Children of the Woods: Difference between revisions

They remain stupid and delicate, however, and are easily crushed in the gears of progress if not properly protected. What is more, when riled, their herding instinct can take over. If allowed to run, the {{Cotw}} can display apparently supernatural powers of collective intuition which can cause panic and have devastating and unexpected consequences on their surroundings it, even in the face of powerful military force. This collective power (the “emergentiæ” — it resembled the [[murmuration]] of starlings) did not manifest in the hands of single wood-children, but only amongst abnormally large groups of them, when concerted and concentrated. The emergentiæ was in fact ''not'' magical, but a function of the wood-child’s instinctive tendency to copy her immediate neighbours, even when apparently destructive to her own personal wellbeing.   

Thus,  amongst the [[Mohloki]] and, to a lesser extent, the [[Lanchmani]], the {{cotw}} inspired a peculiar mixture of pity, reverence, fear and respect.  

Wood-children were basic, eschewing all [[financial technology]], dealing only in the amount of individual ''stoki'' (small rabbit-like creatures they hunted in the Woods) they or their families could eat, but as they became domesticated they would supplementing their diet — in many cases abandoning their traditional diet altegether — with a manufactured puree the Mohloki made for them (called variously “''etievs''” or “''etiens''”) and the older specimens would eat  a less-calorific preparation called “''pensioni''”.

In light of their delicate but, when gathered, dangerous nature, by regal proclamation, the {{cotw}} were kept separated, confused, uneducated, and in a perpetual state of disarray and bafflement and conflict with each other. This ensured they would not gather, and if they did they would argue with each other on trifling matters. The Lanchmani invented games and pastimes for them the accentuate these affiliations.  

 

By the same token they were protected and, above all other civil and military priorities, it was forbidden to hunt or exploit the {{Cotw}}, except with the special permission and authorisation of the King, who set up a ministry for that sole purpose.