Lynxfolk

The other of the two races of Catfolk, the nearly anthromorphic lynxfolk lay claim to the magical tundra in the east. There they connect with the energies in ways few other races understand.

Physical Description
Lynxfolk are human-like beings with the fur, head, tail and agility of a lynx. They are slightly shorter and smaller than humans, as well as scrawnier than their lionfolk cousins. Their fur moults between seasons. In summer, their fur is a reddish brown and in winter, it is a deeper, silvery grey. Lynxfolk bear little distinction in the title of ‘adult’ as they teach their young to take care of themselves as early as possible, however they do reach adolescence in the age range of 12 to 16 years old. Old age will take a lynxfolk around the age of 75.

Partly because of how much they moult, partly because they are more comfortable and closer to nature with little clothing, lynxfolk will only wear minimum clothing; often they only wear as much as a loincloth with a few belts and a bag. Their fur keeps them warm in the tundra and their introverted tribal culture has not accepted the clothing habits of civilised races.

Religion/Beliefs
"Their symbiotic relationship with the ethereal energies around them defies much of what we understand about magic and mediumship. Rather than bending magic to their will, they seem to survive side-by-side with it. — 'The Forest Cats: Journey to The Land of The Lynxfolk' Dalien Girada, human mage and explorer.'" Lynxfolk have a deep-seated connection with nature and the enigmatic spirits of the forest that surround them. Most tribes worship their own interpretations of the spirits, sometimes giving the spirits names and offerings.

The lynxfolk communicate with the spirits via their spiritual leaders, the shaman and witches. The shaman and witches differ only in gender. They serve tribes not only as healers and powerful mages, but as a conduit with the spirit world to draw upon their power and guidance. Some lynxfolk shaman and witches prefer to live more reclusive lives, away from other sentient creatures in general.

Missionaries from other faiths have often tried but always failed to convert many lynxfolk. Those lynxfolk that absolve themselves of nature’s spirits quickly find themselves feeling secluded, lonely and weak. The condition worsens until the lynxfolk lose the motivation to eat and starve to death.

Fighting Style
"They killed almost the entire legion. Picked us off bit by bit. The only safe place was in the open, even then, they had clear shots at us. The ones that survived learned to fear any fleeting shadow or tree, but I think they have just left us alive to tell the tale. — Written in the journal of an imperial human soldier after a failed incursion into lynxfolk territory." Because lynxfolk have no access to metal tools except what is stolen or scavenged from other races, their weapons are primitive. They use bows, spears, wooden shields and clubs, with obsidian and wood being the most common materials. Lynxfolk are especially adaptable to the use of short swords and daggers.

The lynxfolk accept that they are not the most brutish and strong race in the world, so they adapt by using ambushes, swiftness, traps and poisons on their enemies. If a threat should be too great to be dealt with using these methods, the enemy is to be pitied, as the witches and shaman are trumped in war magic only by the most experienced mages. A fearsome sight is the sight of a witch or a shaman calling upon his or her magical skill, even if the magic was to place a curse on their enemies, draining their life force slowly and excruciatingly into the ground.

Territory
Lynxfolk live in the Tundras near the east of the continent, marked as the small orange area on the map. The land there is frigid and blanketed in snow most of the year. Vast forests of coniferous trees cover much of lynxfolk territory.

Government
"Their shaman refused to commune with me, but rather the cartographer in our group, who had happened to have seen the most winters. — 'The Forest Cats: Journey to The Land of The Lynxfolk' Dalien Girada, human mage and explorer.." Lynxfolk are split into tribes that claim a portion of land around their village as their territory, where they are free to roam and hunt. Depending on the size of the local population, lynxfolk can be ruled by anywhere between one and five shamans and/or witches that form a council. Only the wisest and oldest of the lynxfolk have much influence.

Wider lynxfolk society is an elder geniocracy - Government ruled by the most intelligent and wise elder. This is a government in the loosest form of the word. This government calls meetings with an elder representative of each village once a month and meet at an ancient circle of standing stones on top of a hill. They collectively perform a ritual there to talk with the spirits before discussing issues that may be of concern to the lynxfolk people.

Lynxfolk hold a far more trusting and relaxed concept of ownership than other races due to their small communities. Most trade is done by bartering. Borrowing is very commonplace between lynxfolk.

Though it is not written down (except partially by foreign explorers), the lynxfolk have a set of common laws that command equality and sustainability. Most laws are to alleviate greed, but they cater for other common issues as well. Punishment for these crimes can be rather harsh, from banishment, to mutilation, to a debilitating curse from a shaman or witch.

Foreign Relations
Lynxfolk villages that border their forests will willingly trade with brave outsiders, various crafts, brews and medicines that they produce are often traded for building materials, tools and, occasionally, weapons.

Most races regard the lynxfolk as spooky and enigmatic. Lynxfolk see outsiders as strangers and do not trust them easily.

Normally, few lynxfolk ever wander, so they don’t see much of other races apart from humans, lizardfolk and sometimes dwarfs. Lynxfolk regard humans as tall, aloof, shaven and always complaining of the cold, a bit difficult in general. Most lynxfolk bear resentment towards lizardfolk, this is due to common fighting between the two races. To lynxfolk, lizardfolk are the evil reflection of themselves. Dwarfs and lynxfolk rarely encounter each other, but they are rightfully mistrusting of each other.

Because diplomacy to other nations can differ between lynxfolk villages, different villages can have vastly different opinions and experiences to another with other races.

Architecture
Most lynxfolk are able carpenters. Buildings are constructed out of the abundant wood around them. Exact architecture can vary from village to village but generally villages are walled off with a circle of tall palisades to keep out predating creatures, while the rest of their small huts are made from logs and thatched roofs, sometimes with a bit of clay or stone. The huts are normally made up of a common room that would house a family of lynxfolk and a sunken, burrowed lower level for storage. In the centre of a village is always a set of large stones placed in a circle, this ‘sacred circle’ is where shaman or witches perform ritual ceremonies and where the lynxfolk often gather. Next to the sacred circle is the shamans’ hut, normally a larger hut than the others and is decorated with all sorts of idols and bones. More importantly, the shaman’s hut includes an area to host meetings.