Wolfen
| Wolfen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Creator | Xero |
| Information | |
| Average Height | 180cm-220cm |
| Average Lifespan | 125 years |
| Hair Colours | Black, White, Grey, Brown, Amber, Orange |
| Eye Colours | Varied |
| Fur Colours | Black, White, Grey, Brown, Amber, Orange |
| Current Leader | Alpha Lughandra Wildhunt (Wylderin) Argid Julius Wildhunt (Dreamwalkers) Queen Regindra Fedelerin (Luxfordia) |
| Capital | Nytlerei |
| Planet | Gwynbrenon |
Long ago, an army of Humans led by General Argid Julius Wildhunt landed on the shores of Gwynbrenon hoping to conquer the woodlands for the glory of Luxfordia. During a great conflict now remembered as the "Battle of the Wilds", the God of the Hunt Fenros, the Goddess of Nature Medena and the Goddess of Dreams Unysta came down to answer the prayers of the Elves who struggled to fight against the menace of the Humans. As punishment for the defilement they caused within the wilds and the slaughter of innocent Elves, the three gods worked together to banish the Humans into Somniva while also transforming their bodies to represent the image of the Wolf Gods, an eternal mark of the Wolfen over them that they must now bear. For untold eternity, the cursed Humans were stuck to wander the Dream, becoming servants of the Soulborn native there, who made use of the wolf people by turning them into warriors against the Nightmare that sought to overtake the realm. Having proven themselves capable allies over time, the Dryads begun to treat the wolf people less as slaves and more as allies while the cursed Humans also slowly begun to see themselves a part of something bigger, their past lives as servants to a bloodthirsty King or Queen long in the past.
The Wolfen would reach repentance thanks to the support of the Dryads who saw more in them than lowly grunts and servants - they saw friends ready to move forward and with their support, the Wolfen were allowed back into the physical realm. With this new-found redemption, the Wolfen officially founded the Dreamwalkers, a faction of Afterworld-born mortals that take it upon themselves to defend the realm and realms connected to it. Naturally they made the faction in joint with the Dryads of Somniva, becoming a strong force within the Soundless Forest.
At some point the Gate of Dreams was assaulted by Demons who wished to fill the Dream with unyielding nightmares. Knowing that their way of existence was in danger, the Dreamwalkers travelled through the Gate of Dreams onto Auria wishing to set up a firmer defence that could prevent the forces of the void access into the realm beyond. Alongside the aid of the Elves native to the land and the Dryads, the three races built one unified city that served both as a home to the three races as well as a fortress that hid the Gate of Dreams inside - Nytlerei.
Although the Dryads continued their work to aid the dreamers in Auria, the Wolfen that travelled to Auria set themselves up as hunters among the societies of the world, tracking down Demonic beings and slaying them. However life would not remain simple for the newborn Wolfen race as they would discover a weakness in themselves: When a Wolfen surrenders themselves to the primal urges within them, they begin to lose pieces of their very sanity and self, slowly incurring an irreversible transformation that turns the noble Wolfen into a primordial beast known as a Werewolf.
Knowing the fragility of their minds, the Wolfen would draw focus towards acts of meditation and calm in order to lessen the chances of any of them suffering such fate.
Ages ago, a pack of Wolfen came across a group of Human refugees that were getting attacked by Demons in Serena, which was all the Wolfen needed to see to jump into action, cornering the Demons and slaying them one after the other, the Wolfen recieving mortal blows in the process. However, when the air was clear of Demon filth, one of the Humans stepped forward thanking the Wolfen for their aid and asking them to stay and protect them, to which the packleader refused saying that they must continue their eternal hunt only to reconsider when the Humans said they can help with healing their wounded. The two races traveled up the nearby mountain on where the Human caravan set up their campsite, welcoming the wolfmen in and tending to their wounds as thanks for their aid. In return, the Wolfen stayed in the camp for a month to protect them from the occasional Monster or Demon while also teaching the Humans to fight in the ways of the Wolfen. After the Wolfen departed, the Humans went on to build up their town of Emere on the mountain, their people soon becoming known as great Demon Hunters much like the Wolfen who taught them.
At a point in history, many Wolfen far past the first generation of their kind would begin to seek the hidden truths of their origins which would lead to them discovering the way the god Fenros and Medena transformed them into cursed figures to serve them. The Wolfen societies would be split in twine, with those that see it as a just punishment for their own foolishness, and those who did not. Those that declined the Wildgod's past decision would rebel against their own kind and travel to Imperia to become a part of Luxfordia once more, though the Kingdom would not welcome them with open arms until they would state their case, resulting in the Duke of Ironwatch petitioning these Wolfen to be integrated into the empire as former Humans who have been redeemed.
In modern times, only a fraction of Wolfen remain who still hunt Demons actively while the rest have settled down for calmer lives all over the world, though Nytlerei remains their capital at heart. As beings originally from Somniva, all Wolfen have a natural connection to the wilds and are able to pick up magic easier than most, though unlike the Dryads they are not born with such powers and must work towards achieving it. Wolfen are able to bond with animals a lot faster than other races and they make great tamers because of that, many Wolfen honouring the pact one makes with a beast and viewing those that use beasts without respect in a bad light.
Wolfen are deeply connected with the Dreamworld even if they no longer inhabit it. As with Dryads or Fairies, the Wolfen are vulnerable to being corrupted by the Nightmare, turning them into Feral Wolfen.
Religion and Culture
As their culture is heavily entwined with that of Somniva and the Dream, Wolfen primarily religion is that of nature's worship. Like with the other races of Wylderin, the Wolfen seek to give praise to many different Gods who represent different aspects of Nature with the two Wolf Gods being hailed as their primary Gods of worship, while also seeing Animals with higher regard than others. They seek lives as close to nature as possible and regularly attempt to cultivate it however they can, and they are vicious defenders against those that seek to defile that which they sing praise towards. Wolfen culture is also inspired by a drive for adventure and battle in order to defend what they hold dear and seek broader horizons, with their race practicing exotic ways of combat which have been passed down from the era when they were first made part of Somniva's forces. Both the Dreamwalkers of Somniva and the Wylderin of Gwynbrenon follow these traditions.
The Wolfen have been known for taking enjoyment in living in the wilderness with as little urbanization as possible, building wooden Hiekoda buildings at the edge of forests or deep within them that would serve as the home of a large Wolfen family led by a dominant male and female that would adopt the families of others into their household to live together like a pack, working the land as a united force. Here they would tend to the nearby land, worshiping it and caring for it while also gaining from it a bounty of harvest. These Hiekodas are built to this day all throughout Auria and they are considered sacred to their people.
The Wolfen that have integrated into Luxfordia follow beliefs and morals of the Humans and Elves that are part of the kingdom. Some Wolfen there follow Divinism, though many choose to not follow anything.
Following the split of the Wylderin Wolfen and the Luxfordian ones, their race as a whole would seek peace with one another and in unity start practicing a tradition where they would make use of their innate abilities and learn to shapeshift, taking the form of a Humanoid figure they believed would fit most to the ancient times where they were still Humans. These forms can range from a normal Human to a Hybrid of a Human and another race, typically one that would have interacted with the Humans back during the Battle of the Wilds, while some would also choose to take the form of Elves instead. The tradition serves as a way to pay respects to the lives that were lost during the war that bore the Wolfen and to honour their ancestors, with some going as far as researching what family they had previously belonged to to try and replicate their look in their Humanoid form, though such cases are few and far between.
Society and its Structure
The Wolfen race is split into different societies and groups each with their own motives and drives. Most commonly, the Wylderin Wolfen live in Gwynbrenon and make up a rough third of the people under the Wylderin banner. They are led by an Alpha who comes from the Wildhunt lineage, with the current title in possession of Lughandra Wildhunt. Their social structure is entwined with the Wylderin as a whole, with little difference between them and the Elves.
The Dreamwalker Wolfen who live in Somniva are an ancient group dedicated to protecting the Soundless Forest from foreign threats. They are led by Argid Julius Wildhunt, the first Wolfen.
The Luxfordian Wolfen primarily live in Imperia under the banner of Luxfordia. Though they have no official leader of their own kind, they answer under the current King or Queen and are seen as an integral piece of the kingdom. Since joining Luxfordia, the number of Wolfen officially considered Luxfordian have diminished as many of their kind have returned to Gwynbrenon or simply chose to no longer affiliate themselves with the nation.
Racial Traits
Dreambound - The Wolfen's innate connection to the Afterworld grants them a special affinity towards ether, making it more straightforward for them to learn magic. Furthermore, their bodies are easier to manipulate allowing for stronger shapeshifting.
Animal Kinship - Borne of the Wolf Gods, the Wolfen bear a natural connection to the wildlife of Auria. They have an easier time understanding and bonding with beasts.
Bestial Senses - Wolfen possess stronger senses of smell and hearing. Their eyes give a faint glow in the dark, granting partial darkvision.
Feral Spirit - As descendants of humans and blessed by the God of the Hunt, Wolfen possess an innate combat proficiency that makes them skilled combatants.
Instinctual Loyalty - The curse of their punishment has given the Wolfen an instinctual desire to follow orders issued by a more caste society. Refusal to follow them often results in discomfort and, in rarer cases, illness in the form of migraines and sickness.
Physical Appearance and Behaviour
Wolfen are somewhat tall, canine Humanoids with fur covering their entire body, their facial structure resembling that of a wolf down to the assortment of earshapes and canid eyes which glow. Their snout size ranges from person to person. Wolfen have somewhat long tongues as well as sensitive noses that help them sense smell better. The body structure of a Wolfen is also incredibly varied, appearing as either more lean and Human-like or more monstrous and muscular, or anything in between. The hands of a Wolfen are outfitted with long claw-like fingers and some Wolfen also sporting a long wolf tail that protrudes from their backside, the size of it varying from person to person as well. The legs of a Wolfen are almost always well built and their big paws allow them greater stability when standing up.
Since they were created to essentially serve a God and were given new purpose, Wolfen are naturally loyal to a cause or person they follow. Many Wolfen seek active duty, a job or an adventuring life to relieve the thirst for purpose they feel and they are often unable to let go of the things that give them this joy as easily as most. They are also compassionate towards those they care for, while openly hostile towards those they dislike.
