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Cromag, Clade (aka Clade Neander)
Cromag
Image from Steve Bowers
Post-Cromags are well-integrated into general Sephirotic society, albeit a bit grumpy
Pseudolazurogenic prim clade created by the vec Dimimimon4 in the mid 5th millennium a.t..

Many of Dimimimon4's clades reflected popular mythology much more than authentic clioarcheological research, and nowhere is this more obvious than with the Cromags, sometimes also called the Neanders, not to be confused with genuine lazurogenic Neanderthals. Hairy, muscular nearbaselines, with long matted hair and protruding brows (thus ignoring the fact that the original Cro-Magnon Man was an anatomically standard H. sapiens sapiens), they tend to growl or roar when angry, like wearing manufactured animal skins (the smellier the better), and are incapable of operating even simple non-user friendly middle tech devices.

Yet not everything about Cromag is caricature. They have a sophisticated tribal culture involving elaborate kin-relationships, shamanic vision quest, mythology and cosmology, and a complex language and syntax.

Terms like "Cromag" and "Neander" are the result of pop culture labels. Among themselves the Cromags simply refer to themselves as "The People". Dimimimon4 emself refused to give them a specific name, preferring, as with all eir clades, that they "choose their own destiny".

After being released into wider society in the 4700's Cromags found it very difficult to cope with life in the Civilized Galaxy. A few were augmented to standard nearbaseline levels, and after extensive behavioural engineering became happy and productive members of ComEmp society (sometimes called "Post-Cromags"). Many others became pets of SI:1 transapients who found them to be delightful caricatures of everything that subsingulitarian sapients are. Others again were relocated to a vacant prim-friendly habitat at Oikoumene (MPA) or Wilson (Utopia Sphere), in both of which they seem to have briefly flourished, although population numbers in the former are still declining from the peak of the 8400s. Population is also low in the latter hab, especially after some internecine warfare between neighbouring tribes; this was resolved by relocating both factions to different habitats. A few still can be found hanging around parks and reserves in some less populated Utopia Sphere megastructures.

Currently there are thought to be no more than half a million Cromags/Neanders and post-cromags/neanders galaxy-wide, the majority being pets or clones of pets for transapients.

 
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Development Notes
Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Initially published on 16 September 2004.

 
 
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