Daily Concept Series 1: 4 - The Wysse

Now for my fourth in my daily concepts. Decided to try and attempt some Justin Sweet kinds of painting technique. Here we look at the other sentient race found in Alvic. The Wysse. The idea being to try and get in a near-human species to be a mixture of neanderthal parralel species and oppression of indiginous peoples, combined with a fear of these people as monsters.

The Wysse are native people of the northern lands. They are claimed to be closely related to humans by some southern scholars, although this fact is considered heretical by most nations, and by both denominations of the Church, both Old and New. Furthermore, there is massive theological debate amoung the more structured denominations as to whether they are classed as humans and thus have souls, further complicated by the existance of half human, half wysse hybrids. Their name is claimed to originally come from the old name 'Wood-wise', a name that came from an ancient reputation for excellent wood-craft.

They are naturally larger than humans, averaging at over 6ft tall. They are also far more muscular and heavier set than humans. This is generally considered to be an adaptation to protect them to a slightly more omnivorous lifestyle than humans. They also have thicker bones, most notably their thick brow. They are however most reknowned for their 'tusks' which because visible in teeange years in both genders, and are actually just enlarged encisors. Their hair is also thickerthat human hair, and is hollow, providing it with insulating properties, although in most cases this results in their hair taking on a slight green tinge through algae. They are just as intelligent as humans, and though relatively primitive in modern times, archaelogical evidence points to organised civilisations in the past.

They are the original inhabitants of the entire continent, although now pushed to the far West and North of the continent since human's arrived two thousands years ago. In the South they were pushed back, and eventually became considered as monsters. The last native Southern Wysse were hunted down and paraded as slain monsters before frightened peasants. They are more tolerated in remote places, if not because actually liked, because they are too dangerous to actually go against. However, there is a very definite stigma against them in many places, and calling them names such as 'Trolls' and 'Goblins'.

Wysse live in the area around Alvic, and do small amounts of trade with the people there. Though Alvic is generally quite liberal in it's approach to Wysse due to it's leadership, there is a not insubstantial anti-Wysse faction.