Ferraen (also nicknamed "cats," due to the similarities between the species") are the most common and widespread species of sophant found on Enurian. A member of the saetaefelis genus, ferraen are characterized by their fleshy and whisker-like appendages adorned with a single jewel-like sensory organ at the end—once used for reading and tracking oceanic movements, now almost entirely used for expression and communication, as well as hand-like front paws, and ability to use both bipedalism and quadripedalism as their primary forms of locomotion. They have the largest brains out of anyone in their genus, and have developed the ability to use and make complex tools and to dramatically affect the environment they live in. While ferraen are not naturally a social species, often choosing to remain in isolation from one another, they have developed some social structures, several languages, traditions, and cultures, mainly due to the harsh environments they live in. Their usage of tools and environment manipulation has enabled ferraen to live on all corners of the island, a feat no other known species has been capable of.

Biology

Similarly to the rest of their genus, ferraen have a body built primarily for terrestrial to semi-aquatic quadripedalism. Their hind legs are flexible and longer than their front legs, with a subtle valgus knee, which allows for the comfortable usage of bidpedalism as a secondary form of locomotion, often used when a ferraen's hands are otherwise occupied, in assistance with climbing, or to reach high objects. Their front hands and legs are highly flexible, with a range of motion only slightly worse than a human's.

They have a long, smoothed muzzle with little to no forehead ridge, and a very faint sagittal crest. Their eyes are almond-shaped, with a large, visible sclera and slit-pupils. Like Earth cats, ferrocats have a tapetum lucidum and a nictitating membrane, though their nictitating membrane is much thinner than an Earth cat's, providing them protection underwater and from sandstorms. Their nose is unique, starting from the front of their muzzle and curving back towards the eyes, appearing as an oval on the cat's face. When breathing, the flesh covering their nose moves up and down. Their mouth is covered by their lips and cannot be seen unless their lips are drawn back, an act that is deemed rude and aggressive within the cat's culture. Their whiskers are long, fleshy strands they once used to sense ocean currents, now a vestigial trait used mostly for communication, with a single colorful sensory organ (jewel) at the end of the whisker that is the same color as the cat's eyes. Their ears are similar to an Earth cat's.

Ferraen "fur" is actually more akin to feathers, with a single, flexible, hollow strand in the center, with soft barbs branching off from the main structure. This dense covering helps regulate a ferraen's body temperature both in the cold water surrounding the island as well as the hot desert in the center of the island. Ferraen pelts come in a variety of colors and patterns, similarly to an Earth cat's, though some individuals are, rarely, born with brightly colored pelts. These individuals are considered anomalies, as most bright colors are not passed down to offspring.

Diet

Ferrocats are mesocarnivores. Though they rely on meat for the majority of their caloric needs, their digestive system is also built to handle plant matter, leading to a wide and varied diet.

The advent of ferraen agriculture and the evolution of ferraen cuisine has led to an incredibly complex and widely ranged diet, including, in some cases, novel inclusions of dietary suppliments that are partially or mostly indigestible or toxic to ferraen. Ferraen diet places a high emphasis on protein—most often in the form of both cooked and uncooked meat, fish, and shellfish. Plant matter is often consumed secondarily in accompaniment to the aforementioned foods, oftentimes moreso to add flavor or effects to a dish and are not often eaten by themselves.

History

As the most developed sophant species on Enurian, and the only one with a developed interest in storytelling and recording history, ferraen have a long and developed history and have tales originating from before they had even truly evolved to become ferraen, all the way up into modern history. Much of their history is passed down through oral tradition, but particularly prominent and important tales are woven into tapestries and preserved that way.

Prehistory

The ferraen's first memories are of the sea. It was there they evolved, and where much of their evolutionary kin remain. Though many of their myths from this time have vanished with age, each ferraen knows, instincively, of there they originated from. And where they may someday return.

According to their creation myths, the first ferraen were shepherded onto land by She of First Breath, taking their first pawsteps onto soft sand and breathing in the cold night air. And when they gazed up into the stars, they were dizzied by the breath and endless scope of that sky, and To Stand in Awe formed out of the stardust and seafoam and breathless whispered prayers of tiny creatures towards things much larger than themselves, and guided the first ferraen, too.

Ancient

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Before the Dawn

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New Morning

The calamity Changing of Days wrought onto the island changed two things. The first was obvious; the ferraen's genetic predisposition towards individuality vanished, making it more likely for them to want to seek out closer bonds with others. Though this only changed their genetic predisposition—a ferraen's personality remained intact, as well as their thoughts and beliefs from before the calamity. And so while this change affected all ferraen on Enurian, for practical purposes, this change affected mostly young cats who had not yet had the time to grow wary and distant from each other. This shift in thoughts and beliefs marked the first extreme and radical generational divide, with younger cats beginning to live more comfortably in small groups, leaving their lone parents behind.

The second change took much longer to discover, and was eventually discovered entirely by accident. The news spread slowly, then all at once—that someone had come back from the Event Horizon, paddling to shore, with elation and fear in their eyes and the word of other worlds on their tongue. Not only had Helleth freed them of their isolation from one another, but it had freed them of their isolation within Enurian itself.

And so the ferraen's first true organization was born; the Horizonhoppers, a crew of scientists, researchers, and daredevils, making exploratory forays out into other worlds.

Mythos

The ferraen are a highly superstitious lot. Their superstition, mythos, and legends are complex and highly detailed, owing partially to their desire to find some sort of stability in the constantly and evershifting chaos of Enurian, and owing partially to these things of myth and legend being, oftentimes, physical and tangible things. What is "real" and what is "fake" oftentimes does not have a solid defining line on Enurian, and nowhere is this more obvious than with the ferraen.

The basis of all ferraen mythos is that they are a species caught between extremes. The desert and the ocean—restraint and animality—the End and the Beginning. Instead of striking a balance, a compromise, between the two sides of their life, they have embraced it wholeheartedly, making it the center focus of their mythology.

The cats believe that each body contains two souls—that which is Awake, and that which is Asleep. Only one may be awake at each time (for the most part, anyway). For most, the one that is usually Awake is the more social, communal part of their soul, that which developed speech and learned how to create tools in order to live in larger social groups, something that came unnaturally to the cats, who had originally evolved to live in solitude. That is the other half of their soul—that which finds communicating counter-productive, who prefers to live in a more animalistic, solitary way. Though most will spend their entire lives as their more social counterpart, some may accidentally (or on purpose) shift into their other side (for survival reasons, most often, as their solitary side has less to lose and no social restraints). This experience is known as the "Slumber of Beasts." To recognize the two distinct parts of their soul, each cat takes on a two-part name within the ferrocat language.

Deities

The ferraen deities are usually nothing but background noise to the average ferraen. Bumping into all but Pawstep Between Worlds is a rare occurance, and even they will often keep themselves from being known. For most, they are aware of the gods existence, but they often do not meddle in mortal affairs, and so the average ferraen will not bother with them, save for, at most, a protective emblem of the god whose qualities they admire or wish to draw upon.

Rarely, however, a ferraen may attempt to pledge themselves to a patron deity. This is a time-consuming and lengthy process, and one not taken lightly. Even the most relaxed and open of deities will often put their prospective followers towards difficult or nearly impossible challenges to prove themselves, and the more closed off and restricted deities may outright kill those they deem to be unworthy or wasting their time. One may only attempt to become a follower of a single deity, and you may not take back your choice once the process begins Successfully proving yourself to a deity comes with many perks, often relating to the patron deity of choice and their domains, but all followers gain vastly enlongated livespans, tougher bodies, and potentially physical or mental changes. A list of deities and their requirements for worship are listed below;

• Warden of the World Tree; Stability, guardianship, loyalty, hidden places, and refuge.

Hidden and unknown deity, not available for worship. She of First Breath; Duality and unity. Missing deity, not available for worship. To Stand in Awe; The numinous, awe, happenstance, luck, fertility and children. Does not look fondly upon mortals, not available for worship. From the Dirt to the Stars; Stars, wandering, one-way trips, martyrs, and sacrifice. Requires a sacrifice one cannot take back, a martyrism of one's self. Thread of a Storyline; Wandering, travel, instruments, and stories. Look Into the Flame; Blacksmithing, altered states of mind, and parties. Helix of a Compass; Directions, maps, travel, bones and fossils, and color. Pawstep Between Worlds; The liminal, in-between places and states of being, things not belonging. Changing of Days; Chaos, turmoil, and change. Ingestion or consumption of anything touched or origination from Changing of Days, prolonged exposure to its presence.

Depictions of ferraen gods differ, often from both region to region and cat to cat, but will often have common threads between each depiction of each god. This is because ferraen deities are fundamentally other, and cannot properly be comprehended nor understood with mortal senses or thoughts. Each form a deity will take often depends entirely on the mortal viewing them.

Similarly to ferraen themselves, their deities take on multiple names. The first is their proper name, a long and often poetic name describing their domain. Their second is their private or true name, a one-word name. This true name is only to be used by a deities' friends, family, lovers, or favored worshippers. If in doubt, it is always best to call a deity by their proper name, as they will often take extreme offense to their private name being used by someone without permission.

Afterlives

The afterlives of ferraen are vast and varied. There are as many afterlives as there are potential ways to die, and there is always a chance that a ferraen may be the first to discover a new one. Afterlives are catalogued by the Soulsingers, an ethnic and religious sect of ferraen whose life purpose is to watch over and describe potential afterlives, as well as all perished cats. Some notable afterlives are listed below.

• Died too young to receive a name — reincarnated as a corror.
• Died in a rockslide, avalanche, or is otherwise covered by the earth — fossilized as lodeshells, a type of naturally occurring compass.

Legends

Throughout ferraen history, certain cats (or, even the concept of certain cats, as some of these character's existence in history is not properly proven) have captured ferraen hearts and minds, their stories passed down from generation to generation as legends of myth, often embodying a certain characteristic, moral, belief, or lesson considered important in ferraen culture. Unlike ferraen deities, these legends are often much more regional, usually only told by ferraen located in a certain biome or place. Legends are also much more stable and easily traced than dieties, as legends are permanent and fixed, while deities can be erased.

Brushfire

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Wildwater

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The Fox Siblings

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Deadringer's Outlaws

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Culture

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Ethnicities

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Mauris vestibulum ut dolor luctus faucibus. Phasellus placerat ac nisl et viverra. Nunc euismod ligula porttitor mi hendrerit, faucibus congue nulla pulvinar. Aliquam maximus iaculis enim. Nunc tortor nisi, hendrerit sed iaculis sed, maximus sit amet odio. In semper dictum dignissim. Integer mauris lectus, ullamcorper ac auctor quis, interdum id est. Duis sit amet cursus lacus. Curabitur non facilisis justo, eu varius leo. Sed a justo orci. Etiam finibus maximus maximus.

Etiam sem sem, porta sit amet volutpat non, varius non nisi. Cras libero purus, auctor ac elit at, pellentesque condimentum lacus. Ut eu sapien in nunc tincidunt efficitur. Aenean luctus lorem libero, a ornare arcu viverra a. Morbi mollis nec tortor nec sodales. Vivamus mattis tellus in tortor efficitur, quis varius ipsum tristique. Aliquam eget purus nisi.

Rituals

Because of the unstable nature of their existence on Enurian, ferraen take pride and comfort in the grounding nature of rituals, both in a manner to ward off ill fortune and to ground themselves in both the everyday and unique lifetime events. Rituals, no matter the ferraen's origin, have an extremely high impact on their lives and mannerisms.

Partnership rituals are among some of the most complex and extreme, matched only by Childing Rituals. In days past, when ferraen were more solitary, these partnership rituals were done to ensure your partner's loyalty and to symbolically merge two or more ferraen into one. In more modern times, this ritual remains, but as a more traditional and symbolic celebration than a challenging rite of passage.