In the early days of Verbera, before the island had any name besides the Forest of Fangs, before the gith, mault, nevae, and nim had united to survive together, each race stood alone against the monsters they lived alongside. In their quiet, solitary settlements, each race fought hard each and every day to survive, just as the creations of Surinyar did.
But this did not satisfy the humanoid races. They did not wish to simply survive. They wished to thrive, as they had before the Wild Watcher interfered. Many, even the nevae that Surinyar represented, hated the god for this act, and refused to worship them. Instead they turned their prayers towards Akai'Ye , who offered strength and the drive to overcome all that stood before the mortals of Verbera.
And these prayers were answered by the Toiler, who strove to ensure the races would be restored to their former glory. But these answers took longer and longer to come, for even a god can only assist so many on their own. And as Akai’Ye buckled under the weight of their faithful, a fiend, a native to the Lower Planes, came to offer assistance.
“Akai’Ye, oh mighty Pendragon, I have come to help you. My name is Kirikia, and in life I served as one of your faithful. Please, allow me to continue my work as your servant and let me assist you in answering the prayers of these mortals.”
Akai’Ye, flattered and surprised by this newcomer, asked what the price of this help would be, for the denizens of the Lower Planes were known for their vile and deceitful nature.
“All I would ask in return for my assistance, lord of strength and success, is the souls of those I assist. For the rest of their living days they shall serve you as I did, but since I provide the service that they give thanks to you for, it only seems fair that I would receive what you would after their deaths.”
Despite knowing the nature of fiends, Akai’Ye could not rebuke Kirikia’s offer. The Toiler would not be able to continue answering the increasing number of prayers, and that would cause them to lose followers. Believing a similar number of worshipers would be lost in either scenario, Akai’Ye came to the conclusion that it would be better to retain the worship of more in life. So Akai’Ye allowed Kirkia to answer some of these prayers on Akai’Ye’s behalf, in exchange for the souls of those the fiend answered. And so, Kirkia travelled to the Verbera to begin its mission.
The first individual to have their prayer answered by Kirkia was a dwarf by the name of Grondr. Grondr was the leader of a sizeable dwarven community and acted as its chief warrior, defending his friends and family from the horrors of the forest. He cried out, “Oh Akai’Ye, hear my prayer. My home has come under unflinching assault from outside threats, and I do not have the strength to keep them safe. I beg of you, help me to protect them.”
Kirikia answered, “Greetings, Grondr. I am Kirikia, here to assist you on behalf of the Pendragon. Tell me; what help would you ask of our god? How am I to acquiesce to such a vague request?”
Grondr, not expecting to be visited by a servant of Akai’Ye, thought hard about this question. “I have seen many beasts that roam the forest, all manner of carnivores and herbivores of all breeds and bents. And of all of them, one has stood out: the boar. It eats what it wants, when it wants, and I have seen a boar fight off life-threatening injuries to protect its sow. If there would be a way to encapsulate the spirit of the boar’s endurance, I would request it be done.” And with this declaration made, Kirikia told Grondr that it would speak with Akai’Ye to find a solution.
The next individual that Kirikia went to was a gith yanki named Garou. Garou was a scout for his community, and it was Garou’s job to discover new places for the gith to settle. “Oh Akai’Ye,” Garou called out, “hear my prayer. I must lead my brethren into a new home, a new place to call our own so that we might once again thrive within this horrific place. I beg of you, ensure I will not lead them astray.”
Again, Kirikia answered the call. “Greetings, Garou. I am Kirikia, here to assist you on behalf of the Pendragon. Tell me; what help would you ask of our god? How am I to acquiesce to such a vague request?”
Garou, not expecting to be visited by a servant of Akai’Ye, thought hard about this question. “I have seen many beasts that roam the forest, all manner of carnivores and herbivores of all breeds and bents. And of all of them, one has stood out: the wolf. It hunts as a pack, with each member ensuring the whole survives and thrives. If there would be a way to encapsulate the spirit of the wolf’s leadership, I would request it be done.” And with this declaration made, Kirikia told Garou that it would speak with Akai’Ye to find a solution.
After meeting with Garou, Kirikia grew curious. Perhaps, if all those who prayed to Akai’Ye had similar requests, as Grondr and Garou had, the fiend would be able to solve their problems in a similar manner.
The next individual that Kirikia went to was a nevae named Cama. Cama was young and worried about what the future held for her and her home. “Oh Akai’Ye, hear my prayer,” went her supplication. “The future is uncertain and none of my relatives have lived a full life, and I wish to help change this for my generation and all those to come after me. I beg of you, help me to provide a solution to this plight.”
It was Kirikia who appeared before her. “Greetings, Cama. I am Kirikia, here to assist you on behalf of the Pendragon. Tell me; what help would you ask of our god? How am I to acquiesce to such a vague request?”
Cama, not expecting to be visited by a servant of Akai’Ye, thought hard about this question. “I have seen many beasts that roam the forest, all manner of carnivores and herbivores of all breeds and bents. And of all of them, one has stood out: the bat. It lurks in the darkness, striking only when the time is right and hiding away from prying eyes to keep itself safe. If there would be a way to encapsulate the spirit of the bat’s cunning, I would request it be done.” And with this declaration made, Kirikia told Cama that it would speak with Akai’Ye to find a solution.
An idea had formed within Kirikia’s mind, a way to achieve what these faithful while also ensuring its own success in the fiend’s deal with Akai’Ye.
The final individual that Kirikia went to was a nim named Rakin. Rakin was unsatisfied with the status of the nim, shunned to the underground for their small stature.. “Oh Akai’Ye, hear my prayer,” came their supplication from beneath the earth. “My people tire of hiding in the deep places of the world, fearing all those that stalk the forest. I beg of you, ensure my people might spread throughout the Forest of Fangs.”
Once more, Kirikia came before the petitioner. “Greetings, Rakin. I am Kirikia, here to assist you on behalf of the Pendragon. Tell me; what help would you ask of our god? How am I to acquiesce to such a vague request?”
Rakin, not expecting to be visited by a servant of Akai’Ye, thought hard about this question. “I have seen many beasts that roam the forest, all manner of carnivores and herbivores of all breeds and bents. And of all of them, one has stood out: the rat. It hides, but it is not found. It makes all places its home, relying on its own skills. If there would be a way to encapsulate the spirit of the rat’s adaptability, I would request it be done.” And with this declaration made, Kirikia told Rakin that it would speak with Akai’Ye to find a solution.
And after a short while, Kirikia met with Grondr, Garou, Cama, and Rakin to discuss what they had requested. “Each of you has prayed to Akai’Ye representing your respective communities and races. And a solution that will further unify the four of you has been found. I will imbue you with the Lou, the spirit of the wilds. This will grant you enhanced durability and strengths in accordance with the animals you wish to emulate. What is more, you may spread this connection to those around you, but to do this, you must harm them, for the Lou can only be spread by sacrifice. Moreover, the spirit of the wilds shuns civilization; the precious metals you use as currency will be as acid to it, burning. Do you still wish to accept this gift?”
Without hesitation each of the four accepted the bargain and went their separate ways, returning home to share the gift they had received. They found that traditional weapons would not harm them, and they could alter their forms to become the animals they wished to emulate.
But little did they know that accepting the deal had sealed their fates. For the Lou is not the spirit of the wilds, as the fiend had told them. It was part of Kirikia’s own true name, and accepting it cursed them to be bound to the fiend. And as per Kirikia’s agreement with Akai’Ye, not only did these four receive the fiend’s assistance, but all those they passed the curse onto did too.
After discovering what Kirikia had done, Akai’Ye forbade the fiend from providing assistance to any more of their followers and cast them back into the pit from where they had come. Sady, what was done was done, and Akai’Ye could not break the connection to Kirkia’s true name. And deep down, they did not wish to. Instead, they went to Surinyar to request aid.
The Wild Watcher agreed to observe the aftermath of Kirikia’s handiwork and, should these lycanthropes pose a true threat to the natural order, they would intervene.
As one might expect, it did not take long for the invulnerable mortals to begin thriving once again, putting the nature of Verbera at risk. But it seemed that not all those cursed by Kirikia wanted what had been thrust upon them. And Surinyar met in secret with three such individuals. Gurahl, a mault cursed with the form of the boar, Baset, a gith cursed with the form of the wolf, and Corax, a nevae cursed with the form of the bat. Surinyar asked each why they wished to reject these potent gift they had been given.
“It is no gift,” said Gurahl, most enraged of the three. “It is a curse. Our thoughts become less and less our own with each moon, and the need to prove superiority is not natural. The Lou kill for the sake of the hunt, and the dead rot without being eaten.”
“Gurahl speaks the truth,” said Corax, most driven of the three. “We must fight back against this unending hunt. The wilds need defenders, who will hunt the hunters.”
“These two have an idea of what needs to be done,” said Baset, most thoughtful of the three. “But their thoughts are clouded by opinion. We do not need warriors to protect nature, it is capable enough to do that on its own. However, we do need someone to keep the balance. Should nature or mortal gain the upper hand, there must be one to set the scales even.”
While Surinyar agreed with what Gurahl and Corax spoke, it was Bastet’s words that moved the god. And though the Wild Watcher could do nothing to remove the bond to Kirikia’s true name, they could augment it. Surinyar told each of the three to choose an animal that would best suit their goals, just as the four before them had done. Gurahl chose the bear, with its power and ferocity to rival all that stood before it. Corax chose the raven for its flight and subtle nature. And Baset, who sought one with keen senses and ambivalence towards morals, chose the tiger.
And since then the lycanthropes of Verbera have kept each other in check, protecting both the natural and the mortal. But as the curse was passed from person to person, it began to dilute until the influence of the beast seemed subdued or, in some cases, absent.
