Zajec

A race that came to Alandor from the borders between the Elemental Plane of Water and the Elemental Plane of Earth following the Planar Clash. These hunters are peaceful and secluded.

Origin
Masters of farming, gathering and hunting, zajec are welcomed anywhere.

Hunters
The zajec are said to have been one of the most proficient militant races across all the Planes, arming themselves and fighting off giant creatures since their origins. They were few, most losing their lives during the hunts.

When they were working the forests to fuel their fires, a Hunter God approached them (the God's name has been lost and the zajec no longer care for it). The zajec were imposing on the God's land but they struck a deal: in exchange for worship, the Hunter God would teach them how to hunt properly and make the most out of their prey. The zajec happily accepted.

Zajec numbers grew as they learned to feed themselves and their leather cities spread across the tundra between the Elemental Plane of Water and the Elemental Plane of Earth. Conquering prey after prey, the zajec soon grew restless. Nothing was hard to hunt any longer and they yearned for a proper Hunt. There was only one challenging prey left: the Hunter God.

Hunting the Hunter
The most elite and skilled monster hunters were sent into the tundra woods to track the God. When they finally found the God, they used the ways they had been taught mixed with their own personal warfare. The Hunter God was surprised and the surprise put the battle in the zajec's advantage. After nearly a day, the God fell. The Hunter God's last words were "I forgive you."

Sightless
The surge of victory that had flooded the warriors was shattered by the words. One by one they dropped their weapons and the guilt that swelled within them was so great that they nearly slayed themselves. But nearby a pack of Silvan hunters and witnessed the atrocity. Filled with rage and fuelled by sorrow, the Silvan used the Hunter God's blood to weave a curse and set it upon the zajec. The hunter zajec saw it coming, but stayed because they felt they deserved the punishment. Their eyes were plucked from their heads and forever on, zajec children would be born without eyes, unable to grow as hunters.

The hunter zajec returned and the zajec put down their weapons, retreating as farmers and hunters.

The Planar Clash
The Planar Clash brought the Elemental Planes into the Material Plane and the borders between the Elemental Plane of Water and the Elemental Plane of Earth broke and crashed into Alandor. Though still able to return to their homes if allowed to, all Zajec agreed to stay in Alandor, finished with their homes and left their mistakes behind.

They settled in the tundras across Alandor, where they built new villages.

Names
Common zajec names possess the harsh syllables and pronunciation common to the Deep Speech language. They do not differ between female and male names.

Neutral names: Anchin, Bataar, Enkhtuya, Ganzorig, Khurz, Orgon, Sarnal, Tormol, Urgama

Appearance
Zajec have thick fur that varies in colour, from white to dark black. They drape themselves in warming clothes and leathers they have crafted themselves. They tower high above most races, but are generally slender for their size.

Their powerful legs end in cloven hooves that make quickly darting across the tunda or leaping from outcrop to outcrop a relatively easy task.

However, they conceal their faces behind ornate masks that always conceal where their missing eyes should be: instead, there is simply more fur. Showing one's face is considered a sign of trust within zajec culture. Their faces are furred but not dissimilar to that of a human. They have bat-like ears that they use to navigate around the world in stead of eyes.

Age
Zajec age relatively fast with a lifespan of around 100 years. Towards their last decades, their furs grow darker and more grey. They do not stop working or traveling until they go to sleep and not wake up.

Personality
The zajec are a peaceful race. The sight of one of their villages is said to be a welcoming sight to those travelling the snow-swept wastes, as the zajec are reputed to be a most giving and trusting race. It is said that any traveler in need could always enter a zajec village and leave fed and rested. Only when they attempt to harm its inhabitants, do the zajec pick up arms to defend themselves.

The zajec are solemn and contemplative. Each action they take is first weighed against the possible results. They wish to improve the lives of all living things but will not sacrifice their ideals in order to justify their ends.

Subraces
Zajec subraces depend on where the zajec put their homes: Highland zajec call the high and icy tundras home, while the Lowland zajec moved downhill to be able to trade and hunt a wider range of creatures.

Highland
The zajec of the highlands are much gruffer than their lowland kin. They tend to be more muscular and wider with coarse fur to better protect them from the frigid cold they live in. Due to the isolated nature of living in the upper slopes of the tundras, Highland zajec often send out traders to deal with other races and their Lowland cousins.

They tend to be more brusque by zajec standards, but still offer air to those that come across their domains.

Lowland
Though nowhere near living in the heat, Lowland zajec live in warmer regions of the tundras, places populated with a wider range of animals and plants. With finer fur, Lowland zajec tend towards brownish colorations and can often be spotted darting across large expanses out on hunts.

Between the two subraces, Lowland zajec have a greater inclination towards spellcasting, and heavily favour ancestral magic or nature magic.

Trivia

 * Zajec speak Deep Speech, but it is unknown why
 * Taken from RollplayStudios and modified to fit the Verse
 * Zajec do not hold any grudge against the Silvan that cursed them, believing it to be well-deserved and even perhaps not enough