It's part 2! What's in it? I'll tell you!

Fffffffffffffffffffffffurries...

You know the kind! The ones with glow sticks for tails and look like the bastard children of The Lion King's Scar and little Emo boys. Think I'm lying?

Yes. Yes I am lying. This is nothing at all like The Lion King. Sorry to get your hopes up ;)

Patkani

The northern rim of the Helmagh Mountains, the green pastureland of the Siksagon Hullamok, the edge of the Great Steppe, and the Sgizet Forest form the boundaries of Patkania, a landlocked country only accessible by sea through the Kigyo River. It is generally productive land with reasonably short winters, rich soil, and steady rainfall. For centuries it has been a natural bread basket of the West, and mile for mile it is the most populated and developed land in the Beastfolk Alliance. It is also a lawless, chaotic landscape with such an established system of banditry and thuggery that some criminal enclaves can trace their history back several centuries.

The Patkani have long been the sword strops of their neighbors, enduring incursion from the Checchiatari, the Patkani, and the Human Bazir people. Simultaneously, the Patkani are almost always embroiled in some civil conflict typically stemming from food shortages, urban squalor, or just the general apathy of the Patkani nobility. Constantly besieged from within and without, the story of the Patkani is one of mortality on a grand scale.

The Patkani are the smallest of all humanoids, typically ranging an average height of 3 - 4 ½ feet. They also have the shortest overall lifespan, even the healthiest living not much more than 40 years. Unlike the Dwarves, they cannot boast a thick frame and powerful musculature to balance their small stature- the Patkani are just small. These humanoid rodents are so successful due to their ability to bounce back- while Humans, Elves, and Dwarves typically give birth to one and most other Beastfolk give birth to two, the Patkani routinely give birth to 3 or 4 at a time! The Patkani also reach adulthood quickly, often as early as 10 years old. Everything is faster in Patkani society, as though everyone’s in a hurry. Education and apprenticeship are expected to be complete by the age of 12. Marriages usually occur between the ages of 10 and 12. Even the Military accepts recruits early. Some of their militia troops are just 8 years old!

The accelerated life and death of the Patkani is largely attributed to their metabolism. The Patkani are not burdened by many dietary restrictions, and that’s a good thing because they tend to eat about 8 small meals a day. Where food shortages create mayhem and rioting in other civilizations, Patkani famines take on a completely apocalyptic nature due to the desperation of the situation. Their metabolism means that they cannot survive more than 3 days without food, though their bodies are more forgiving with regards to water shortages. Sadly, their vulnerability to food shortages combined with a proclivity for large families has historically and repeatedly brought about such events which more often than not explode into epidemics of war, banditry, and chaos.

Physiologically the Patkani are ideally suited to survival and versatility. Like most Beastfolk, the Patkani have digitigrade legs with powerful hips, but their feet lack fur and have five articulated toes on each, allowing for agility on rough terrain. Their fur is typically mono-colored, though does occur in some simple patterns. White, black, and brown are the only colors exhibited by the Patkani, and their bodies are covered in short coats of fur with an emphasis on a somewhat coarse waterproof outer layer. Their long tails are flexible, but not prehensile and are hairless and scaly. Their hands are eerily human like, being hairless, articulate and five-fingered, being mainly distinguishable from human hands by a claw at the tip of each finger. They tend to be possessed of a strong lower body and a comparatively weak upper body. Females are generally smaller than males and have wide hips. Their ears, while of similar placement to most beast folk near the tops of their heads, are large, round, and well-equipped for radiating excess heat. The Patkani also have a keen sense of smell and a set of omnivorous teeth with one remarkable adaptation- a long, very strong set of incisors that constantly grow through the duration of a Patkani’s life. The end result is, to some, an ugly creature but one that is undeniably effective at survival, which is why many have treated them so ruthlessly. There is a concern that the Patkani, without mechanisms to control their population, could overrun the continent, spreading squalor and mayhem.

Teeming masses of hungry, desperate Patkani are iconic of their race, and don’t tend to garner much sympathy. The Vucari have long taken advantage of their food shortages by luring refugees into their lands and enslaving them. The defensive and fierce Bazir humans tend to band up and slaughter Patkani who intrude upon their lands, camouflaging the evidence of their deeds through burials or staged rock slides. The Checchiatari are no kinder and viciously protect their lands from encroachment upon their carefully balanced food supply, though many once kept Patkani as slaves and indentured laborers. In fact, as the monarchy has proven unwilling to invest in sufficient granaries for its people, the best and only solution for the people is with its healthy network of criminals and bandits who steal and stockpile food in times of plenty, or even in famine, and sell it back to the populace at just below market rates, making enormous profits in times of famine and accumulating ‘starvation debtors’ who, ironically, are often sold across the border to Vucari slavers at cut rates.

The White Jihad did much to change the situation facing the Patkani, as the 60-year war forced the Patkani to unite as a people and take up arms in spite of their government’s unwillingness to take aggressive action. The Patkani as a people united, developing and perfecting tactics well-suited to their massed infantry and limited military resources, heavily reliant on raids and formations of pike infantry. While the Patkani house guard fought well and honorably in open battle, the war was truly ‘won’ by the persistent and private efforts of normal citizens. As the power of the royal houses waned and the military experience of the citizenry grew a rebellion formed, ultimately ending in a colossal siege of the royal palace.

Even while the White Jihad raged the Patkani moved from monarchy to chaotic democracy, then the enthronement of an emperor, then his dethronement and the establishment of a republic, followed by the downfall of the republic and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. By the end of the Jihad the Patkani people had earned a voice and a stake in their government, but the war had ravaged the treasury and the willingness of the people to fight. The human threat, still very real, had to be dealt with and the only professional troops available to hold them back were their old rivals, the Vucari.

The Vucari took full advantage of the opportunity to wedge themselves into Patkani social affairs, immediately establishing sumptuary laws and population controls to discourage reckless habits of breeding that arose during the war. The Patkani still retain a high degree of freedom, perhaps higher than ever thanks to their representative government, but old grudges die hard and the people openly resent the presence of canine soldiers on their streets. Even so, the Patkani tolerate the presence of the Vucari because the alternative, Human invasion, would be nightmarishly worse. Some are also coming around to the idea that population control has put a lot less stress on the food supply and that since the Vucari arrived there have been no major famines and a lot less banditry. Unfortunately, slavery is still a problem and the overstretched Vucari have done nothing to actively find and stop the sinister trade.

The modern Patkani are a proud and patriotic people, at times unprincipled and reckless but above all resilient. Their look at mortality, due to the nature of their race, will always be alien to most cultures as the Patkani seem not to fear death, or at least try not to show it. There is a new sense that their national and racial pride is the start of something greater that, with responsibility and judgment, will change Patkani society for the better. The quantity, quality, and low cost of labor in Patkania have attracted industrialist interests, and the Patkani have looked on with fascination as smoke belching canal boats powered by steam engines delivered the first components of industry to their heartland. While it’s still quite early to make such a statement, there are signs that industry has proven an excellent fit in Patkania and that it has the potential to revolutionize Patkani society and transform the fortunes of the Beastfolk for decades to come.

Hirvi

The Hirvi, along with the Sabalazmon, are protectorate races of the Beastfolk Alliance, meaning that they gain the military protection of the Alliance, but at the cost of being subjected to the Alliance’s central laws and authority. The Hirvi, living in the Kulta Kevanna, are a group of large, herbivorous humanoids of impressive physical stature. They survive successfully in a part of the continent that suffers long, bitter winters broken only by short, lush summers, and as herbivores the Hirvi become very active in the summer while food is abundant. Through most of the year, however, the Hirvi conserve their energy and lock down into their communities, hopeful to defend against hungry predators.

The Hirvi stand at an impressive 6-7 feet, but the males appear quite a bit larger and taller thanks to their muscular trunks and necks, which support impressive antlers traditionally used to denote stature, age, and masculinity. The females, by contrast, tend to be of lighter build, with long, thin necks and wider hips. Their feet are tipped with cloven hooves instead of toes and their hands are thick, have only four digits, and have broad, bony fingernails instead of narrow claws. Their hands are surprisingly flexible and agile for their size, but this is a necessity when most foraging and farming involves intensive manual labor. All Hirvi have either brown, red, or tawny mono-colored bodies, but the males are the only ones with thick, dark brown, shaggy manes covering their thickly muscled necks. The Hirvi also have long, broad snouts and powerful jaws fitted almost entirely with molars for grinding down food, but in order to digest vegetation they also have slightly longer and thicker torsos to accommodate an impressive three stomachs and added intestine. They are also gifted with excellent eyesight and hearing, their ears able to swivel in almost every direction and their eyes set wide so they have a broader field of vision.

Not much is known about the history of the Hirvi, except that for centuries they have traded amber and bottles of mana to the Vucari and Checchiatari. These products, both useful in the magickal sciences, have ultimately found their way into Elven lands. The Elves have exhibited curiosity about Aidinsielu since the first traces of mana arrived in their lands. The Elves, with a predominant interest in controlling the import, refinement, and export of mana have since tried to explore Beastfolk lands to determine where mana is concentrated on the continent. Expeditions to the lands of the Hirvi have been absolutely mystified by a lack of successful findings in spite of the clear existence of mana, and the only thing they have discovered of note is that there are some among the Hirvi who are gifted in strange forms of magic not currently familiar to Elven magecraft, which is formidable indeed. A secret that the Hirvi have never released to the Elves is that mana in the Kulta Kevanna isn’t pooled into reservoirs and wells, but rather accumulates into the land’s plant life, particularly a breed of wildflower called Kellokukka, which grows naturally and abundantly and whose nectar is rich in mana.

This flower is also an important part of the Hirvi diet, being hardy and nutritious and able to endure at least part of the long winter above ground, and the Hirvi have no intention of sharing its spectacular properties with the Elves and their powerful sorcerers.

The Hirvi’s main concern is not the Elves, however. Instead, the Hirvi must annually face the hunger of the Vastaami, a large, ursine breed of beastfolk still steeped in ancient ritual, a race that has long literally fed itself with the Hirvi for generations. As Hirvi society began to organize and better protect its own, the Vastaami have only grown fiercer, deprived of a traditional source of food. The Hirvi have tried to establish fisheries and whaling parties in hopes of trading food for the goods and tools of the Vastaami, but the Vastaami refuse to engage in trade, or diplomacy of any kind, openly rejecting civilization. The Hirvi regard the Vastaami with a strange sort of respect tempered by fear, but it seems that such sentiments are not shared by their rivals.

The future role of the Hirvi in the beastfolk alliance is unclear. Their society is small and isolated, their land difficult to civilize. The various shamans and witches of the Hirvi, however, give testimony to the fact that these ancient and docile magic users could carry incredible potential. The Elves have been unable to establish monasteries in much of Aidinsielu, meaning that the continent’s mana supplies remain largely untapped and undiscovered. As an exporter of mana completely independent of the Elven monopoly the Beastfolk Alliance could stand to make a fortune, but if they carefully manage their own supplies and encourage the Hirvi to organize their magical abilities the Beastfolk would become powerful indeed.

Unfortunately for the Vucari’s ambitions, the Hirvi do not want the use of magic to proliferate or to focus on using it as a weapon of war. The Hirvi are fundamentally adverse to war, even if they are no strangers to it. Even more importantly, however, the tribal elders of the Hirvi worry that the Elves have put the vital resource of mana at great risk by extracting it and selling it in large quantity. They feel that mana is not merely the source of magic, but rather, like honey, is where the land stores its energy in times of need. They are concerned that if mana is depleted the continent itself may crumble into chaos and fire, its lands unable to heal.

Even so, in spite of their misgivings the Hirvi are not stupid. They know that the Vucari are the only ‘tribe’ strong enough to bring the Vastaami to heel, if such a thing is possible, and they understand that the Elves and their greed for mana would make far more dangerous allies in the long run than their carnivorous neighbors. For now they welcome alliance with the Vucari, Checchiatari, Paktani, and Sabalazmon.

Sabalazmon

While the Vucari lay claim to a large portion of the Great Steppe and Taiga, they have long interacted with the lands and people of the Sabalazmon, an energetic and gruff race of mustelid humanoids living in the northeastern extremes of Aidinsielu, an autonomous region called “Azek”. While the Vucari and Sabalazmon have had their share of differences, their relative non-aggression towards each other comes from their different diets and strengths. They eat differently, fight differently, and rely on different goods than the Vucari, all of which prevented them from competing directly with their powerful lupine neighbors. This isn’t to say that the Sabalazmon didn’t have enemies of their own- they’ve viciously slain Liskai and Rosomai intruders many a time in antiquity. They are acrobatic fighters, excellent archers, and riders without peer. Technically, the Sabalazmon live within the confines of Vucarnarod, but the Vucari have given the citizens of Azek unique administrative freedoms due to their remoteness and their independent culture.

Physiologically, the Sabalazmon appear small and lanky by humanoid standards. Like the Checchiatari, they have very flexible joints, allowing them a surprising range of motion. Like their Rosomai rivals, their muscle tissue is a bit denser than other humanoids, well-designed to produce explosive and furious feats of strength rather than long-term endurance. They tend to stand at 4 ½ to 5 ½ feet and have the typical digitigrade legs of the beast folk. Their physique is typified by narrow hips, a narrow ribcage, and narrow shoulders. What adds to their lanky appearance is the fact that their legs are proportionally short while their spines are long, having 3 more lumbar vertebrae than Humans. Much of this added length is accounted for in their waists and abdomens, which have additional muscle groups that enable the Sabalazmon to perform acrobatic feats that would make even a Checchiatari jealous. Their bodies are covered in mono-colored fur, though some individuals have distinct ‘masques’ around their eyes or ‘beards’ from ear to ear. The most typical colors are black and brownish-red, but light brown and white individuals can also be found. Their tails are similar to those of the Vucari, but bushier and longer. Their faces have short, tapered muzzles and expressive eyes with round pupils, and their economical, rounded ears are set low on the head, almost to the sides like most humanoids. Sexual dimorphism is low, with both genders exhibiting the same height range. The main skeletal difference between males and females is that the females have wider hips. As carnivores, their short muzzles are lined with sharp teeth with very little in the way of adaptations for an omnivorous diet.

With their short legs and compact muscles, the Sabalazmon are ideally designed for ferocious bursts of activity, but being inhabitants of the steppe as well as the taiga requires them to learn riding skills early, as their bodies cannot accomplish the feats of endurance that their mounts can. The Sabalazmon are ideally suited to the Taiga, where their acrobacy and ambush skills are a perfect fit for the dense foliage of the forest, and many Sabalazmon cultures still in the Taiga do not emphasize riding skill, but on the Steppe it is a must, with individuals as young as 4 being taught how to ride. To this day, they hunt, herd, and fight from the saddle, relying on light, curved iron and steel swords with bone grips and exquisitely crafted composite bows, which their lithe bodies allow them to fire at any angle, especially the rear.

In culture, the Sabalazmon are first and foremost gregarious and temperamental. They take to leadership more readily than Orcs, but it takes a strong and often forceful leader to organize a band of Sabalazmon. While there are many established villages and townships near the southern Taiga, where timber and water are plentiful, a large number of Sabalazmon live in insulated movable homes fashioned from hides and wool called ‘yurts’, which have existed relatively unchanged for millennia. The soft, dense, dual-layer coats of the Sabalazmon keep them warm, and their specialized clothing keeps them warmer still, but such clothing is a necessity on the bitter cold of the steppe, which in the winter plunges so far below freezing at night that spit and urine solidify in the air before touching the ground. They are a hardy people governed by the simplest form of democracy on a tribal level, yet still largely adherent to the ancient clan system.

Their closest rivals are the Rosomai who, in spite of being close relatives from a paleontological standpoint, are both bigger and stronger than the Sabalazmon. The Rosomai and Sabalazmon have long fought over the same types of terrain and the same supplies of food, and the frontier areas between the two are incredibly lawless. In every major conflict between the two races the Rosomai have failed to achieve victory simply because of their inferior numbers. They have proven even more brutal and effective in combat than their rivals, for their thick fur and padded clothes are often enough to shrug off Sabalaz arrows as they close in for the kill. The feud between these two races continues, their grudges ancient and practically incapable of being resolved. With the entry of the Sabalazmon into the Beastfolk Alliance, the mustelids have been fascinated by the armor-piercing properties of the musket, whose killing potential could bring the Rosomai to heel once and for all.

The Vucari, however, want to bring more organized civilization and central authority to the mainly clan-based Sabalaz society, and a large part of this is the formation of militia and army units loyal to the concept. This idea, transplanted from the Vucari, hasn’t been very popular with the Sabalazmon, but they have been willing to inch towards it because of the promise of muskets. The Vucari are no fools, however, and know that there are serious differences between standing behind a central government and a concept of common law and simply saying what needs to be said to acquire a firearm. The Vucari have therefore been slow and reluctant to provide this very popular weapon to the Sabalazmon, and the process has been so slow that the Sabalazmon, their appetites whetted, are starting to look to any neighbors, even those in distant lands, to see if they can’t acquire them through their own channels. The Rosomai, in the mean time, have exploded into internal strife over whether or not their race should accept the charter of the Beastfolk Alliance to gain protection from the genocidal orgy that would be sure to result if the Sabalazmon masses acquired muskets

The Vucari, therefore, have been put in an unenviable situation with regards to the Sabalazmon. On the one hand, they could arm the Sabalazmon, the result of which would be a secure alliance but could result in the total extermination of the Rosomai as a race, not something the Vucari want on their conscience. On the other hand, securing ties with the Rosomai would ensure them rights but could anger the Sabalazmon enough to rebel against the Beastfolk Alliance. A potential solution to this conundrum is in the making, and would pit both Vucari troops and Sabalazmon auxiliaries against the dangerous, brutal, and completely cultureless plague of the Holischiky, extending the lands of the Sabalazmon to the northern coasts and driving out the hated ruffians for good. If this gambit works, it would relieve the pressure on the Rosomai long enough to adopt them into the Alliance, provided the Rosomai accept the common goal to expel the Holischiky from their lands and fight alongside the Sabalazmon so that at last the two not-so different races can begin to put their rivalries behind them. If the gambit fails, however, it could deliver the entire region into chaos, closing the door on an alliance with the Sabalazmon for years to come.

Rosomai

While you would never get the straight story from the Sabalazmon, the fact of the matter is that the Rosomai and Sabalazmon are biological kin that share a similar culture and heritage. Like the Sabalazmon, the Rosomai live in a clan structured society as nomadic herdsmen and hunters, the plains folk spending much of their lives in the saddle and the natives of the Taiga living in small, established settlements. In fact, the dominant differences between the Rosomai and Sabalazmon are anatomical- physically, the Rosomai are quite formidable.

The Vucari consider themselves tough, ideally crafted by nature to survive in a wide variety of climates, but it can be argued that the Rosomai are tougher. They are roughly the same height as the Sabalazmon, but are built on much broader, more powerful frames. They have large feet with five digits each, enabling them to better spread their weight atop snow and ice, short abdomens, and powerful upper bodies. Their hands are completely covered in fur, even on their palms, and each digit sports a vicious looking claw that’s useful for fighting, gripping, and digging. On top of their muscular mass and wide frame the Rosomai retain the dense muscle tissue of their Sabalazmon relatives, except that they have much more of it. The result of this is similar- the Rosomai are better suited to ambushes and bursts of power than sustained activity. It also has the additional detriment of requiring the Rosomai to eat more, sometimes much more than other humanoids, and as a result they are also sometimes derisively referred to as “Gluttons”.

They have thick double coats of fur which provide both excellent insulation and protection from water, and have the added effect of making the Rosomai look even bigger and more formidable. Their faces are structurally similar to those of the Sabalazmon, but again are constructed with strength and ferocity in mind, their jaws suited for a vicious bite and their overall features being larger and thicker. They have a keen sense of smell, but their vision is somewhat of a letdown, being neither telescopic nor ideal in low light. They can see all colors of the spectrum, however, including shades of ultraviolet, which makes their range of color perception just slightly superior to that of Humans. Their fur tends to be of a uniform dark brown color with black hands, feet, muzzle, and flanks while their faces sport various shapes of ‘spectacles’ in white or beige. Two broad stripes of light colored fur also adorn their backs, tapering outwards, then inwards again like the outline of an eye. Like the Sabalazmon, each individual has a bushy tail of medium length used for balance and body language.

The Rosomai, with their greater dietary needs than their Sabalazmon relatives, are fewer in number but have been involved in wars with their neighbors over turf and hunting rights for millennia. The advent of muskets, however, has many Rosomai frightened. The weaknesses of traditional composite bows have allowed the Rosomai to effectively defend themselves against Sabalazmon aggression or, conversely, made their attacks more effective. Muskets, which can easily punch through layers of padded clothing, thick fur, and muscle to deliver a killing blow, eliminate this ancient advantage, putting the numerically inferior Rosomai in a terrible situation even if they were to acquire muskets themselves. The clans have been gripped by bickering and internal strife as a result of this predicament, with some advocating a hasty and risky attack on the Sabalazmon to drive them out for good and others advocating an alliance with the Vucari to give their species the protection of law and the chance to arm themselves with new weapons.

Ultimately, the result of this bickering has been stagnation. The Rosomai haven’t led any organized attacks against the Sabalazmon in years, but they haven’t approached the Beastfolk Alliance to sign its charter, either. Isolation has protected them briefly, but time is running out as the Sabalazmon, growing impatient and weary of the Vucari’s reluctance to issue them firearms, have been actively searching for Human and Dwarven sources. It’s only a matter of time before muskets begin appearing in the hands of the Sabalazmon, and if the Rosomai don’t make their decision soon it will be too late to save their race from genocide.

Vastaami

Mysterious, reclusive, and isolationistic, the Vastaami are a relative unknown, even to their Hirvi ‘rivals’. By the few accounts available of them they are a race of giant humanoids, even by continental standards, perhaps even greater in height and stature than the Giants of Dwarven lands. Long ago the Vastaami were rumored to be greater in number and often preyed on the Hirvi, an act that sounds as horrid as cannibalism but to the Vastaami would have made sense given the scarcity of food in the frozen lands of the Kulta Kevanna. Much about their society is unknown as very few individuals have ever emerged to discuss it at length. The only contact with them has been through brief moments of trade, but even this basic interaction is limited as the Vastaami are mainly disinterested in exchanging goods with their neighbors.

There is some evidence of basic agriculture among the Vastaami, as some explorers have come across groves of berry bushes and fruit-producing vines that would not normally occur naturally. They have also located bone yards and charnel pits, but never any active Vastaami settlements in the vicinity. Many explorers have also simply disappeared while exploring the Kulta Kevanna, either falling prey to the elements or stumbling into Vastaami warriors.

While their society isn’t well understood, perhaps quite intentionally, the Hirvi are quite familiar with the appearances and anatomy of the Vastaami, which they regard with a curious measure of fear and respect. The Vastaami’s most tangible look alike would be the Rosomai, but even this wouldn’t do justice to their impressive scale. Unlike all other Beastfolk the Vastaami have flat, plantigrade feet with leathery or furry soles, five toes on each foot, and a vicious claw on each toe. Their lower bodies have exceptionally thick and strong bones and firm joints, designed to handle the formidable upper body weight of a humanoid that often stands 10 feet tall.

Their bodies tend to show less muscle definition than other humanoids as their double coats of fur are thick and usually backed by stores of fat. Beneath this fat is a formidable amount of muscle, granting the Vastaami not only great stature but also terrible strength. Their broad, muscular shoulders and thick arms give way to large five-fingered hands, generally with leathery palms and large black claws. Their heads share traits from both the Vucari and the Rosomai, and even bear slight human resemblances in a strange way. Their eyes are small, forward facing, and quite human-like while their long, thick muzzles are tipped with large, black, moist noses and, strangely, a flexible and expressive lower lip that lends a ‘Human’ quality to their expressions. Their ears are set on the upper corners of their broad, flat scalps and are round and proportionally small compared to those of most other Beastfolk. Males and females exhibit significant sexual morphology in terms of height, with males generally being a foot taller than females. The females, however, retain formidable upper body strength. The Vastaami typically have mono-colored fur that’s either white or blond, though in the summer they shed their radiant arctic coats for shorter brown and black ones.

It’s currently unknown how many Vastaami there are or what their thoughts are regarding the Beastfolk Alliance. The Vucari have had a few isolated run-ins with the giant beasts, most of them ending badly, but thus far there hasn’t been any apparent planning behind the attacks or overwhelming political motivation. They seem to value their territorial boundaries and the respect of them, clearly marking their territory with claw marks on trees and showing little mercy to those who violate the concept. It is believed that the Vastaami are no longer as interested in preying on the Hirvi since another source of food has crept into their territory, the Holischiky. Where the Holischiky are loathed and avoided by most beastfolk, there are signs that the Vastaami have effectively been able to hunt and kill them. Their motivations for doing so are probably tied to their territorial nature, but are more likely related to hunger and the Holischiky’s rich, fatty flesh compared to the leaner Hirvi.

Most veteran explorers of the Kulta Kevanna are active at the height of winter, when the Vastaami are believed to take to dens and shelters to hibernate through the worst weeks of annual scarcity, living off of their fat reserves. Though travel through the Kulta Kevanna at the height of winter, with its brutal cold and howling winds, sounds crazy it is the safest option since the Vastaami are asleep and the Holischiky are buttoned down into their coastal rookeries to keep warm. Such trips, though mainly explorational in nature, have uncovered the locations of a handful of permanent Vastaami settlements, which exhibit surprising sophistication and permanence. There are signs that they value artistic carpentry, have a firm grasp of architecture, and have specialized labor in the form of craftsmen, carpenters, weavers, and fishermen, a far cry from the primitive hunter-gatherer society the Vastaami were thought to be. Even so, there has been no way to observe active Vastaami society safely, leaving much about the race shrouded in secrecy.

Liskai

The Liskai are a unique people even among the Beastfolk. Living in diaspora, the Liskai have no true ‘homeland’, instead ranging far and wide and living on the fringes of society. Though they bear many physical similarities to the Vucari, they are surprisingly not related, their heritage spanning back to the origins of the Vucari and Checchiatari. Some Liskai argue that theirs is an ancient race like the Elves, from which the Vucari and Checchiatari were later born. Most, however, feel that pretending to be the archetype of all Beastfolk races is asking for trouble when the entire species is proverbially ‘a guest in another’s house’.

The Liskai have no unified culture, language, or religion. At times it can be difficult to distinguish them as a single species given their various morphologies and customs. Written record indicates that the Liskai originated in Human lands far to the south, but were forced into disapora as the result of a climate change that transformed the Helmagh Desert, once a rich garden country, into a barren wasteland. The Liskai would have been at a demographic disadvantage as well, being outnumbered by Humans. Their migration took them north, then further north still, in search of a homeland that they could never find. As a result, the Liskai were forced to fragment and become integrated into the societies of other Beastfolk. The result is a racial minority spread across the entire Beastfolk Alliance, wandering gypsies never quite integrated but simultaneously never cast out by their neighbors.

The Liskai nominally appear to be a ‘morph’ of the Vucari, but first off the Liskai are smaller, standing mainly at 4 ½ to 5 ½ feet, comparable to the Sabalazmon. Their bodies are lithe, lean, and acrobatic, lending them an exotic air. Like the Checchiatari, the Liskai are gifted with natural flexibility and agility. Like the Vucari their long, narrow, tapered muzzles give the Liskai an excellent sense of smell and their proportionally large, pointed ears are equally keen. Only their eyesight is lacking, and while their golden-orange or green eyes with slit pupils are mesmerizing and beautiful, they are typically weak, with most individuals being short-sighted. The Liskai, aside from their beautiful and sharp facial characteristics are also noted for their long, flexible, bushy tails which appear luxuriant and exotic to most humanoids across Sejhat and draw a fair share of curiosity. The Liskai tend not to be very muscular, but there is a fair degree of dimorphism between males and females. Females have notably wider hips, longer tails, and stronger thighs than males, which have more concentrated, albeit not very impressive upper body musculature.

The Liskai also manifest in a wide variety of colorations that, while not as broad or ostentatious as the Checchiatari, are still considered by many to be aesthetic and exotic. Most Liskai have rust-red or deep orange fur with black ‘gloves’, ‘boots’, and ears along with white muzzles, necks, and bellies. Some Liskai, particularly those living in the lands of the Checchiatari, have gray coats with reddish-brown trim. In the south, particularly in the temperate or warm areas near the Outreme and its deserts, live cream-colored varieties of the Liskai that have the additional distinction of having rather large ears well adapted to radiating heat or, quite often, eavesdropping. In the far north lives a group of Liskai that are nearly the opposites of those in the far south, with doubly thick fur, small ears, and shorter muzzles, but what’s most striking about the Liskai of the tundra and high steppe is their all-white fur, coupled with blue eyes.

It’s difficult to describe Liskai culture, since all Liskai are more or less ‘guests’, as they so often put it. In order to survive they have proven adaptable, absorbing local customs and cultures and adopting them as their own. The Liskai on the Rosa Peninsula, for example, are every bit as impetuous and charismatic as their Checchiatari brethren while the red-hued Liskai living alongside the Vucari are more taciturn and businesslike. Even so, the Liskai have one thing in common as a race- their status as a ‘fringe’ group. Often, this means that they are not particularly liked or accepted by the local majority, usually manifested as broad distrust. However, as certain cultures have ‘aversions’ to things that need to be done, the Liskai are generally tolerated because they are willing and able to act outside the rules and cultural norms of a given society. In fractured Checchiatari society the Liskai are capable spies and diplomats, moderating disagreements between cities and heading off potentially costly disputes. In Vucari society the Liskai are an element of entertainment and spontaneity, more willing to contradict defective laws or policies outside of the greater interests of Vucari society. They have been vital in pointing out that excellent sounding policy ideas to the Vucari might not be so perfect when foisted on another species with another culture. In the bitter and lawless lands of Azek and the Kulta Kevanna the Liskai are a conduit of trade, buying and selling goods without prejudice between the Hirvi, Vucari, Sabalazmon, and Rosomai. In Patkania they often serve as mercenaries, providing more organized, disciplined, and effective military units than the generally wasteful and ill-equipped militias and levies of the Patkani. Their sense of free enterprise and money makes them generally adept merchants, and it’s not uncommon to see Liskai tagging along with trade caravans and merchantmen vessels.

Other races tend to be tolerant, but wary of the Liskai, who have unfairly gained a reputation as being disloyal since they are cultural ‘outsiders’. In modern times, however, the Liskai can only rise in prosperity and importance. Trade, industry, and empire all require bright minds capable of sniffing out opportunity, and the Liskai have gotten plenty of practice. As a race, their star is rising with the times.

Companion Sheets for the Continent of Sejhat:
Protipeiros, the Elven Maenid Empire (Afthonoch Maena)
Ilfand, the Dwarven Confederacy (Confederasiwn Gorrach)
Dusom Yildizlar, the Caliphate of Man (Adam Kelifet)