The fehlar are bipedal humanoids with feline features. Legends hold that theirs is one of the many ancestries created during the turbulence and disorder of the Age of Chaos. One or more of the planar collisions during the eons of that era transformed felines of all sorts into something very different.
During the millennia that followed their coming into existence, the fehlar struggled to find their place in the ever changing world. The uncertainty of the earliest period of Azocar's history was fraught with fear and violence and many of the peoples whose creation came from it were persecuted as "the other". The fehlar were persecuted in this manner for a long time.
Eventually though, whether by coincidence or by some unknown guiding force, fehlar from all over Azocar found their way to the archipelago known as
the Crescent. There they found safety and peace. There is no official record of when this occurred but fehlar tradition holds that it was sometime near the end of the Age of the Ancients; approximately 2,500 years ago.
When the fehlar came to the Crescent, it is said they numbered less than 1,000 in number. Even though it has been 25 centuries, their curiosity and proclivity to leave their homelands to wander the world means many of their kind do not interact much with their own during much of their adult lives. Most fehlar eventually return to the Crescent but well past their ability to reproduce. As a result, their numbers remain relatively low even after many hundreds of generations since they've been relatively safe in their isolated lands. It is estimated that less than 0.1% of Azocar's population is fehlar and their numbers are in the low tens of thousands.
Fehlar in Gaming
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
Humanoid Form With Feline Ancestry
Legends hold that Settah sent one of the many planar collisions characteristic of the Age of Chaos to create the fehlar. This calamity transformed many felines all around the world into the first fehlar. Their descendants retain much of their feline ancestry to this day.
Fehlar are covered head to toe in fur matching the colors and characteristics of one of the five subsets of this ancestry. Their heads are feline in appearance, complete with cat-like eyes protected by inner eyelids, sharp, pointed teeth, and whiskers.
Their torsos and limbs however, are humanoid in shape and size. They stand and move upright, much like other humans and demi-humans but they are still instantly recognizable. Besides their fur and its colorings, claws on their digits and tails are indicators of their feline ancestry below the neck.
Though their shape and how they move is much like other humanoids, fehlar do retain the natural grace and nimbleness of their feline ancestors. All fehlar are gifted acrobats and adept at moving quickly and quietly.
Seekers of Knowledge
Fehlar treasure knowledge instead of material things. Piles of gold may be useful to buy supplies or equipment but they hold no intrinsic value to a fehlar. They only gather wealth as a means to survive in the world and, otherwise don't fuss over it.
Instead they value knowledge and experiences. Their ears perk up in crowded rooms or they hear someone weaving a tale of some sort and they will often ply them with food, drink, or coin for more details from their story. Fehlar may empty their purse in this manner but, to them, the tidbits they pick up are treasured valuables. They may spend many hours mulling over these details.
Rare objects, ancient relics, and magical items are some material items that fehlar do treasure. In addition to the powers such items might convey, unraveling the stories of their creation history is invaluable to a fehlar.
Flighty Personalities
Wandering fehlar are mercurial and they may trade one obsession for another when the whim strikes. Passion for one goal burns bright but once it's met, it is quickly forgotten and they move on to the next obsession.
Entertainers and Purveyors of Lore
Not all fehlar become adventurers even though they may be driven by curiosity. Some seek safer paths becoming wandering minstrels and sages. These usually travel in small groups and wander from settlement to settlement. There they ply their trade by telling the tales of what they have seen and learned in exchange for some reward. They will grudgingly accept coin in trade for their performances but much prefer interesting objects or pieces of lore.
Typically, these fehlar travel in small, colorful caravans, setting up a stage in some public area whenever they arrive at a new place. Such groups can be as small as a single family and usually no larger than a dozen or so fehlar. They generally stick to civilized lands in order to avoid serious danger but they're not above some discreet theft particularly to get their hands on some interesting item they cannot otherwise acquire.
Fehlar Personality
Fehlar usually have motivations and quirks much different than other demi-humans. The following tables can be used to customize a fehlar character in addition to traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws from their backgrounds. The obsessions table can be used to help hone their goals:
| d10 |
Quirk |
| 1 |
A god or planar entity |
| 2 |
A monster |
| 3 |
A lost civilization |
| 4 |
A wizard's secrets |
| 5 |
A mundane item |
| 6 |
A magic item |
| 7 |
A location |
| 8 |
A legend or tale |
| d10 |
Quirk |
| 1 |
You miss your tropical home and complain endlessly about the freezing weather, even in summer. |
| 2 |
You never wear the same outfit twice unless you absolutely must. |
| 3 |
You have a minor phobia of water and hate getting wet. |
| 4 |
Your tail always betrays your inner thoughts. |
| 5 |
You purr loudly when you are happy. |
| 6 |
You keep a small ball of yarn, which you constantly fidget with. |
| 7 |
You are always in debt, since you spend your gold on lavish parties and gifts for your friends. |
| 8 |
When talking about something you're obsessed with, you speak very quietly and others can't understand you. |
| 9 |
You are a font of random trivia and lore and don't hesitate to prove as much. |
| 10 |
You can't help but pocket interesting objects you come across. |
Fehlar Names
A fehlar's name is usually longer than most demi-humans and it describes both where they're from and what clan they belong to. Their given names are generally not gender specific. Among their own kind, most use nicknames derived from or inspired by their full names. Wandering fehlar often craft an alias based on their full name, their nickname, or both and these, in keeping with the traditions of outsiders, imply the fehlar's gender.
Fehlar names (with nickname/wandering name): Cloud on the Mountaintop of the Bright Cliffs (Cloud/Bright'Cloud), Seven Thundercloud of Distant Rain (Thunder/Thunder'Cloud), Charcoal-fur Kin from the Rumbling River (Co'Kinith), Summer Keeper of the Sable Forest (Suh'Keena),
Fehlar Traits
- Ability Score Increase - Dexterity increases by 1 and Charisma by 1.
- Age - Fehlar mature physically and mentally at a rate similar to humans. They reach adolescence around their 12th year, adulthood at about 18, and become geriatric by the end of their seventh decade of life. However, their old age is longer than humans, with most living into their 12th decade or more.
- Alignment - Fehlar tend towards chaotic alignments but they are rarely evil.
- Size - Fehlar range in height from 64 to 80 inches and are generally slender in build. Their size is Medium. Males and females have little variation in physical dimensions.
- Speed - Fehlar base walking speed is 30 feet.
- Darkvision - Fehlar possess the keen senses of their feline ancestors, especially in the dark. They can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. They cannot, however, discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
- Feline Agility - A fehlar can rely in their reflexes and agility to move with a burst of speed. When they move during their turn in combat, they can double their speed until the end of their turn. Once they do this, however, they cannot do so again until they take a turn in which they do not move at all.
- Cat's Claws - Because of their claws, fehlar have a climbing speed of 20 feet. In addition, the claws on their hands are natural weapons they can use to make unarmed strikes. If they hit with them, they do slashing 1d4 + their Strength modifier and their damage is slashing instead of bludgeoning.
- Ever Observant - Fehlar are proficient in the Perception skill.
- Languages - Fehlar can speak, read, and write one common language and the ancestral language of their kind.
Fehlar ancestral subsets
Each fehlar belongs to one of six distinct ancestries, each granting additional traits as detailed below.
Fehlar-leo
Leos are the largest and strongest of all fehlar. They are also the only members of their race that can grow facial hair or, in their case, manes. Their coloring and characteristics are similar to those of lions; yellow-to tan fur all over with males having mantles and manes of darker hair.
- Physically Gifted Born Leaders - Leos get an additional +1 bonus to Charisma and are proficient in the Athletics skill.
Fehlar-teg
Tegs are usually the wisest and most even-tempered of all fehlar. Their markings are similar to those of tigers; predominantly orange to brown fur that is lighter in the front of their torso covered dark stripes.
- Wise and Pensive - Tegs get a +1 bonus to Wisdom and are proficient in Insight.
Fehlar-ter
Ters are hot-tempered and fearsome and they usually make very capable warriors. Most ters' backs, arms, and legs are all covered in rosettes consisting of a central, lighter marking surrounded by three or more darker ones. A very rare few are different, however. Their fur is entirely pitch-black in color.
- Strong and Lethal Hunters - All ters gain a +1 bonus to Strength and are proficient in Stealth.
Fehlar-cas
Cas tend to be the tallest, slenderest, and fastest of all fehlar. Their fur is much like that of tegs, with the front of their torsos and necks being lighter in color. However, their colors range from pale yellow to beige and they are covered in dark spots rather than stripes.
- Fast and Nimble - Cas gain an additional +1 bonus to Dexterity and proficiency in Acrobatics. They also have a base speed of 35 feet.
Fehlar-lynx
Lynx are those fehlar who, whether through interbreeding or by heredity do not fall into any of the other sub-races. They tend to have the least variability in size and the most variability in coloration and markings.
- Multi-talented - Lynx gain an additional +1 bonus to Dexterity and proficiency in Performance and Stealth.
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