Vinvüri

The Vinvüri originated in northwest Eldham in modern-day Sethris, between Katsura and Elastra. It is unknown how the race evolved, as they have remained relatively similar for most of recorded history, always in a reasonably low population. They are, however, extremely resistant to extinction despite this. In present times, they are primarily found in Avaris, the capital of Sethris, through are spread out somewhat across the rest of the nation.

They share similarities to multiple fox races across Eldham. However, they share many distinctions that separate them from the rest by large margins, presumably because of the very distinct primal species of Vinvüri that were once very different from the others.

Biology
The Vinvüri are a species of humanoid fox, though they often grow shorter than humans, with females being around 1.3 meters to 1.5 meters while males are roughly 1.4 meters to 1.7 meters. Their average lifespan is between 90 to 130 years, and they fully mature at the age of 16. They are a very frail species, with many unable to build much muscle or gain much weight, causing most to be rather slim or, at the most, an average healthy human weight. Their natural diet consists largely of berries, though travel and separation from their natural food source has revealed that their stomach can digest most edible plant and animal matter.

Their digit structure is similar to that of a human, though they possess beak-shaped claws and 6 paw pads on each hand and foot, with 1 large central in their palm or sole and 5 smaller ones on each of their fingers and toes. Their digit and leg bone structure result in a digitigrade stance and backward weight distribution balanced on their toes, which forces them to use their tails to balance themselves upright. Their stance, however, results in the added benefit of higher agility, speed, and stealth.

Vinvüri are known to have few common variations of fur, mostly variations of white and light gray as primary colors, sometimes with hints of black, which are usually around the ears, eyes, hands, feet, or tail. Unless this is altered by a birth defect, fur naturally covers all of their body and protects it from outside elements. Their eyes are commonly blue, green, amber, or black. They possess vertical slits in their eyes, similar to a cat's. This allows them to adjust to light levels more accurately, as well as see accurately in darker conditions.

Male
Male Vinvüri are able to gain slightly more muscle and weight than females, though not enough to make a significant difference in their build. Males are more likely to lack indented nose bridges, though both sexes of the species are more likely to be indented. Males are typically a bit taller than females, roughly 0.15 meters taller on average. Males are often more dexterous than females, which assists them in melee combat, though still leaves them considerably frail.

Female
Female Vinvüri are often more slim than males but also more agile and stealthy. Females often have much larger and fluffier tails than their male counterparts, and a larger and fluffier tail indicates healthiness and attractiveness to the males of the race. Females are typically shorter than males, adding to their increased agility over the opposite sex. Females are often more adept at using magic and sorceries, though whether this can be attributed to a more developed brain or hereditary natural skill is unknown.

Omens
Omens are considered birth mutations among the Vinvüri, all indicative of certain fates regarding the individual born with them.Glowing eyes, which are typically a bright blue, are indicative of a Vinvüri born into the full grace of Orcaes Avaar. It is believed those born with this are to become champions of the Vinvüri race and defend the Silverwood until their dying breath. This trait only affects the Vinvüri that is directly born with it.

Triple tails, or three tails connected where a normal Vinvüri would have only one, are indicative of a Vinvüri which will bring disaster to their people or themselves. Those born under this are considered cursed, and many have been killed when young or exiled as they grew older for being born this way. This trait only affects the Vinvüri that is directly born with it.

Tinted fur discoloration, which is often a light blue or purple, is indicative of a Vinvüri that is blessed by Orcaes Avaar. These Vinvüri are said to have great luck in their pursuits, and many born with this trait become highly devoted to the Silverwood later in life as thanks for their blessing. This trait co-dominates later generations, giving birth to Vinvüri with mixed normal and discolored tints, typically for the following one to three generations.

Sub-Races
These forms of the race are fairly different from the typical Vinvüri, but do not result in non-Vinvüri hybrids when mating with other members outside of the race; rather, they result in children of mixed sub-races, though still fully Vinvüri.

Primal Vinvüri
Primal Vinvüri, though exceedingly rare, do still exist in the world. These Vinvüri retain much of their physical appearance from what is believed to be a time before the Great Silverwood, which is believed to have something to do with the vulpine transition the race undertook. These Vinvüri retain the ursine complexity that largely faded into vulpine features later in the evolution of the Vinvüri race. Despite this, however, the rest of their body remains entirely vulpine like their counterparts. It is believed that this sect of Vinvüri will eventually fade out as it becomes less safe to breed with other primal Vinvüri due to the risk of inbreeding, meaning this race's features will one day fade into similarity with that of the modern Vinvüri.

Vulvüri
Vulvüri are a sub-race not native to Sethris. However, they have recently become more common. Vulvüri are hybrid crosses birthed from Vinvüri and Vulpur, believed to have occurred roughly 200 years ago. Due to the lack of Vulpur peoples in Sethris, these hybrids have bred with enough Sethrian Vinvüri that they have become so biologically similar that they are classified as a sub-race of Vinvüri. They are much more likely to lack indented nose bridges. Vulvüri typically possess fur in shades of orange and have green eyes, likely because of these traits being present in the original Vulpur that mated with a Vinvüri. Like the primal Vinvüri, the Vulvüri are likely to fade out over time, barring the migration of more Vulpur peoples to Sethris, though the Vulvüri traits seem to be much more resilient when mating with normal Vinvüri and ensure the traits will exist for centuries to come.

Human-Vinvüri Hybrid
Human-Vinvüri hybrids are considered the least favorable sub-race of Vinvüri. In the time of Pavrhitsöth, mating between humans and Vinvüri was not frowned upon, and human-Vinvüri hybrids were common. This gave time for many hybrids to grow closer to the Vinvüri race, as non-pure Vinvüri seemed to be less attractive to humans as partners. These hybrids would, however, grow to be scorned in modern times as mating between humans and Vinvüri was seen as heretical for the strange children it produced. Many human-Vinvüri hybrids now live in solitude or in small tribes with each other. These hybrids are very different from normal Vinvüri: they are able to gain weight, build muscle, and possess shorter snouts. This results in them often times being much larger than normal Vinvüri, and at times they have even been known to attack Vinvüri. Many are even known to renounce their Vinvüri blood and cut off their tails, a sacred part of their race, as an act of defiance against the masses that banish them. Many human-Vinvüri hybrids are incredibly cold and rude to strangers because of the horrible lives they have been forced to live. It is expected that this sub-race will grow weaker as time goes on, as the sub-race mates almost exclusively with its own small pool of members, subjecting many of its members to the horrors of a lack of genetic diversity.

Religion
Most all Vinvüri worship the Great Silverwood, or as their race knows it, Orcaes Avaar. They believe its influence to be an instrumental part of birth as well as fate. The presence of primal Vinvüri suggests that the beliefs of birth could in fact, be true. However, to what degree their legends may be true is unsure. The most dedicated Vinvüri spend much of their lives devoted to Orcaes Avaar, between tending to the tree and bringing it gifts to be buried in the snow surrounding its trunk. Some legends say that the tree sprouted from a meteor that crashed into the land; others say that it grew from the corpse of a fallen Vinvüri hero. Some Vinvüri may rarely practice the arcane amethyst arts, a pseudo-religion of northern Sethris. However, these Vinvüri still respect Orcaes Avaar at large despite the beliefs of many other scholars of the arts, for many still cling to the cultural belief that it granted them life.

Language
Today, Vinvüri still cling to the long distant remnants of the ancient pre-Pavrhitsöth language that they spoke before the arrival of humans in the region, despite much of its history being incredibly difficult to find. The Vinvüri-Pavrhitsöth dialect of ancient Sethrian developed soon after first contact with humans, and it would quickly become the more dominant language among the Vinvüri, so much so that it is still often used by their people in private today. Their tongue has largely influenced the dialect of Sethrian found widely in Avaris, which is known to be the most similar to Old Sethrian and its origins in the first arrival of humans.

Culture
Despite their wide variety of differences, many Vinvüri still hold key values and behaviors that have become ingrained in the psyche of their race. The frail nature of their race has led many Vinvüri to be terrified of physical conflict because of the possibility of injury. This has led to them facing many conflicts with words alone, a feat that not many cultures can boast their entire population has practiced. Their lack of physical growth, however, has led to spikes in mental growth, especially in modern Vinvüri, meaning that they are much more intelligent for their lack of physical altercations. Vinvüri that do risk violence are typically sneaky, deceptive, and agile, using superior dexterity instead of strength to win fights when they must. This also makes desperate Vinvüri stronger tricksters and thieves. Vinvüri are stylish and elegant, and some groups have maintained various design aspects that they have used for many generations continuously.

As the Vinvüri are incredibly social creatures, marriage is important in their culture. Regardless of one's beliefs, a Vinvüri marriage almost always occurs under the blessing of Orcaes Avaar. Vinvüri mate for life and are very picky when choosing partners so that they rarely ever get divorced, as Orcaes Avaar's cycle is not believed to account for divorce, though this is not always the case. In addition to wedding rings, Vinvüri often wear matching cloth neckties with their mates to communicate their unavailability, especially at festivals. Like wedding rings, however, these have come to symbolize eternity in a way, though their durability typically cannot back up such beliefs. Dancing has been a large part of Vinvüri culture since the early ages of Orcaes Avaar. During many Vinvüri festivals, single females will dance in the squares of Avaris as they await a male to choose them as a suitable partner to dance with. Unavailable females do often take part in this as well, though they take extra care to wear neckties during this. It is not uncommon that these dance partners only speak for the dance or for the festival itself, though many Vinvüri have met their mates or made close friends during these events. The cultural outfits worn by both sexes at these festivals are both mixes of bright blues meant to symbolize the grace of Orcaes Avaar.

As the Vinvüri prefer style, they have developed many common styles over history. Males often wield an elegant, curving kris, which is often more suited to a sense of style than for proper combat. Many females wield crystal staffs designed with a similar sense of style, though with the growth of the Arcane Academy, the use of their cultural staffs has recently become less popular than that of the Academy's cheap, easy-to-produce alternatives. Vinvüri often wear clothes created from thick leather and wool, as even their fur cannot fully stop the freezing winds and snows of Avaris.

Pre-Orcaes Avaar
Before the age of Orcaes Avaar, not much is known of the Vinvüri race. It is believed that during this time, the primal Vinvüri was the most common in Sethris. The Vinvüri of this time moved in tribes and had very little, if any, established language that is recorded and known today.

Pavrhitsöth and Elesis
After Orcaes Avaar was discovered and the Vinvüri city-state of Elesis was formed, the group would go to war with the newly-arrived Geksiri. After both sides surrendered due to the heavy losses incurred, and after this their fights remained few and far in-between until the arrival of the humans. After the arrival of humans centuries later, the newly formed Kingdom of Nerlipükantse and the Empire of Pavrhitsöth would clash in the Twenty Year War, where the Vinvüri would align themselves with Pavrhitsöth. During a Nerlipükantse invasion of Elesis, however, the emperor of Pavrhitsöth refused to help their own allies, who were believed to be sure to perish. The Vinvüri, however, in a act of heroism that is still remembered to this day, would enact a strategy of guerilla warfare in order to protect their home the only way they knew how. Though they inflicted few casualties, the Vinvüri warriors were able to drive the invaders from their home, then declared themselves neutral for the remainder of the war as Pavrhitsöth began to conquer what remained of Nerlipükantse.

Post-Twenty Years War
After the fall of Nerlipükantse, the language of Pavrhitsöth absorbed both Vinvüri and Geksirari, giving birth to Old Sethrian. Arcane amethyst would also be discovered during this time, and it would be researched in modern-day Avaris. However, many Vinvüri were incredibly skeptical of such practices as the nearby Minor Silverwoods began to die. The Vinvüri would later attempt to ban the crystals in the city, however, it would be far too late, as they had already been distributed all across the city. Pavrhitsöth would gain knowledge of the amethyst's ability to harm the Silverwoods and would threaten to kill Orcaes Avaar if the king of Elesis refused to cede his land to the empire. The king agreed and ceded all territory to Pavrhitsöth, though the king and his family would be swiftly executed soon after, though Orcaes Avaar was unharmed.