Aketøni

The Aketøni (aah-ke-town-ee) are a crossed species between humans and lions. The majority are located within the Aketønian Territories, where they can live in relative peace from the surrounding human populations. Their lion attributes have made them a much feared humanoid throughout Ersnon and they have previously been hunted by others. The establishment of the Aketønian Territories was a mutual agreement between the Aketøni and humans to avoid common interactions.

The Aketøni have an extensive language and culture that has arisen from both their human and lion characteristics.

The Fólk refer to them as the bjarg firar ('rock people'), who were created by the Óstertívar, given the hard nature of them characters, and the fact that they predominantly inhabit the mountainous regions.

Development
The term  Aketøni  is a word that was derived from the creation of the  Aketøna language.

The  Aketøni  were conceived from our cultural beliefs of the mythical creatures of werewolves and vampires. The idea was to create a more realistic humanoid that would diverge between humans and animals, and possibly provide an explanation of the human myths in relation to these creatures. Their idea evolved and included into the fantasy world of Ersnon. The creatures were not to be supernatural, which is they are not immortal, and they do not shift their shape. They have animal traits, such as keen hearing, sight and different jaw lines (to allow for them to be carnivorous). They were originally conceived for a story based in the real world, and therefore they are nocturnal animals (which explains the myth that vampires can't stand the sun), they eat meat raw like lions (which explains the myth that vampires drink blood), and more.

Appearance
The appearance of the Aketøni varies considerably across their Territories. The northern and eastern territories tend to have close resemblance to humanoids with excessive hair covering all parts of the body (e.g. big foot). The southern and eastern territories tend to however resemble closer to humans. Generally hair is confined to similar areas as humans; however their jaws are heavier set than humans.

They have enlarged canines to improve their ability to tear meat, and also have less molars as there is less requirement to contain plants within their diet.

The Aketøni are able to reproduce with humans. The offspring's traits can vary significantly, however generally they look very close to humans with improved senses, strength and speed.

Culture
The Aketøni do not rely on animals for transportation, and generally they are able to traverse great expanses on foot in speeds similar to horses. Transport is generally very limited within the Territories, as they tend to stick close to their own Prides. The natural scent of the Aketøni scares of prey, similar to lions. Therefore domestication of animals is difficult and therefore largely excluded from their culture. Their naturally increased stamina and speed compared to that of humans, means that they do not rely on animals for transport. They enjoy playful wrestling amongst themselves to keep them strong and to train for hunting purposes. The Alpha of the Pride may organise competitions amongst the males within their Pride to ensure the strongest surround them, and also to keep an eye on the competition (i.e. the other males within their pride).

The Aketøni rarely reach an 'old age' as once they are past their prime, or no longer capable of hunting their usefulness to the Pride is lost. If they are no longer useful the Pride will dismiss them, and they will be nomads until they either find another Pride or die. Nomads tend to struggle to survive for long within the Territories and therefore are forced to travel to lands occupied by humans. Here they tend to be hunted and humans generally are not kind to them (even in death).

The honourable death for an old Aketøni is to quietly slip away from the pride and go to their death. This is looked upon honourably because the individual recognises that their usefulness has passed, and therefore to benefit the Pride they sacrifice themselves. Not all will go quietly to their death or dismissal however.

When an Alpha's time has reached an end (usually from abdication or losing a fight) they may be allowed to remain with the Pride, however generally most will move on quickly after stepping down as Alpha (as historically the new Alpha has ensured that they do no threaten his reign and/or the old Alpha struggles to deal with their demotion).

Language
(See Aketøna)

The Aketøna language is spoken throughout the Territories and is largely unspoken outside of this area. Grunts and roars are also used for communication. Depending on the pride will determine the level of spoken words used.