Doomchickies

Doomchickies are a strange race of Beast Furies that look like small, young chickens with upward-pointing horns, but will grow into a beastly form when adult. They are rarely seen without their feared magical weapons Brushaways. Doomchickies are valuable members of any demonic legions, but their old culture discourages siding with anyone else other than themselves.

Life Cycle

There are two stages in a Doomchickie's life: the sentient and magic-filled young phase, and the monstrous and savage adult phase, where they become Doomchicken. Most modern Doomchickies see the adult phase as very undesirable, as they become non-sentient livestock animals and lose all their valuable magical powers. In the ancient times, the adult form was necessary to ensure their survival against bigger creatures in the badlands of the Westlies. Biologically, their metamorphosis to the adult form is triggered by special hormones so it is actually controllable to some extent, depending on the will of the Doomchickie.

An average Doomchickie lives up to 350 years before they then turn into a Doomchicken for another 800 years. Doomchickies are already able to breed when they are 50 years of age. Doomchickies lay amniotic eggs with hard shells, with colours ranging from white and yellow to brown and orange.

Infernal Doomchickies

Long ago when they were still void of magic, Doomchickies often used Infernal blood to boost their magical powers. As a result some lineage of Doomchickies are more Infernal than they are Beast Fury. Infernal Doomchickies are impossible to tell apart from normal Doomchickies other than the fact they are less emotional, more powerful in magic and are born from eggs of blue and purple colours.

Within their clans, Infernal Doomchickies are ignored for any differences and are treated as normal members of the clan. They are, however, noticed or sensed by demons of other races.

Culture

A typical Doomchickie is best described as nihilistic, emotional and self-destructive. Experienced Doomchickies are often covered with scars at the wings, where they cut and peck wounds to release their anger. Although they do not appear so, Doomchickies are one of the oldest demonic races in Hell. Their early natural habitats are harsh, so millennia of living in such a place have induced much pessimism in them. Over time, as Doomchickies slowly grow to despise their adult Doomchicken forms they start to cultivate magical powers in their blood to replace their initial survival mechanism. Today, most Doomchickies are born expert magicians only limited by their own perceptions.

It is a Doomchickie social norm to generally adhere to the saying of "don't disturb others as they don't disturb you". Despite being separated into different clans divided by various perceptions, individualism and freedom remain highly valued qualities among them. However, to protect themselves better in the modern times, Doomchickies are also grouped into quartets upon their rite of passage to freely travel all over Hell. This rite of passage, called Tweakri, is shared by all clans and takes place when a Doomchickie has reached 35 years of age. Before the group leaves their clangrounds, they receive their magical Brushaways. Those who stay behind in the clans often become Brushsmiths, although there are also traveling Brushsmiths.

Being the emotional creatures they are, Doomchickies are very sensitive to the social circles of Hell outside their own. Not all Doomchickies can find satisfaction in the many kingdoms they travel to, and some stay nomadic forever. Doomchickies feel that most demons see them as food, as they are in adult stage, even though they are really prized for their magical powers and Brushaway weapons. This further fuels their self-hatred and fear of their imminent adult form. Due to this, Doomchickies are often known to end their lives in one way or another before they reach adulthood.

There are two prominent legends among the Doomchickies: the Spring of Youth and the Highest Eradicator. Any Doomchickies who can supposedly reach the Spring of Youth will stay in their juvenile forms till the day they die, and there are living examples of these eternally youthful Doomchickies. The second and more obscure legend speaks of the most powerful Brushaway in Hell, known as Highest Eradicator. Naturally, this mostly interests Doomchickies who have settled their adult metamorphosis issues.

Political System

There are no all-inclusive political or military entity representing the Doomchickies, as they strongly believe in the non-intrusive freedom of the individual. The clans of Doomchickies operate under the village system, with little mixing among the clan members in the past. Modern Doomchickies still use the same systems, but mixes slightly more as the stories of Spring of Youth becomes more widespread. Groups that left the clangrounds have to return every century as a sign of respect to the clan elders.

Architecture

Traditionally, Doomchickies live in gazebo-nests built under the cover or shade of badland rocks. The pillar is a primitive and prime element in Doomchickie homes as it prevented rocks caving in onto their forefathers. Doomchickie homes are also traditionally open-aired, to constantly alert themselves of predators approaching.

Food

Doomchickie cuisine mostly consist of any type of bug found in the badlands and various weeds. The traditional mixed dish Dwikeep is the most popular, although each clan have their own preferences in taste. For nomadic or travelling Doomchickies, Klipin and Bloodberries are popular as fast food and snacks.

Almost all Doomchickies hate alcoholic food and beverage, as they drives them to a state similar to their Doomchicken phase.

Entertainment

No Doomchickie is seen without either poetry and novels, their base source of self-entertainment. It is said that Doomchickies compose poems to express and release their negative emotions. Novels often cover subjects such as stories of those who have found the Spring of Youth and experiences of Doomchickies living among "those who see them as food".

Relationship with Other Races

Doomchickies are constantly cautious of other races, but their emotional dependencies do allow them to befriend demons of other races. As a race, what the Doomchickies failed to notice in their delusive hatred and fear is that the number of demon races that feast on Doomchickens have drastically decreased since the ancient times. As the demon races got less savage in the modern age, their food sources also became less restrictive as they explore other food options. Other than the mentioned fear of being treated as food, Doomchickies are also very emotional to signs of betrayal and whenever they hear themselves being referred as Doomchickens. Their tendencies to inflict self-injury is also an issue as most demons see it as insanity, hence ironically causing others not to trust them.