The Book of Lepaori (pronounced le-POR-ee) covers all aspects of lepaori life. You can read it from beginning to end, or jump to a specific section from the table of contents.
Introduction
Genes and Mutations
Shoals
Breeding
Rules for Adoption
Page Requirements
Rules for Marriage
Rules for Breeding
Rules for Your Own Shoal
Choosing Your Lepaori's Role
Training Your Lepaori
Selective Breeding
Introduction
Lepaori are equine animals that reach the approximate size of a beagle. These forest animals are omnivorous and often live in communities known as shoals. They usually inhabit small caves or burrows in densely wooded areas. Lepaori can be any color, and often have markings such as spatterings of color, spots, or stripes.
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Genes and Mutations
There are currently 11 known genes which cause mutations in lepaori. Four affect the mane and tail, and the other seven affect the body.
The four genes that affect the mane and tail are known as the mane, fox tail, long, and bobble genes. (Also referred to as the m, ft, l, and b genes.)
~The mane gene causes a mid-length mane to grow on a lepaori. Normal lepaori do not have manes.
~The fox tail gene causes a bushy fox tail to grow. The fox tail usually has a tip that is a different color than the rest of the tail. Both a female and a male can be carriers of this gene, but it will only affect the female.
~The long gene causes a floor-length tail to grow, instead of the normal mid-length tail. The l gene does not affect the m gene.
~The bobble gene causes a very short, but thick and oily mane to grow. As the mane grows, the high concentration of oils makes the hair form into firm balls that reach about the size of grapes.
~When both the l and b genes are inherited, the l gene will affect the b gene. The hair will still be thick and oily, but instead of growing in small balls along the neck, two patches of hair will grow from behind the ears. The result is two long dreadlocks. Because of the effects which the l and b genes have on each other, there can never be a bobbled lepaori with a long tail, or a dreadlock lepaori with a short tail.
The seven genes that affect the body are known as the feathered, dragon, insectoid, ridge, rat tail, tiny, and horn genes. (Also referred to as the f, d, i, r, rt, t and h genes.) The first three cause wings to form.
~The feathered gene causes feathered wings to develop. These are very strong and allow the lepaori to fly.
~The dragon gene causes leathery dragon wings to develop. These are also strong enough to allow the lepaori to fly.
~The insectoid gene causes two sets of wings ressembling those of a dragonfly to develop. Unlike the feathered and dragon wings, these wings are not strong enough to support a lepaori's body weight, and thus an i-gene lepaori cannot fly, but only hover for a short amount of time.
~The ridge gene causes thick bony plates to grow along the back of the neck. Both a male and female can be carriers of this gene, but it will only affect the male.
~The rat tail gene causes a fleshy tail to grow. This tail is prehensile and can manipulate objects. It is also suspected to help a lepaori balance better when leaping or climbing.
~The tiny gene will cause the lepaori to be smaller than other lepaori. The gene will subsequently affect all other genes as well. A tiny lepaori has limitations on breeding, which are detailed in the Breeding section.
~The horn gene is very rare and usually only occurs once or twice in one hundred births. It causes a hard bony horn to grow from a lepaori's forehead. The h-gene lepaori are called diggers because these horns are strong enough to break rock. Diggers usually use this ability to increase the size of their caves and homes, or create new ones. A digger is very valuable to a shoal because of this.
*A note on genes*
Just as in humans, sometimes the genes of a lepaori may be defective. This means that the lepaori will not show that trait, even though it's in their genes. If a lepaori is born with a defective trait, that trait will be labeled as defective in the stats.
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Shoals
A large community of lepaori is known as a shoal. Each shoal contains certain members which help it to function. These are the alpha male and female, hunter, healer, record keeper, and seer. Not all shoals contain a digger.
~The alpha male and female are head of the shoal. They are always married and are the primary breeders. Other couples are allowed to breed, but if there must be a limit to breedings (due to an imminent lack of food or overcrowding) the alphas will choose who can and cannot breed.
~The hunters of the shoal gather plants, nuts, and grubs, and catch meat such as lizards, birds, and small mammals for all the lepaori. They also fight predators that invade the shoal's home.
~The healers care for the sick and wounded lepaori, in addition to helping birth the foals. They gather their own healing herbs, and do not depend on the hunters for these necessary supplies.
~The record keepers are necessary to record all births, deaths, and marriages. They also keep track of the seasons and availability of food over time. The alpha male and female will often refer to the record keepers in making sure that the shoal does not overpopulate the area and cause their food to die out.
~The seers are the most powerful lepaori of the shoal. They can see into the future or the distant past, and can cast spells to benefit the shoal. Two of the most important of these spells are those of protection and location. The protection spell is used to guard against predators. The location spell is used to find the nearest source of food or water. Seers work very closely with the alphas, and often advise and help with major decisions that can alter the fate of the entire shoal.
*A note on overcrowding and shoal formation*
Even though the alphas of a shoal will try to prevent it, there are always instances of overcrowding within shoals. To remedy this, the alphas will divide up the shoal and choose another alpha male and female. These new alphas will take half of the shoal and leave to form their own shoal. Quite often, this new shoal will live fairly close to their original home, and members of the two shoals will sometimes inter-marry.
*A note on choosing roles*
Any lepaori demonstrating the necessary skills can become a record keeper or a hunter. There are even smaller tasks for lepaori such as babysitter, cleaner, or watchman that any lepaori may perform. However, a lepaori wishing to be a seer or healer must apprentice, or train, under an accomplished seer or healer to learn the necessary skills. To find out more about training to be a seer or healer, refer to Training Your Lepaori.
**A note on seers**
The lepaori worship a goddess called Aquina. It is said that she is the creator of the lepaori, and that she watches over them. It is believed that the source of a seer's power is her. She speaks to the seer, telling of the past and future and assisting in casting spells.
It is also believed that Aquina herself chooses certain lepaori foals to become seers. These foals are born with the necessary skills, and will have special markings on their bodies to prove their role. A natural-born seer will have an eye tattoo. These special lepaori will be taken and raised by the seers of the shoal.
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Breeding
Lepaori females go into season once a month. Lepaori are monogamous, and always marry before they breed for the first time. Every month, when a female is ready to conceive, she will perform a small seductive dance to entice her mate. A few weeks after she has conceived, she will give birth to a litter of foals, usually 2-5. Once she has birthed a litter, she can not breed again the next month. Thus, the maximum which a lepaori may breed is once every two months.
Foals are not always conceived every month. Though most mature females go into season, often only one or two couples will breed. Sometimes, when the seasons prove too harsh, the alphas will prohibit breeding for that month. (Quite often, though the females are in heat during the winter months, there will be no breedings at all.) Of course, this only occurs in wild lepaori. Captive lepaori kept in controlled environments will usually breed during the winter months.
*A note on tiny lepaori and breeding*
Tiny lepaori have a few limitations when it comes to breeding. If a tiny female breeds with a regular sized male, she will only produce 1-3 foals. If a tiny male breeds with a regular sized female, she could produce up to two extra foals. If two tiny lepaori breed, they will have the normal 2-5 foals.
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Rules for Adoption
Whenever I hold a lepaori auction or sale, anyone may buy, but please be kind and let those with less lepaori have a chance to purchase. Once you have bought a lepaori, you must follow these rules:
~You must have the lepaori up on an appropriate page of its very own within 10 days from purchase.
~You must have your lepaori's stats on the page in addition to the lepaori.
~You can name your lepaori anything you wish, but please make it an original name. I don't want any lepaori named Bob or Sally.
~You must choose a role for your lepaori. THIS IS MANDATORY. For more information on choosing your lepaori's role, go here. You MUST train any potential healers or seers, and alpha males and females must be married. (Natural-born seers do not need to be trained.) Please refer to Training Your Lepaori.
~You must sign the Lepaori Register for every lepaori you purchase.
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Page Requirements
There are certain qualities that I prefer on a page. If you want to be a good lepaori parent, please adhere to these rules for your page where your lepaori will live:
~Please put lepaori on their own page, with only other leps for company.
~If you have a site where there's a little story on it about some magical journey through your pet's land, then make it short and to the point on the page. It is a waste of space and a waste of my time if I have to scroll through a page and a half of text just to see the leps.
~Link back to Lepaori Shoal at http://lepaori.faithweb.com/lepaorimain.html. I will have a button up soon that you can use to link.
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Rules for Marriage
Any lepaori wishing to breed must be married. Marriages can happen at any time. To marry your lepaori, you must remember the following rules:
~Lepaori marry for life, so choose your mate wisely.
~No brother-sister or parent-child marriages may occur.
~To marry two lepaori, you must send me an email listing the ID#s and names of the bride and groom.
~If one potential spouse is owned by someone other than you, I must have consent from that owner as well.
~Marriages are free.
~You will be issued a marriage license once the marriage is complete. Do not forget the number on this license. It will be used later if you wish to breed.
~The marriage license must be posted on the same page as the married lepaori. If the spouses are on separate pages, their pages must be linked to each other via the certificate.
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Rules for Breeding
I will hold open-breeding once every 1-2 months. Anyone may participate, but you must adhere to these rules:
~The potential parents of any litter must be married to each other.
~Breeding costs 5c from the father and 5c from the mother. If you own both, you will pay 10c in total.
~Each participant in breeding will receive one free lepaori from the litter, and will be allowed to buy one other foal at the regular price.
~Don't forget that there are limitations when breeding tiny lepaori. Please refer to Breeding to learn more about these limitations.
~Remember that a lepaori may only breed a MAXIMUM of once every two breeding seasons. If you bred a lepaori last season, you may not breed that same lepaori this season.
~There are a few exceptions to these rules. For details, see Selective Breeding.
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Rules for Your Own Shoal
If you wish, you can form your own shoal, but only if you follow these rules:
~You can ONLY have one alpha male and one alpha female in the shoal, and they must be married to each other.
~You must have AT LEAST one of the following in the shoal: a hunter, a record keeper, a healer, and a seer. (No healer or seer apprentices. They must be full healers and seers.) You do not need a digger, since they are so rare.
~The shoal must have its own name and page.
~You must keep detailed records of who owns which lepaori, which lepaori are married, which have bred, and how many foals there were, etc.
~It does not cost anything to form your own shoal, but you must sign the Shoal Register.
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Choosing Your Lepaori's Role
There are many roles from which you may choose when picking a role for your lepaori, but there are seven specific roles that are required to be in a shoal. Each one has its own requirements. They are as follows:
~Alpha Male: To qualify for this position, a lepaori must be male and be married to a female lepaori who will serve as alpha female.
~Alpha Female: To qualify for this position, a lepaori must be female and be married to a male lepaori who will serve as alpha male.
~Seer: To qualify for this position, a lepaori must be either a natural-born seer (denoted by an eye tattoo found somewhere on the body), or be trained by a fully trained seer.
~Healer: To qualify for this position, a lepaori must be trained by a fully trained healer.
(To find out more about training to be a seer or healer, refer to Training Your Lepaori.)
~Record Keeper: There are no requirements for this role. Any lepaori qualifies.
~Hunter: There are no requirements for this role. Any lepaori qualifies.
~Digger: To qualify for this position, a lepaori must be born with a rare h gene. This gene only occurs in about one in one hundred births.
~Any other role you choose to assign to your lepaori is okay. Just remember that you must have at least one of the above, except a digger, to qualify for a shoal of your own.
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Training Your Lepaori
If you would like to make your lepaori a seer or healer, it must first be trained. To train your lepaori, you must follow this process (I will use only the term seer in these steps, but they also apply to training a healer as well.):
~Find a full seer and get the approval of the owner to train under the seer.
~Send me an email with the ID#s and names of both the apprentice and the teacher.
~Pay 5c to me and 5c to the owner of the seer.
~If I approve the apprenticeship, I will send you an email with some information about the role of the seer. DO NOT LOSE THIS EMAIL.
~After you have read the information in the email, I will send you a short quiz. Answer at least 75% of the questions correctly, and your lepaori will be awarded the role of seer.
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Selective Breeding
Although lepaori are monogamous, they have been known to breed outside of marriage to achieve desired traits in their offspring. For example, a bobbled male may breed with a long-tailed female to get a dreadlock foal, or two feathered-wing lepaori may breed to get a feathered-wing foal. You can participate in this through a special process known as selective breeding. These are the rules:
~Each breeding season, I will have three slots for selective breedings (this means three pairs may participate, not three lepaori).
~Any lepaori may participate, whether they're married or not.
~If a lepaori is married, I must have consent from the spouse's owner.
~Selective breeding costs 10c for the father and 10c for the mother. If you own both, it will cost you 20c in total.
~You must fill out a form listing the ID#s and names of the parents, the marriage ID#s if either of the parents are married, and the trait desired in the offspring.
~When choosing the gene you wish to breed for, at least one of the parents must possess this gene. I am now allowing you to request colors in selective breeding, but at least one of the parents must possess the color you are asking for.
~I will roll a die to determine if the litter will contain one, two, or three foals. After they are born, you will receive all the foals from the breeding. If there are two owners that participated, the foals will be split between you. If there is an odd number of foals to be divided, then you must decide who will receive the extra foal.
~Remember that a lepaori can breed a MAXIMUM of once every two seasons, so if you participate in selective breeding, your lepaori can not breed again until two seasons after.
Selective breeding is useful for those owners who wish to have a lepaori with a certain trait. The traits you can try to breed for are the f, d, i, l, m, ft, rt, r, t and b genes. You cannot breed for the h gene, or for a natural-born seer.
*A note on defective genes as they relate to selective breeding*
Even if a lepaori has a gene which is defective, that gene can still be passed to the offspring in an active form. An example of this would be if a male with a defective b gene were to have offspring, there is a chance those foals would be visibly bobbled, even if their father is not.
It is a good idea to keep this in mind if you want a lepaori with a desired trait, and the lepaori you want to breed has a defective gene. The gene still has a definite chance of being passed to the offspring.
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