Omago

History:

On the islands of Ha'apai and in the mangrove swamps at the edges of and along the banks of great rivers in the Chilia'mati live a race of creatures that call themselves the omago.

Omago villages are scattered across the Ha'apai with no limits to their range except the territory of other races, and even then the omago are willing to cross borders for a little extra room to stretch their broad, open habitations. In the Sisabo, they are much more reserved, hugging riverbanks and traveling little beyond the waterways.

Appearance:

The omago are a race of smooth-skinned, hairless creatures that stand on average at 5 1/2' at maturity, both males and females being of equal size. Their arrow-shaped heads are toothless, instead sporting bony, pegged ridges at the top and bottom of the mouth behind the lips. They have large black eyes ringed in all the colors of the rainbow, single-formed pink tongues, and five-fingered, webbed hands and long-toed feet.

A whiplike tail is useful for balance and omago mobility is exceptional for its native environments. Underwater, the whiplike tail can act as an oar, but the omago swim like fish or even frogs for short bursts of speed. On top of the water, the omago can run for short distances.

Growth:

Omago form mated pairs for life, fertilizing one to two tiny eggs at a time. The parents are usually present for the hatching of the children, alternating vigil times near the later months when the children are released into the sea and imprint an image of one or both of their parents.

There are four primary stages of development for the omago. Once the hatchlings are released to the waters, young adult omago raise them and later teach them to hunt and fish beneath the waves, forming broad social structures that are carried to the surface. At adolescence, omago children often mingle with their land-based parents in shallow pools. And when they reach the age of young adulthood, their feathery gills toughen and they grow lungs. They can then surface for periods of a few hours, where they learn more complex aspects of society than they were taught and will teach to other hatchlings and adolescents. Upon adulthood, the omago become purely air-breathers.

Culture:

The omago are easy-going creatures with close kin ties and elaborate family structures based less on actual blood relations than on friendship. Most omago speak only the languages of the seas, but merchants may pick up a few others at the extensive range of their travels. The majority of omago are fishermen, though, remaining local and avoiding long travels that will separate them from their families.

Their affable natures inspire exploration and curiosity among foreign cultures, and many omago are capable shipwrights and sailors. But they are not fools. At the first signs of conflict, an omago will usually retreat and abandon attempts at contact. This has given a skittish appearance to the omago that they are not especially eager to try and disprove, as long as being careful means being alive.

One would think some sort of patriarchal or matriarchal system would have formed, but there is an omago saying that reflects the attitude of most elders, "The child makes the parent a parent. So who is teaching and who is learning?" The omago defy any form of leadership.

Religion of the Omago

The omago see gods in the sun and water, the trees, and the mountains. The greatest and most powerful god is the blue god, Pubyo, creator of sky and water. Pubyo crafted from his own spirit the glowing sun goddess, Nitpu. Nitpu birthed the twin bastard gods, Erim and Gungo, the gods respectively of sleep and dreams. Erim crafted from the earth the lesser black god, Siletapu, and Gungo crafted from the stars the lesser white goddess, Ablip. Erim and Ablip joined to create the lower pantheon of wind god Ago, mountain god Lumn, and Pupu, known as Old Lord Palm, the wise trickster.

It was Old Lord Palm who created the omago without lifting a hand, and this is his story. Old Lord Palm lived under a tree on a small island with Lumn and Ago. But he was bored. He asked Pubyo for company. Pubyo said, "Let fall and you will live on." So the tree dropped its fruit and more trees grew to cover the island until the whole island was covered. Then Old Lord Palm said, "The trees cover us from the sun, but how is the sun to know we are here?" Pubyo said, "Ago is the wind. He can speak for all." So Ago's breath spread out to cover the land and make the trees sway and make the ocean ripple. Then Old Lord Palm said, "The trees sway and let fall when I do not tell them to, the wind blows so hard! I fear the trees will overgrow our home!" So Pubyo said, "Lumn is the mountain. He can make a home." So Lumn formed from the ground mountains to surround their home and the trees dropped their seed and the wind blew the seed across the water so it could grow elsewhere. And then Old Lord Palm said, "These mountains are empty. Who will live upon them?" And Pubyo said, "I am the sea. All life comes from me." And the creatures of the sea crawled onto the land. Lumn made the mountains for them and Ago made the air to breathe and cool them, and Pupu bid them all do this and smiled.