Rathor

Fast Facts

Height: 4' - 8'

Weight: 80-300 lbs

Life Span: Adult (18 Years), Elder (290 Years), Deathly (335 Years)

Notable Features: Regardless of their form they have at least some animalistic features, even if these are vague and hard to identify at times. Heterochromia and vitiligo are both extremely common within the Rathor.

Player Restrictions: Animal related restrictions (diet, temperament, climate preference, etc.)

Racial Ability: Wild Walker - A Rathor will slowly pick up, for better and worse, traits associated with their animal form in their other forms, be it advantageous or disadvantageous. While this can sometimes cause other animals to leave them alone and cause the Rathor to be more at home in wild areas, this isn't directly a part of their ability and not all Rathor will be treated this way. In particular, Rathor that are prey animals may be harassed more.

Population: 10,000,000

History

By Azunath's Hand

During the Age of Lost Time and even before it, for ever success there are a number of failures. Sometimes what looked to be a failure was in actuality a success, though a shaky one. The Rathor, also occasionally simply called the Rath despite their insistence to not claim this title, are one such example.

The Rathor upon their initial conception were not as much a race as much as a subclass. A small group of Hyr'norai who culturally broke off from the rest much earlier than any other variation of elves later to come. They called themselves the Rath'norai in order to separate themselves and their beliefs from the early Hyr'norai. They came into existence when their central focus of worship began to shift and put Azunath as their central deity. This small group of the Hyr'norai venerated and respect Azunath more than any other Gods at the time. While the understood the need for an respected the presence of the other God, he was the one who their values aligned with most strongly, and so they dedicated themselves to following in Azunath's footsteps. Azunath himself took note of this small group and while he didn't interact too strongly he did offer them his well wishes and a new name that would be symbolic of his blessing. From them on this group became known as the forest elves, the Rath'norai.

The Rath'norai molded themselves to be the perfect follows of Azunath, or, at the very least the best followers they could be. While other group advanced into a more stationary life style and created the fledgling versions of what would later become greater society, the Rath'norai remained highly nomadic and focused largely on how they impacted the world and nature as a whole. They preferred to stick to themselves, avoiding other races. While they had no qualms against these other groups, they simply didn't share the same patterns of belief, and the Rath'norai decided it was better not to engage. In future years this led to a lot of early Rath history, a lot of that early knowledge dying with the oral storytellers who knew it before the information could trade hands. Their avoidance of other races led to them hardly being acknowledged, leading most to believe the Rathor are a much younger race than they actually are and not even elves at all. This was fine to the Rath'norai, who focused on Azunath and the world around them. They learned how to live alongside it, nature itself accepting them and treating them as a natural piece of itself, welcoming them in a way many other races simply weren't.

The Gods continued to build the world around the Rath'norai, and the Rath'norai were satisfied to simply exist inside of it. Regrettably, not all of those Gods were kind. At one point Quarae lost her mind. Early on, much earlier than the rest of her siblings who became corrupted. Her mind was fractured, and Quarae herself was lonely. She wanted a race all her own, so she wouldn't be so lonely, but Quarae had nowhere to start. She didn't know as much about mortals as her divine siblings. She was so very lonely though. So Quarae did something awful. She decided that, surely it'd be fine if she just took a couple apart. Just to see how they worked. Just so she could make something for herself.

Quarae chose the Rath'norai to take apart and put back together. Originally she wasn't going to use all of them, but as she worked, her mind grew more addled. More wrong. The Rath'norai became her lab rats, and in a twisted way, she loved them. She loved each and everyone one of them.

Quarae didn't see the cruelty in her actions, not in her current state. The Rath'norai could easily go somewhere nice after they died, or just be reborn as something else. It wasn't cruel, not to her, but it was to the Rath'norai. Their population had grown quite large over the time they'd been wandering the land. Groups splintering off to form their own tribes which in turn grew and splintered. It was only after she'd already started that she decided she needed all of them. It was only after she'd started, she decided that they wouldn't be missed.

Things did, understandably given her lack of experience, did not go well for Quarae. Nothing went to plan. A good number of her subjects died long before she could really get to work. They were the lucky ones. She kept trying, time and time again. She worked tirelessly, and by the time she was done all of the Rath'norai had been reshaped. Poorly at that. She twisted them up, breaking them apart and putting them back together in all the wrong ways. The damage she did to them reaching far past that of the flesh, leaving deep aches all the way down to the soul. She broke them, and a part of Quarae realized that. A part of Quarae, the part that was reminiscent of the original Quarae, felt bad for it. She gave them a new name, as they were hardly elves anymore. They couldn't recognize themselves, so she simply dubbed them the Rath as that was all that was left of them. Husks of what they'd once been. She left them in that state, moving on to try again because even Quarae in her madness could feel traces of shame.

The newly born Rath were in pain. Those who lived were no longer comfortable in their own bodies, causing a mental kind of pain in the form of dysphoria. They weren't the same anymore. Some had their bodies broken so badly there was no way to solve the pain. Others found themselves the opposite gender than when they'd started and absolutely hated it. There were those who had new eye pushed into their skull or strips of flesh that didn't belong to them, a means to patch up what Quarae had broken. The most painful were those who realize the skin they were staring at or the new eye that allowed them full sight had once belong to a friend or love that hadn't made it. It was both miracle and curse any of them had survive at all. Sheer luck or perhaps deep-rooted misfortune.

The Rath mourned what they used to be, the loss of the 'norai being truly symbolic to their loss. Those few who stumbled across the Rath and understood what they once were also understood the loss of the 'norai, a word used to indicate a race is elven in nature. That's what the Rath were. Lost and broken elves, changed into something that was no longer elven to begin with by a God who was so pathetic it was hard for her fellow Gods to even get mad. The Rath could do nothing but mourn, trapped in bodies that could barely support themselves on an anatomical level without shutting down, bodies with felt wrong.

Azunath returned to find the Rath in this state, horrified by what his fellow God had done. His favored children, broken so far beyond repair. They begged Azunath, asked him to fix them, but there was nothing he could actually do. Quarae had broken something so deeply fundamental that it was outside the power of even the Gods to repair them. Even when he went to the other Gods for help, there was nothing they could do.

The Gods decided that to let the Rath continue existing is such misery was an even greater cruelty. Azunath's children were in such a pain they couldn't sooth, it would be kind to let them pass. Hopefully that would allow at least Malek to fix some of the damage that had been done, allowing them to be reborn. Azunath felt bad for the decision though, so before the Gods went through with it, he decided to inform the new leader of the Rath, his only remaining priestess. Outright, she refused. The Rath might have been broken and grieving, but they were still strong. A people full of pride and wild intent. Even after all this damage, emotionally they were strong. If their life was to be suffering, they'd ensure it. Azunath tried to reason with them that they could be fixed, but they continued to refuse.

As bad as he felt, something needed to be done. In their current state they were a danger. There was no telling what the Rath would produce if they were to have children in such a state. The two parties did eventually come to an agreement. The Rath could continuing living, but they must be turned into animals. These new bodies would be more stable and could be hand crafted by the gods to handle the damaged mortal souls of the Rath. Their children would unfortunately be no more than normal animals, but the Rath themselves would be allowed to keep the full extent of their lifespan. While the Rath and by extension the Rath'norai would disappear forever, it would prevent further suffering. The Rath weren't pleased with the deal, but Azunath made it obvious that the other Gods weren't going to allow him to give them any other options. What choice did they have other to accept? Especially when even mundane tasks had become so difficult for them.

The thing about Gods and mortal is that when the two cross paths, nothing ever seems to go as expected. Somewhere in the limitless possibility of the world, somewhere in that chaos, something unexpected had happened. As the Rath began to change from mortal to beast, something in the very souls of the Rath disagreed with the change and they became something else. Their bodies shifted, but not in the way intended. The Rath became what is commonly referred to in the modern era as Beastfolk. Turning into all strange manner of animal, but still standing on two legs with distinctly elven bodies. They spoken like elves and thought like elves, their children would take after them in form and thought. Limbs twisted and bodies shifted, but they remained humanoid while also becoming beast. Not Rath'norai, but not just Rath either. Different, but something greater now, something one might dare say closer to what the Rath'norai had wanted to become. True children of Azunath.

Azunath was frankly overjoyed. He had been resolved to lose the race he so treasured, but something had given them a second chance. Different as they were, they still at their very core were the same. Even with all their changes they were still themselves. What Azunath had loved about them was still there, so he blessed them a new name one final time. The Rathor, still Rath just as they'd always been Rath, but greater now. A way to remember they were once else, a way to remember that they were still themselves.

The Rathor were satisfied with this. It wouldn't be their final transformation, but this one was undoubtable for the better. They grew and bred as a race, reintroducing themselves to the other races and growing from those interactions. Some remained nomadic while others joined the greater societies created by the sedentary races, even when they remained partially travelers. When they transformed something inside of them had changes, so that their entire purpose itself changed. Something called to them, and most were keen to figure out what it was.

The Quest for Purpose

After properly becoming the Rathor, they began to become aware of a curious tug. Some said that this tug pulled on their souls, while others called it a pull on their very being. Regardless, they became a curious sort, overwhelmed with a want to understand the phenomena they dubbed "The Purpose". No one could pinpoint the source of the tug, nor could they articulate a reason for their new Purpose. It seemed as though each Purpose was custom-tailored to each individual Rathor. Special, unique, and difficult to explain to other Rathor. Trying to explain a Purpose to someone belonging to another race was something that many ended up writing off as impossible entirely. Those who did make the attempt found the sensation to be something very Rath-centric. It was something the other races had trouble even imagining, let alone understanding.

To a certain degree, the Rathor could loosely understand each other, but the custom nature of each Purpose made it difficult to fully get the sensation across. Eventually, it was slowly built into the Rathor culture as a whole. Even if it was hard to explain, it was a very universal thing to the Rathor. Completing one's Purpose became a bigger and bigger deal to the Rathor as they advanced as a race. The Purpose itself was an interesting if vague concept. It wasn't an 'end goal'. It wasn't even a step by step plan for how to get to that end goal. It was little more than a direction and a general sense of what that 'ending' should look and feel like. It might have some kind of theme to it like smithing or protecting others, but how someone got there and what exactly that looked like to them was entirely different for each Rathor.

A Rathor with the general purpose of smithing might be drawn towards apprenticing under a powerful master, or instead, they might just start experimenting on their own. Similarly, their end goal might be to create the most powerful weapon in the world, or they might simply want to craft a weapon for a hero who can save lives. While most Rathor had a common thread of their end goal being something 'grand' that wasn't always the case either.

Some found that they didn't even have that much to go off of. Not even a general theme like smithing or thievery. Instead, they just felt something pulling them in certain directions, pushing certain answers out of their mouth, and traveling to certain locations. This wasn't some greater being controlling them either. This was them on some level. They speculated that these actions were their soul pushing them in certain directions because their conscious self wasn't quite aware. The soul could understand the Purpose fully, even if the brain couldn't. They came to trust instinct and travel, both becoming even more central to their existence.

The Purpose wasn't to be mixed up with fate either. This wasn't fate to the Rathari. In fact, to imply that the Purpose was an aspect of fate would be a grave insult to any Rathari. To imply such was a fast way to make an enemy out of a Rathor and to some those could be fighting words.

The Purpose was something deep down within the soul. A brand in its confines that neither Living God or Corrupted could change despite their greatest attempts. It was something that had always existed, but thanks to the multiple transformations of the Rathor it had become stronger. As they were pressed and changed under the hands of the Gods these brands became apparent to the Rathor themselves. The Rathor believe that anyone with a soul has A Purpose, however, the draw is not as strong for other races due to the fact they have not been changed in the same ways as the Rathor. In the modern era it's still the belief of the Rathor that others follow their Purpose subconsciously just as the Rathor themselves follow it actively. These are however just the beliefs of the Rathor and it's uncertain to most if these claims are actually true since no other race has ever displayed something similar in their habits or actions.

Because some couldn't really place a name to their Purpose, it became something of an obsession to figure out some kind of theme. This was especially true for young children with little world experience. Rathor under the age of 10 rarely had a theme for their Purpose figured out. Most couldn't figure out a general theme for their Purpose by their coming of age ceremony. For many it was even a big part of the ceremony itself, coming to them with a dramatic kind of flare to be announced to all their family present.

This didn't always happen though. Some could find themselves stuck for years trying to figure out a theme. Some would even get confused regarding the direction their Purpose was pulling them, trying to drag them 18 different places at once. The Rathor over time discovered a couple of ways to help provide clarity to their Purpose.

The biggest and the first apparent helper was, of course, travel. Even after slowly shedding their tribal heritage and nomadic roots a good majority of Rathor indulged travel. It was a cultural norm that most Rathor to travel, and they might end up settling in very distant area compared to where they were born. Travel proved to be a good way to figure out one's Purpose, so it gained even more importance to the Rathor. Travel allowed a Rathor to see the world as well as see people from all walks of life. Not all Purposes were objectively good. Some Rathor found themselves drawn to thievery or even killing. While not necessarily celebrated, if it was for the sake of a Purpose it wasn't always frowned upon by Rathor society when when discouraged. The Purpose was just so important that in some cases what needed to be done, needed to be done. While alternatives to more negative Purposes were always encouraged, the Purpose took precedent regardless of the chaos it caused. Again, travel helped young Rathor see a world of opportunity and choice, which was seen as helpful for steering some away from toxic Purpose Paths.

Age was another factor. The Purpose grew more clear as the Rathor grew older.

Dream meditation was also helpful and encouraged from a very young age. Meditation and dreams both held great importance to the Rathor. Dreams could sometimes be messages to the Rathor, or so they thought. Either from the Gods or messages from their very soul to the conscious mind. While sometimes they could be meaningless drivel they could also hold great secrets. Kyrikain in this respect gained something of importance in Rathor culture. Alongside dreams, regular meditation also helped. Meditation to the Rathor was a form of placing oneself between sleep and the waking world. It allowed one the openness of dreaming while still maintaining the presence of mind to process anything you might learn.

These traits earned the Rathor something of an interesting reputation. Travel is what reintroduced the other races to the changed Rathor. The relationship was a bit rocky at first, as most relationships would be if you suddenly met a 9-foot tall humanoid that looks like a bear. Most Rathor were peaceful travelers though. They took on a disposition of kindness, offering aid and advice to anyone else they met on the road. Many became wandering healers and warriors. The roads became a safer place with the Rathor traveling them, even if stumbling across one in the middle of the night could be a terrifying experience.

It became apparent after enough children were born to the species that the Rathor could be any beast of Ransera that wasn't classified as a 'monster'. The parents of the child weren't always even a good indicator of what animal the child might end up being.

The Rathor enjoyed the challenge of building up a positive reputation though.

Once Again Changed

The Bleeding was an interesting event for Rathor culture to say the very least. Whatever had caused them to become the Rathor in the first place seemed to react strongly to the following chaos that came flooding into the world after the Bleeding. Or, at least it interacted strangely with a portion of the population. A small portion of the population went through a final change, or final as far as most are aware. Their bodies shifted and from the Bleeding there were born two subraces of Rathor.

The first became known as the Rathor-Beastalt. These were the Rathor who went unchanged by the effects of the Bleeding, at least for the most part. While they felt extremely weird and there were without a doubt some small changes, they remained relatively unchanged. At least compared to their ancestors and the other subrace of Rathor.

The second subrace became known as the Rathor-Neoalt. These Rathor changed. A lot. Something inside of them began to shift and it seemed that the way both their bodies and souls interacted with the natural magic of the world abruptly shifted. The Neoalt became more and more humanoid, losing fur and scales and all manner of features until slowly they looked human or even in some cases borderline elven. Almost. The Neoalts kept small features. Horns, tails, their eyes, their ears. Smaller traits compared to their Beastalt cousins, but it was still very apparent that they had some kind of beast in nature. The Neoalts gained an interesting ability to make up for their changed bodies, as well as the lack of certain skills Beastalts might have retained (altered strength or speed for certain animals). The Neoalts gained the ability to transform, but only on a small scale. While they were limited in what they could do, it was still fairly amazing to those became Neoalts.

The form they first became after the Bleeding was dubbed their true form. Secondly, they had an animal form, where they could fully and truly turn into the animal they physically represented. The third and last form as a human form where almost all animal traits were hiden with only a few shining through. Or in some cases less human and more humanoid. While most were humans, some Neoalts had very elven features in their humanoid forms. Not enough to comment on in the study of the race, but enough to make a quiet note about. In addition to that, traits that weren't as easily visible on the Beastalts became very apparent on the Neoalts. That being vitiligo and heterochromia, two traits extremely common to the race as a whole. Some have speculated this is the lasting effect of Quarae on the race making themselves known.

The Neoalts started as an extremely small portion of the population and have grown over time.

Physiology/Biology

Beastalts

A Rathor-Beastalt while traveling.

The Beastalts were the first subraces of the Rathor as they were the original product of Azunath's attempt to change the Rathor into animals after being changed by Quarae. The Beastalts for all intents and purposes look like humanoid animals. Their height and weight usually vary greatly depending on just what kind of animal they are. Larger animals tend to make for very large Rathor, while smaller animals tend to create more petite Rathor. Generally, when it comes to the physiology of the Beastalts they tend to take greatly after their animal form.

Various traits of the Rathor can be deeply affected by what kind of animal a Beastalt is. Strength, speed, endurance, all of these are very deeply tied with their animal for the Beastalts, and this manifests in both positive and negative ways. While the Neoalts do display inherited traits from their animal forms, it's never as powerful in their true form or their humanoid form as it is for their full animal form. Meanwhile, for the Beastalts who only have their singular form it's a constant thing, again, for better and for worse. The abilities of a Beastalt can be greatly affected by what kind of animal they are to the point that certain career options and lifestyles might be easier or cut off to them entirely. Certain Purposes are without a doubt harder to work towards for different Beastalts. For example, while a bear Beastalt is going to be exceptionally stronger than a fox Beastalt, the fox is going to be much quicker and the bear might have difficulty getting around. Especially undetected.

The Beastalts make up about 60% of the Rathor population, but have been steadily dropping over time.

Neoalts

A Rathor-Neoalt in her true form carrying her banner.

The Neoalts are a bit more complicated than their Beastalt cousins due to the fact they have three forms they can transform between. These are called the faunis form, the humanoid form, and the true form.

Faunis Form

The faunis form of the Neoalt is essentially just an animal, at least to the eyes of most. The Neoalt takes on the form of whatever animal they represent with all their various features. In this form, they share all the traits of their animal. In essence, they become this animal. As such, they might be stronger or faster in this form than they might be in their other two forms.

While in this form things like vitiligo and heterochromia might not show up on a Rathor if those kinds of things aren't common to the animal they're taking the form of. For example, while heterochromia is extremely common in cats vitiligo is not. That being said, it does still have a chance to show up on the animal form, though it might not be as noticeable in the animal form as it might be in the true forms or even the humanoid form of the Neoalts.

The faunis form is a wonderful disguise, but it isn't perfect. When looking at the faunis form of a Neoalt it will always feel as though something may be off about the creature. Neoalts are the rabbits that stare at you a little too long and make you feel as though something is crawling up your spine. They're the bays of coyotes in the middle of the might that just don't sound quite right. While skills in acting can eventually cause this to be a less disruptive feeling or get rid of it altogether, this will always be a problem for Neoalts without any acting skills. This doesn't seem to bother other animals though, as the Rathor already feels like a normal part of nature, being the children of Azunath. Since they don't feel like trespassers so to speak in the first place, other animals of the same species as the Neoalt won't see anything wrong. In fact, quite the opposite. They'll treat the Neoalt like any other member of their race.

Humanoid Form

The humanoid form gains no benefits from being part animal. In a sense, they are completely human or elven in their physical capabilities. They might seem a bit odd at first glance. Animals might seem to favor them or their appearance is just slightly no right, but outside of a strange feeling, the humanoid form seems human.

In regards to appearance, most will have a humanoid form that's human in appearance. Much rarer but entirely impossible is an elven appearance to their humanoid form. Never quite reminiscent of an actual full fledge elven race, but ever so slightly there that people are reminded that the Rathor were once elves themselves. This is extremely rare though.

An interesting fact about the humanoid form is the prevalence of vitiligo and heterochromia. A Neoalt almost has a 100% guarantee of displaying one of these traits in their humanoid form even if it doesn't display in their true form. While it's often still present in their true form if you look hard enough, it can be more subdued. Taking the form of only a slight hue change in the skin or a slight offness to the pigmentation of one eye compared to the other. In the humanoid form, this is striking. Again, it's theorized that this is because of Quarae's influence. She experimented on the Rath when they were still elven. The Rathor's animal traits were a product of Azunath trying to save them. While there's no scientific proof many would claim it makes sense for the marking to show up more the less animal like the Rathor become, fully showing off the damage Quarae had done.

True Form

The true form of the Neoalts is the form that they first took when they become Neoalts. It is the form they are born in and the form that truly represents them the best. In this form, they carry various traits from their animal. Strangely shaped ears that can hear better than a human or fangs which can help them to inject lethal venom into their enemies. The benefits provided by these traits will never be as strong as when they are in their faunis form. Nor are these benefits quite as powerful as the benefits the Beastalts maintain. However, it does allow for a bit more flexibility in skills.

A bear Neoalt can still be a quick-footed person whereas a bear Beastalt would have to struggle for years to get anywhere near the same level. A rabbit Neoalt can put on muscle in their arms a lot faster and more naturally than a rabbit Beastalt might be able to. Either way, it's still a trade-off of some sort. Flexibility or potency.

They make up about 39.9% of the total Rathor population and have been steadily on the incline.

Rathor-Norai

The mythical .1% of Rathor that every conspiracy theorist claims exists, but no one actually has any proof of. Multiple studies have even been conducted in order to prove the existence of this special subrace that has apparently become elven once more, but so far there's been no luck. Even with multiple scientific organization chipping in over the years and multiple universities polling not only the Rathor populations but various Norai races, everyone's come up empty-handed.

The Rathor-Norai have been chocked up to little more than bad eyesight and wishful thinking. Yearning for something that doesn't exist anymore and in the minds of many can never exist again. The exact process through which the Rath'Norai were created can't be replicated. Excluding the very specific circumstance of their birth and the fact the Hyr'Norai that exist now aren't like the original Hyr'Norai from which the Rath'Norai spawned, Azunath seems to have no intention of even making attempt, having pulled back from Ransera like many other Gods.

In spite of this, there are still many people who will claim sightings of the mythical subrace and point at Rathor who suddenly go missing from their towns in under a day. While there are some compelling cases of Rathor very ingrained into the structure of a town suddenly vanishing in under a night, a lot of these can be explained by other circumstances such as murders and family emergencies that made them leave town. The only thing that really still keeps the scientific community so much as contemplating the validity of these claims is the fact the Rathor themselves have been extremely... quiet, regarding the topic.

Species Limitations

For players creating Rathor characters or NPCs, the tier system determines which species can actually be chosen for them. It’s fairly simple: tiers 1 and 2 are allowed if the adaptation to Rathor standards is correct. Tier 3 is dependent on the species and its abilities; it will be marked on the necessary wiki page if the animal in question is allowed or an admin can be messaged if necessary beforehand for details to be worked out. All animals that exist on earth only rank up to tier 3, and as such are allowed for use as Rathor. Any higher tiers are likely not to be allowed, especially not at the start of play.

Psychology

Universal Traits

Most Rathor by nature tend to lean towards kind and helpful, though they aren't push over either. They don't do it for some kind of 'honor' or glory. They don't help others because they feel obligated to. Most are just drawn to helping others because they can. Almost all Rathor are drawn to travel, and while on the road they may be tempted to help out strangers. This isn't to call them idiots or blind. They aren't going to be tricked into an obvious bandit trap preying on their good and helpful nature. Instead, they'll usually try to pull a quick one the bandits instead.

Outside of any Rathor traits noted within the rest of this section, the Rathor act and function much like any other creature might.

Mind of the Beastalt

The Beastalts tend to act in a way that's noticeably more reminiscent of their animal than their Neoalt cousins. While not overpowering, certain actions of theirs will be greatly influenced by the instincts and nature of the animal they represent. More so than Neoalts anyway. Things like marriage, opinions on others, and various other aspects of daily life may be shifted in certain directions thanks to their animal half. If this is found to be unagreeable to the Rathor, then these instincts can be fought against, it should be notable that this is an uphill battle though.

Mind of the Neoalt

The Neoalt are less influenced by their beastly traits than the Beastalts, however, whatever animal they are will still have a notable impact on their choices and actions. They have a much easier time combatting whatever instincts they were given.

Phantom Pains and Quarae

All Rathor know the God who hurt them. Twisted them, changed them, broken them so badly that she burned herself into their genetic memory and made herself a part of their very code. Not every Rathor knows her name. Not every Rathor is even aware of why she did what she did. But all Rathor through one mean or another are aware of what she did. Most know she's not to be trusted. It's something intrinsic to their very being. It goes so far that on some level they can even sense her presence, they can feel who or what she's touched and they avoid it like the plague. Most will try to distance themselves from her presence through whatever means necessary. While Quarae isn't automatically hated all all Rathor, they tend to be at the very least nervous when she's brought up. On the other end of the spectrum, those who are aware of what Quarae used to be like tend to pity her. Rathor follows of Quarae are rare at best, but they do exist. Depending on if it links to their Purpose or not, it can cause a Rathor to be shunned. Especially if she's openly worshipped. Those Rathor who do follow Quarae, usually follow the old version of Quarae and pity they current one more than anything.

A secondary and even more unpleasant psychological impact of Quarae are random phantom pains. These pains are completely psychological and often have no impact on physical ability, but they can get annoying at best and and impact performance at worst. There's no actual telling what triggers these pains as they seem to appear randomly. The Rathor believe that the nature of these pains usually reflects either of the sufferings of one's ancestors or the suffering of one's past life. Since some pains are more recurrent for some Rathor (such as pain specifically in one eye or a specific patch of skin) many Rathor believe these theories to have some merit, though other races tend to agree and seek other explanations.

Culture

Coming of Age Ceremony

The coming of age is an exceptionally important event in the life of a Rathor, both on a personal and cultural level. This ceremony is a 2 part event. One of which is very social and similar to how humans might celebrate a coming of age. It's a party for the family as a whole. Both blood related and related by emotion. While the Rathor began to no longer live in tribes, they still viewed tribes as somewhat existing within their society and over the years that belief suck. A Tribe currently is described as a group of Rathor who are your family whether they share in your bloodline or not. The second part of the ceremony is a spiritual experience in many different ways, Purpose and transformation taking center stage as those are the two things which has most prominent affected the Rathor. Experiences during these ceremonies can vary wildly.

For Neoalts, the spiritual half of the coming of age ceremony is the first time they're actually able to take on their faunis or humanoid form. Prior to a coming of age ceremony, a Neoalt is stuck in their true form. Some in the scientific community have tried to say this is simply an age factor, but Rathor who for one reason or another never have a coming of age ceremony have been documented experiencing trouble transforming or even being unable to altogether. Even with demonstrations for other Neoalts. After a proper coming of age ceremony has been held the Neoalts seem to have no difficulty whatsoever, implying that it's some part of the ceremony that teaches the transformation or the ceremony itself is genuinely what allows for the transformation to properly occur.

What happens during the second half of the ceremony changes from group to group. For some it's more of a spirit journey with the use of drugs in order to help facilitate the experience. Other groups follow a similar process, but use meditation instead of psychedelics. There are even those few groups that have the younger Rathor drink the blood of the eldest Rathor in the group and then throw them out into the woods for the rest of the night. There's a lot of creativity between different groups in how they handle the ceremony itself. There is no one standardized method and while some versions are easier on the Rathor in question, there are multiple different versions of the ceremony that will still work.

Within Rathor society at large, those without a ceremony are often pitied. They are seen as never having left childhood behind properly. The typical reason for this is because they lost their family at an early age. Having the nature that they do, should a Rathor that doesn't have a family present themselves to a larger group of Rathor, there's a strong likelihood they'll be adopted into the family group or that family group will find another willing to take them. In the very rare case that a Rathor is cut off from all other Rathor until into their late life, this will still apply, and their new family will hold a late coming of age ceremony for them. Those who reject both a family group and the coming of age ceremony are seen as outcasts. They're either seen as refusing to grow up or as rejecting the fact they are Rathor. Both are which are insults to the Rathor on par with a Rathor refusing to follow their Purpose. All three of these can get a Rathor ostracized from Rathor society as a whole.

In addition to ostracization, that Rathor will be treated like a child by other Rathor for the rest of their life or until they right the wrongs of their actions. A Rathor's coming of age ceremony is typically held on their 18th birthday. At which point they can get married, have children, join the military, and a variety of other things that were disallowed to them prior to adulthood. These things will still be disallowed to a Rathor who hasn't had a ceremony as the ceremony.

While it's pretty common for a Rathor's ceremony to come late for any number of reasons it's very rare to have one early. If an adopted child doesn't know their birthday then usually the Rathor who adopt them will guess on the low side and wait longer than may strictly be necessary. Even in emergency situations it's typically seen as unfair to the child to old the ceremony early since it can cause difficulties later in life such as lack of control when it comes to changing forms or more frequent than average phantom pains.

Family

Within the Rathari culture, there's a big emphasis on family, both by blood and by personal connections. Adopting in and caring for those without a family or with a poor family is a big thing for the Rathari, to the point they'll adopt in members of other races who want or need a family. Found families are common for the Rathari. Older Rathari, especially those who live to the full lifespan of the Rath, will have extensive social networks.

There are two types of family within Rathari culture. The first is the immediate family or the tribe. Be they related by blood or brought into the family due to the connections between Rath, this is the type of family that is personally close to the Rath. These are the people who might attend a coming of age ceremony or other important events in one's life. They're also the first people a Rath will go to with an issue or a problem they might be personally facing.

The second type of family is referred to as the Grand Family. This is based on the understanding that to some degree all members of the Rathari are a part of a singular family. Bound in experience, bound by merit of their race, bound by the connections between their souls and the Purposes they all share. Most if not all Rathari believe in the Grand Family and its part of why information spreads insanely easily between Rathari as a whole. Rathari who are complete strangers to one another might greet each other like long lost siblings or friends. Even typically bad-natured Rath might be more willing to work with other Rath. It's rare that a Rathari won't consider themselves part of the Grand Family, and even then most other Rath will consider them to be such unless the Rath in question does something to have that right removed. This is why it's so easy for Rathari to adopt other Rathari into their family without a second question. Even Rathari with traditionally malignant personalities or Purposes might find a small soft spot for other Rath, though this isn't a guarantee by any means.

Rathari players should keep this in mind when encountering other Rathari, be they PCs or NPCs.

Education

A family is always in charge of educating a child, something which is encouraged in Rath society as a whole. It's a belief of the Rathari that a child should be as prepared as possible so that when they eventually realize their Purpose they aren't making up for lost time. Given possible Purposes can have to do with being intelligent, at the very least all Rathari are encouraged to have a basic education and families are encouraged to educate their children as much as possible within circumstances.

All children are given basic education until the age of 12, at which point they are given a couple of choices. For those who already know their Purpose, they can start pursuing it. For those that are uncertain about their Purpose, they have two options. The first is to continue with more advanced education. The second is to start helping out their family, be it helping with a business or apprenticing under a parent's craft. The child is given the choice at this age as it's believed the soul will start to subconsciously direct the Rath towards their Purpose at this age even if the Rath doesn't quite understand their purpose yet.

Universal Knowledge

The Rathari are a traveling race. Most if not every Rathari spends time traveling. This combined with the sense of a Grand Family existing has led to a very interesting effect on the collective knowledge of the culture. These two factors seem to allow for a lot of collective general knowledge between Rathari as a group at large. Two Rathari on different halves of Atharen are almost 80% more likely to have similar or identical religious, cultural, or linguist beliefs than any other race. While there are still those who will be more influenced by the culture they grow up in and those who live in areas that are harder for other Rath to reach, generally the Rathari are the most uniform racial collective on the fact of Atharen. That isn't to say they all agree on political views... Being a Rathari won't save someone if they're standing on the opposite end of a battlefield against another Rathari.

Clothing and Grooming

Common Fashion

Baggy and comfortable clothes are exceptionally common among Neoalt. This is done with the intention of making transformations easier. Those who prefer baggier and more comfortable clothing often don't like to wear anything flashy or attention-grabbing either. While this is common among the Neoalt, it isn't the only type of fashion and it's rare among the Beastalts who don't have to transform.

Another common type of fashion for Neoalts and the most common apparel for the Beastalts are very light and revealing clothing. This tends to apply in almost all climates, especially to the Beastalts who more often than not have fur which is suitable for the environment. Clothing means less to the Beastalts due to their physical nature. Most can't show skin that's under fur or scales anyway, making covering up their fur both pointless and uncomfortable. This is less common with Neoalts due to not having fur but it's still common enough because of the aesthetic and the ease of transformation such a type of clothing can provide. What things a Beastalt does wear tend to be flashy accessory items.

The exception to both of these is armor which is often very covering and often tight fit to the body of any particular Rath. This is true for both Neoalts and Beastalts.

Common Grooming

Grooming is often different for each Rathari in order to best fit the particular animal they represent. Some might spend more time on ear care. Others can spend hours ensuring that their fur is clean. The general theme for most Rathari is that they prefer to be as clean as possible. Rathari have the ability to often stay cleaner than most other races while on the road, but they also need to put in more care for specific things like polishing and moisturizing their scales to prevent chafing or cracks.

Rathari cannot stand irritations though. They are the race that has become the most effective at pest control because of this. Lice, fleas, and various other parasites like creatures are a great annoyance and so the Rathari are merciless when getting rid of them. When two Rathari meet on the roads after greetings it's usually polite practice to offer some kind of traveling tip. A pearl of wisdom they've learned. Not only in honor of the Storyteller, but as a kindness to their fellow Rath. Easy pest prevention home remedies tend to be exceedingly common in this practice.

Technology and Intellectual Pursuits

The Point of Technology

For the Rathari, all things go back to the Purpose. If technological pursuits are your Purpose then they're important to you, which makes them important as a whole. If it's productive in some way and doesn't cause harm to other people, the Rathari will support one another's Purposes without question. If it does have harm involved there are some reservations, but generally, when it comes to technology there are fewer malignant Purposes than with some other themes.

Because of this, a lot of scientific and technological fields are lacking Rathari but what Rathari are there have made some stunning discoveries which helped to move societies forward. It's a rarer Purpose for most Rathari, but those who do follow in these footsteps are just as respect as any other Rathari as long as they don't act in ways that are disrespectful.

Perhaps the biggest advance of the Rathari that isn't related to Purposes has to do with smithing. Thanks to the physical features of the Beastalts it became important for the Rathari to become good at smithing early on in order to adjust for the sheer amount of custom-built armor sets their own race would require. The appearance of the Neoalts only furthered this idea since it suddenly became extremely important to be making armor for animals as well as giant animal looking people. The Rathari are fairly well known for making exceptional mount armor as a byproduct of this need.

Place of Intellectuals

Those who follow their Purpose are almost always admired in Rathari society. Some are seen through mournful eyes as their Purposes tell them to do some awful things, but almost always the Rathari admire one another. Technology and intelligence are no exception to this rule.

On top of that though, Rathari culture believes that outside of the Purpose they should be attempting to forever keep moving forward. The act of bettering one's self is always encouraged. Because of that, continued learning past what one already knows is always encouraged.

Arts and Crafts

Music and Dance

With their tribal shamanic kind of roots music and dance always have been and always will be important to the Rathari people. There are a number of dances and songs with deeply spiritual roots, most of which are used to give praise to various Adac, the Living Gods. Many songs and dances also have ceremonial roots. There are a number of dances to be performed at the coming of age ceremony for example, and they can vary wildly depending on the exact origins of a group of Rathari. Multiple tribes of Rathari splintering off throughout the ages has led to a wide variety of cultural ceremony and dance or song to go with them. Most Rathari can dance and sing even if it has nothing to do with their Purpose. Doing it well is a different question entirely, but that's not important for those without a Purpose related to it.

Crafting

The most notable crafted good of the Rathari are smithed items and clothing. Mostly because Rathari whose Purpose had nothing to do with these still had to learn in order to support themselves and clothe their kin. While not quite the luxury items of the Siltori, the clothing and armor made by the Rathari is of exceptionally high quality from years of refining their methods. Other crafts are mostly ignored by the Rathari unless important to the Purpose.

Fine Arts

Usually, only those with a Purpose related to a specific art will attempt the fine arts. This isn't for any specific distaste of the arts, in fact, Rathari admires those who find the arts to be easy. Races know for making beautiful arts and crafts are often a marvel to the Rath. The problem is, some Rath are just built in ways that make certain arts too difficult to bother learning if it has nothing to do with their Purpose. Color blindness, a different hearing spectrum, a lacking of acting skills, or big clunky paws can all get in the way while trying to make art. The Rathari are the Beastfolk, and some end up picking up the negative traits associated with their animal alongside the positive ones, making certain tasks just out of feasibility without dedicated practice that can go to something else.

Religion and Worship

The Purpose

All Rathari believe in the Purpose. All of them. In a way, they have to. It's present in everyday life for any Rathari. It's a brand on the soul, a constant tug that leads them in a direction but never really lays out the steps or tells them flat out what their destination is supposed to be. Even if some have a general idea, it's as mysterious and chaotic as the world outside the material plane. It's an unclear map without any of the landmarks notated and someone ripped off the piece with the destination on it.

While Rathari completely cut off from other Rathari don't quite have a name for it, it's always there. They understand it's presence and what it means for them. All Rathari believe in the Purpose. Many believe that other races have a Purpose as well, but it's not as clear. Something happened to them while they were twisted so many times under the hands of the gods. It made their Purposes all the more apparent to them. Allowed them to feel it so deeply. Even if they're wrong about other races, for the Rathari, the Purpose is very much a real occurrence that can't be denied.

The Purpose is, of course, a very strange thing. The Purpose itself is as unpredictable as the path the Rathari decides to take following it. While rare there have been occurrences of a Rathari reporting their Purpose completely changing after completing some kind of benchmark goal. Even more exceptional are the Rathari who report having two Purposes at once. The Purpose is a chaotic thing which is why while it was a bit shocking, no Rath is deeply surprised to know that's a thing that can happen. Just annoyed. Especially if one of these two things happens to them.

The Secret

No one is quite sure what exactly The Secret is. It started to appear around the same time as the Neoalts and the legends of the Rathari-Tori. All three of these occurred during the Bleeding. While the Beastalts believed themselves to be unchanged unlike the Neoalts, the Secret is proof of the fact they weren't. Unlike the Purpose which Rathari can at least vaguely explain to one another, the only words to describe the Secret are in its name.

Some believe it's the reason for the Purpose. The Purpose is an answer that all Rath hunt for. The Secret is the question. In their journey, they learn their question and at the end, they finally learn their answer. Other Rath believe that it could be the secret of life or even something personal. Either way, there is no answer as to what exactly the Secret is, only a vague understanding that the understanding there even is a Secret came to the Rath is something of a universal wave after the Bleeding and was generally accepted into the culture. Usually associated to the Purpose in some form or another.

The Dragon Gods

Many Rathari pay respects to the dragon gods. Almost all Rathari give some amount of respect to Aedrin, Velar, Thiovan, and Naori. Some Rathari also place Raella, Wraedan, and Eikaen onto the same level.

The Wild Father

To the Rathari there is no Dragon God of more importance than Aedrin. Most Rathari considering him to be the true father of the race despite the issues caused by Myshala. He led them to becoming the Rathtori originally and he then helped to fix their form after Myshala hurt them so deeply. Many strive to live in his image, still causing as little damage to nature as possible. Getting to meet a Green Dragon is an honor to a Rathari. All Rathari strive to one day catch Aedrin's attention in some form.

The Storyteller

For nomads it would be natural to grow fond of Velar. While Velar's domain has always presided over time, many Rathari are of the belief that he also acts as a patron and protector for travelers on the road. As such, the Rathari often follow his lead in the hope they won't lose his favor. It's a tradition for the Rathari when they meet another traveler to first start with a friendly greeting. The nature of the greeting usually differs depending on if they're greeting another Rathari or not. The second step is to offer up wisdom or some advice that might help another traveler. This can be tricks on avoiding certain beasts or getting rid of pests. The final step is on preformed in the latter hours, this is the offer to step up camp together. A Rathari that offers to set up camp with another person can generally be trusted as causing hard to a fellow traveler would be viewed negatively by Velar. If the other person agrees then there's one extra step where the two parties must trade stories.

The Guide

Thiovan earned the title of the guide do to the importance of dreams and meditation within Rathari culture. They believe the mystery of dreams often hold secrets, both wonderful and terrible, which can be used to better complete their Purpose. As such, the patron of dreams overtime earned the title of The Guide.

The Unpredictable

Naori's suddenly becoming an important figure for the Rathari was about as sudden an unexpected as she herself was. For the Rathari the Purpose is a thing of true chaos. To imply it under the machinations of fate was always an insult to the Rathari. So perhaps Naori slowly becoming important to the Rathari was a natural progression of events. Her dominion over chaos makes her important to the Rathari whose lives are governed by the chaos that is the Purpose. Most ceremonies conducted in her honor are usually pleas against suffering born from chaos. The Rathari don't reject chaos since it's, in a sense, an important part of the Purpose. The Purpose not being fate, not being some kind of road map, is something the Rathari would never wish to trade. But they know all too well that while chaos can bring with it interesting things and fun things, it can also bring on its tides great horrors. Ironically enough, a lot of Rathari believe Naori as the patron of chaos to be their protector against Malgar.

The First Father

Eikaen has gained a place in Rathari culture as an important figure due to many of the aspects he represents along with just generally being the king of the Dragon Gods. He was the first father, the one who led the Dragon Gods in the creation of the material plane. As such a good number of Rathari believe he deserves respect even if they don't adore him quite as much as those gods who've had a direct impact on their culture. Intentional or not.

The Duo of Life and Death

Just as Raella and Wraedan are paired together in love, the Rathari pair the two together in the same breath when giving them praise. Reincarnation is a big thing to the Rathari because they believe it impossible to complete their Purpose in a single lifetime. Because of this, reincarnation, death, and birth are all vital aspects of Rathari life. Part of the Rathari's death ceremonies involves prayers to Wraedan and Raella that the deceased shall once again be born a Rathari so as to have an easier time completing their Purpose and that they will be born to a happy family that will care for them properly and their future birth happens without issue.

Exceptions

All Rathari believe in the Purpose, even if they can't put a name to it. Mist Lords are generally a case by case basis for most Rathari, but no Rathari would ever put up with Myshala. Even her presence makes them turn tail. It's a deep-rooted hatred and fear in the collective racial memory of the Rathari as a whole.

Rathari can be affected by the cultural beliefs in an area when it comes to the Dragon Gods. However, it's rare for a Rathari to outright disregard the Dragon Gods. Especially Aedrin. This is because even though cultural standards for where a Rathari lives might place the Dragon Gods on a lower or even nonexistent standard, the Rathari still have access to the Grand Family. Thanks to the constant traveling of other Rathari and the tendency to greet one another fondly, Rathari raised in these kinds of environments will still be reminded time and time again by other traveling Rath that the Dragon Gods are important. Especially the big four. This is doubly true when that Rathari begins to travel, meeting even more Rathari who share the same beliefs.

Reproduction, Aging, and Death

Marriage, Mates and Find a Partner

The Rathari are able to officially marry and mate at the age of 18 after their coming of age ceremony. What kinds of relationships different Rath have can vary wildly depending on the norms of whatever animal they are. Some Rathari might find it normal to get married and stay mates for life. Other might partner once and then go their separate ways after the child is raised properly, only ever crossing paths again for events and ceremonies where the family should be present. For some Rathari polygamy is normal and acceptable because it is for whatever animal they represent. The nature of the partnership between two Rathari can vary wildly, and it's encouraged that two consenting adults really discuss that ahead of time.

Interestingly when the child is born is can be any animal on Atharen. The child has a higher chance of reflecting one of its parents, but it's not always a guarantee. This is the same for the child being a Beastalt or Neoalt. While the child has a higher chance of taking after their parent it is not a perfect guarantee. In addition, the parents don't need to be the same animal in order to produce children, though sometimes this means the bodily parts of two parents won't always match which can lead to complications. In some cases, two Rathari might be incompatible simple based on the genetics of what animals they are.

Birth and Childcare

Gestation can barry between 7 and 12 months, though the typical is 9 months much like with your average humanoid species. Once again, childcare depends a lot on the nature of the animal the parents are. But also, it depends on the nature of the animal the child is. Regardless of animals, the Rathari expect one another to be good parents. Part of that is taking into account the animal their child is and adjusting parenting style to reflect the individual needs associated with some animals.

Development

Development is very much similar to a normal human.

Death

When the Rathari agreed to be turned into animals Aedrin promised them that they would keep the life span of the Rathtori. Intentional or not, this is a promise he's kept. This means that the Rathari can live an exceptionally long time. However, much like in all things, the animal of the Rathari can sometimes cause changes to life span. A Rathari might live a shorter amount of time due to the animal they are. Most of the time though, a Rathari that actually takes care of themselves properly will live to the full lifespan of the race. In some exceptional cases, the kind of animal can actually go as far as to extend the lifespan of the Rathari past the normal.

Funerals much like coming of age are grand family events. They are celebrated as much as they're mourned, especially for Rath who lived a full life. Again, prayers are sent that the Rath once again be born a Rathari in a good home and with an easy birth. Sometimes random Rathari outside the general family might show up if they hear of a funeral in the area. This is because of the Grand Family philosophy. These Rathari are usually welcomed in immediately and mourn right alongside the family. In some cases, these Rathari can be a great support and later become a part of the family group.

Language

Common

While not ever Rathari learns it, most Rathari learn common as a second language since it can be used just about anywhere.

Vithmi

All Rathari learn how to speak in Vithmi, often called the original tongue. It's a vital part of the Rathari culture as all of the important cultural ceremonies are spoken in Vithmi, families in Vithmi, and it's the first language most are expected to teach their children. Rathari who don't know Vithmi are often pitied or looked down upon by other Rathari. Those that are willing to learn it are quickly taught, but those who are unwilling often got spoken of harshly in Rathari circles. To shun the language is to shun a part of Rathari culture, and while not nearly as bad as attempting to shun one's Purpose it's still thought of in an extremely negative light.

Vithmi is thought to be the language that was originally used by the Rathtori when they were first created, though obviously it's been subject to change over the years. The language itself has very few cultural differences in spite of the vast distances between some groups of Rathari. While there are certain changes in dialect and the way words are said, their meanings and how those means have changed seems to be understood universally. This is due in large part to the Rathari being such travelers. What changes do happen are quickly dispersed and understood by the group as a whole.