Pumilo

Pumilo is a genus of extant hominid that encompasses the species of Pumilo pumilus (modern dwarves) and Pumilo gnomus (modern gnomes). Pumilo, together with the genus Homo, is considered to form a sister clade to an archaic hominin that have split from the Cercopithecidae. Today, their populations range from modern-day Ryzan to parts of Eldham.

The genus emerged with the appearance of Pumilo habilis over 53,000 years ago. This species evolved in the cold climate of lands north of Eldham and Rathnir during a Regolithic ice age. Archaeological evidence suggests that a long interglacial period would divide the P. habilis, forming distinct species of the Pumilo genus. Around 20,000 years ago, a group will begin a migration west into Rathnir. After thousands of years, this group would adapt to the warmer environment, evolving into P. pumilus. By 4,500 to 5,000 years ago, the modern dwarves would reach modern-day Ryzan. The P. gnomus would evolve around 15,000 years ago, emerging from several groups of P. habilis that ventured south into Eldham.

Species inside this genus are recognized by their height. The tallest species from the Pumilo genus is the P. pumilus, which averages around 1.1 m (3 ft, 7 in). Dwarves would typically possess a robust physique, bulky hands, large muscles, abundant hair coverage. On the other hand, gnomes typically possess wider faces, abnormally larger ears, and bushy hair features.

Taxonomy
The word Pumilo derives from Old Viodoxan and means "dwarf" or "midget" in the generic sense of "a creature of small stature." The binomial name of Pumilo pumilus was coined by paleontologists in 890 ACA. Names for other species in the genus were introduced in the following decades.

While much more species can be assigned to the Pumilo genus, only three species have been classified. This is mainly due to poor definitions and lack of in-depth paleoanthropological research. Additionally, like all species, there was no reason to think there was any evolutionary predecessors before modern dwarves and gnomes.

Research history
During the construction of Khun-Drakhar around 653 ACA, miners from Varn Torum discovered a perfectly preserved P. habilis skull, embedded in cobblestone. This discovery immediately captivated the attention of dwarven scientists, where it would be sketched and researched. By the next decade, several mining expeditions would unearth several fossils identical to the first specimen. During the same time, miners would discover a hidden underground domain in the area, belonging to "a creature that can only be described as demonic." After defeating this beast, costing an undocumented amount of lives, miners would find the heart of the creature. This heart was later named The Heart of the Mountain and was described as "a powerful star that would emit a beam of light towards the sky."

Further research would present a theory that suggests that ancient dwarves would stumble upon the caves of modern-day Khun-Drakhar, but encountered by demons. As a consequence, their souls would be absorbed into stone. This gave forth the early process of stonification, which is an early phase of a type of metamorphosis unique to Varn Torumian dwarves. While validity of this theory is debated, the discovery serves as the first fossils of P. habilis. By around 750 ACA, this early specimen would be stolen by bandits and sold to markets, making research through modern technology impossible. However, the early research from Varn Torumian scientists proved to be invaluable to studies of the Pumilo genus.

Later discoveries would be found in the caves of Sparwood. While slight differences had been reported, all discoveries were usually regarded as the fossils of ancient dwarves, made up of the same biological compound of those today. However, after the discovery of the Homo erectus in Lhûmar, research on Pumilo fossils were re-examined. During this period of re-examination, paleontologists found major biological and anatomical differences from modern dwarves and gnomes as well as many different Pumilo fossils.

Classification
The genus Pumilo was given its taxonomical name to suggest that its member species can be classified as a sentient of small stature with a high level of magical intake. And, over the decades of the last two centuries, fossil finds of pre-dwarf/pre-gnome and early dwarf/gnome species from the Regolithic period produced a rich mix of debating classifications. Classifying the genus Pumilo into species and subspecies is subject to incomplete information and remains poorly done. Some recently extinct species in Pumilo have only recently been discovered and do not as yet have consensus binomial names.

P. habilis is usually classified by their elongated, robust skulls with very high archaeological evidence of magical intake. However, since research on this species is poorly done, all species that do not resemble P. gnomus or P. pumilus were classified as P. habilis. Other species inside the genus Pumilo are typically classified not only by their biological difference, but due to their varying levels of magical intake. For example, P. gnomus have higher archaeological evidence of magical intake than P. pumilus. Anatomically, fossils of P. pumilus have larger bone density than P. gnomus. These observations are further confirmed by DNA analysis of modern dwarves and gnomes. With the exception of Varn Torumians, dwarves have grown accustomed to caves and mountains and simply did not require the use of magic. On the other hand, gnomes lived in many different environments, including open plains and forests, naturally causing them to be more invested in alchemy, magic, and arts.

Evolution
Since lands outside of Rathnir and Eldham are usually inaccessible, it is unclear what the ancestor of the Pumilo lineage is. Some anthropologists propose that Homo erectus is the ancestor or sister to the Pumilo lineage due to similarities between the species. H. erectus has morphological features that may align with the Pumilo lineage but there is no consensus as to what gave rise to Pumilo. It is very possible that those from the Pumilo lineage started to possess more humanoid features after interbreeding with archaic elves and humans. Despite having similar physical characteristics, the level of magical intake species of the Pumilo lineage possess is what separates them from Homo.

It is sometimes suggested that Pumilo and Homo are sister taxa, both evolving from Cercopithecidae. This may have occurred from multiple factors. One theory suggests that the lands north of Rathnir and Eldham were more vulnerable to the unknown forces that affected the magisphere (same forces that may have led to the creation of the Great Climate De-Lateralization in the Melwendian Period), leading to a more intense evolution than those in the Homo lineage, which evolved in a continent west of Rathnir. Constant cycles of glacial and interglacial periods may have also shaped the evolution as well. This theory is often widely used, due to modern analysis of magical intake in modern gnomes/dwarves and of archaeological evidence of faint magic signatures in fossil sites almost identical to sites pertaining to the study of Melwendian geology.

Furthermore, this theory may also apply to the stonification process of Varn Torumian dwarves. According to dwarven paleontologists, when prehistoric dwarven ancestors, still greatly exposed to the unknown magic source, encountered the Heart of the Mountain, yet another foreign magic source, it produced some sort of adverse reaction and causing a dramatic evolution process that requires the elements in stone, coal, and redstone.

List of Lineages

 * P. habilis (53,000 - 20,000 ya)
 * P. pumilus (20,000 years ago - present)
 * P. gnomus (15,000 years ago - present)