Freyjans are one of the dominant races in the fight for Frostbyte Reach. Their tactical experience, and ability to adapt and overcome their surroundings is second to none. Freyjans resemble a cross between a large predatory cat and a human, with a sleekly muscled humanoid body and the head and mane of a feline. The most common catfolk have feline characteristics reminiscent of lions, including thick manes for the males. Other groups have the characteristic markings and appearance of leopards, tigers, or cheetahs.
Tonnerian, the cousin-pride of the Frostbyte Frejyans, who reside in the scorching Arcadian Dunes! Tonnerians are a lion like species similar to Freyjans only bigger, stronger, and more feral.
Melorian, one of the tribes of the Freyjans in the Frostbyte Reach
Note: All released Freyjan heroes have 9 Lives.
Origin of the Freyjan
Many races exist within the realm of Crystalia but the Freyjans are among the most unnatural of them all. The first freyjan were chimera created by the Dark Consul as he laid the groundwork for his war. A cursed fusion of great mountain cats with humans, the Consul left these savage and fierce creatures to haunt the shadows of the Frostbyte Reach. There they remained and hunted in the darkness for years before their maker called them to battle.
The Freyjan burst from the ice-gripped mountain forests in a great tide, destroying all in their path as they gathered to the Dark Consul’s banner. After his defeat, they cut another swathe of devastation as they returned to the lands they knew as home. A few strayed to the Arcadian Dunes where they became the Tonnerian Tribes. But most, lost and alone, returned to the only life they had ever known - living and fighting as highly territorial, savage peoples who waged countless wars—large and small—against the dwarves, humans, and jotnar.
Time passed and the land itself began to fundamentally change the freyjan’s character. Each generation felt a deeper connection to Crystalia, so the old ways suited them less and less. One small pride exploring their new nature found a stranger half buried in snow, who had succumbed to the grim cold of the Reach. They rescued this man, a monk who was on a pilgrimage to seek the jotnars’ wisdom, and nursed him back to health. As the Pride cared for the monk, they also learned the ways of Goddess and found the discipline they never knew they needed.
The pride enthusiastically embraced these teachings, so at odds with their chaotic nature! Perhaps that was why they found it so appealing; self-discipline and monastic practices gave them a way to truly find their place without the legacy of eternal conflict from their origins. The monk found his new purpose and travelled amongst the tribes who, in turn, gleefully adopted and adapted his ideas to better suit the freyjan nature. They developed a culture of steady ritual and constant work to master that which cannot be mastered. Though each individual embraces them to different degrees, the monk’s teachings have remained the foundations of freyjan society to this day no matter where they are in Crystalia.
Children of Two Worlds
It is widely claimed that that the Freyjan are the most restrained lunatics in all of Crystalia. Unlike most of the Dark Consul’s monsters and minions, who are either purely instinctual or controlled, their independent nature led to completely different habits. Taking delight in the reckless purrsuit of adventure and danger of all kinds, they rely on their great coordination and agility to see them safely through any antics. However, many are often astonished find to these hyperactive feline companions proving to be the most patient company, filling any interminable periods of waiting with little games or long meditation.
From the time they open their eyes, freyjan cubs are encouraged to play, explore, tumble down slopes, and then sit in quiet contemplation of beauty. Like their chimeric origins, these two contrasting states of being define this unique people. Children initially spend only a few minutes sitting and thinking each day, gradually building up their skills and patience, until they are ready to join the older members of the pride in their evening meditations.
Freyjan tackle any activity with enthusiasm and turn any activity into a game. Even children keep a running score of who can scrub the floor of their longhouse the fastest! Living in the moment with such vivacity means they feel every emotion deeply which can make them seem mercurial and unpredictable. However, their culture of self-discipline and constant introspection counters their volatile nature so only the extremes of greatest joy or deepest despair overwhelm them.
Few chimeric creatures have harmonized with Crystalia as completely as the Freyjan. They are as rich and diverse in nature as they are in appearance. They have adapted, as all natural creatures must, to the various environments they have come to call home. Though the Frostbyte Reach remains their homeland and holds the largest numbers of freyjan, these cheerful and curious people can be found across the world, often getting into trouble wherever the path of Goddess takes them.
The Way of the Whiskers
There is a story popular among the freyjan. It holds that, when the Goddess was shaping Crystalia, she passed her hand through groves of great trees and brushed up a cloud of fluffy seeds. Delighted, she blew on them, and laughed as they scattered in every direction to spread life to the world. But the force of her breath carried on, and the chill of it grew as it flew from her, so that by the time it caught in the tangle of rock that became the Frostbyte Reach, it was so cold that it froze everything it touched. Ice and snow encased the mountains and have never released their grip.
The vast majority of freyjan, even those residing in more urban or settled areas, live in ways that most settled folk consider primitive or even barbaric. The basic social unit is the pride, an extended family with various friends, retainers, companions, and in-laws grouped under the same roof. Prides are typically semi-nomadic, roaming in a defined area, usually around a longhouse, and doing a bit of hunting, gathering, and casual cultivation, as the opportunities come up.
According to legend (which they accept as fact), the freyjan had a largely uniform appearance until they accepted the Goddess. Their break with the Nether Realms heralded the first split with the tonnerians, but once they fully embraced Crystalia, they began to adapt to their new homeland in striking ways. Now, each tribal group bears slightly different markings and favors different colors in their fur. These seem to be reactions to their environment, with grey and charcoal common among cliff-dwellers, and brown and tawny showing up in those that stalk the alpine meadows.
A majority of freyjan tribes trade in crafts made from wood, bone, ivory, cloth, and leather, mostly for metal tools and weapons. They have few smiths but are often surpassing leather and woodworkers—living as close to dwarves as they do, this arrangement generally benefits everyone. Freyjan acrobatics, dance, and music are among the most intriguing and engaging in Crystalia and traveling troupes of performers crisscross the world.
They have a difficult relationship with magic, however. This strikes many as strange, given the discipline needed to master such power, but virtually all freyjan who show an inclination for magic are sent away to study with other races, mostly humans at Crystalia Castle. Some claim this part of an ancient pact, buy the freyjan deny this.
The freyjan universally believe that the Goddess saved their race. Only by the changes wrought on them could they survive and expand, and the Goddess is the source of this. The monk’s teachings showed them this, and without either, they would have vanished in violence centuries ago. Though others often see them as mischievous troublemakers (or at least far too curious for their own and others’ safety), they see these traits as their gift to Crystalia. They explore, push limits, dare greatly, and dig up trouble in service to the Goddess, as an active prayer of thanks for their existence. Every freyjan embraces this truth, and most gleefully pursue it their entire lives.
Freyjans of Crystalia:
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