Editing Deschani History

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Although widely referred to as a single race by the peoples of Tymora, the Deschani are in truth a collection of three distinct races, the Saen, the Timur, and the Garlu, each with their own unique origin, culture, and evolutionary history. Over time, these three peoples developed similar physical traits: feline features, fur-covered bodies, enhanced senses, and agile, graceful movements. These similarities have led outsiders to group them together under the blanket term Deschani, a name that has become deeply ingrained in common usage across the world.

Among themselves, however, calling one Deschani by the name of another group is often seen as a deep insult and a sign of ignorance or disrespect. The Saen see themselves as the true children of the wild, the Timur as hardened survivors of the harshest lands, and the Garlu as the enlightened inheritors of forgotten knowledge. Each group takes immense pride in their lineage and legacy and fiercely guards their cultural identity.

Though they all reluctantly acknowledge the name Deschani, if only because it’s too late to change the perception of an entire continent, they do so with a quiet disdain. Within their own enclaves, among family and kin, they speak the names that truly matter: Saen, Timur, or Garlu. To them, Deschani is not a word of unity, but a label born of misunderstanding. And while their paths may occasionally cross, cooperation between the groups is often strained, complicated by centuries of divergence, conflict, and pride.

Still, despite their differences, all three share a common truth: the world sees them as one. And sometimes, when the threat is great enough, that shared perception becomes a rare source of reluctant alliance.

== The Saen ==

The Saen are the most widespread and populous of the Deschani peoples, known for their harmony with nature and strong spiritual traditions. Often mistaken for spirits of the forest, desert, or mountains, the Saen are as much a part of their environment as the beasts and winds themselves. They are nomads, foragers, hunters, herbalists, and protectors of the natural order. Among the Deschani, they are considered the “heart” of their kind, gentle in peace, fierce in protection.

=== Origins and Lore ===

The Saen believe they were born from the world itself, crafted by the Great Spirits to watch over the balance of life. According to their legends, each Saen clan was gifted a domain by the spirits, one to guard, protect, and draw strength from. These might be deserts, plains, mountains, jungles, or deep forests. From these places, each clan's identity was formed, their appearances shaped by the local great cats who watched over them, lions, cheetahs, ocelots, leopards, jaguars, and more.

=== Clan Society ===

Saen society is deeply matriarchal, structured around clans and families led by Den Mothers, wise, respected women who serve as both leaders and caretakers. A gathering of Den Mothers is overseen by a Clan Mother, who speaks for the clan in matters of diplomacy, war, and inter-tribal discussion. Each level of Saen leadership is based on consensus rather than dominance. No decision is made without every voice being heard, a practice that is time-consuming but reflects their value of balance and unity.

Clans are semi-nomadic or rooted in sacred groves or ancient lands. They live in structures adapted to their environment, woven tree-homes in jungles, bone and leather tents in the plains, or sandstone caves in the desert. Every item they use is drawn respectfully from nature, and every item returned to it.

=== Clan Law – The Living Code ===

The Saen follow a spiritual philosophy referred to as Clan Law. Though scholars have called it animism, the Saen reject such labels. To them, the law is not a religion but truth, the understanding that everything has a spirit and must be respected: animals, trees, rocks, rivers, even the wind.

Core tenets of Clan Law include:

* Respect All Life: All creatures have a purpose. Only prey may be hunted, and only for food or defence.
* Use All Parts: Waste is sacrilege. Every part of a slain beast must be used, meat, bone, skin, and spirit.
* Do Not Kill Predators: Those who hunt to live are kin in spirit. Predators are never eaten.
* Honour the Spirits: Every mountain, grove, and river has a guardian spirit. These must be honoured and never defiled.
* No Theft, No Murder: To steal or kill without cause is to defy the natural order.

Saen who break Clan Law are cast out, marked with ritual scars and forbidden to speak their clan’s name. These exiles become rootless and lost, often descending into madness or becoming prey to darker powers.

=== Appearance ===

Saen take on feline traits based on their homeland. A Saen from the plains might resemble a lion, with broad shoulders, golden fur, and a proud mane, while one from the jungle may bear the sleek coat and patterned markings of a jaguar. Their attire is always crafted from local materials, bone beads, feathered cloaks, hide armour, and bark-dyed fabrics. Colours are natural, muted to match their surroundings.

=== Magic and the Elements ===

Saen are natural elementalists, channelling power from their environment. They see the land as a living force that gifts them strength.

Their magic is less about dominance and more about balance, correcting the flow of nature where it has gone awry.

=== Relations with Others ===

The Saen are cautious around outsiders. While many of their people have acted as guides, scouts, or wilderness protectors for other races, most Saen hold a deep mistrust of city-dwellers and settlers. Too many sacred lands have been burned, herds poached, or waters fouled by the so-called “civilised” folk.

Still, they are not hostile without cause. The Saen believe in second chances, and those who show respect and humility may be welcomed, if not into the tribe, then at least as a friend of it.

In recent years, the Saen have become deeply troubled. The spirits grow silent or angry, the seasons shift unpredictably, and rumours of Deschani turning Feral are spreading. Ancient prophecies speak of a Sundering of Clans, a time when the Deschani must choose to unify or fall. Some say the Garlu have angered the spirits with their machines. Others whisper that the darkness comes from within.

== The Timur ==

The Timur are the most fearsome and misunderstood of the Deschani. Born in the world’s most unforgiving places, arctic tundras, volcanic wastes, deadly jungles, wind-scoured cliffs, and lifeless deserts, the Timur are survivors above all else. Where the Saen seek harmony and the Garlu seek progress, the Timur seek one thing: to endure.

To outsiders, they are often mistaken for savage, cannibalistic predators, but to their own, the Timur are noble warriors, protectors of their kin, and the last bulwark against extinction in a world that has no mercy.

=== Origins and Philosophy ===

The Timur believe they were forged in the harshest crucibles of nature. Their ancestors left the Saen long ago, seeking refuge in places too dangerous or inhospitable for others. There, they learned that survival is not about balance, it is about strength, sacrifice, and will.

Over time, this necessity gave rise to a hardened philosophy: Life demands blood. If you cannot take it, you will give it. This belief is not cruel or cold, it is simply a truth they have embraced.

While the Saen view the Timur as corrupted, the Timur see themselves as realists, guardians of the Deschani legacy who do what must be done when others cannot.

=== Tribal Society ===

Timur tribes are small, tight-knit, and highly disciplined. Families often travel together as hunting packs, with each member expected to contribute to the group’s survival. Their society is founded on merit, loyalty, and sacrifice.

Each tribe is ruled by a diarchy, two equal Chiefs:

* The Heart Chief (guardian of the people, law, and spirit).
* The Fang Chief (commander in times of war or great threat).

During times of peace, both leaders share authority. But in times of danger, when the tribe goes “on the Prowl”, the Fang Chief gains absolute power until the threat is eliminated. Chiefs are not elected by popularity, but by rite of succession and trial by ordeal, ensuring only the strongest and wisest lead.

Elders serve as judges and philosophers, holding the power to veto or depose Chiefs if they betray the tribe’s values.

=== Code of Survival ===

The Timur do not follow Clan Law as the Saen do, but they have their own Code of Survival, which emphasises hard truths:

* Kill only when needed, but do not hesitate to kill.
* A predator’s life is equal to prey. Both feed the tribe.
* Weakness is not shameful, refusal to fight it is.
* The tribe comes before the self. Always.
* In death, the body feeds the living. Even our own.

These codes mean that Timur will hunt predators, including great beasts, monstrosities, and in desperate times, even their kin. Cannibalism is not taboo, it is ritualised, tragic, and considered the ultimate sacrifice. Those who die in service are sometimes honoured by offering their bodies to feed the young or wounded, ensuring their strength lives on.

=== Religion and the Cosmos ===

Though they share the animist roots of the Saen, the Timur view the spirits differently. To them, the world is not alive and benevolent, it is ancient, vast, and wild. The stars, the aurora, the frozen storms, they are the voices of gods too old and cold to care for mortals.

Some tribes still commune with elemental or beast spirits, but others revere more cosmic forces:

* The Pale Flame – a guiding star that watches over warriors.
* The Stone Dreamer – a slumbering spirit beneath the mountains.
* The Maw Below – the eternal hunger of nature.

Sacrifices, animal or human, are rare, but practised in extreme circumstances, often when entire regions fall out of balance or a great hunt must be blessed.

=== Appearance ===

Timur tend to be larger and more heavily built than other Deschani. Their feline traits reflect the apex predators of their harsh domains, snow leopards, saber-cats, desert lions, and white tigers. Their fur is thick and often pale or muted in colour for camouflage.

Clothing is entirely utilitarian: fur-lined cloaks, bone armour, leather, or woven vines and hide, depending on their region. Every piece serves a purpose, and little is wasted.

Their faces are often marked with tribal paint, ash, or ritual scars, denoting kills, losses, or ancestral honours.

=== Magic and Power ===

Timur magic is drawn from survival and extremes. Their elemental focus is raw and violent, more like a storm than a whisper. Their shamans and warlocks wield powers as a weapon.

=== Relations with Others ===

Timur distrust most outsiders. In their view, the soft-skinned peoples of Tymora could not last a single season in Timur lands. However, they respect strength, skill, and courage. Those who earn it are welcomed; those who insult the tribe or endanger its survival are removed, by tooth or claw.

* '''Saen:''' Idealistic fools. Their morals are a luxury Timur cannot afford.
* '''Garlu:''' Arrogant cowards. They traded strength for comfort and knowledge for lies.
* '''Other races:''' Most are irrelevant. Only those who survive the hunt or respect the hunt are worth naming.

Something is changing. Timur shamans report strange behaviour in the beasts. An ancient hunger stirs in the blood. Some Timur have begun to vanish into the wilds and return as Feral, not just mad, but consumed by primal instincts, attacking even their own.

Some believe it is punishment from the spirits. Others see it as a sign: the world is dying, and only the strongest will remain. The Prowl has begun. Whether it is against monsters, Feral, or the other Deschani remains to be seen.

== The Garlu ==

The Garlu are the smallest and most physically delicate of the Deschani peoples, but what they lack in raw strength, they make up for in intellect, adaptability, and ambition. Of the three Deschani groups, the Garlu are the most integrated into the broader civilisations of Tymora, often living comfortably within multi-racial cities and modern societies. While the Saen and Timur cling to tradition, the Garlu look to the future, embracing science, magic, and technology to shape their destiny.

=== Origins and Awakening ===

The Garlu trace their divergence to a defining moment in their history: the discovery of ancient relics, left behind by civilisations long lost to time. These relics were not merely tools or weapons, they were symbols of progress, knowledge, and potential. Exposure to these ruins changed the Garlu forever. No longer content with wandering the wilds, they chose to evolve, not just physically, but culturally and intellectually.

To them, tradition is not sacred, it is a stepping stone to something greater.

=== Urban Culture and Integration ===

Unlike their cousins, the Garlu have fully embraced urban life. They are well-suited to it, smaller, lighter, and more dexterous than other Deschani. Their feline traits tend towards smaller wildcats like lynxes, caracals, servals, or even domestic cats. Their bodies are agile and compact, their fur sleek and maintained. This physicality allows them to blend easily into crowded environments, and their quick thinking and charm make them excellent scholars, merchants, diplomats, and inventors.

They often live in close-knit neighbourhoods within cities, forming vibrant, community-oriented districts rich with art, science, and invention. While they follow the laws of the cities they live in, they maintain familial councils, gatherings of elders or influential figures who settle disputes and guide the community.

Garlu are the most accepted among the Deschani by other races. In fact, many city-dwellers forget they are Deschani at all.


== The Feral Crisis – The Breaking of the Clans ==

Across Tymora, a shadow grows within the Deschani people. It whispers through the forests, howls across the ice plains, and creeps into the alleys of city enclaves. The Feral Crisis, as outsiders now call it, is not a mere illness. It is a transformation, a descent, a corruption that strips away culture, memory, and mercy. Once-stable Deschani are suddenly and violently overcome by uncontrollable rage. They lash out with tooth and claw, turning on kin, stranger, and spirit alike.

At first, it was dismissed as madness, trauma, or a magical anomaly. But now it spreads. Slowly, inevitably.

=== Symptoms and Signs ===

The descent into Feral form happens in stages:

* '''The Stirring:''' A Deschani begins to experience heightened aggression, nightmares of blood and teeth, and a compulsion to hunt. Their pupils remain dilated even in bright light. Their speech becomes clipped and instinctual.

* '''The Shift:''' Ritual scars vanish. Eyes glow faintly. Their fur thickens, their voice warps, and reason begins to fade. In this state, they may still recognise friends, but they grow territorial, paranoid, and violent.

* '''The Feral:''' The final stage. Language is lost. They become more beast than person, unable to distinguish friend from foe. Only destruction and hunger remain. Even death may not halt their rampage for long; some Ferals have been reported rising again under moonlight.

No known cure exists. Those in the final stage must be put down, and even then, it is said that some spirits refuse to return to the cycle, leaving the soul behind in a twisted limbo.

=== Theories and Beliefs ===

No single cause is agreed upon, but every Deschani faction has a theory:

* '''Saen Shamans''' say it is the wrath of the spirits. The balance has been broken, too much blood spilled, too many oaths abandoned. The land itself is turning against its children.

* '''Timur War-Priests''' claim the old hunger has returned, the primal fury from before the clans, when Deschani were little more than monsters. They speak of an ancestral curse, waiting for its time to awaken.

* '''Garlu Scholars''' believe it is a sickness of the blood, triggered by a resonance with certain magical frequencies, possibly awakened by interaction with ancient relics. Some think it is a psychic contagion, others a mutagenic arcane reaction.

* '''Outsiders''' blame the Deschani themselves. To some, the Feral are proof that the “catfolk” are still beasts at heart.

=== Political Tensions ===

The Crisis has reignited old divisions among the Deschani:

* The Saen call for spiritual renewal and collective ritual to calm the spirits.

* The Timur have begun to hunt the Feral with brutal efficiency, and some whisper they have begun pre-emptive killings to “contain the blood”.

* The Garlu are developing serums, wards, and containment methods, but their experiments often result in more mutations and more corpses.

Accusations fly. The Saen blame the Garlu for “waking something best left buried.” The Garlu say the Timur’s actions only worsen the psychic resonance. The Timur claim both groups are too weak to do what must be done.

Unity is possible, but fragile. And time is running out.

=== Will the Clans Stand Together? ===

This is the pivotal moment for the Deschani. If they fall to infighting, the Feral plague may consume them. But if they stand together, bringing the wisdom of the Saen, the resilience of the Timur, and the brilliance of the Garlu, they may yet find a cure, or a solution hidden deep in ancient truths.

What is the source of this corruption? A forgotten god? A weapon of the Ancients? A spirit twisted by grief?

Whatever it is, it is hungry.

And it is watching.

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