The Ways of the Kiberla

Physical Description

Kiberla appear to most people like man sized cats. In fact, this is only partly true. The Kiberla have the heads of a cougar but have long tails of a crocodile that drags behind them. Although the Kiberla look like cats, they stand upright on two feet. Their hands are those of humans with five thick fingers. Their hands are covered with small hair. On the forearm of the Kiberla is a large bone that creates a ridge that goes to the elbow. Many Kiberla use these bones as a defense to parry and block attacks.

Kiberla males on average stand 6'3" and weigh around 210 pounds. The Kiberla females are a little shorter than the males, standing at 5'9" and are more dainty than the males, only weighing 145 pounds. The Kiberla's skin colour varies from lightly tanned colour to midnight black and their entire bodies are covered with hair. Their eyes are always similar to that of a cats, large and oval and almost always green or brown although there are a rare few with other eye colours.

Geography

Geographically, Kiberla live almost exclusively in Forever Winter Vale. Their are small tribes that live in other areas such as the plains and even the mountains but to meet a Kiberla from one of these tribes is a rare experience.

In Forever Winter Vale, the Kiberla live near Ta’Lorns Summits which lies in a great canyon. These summits are tall, thin towers of rocks about 175 feet each but this varies for each peak. There are 13 of these towering rocks. they all form a rough circle with one in the center. Possibly one of the strangest things about these towering rocks is that rather than a snow covered plain, their is a beautiful forest with a crystal clear lake and river. Some of the most magnificent stone is found here and there is a great abundance of everything here; fish, birds, trees of all kinds, marble, granite and stones of kinds. The Kiberla believe that this phenomena was created by their passion, Ta’Lorn in the likeness of the Island of Reverence. For more Information, see the section on their passions and beliefs. The Kiberla have carved the worlds history and Ta’Lorns history into these large towers.

The Kiberla live in small circular homes. These domed homes look nothing more than a pile of rocks. These piles of rocks are in fact hallow and are where the Kiberla live. The homes are generally only one or two rooms big. Kiberla families don’t grow large and so the entire family sleeps in the main room. These homes are all connected by a network of small tunnels beneath the ground. This has always been a tradition in Kiberla architecture.

Passions and their beliefs

Long before the creation of the world, there was the Passion Ta’Lorn. This Passion had a vision. That vision was to create a world that had various types of life forms on it that would pay homage by worshipping him. Ta’Lorn began to create this world, the world that we have now come accustom to. First, Ta’Lorn created the vast ocean. The entire planet was covered with water. Ta’Lorn then created a large island called the island of reverence. This island was made of the strongest rock, the tallest trees, and the clearest rivers. The inhabitants of the island consisted of many different races but all these races got along with one another. They all worshipped Ta’Lorn for it was he who gave them life. The people of the Island of Reverence were happy. There was no war, no fighting, no death, no suffering. It was perfect. After many centuries of living on the island, paying homage to Ta’Lorn, Ta’Lorn’s brothers and sisters took notice of this world Ta’Lorn created. They soon became jealous of what Ta’Lorn had made. Rather than create their own followers, Ta’Lorn’s brothers and sisters visited the people of the island. As time passed, the people who had once loved Ta’Lorn began to worship these other Passions. This hearsay against Ta’Lorn spread like a weed through this perfect society. Ta’Lorn soon discovered the betrayal that his children had created by the cause of his siblings. Ta’Lorn created a continent on the opposite side of the world. He took the untrustworthy citizens of his island and placed them on this new continent to fend for themselves. Ta’Lorn’s brothers and sisters began to fight over these exiles in order to be the dominant one who would be worshipped. This was the beginning of the great battle between the Passions. When all was said and done, the Passions shaped this new world to their liking. The Passions who faired better in the great battles shaped more of the land to their liking than the ones who did not fair so good. Ta’Lorn was the only Passion who did not participate in these battles. He hung his head in shame of his brothers and sisters behavior.

Ta’Lorn punished his people for betraying him after what he had created for them. He took their immortality away from them. It is said that the only way the people of Ta’Lorn can return to the Island of Reverence is to see their fault and recognize that Ta’Lorn is their creator. Only when all of his creations have recognized their mistake will they be able to return to the island of Reverence.

On Life and Death

All Kiberla believe that they are the children of Ta’Lorn. One of the most fascinating things about a Kiberla is the way they are brought into this life. When a Kiberla is born, the entire clan congregates to the outskirts of Ta’Lorn’s Summits, more specifically, the River of Destiny that flows out from Dremal lake that lies in the middle of the summits. When the entire clan has congregated to the river, the clan chief takes the newborn. The entire clan begins to chant, softly at first, as the chief prays to Ta’Lorn, making hand gestures over the babies body. As the chief nears the end, the chanting increases in frequency and the entire clan begins shake and beat their weapons on the ground and make-shift drums. When the chief is done, he waves his arms out to his sides, fully extended. The chanting stops instantly. The child’s parents take the child and place him in a small raft made of mud, grass and sticks. They gently push the child into the river and watch as their child floats, against the flow of the river, into the towering forest of the lush Ta’ Lorn’s Summit canyon. Once the child veers out of sight, the clan returns home except for the parents and the chief. They stay at the river side, praying to Ta’Lorn to protect the child and to give him his spirit. The Kiberla believe that by sending their young into the valley alone, Ta’Lorn will protect them and grant him with a good and pure soul; a soul that will know the truth about Ta’Lorn and will be strong and healthy through out his life. After just two days, the parents and chief see the raft floating back down the river, against the current. This completes the rites of birth. If the child does not return down the river within a week, then the Kiberla believe that Ta’Lorn discovered that the child was unable to have a pure soul. (almost 95% of the time the children return from the valley.) The Kiberla return to the catacombs after the week and pray to Ta’Lorn in hopes that he will show pity upon their clan and grant the parent’s next child to be pure.

When a member of the Kiberla die, the clans craftsmen build long canoes. These canoes are made from the trees found in Ta’Lorn’s Summits. Placed inside the raft are thick furs and other soft materials that form a bed inside the canoe. The body of the deceased is placed on the bed, his arms placed on his chest. The clan chief sends the canoe down the river towards the Great Mirrored River. The Kiberla believe that Ta’Lorn will lead the canoe to the Island of Reverence where the body and the soul of the dead Kiberla will be reunited to live the rest of their lives on the perfect island.

Views of Other Races

The Kiberla are the greatest followers of Ta’Lorn. They believe that all races and all life on the planet have Ta’Lorn to thank. They also believe that it is their duty to inform the misguided people of the land that Ta’Lorn must be the only one they respect. They show disrespect to him by worshipping his brothers and sisters. The Kiberla have no racists. This is because they treat all life of every race as “brothers” and “sisters”. They wish to help them see the true path so that they can all return to the Island of Reverence.

On War and Violence

War and violence is not held in high regard by the Kiberla. They feel that violence is a corruption of what Ta’Lorn’s siblings brought to the land. The Kiberla will never, under any circumstances, be the willing cause of violence. They will, however, use violence to defend themselves and the things dear to them if they must. If a Kiberla commits a violent act they quickly begin to meditate to Ta’Lorn. By meditating to him, they believe that Ta’Lorn grants them forgiveness. This cleanses the soul by removing the taint of evil that the violence creates inside one who commits a violent act.

The Kiberla have never participated in a war for as long as their race has existed. In recent times, some Kiberla prophets have been seeing visions sent to them from who they believe to be Ta’Lorn. In these visions, they were shown a great war between the people of this land and mysterious creatures that come from across the ocean. These creatures appeared to represent evil. The vision foretold the deaths of many and have told the Kiberla to prepare for the coming war. The vision said that Ta’Lorn would protect the Kiberla for as long as they fight to defend the continent. The Kiberla have begun to prepare for war but they have no means of telling when this monumental battle will take place. It could be months from now or maybe centuries. Either way, the Kiberla see this as an opportunity to unite the races under the guidance of Ta’Lorn.

On the Unique abilities of the Kiberla

From living in the Forever Winter Vale their entire lives the Kiberla have adapted well to their environment. The Kiberla have a special gel that covers their eyes. This gel is very thin but it repels snow, sleet and prevents the race from becoming snow blind. This is particularly useful during snow storms and blizzards which are uncommon in the valley but still do occur. The Kiberla have created a special way to hunt and to evade detection by burrowing under the loose snow of the valley. This renders them completely undetected by mostly everything.

The Kiberla have long tails with razor sharp bones protruding from them. The Kiberla have utilized this tail as a weapon that can be quite lethal in combat. Most Kiberla have strong muscles in their legs. This permits them to leap great distances. As stated above, the Kiberla live in an intricate network of catacombs underneath the desert. These catacombs are not natural but were created by the Kiberla who live in them now.

Certain Kiberla have developed an ancient practice that their forefathers created. This power is called transmitting. Once per day, a Kiberla who has perfected this ability can communicate with the dead. The Kiberla believe that Ta’Lorn granted them this power of transmitting so that his memory would not be lost with the dead. This power strengthens the Kiberla’s beliefs that they are to unite the races under Ta’Lorn’s name. They believe that this power was given to them so that they would become the scholars of Ta’Lorn by speaking with the deceased to learn what they can from them about the past.

Myths, Legends, and Heroes

Fruit of Greed
Long before the great battle of the gods, when Ta’Lorn’s brothers and sisters were luring Ta’Lorns children away, one of Ta’Lorn’s sisters, Weaberous, gave one a Kiberla who was strongly devoted to Ta’Lorn a small yet beautiful tree that had many different kinds of fruit upon it. There were pears, apples, oranges, pineapple; every imaginable fruit grew on this single tree. Weaberous told Rothbeth (the Kiberla she gave the plant to) that the tree was nothing but a gift. She told him that the fruit on the plant could give him amazing powers if he ate them. Rothbeth declined the gift at first, telling her that his loyalty was with Ta’Lorn. He told Weaberous that he would not be bribed with gifts that could shroud his mind. Weaberous continued to offer this gift to Rothbeth but each time she offered, Rothbeth refused. Finally, Weaberous said that if he took the tree and plant it in the ground, it would grow and everyone on the island could take some fruit, gain the powers, and use those powers to help glorify Ta’Lorn. Rothbeth thought of this idea and came to the conclusion that this was a good idea. Rothbeth took the tree and planted it on a hill. The next day, in the early morning, Rothbeth went to the hill and found that the tree had grown into a gigantic tree. The branches hung low where he could easily reach the different kinds of fruit. Soon, other people from the island came to the hill. Rothbeth told them that this tree had powerful fruit and that if it is eaten, it would grant magical powers. These powers could then be used to benefit Ta’Lorn. Some people scoffed, trying to persuade the others that it was a trap created by Weaberous to lead them astray. These pleas went unanswered for the most part and people approached the tree, took some fruit and ate it. As soon as a piece of fruit was plucked from a branch, another one magically appeared in its place. Time passed and the people continued to take the fruit. News came saying that Ta’Lorn was fed up with the ingratitude. He said that in five days, everyone would be banished from the Island of Reverence. (Note that this incident did not occur just because of this tree but for a number of reasons) The people who took the fruit from the tree came in panic and took as much of the fruit as they could Rothbeth pleaded with them, saying that he can bring the tree with them to there place of banishment. The people did not listen. Soon the people took too much of the fruit. The tree began to whither and the fruit stopped appearing. The people had begun to kill the tree. Within hours, the tree was nothing but a skeleton of branches. Rothbeth managed to save one of the pieces of fruits and legend speaks of him bringing it to the new world. This magical fruit was never planted but was lost. It is said that if the fruit was planted, it could result in the growth of a new magical tree.

The Tale of Two Cities
The war of Fiddlers Knoll resulted in no clear victor. This war raged between to city states that fought over the lush land that existed between the two cities. during the war, which lasted over a four year span, the land was used as the battle grounds for their war. These two factions would still be battling each other but in their rage, the once beautiful land was virtually destroyed. The two city states had nothing to fight over and so the war stopped but they each blamed the other for the devastation of the land. This stubbornness would be their death. The cities always took what they had for granted. Soon after the war, each city began to suffer economically. One city didn’t have a good water supply. The water became poisonous and undrinkable. However, they prospered in the livestock industry. This was because of their rich fields that their livestock could graze upon. The other city lacked in the livestock industry. Their fields had become over used and their herds could not survive. But this city had a wonderful spring of water that could supply more than enough water for everyone. Even though the cities could not survive without the others help, their stubbornness exceeded their desire to solve the problems that existed. On the brink of death, both cities saviors came. Her name was Jas’Deco, a Kiberla. Jas’Deco sought food and shelter. When the city could only supply food but not water, she went to the other city. Here she found a similar problem. They could only supply her with water but not a good meal. Jas’Deco sought to fix this problem asking for the city leaders to meet with her. It is unknown what happened at the meeting but when it was done, the two city leaders had agreed to help one another. They set up trade routes that have existed to this day. These two cities that had once been sworn enemies had become partners and worked together to help one another survive. It is a mystery as to what happened to Jas’Deco, but some people believe that she came from the mythical Island of Reverence.

Kiberla Game Statistics