Almeraj

Across the barren deserts of Lunalah or over sprawling empty planes, rabbit-like troops of Almeraj (Al-mir-aj) march unfettered and unafraid. For something so small, they are incredibly fierce to behold. A tiny Almeraj would stare a Wruwara down, yowling and screeching just as wildly as the Wruwara would growl and snap. As adventurers they never back down from a fight and may even put themselves in mortal danger just to prove it.

Physical Description
Almeraj come in many different fur patterns, but most have natural colored base coats with stripes or spots in either natural or unnatural colors. Their markings are usually restricted to their family and ranks, but pattern mutations can appear regardless of their parents' markings. A rare few larger, high ranking Almeraj may have rosettes and ringlets, and an even rare few may have geometric shapes for patterning. The most distinctive feature of the Almeraj is that of their jewel. On their forehead, every Almeraj has a jewel made of semi-translucent keratin that shimmers like a precious stone. In addition to their logomorphic physical appearance, they maintain a few feline characteristics, including long whiskers, feline fangs, and medium to long tails. They even posses retracting nails and paw pads like a cat. Their long ears can either stand up straight, or lop down, and some even lop in the middle.

Personality
Because of the jewel every Almeraj has on their foreheads, they are ranked rather strictly. The more precious of stones their jewel resembles, the more prestigious their social position tends to be. Royal Almeraj often have rare, or sometimes diamond-like jewels, while elder geomancers tend to have prismatic jewels. The more common the jewels are, the less likely they will have any more than a lower class social status, such as miners or common workers. Almeraj do not maintain strict gender roles, in fact, when they are born, Almeraj aren't even considered as having a gender. If an Almeraj chooses a gender, they will often celebrate it with a small party of close friends and family as a way to make the individual feel accepted and welcome in their decision.

Relationships
Almeraj often do not feel comfortable around Wruwara. This is primarily to do with their personal opinions of the Teachers. Almeraj were genetically created by the Teachers from native wildlife and used as test animals. They feel as though the Teachers, whom the Wruwara hold sacred, are nothing but monsters. Most Almeraj alive today do not even remember what the Teachers look like, but too few can forget the stories of pain and torture endured at the hands of them. In fact, the Groomah view Almeraj as nothing but prey animals to be hunted and eaten and though they don't actively do so, would not hesitate at the chance to tear into an Almeraj that rubbed them the wrong way. Truly, the species the Almeraj get along with the most are the Loxodons, but primarily the matrons. Loxodon matrons often exhibit maternal instincts towards the Almeraj and most Almeraj use this to their advantage- after all, what's better than having a very large best friend when everyone wants to eat you?

Native Habitat
Almeraj are desert and plains dwelling and live underground in cavernous cities called Warrens. Unlike the Naja who build cities with steel and stone, Almeraj prefer a more natural setting. Natural rock formations and crystalline growths are nursed and pruned into shape for their chambers, and they sometimes spend many years growing structures from stalagmites by building aqueducts to generate them. Because of their tendency to prefer the naturally shaped caverns of the earth, it is not uncommon for them to feel completely unscathed when one falls in on itself due to overworking. To them it's just a natural part of the cycle of life. Even the collapse of an elegant castle that took many generations to create doesn't hurt them. They simply pick up and move on, or live in whatever is left behind.

Example Names
Almeraj names often sound similar to the names of the stones or minerals their jewels represent. Peridian, Meradine, Kaylathyst, and Pheronite are examples.

Trivia

 * Almeraj are loosely based off of the Al-mi'raj from the Islamic story the Night Journey.
 * The pronunciation of the Almeraj (Al-mir-aj) has different syllabic arrangement than Al-mi'raj, but the phonetic sounds are the same.