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Wyrds
Description: Wyrds are almost always human related, suggesting that humans are amongst the most suceptible races to the mutating magic present in some regions of Caevalonia. They are of neutral alignment (but that's not to say that individuals cannot be good or evil) and this would suggest that they are altered by the original 'wild magic' rather than demon magic which spawns creatures of evil or harm. They come in all shapes, forms and sizes, the most typical being a human crossed with some other type of animal (e.g. some appear to be a cross between a human and a manticore) but it is rare for there to be many wyrds sharing similar attributes, even within the same family. However, their faces all look at least partly human, and (to other species who can notice) they smell like humans. Some scholars believe that anthropomorphic races such as the hssaar, degarii and ranwulfs were originally a population of wyrds who, for some reason, all developed the same characteristics and eventually multiplied to form a new race. But this seems unlikely as there is too much variation in individual mutations for a whole new race to come forth. Also there are no records dating back far enough to recall the rise of these races. Another reasoning against this theory is that degarii etc. were already native to Caevalonia in well established populations before humans arrived from the Northern Lands, and also wyrds only began appearing in the human population after they had begun to inhabit regions of Caevalonia containing relatively high amounts of wild magic. As suggested in the above paragraph, wyrds mainly occur in areas with higher concentrations of natural magic which is thought to be what gives rise to their mutations. A wyrd can be born to an otherwise perfectly normal family: they can be obviously a wyrd from birth, but for some their mutated characteristics appear later on in life, or sometimes not at all unless something happens to trigger it. Wyrds are rarely tolerated in society and are rarely found in towns or cities unless they are part of some travelling freak show, it is only in some remote rural communities where they are accepted. Most of the time wyrds are driven from society and persecuted or, at the very least, they are regarded with distrust. Often they will band together into groups and live a lifestyle similar to that led by gypsies. Travelling only the backroads they live in regions of low population by other races, e.g. many wyrds are found in the vast Greater Wilds, or as something similar to Bedoins (sp?) in the desert areas where they often find themselves in confrontation with hostile hssaar. There are only a few actual permanent wyrd settlements, and these are also found in remote areas. Despite the persecution suffered by wyrds, their communities are surprisingly relaxed and friendly, welcoming strangers of almost any race who come in search of shelter or are exiles in need of a home. Average Statistics Alignment (if any): neutral Life expectancy: varies Deity: varies
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