Shifters

By their own telling, shifters are some of the first people of Foralli. As the legend goes, the gods began creation by forming the lands and seas, and the creatures that inhabited them. When a beast that has long since disappeared and been forgotten discovered scraps of a potent magic. As it read them, it learned, and awoke. The beast then went and shared this knowledge with the other animals, and the gods then created the dwarves, elves, humans, and other sentient beings based on how the animals shaped themselves with the beast’s knowledge. The other animals forget their original forms over the years, but the first beast never forgot, and made sure its children remembered. Shifters have kept this beast in their hearts, appearing humanoid with bestial aspects. They can temporarily embrace the beast inside and enhance their animalistic features - a state they call shifting.