In the northernmost regions of the alpoc home-world with mounds of snow and sparse vegetation two resources are more important than any other: food and warmth. Warmth is needed when the temperatures drop below freezing even in the summer periods, and food provides energy to keep warmth, as well as fat to insulate from the cold.

While alpocs are better suited for the more temperate environments, they do have the necessary components to live in those colder areas, and for tundrae it is a way of life.

Tundrae are larger than other alpoc races and tend to have shorter limbs relative to their sizes. They take on fat easily, which makes it difficult for a tundrae to keep the weight off in a more prosperous location. Tundrae also sport the thickest coats of wool in the entire species which further aid in retaining heat. A tundrae is comfortable in temperatures down to thirty degrees Fahrenheit, but can survive without additional protection at temperatures even lower. In comparison a plains alpoc starts shivering at forty degrees. Tundrae do not migrate at all, rather they find a patch of evergreens, harvest the cones and needles during the spring and use the wood for fire and to make permanent shelters. They’re widely regarded as the least primitive of natives for their understanding of how to make the shelters, and therefore the first which humans made contact with before the founding of the Syndicate. Tundrae live in groups of ten to fifteen in communal homes, keeping the children warm while the heartier adults do work outdoors. However the traditional lifestyle of tundrae has been lived less and less over the years due to general societal progress.

While all alpocs in the Syndicate are to some degree physically affectionate, tundrae are the most touchy-feely one can ever meet; driven by a compulsion to keep anyone even remotely uncomfortable in cold weather close to them simply because it let their people survive the very cold nights. This has led to some of them making a career out of doing just that; their favorite marketing target are members of humanity, a mostly bare skinned species especially susceptible to cold. They typically offer the service free of charge to first-time customers waiting at bus stops, storefronts, train stations and shuttle centers. There are also individuals who make house visits for lonely folks, or sign up in various establishments as therapists, and are even better suited than maroth attendants for the jobs.

But the biggest money maker for tundrae is within the box slums; many people end up in box shelters because of an unfortunate monetary decision or being cheated out of their hard-earned wealth, so depression because of poverty is not uncommon. Therapies like talking or dining with these poor folk counts as emergency services for the suicidal people, so LifeCorp™ pays a lot to make sure that their clientele don’t suffer an incident of loss of life. It’s estimated that the simple act of keeping company or cuddling with such poor people prevents over four million suicides every ship-day. Tundrae do not sell their wool; it is better for insulation rather than fabric.

If you meet a tundrae on a cold day, they may lend themselves unprompted to you as a cuddling partner— for hours if you let them. Just remember that this is completely natural and basic alpoc decency— say thank you and be on your way after whatever you have been waiting for is finished; and if you must refuse a tundrae’s generosity, you had better have a very good reason to do so prepared in advance because a tundrae can be very insistent on matters of warmth and comfort.

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A bit of a continuation of Alpoc Lore; here's one for Tundra Alpocs-- Tundrae for short-- with a bit of a 4-page comic too, because why not?

Now why the was lady wearing very thin clothing in the middle of a snowy roadside? I

have no idea, I just wanted to set up something cute and cuddly. ;)

Also I’m way too fond of giving my alien creatures strange alien accents that you can read out.