Calaith

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''"When the Calaith first came to Edenfell, I knew instantly that they had been the product of a fallen deity. There is no other power in the universe more volatile than a god's last wink of life." -- Shillay Vanneccio'' =====

Calaith
Taur-like people. The Calaith are intelligent and cunning. Calaith have different lower halves of their bodies, such as lions, tigers, bears, and other such animals.

Physiology
The Calaith have humanoid upper bodies of diverse builds, and the lower bodies of various animals. This can range from small animals to large animals -- the size of their humanoid body scales with their animal half. Thankfully.

Culture
There are two sects of Calaith, the Meneus and the Caernau. Both of the groups dislike one another due to the differences in diet. Both have similar societies: there's the leader, the guardians (protectors), and the Shel'lari, which are basically the bulk of the population -- they do the work and breeding.

The Caernau are the "carnivorous" of the two factions, and the Meneus are the "herbivorous". With this stark difference in diet, there were many violent fights that broke out. Caernau, if lacking food, would attack a Meneus Calaith with the intention of eating them. The Meneus would fight back, further escalating the situations all throughout the territory. Finally, the leaders of both sects opted to separate their respective factions, having signed a treaty along the way to seal the deal.

Both the Caernau and Meneus share a concept of identifying a Calaith by what "House" they belong to. Tigers, rhinos, and other large, powerful Calaith are in the House of Strength. Cheetahs, gazelles, and other smaller, but quick Calaith are in the House of Alacrity. Dogs, elephants, and other particularly intelligent Calaith are in the House of Knowledge.

The Meneus main city is in a large temple called Ealon. The Caernau live within another temple city in the back portion of the Calaith territory, deep in the woods. They have named this home "Heela".

The Calaith were created via a dying Goddess' magical power. The Goddess in question, Calulaia, died on a parallel plane of existence, having been killed by Kreshax, the Slivere deity. Her dwindling power leaked into the material plane, causing many animals to mutate and develop higher intelligence and humanoid upper bodies where their heads would normally be.

Relations
The Calaith are generally a friendly race to outsiders. They hold a special trade partnership with both the Gontamel and the Lepetetra. They provide various ores and herbs to each respectively.