using bright colors and patterns, as well as accents which can glow, giving a sort of Tron or rave appearance. With the exception of higher-middle to higher classed pets, only humans wear clothing beyond plain sandals. The reasons for this has been largely forgotten, but the tradition came due to the belief that humans were "too brilliant" to be seen uncovered, while animals, outside of those specifically chosen, may not dress as their gods. Today the common belief is simply that "animals don't dress like people."
There is a large fear of the outside world, largely due to legends and misconceptions about what it is like, which helps to preserve isolation. This fear extends to both "feral" thropes and "feral" humans.
Humans
Believed to be living gods and the holy children of their god Pateras, humans are the dominant race of Eden with the highest social status and power. Edonian humans are generally pure white to pale cream in skin tone, making them extremely sensitive to sunlight when outside the domes. Due to their lack of true sunlight they also operate on 30-hour days. Edonian Humans also typically have elven-like ears, generally short but can vary in length depending on the individual. Men generally have longer ears than women. They are sensitive to the air outside Eden's conditions.
Despite their "divine" status and worship by the thrope population, many humans still hold jobs, especially if they have no servants or pets of their own. With few exceptions they do not view thropes with disdain or malice. Both parties have a mutual understanding that their hierarchy is simply "the way it is."
Human servants are incredibly rare, and to have one is an indication of extremely high status and wealth.
Thropes
Considered to be below humans in social status and treated as pets and servants, it is believed they were created to serve humans as the children of Pateras. This belief is the only surviving, though severely corrupted and distant, remaining echo of the true events that lead to the existence of thropes - genetic manipulation used to splice animals with humans over millions of years ago. This belief has only survived at all due to Eden's extreme isolation. It is here and only here where "beast" is not considered a derogatory racial slur among native thropes. The only other remaining artifact of these true events is the symbol used by Celestialists.
In their role as servants, thropes are only trained so far as to preform whatever duties their tasked with - manual labor, protection, cleaning, etc. It's generally considered improper to teach them more scholarly skills like reading or math, however low-grade reading skills may be taught to some for specific purposes - reading to children for example, or simply as an amusing trick. This cultural norm originally stems from intentionally keeping thropes uneducated to prevent learning certain aspects of their roots. As time went on and the knowledge faded into obscurity and became corrupted, this rule began to lax.
For most living in the middle class, thropes double as both servants and pets. However, higher classed thropes may be pets exclusively. Their purpose is companionship and amusement, and are easily recognizable by their clothing. The more clothing a thrope is allowed to wear, the higher its class and status. Strays and servants remain nude outside perhaps sandals.
Thropes are bought and sold in pet shops and kennels while the child is still young. Their value is based upon whether they are a hybrid, predigree or purebred, how exotic the colors of their pelt are, whether or not they are native or were born feral, their level of training, and their temperament. Purebreds and occasionally pedigrees with the highest rating and most exotic pelts are typically auctioned.
Strays can be a problem in Eden. Servants and pets who have been abandoned or have run away frequently form packs, some of which can be dangerous, while others are merely concerned with survival. They are scavengers and most frequently made of escaped ferals.
Native
More than anywhere else on Mobius, Edonian thropes sport the highest population of exotic pelts due to both their high value and selective/isolated breeding. It is also home to one of the largest populations of hybrids, and as a result of both isolation and breeding, a category of hybrid, known as pedigrees have been produced. Purebreds are rare in Eden, normally reserved for the higher classes.
Edonian thropes, in general, loyally serve their owners and many worship them as living deities. While they do not get paid in currency for their services, they are paid with food, shelter and companionship. Their relationship with humans are generally a harmonious one (though exceptions exist), and can be known to fiercely protect their masters and culture's morals.
In general they have not been taught to repress their natural instincts, and in fact, are encouraged to indulge in them. This leads to behavior considered improper to most of the outer world - scratching with hind legs, chasing tails, etc, as humans consider this behavior to be cute. Ironically, this causes them to display what most in the "feral world" would consider Feral Syndrome.
Feral
Due to the high demand and low supply of purebreds available in Eden, as well as to introduce fresh blood into the population, some Edonians have been trained to go out into the "feral world" to capture and essentially kidnap what they refer to as "feral" thropes. These are normal citizens of various cultures, towns and tribes, and are rarely seen again due to Eden's isolated conditions.
Only purebreds are captured. Upon returning to the island connected to Eden genetic testing is preformed. If the subject is a hybrid, it is released. However, if it is a purebred, it is put through "training" to essentially break it into Eden's culture and tame it. Afterward it is placed up for sale.
Feral thropes are considered high risk and can be either extremely dangerous or extremely timid due to their abrupt uprooting and culture shock. Some manage to awkwardly adjust, but many end up joining an increasingly growing stray population.
