Hare Shapechanger
The hare is a shapeshifter that is closest in character to the all the small, common men and women that populate the land of Nor’. Lacking the great strength and deep knowledge of some of the other animals, the hare is generally considered unremarkable, except for his great speed, which often saves him from the dangers of everyday life. This great speed is a distant echo of the Yarilo’s sunbeam, or Perun’s lightning bolt, divinities with which the hare has been associated since ancient times. The sunbeam, dancing on the surface of the water, or on the windowsill, is still called the Little Hare by people today.
But to survive in the world, speed and nimbleness are not enough. Hares are famously fecund, reproducing at astounding rates to maintain their place alongside other beasts. Hence, they are identified with fertility, youth, and spring. They must also develop wiles that sometimes rival those of the Fox. Their cross-eyed visage suggests that they can be adept at using the Evil Eye to curse their enemies, robbing them of their prowess, and allowing the Hare to live another day. The hare’s magic, cunning, and springtime insanity leads some to suppose that they are also in league with the nether powers.
Though he (and it is more often a he) is sometimes treated with suspicion by the priests of the [True Confession, the hare’s capacity to overcome great odds earns him respect far and wide.
The hare shapeshifter is perhaps best known for being a coward. Unable to contend with the more powerful animals, he relies on his fleetness of foot to get him out of trouble. The hare is little bothered by this, believing that discretion is the better part of valor. But once out of danger, the hare often develops a false sense of security, and may become somewhat of a braggart. That leads to new predicaments, which the hare escapes (when he does) through sheer lack, finding a well-spring of hidden cunning or courage, or simply through personal appeal: hares possess great energy and magnetism, excel at making friends, and finding romantic partners. Sometimes – during times of stress, springtime, or during intense romantic pursuits, this energy gets the better of hares, and they begin to exhibit signs of madness.
Hares are common as shapeshifters go, and may come from a variety of stations. The majority are simple peasants, though a few attain heroic status within their local communities. Given their speed, drive and curiosity, some hares lead itinerant lives, surviving by their wits as merchants, mountebanks, or vagabonds. A few are also employed as scouts by military outfits, or learn a craft. But whether a hare is itinerant or settled, he is an intensely social creature, and does not like to be apart from people or other sentient creatures for long.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
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