Harimari

Template:Infobox race The Harimari (meaning Harimar's People) are a feline race, taking on the appearance of humanoid tigers, similar to how gnolls appear to be humanoid hyenas. Originating in the now-named Ascension Peninsula in southwestern Rahen, the people were uplifted from their primitive state to high intelligence during the Day of Ashen Skies in 0 BA. After their "ascension", they conquered much of Haless under the leadership of the eponymous Harimar.

The Harimari were infamous for their bestial and savage nature during the conquest of Rahen. However, their reputation changed drastically during rule, and the humanoid tigers have since become known as great thinkers and philosophers. In fact, it is said that the term "philosopher-king" originates from the harimari rulers of Haless.

Theories behind the Ascension

For as long as the harimari have existed, there have been competing theories among Raheni and Halessi philosophers of how such a people came into being. A handful of facts are well-established: they did not exist prior to the Day of Ashen Skies, they are confirmed to exist by 2 AA, and that Harimar the Great was a second-generation harimari. But details beyond that are largely confined to the realm of theory, though some may have more weight than others.

The harimari themselves speak of the legendary "Eye of Ascension", through which their tiger progenitors passed and emerged as sentient beings. That said, the logistics of such a process are dubious, and no such artifact has been recorded in any of the Order of Chroniclers' expeditions, nor do the harimari themselves claim to have access to such a portal. That said, given the volume of High Temples in the region, and their incalculable depths, it is impossible to fully rule out such an idea.

A theory more popular in recent history also points to the High Temples, and their strong spirit-manipulating powers. It argues that the Day of Ashen Skies must have caused some sort of malfunction in Raheni temples, where instead of suppressing the local spirits of land and sky, they were channeled. For whatever reason, their receptacle was the Ascension's Peninsula tiger population, and the product of being imbued with those quasi-sentient beings' essence resulted in the harimari. The knowledge transferred in this process, it is argued, explains why the harimari did not behave with total bewilderment upon transformation from mere jungle beast. It may also explain, at least in part, why Rahen does not suffer quite the same level of spirit presence as eastern Haless.