Fera

Depending on where you are live in Avestra, the word Fera brings to mind a very different group. If you live in the Shogunates and you hear Fera, you think people with cat tails and cat ears and similar features. If you're from south of there, you think people with dragon tails, dragon wings, and even some scales on them. And if you're from northern Edrinia? You think of those folk with wolf ears and wolf tails that follow the Lunari around like lost puppies.
Doesn't matter where you come from, there's always one Fera or another that you've seen. If ya haven't... well, you're definitely not from anywhere on this side of Avestra.

— Introduction to The History of Fera

Basic Information

Anatomy

All Fera bear a similar appearance to humanoids like the Elves or humans but each has difference both subtle and obvious.

• The Cat Fera have Cat ears and a cat tail, even bearing cat-like eyes. While they don't bear whiskers, each Fera has 3 marks on either side of their cheek that seems to resemble what whiskers would look like on their face. Additionally, Cat Fera are quite flexible, able to squeeze through tight spaces and have a liquid-like attribute similar to cats, Gattifolk, and Carinthi.
• The Dragon Fera have Dragon horns protruding from their head, either the forehead or the top of their head from beneath their hair line. Additionally, a set of Dragon wings are on their back and they have a tail as well that can be used as a weapon. They also share the elemental breath weapon of the dragons, sharing it with their Dragonborn and Draxeeli cousins.
• The Wolf Fera have wolf ears and a wolf tail, their eyes sharing similarities with that of a wolf's but seeing far better than them.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

• The majority of Wolf Fera are located in the same place as Lupin, living in either the cold north, the mountains, or the lands of the Elu. Lone tribes of Wolf Fera can be found in the Aerin valley and wondering the Nomi lands of the west as well.
• Cat Fera are predominantly in the Nomi lands of the Twin Shogunates and even the Arachni lands of the southeast.
• Dragon Fera are scattered throughout the Draconic Southwest of Alus but have been spreading across the sea and northward to get further from their Draconic heritage.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

All Fera have the ability to see in the dark in shades of Grey. However, Cat Fera have the best sight amongst the three, able to see farther and notice finer details as well. Wolf-Fera have the best hearing thanks to their ears and their balance is second-to-none. The Dragon Fera have the ability to use elemental breath like other draconics and have a seen sense of smell.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

• The Mitsu and Otsu Shogunates: The twin shogunates as well as the Emperor's domain were founded thanks to the effort of Cat Fera and neither country has forgotten that fact. However, as time goes on and the two shoguns begin to want to rule over the other's land, the Cat Fera themselves may find themselves as key players in either a hot or cold civil war.
• The Ziminsi League: The Dragon Fera that chose to be free of their draconic chains fled to the Ziminsi League. While it isn't as perfect as they idealized it to be, the lives they live are worth the price of the chance to rise in station and be more than what the Dragons wanted them to be.
• The Kingdom of Bra'lakun: The Dragon Fera that stayed with the Draxeeli believe that their safety only lasts with the former foot-soldiers of the Dragon armies. As such, they put up with the growing influence of Dragons in the region and even attempts to make them servants once more in exchange for safety from their enemies, especially with the Elders, Haiakage, and Brandovia on the horizon.
• The Howling Coast Tribes: The Wolf Fera make up a sizable number of tribes in the region, usually sharing that high number with Lupin and Goliaths. With Sgand pushing deeper into the coast, tribes are either uniting to fight back or fleeing from the chaos.
• The United Tribes of Kharak: In response to Sgand attempting to become an empire, a new organization has risen as tribes across species and cultural lines unite to fight back against this threat. Should they get over their differences, this could signal a change in the north that could herald the rise of a new power for Wolf Fera to be a part of.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

• Common is a common language that the Cat Fera know well though they are able to understand and even somewhat speak the Gattifolk language due to their cat lineage. As such, this allows them to be mediators between the cat races and non-cat races.
• Draconic is the mother tongue of the Dragon Fera and even when they travel to lands where Draconic isn't known or common, they use it amongst themselves even as they attempt to distance themselves from the Dragons.
• Wolf Fera know a language known as Wolfspeak that only they knew at first. Surprisingly, it bares resemblance to the Lupin language, allowing the two to learn each other's languages at an easier rate and even communicate with each other.

History

The Cat Fera

The Cat Fera are believed to be the first people of the Nomi lands, sharing it with the Carinthi and even Gattifolk wanderers. The three worked side-by-side to shape the land and make a home by it and it was the three of them that fought against Orc and Giant raiders who came down from the north. From the Cat Fera came the first Divine Emperor while the Gattifolk and Carinthi had the first Shoguns to lead armies against enemies to the north and the south. However, giving these leaders so much power made them distinct and unwilling to let the other become the Shogun of the entire province. To compromise, the two provinces were split between two Shogunates: the Mitsu Shogunate to the north and the Otsu shogunate to the south. Between the two lies Sori, the home of the Emperor and their family.

Due to this and many other notable figures in the Shogunate's lands, the Cat Fera are seen as reliable citizens of the Shogunates. And while some may use their talents for less-than-good means, people who run across them are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

The Dragon Fera

The Dragons like to claim that they created the Dragon Fera to be servants of their kind. That they were made to serve and that's all they would ever do. If that was the case, the fall of the Dragon Empire was the greatest gift the Dragon Fera were ever given. With the fall of their nation, these Fera were free to do as they wished. Most of them stayed in the south with their brethren, trying to live normal lives. However, when tensions flared between the Dragonborn and the Draxeeli, they were caught in the middle. Many sided with the Dragonborn, wanting self-determination compared to being ruled under the heel of Dragon loyalists. A small amount stayed in with the loyalists, willing to put up with the harsh treatment they could face for a more peaceful life.

However, the majority of Dragon Fera simply chose to take flight and run away from the conflict, spreading across Alus and even heading south to the other continent or east to Edrinia.

The Wolf Fera

The Wolf Fera were tempered in the harsh cold of northern Edrinia. It is believed that they were the first inhabitants of the Howling Coast back when it was first ruled by the Giant Empires. It was a blessing for them from the Wolf-father when the Giants came crumbling down from the Elder Dragons and their assault. In the ashes of the ancient empires, Wolf tribes formed from the different groups that existed under the empires. As all groups do, they came to clash with each other and even fought against goblinoid and goliath tribes that moved into the area. When the Lunari landed in the region, the two sides got along quite well due to the battle prowess of the Lunari and their honorable nature.

Their bond only got stronger as the two fought side by side against raids from outside forces such as the Aerin Kingdoms, the Dwarven holds, and most importantly, the Elder Invasion. Wolf blood soaked the soil of the Howling Coast as they fought valiantly against the Elders. It is their proximity to these aberrations that has supposedly caused an increase in psionic talent amongst Wolf Fera, same as their Lunari counterpart. Now with the Muspel Giants invading and sweeping through the north, the Fera must make a choice: either stand their ground and fight against a threat to their home once again or flee from the overwhelming odds they face. With even Lunari tribes choosing to head south, some Fera tribes have decided to join them, finding themselves in new lands where they must now find a place for themselves.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

• The Cat Fera get along great with the Carinthi and Gattifolk due to their shared history. As such, they are seen as mediators on issues between the two groups. However, their role as diplomats doesn't help them when speaking with groups like the Lumin Orcs who often raid settlements within the Mitsu Shogunate.
• The Dragon Fera get along well with either Dragonborn or Draxeeli depending on the country they reside in. All Fera dislike the Dragons for attempting to turn them back into servants as they attempt to regain their lost empire.
• The Wolf Fera get along well with Lupin, being brothers-in-arms after the countless battles they've fought side-by-side. It explains why when there's a Lunari tribe, there's usually a Wolf Fera tribe close by. On the opposite end of that, Wolf Fera clash with Goliaths and Giants, viewing the former as children of the latter who wants enslaved them and kept them as servants and pets. Even in the United Tribes, they can't help but distrust each other.

Origin/Ancestry

Cat, Dragon, Wolf

Lifespan

200 years

Average Height

Under 5 ft to over 6 feet

Geographic Distribution

• Alus
• Edrinia

Related Organizations

• The Howling Tribes: Keepers of the North
• The Wolfguard of Risir

Related Ethnicities

• Drakon
• Nomi
• Risir