Traits

Clothing Style: Anything Goes
Primary: Brown ; Secondary: Gold
Bestia are the most plentiful of the Erré, and their animal forms tend to mimic mammals and marsupials.

The Bestia actually inhabit two islands. The first and largest of them has rolling hills that give most homes a view of the islands. People from all over Eredia and even the visiting Shéar live here alongside the Bestia.

Bestia Culture & Politics

Bestia d’la Mer has hundreds of doors to and from the Chronoscape, making it the de-facto hub of the entire planet. Their homes are typically made of four joined buildings (often inhabited by multiple generations) with a large courtyard or garden in the center. The buildings themselves are made of clay and stone, with each topped off with a thatched roof.

Races and refugees of all kinds mingle among the Bestia, and it’s sometimes difficult to tell whether someone is native or not. The locals take full advantage of the foot traffic, setting up stores and food stalls where the Peregrines like to take short cuts. On top of this commerce, the island is a popular hub for dealings with worlds beyond even Shérok. They possess the most wealth of any other island. This wealth is evenly dispersed, for the most part, so it’s difficult to notice when visiting the lands.

Not everyone enjoys the mingling of cultures on the main island of Bestia d’la Mer. Those on the smaller island show a clear distaste of visitors. After the Abrendese caused Shérok to plunge from a veritable paradise into a world of crime, some of them began to turn away all inhabitants of the Chronoscape. Eventually, this extended to the Shéar. Abrendese were certainly not welcome on their land. These people believe that the larger island is forsaken and that their island is the only true Bestia d’la Mer. They also believe that the current Bestia-mar must be out of touch with their god. Nonetheless, they are more than eager to receive monetary support from the mainland.

Bestia Religion & History

As with all other Erré islands, Bestia d’la Mer is named after its god, Bestia. What’s more, the god is appropriately named after his domain—the beasts of the world. It’s said that a great calamity occurred which caused the original Erré to flee to the Chronoscape. Bestia was the one who made a safe haven for the mammals, marsupials, vermin, and other creatures of the land. When he accepts someone into his domain as a Bestia, they will gradually grow attributes that match the animals whom he originally saved.  

Among the Erré gods, Bestia serves as the biggest troublemaker. The trickster can only be managed by Ere, though even she has trouble keeping him on a leash. The god once made a bet with Phinae on whose children were stronger. The winner would rule over the living, while the loser would rule over the dead. Phinae was quick to take the bet. The Bestia were strong, but the Phinae were much stronger. It almost seemed that their strength had no limit. However, Bestia had a plan. He had all of his children shapeshift into terrifying beasts and frighten the Phinae any time they attempted to perform a feat of strength. Unable to compete, Bestia and his children were the winners. Phinae and his children retreated to the sea, but out of revenge, the sea god split Bestia d’la Mer into two pieces.

The god himself is kind and welcoming of all people. He sees all of the living—even creatures outside of his domain or people from a different realm—as his own children. As such, the mainland of Bestia d’la Mer is full of people from all places, and those less welcoming to foreigners are tolerated all the same.

Bestia Magic

More than any other race, the Bestia have a penchant for shapeshifting. They can even revert to a fully human or animal form at will and—unlike the other races—it takes absolutely no magical effort to do so. They still receive magical training in their early years to make shifting a clean process. Those who show great magical talent are selected for further training among priests. From there, they can gradually learn to speak to certain animals. These animals include all the creatures whom Bestia originally saved.

Those who manage to speak fluently are made into a priest and receive further training from their fellow priests, the Bestia-mar, or the god himself. A fully trained Bestia priest will be able to read the minds of smaller creatures. The Bestia-mar is also granted the ability to control animals directly (this does not include people). This ability works best the tamer a creature is, though the Bestia-mar has no trouble commanding one or two non-cooperative animals at a time. His favorite color is brown, the color of the earth from which all things come. Second to that, he enjoys the gold of life-giving seeds.