The Ferians in Francalia

Introduction

The Ferians are one of the five species of sentient beings on Francalia.
They are native of these lands and have always lived in this part of the world.


They used to live underneath every lake and river of Francalia, but they can only be found at the present under the ground of the Lac Bleu  in the north of Francalia.
The Ferians are proficient at wielding magic: males and females can manipulate wavelengths and colours to different effects and temperatures.

Their society has a caste system: some castes have achieved higher status than others.
The upper castes have the titles of Lords and Ladies and they mostly live in The Knowes  - a series of underwater hills in the middle of the lake.


If you are born as a Lord or a Lady you can take your pick of the best tunnels and dens in the Knowes.
The Lord and Ladies are part of The Gentle Counsel  who runs the affairs of the Ferians and makes decisions for the realm.

At times of danger and strife, a Great Lord or a Great Lady can be appointed by the Counsel to manage more effectively Ferians business and take swift decisions with the backing of the Counsel.
The Ferians are peaceful folk and would rather use diplomacy to solve their problems.

Their common enemy is man, and they are fearful of the big, lumpy bipeds who they see as monsters.
They use their magic to stay hidden and are generally very clever at outwitting the bumbling idiots.

Anatomy and Morphology

The Ferians are very thin, lanky small people.
They are not higher than a human hand when fully adults.

They have a rather long face, big eyes, long arms and legs and no hair.
Instead of hair, they sport fin-like membranes they can fully deploy or retract.

The membranes are very colourful and are also attached to their arms and legs.
The membranes are usually deployed when they are in the water: they use them to swim.

The Ferians' ancestors used to be able to fly using the same membranes.
However, these days, Ferians would never be seen leaving the lakeshore.

For one thing, it is forbidden by the Lords and Ladies in order to protect the secret of the Ferians' existence from any other species on Francalia.

Skin

Ferians' colour of skin usually ranges from white to pale green, to forest green.
The Lord and Ladies are usually more heavily shaded - the higher status castes tend to marry among themselves which promotes this darker jade hue in their progeny.

Ferians are born with silver, grey membranes on their head, arms and legs (and feet).
However, Ferian parents like to start colouring their children's wings from an early age.

When a Ferian child comes of age (age 14), they can choose to colour their membranes by themselves and choose their own design within the caste patterns.

Eye Colour

Ferians sport seemingly huge eyes for the size of their head - this is to allow them to see better in the dark tunnels and underwater.
Their eyes are also slightly more bulbous than humans.

Like fish, they can rotate their eyes to see further to the right and the left.
The Ferians' eye colour can be ... whatever they want them to be.
They are born with pale grey eyes, the same colour as their membranes.

However, they can change the colour of their iris to any colour they want.

Castes usually have their own traditional colours, and some colours are the sole preserve of some high-status castes.
For example, a certain shade of aqua is the eye colour of the Ganaga clan.

Height and Weight

The Ferians because of their size and lanky constitution are very light in weight.
However, they are remarkably tough and resistant for their size.

Their membranes are particularly resistant to tears and shocks.
They are made of a lightweight polished, leather-like substance (a bit like human nails).

They also can use magic to knit bones, flesh or membranes together and 'repair' themselves or others.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The Ferians can see a wide range of colours - some of these colours are outside the colour spectrum humans can see.
This ability has developed over millennia as Ferians learned to manipulate lights and colours.

They are not particularly sensitive to cold and heat as well.
The waters of the lake are cold but they are pretty immune to differences of temperatures as their tough skin and membranes are resistant to both cold and heat.

This is why they can manipulate very hot rays and fire without too much problem.
Longer exposure to both extreme cold or heat will still injure them.

Their sense of hearing is also very good. They are by nature very quiet creatures.
They speak softly and can keep quiet for a very long time especially when hunting.

They can perceive sounds from their preys from a long distance.
This is why loud noises tend to frighten them and make them feel uncomfortable.

Life Cycle

A Ferian can live to the ripe old age of 100 years.
This means they can live in very overcrowded dens at times - to accommodate several generations of Ferians within the same tribe.

However, happily, male and female Ferians are only sexually active for part of their life.
They are considered adults from the age of 14, but will only become sexually active for a period of 10 years or so, usually between the ages of 20 to 30.
Ferians will choose a mate for that 10 year period.

Once they have bonded with a mating partner, they will not want to mate with anyone else - this helps to reduce the number of broods in the Ferian communities.

A brood will usually consist of one, two or three babies (rarely four or five).
A female Ferian can have up to a brood a year, but it is more likely, she will have a brood every two or three years.

The average number of broods for a Ferian female is around four during her lifetime.
The Ferian babies are born from eggs, and when breaking out of their eggs, can usually crawl.
Within three months they can walk.

They will take a year to say their first words.
Their intellectual development will be pretty much in par with that of a human child - they tend to learn a bit quicker and can fully integrate the business of the caste by the age of 14 when they are considered adults.

A Ferian is only considered 'old' when he or she reaches the age of 80.
Ferians do not generally tend to slow down as they get older, not until they reach 90 or 100 years old.

Their use of magic to repair their bodies, their light frame and their active lifestyle help them to remain supple and fast throughout their lives.
Unfortunately, the caste system has meant that in some high-status clans, inbreeding has created genetic anomalies.

The anomalies are present in some of the high borns and can become a great handicap for the affected Ferians, but they are generally a well kept secret of the castes and hidden as much as possible from non-caste members.

Habitat

Click on Landofey to know more about the country of the Ferians.