Fenrir

Summary

Fenrir, commonly known as Fenrian, resemble bipedal canines standing between 1.6 to 1.9 metres tall, weighing between 50 and 80 kilograms with a slightly stooped stance. This has begun to vary more greatly in civilized areas, as their size is no longer limited by their sparse food supply and constant hunting. They exhibit muzzles, tails, and thick fur similar to the giant dire wolves of the Northern Wastes. Thick fur covers their entire body, commonly in the form of a greyish white coat, but variations of black, brown, or even red fur are occasionally seen. Fenrian recognise each other by their scent, possessing acute olfactory and auditory senses, but are unable to accurately distinguish red from yellow with their vision.
Like many other species, Fenrians seek companionships in a Pack for comfort and security. The pack is first and foremost a family unit, traditionally encompassing the entirety of the nomadic tribes and clans from which the Fenrir originated. In modern, industrialized society, the idea of the pack typically applies to one’s extended family, within which loyalty is extremely important. Infighting is frequently seen for settling disputes of dominance, but the Pack always comes first.
The traditional Fenrian religion is animistic, believing that all things—from rocks to trees, to the great mountains and rivers of the land—are inhabited by spirits. The power of each spirit is related to their role in society. Fenrian shaman (who are traditionally female) enact rituals to forge pacts with spirits, some of which may become the official Totems of the pack or community they serve. Certain individual Fenrians may also dedicate themselves to a totem, particularly soldiers and explorers seeking an ally in difficult tasks.
Over the years, many wars have been fought between Fenrians and Humans. Fenrians embrace conflict and change, particularly those residing in the Northern Borderlands. Even within the more civilized areas, border wars are fought between local Wolf Lords regularly for reasons as petty as a few hundred square meters of land.

Description

Fenrir, commonly known as Fenrian, exhibit muzzles, tails, and thick fur similar to the dire wolves of the Northern Wastes, with whom they have a common ancestor. Greyish white fur covers their entire body, but variations of black, brown, or even red fur are occasionally seen. They recognise each other by their scent, possessing acute olfactory and auditory senses, but are unable to accurately distinguish red from yellow with their vision. On average, Fenrians weigh between 50 to 80 kilograms, and stand 1.6 to 1.9 metres high. Their natural stance is digitigrade, putting weight on their toes rather than the soles of their feet. Fenrian hands have four fingers and an opposable thumb. Although they have claws, they much prefer to bite down an opponent with their lethal teeth, if they are short on a good sword.
Fenrir can walk upright but achieve their top speed (up to 60 mph over short distances) while loping on all fours. This has led to most Fenrian weapons being designed so they can be gripped in such a way that they are out of the way while running.
Fenrian gestation period is usually four months with litters averaging two pups, although litters of up to five are not unheard of. All pups are born blind and deaf for the first four months, completely reliant on their parents—primarily the mother—until the senses develop. Even though Fenrian mothers are able to conceive again shortly after giving birth, they generally wait until their pups are at least age five or six, and are able to look after themselves, before having another litter.
The traits of pre-sentient canines are still evident in Fenrians, for they constantly crave approval and recognition from the leader of the Pack, be it in Fenrian society, or elsewhere. As long as the leader continues to demonstrate their worth, Fenrians tend to be steadfastly loyal.

Society

Fenrians seek companionships in a Pack for comfort and security. They are proud to have loyal brethren, however, they also strive to become the most dominant within the Pack.
Just as the Pack is a strong component of a Fenrian society, individuality is also important within a Pack. Frequently, infightings occur to settle disputes of dominance when charisma alone cannot. They are not so much about injuring or killing the other, but getting them to submit. Injury, and even death, are not unheard of, of course, and Fenrian laws make provisions for this. Despite this tendency, the good of the pack comes first—members can always count on their peers for assistance, companionship and support in times of need.
This mentality is carried across all facets of Fenrian society. Governments and businesses are constantly changing with shifting powers and individual goals. While this may seem anarchic to some, it is natural for Fenrian society and their values: loyalty, pride, and the perceived strength of leadership.

Beliefs

Fenrians have a long history of venerating spirits, believing that spirits inhabit everything, from rocks and trees to the great mountains and rivers of the land. Spirits vary in power, as a mighty mountain range may host an ancient spirit of earth, while a small sapling could have an affinity to a young spirit of new life. Often greater spirits are taken as spirit totems, where a Fenrian dedicate themselves to the totem’s ideals and symbolising values. More civilized Fenrians tend to have a somewhat more secular outlook, though most still at least go through the motions of recognizing spirits. Even those who do not consider themselves spiritual tend to be very environmentally conscious.
Other religious groups are rare but they do exist among the Fenrians, such as ones that venerate the gods of the humans. The religion of the Mekńiem tribes conquered by the Fenrians during the great migration have influenced their beliefs significantly.
Fenrian culture is inherently racist, placing all sentient and non-sentient beings into classes that determine their place in the world. True Predators, who hunt and kill their own food, are the highest class of beings. Next are the Lesser Predators, such as vipers and spiders, who must rely on venom to do their killing as they are not strong enough to be True Predators. Below them are the noble herd animals, who graze (or farm) the land and serve to sustain the predators. Humans, and most other sentient races save the Aslani, fall into this category. Below them are the things that grow—grasses, trees, and so on, without which the herds, and then the predators, would die. At the bottom are creatures seen to serve no purpose in the great cycle: scavengers and, worse, parasites. They steal their life force from the work done by others, which is seen as dishonourable.

Prominent Cultures

In the Northern Borderlands, descendants of the Great Wolf’s invasion have a strong presence, competing for territories and resources. In contrast, Fenrians in the Thulian Confederacy respect the local laws and order, taken in their cultural beliefs on top of their own. Another noteworthy Fenrian cultural group resides in Morg Az'kar, home to the hyena-folks. While their common ancestry is debatable, most Northern Fenrians consider their desert cousins a lesser race, even below humans, and deny any shared blood.
Northern Borderlands The Fenrians of the Northern Borderlands are mostly divided between the Western Confederation and the Great Wolf’s Kingdom. The Western Fenrians are semi-democratic, egalitarian, and concentrate power strongly on a local level. The Eastern Fenrians, under the Great Wolf, live in a forcibly industrialized and autocratic society where the Great Wolf is the final authority.

Lands and Relations

The Fenrir originated deep within the Frozen Wastes, and were driven from there to the Borderlands following the emergence of the Mists. The Fenrians, who were illiterate at the time of the invasion, speak of facing a Great Cold like none they had endured before, and their leader being granted a vision of a new homeland in the South.
The Great Wolf’s Host was the first organized Fenrian army in history, and the first encounter the other races of the world had with a large-scale Fenrian presence. The local Mekńiem humans, prone to territorial feuds, failed to unite in common defence and were quickly overrun. The order established in the wake of the Fenrian conquests was one in which the conquerors became nobility, while the aboriginal human population (many of whom were already indentured peasants) were forced to make up the labour pool. Their rampage would last for over 50 years, reaching as far in some seasons as central Aurelia and what would become the Thulian Technocracy, though they were eventually pushed back mostly to the region known as the Borderlands today.
Humans and Fenrian have had a chequered history – a number of wars have been fought with these two races fighting against, as well as alongside, each other. Most conflict between them occurs on the border regions where Fenrian city states seek to expand their borders and raiders attack indiscriminately. The most recent major engagement was the Kyvaran War, in which Fenrian and Human dissidents living under the old order of the Western Great Court in the Borderlands were aided by the Aurelian Empire to overthrow the archaic order and establish the Western Confederation.