Nerifir Lion

The Nerifir Lion is a golden beast that roams the plains of Elone, and has become the sigil of the Nerifir Royal family that has ruled the Elven Kingdom from Camor since the Holy Rebellion.

Biological Traits

The fur of a Nerifir Lion is golden. Many believe this means a golden brown, but this is not the case. It is, instead, pure gold fur that glistens as if it were metallic.

Guldin Nerifir by Jarhed

It is tougher to pierce than a regular lion's hide, but to the touch it is soft. Those who have killed them illegally say that it is some of the most comfortable fur to obtain, however killing one is against the law, and wearing its fur is only for the Nerifir royals.
The teeth of the Nerifir Lion are sharp enough to pierce through softer metals like gold, but not metal that is used in the armor of the Nerodil Guard or Dwarven Army. This makes the Elves themselves least equipped to deal with their own symbol of power.
They can run at speeds up to 45mph in short bursts before they need to rest again. Their diets consist of larger animals like zebras or cows.

Orithea Nerifir by Jarhed

They have a longer lifespan than most lions, living in captivity for 100 years. However, to. Elves this is still short. To those that live up to 750 years, 100 is too soon to die.

Geographic Distribution

Nerifir Lions live almost exclusively in the western coastal regions of Elone, where the Kingdom of Man has settlements like Martinau, Roaroux, and Vitroveil.
It is one of many beasts that calls those plains its homes, as this region is one of the few places where wildlife is preserved and unharmed due to few settlements in the land and little military or government intervention against their habitats.
However, the Nerifir Royal Family always asks for the Elven Guard to keep five in Camor Keep. There, they have a cage for each one, so that the royals can visit them anytime they please.

Meiriris Nerifir by Jarhed

The Nerifir Royal Family

The namesake of the majestic creature, the Nerifirs were not familiar with the animal until after taking power.
Meiriris, the founder of the dynasty and first Queen of the Elves, had been inspired to take a lion as her symbol from images for children.
However, she changed the lion in her sigil to gold to rally the Elves together behind the color of their city. What she did not know was that the golden lion did, in fact, exist.
It wasn't until around -1250 when Princess Orithea Nerifir, who would go on to be the third Queen, would find a gift given to her by a man who sought her hand. This man was named Vicdan, and his gift was enough to win her over.
Vicdan had found the first Nerifir Lion, hunting it and bringing it back to her.
After Orithea died, her daughter, the fourth Queen Macvara Nerifir would place protections on it so that killing the Nerifir Lion would be a criminal offense, for it would mean attacking the symbol of her power. Ever since, it has been punishable by death or lifetime imprisonment to kill the Nerifir Lion.