RABBITS

Rabbits have borne the brunt of the new order, being the only herbivores who managed to remain sentient over the years. After the Knifewinter, they were rounded up and are now used as a slave race for the new regime, co-opted by all other Peoples of the Land to work in the cities, factories, mines, farms and on the roads and boats. Some are used to ship goods along the trade routes and even Stoats have been known to buy Rabbit slaves, though for what purpose is unknown. Even the solitary Badgers have been known to take on one or two slaves - no more - in order to carry food and luxuries from the City, through the countryside, to their homes deep in the Wild Wood. This arrangement seems to suit the Rabbits themselves, - though only Rabbits quite know why - and they are not saying. It is said that a Rabbit that does not have an Owner will go into a decline and eventually die from lack of care and food, unable to fend for itself. Some Rabbits are valued as Breeders who can quickly produce or recruit more Rabbits, who will then, in their turn, find an Owner to take them on, to perform crucial services and repetitive tasks alike.

Rabbits live in large, extended families, known as “Lots”. When permitted to talk, they will often enjoy conversing about family – what their cousins are doing, where their numerous brothers and sisters are working. It is not unheard of for a Rabbit to have up to 16 or 17 siblings, possibly due to their relatively short life spans.

While many of the People consider Rabbits foolish creatures, fit only for working in the mines, factories or farms, some realise that this is the very reason that Rabbits are vital to the smooth running of the Land – much of the rebuilding of London-That-Was, or the entire heart of the Mole’s industry, is built on the backs of Rabbit slaves. It is impossible for a Water Rat to load a boat, or for Ferrets to move goods without Rabbits. Rabbits are, quite literally, everywhere.

If they showed any desire at all to rise up and fight against their masters, things would go very badly for all concerned – Rabbits are weak, but numerous – however, they have never shown any such inclination, instead preferring to potter along gently in whatever trade they are given. They are tolerated by some, prized by others and always given simple roles - they do not sit on the Council and are not entrusted with any great life-changing decisions. It’s not that they are stupid, some of the more moderate of the People say, it’s just that they don’t appear interested in taking on more responsibility – Rabbits are capable of quite complicated tasks, if they are explained clearly and concisely. Some Rabbits are prized as trusted servants, capable of caring for their Owners needs quite adequately, even predicting them before the Owners themselves.

Rabbits generally pay no heed to Fash’n at all and exist quite peacefully without it, apparently managing to avoid the burning desire many Peoples of the Land have for Luxuries. Rabbit clothing tends to be a mixture of textures, styles and items they have been gifted with over the years - it is not unusual to see a Rabbit in a sharp waistcoat that it once had from a Weasel owner, colourful silks from a Water Rat and heavy Furs from a former Badger master. Their clothes tend to be plain and practical, kept well-mended and clean. Rabbits appear to enjoy sewing and mending clothes as much as many other simple tasks.

How the Seasons are behaving… Rabbits appear to have a natural affinity with the Land. Most Rabbits have an almost innate sense of when the weather will turn. They are excellent farmers - and have a talent for growing crops. Rabbits eat mostly carrots, which they grow in vast allotments - it is possibly this that gives the Rabbit's their collective noun – ‘Lots’. They will tend to group themselves together, attached to a person or a place, for example – ‘The Beswick Hill Lot’ or ‘The Mr. Cyriacus Lot’.

Who their Owner is and which Lot they are part of… Every Rabbit has an Owner. Some Rabbits are owned by other Rabbits - most slave Lots have a central focus - and Slave owners will learn to talk to one or two Rabbits, the message rapidly spreading throughout the Lot. The relationship between a Rabbit and its Owner is of vital importance to the survival of the Rabbit and the smooth running of any task that it has been given. An Owner who mistreats their Rabbit too much will often find that efficiency of the work declines, or the Rabbit will cease work entirely, instead preferring to sit in one place and sing gently to itself, whereas an Owner who allows a Rabbit too much independence, will find it becoming easily confused by its priorities, or distracted by more petty, repetitive actions.

The Value of Repetition… (‘The Value of Repetition…’) Rabbits seem to enjoy repetition - one of the reasons they are so useful in Mole mines and Toad factories is that they are particularly focused when engaged in a repetitive task - pounding iron, pumping bellows, shovelling coal, or digging. It would, perhaps, be a cruel intellectual tool of a Toad slave-owner to say simply ‘But they ENJOY the work we give them!’, but in many cases, it seems as if they actually do. Rabbits seem to be easily confused when they are in unexpected situations, or when they don't know what to do and will often freeze when panicked. Conversely, Rabbits appear satisfied with clear repetitive tasks, or even more complicated ones that have defined actions and outcomes. This extends to conversation - Rabbits appear to enjoy repetition of concepts in conversation, not mindless repeating of words (such childish conversation quickly annoys most people) but more as sense of clarification. Language is a complicated beast and to repeat or rephrase makes it easier to tame. Rabbits love simple rhymes and word-patterns.

Suggested Character Types: Slave; Porter; Manservant; Courier; Messenger; Standard Bearer; Scribe; Lab Assistant; Mine-Worker; Factory Worker; Farmer; Gatherer; Herbalist; Nurse; Dock Worker; Kitchen Porter; Footman; Lookout.

Rabbit Minimum Physrep Requirement: “Rabbit” ears on a hat or headband.

• Your nature is “RABBIT”. You are affected by all calls involving “URBAN”, “COUNTRYSIDE” and “WILD WOOD’.
• You may not use any item that requires another nature. This means that you may not use TECH of any kind.

All Rabbits have the following Merits and Flaws:

Rabbit Merits

BREEDER - As a player character Rabbit, you are able to recruit SLAVES during Downtime.

SIMPLE CLAIMS – Rabbits may not make or own Claims. You may, however, make use of Claims belonging to your Owner, no matter what culture they belong to. Rabbits also inherit any claim or Building restrictions your owner may have - for example, a Rabbit owned by a Hedgehog may not use any Claims or Buildings. In the event of a change of owner, you will be required to forfeit use of any Claims or Buildings you previously had.

Rabbit Flaws

NO KILLER INSTINCT - You may only ever call SINGLE with melee weapons. You may use Bows or Crossbows normally. You may never fire Powder Weaponry, but may reload as normal if you take the Firearms Skill.

EXPOSURE - By the end of each game, you must have one character who you consider your “Owner”, who is willing to take responsibility for you. A Rabbit without an Owner will not receive a downtime and runs the risk of starving to death.

NOT TOO CRAFTER, EITHER – You may never take Craft, Mastercraft, Fash’n or High Fash’n skills, at Character Creation or Advancement.

A note on playing Rabbits

Rabbits are easy to phys-rep, but difficult to play. Although they appear simple, they offer very rewarding roleplay. We would strongly recommend that you wait until reading the Extended Cultural Brief before developing a firm and fixed Rabbit character concept. As a rule, Rabbits do not seek individuality, or rebellion against their slavery. It is recommended that you do NOT choose a character concept with these ideals, as it would be unlikely to live very long.

Each Downtime, a Rabbit player character may spend a week acquiring slaves. (They do not spend ALL that time breeding them, no matter what filthy rumour others may spread – most are wild Rabbits recruited from other Warrens, or co-opted from other tasks.) Each week you spend on the “Produce Slaves” action will give you 2 Rabbit slaves that you may use to assist you with a variety of menial tasks. Elder Rabbits with the Elder Lore: Cultural Bonus, are able to recruit 25% more slaves – for every two weeks they spend on this Downtime action they will acquire an additional slave.

Certain actions may up to amount of slaves that a Rabbit player can recruit and recruiting is sometimes more successful in the Downtime following the Spring Fayre.

Rabbits are expert farmers. All Rabbits receive Lore “Agriculture” free at character creation and all have the specialism “Herbivore” - You will never go FERAL and do not need Luxury Items to stop you going FERAL. Whereas other animals consume MEAT to survive, you consume CARROTS. You will need to consume a single sack of carrots per downtime week to avoid starvation (or 16 Sacks per Downtime). All Rabbits also gain the Advantages “Slaves” and “Carrots” at character creation.

You have FIVE points to spend on characteristics.

You may pick ANY characteristic from the following list

* You may take one free instance of these advantages, after which you must buy them at 1 character point as normal.

** Cultural Bonus: You can recruit 25% more slaves each Downtime if you take this Elder Lore.