Races

Ferinals - by C. Stephens ©2011 v1.2. Submitted for use with the World of Imarel.

Racial Articles Life From Fires of Destruction: The Birth of the Ferinal Race

The great ripple of powerful Chaos Magic that was the result of the Cataclysm of D`Mir, created monstrosities such as the Anamalians and countless other abominations too terrible to behold, let alone mention. Yet, ultimately, the shock-wave of chaotic magic, while by no means benevolent, is credited with the creation of the Ferinals. It was thought that when the shock-wave mushroomed out, Humanoids (possibly Asyndi) that had been living in what was once the D`Mirian Plains were fused with a breed of plains lion similar to the ones that roam Zoda today. It is uncertain how this fusion took place; some scholars suggest that the humanoids might have been Shar`Vaire, who were transporting captured D`Mirian Plains Lions to the capital when the civil war broke out. Others postulate that no humanoid crossing was involved at all, but the Chaos Magic pulse that tore through Tal`Rah merely advanced the evolution of these lions.

With terrible abominations and undead that could kill with a mere glance wandering what was left of the D`Mirian Plains (which would be later renamed the Burning Lands), escape was tantamount to their ultimate survival. Ferinals that made it to safety began to gravitate to one another, thus forming the first semblance of a pride. These early months were rough, filled with sorrow as their numbers fell by half. Because the newly-made Burning Lands was fraught with danger, they fled out into the where they could and hid when fighting was not an option.

Some died of starvation or dehydration or because of the devastation and their own transformation. Some Ferinals succumbed to numerous anomalies within them created by the massive amount of chaotic magic. Even more, though, fell victim to whatever wandered out of the Ruins of D`Mir and onto the open land. This new, baby race was weak and confused; they could not speak and they could not fend. It was clear, as a people they either had to adapt quickly or die. They learned how to defend themselves, utilizing new abilities and they learned to hunt. Numbers proved to be their greatest ally, thus the first pride, known as the Rrroxin, was formed. Language developed, rough and simplistic at first, growing into the complexities that make up Ferinali today. The Rrroxin, translated to the Foundation from Ferinali, became the founding bloodlines from which every living Ferinal could trace their ancestry back to.

They found favor in the nomadic lifestyle, though even this was fraught with hazards. Wandering brought them face-to-face with either surviving Shar`Vaire, random demons, or undead at times – each experience taught them new lessons, sometimes harsh lessons when one or more of their pride would fall to the encounter. Time taught the Ferinals to see the Burning Lands as a friend, instead of their enemy. Instead of fighting against it at every turn, they sought a harmony within the wastelands. Generations of Ferinals rose and fell, before they truly formed the deep bond with the desert. Early Ferinals had incredibly short lifespans. As natural (and sometimes unnatural) selection culled the weak from the bloodlines, they began to grow stronger, life expectations lengthened, and the Ferinals began to flourish.