Aside from dinosaurs/prehistoric beasts, there are some fish and crustaceans that cohabit the land, but don’t have the same level of intelligence or leadership. In fact, these creatures tend to be food for the carnivorous dinosaurs in the days of Rain’s presence.
Hunters (carnivores) and grazers (herbivores) have finally come to live somewhat peaceably with each other, after a catastrophic event almost wiped out all dinosaurs from the planet almost 500 years ago*. With numbers so small, the two factions needed to find a common ground for survival. Hunters would attempt to hunt other creatures (i.e. fish and crustaceans) to help all sides regain strength and numbers. Even through numbers have risen, the “unwritten laws” still stand.
*This is best described as an event so bizarre and other-worldly, most dinosaurs actually have no idea what really happened. Don’t worry, Rain finds out.
This doesn’t mean hunters will not “hunt.” They claim territory for themselves, and if grazers intentionally encroach on it, hunters are given full reign to do as they wish. Also, a hunter known as the Ruling Hunter will typically take control of a particular area and oversee the behavior of hunters and grazers alike. If a scuffle comes to the ruler’s attention, he can take action (also as he wishes). Grazers don’t usually like this (since hunters lean their bias toward other hunters) but there’s not too much they can do. Despite this, the system usually works without much incident.
There’s little architecture that is purposefully built, as dinosaurs are fairly adept at using the land around them. Natural forms such as hills, coves, and clearings in forests are used for various types of dinosaurs for their homes or outlooks. Some take initiative to stack rocks for walls or to fortify caves, and others have learned to carve out holes in larger boulders or cliff walls. Basically, whatever can be done without tools is much more likely to be done.
Tools of any kind are incredibly rare. Rain is one of few dinosaurs in her area to take up tools, though this is mostly in her own defense to survive without a herd. She is the breech in the norm on many fronts.
- Tyrant (tyranosaurus rex)
- Stalker (utahraptor)
- Windbeak (pteranodon)
Hunters tend to live in a village-like setting among other hunters, though some choose to live on their own if they can obtain a sizable piece of territory. They see themselves as a little more “advanced” than grazers and try to create a more structured lifestyle to reflect that. Little do they know, grazers care very little about this.
The Ruling Hunter lives in a guarded location adjacent to the hunter village with sizable land dedicated to him and any family he may have. His land also has a direct outlet that grazers can reach, so they can present issues safely without stepping into hunter territory.
- Crested (parasaurolophus)
- Horned (triceratops)
- Plated (stegosaurus)
- Billed (iguanadon)
- Scavenger (gallimimus) - though not really a grazer (they're omnivores), they stick closer to grazer methods than hunters
Grazers live in close knit herds of their own type and are generally extended family groups. They have grounds that they stick to, moving seasonally for weather, breeding, and food sources. Though hunters don’t recognize grazers as “owning” territory, their seasonal grounds are usually known to and avoided by hunters. Very rarely will hunters push grazers out of particular areas if their own land is somehow compromised.
Herds offer grazers protection, so grazers do not leave their herds willingly. There are rare occurrences for a grazer to move another herd of the same type if breeding pairs grow scarce, and it isn’t unheard of for an entire heard to seek out another to help bolster numbers. But due to the fear of living outside a herd, the most severe form of punishment a grazer leader can offer is exiling a member (which practically works as a death sentence).