Mithra History
- This is the story-based description of Mithra, who are a minor race that is still in the works.
The Mithra are a reclusive race very similar to humans in many aspects, though worlds apart in others. Though a handful of them have ventured beyond the seas, leaving their large island home behind, they are by and large very stationary, and their distribution outside of their home is so limited that the greater majority of Earth (excepting certain D'hennexian territories) is hardly aware of the fact that they exist. These feline humans possess tufted ears and cat-like tails, giving them superb senses of hearing and balance, and are naturally quite agile and dexterous. Given their lax nature, however, they tend to not grasp spellcraft or the mental arts as readily as they can command their own physical bodies.
Physical Appearance
Mithra are diminutive in stature; one standing six feet tall is extremely rare, and a veritable giantess among her peers, while between four and a half and five feet is the given average. As they are energetic, one is hard-pressed to find a Mithra that more than a degree or two shy of peak physical conditioning, and obesity is practically nonexistent. All Mithra have cat-like ears and tails, as well as felt-like nose leather, though no other major animal-like qualities are prevalent, setting them apart from demihumans.
The Mithran homeland is a large, unnamed tropical island chain, so their clothing is generally sparse and colorful.
Culture and Society
In a bit of an oddity, Mithra males account for less than ten percent of the total Mithra population. This has given rise to a matriarchal power structure, where males have forfeited several rights that their female counterparts still retain. Because the birth of a male Mithra is cause for great celebration, and the death of one a cause for great mourning, male Mithra are protected almost zealously, forbid to ever leave their unnamed island home, and have little to no contact with what outsiders do visit the island. All male Mithra are born, and remain, mortal.
Though Mithra have no claim to high technology, they have a very thorough, very organized political structure. They are governed by a single Mithra bearing the title of Huntress, who presides over a council numbering anywhere from three to six. The Mithran governing structure is not exactly a democracy, as leaders are appointed by those that precede them, though no consideration is given to family lines. It is, in fact, extremely rare for a Huntress to name her daughter her predecessor, as all Mithra thrive on change. More conservative-minded Huntresses will generally appoint more liberal-minded leaders in their place when their time comes to step down, and vice versa.
From there on, authority is disseminated from the Huntress' advisory council down to ten other Mithra bearing the title of Mother-Sister; each is responsible for a tenth of the total Mithra population, playing mother to their 'children' and sister to one another. While beneath the Huntress and her council, Mother-Sisters are elevated above all other Mithra, and treated with great respect. Any decision a Mother-Sister makes is thought to be in the best interest of the Mithra as a whole, and as they may not act in an official capacity without the approval of the Huntress' council, abuse of power is more or less nonexistent.
Outside of the Huntress, her council, and the Mother-Sisters, all other Mithra decide social standing through games and comparison of physical ability and desirability. Because of the extreme population disparity, no one female Mithra may ever lay permanent claim to a single male, and those who wish to become mothers compete fiercely for that right. Only those free of deformities and in peak physical and mental condition are even considered, though exception is given to any Mithra that bears a son.
Mithra have had numerous contacts with the outside world, and maintain a number of active trade relationships with territories in D'hennex. Though money plays a much smaller role in the Mithran economy than physical, tangible goods such as food and building materials, they maintain a respectable stockpile of precious metals and currency from from every friendly nation in D'hennex. Pearls from this region are also considered rare and valuable, though they are not actually used as currency.
Geology of the Homeland
The Mithran homeland is actually a chain of seven inhabitable islands, though four of these islands are somewhat less hospitable than those currently populated by Mithra. None of the islands are named, and the three largest boast a combined population roughly equal to a crowded county in West City.
The islands are actively volcanic, and grow a small percentage each year. The soil is highly fertile, and overall the island is about as close to a paradise as any place left on Earth could possibly be. Marine life is richly diverse, and provides the Mithra with their greatest source of food, outside of the large portion of their home island that is dedicated to farming rice. The region is tropical, and there are several times in recorded Mithran history where fierce tropical storms have struck their home to devastating effect, though this has yet proved enough to force them away from the islands.
Native plants consist mostly of ferns and palms, though the fertile soil is susceptible to the occasional outbreak of non-indigenous plant-life. The majority of game animals, such as the wild pigs once native to the 'big' island, are but a distant memory, having been hunted to extinction. The four uninhabited islands have greater concentration of wild game and birds, though these are also often plundered to provide 'rare' red and white meat for festivals and other celebrations.