[ REGARDING SENTINELS, FAMILIARS, & ROLEPLAYING ]
- How long do Sentinels take to grow?
In-character, Sentinels can live upwards of thirty years or more. A newly-born Sentinel takes approximately six months to mature to adolescence, and another three years to fully develop to adulthood. For more information about Sentinel physical characters, please see the Sentinel Lore Compendium.
How do Sentinels communicate?
Sentinels have evolved a complex language consisting of vocal cues and nonverbal movements. Sentinels will verbally communicate through rhythmic warbles, hisses, croaks, and whimpers, but do not have the vocal chords for ranged language. They also use full-body language to display emotions such as aggression, submission, fear, agitation, and affection, among others.
Can species speak to each other (i.e. Familiars and Sentinels)?
No, different species cannot verbally communicate with each other. Of course, this excludes body language and other factors that you can interpret. To a Sentinel, the chatter of a Groundling is merely noise, and vice versa.
Can I roleplay familiar species individually?
Yes, absolutely! You can even form family groups of familiar species if you'd like - they are not required to remain in the presence of Sentinels unless you wish it so.
Can I make up animals besides Sentinels and Familiars that live in Hearthside?
If you must make up animals while roleplaying, they must have feasibly evolved from an earth animal (nothing fantastic), and they cannot be so dangerous or numerous as to affect meta roleplay. You can assume that for the most part, animals (such as rodents, mice, and songbirds) that would have existed in a biome similar to Hearthside's also exist in Hearthside-verse.
Are there any evidence of humans in Hearthside-verse?
Humans have long fled the planet, and although the majority of civilization was buried under volcanic rock and ash, some fragments do remain. Wandering Sentinels may occasionally come across strange metal fragments and artificial constructs, but nothing as defined as artefacts. Most remnants of human living are in melted metal scraps and other hardy materials that would have survived four thousand years of fire and sun.
