As I have said before in May's newsletter I am detailing out the world of Timea beyond the continent of Perilisc. I talked in May of the land of monsters, a continent called Kes-tic. Today I would like to give you a peek at the land of beasts, a place called Teretal.
This is a continent where during the god war the god of animals was struck down. He went by the name Bojal. Bojal had the face of a black panther and the fur-covered body of a man. He was fierce and dominant and knew no fear. When he died his blood soaked into the land of Teretal and the fallout of his magical blood warped the humans that lived there into the race known as raksa.
The inspiration for this race was taken from a creature from the myths of the Hindu religion. In these tales, the Raksa were monsters with the heads of animals, demons that feed on mankind and are responsible for all manner of darkness. The raksa of my world are not all evil but are capable of great destruction. Raksa have been featured in all three Manhunters books and mentioned in Mestlven during the festival of The Pale when Blade Silvertooth’s statue is displayed.
The land known as Teretal was attacked by demons about a hundred thousand years ago. The army of dark erupted from the land and stained it with their presence. They fought a war against the raksa and nearly won but were driven back. The specters of the demons still haunt that land. It is known as the Ghost Lands and the demons' souls still walk there. Sometimes the raksa come to this land to mate with the ghosts and create monsters beyond reckoning. There are cities there and every few decades the demons rise once more to terrorize the people and start their war all over again. It is a constant struggle that cannot be won and is the burden of the race.
The demons left behind a collection of great weapons when they died. These are called drokkers and they are powerful and horrid. The weak who touch these weapons pay for it with their lives. Those raksa that are spawned from the great cat families are known to be powerful enough to withstand the wrath of the weapon and they have taken on the chore of guardian of these weapons of darkness.
In rare cases the weapon is entrusted to a member of another race. Say in the case of the blind swordsman known to the world as Father Morgan La Guy. But for the most part it falls to the noble lines of the great cats to bear this responsibility. The sword is passed down in the family and it is a great dishonor to lose this weapon. A horrible shaming ceremony befalls the unworthy guardian and they lose all lands, title, and political power until they can find their drokker and rejoin the noble breed.
This is a brief glimpse into the world of Teretal and the people who live there. Be on the look out for Maw, Lylaxa, Shasta and many other raksa that will be coming to the world of Timea, born of the Land of Beasts.