Something that troubles me in the fluff...

[Juthoth]

In the denizens section distinction and undeniable similarity of all elder races but Jotuns and banebrood. Then again others are some holy protectors of nature while others are abominations of man and beast. Only difference I see is that others are small and fluffy while others are big and horned.(animals which they resemble) This is hard for me to digest. Why are they humanlike animals anyway? How about just strange animals or something entirely differen? I really dont wish to insult anyone, but I m simply not very comfortable with furry master-race. This is ofcourse just my opinion. Please share your views, and tell me about taughts behind this.

PS: Sorry if my writing isn't perfect since I m typing on a cellphone. And dispite this comment I really like banebrood and think that it is cool that they have also mutants of animals together(i.e. ursapine) and not only with human counterparts as in many other fantasy worlds.

[David]

Good question. Let me clarify.

The Elder races are different to the banebrood in several ways.

Elder Races
-They are direct creations of the Mother Goddess of the Cosmos
-Elder Races do not have human souls. The have nature Spirits which re-merge with the essence of nature upon their deaths.
-They are very old species and rather rare on Calydorn today.
-Many have humanoid form because this is a trait of sentient species which is brain located close to sensory organs, raised to the top of the organism for increased alertness to danger and better sensory input. The Mother Goddess raised them to this form from their origin species.
-Elder Races have an Agenda to safeguard nature, safeguard the immense world-runes, the cosmic tree and to resurrect the dead Mother Goddess whose non-sentient, shattered god-soul resides within the anima of nature.
-The Elder Races largely avoid contact with other races; the only Mortals they will have dealings with are the Animist cultures such as the Wyldfolk Tuathan.


Banebrood
-Have no substantiated source - either the remnant of destroyed spirits from a previous comsmic cycle of time, or the true creator of the cosmos and mate of Dhannya or a psychic plague created by the Dawn Gods. Or perhaps a natural defense mechanism of the cosmos to rid itself of Mortals which were imposed upon the cosmos, rather like Demons did. Or perhaps a combination of the above.
However it is known that they are abominations of beast and Mortal (Ogres and Humans).
-Banebrood possess Mortal souls. When they die some might make it to the afterlife of Hadon, while the rest wander the cosmos as restless ghosts or become consumed by the Urghast.
-All Banebrood are influenced by the Urghast force and the monthly lunar cycle of Gironth the Amber Moon.
- Banebrood are extremely numerous on Calydorn and a curse upon all cultures. they actively seek to destroy all civilization and return men to their natural state as beasts.
- Some Banebrood are almost Human for example the Reavers, possessing only minor mutations. Others are bipedal humanoids beast-man hybrids, others are quadruped centaurs, while others are lycanthropes changing shape. Still others are bizarre abominations.

Those are the major differences.

While some Banebrood have fur, and humanoid shape, that#s only a small Portion of Banebrood, and they are clearly mistures of man and beast.
Elder Races are pure creatures, most of which have humanoid shapes.

It has happened on Calydorn that Elder Race communities were assumed by Mortals to be Banebrood and were hunted down and exterminated by accident.

[Juthoth]

To clarify slightly further

So these basic animals were first and then mother of cosmos decided to rise some of them to "herd" them? And reavers are human interested meddling with nature and beastial lifestyle? Could it be that some beastspawn could be like human trying to be one with elder races and so they would be abominations defying will of great mother of cosmos? Humans have no absolutely no connection to the elder races dispite their humanoid appearance?

Thank you for quick answer!

[David]

So these basic animals were first and then mother of cosmos decided to rise some of them to "herd" them?
Yes exactly.

And reavers are human interested meddling with nature and beastial lifestyle?
If you read the chapter on Banebrood, I think that will clarify the situation with the Reavers. They were originally normal humans who have been infected by the psychic plague known as the Baneplague. These guys are in some manner connected to the force known as the Urghast, and are susceptible to the fluctuations of this force which flows around the cosmos like waves. It takes away their conscious thought and drives them into a predatory, animalistic rage. The Reavers claim this is a higher state of consciousness and that they worship the Urghast. the will of the Urghast seems to be to bring down civilizations and return people to natural predators.

Reavers claim that societies are all corrupt and weak and that Dhannya the Mother of the Cosmos made the races of Calydorn tame and took away from them their natural birthright of primal rage. They claim the Urghast is the master of the cosmos and was tricked and enslaved by Dhannya who was ist mate.

Opponents say Reavers are deranged individuals suffering a horrifying sickness and controlled by the power of madness called the Urghast. There are those who view the Urghast as the primal mate and first creation of Dhannya and that she trapped it because it was so destructive. The Gnostic Cabal sages believed it to be the remnants of the previous cosmic cycle of time when Chaos flooded in and anti-life annihilated with life, destroying worlds and gods, leaving a terrified conglomeration of shattered souls which coalesced intio the force known today as the Urghast.

Aetherions claim that the Baneplague was the creation of the Dawn Gods during the everkill War in order to wipe out mortals. So the nature of the Reavers very much depends on the true nature of the Urghast, but this is a matter of opinion. And so the true nature of the Reavers is also amatter of view.

What is known about them is that they are cannibals, suffer mutations and worship the urghast. Reavers are hell-bent on the destruction of civilizations, and their own social structure is built exclusively upon the principle of the strongest warriors ruling with the tyrant at the top.

Could it be that some beastspawn could be like human trying to be one with elder races and so they would be abominations defying will of great mother of cosmos?
Not sure I understand this question, could you explain?

Humans have no absolutely no connection to the elder races dispite their humanoid appearance?
No Connection at all. Humans forms were created by the Asrae Gods quite late in the history, who entered the cosmos from beyond and are not natives of the cosmos. Their souls and the souls of humans, Ogres and Banebrood are quite distinct from the others denizens of the cosmos because they come from beyond (as do Demons). the Elder Races Spirits are formed from the pure lifeforce which animates plants and animals.

[Juthoth]

That banebrood trying to be like elder races was kinda like idea that if they are also trying to be "one wigh the nature" and sort of resembling them, and as they are of human decent they are like travesties of elder races.

[David]

Yes, in a sense you are right but the Elder Races and the Banebrood worship a different Kind of nature.

Elder Races worship the dead goddess Dhannya (Mother of the Cosmos) and they are her children, charged with guarding nature by her. Their spirits are directly tied to the anima which courses through the plants and animals of the cosmos. This same anima contains parts of the shattered goddess' soul and so they revere it doubly so, seeking to resurrect her. They try to strengthen nature's grip on the worlds and moons and they seek to maintain a balance of nature. Elder Races understand the 3 forms of nature and its eternally spinning wheel of birth-growth-death-birth. When they die, the spirits of the Elder Races merge with the anima of nature and are at a later point reborn in some fashion.

Banebrood on the other hand care nothing for Dhannya or the life-energy which animates the plants and beasts. They do however feel that the way of the beasts is correct. They believe in the food-chain and the pursuit of becoming the ultimate predator. Banebrood appreciate living within nature but more to exploit it rather than to enhance or balance it. They see themselves as the the race closest to nature and seek to awaken the beast within themselves. They believe that the Urghast created nature with Dhannya and that he was the master of the cosmos until Dhannya tricked and caged him. The Urghast is the ultimate beast - the pradator at the top of the food-chain of gods. Banebrood feel civilization is an abomination and a crime against the natural order, which is existance according to the laws of the jungle. They have no understanding of the circle of life, and their souls are not bound to the anima of nature, so when they die, they do not join with it and are not reborn.

[Juthoth]

Thank you for answering! It is good to hear clarifications to backround story.