Hippos

The Hippo people can be generally compared to a blend of fictitious fantasy society and members of the Hippopotamidae biological family.
Hippos are one of the fifty-five races of anthropomorphic mammals that populate Yanìs, and are grouped in the subgenus of Mastodons together with Boars, Elephants, Oxen and Rhinos.

Physically, they are very big, with an average height of about 7 feet and a weight of around 2 tons. They have a stocky appearance: their legs and arms are short, while their heads are large and prominent, proportionate to their large cylindrical bodies. The shape of their heads is perfect for allowing them to submerge: their large eyes, nostrils, and small, mobile ears are located on the upper part of their muzzles, and when they dive, their nostrils and ears can be closed. Their dark-brownish skin is almost hairless, and the only hairs are the whiskers and the stiff hairs on the tips of their tails.

The Hippo people are true hedonists: for better or worse, the Hippo people live for freedom and excitement, they believe that life is meant to be enjoyed and rarely think ahead further than the next scrumptious morsel or cup of sweet nectar, and not by chance they hold a primacy in Mizame's cult. Most Hippos simply wander wherever their whims take them, which often leads them to lazing around in their large and lush swimming pools. However, not all Hippos are entirely devoted and pleased to laze. Some indulge in poetic and literary life, as mind hedonists, while others devote themselves to art, beauty, and religion, as spirit hedonists, and some other, very few fortunately, even please themselves with war, as death hedonists.

The Hippo people are so devoted to freedom that they reject any form of restrictions. Their whole island is one huge casual urban agglomeration. Where other races would have enough space to build at least a dozen cities, Hippos refuse to do so. Everyone is free to build their homes wherever and however they like, and nobody pays taxes or imposes laws or borders. And yet, despite their refusal of any sort of authority, some groups of Hippos are led by a sibyl, an elder one who dedicates themselves to the care and management of others, as a sort of interim ruler or, more precisely, as a symposiarch. This extravagant lifestyle of theirs has clearly contributed both to facilitating their conquest by Ikora and to greatly complicating relations with their ruling kingdom. Not surprisingly, Ikora has had to settle for an annual tribute in food and assets, as well as some port duties, instead of the usual monthly taxes. Furthermore, Ikora has learned to "control" the Hippo people through the astute settlement of ambassadors with strong oratory skills to facilitate a sense of belonging to their great kingdom.