City of Cavumborough
Rodent Ferox make up the majority of the population among the topside city of Cavumobrough, the abandoned part of a city once founded by Rabbit Ferox of Clan Purpaurea. However, many other Critter Ferox also inhabit the city, including those resembling Squirrels, Possums, and Raccoons. When the Rabbit Ferox expanded their city downward creating the sub-city they call the Burrows, Cavumborough’s surface was left to the Rodent and other Critter Ferox who would not be permitted into the utopia below. They agreed to work fields, mines, and all other manner of menial work in exchange for the security provided by high walls and patrolling automatons who would protect them from raiders. Sadly, the Rabbits’ defenses seem mostly interested in guarding their own underground portion of the city, leaving the top-siders to cower within the city’s walls while their ever-expanding populations replace those who are lost to raiding bands and slavers. In the turmoil and chaos of the violent, densely populated top-city, one group has claimed power over the rest by working closely with their own oppressors. Rat Ferox of the Raudere Clan, colloquially called the Rat Mafia, oversee the operation of the city and keep its population well-subjugated so that the Rabbit Ferox below can continue to exploit their work while keeping their own hands clean.
History
The history of Cavumborough harkens back to when the agricultural, peaceful Rabbit Folk of clan Purpaurea first discovered technology, and can be read on the Purpaurean Utopia page. Over time, Rodents and other types of small-mammal Ferox who were assaulted endlessly by raiders and warmongers, notably Wolf Ferox like the Stjarnvarg Raiders, began to seek refuge with the Rabbit-folk, but were not permitted access to the luxurious areas of Cavumborough which were built below the earth. Instead, the Purpaureans decreed that only their own people would remain below in the under-city which they called the Burrows, while Rodents and other clans would remain above ground, albeit within the safe walls of the surface city. Those who remained would begin to grow the population of Cavumborough, sow the Purpaureans’ fields, work in their foundries, and do other menial tasks alongside the automata while the Rabbits became completely absent rulers.
In the vacuum of power, the Raudere Rodent Clan stepped up. Working closely with the Purpaureans - though always considered their lessers - the Raudere were able to seize control of the surface city. They established a syndicate that would oversee the other topside clans with brutal and manipulative tactics, including organized crime and hoarding of resources. They keep the workers efficient, and the Purpaureans keep the Raudere well-paid. The Raudere Clan, referred to casually as the Rat Mafia, now take up some of the tallest and wealthiest buildings in the upper city, though even these are dilapidated compared to the luxury below ground.
When attacked by raiders, Purpaurean automatons move to defend the entrances to the under-city Burrows, rather than the walls of the top-city. The Raudere are permitted use of a single level of underground tunnels to make their own movements efficient in maintaining control. The walls around the rest of the city do allow for some defense, but they are not nearly so impenetrable as the city below. Citizens are often killed defending the walls of their home, or carried off to be sold into slavery, or have their goods stolen through breaches in the walls’ security. If not for the rapid population growth of the clans, it would be a wonder that the infrastructure of Cavumborough still remained intact at all.
Life in the top-city is rife for exploitation and mistreatment, with people tending to climb whatever social ladder they can reach before breaking it beneath them. Such is the way of the Rat Mafia, who gorge themselves on ill-gotten goods swindled from their small folk. Likewise, such is the way of the Purpaureans, who give the Rats just enough of their scraps to keep them fat and happy. The other rodents of the city, naturally, blame the problems on the Raudere themselves, having no reason to suspect mistreatment from the rabbit-folk. This suits the goals of the Purpaureans, since it keeps the peasants angry at the Rats, and not rebelling against them. The levels of deception, public performance, and misdirection are as layered as the undercity itself, and the chaos keeps people working at their menial tasks, barely scraping enough together to get by while the fattest rats remain in their hand-me-down towers above all others.
Naming Customs
Names of Rodent Ferox tend to be similar to common names, with an emphasis placed on hard consonants, sibilants, and ‘chittering’ sounds, such as “ch”, “k”, “t”, and “sh”. Names are often single syllables, and longer names are often shortened. These single-syllables are sometimes repeated, such as the name “Trinia” being shortened to “Trin”, which is then stylized into “Trin-Trin.” Surnames are sometimes family related, though many choose to simply style their own surnames based on their station, job, location, or appearance, such as “Krinshaw Dust-Easter” whose muzzle was more gray than the rest of his fur, or “Bet-Bet Pretty-Plate” who is known for her lovely baked goods.
It is not uncommon for Rodents to change their names throughout their lifetime, often choosing names they feel reflect themselves. In this way, a child called “Pip-Pip” may change his name in adolescence to “Rotty”, who could then go on to become notorious gangster “Rotnik Swell-Belly”.
Common Feminine Names: Kitari, Verity, Posie, Mi-Mi, Chupi, Shana, Squealia
Common Masculine Names: Pip, Clem, Tork, Slazzo, Zerick, Graves
Common Neutral Names: Sam, Rin-Rin, Beryl, Shaelyn, Gi-Gi, Grosha, Scorn
It is very common for Rodent Ferox to be born two, three, or even four at a time. Twins and triplets often share a deep bond, and will remain close throughout their entire lives. To lose a twin is to lose part of oneself, and is considered one of the deepest losses that can occur. When a Rodent Ferox loses a twin, they will often change their name to either adopt that of their lost sibling, or meld their two names together, and form a new identity that carries on their legacy. For example, if Mari were to lose her twin, Shazi, she may change her name to Shamari.
Rat Mafia
The structure of the Rat Mafia itself is not complicated. At its head is a Boss, who makes every decision for the city with finality and absolute rule. Their second-in-command is the Underboss, whom the Boss is grooming to one day take over ruling the mafia - most commonly this will be whichever of their own children is the most capable and loyal. Third in the power structure is called the Oppo, who is essentially the Boss’s most trusted advisor and friend, and typically also a member of one of Raudere Clan’s oldest families.
Below these main three figures, dozens of overseers called Ruxo are each given control over their own specific group of gangsters, called a Pack. They might be assigned an area of Cavumborough to patrol, or a certain industry to manage, or they might even be sent out into the wider world to accomplish some task set by the Boss. Individuals in a Rat Pack are the most common form of thug, and are called Rotters. There is still a level below a Rotter, for those who are just beginning to initiate into the Mafia. Often these Ferox are given the worst jobs, or are made to prove their loyalty before they’ll be trusted with any serious work. These are called Finks. If you want to be a real part of the Rat Mafia, but you weren’t born into the clan, you do your time first as a Rat Fink.
Escaping the Mafia
All Ferox in Cavumborough, even other Rodent Clans, can be indebted to the Rat Mafia. For backstory purposes, one can flee Cavumborough for many reasons having to do with the criminal clan, and use the desperate need for coin as a reason to instigate roleplay. Members of the Rat Mafia can also strike out in new cities, always with the goal of amassing wealth, though the reasons for needing coin can be personalized. When deciding that a Rat Ferox needs coin, a player can make the need more personal by tying it to a specific moment in their backstory. The following table can offer some ideas about what makes the need for wealth so great, that a Rodent player might do anything and everything possible for coin. It should be noted, however, that this is a backstory decision, and that as of now there is no way to communicate with the Mafia, with the paying off of debts being up to the player. This table serves as a means to encourage RP, and not a goal to be satisfied by game staff.
| Protection Money | One’s family may still be in Cavumborough, and thus they need a constant supply of money to remain safe from the Mafia. Alternatively, the Mafia may have helped defend against raiders, and now expects to be repaid for the service. |
| Gambling Debt | Life is dour in Cavumborough, and distractions are often one’s only solace. Such entertainment, however, does not always come cheap. By attempting to improve one’s lot in life through games of chance, they can - and usually do - end up forever in debt. |
| Interest Rates | Striking out is difficult without some starting cash and equipment. If one looks to the Mafia for help in setup costs, they may find themselves paying it back for the rest of their life. |
| For the Family | Members of the Rat Mafia who don’t pull their weight within the city may be kicked out, and told to find new ways to contribute. Those who immigrate to new cities should always be seeking new business ventures that the family can exploit. |
| You Messed Up | Sometimes life changes in a single moment. If you upset the Mafia badly enough, they may simply decide how much your grievance was worth, and force you to get lost until you can pay your way back into good graces. |
Fleeing to Galudon
One might wonder what keeps the clans from leaving, and the answer is complicated. For one, the pressure from the raiders and violence beyond the walls remains as high as ever, and the means to defend oneself are limited given the suppression of technology and weapons within Cavumborough. Additionally, the families in these clans are large, and difficult to support without infrastructure, however broken it may be. To leave may mean abandoning dozens of cousins, siblings, or the young or elderly who may be relying on you. And the work does pay enough, if barely, that no one truly starves. There is also sometimes a threat of recompense from the Rat Mafia, if a debtor were to flee and leave their family behind unprotected.
Still, some do flee the oppression. There are weaknesses and cracks in the walls, and locals may know where to find them. Those who leave are often thrust into an unfamiliar, violent world, and must manage to find a new place to live quickly, or risk being caught alone and unawares. When they reach their new homes, often in other cities, they may find it difficult to trust others or even turn to using the dirty tricks they picked up on from living in a scummy city their entire lives, thus becoming the very thing they fled from.
But there is always the chance to break the mold. When someone manages to break completely away from the city, and seek a real life with honest work and new friends, they may just find themselves able to start a family and carve a respectable place in their new home. Children born outside of Cavumborough are often spared the details from their parents, who would prefer to let them keep their innocence. Though, some may use the tales of Cavumborough as a cautionary lesson, and make sure their own children grow up wise enough to spot hucksters wherever they are. They tend to treasure simple comforts, safety, and routine, making some of the coziest homes and businesses that any city could hope for.
Trivia
- Rat Ferox are known, on occasion, to grow massively huge when given a lifetime of overabundant food. The current Underboss is one such Ferox, standing at seven feet tall with a weighty gut to match.
- Since Purpaurean Rabbit Ferox don’t leave their Burrows, the Rat Mafia acts as an intermediary between them and the Avian Federation of Trade. To the surprise of no one, this has been a lucrative setup for the Mafia.
- Rodents captured from Cavumborough are the largest single source of new slaves that are sold to the Feline Ferox Udjamu Cities.
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