Urtalim

**Urtalim**, alternatively **Urtals**, were (or are) an intelligent mammalian species which once inhabited Kalzuranur. The Urtalim claimed to be the first indigenous inhabitants of Kalzuranur before the arrival of the "invaders" - Humans, Sand Elves, Na'Quahesto and Miaran - but the lack of written or archaeological evidence from before the Annihilation makes this impossible to either prove or disprove. The Urtalim have not been present in Kalzuranur since the Imperial Civil War of 1839-60.

The name of "Urtal" comes from the Urtalim themselves, with "Urtalim" being the Kalzuranuri plural form of Urtal. How plurals worked in Urtali is not understood - very little is known of their language at all - but the most prominent candidate for what the plural form of Urtal was in their own tongue is "Urtalat".

According to the narrative as told by the Urtalim, the species was driven into the Dreadlands around the time of the Annihilation - likely following the example of the Titans, fleeing into another realm to avoid extermination - but quickly sought to return to their ancestral home once the situation had stabilised. To their dismay, they found that foreigners had settled in the lands of their ancestors. A peaceful solution was found to be impossible, and so began a millennia-long crusade to reconquer the lands of the Urtalim.

The Urtalim often made allies of Dreadfolk in their efforts to reconquer Kalzuranur, though they were certainly not on friendly terms with them; they saw demons as a necessary evil, a means to an end rather than a force to be truly united with. Few Urtalim actually became Witches, despite the common historical belief in Kalzuranur that they were a completely demonic race. The Urtalim knew that their numbers were too few to take the vast land of Kalzuranur by themselves, and they merely saw demons as a way to exterminate their enemies without risking any of their own lives. The two most infamous examples of the Urtalim allying with Dreadfolk - and Dread-worshipping mortal cultists - were the Great Violet War and the Heathen Conspiracy.

Likely the most significant reason why few Urtalim became Witches was because they were a race of potent mages. They simply did not require the power of Dread Titans, as they innately wielded some of the strongest magic of any mortal race. Many contemporaries to the Urtalim begrudgingly described them as the greatest mortal mages in existence; though the extreme heights of their power could not match the strongest of the Elfkin (especially the Dark Elves), the Urtalim were by far the most stable mortal mages to ever live. Though they were still empowered by Chaos - the phenomenon where intense emotional states weaken the barriers of the Magestream and allow for greater power to be pulled out of it - they did not require it to cast powerful magic. The Urtalim were far more in control of their minds than the Elfkin, and their magic was unlikely to backfire on them - arguably making them the most dangerous magic users in history.

## Physical Appearance

The Urtalim are typically grouped together with the Theysmarel and Miaran as one of the races of "Beastfolk" or "Beastmen", in that they resemble a cross between a hominid and a common beast (or beasts), and were almost certainly specifically designed this way by a Titan. However, the Urtalim had a much more bestial appearance than either the Theysmarel or Miaran.

In simple terms, the Urtalim resemble a cross between a Human and a goat. They had a humanoid shape, but had the heads, horns, tails and hoofs of goats. They were covered in white fur, and all bore golden or amber eyes. Urtalim had the same sexual dimorphism as Humans, but an additional difference is that the horns of males were longer and thicker than those of females. It is unknown whether the size and shape of an Urtal's horns had any impact on their perceived attractiveness.

Urtalim tended to be slightly taller than Humans, though some historians have suggested that they were only seen as taller by the Kalzuranuris because the Kalzuranuri people are not particularly tall. There is only one extant corpse of an Urtal, meticulously preserved by the Qarohayn Museum, which is a male standing exactly 6 feet tall. It is not known whether this height was typical for the species, but it is well within the realms of Human height.