Fury of Aerðs
Story Weaver
- Intent: To create an evolved variant of the Lupine species.
- Image Credit: Darren and Bella 'Simul'
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Lupine, Loth-wolves, Islimore
- Name: Islimorian Lupine / Lupine Variant / Lupo
- Designation: Sentient
- Origins: Figaro Favoura VII. Believed by Lupo scholars to be Islimore.
- Average Lifespan: 200 Years
- Estimated Population: Rare - Estimated between 30-50
- Description: In their un-transformed state, Lupo look no different than your average human, with the exception of being a bit on the tall side. Transformed, the distinctions are much the same, being taller and overall larger than their Lupine counterpart.
- Breathes: Type I
- Average Height of Adults:
Average Height In Human Form:
Male Lupo: 182.88cm - 213.36cm
Female Lupo: 175.26cm - 200.66cm
*** As in their human state, male Lupo tend to be on the larger side, while females smaller, though this is not always the case and genders height and length can vary.
- Average Height In Lupo Form:
121.92cm - 152.4cm at the shoulder. - Average Length of Adults:
Wolf Form: 182.88cm - 243.84cm - Head to tail - Skin color: Skin tone varies depending on climate and partner, with anything from fair to dark brown. Other colors may occur in cross-species couplings.
- Hair color: Hair color ranges include black, brown, blonde, and more rarely, red. Other colors may occur in cross-species couplings. Fur color is tied to biome of origin. See ‘Races’.
*Eye color: Common colors include grey, yellow, black or green. Rarely occurring colors are blue, violet, red, and orange. - Distinctions:
Races:
The Veture [arctic wolves]
The Veture, or ‘arctic wolves’, are typically white or very light grey. Their coats differ from other Lupo in that they have a double layer. As the weather cools the top coat thickens, while the layer closest to their skin is waterproof to help keep them dry and protect their body heat in subzero temperatures.
The Adevmok [desert wolves]
The Adevmok, or ‘desert wolves’, are the smallest wolves of the Lupo species, but with their longer legs and snow-shoe paws, they have great mobility and can run more quickly even on desert sands, than their counterparts. Their coats are short and silky, with colors that vary between reddish-grey, to light brown for natural camouflage.
The Hénoitur [forest wolves]
The ‘Hénoitur', or ‘forest wolves’, have medium thickness coats that range from brindle to brown and greys, their paws are shaped to allow them to move nearly soundless across ground littered with twigs and leaves. Their shorter coats also allow them to leave virtually no trace when they brush along bushes.
- Force Sensitivity: High - almost all Lupo are born with a strong connection to the Force, with the rare occurrence of one who is born without. Unlike base Lupine, these rare Lupo are celebrated members of their communities. See, ‘Culture’.
General Lupine Abilities
Keen Sense of Smell
A Lupo’s sense of smell is fourteen times stronger than your average human. They use this to identify each other's packs and territory, but also for detecting poisons, contaminants, tracking, and hunting.
Enhanced Hearing
Next in line of the most acute of the Lupo senses, is hearing. For a young Lupo, their hearing range quickly triples beyond that of a human, being able to hear up to six miles away. By the time they are young adults, the average Lupo can hear up to 15 miles away in the open.
Speed
Only an advantage while in Lupine form. Lupo legs are long and can walk up to 8 mph, reaching speeds of 80 mph during a chase. Under normal circumstances, they do not use their full speed unless hunting.
Powerful Jaws
Their bite certainly outdoes their bark. Because of their larger size, a Lupo’s bite is 130% more powerful than the force of your average Lupine. That is 1900lbs per square inch of power, enabling them to bite straight through bone with little effort.
Strong, Sharp Claws
Excellent for digging, or slashing prey, Lupo claws can break skin, shred fabrics, and cut into leather.
Other Strengths
Dominant Gene
Lupo gene is dominant when mated with non-Lupo, resulting in completely Lupo offspring to an extent.
Gene Dilution
While the Lupo Gene is dominant in circumstances of mating, dilution of the gene introduces challenges with a young Lupo’s first change, introducing the possibility of the youth not surviving their first change, and is believed to be responsible for the high death rate of Female Lupo, giving them a 1/10 chance of survival. Individuals with DNA containing less than 25% Lupo genes will not possess the ability to change, but will still have a very hormonally and emotionally challenging puberty, and Lupo genes will otherwise express themselves in a variety of ways - anything from unusual colours of eyes, to full-on body fur, all the way up to severe genetic abnormalities. On the very, very, very rare occasion, these significantly diluted individuals are born physically as wolves, with human brains, but with a host of medical challenges, and the likelihood of a significant reduction in lifespan, to no more than twenty years.
Involuntary Changing
Extreme injury, stress, or being close to death, can cause a Lupo to shift uncontrollably from human to wolf. By the time this happens, the Lupo has lost all rational thought and cognitive awareness, relying purely on their innate instincts to try and survive. This can be a problem for non-Lupo and Lupo alike, as it can result in the death of any in the vicinity of the raving Lupo, and it is thus not uncommon in such circumstances to have to put the beast down for the safety of all concerned.
Insanity
Shifting is often a quick, and in the beginning, painful, process. A Lupo who chooses not to shift may face several risks that include shorter life spans (90 years instead of their normal 200), more painful transformations, and the worst of all, insanity. A Lupo who has gone years without a transformation is prone to hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, and may struggle with completing daily tasks or activities, finding it difficult to concentrate for any amount of time, and may act more ‘wolf like’ in their human forms. I.e, growling, biting, etc. The longer this goes on, the more they will become unstable, both physically and mentally, until they are ultimately consumed by their conditions and die. (Note: This is not the same as general Lupine insanity, as that problem was solved by the introduction of Loth-wolf genes.)
Lupo Society
Gender Roles
Both genders were considered just as important as the other and both men and women could hold leadership roles, and rise to higher positions (outside of the Draoidae and Vateos, which you are only chosen for) if they worked for it. While most women often took roles as clan leaders, healers, poets, or homemakers, all female Lupo had a right to bear arms and it was not uncommon for them to lead clan assemblies, act as judges in political and military disputes, or to follow their mates into war, sometimes leading the revolts and battles themselves.
Education
All Lupo children were required to receive an education. This was left up to the Alpha’s and clan members to see through, thus certain bits of knowledge in a child's life varied, depending on your role in society. Academically, there was a general baseline of expectation that all children would learn such things as music, grammer, geometry, and some basic understanding of their history.
Physical Training
The warrior mentality followed all Lupo from birth and was an important part of their culture. Formalized training encouraged physical strength and prowess, which was often the difference between life or death for young Lupo that had yet to experience their first change. From a young age, all Lupo boys and girls were taught a variety of skills and combat techniques. Wooden weapons were wrapped in leather and given to the children to practice with. Wrestling was also encouraged, helping them practice speed, agility, rules, and discipline. They were expected to act honorably while honing their skills, with an adult lingering nearby to supervise.
Child Rearing and Family Life
Children in Lupo culture have never been treated much differently than the adults, though there was always considerable concern for their daughters, who were afforded many more comforts than their male counterparts. From a young age, pups were expected to work within their family unit to help with the daily tasks around the home, on top of schooling, and their physical training, which started as early as four years old. Tasks around the home were always age appropriate, and before the purge, would include such things like feeding the livestock, adding ingredients to meals, gathering firewood for the hearths, or picking berries for their table.
Anasi
Anasi is a royal title reserved for what some might see as a kind of ‘Kingship’, and referred to Lupo who were at the top of the Kaiha. For generations, the Anasi title belonged to one family, Clan Svärd, who were seen as divine rulers, chosen by the Gods themselves, and the strongest proven warriors of their society. However, when the last Anasi died of Clan Svärd, the title became more broad and allowed for members of each clan to test their skills against one another in ritual combat at the end of the previous Anasi’s life, sometimes to the death, to determine who would hold the rank and lead the Lupo next. Any Lupo, Male or Female, within the Kaiha could compete in this competition, and was not just limited to clan Alpha’s.
Kaiha
Kaiha are consistent bloodlines of pure male and pure female Lupo. They are considered the 'ruling' or 'royal' families of Lupo society. Kaiha typically acted independently, managing their own lands, and the ‘Zorathi’, who lived there. Royal packs usually only answered to the ‘Anasi’. During their zenith, there were over fifty different Kaiha’s on Islimore.
Zorathi
The Zorathi encompassed farmers, merchants, and soldiers of Lupo society. They did not own their own lands and lived as renters of the Kaiha. However, there was always room for the Zorathi to rise in prominence. Zorathi could still be chosen for roles of the Draoidae and the Vateos, while the more skilled or strongest, could be chosen to serve the Anasi as personal guards or advisors.
The Draoidae
The Draoidae are the leaders of the Lupo Religion, sole practitioners of religious rites, and keepers, protectors, and disseminators of the ceremonies and traditions of their culture. These leaders have traditionally come from Clan Ótta, but as time went on, one member of each other clan has been chosen to dedicate their lives to the Gods and see their traditions and ceremonies passed on within the family units, and to maintain balance.
To be a Draoidh or Draoidae was a favourable position amongst the Lupo, and they were highly influential members of Lupo society. As such, it was the hope of many parents that one of their children would be chosen, believing it would elevate them in the eyes of society and the Gods.
Those Chosen spent their pre-change years undergoing training amongst Clan Ótta, which included learning of the rites, ceremonies, traditions, songs, and texts of their religion, in addition to the individual physical training and education required of all Lupo. Members of Clan Ótta have often been mated to the Chosen Draoidh and Draoidae, and such mated Chosen were always added to Clan Ótta, regardless of their sex.
The Vateos
Keepers of histories, and records of births, deaths, and matings. Creators of law, and leaders of the Pilgrimage. Traditionally, Vateos have been of Clan Kühn, though as time went on, members were chosen from among each others clans to maintain histories and records, and to maintain balance. The Chosen were often sent to the Kühn for training, spending the better part of twelve years learning stories, laws, poems, philosophy, the maintenance of records and family bloodlines, and most importantly, all of the necessary steps in performing a successful Pilgrimage. If their training was successful, the Chosen Vateos added their blood to the Kühn clan archives, took the oath of the clan, and left their own families behind.
The Chosen
Before the purge, each main clan of the Draoidae and Vateos of Lupo culture supervised the entire training of the Chosen, including the standard training and general education that every Lupo gets, and Force training, if they were a Sensitive. As such, though they did have time with their families, the Chosen grew up with their peers in their sect and amongst the overseeing Clan. Non-Sensitive Chosen often had more spare time than their Sensitive peers, and it is usually from these that the artisans, artists, and bards of Lupo culture emerged.
Family
Packs are organized into clans which always consist of an Alpha male and female. Once the Alpha couple begin to have children, those children become members of their parents ‘clan’. When the eldest child comes of age and finds his mate, the eldest male and his companion will become the new ‘Alpha Pair’. Other children of the previous Alpha union may challenge the eldest for the position of Alpha during this transition phase. Likewise, elder siblings may choose to defer their position to another of their siblings. Once the Alpha position has been secured in the clan unit, it then becomes his and his mate’s responsibility to take on the leadership role. This can look a little different, depending on which social structure the pack falls under. For Kaiha, that means managing their lands and rents, running the household and managing finances, ensuring the safety for all of the people who live under their protection, and putting the needs of the clan before anything else. For a Zorathi, it typically means taking on the previous Alpha’s occupation. As for the previous Alpha, that pairing will take on the titles of ‘Aevo’ and ‘Aevea’, and are cared for by the new Alpha and his mate. In the case of desperate circumstances, the brother of an established Alpha may challenge for the position, if the case is supported by the Aevo and Aevea.
Remaining brothers from the Male Alpha’s family, including any uncles from his father, will stay by the new Alpha pair’s side without taking a mate of their own. They are not expected to remain celebate, and if it happens that members of the clan have children outside of the pack, those children are taken from their non-Lupine mothers and integrated with the rest of their family, becoming members of the Alpha’s clan themselves. All female members of the clan, however, are free to leave their birth packs as they wish, and choose a mate from another pack whether or not they are from the Alpha union. Father’s like to give advice to their daughters and input on who they believe will be a good match for them, but ultimately leave the choice up to her. In rare instances, mates are chosen for them.
While it’s not required that extended clan members live together, it’s not uncommon to have ‘multi-generational’ units living under one roof together. Often those who choose to live outside the clan home and make this separation distinct, are members of the clan who may have had children outside the pack, doing this for the sake of having some anonymity with their children during the intervening years before their first change - which can be a stressful time for parents whose children may not come from a ‘pure’ pairing, as the survival rate of such children tends to drop dramatically.
Known Clans That Remain:
Clan Ulf/Ylva Clan Drage Clan Unfrid
Clan Víðir Clan Vaden Clan Otta
Clan Víðir Clan Vaden Clan Otta
Possibly Extinct Clans:
Clan Baltje Clan Gerben Clan Auer Clan Urmav Clan Vor Clan Bardage
Clan Vries Clan Threist Clan Kühn Clan Ulin Clan Hathbi Clan Aestla
Clan Aedir Clan Kóri Clan Ölvir Clan Vrá
Clan Vries Clan Threist Clan Kühn Clan Ulin Clan Hathbi Clan Aestla
Clan Aedir Clan Kóri Clan Ölvir Clan Vrá
Extinct Clans:
Clan Ulvin Clan Uxorid Clan Stigg Clan Tiogvild Clan Fóra Clan Obára
Clan Emniof Clan Kuolurr Clan Aueluther Clan Huonoin Clan Eidudóin Clan Urfaulgen
Clan Tuvrr Clan Jillker Clan Aurridi Clan Gra Clan Gyldir Clan Holta
Clan Thoa Clan Eirrin Clan Srikek Clan Vur Clan Thaurji Clan Mani
Clan Mjova Clan Reyni Clan Rugga Clan Naeord Clan Kunri Clan Jotun
Clan Flein Clan Cronhielm Clan Strid Clan Stark Clan Svärd Clan Trana
Clan Eld Clan Rask Clan Orm Clan Stahl Clan Hager Clan Ugled
Clan Älg Clan Nyström Clan Eklund Clan Olafur Clan Vaenin Clan Ainön Clan Lechner
Clan Emniof Clan Kuolurr Clan Aueluther Clan Huonoin Clan Eidudóin Clan Urfaulgen
Clan Tuvrr Clan Jillker Clan Aurridi Clan Gra Clan Gyldir Clan Holta
Clan Thoa Clan Eirrin Clan Srikek Clan Vur Clan Thaurji Clan Mani
Clan Mjova Clan Reyni Clan Rugga Clan Naeord Clan Kunri Clan Jotun
Clan Flein Clan Cronhielm Clan Strid Clan Stark Clan Svärd Clan Trana
Clan Eld Clan Rask Clan Orm Clan Stahl Clan Hager Clan Ugled
Clan Älg Clan Nyström Clan Eklund Clan Olafur Clan Vaenin Clan Ainön Clan Lechner
- Diet: Lupo are omnivores, but the majority of their diet consists primarily of meat and protein. Many share a common allergy to theobromine, primarily found in chocolate, and have an allergy to caffeine as well. The sensitivity towards theobromine can range from mild (e.g. general sense of unwellness, nausea, vomiting, bloody stool) to severe (e.g. anaphylaxis), and in some cases results in death. Small doses of caffeine can be enough to make a Lupo’s heart race and cause a state of panic, while higher amounts can lead to a heart attack.
Food Preferences
Lupo will eat anything from pollen, to grains, but primarily enjoy red meat and the occasional dairy product (though not every Lupo can handle the cheese). Most food they prepare is on the bland side, with the most mild seasonings. Spicy food tends to upset their stomachs.
Cuisine
In most Lupo households, food and the preparation of the meal was a family affair, and often times before the purge, entire clans hunted their own meats together, and cultivated their lands for fruits and vegetables in their own orchards and gardens with their children. Farming was an important aspect in how they supported their clans. It was most common that Lupo ate three meals a day, all from foods they would produce themselves. Stews and thick soups were frequently made, often from bantha, deer, or other large game they’d find in the forests, though this could change on that Lupo’s location and climate. Lupo close to the sea, for instance, tended to rely on fish, since they had easy access to them.
Common meals
Bantha Skink
A thick soup of bantha meat, potatoes, and onions.
Hare Bree
Soup that is very gamey in flavor, using the entire hare to make it. The blood is generally saved for part of the broth, and vegetables may be thrown in for extra flavor.
Beverages
Lavos
Lavos is a common alcoholic beverage enjoyed by many different clans, it’s made from the nectar of the violet flower called ‘Tari’ that grows in abundance on Islimore. After the flowers are gathered, the nectar is extracted and dissolved in water, boiled, and later sealed, left to ferment for a months time before being served.
Baatri
A non-alcoholic version of Lavos, made exclusively for Lupo children and served up on special occasions and celebrations.
- Communication:
Human form: High Galactic (Islimorian Dialect), Galactic Basic (Islimorian Dialect), Wufi (Dominant Lupo Language, Pre-Human Arrival)
Wolf form: Barks, yips, whines, howls, growls, snuffles, etc. - Technology level: Galactic Standard, before the Purge. Presently, varying levels of technological levels, from basic subsistence for some surviving Clans or individual Lupo, all the way to Galactic Standard for others.
- Religion/Beliefs:
Lupine Paganism
The Lupine religion has no official name. It is polythestic in nature with over 200 Gods and Goddesses, with only the major and most important having names, while the rest are without. They strive for balance in all things, believing all life exists in an interconnected web.
Ruling Deities
Aerðs
God of death, war, and revenge. He is the supreme ruler of the spiritual realm of Freann.
V́atyn
Goddess of light, inspiration, and Fire. She is the benefactress of inner healing and vital energy.
Xæiar
Goddess of divination and prophecy.
Rænör
Wild God of abundance, life, and the hunt. The ‘Rikki Faðir’
Cérmæ
Goddess of wisdom, strength, and protection. The ‘Rikki Moðir’.
Naé
God of water, poetry, and illusion.
Lesser Deities:
Arwen
Spirit of summer
Druanit
Spirit of autumn
Bibe
Spirit of spring
Nuaed
Spirit of Winter
Beliefs- Belief in immortality and reincarnation.
- Bodies must be burnt entirely so the spirit can be reborn.
- All life is sacred.
- They follow The 6 Virtues of Spirit
- *** Scholars believe that early Islimorian Lupine practiced essence transfer and mind wipes to give second life and achieve immortality until the practice was dropped indefinitely when it became evident that it interfered with the species connection to their 'gods and spirits', as well as causing other problems to both the user and the receiver. It is now much more of a spiritual belief, than a tangible one.
The 6 Virtues of Spirit
1. Exercise fortitude and act bravely in war - for our souls are deathless, and there is future reward in Freann.
2. Worship the Gods who gave us life, for we are the sparks of their flames.
3. Seek the truth, hold it against the world, its echoes will guide you.
4. Seek the mate of one's heart, for we are the delight of their eyes.
5. Bear future generations and tell them all laws and tales, for they are the joy of both parent and god.
6. Live with honor and intent, keeping all oaths. For without honor, we are bereft of dignity and truth.
Freann
The spirit realm. It is believed that when a deceased Lupine is burned, if they have not finished their 6 Virtues of Spirit during their life, then they wait in Freann to be reborn so they can continue performing their virtues in the next. It is believed that some souls travel together through time. Sometimes referred to as the ‘twin flames of Aerðs’, each part uniting to make one whole. These share a history stretching several lives, reaching unexplored heights of enlightenment in each new existence. But, like all souls, at the end of their spiritual journey they will end the reincarnation process to eventually be reunited with their ancestors and feast with them at the table of the Gods.
Summerlight Gathering
In the times before the gods left their mortal children the god Rænör and the spirit Arwen would throw a day of celebration to herald in the summer solstice. In that time Xæiar would help young women divine signs to help them choose a mate or find out if the one they choose has a path that aligns with theirs.
However, after the great parting that created the Wolfswoods, such fell to their kin to do. The gods and spirits took pity on them and would lend their help as they could, but they couldn’t do so unchallenged. There were other spirits, some mischievous, but others malicious and angry that try to interfere because they still blamed the Lupine for the foolishness that left the gods so unhappy.
Summerlight Gathering is a day of sacrifices, feasting, merriment and the next step along one’s path. Flowers are gathered and set on small boats down a river with the names of their intended or the one who they hope is their intended. Then on the morning of the next day the young woman or young couple see if their boats survived the journey or if they arrived safely.
A boat that arrives, but had damage, is said to be an omen that this choice could be fraught with much hardship. However the union has the chance of great strength because despite that hardship they remained together.
A boat that did not survive has many reasons, perhaps the boat was never strong enough. Perhaps an angry spirit was able to wrest it from the water. All agree however that a boat never to find safe on a shore is a sign that this path will always end up unhappily.
A boat that survives unscathed is not considered to not have it’s shares of perils like the other two signs. It is seen as a sign that everything will follow the path it is meant to follow. It is a sign that trying this path is neither good or bad, but solid enough to consider and in harmony with the river ahead.
Jumping a bonfire on the last night of the two day celebration after your boat survives is said to be telling the gods and the spirits you acknowledge the risks and you will leap forward through them.
Charms and rituals are performed on homes to protect those that share the hearth within. The night between the first day and the second is a giddy one for it is a night that all Lupine do not sleep. Sleeping leaves one vulnerable to not just their enemies, but also the spirits whose anger and ill intent would cause a sleeping Lupine harm on this day when the distance between is weaker. Contact with water of any kind, like swimming or bathing, is also considered to be dangerous for it is a medium the spirits can use to bring harm. Children however, because of their purity are protected till they come of age, but do not come in contact with water just to be safe. However they can dream without fear if they find themselves doing so.
The Pilgrimage Rite
When a Lupine child comes of age and survives his or her first change, this is the day they claim their heritage and their blood is immortalized with that of their clan’s.
One of the Kühn shows up at their doorstep and asks if there was a child of age ready for their pilgrimage and given them the location for them to come when it was convenient.
Back in times where the Lupine thrived, they would have walked to the Wolfswood, a place of ivory barked trees whose leaves were ever gold like sunlight. Bushes of red flowers line the path whose leaves fall and make a carpet like blood mingled with fallen gold as light leaves upon the ground. A solemn walk where the father would tell his child the importance of where they walked and speak of the gods having their eyes upon them in this moment.
A ceremony would be held, a lamb sacrificed and it’s blood marking the face of the Lupine child. From there the child splits their skin so their blood wells up and smears it on the tree. The Kühn performing the ceremony would then later take that blood and see it archived.
Later after the Faythe started hunting the Lupine people towards extinction, the Kühn moved the end location of the pilgrimage to a moon they had claimed as theirs. This moon was about two weeks ship flight from the Lupine planetary system, the coordinates only known to the Kühn. They didn’t move their clan there, in case so many coming and going more than just for pilgrimage caught the attention of their enemies.
Over time, less and less grew up to be taken, but the Kühn still did their best to take those of age. To keep this tradition alive and to keep up with the bloodlines. However, to the present day, the Kühn bring the dead to this place to burn them and to at least see that the dead get a place within even if their name is never known.
Always however, alive or deceased, the Lupine are charted and their Rite given.
The Feast of Aerðs
Souls that pass on were normally never seen again, but on a day as the separation waned a single man got brave and slipped through to visit his family. It was then he learned his clan was not well, for his descendant was a boy too young to stand on his own, but torn between the advice of his advisors. For one night he gave the boy everything he could and returned.
At first the gods were angered. How dare this mortal soul defy their edict, but then they heard what he found. They decided that for one night every year the souls of the departed may look in on their clan and guide those who may need it. As they watched on they saw that while they themselves could not reach their children, guidance from their loved ones was a sort of compromise. It is not uncommon for Lupo the morning after to find themselves with their burdens eased and direction to be found for that which their worries were over.
The feast of Aerðs is the biggest celebration of the year; it’s a time when the veil between Freann and Islimore is at its thinnest, allowing the spirits to roam, or the living to pass through the gate to Freann. Many clans would welcome the dead by lighting a small fire in front of their houses to help guide the spirits that had not yet been reincarnated, back home.
As the last harvest before winter, many gather together to glean the last of their crops and share their plentiful bounty with other clans.
The Wolveswood is often visited at this time of year to recite prayers and ask for the blessings of the deceased. If a clan could not make it out to the woods, then a member of the Draoidae may come out to a clans home to deliver rites.
By the end of the night, after festivities have ceased, Lupo return to their homes and write down an aspect in their lives that they want to be free of. The paper is then folded up and lit on fire, hoping their ills will be consumed with the fire. When the flame settles, and all that remains are the ashes, they gather up the cinders to try and recall past lives. In this they let go of any pain or loss they might be holding onto, making peace with the deceased.
Lupine Lore and Legends
Creation of The Wolfswood
The story goes that the First Clan the Gods blessed upon the land of Islimor were gifted with a holy land upon to thrive. That they grew in a golden time of radiance and light, but that through a disagreement one feast day, that radiance was shattered.
Some say it was over a woman. Others say, which most agree with, it started over the foolishness of a man. The feast day was in honor of the leader of the gods. In those days the gods feasted with them, were close to their children. It was proposed that if one lucky man could rise above the rest at the feast, he may ask a boon of the gods.
The Lord of all gods, a bit too drunk upon the mead that flowed, agreed with a hearty laugh to let it be so.
However, what started off as a drunken game turned into a war most foul. What was first one clan, became several clans and the sacred place they once shared tainted with the life’s blood of countless men and women. By the time one man rose to the top, the gods were disgusted. The light and laughter of days past a memory. They honored the pact made, offering the man his boon.
The wolf looked down at the carnage beneath him and wept. He begged the gods to not abandon them, to forgive them their foolishness and not cast them from their sacred lands.
The gods, honor bound, agreed they would not turn their backs fully from them, but instead would not walk amongst them so freely ever again.
It was upon that day the Wolfswood was born. However, sacred bushes and flowers of red were to be planted every time a grove was planted, to serve as a reminder of the cost of the folly of that tragic day. From then on the only time the Gods could be felt, were when walking in this sacred place. A Lupine could only come to these places in times of inner or outer troubles, on the day their spirits leave their bodies and after a Lupine survives first change so that the Gods can look at their new child.
Xæiar's Noble Sacrifice
After the creation of the Wolfswood, the Gods had put their children at a distance and watched their children struggle to adjust. Always they came to her seeking guidance, but now Xæiar was not there to aid them. So she cut her palm and let her blood flow downward creating a place for a small seed of her power to blossom. She sent a vision to a priest of erecting stones and of men and women from each clan giving themselves to the stones to make a bridge between herself and her power so that from that point forth this place could act like a compass for those that come seeking. It was her hope that her children would no longer feel so lost or worried for their futures.
Folk Songs
[Unknown author, believed to have been written sometime after the purge.]
Oh, my love, let me drift away
Oh, my love, let me drift away
Oh, my love, let me drift away
Darling, let me go home as you found me.
For if I should become a stranger
My clan and my brothers would chastise me
Singing songs for the fool I was, the fool I was
Oh, and it’s true that I loved you
Your beauty was striking, and your kisses were fair
But Islimore beckons me, and they cannot compare
Oh, my love, let me drift away
Oh, my love, let me drift away
Oh, my love, let me drift away
Darling, let me go home as you found me
So, tomorrow when the suns glow dims, and the kisses have flown,
I know what to do and will bid thee aideu,
Darling, I'll finally go home as you found me.
Xenophobia
Due to the Purge, surviving Lupo that are still cognizant of their history express wariness, if not outright loathing towards humans. They are most friendly with species most like them, and others with visible distinctions from base humans. For example, Lupo are fine with Wookiees and Zeltrons, but they may not act kindly to an Anzat until the proboscises make an appearance.
Lupo Pre-History
The ones that came to be the Islimorian Lupines (Lupo) were secreted away during inter-house strife on Figaro Favoura VII, by a Sith Alchemist who happened upon the species during his or her travels. Most believe that this occurred sometime around the Old Sith Wars, but Lupine history bears no record of the event, for reasons unknown. One minor house was, in effect, deleted from Figaro Favoura VII’s history by this occurrence - a fact known to no-one.
Seeking to rectify the inherent madness that Lupines succumb to, the Alchemist, among other adjustments, spliced their subjects with Loth-wolves, believing this would balance out the issues of the Lupine race, while at the same time producing a bigger, more powerful beast for the Alchemist’s own nefarious ends. Though this was successful, there were other effects that became apparent with this mixing, such as the young growing much slower than the original Lupine, on par with the growth rate of a human. Dissatisfied with this fact, and with impatience getting the better of the Alchemist, they set their creation aside on a seemingly untouched world, with the plan to check on them on occasion. Maybe they would die… but this isn’t what came to pass. Months later, the Alchemist met their own end, and the world that would come to be known as Islimore, and its Lupo, were left unchecked and unknown for centuries, developing their own culture, beliefs, and approach to the Force that is believed to have possibly been influenced by ancient settlers of the world.
The Blackmoore Conquest
When William Blackmoore and his human invaders came to claim the Wodan system, the Lupo tried to resist the conqueror who roamed their lands, killing their men, women, and children, cutting down their sacred groves, and smashing their altars and temples.
After years of bloodshed and warfare, the Lupo formed a pact with the human invaders who went on to carve out land and Kingdoms for themselves. During this time, many pure Lupo families were given ranks, titles, and large swathes of land to cultivate so they could continue their way of life and carry out their traditions in peace in exchange for complete loyalty to their new rulers.
Over the years they tried to maintain their traditions, but many of the younger generations became enamoured by their new foreign neighbors and began to heavily intermingle with the rapidly increasing human population. It’s undetermined, but an accepted theory, that the presence of human DNA in the species is to blame for the possible genetic abnormalities that have weakened the species, resulting in the death of the genetically diluted and female Lupo.
The Waning of a Dynasty - The Fayth Rises
As Islimorian Human culture grew and changed, their own 'religion' developed. The Fayth is believed to have come out of a mix of their study of the ancient civilization that once roamed Islimore, and bits of the Lupo religion. A lesser-known fact was that the Fayth’s founding was on the basis of the excavated bones of said ancient civilization being human in structure, forging a pact amongst speciesist elements of Islimorian human society - a way of thinking believed to have been introduced by the marrying of a Chandaari princess into the Islimorian court - to take what they now strongly believed to be rightfully theirs, and drive out anything else. Years passed.
The Gulag Plague
Then the Gulag Plague began sweeping across the galaxy, decimating countless worlds in its wake, including having its way with Islimore. In the aftermath, the plague came to be seen as the gift the Fayth needed to act against the Lupo and purify 'their' planet of the 'animals'. After losing so many to the plague, and the lives of so many children cut short from the effects of diluted Lupo blood, getting the remaining members of the populace behind them was easy enough, and the blame for the plague was placed squarely on the Lupo. What started as political arguments between Human and Lupo because of the spreading belief that the Lupo were cursed and diseased, evolved into riots and soon, the killing began.
The Purge
The call for spilt blood was obliged by the Fayth, who began a new era by ordering the pillaging and tearing down of Lupo altars and temples, with the first anti-Lupo laws being introduced shortly thereafter. Former friends and neighbors turned against each other, turning in anyone whom they believed were Lupo, vandalising tombs, monuments, homes, even going as far as taking the law into their own hands by taking the lives of others. It is believed that many non-Lupo were also mistakenly killed in the chaos. Though the actions were not condoned, they were also not openly condemned by the Fayth leaders. Fear was an effective motivator that they took advantage of, and in the end, the Lupo had no choice but to abandon their homes to protect their families and loved ones. Bolstered by the actions of the people and the Lupo's abandonment of their homes, the leaders used their medley of terror to enacted the entirety of their agenda. With all of their military prowess they ordered the culling of all Lupo and non-human species.
A New Reality
In the ashes of the aftermath, many Lupo clans managed to flee off world before the Fayth’s travel bans and restrictions were put in place. Although these Lupo were free of the Fayth’s wrath, the wider Galaxy was an unknown to them and the species did not find it to be the most kind or safe of places. A scattered people, the clans lost connection to each other, making them more vulnerable. Hunted for their furs or exploited for their deep connections to the Force, their numbers continued to dwindle, little by little.
Those who were unable to leave Islimore, ran to the Wolfswood to seek shelter in the mists, while others tried to remain hidden from their neighbors by remaining unchanged - with several eventually succumbing to Lupo insanity as a result. Some further adapted still, creating safe chambers in their homes where family members could discreetly shed their skins for that of fur, though they could no longer run through the woods or practice their beliefs openly for fear of being found out, as warning tales were spread far and wide by the human residents of Islimore, painting Lupo and non-human species as dangerous, raving beasts, who hid in the Wolfswood and groves, waiting for the chance to rise again and take vengeance.
And they were not entirely wrong…
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