Sroots

Sroots are a race of Penguin, also called Naugri, Casari, or "The Stunted Ones". They are not normal Penguins, like High Penguins, because they are quite different from the common penguin. Sroots can't be classed in with High Penguins either, because their magics are different and they are very different in size and appearance. High Penguins and Sroots don't tend to get along well. The correct plurazation is Srootish.

History
Sroots have been in Antarctica as far back as High Penguin records go. When Sroots were discovered, they were quite a shock to the High Penguin Explorers. They reported back to Valnor to report their sightings. The Valnorians found them a threat; so with the next band of explorers, they sent a small army. The Sroots didn't like this, they were terrifeid. They fled into the mountains, and there they have dwelled ever since.

Appearance
The Sroots are shorter and stockier than the "normal" Penguin. Because of the threat of the High Penguins, in the past 2000 years they have grown very strong, both in body and character. Sroots grow thick, luxuriant beards in which they took great pride, and often forked or braided them and tucked them into their belts.

They seem to have favoured simple durable clothing, coloured hoods and heavy cloaks for travelling, and belts of gold or silver. For battle they would have do elaborately crafted armour and helmets bearing masked symbols (after the manner of those used in forges for shielding the eyes) that were hideous to look upon.

There is little distinction between Srootish males and females. Most Srootish males remain celibate, but those who did marry had many chicks. Sroot chicks tend to be male. In fact, 75% are male, and the other 25% female.

Characteristics
Sroots are a proud and stern race and to be sturdy, so they may endure much danger. They are physically much stronger than Penguins and High Penguins and had great endurance, especially in the ability to resist great heat and cold, and they made light of heavy burdens. Sroots live up to two hundred and fifty years and have the ability to learn new skills quickly. A normal Sroot is usually stubborn and secretive, but has the capacity to be a loyal friend. Most of the time, the only thing they cared about were mining and crafts.

Sroots are not hurt by insults, but they have a propensity to hold a long-lasting grudge. Sroots are greedy. They spend most of their time mining, smithing, and smelting gold and other precious metals.

Weapons and Armour
The Clans of the Sroots fought with each other sometimes. Sroots usually used axes as their weapon of choice because it can be used as a tool or a weapon, but in addition to axes they also used hatchets, mattocks, short swords, war hammers and short bows and arrows. Sometimes they threw their axes and hammers at the enemy. At the ends of battles, Sroots often collected old axes because they didn't have the heart to leave them behind. Most of the axes were in polygon shapes, perhaps as a tribute to the rocks and stones they worked with, in contrast to the High Penguin weapons and armour which resembled plants and organic beauty.

For armour, sroots favoured chain-mail and other metallic armour. The Sroots of Trans-Antarctica wore heavy helms with mask-like visors that were hideous to look upon.

The Five Clans
The Sroots lived in Five Kingdoms in Antarctica. After their kingdoms went to ruin at the hands of High Penguins, they assembled into five clans. These clans often fought each other. Some clans lived far away from each other, as far as the Trans-Antarctic Mountains to the Mammoth Mountains in Freezeland. The Five Clans are:




 * The Longfeathers. Originally from the hills of Snowbourne, they fled to the Mammoth Mountains. There, they founded the great city of Mount Aura (Which was abandoned, and they fled into the Mine-city of Radgast, because they wanted to find more gold and jewels. Mount Aura was used as a fortress during Twilight and Shadow.)
 * Firebeards. Firebeards live in Archet, and are the only clan that shows themselves in public often. There, they live in harmony with High Penguins and normal Penguins. Their name comes from their red beards.
 * Broadaxes. They lived on the other side of the Mammoth Mountains, and often warred with the Longfeathers. The begining of the River Jadis ran through their main city, Khâlada.
 * Goldflippers. They live somewhere in the Trans-Antarctic mountains, and are reclusive to other Clans (They fear that they may steal their gold).
 * Stiffboots. Dwelling near Pengolia, in the mountains, they sometimes go into Pengolia to trade.

Language

 * The Srootish language is a harsh sounding tongue, called Arkâd, meaning, "Sroot". The language was strange to non-sroots, but few learned to speak it because they kept it secret. The modern Sroots use the ancient runes of Valnor as their written language.


 * The Sroots called themselves the Arkâdi; this translates as "Sroots" in English. Casari was the common word for Sroots among the Valnorian High Penguins, but the lower penguins of the Confederacy usually called them the "Stunted Birds". Sroot is the English word for Casari.


 * Sroots would, as a rule, not tell people of other races their real names but take names in their tongue instead and keep their real names secret.

Trivia

 * Like High Penguins, they are considered, by most modern Penguins, a myth.
 * This, however, was disproved after Twilight and Shadow.


 * Most Sroots despise High Penguins, and most High Penguins despise Sroots. This is because the High Penguins stole their land, over 2000 years ago.


 * They are called among Fourth-Wall Breakers, "dwarves".


 * Sroots live in harmony with High Penguins and Normal Penguins in Archet.