Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Back

Homeland


Risi Vulpus


Culture

Around Varlonan, these are the typical aspects of this race's lifestyle preferences.

Weapons: Natural in animal form, and man-made in humanoid form. They aren't very picky while in humanoid form, but most prefer to be in their animal form for battle.

Armor: Same as weapons.

Currency: In the animal kingdom the rules of power are survival of the fittest, so currency doesn't exist. In humanoid form however, they know they need currency to get what they need.

Diet: Often reflects their chosen animal forms.

Attire: Clothes are inconvenient for shapeshifters, as they rip, get lost, or can injure the shapeshifter during phasing. Packs are often carried and then hidden away in situations where they must shift, having a spare set of clothes.

Environment: Natural

Relationships

Partners: There is a great variation to the mates that a ShapeShifter will choose. They are so chaotic in their culture, that they're forced to adapt and fit in to whatever the locals accept.

Friends: Since a ShapeShifter is not very trusted by a lot of people due to the fact they are seen as 'sneaky', keeping friends can be difficult.

Foe: People don't trust them because they are paranoid that they are being spied on, or that ShapeShifters are just 'animals' and not actual 'people.'

Children: The children of ShapeShifters will not be able to control their ability as an infant for the first year. After that, they are raised and taught how to control their ability, using only a single form until they hit puberty so that they can be efficient and comfortable in at least that form. All are born through the humanoid form, since the parent is stuck in this form when pregnant to protect the fetus.

Territory: Varies, depending on their preferred animal instincts and advantages. Generally they will live wherever is most beneficial to their preferred animal form (foods, habitats, natural enemies, etc.) This applies to how they build their homes as well. The ones that prefer to stay in their humanoid form will stick to the local tradition of where they live.

History

Some say that as long as there have been animals in the forests, seas, and skies of Varlonan there have also been Shapeshifters living among them as their champions and guardians. Each of the animal species of Varlonan is rumored to have a Shapeshifters bloodline among them placed by those that created the angels and traces back to the appearance of the corresponding species on Varlonan. While there are some individuals known to 'go rogue' when it suits them and abandon the totemic duties to their extended families, the majority of the bloodline will stay true to their 'flock.'

As the Shapeshifters are the Guardians of their species, alliances and rivalries will always form. For example, it would take a very cunning and dangerous threat to unite a Wolf Shifter and a Deer Shifter, but stranger things have happened. Likewise, most plant-eating species will be able to unite and form strong lasting alliances due to their common enemies, but those that need to hunt for food will have few allies: the herbivores will not typically ally with one of the carnivorous groups, and the different clans of meat eaters are at odds over the prey they stalk.

Shapeshifters are fairly reclusive as a race and will typically not have much to do with other races, but there is an understanding and common bond of trust between the Shapeshifters and Myrmidons, due largely in part to understanding the other is living by the laws of nature, and are both on the endangered species list if the other races of Varlonan are to prevail in their quests for power.