Lyrians

Lyrians (Lyrian: Keniun, roughly "The Elder People") are a race of vulpine-lupine people native to the Lyrian Peninsula. Formerly the dominant political power in eastern and northern Atheryin as rulers of the Lyrian Empire, Lyrians primarily roam Kados in trade caravans, living a partially-nomadic lifestyle. While no longer staking claim to their once-powerful empire, Lyrians continue to control large and influential mercantile networks across the globe.
After the Autumn War, Lyrians spread across the globe, many fleeing their namesake homeland for fear of persecution by the Nokana Empire. As a result, most populations of settled and non-settled Lyrians reside as a diaspora in other regions, with few retaining permanent residence in Lyria proper.
==Physiology==
Lyrians are a vulpine-lupine beast race, descended from Harbingers called the Apakasi. Whether a Lyrian appears more vulpine or lupine depends on their genetic heritage, although vulpine features are more common overall. Those of Eastern Lyrian heritage tend toward brown or reddish-brown fur colorings, while Western Lyrians generally have mixes of grey, black, and white fur. Eastern Lyrians consistently have brown, amber, or green-colored eyes, while Western Lyrians tend toward blue, purple, or pale green eyes. All Lyrians possess digitigrade feet.
Male Lyrians average between 6'0"-6'3", with generally stockier builds. Female Lyrians average between 5'5"-5'10", and are not particularly prone to being thin, with thicker builds owed to their tendency to give birth to litters of pups at a time; a female Lyrian can birth anywhere from two to five pups at the end of one pregnancy. Like all beast races, pregnancy is not possible between Lyrians and humanoid races.
==Culture==
Lyrian culture is extremely strong and revered, as it is one of the last links to their lost homeland. The language, too, is preserved, while other tongues are more commonly used in commerce. The religion is centered around the deity Tyros, a varient of the god Taurin. Becaue of myths detailing his creation of the wolf as the first creature, the ira Tyrosi term themselves the First Race. They term the other races the 'young' peoples, or 'the ones that came after.' Lyrians are taught to distrust all outsiders equally, which has led to a surprisingly racially unbiased culture. The goddess Silaas, the Lyrian manifestation of Kaias, is seen as the wife to Tyros, and his counterpart. Where he is the god of hunting, she is the goddess of prey. He is the god of war, and she a goddess of peace.
Lyrians have a now nomadic culture, no longer akin to their previous sedentary lifestyle among luxurious villas. They cross from outpost to outpost, city to city, usually living within the inns or using their large trade wagons' added beds and small living areas to survive in. Most living Lyrians tend to remain optimistic and happy, often being well-off financially, as their goods are of top quality and are either handcrafted themselves or imported from the far reaches of Atheryin. Most Lyrian traders pride themselves in their possession of Kutai goods, as few caravans can venture safely into the Kira Jungle. Lyrians manage to do so, as they are often single traders and stick to their ancient roads and lost trails only known by generations of teachings among their people.
==History==
Before the beginning of modern recorded history, Lyria was one of the world's most advanced and sophisticated nations. Lyria's armies were the scourge of the north of the world, and her cities were sprawling and magnificent. However, the nation was destroyed in a massive conflict in a time of weakness, under a weak and corrupt Akko. The war destroyed the nation, and most of the Lyrian people, too. Those that survived did so by escaping. Lyria's boundaries are long forgotten, and the land has long since been assimilated into other nations. The only hint of its past are the sombre ruins that dot the countryside. Lyrians are now dispersed to the four corners of the world, with no central leadership. They have no permanant home, aside for a handful of waystations at major crossroads.
==Timeline ==
BCC = Before Common Count - LR = Lyrian Reckoning
1032 BCC - 1 LR
*City of Lyria is founded on the fertile southern shores of the Lyrian Peninsula.
307 BCC - 725 LR
*After almost a half a century of warfare, Akko Jehero Daerim unites the dozen-and-a-half kingdoms of the Lyrian peninsula into one united Lyrian Empire.
DE1 - 1032 LR
*A massive civil war is waged on the basis of religion, based upon a prophesy by the Tyrosi temple of Forose that the massive comet Reylas that turned night to day would pass through the sky. The traditional Lyrian Gods are overthrown in favor of Tyros, the Hunter-God of the second city of Forose in the central highlands. The Capital is moved to Forose, and the calendar is reset to the 'Common Count,' that is still used today throughout the world. It was named to honour the Dawn of the comet, the Dawn Era. Most continued to use the traditional Lyrian Count, however.
GE1 - 1332 LR
*The comet reappears in the sky, prompting an invasion of the lands to the south-west. The new age is named for the expansion, and for the bumper crop that allowed it. The Growth Era begins.
GE241 - 1572 LR
*Lyrian expansion is halted after a disastrous campaign in the far south, brought about by extreme overextension of resources.
ZE1 - 1632 LR
*A third coming of the comet Reylas dawns upon a massive, prosperous Empire at the height of it's existence. Peace, education and wealth are the norm and not the exception, and long-lost treasures of magical engineering are created. Even today, magical artifacts from this period are among the most powerful in existence. The new age is named the Zenith Era.
Category:Races
Category:Beasts