This is just a fun little side project I'm doing. Pretty much I just wanted to give people a more in depth look at the Kiranu and their history. This may be edited later. But for now, read to your hearts content.

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The Book of the Kiranu
As most of you already know, the Kiranu are a strange race of humans with cat ears and tails. They can be snide, playful or just downright mean. They love shiny things and when up against a bard, with automatically loose because they love music. But there is more to the Kiranu than meets the eye. This book, written by a Kiranu herself, is now published and available all over Axiom. For those of you who wish to learn more about the Kiranu race, please read on.


Kiranu Birth - The Start of the Race.
No one is exactly sure how the Kiranu's came into being, but nearly all believe they were genetically created beings. There is also a lot of evidence to support this. Treks into Pronta and Fronta have turned up numerous laboratories with different human animal hybrids in them. We have also procured a list of names, people who worked on these hybrid projects. However, when we went to contact them, no one would answer except for one. Professor Amaryil Utek. He informed us that when Axiom was young, people were looking for an easier way of life. Amaryil Utek, a Vampire native of Nocturne, told us the reason behind the Hybrid experiments.

He stated that these creatures were made to be used as a source of cheap labor. Out of all the hybrids they tried to form, the Kiranu were the only animal/human mix that had been successful. Originally, the Adam and Eve of the species were naive, and followed basic orders. They did not question their lot in life and through them, more Kiranu were born. Scientists taught the new ones while using the two originals for breeding purposes.

"Things were going well." Amaryil told us. "These creatures were more like lost children. They worked hard to impress their Masters in exchange for a kind word and a little pat on the head. It reminded us of the old days when the Lycans were like that. Back before they started getting self righteous and intelligent. We worked hard to keep the Kiranu stupid, and that work lasted for about two hundred years. Of course, once they did wise up, all hell broke loose."


Kiranu Birth - The Slave Wars

The race had been around for about two hundred years now. By this time they were large in numbers and sold as commonly as pets are these days. Every family had at least one Kiranu in their house if not more. This slavery was widely accepted by all, including Lycans who, at the time, were fighting to free themselves from Vampire tyranny. Of course, at this time it was common to see horrible things going on between the Masters and the Kiranu slaves. Beatings occurred regularly in the streets, and because of their naive nature, they were easy to take advantage of.

Papers of the Slave Wars are few in number. It seems that not only the Masters of that time, but also the Kiranu race wish to forget about such horrible times. However, if we do not remember the past, then it will surely repeat itself. They said the wars were started when crowds witnessed a young Kiranu boy and his sister being beaten to death by their owner. The boy, in an effort to please his Master, had taken a shiny ring from the stand. Since he was a respected member of the community, when he was called a thief the man turned his anger on the real culprit: his slave boy.

The beating that occurred in the middle of the town was so devastating that the boy's sister tried to intervene, and she too was beaten to death before the large growing crowd. Seeing such a brutal attack in the middle of the day made nearly all who witnessed it feel guilty. Those who were sympathetic to the race, took it upon themselves to have the man appear in court for his crimes.

Since the Kiranu didn't have any rights, and were regarded as a commodity, the man was set free. This just angered the Kiranu people more, and soon slaves were standing up against their owners and joining those who held sympathy towards the race. A civil war broke out between the nations of the world, and the Kiranu race who demanded that they be treated like everyone else. Of course, during this war, many Kiranu lost their lives, and those who helped the Kiranu were seen as traitors and killed on sight. During this time, Kiranu population declined, and they eventually gave up and returned home.

Kiranu Birth - The Slave Wars Part 2
Another hundred years passed before a Kiranu woman stood up against the Masters. A headstrong woman by the name of Mew, she took slaves from their homes and placed them in a safe haven. Many tried to capture this woman, but she was quick and had been trained by a few remaining humans who sympathized with the race. A hefty bounty was placed on her head but all who stood in her way were brutally killed. By the time five years had passed, the woman had saved more than five hundred thousand slaves and trained them to march in her army.

War was the only way to go, and the woman marched from Nation to nation, demanding the Kiranu be placed on the same levels as any other bloodline. Those who declined entered into war with the woman and, due to the excessive training of her troops, lost. A few Kingdoms, like Kranila, stayed out of the fight. The only Kingdom that was able to push back the Kiranu forces was Nocturne which even to this day seems to stay as the world power.

Though Mew didn't defeat Nocturne, the King of that time was impressed, and he too joined with the other Kingdoms to rewrite the documents and free the Kiranu from slavery. It was a proud day for the Kiranu people, but unfortunately Mew was found dead three days later, killed by an angry mob.

Those responsible for her death where all put to death, and no other incidents occurred after that.


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The Kiranu Today:
Years after the Slave Wars, the Kiranu have grown into a strange but familiar culture. With no real roots of their own, the Kiranu took bits and pieces from other races and molded their own belief system. The only thing that has remained constant is the original Kiranu language. It has been passed down from Generation to Generation and is only really widely known to each Kiranu, though there are some humans who know the language themselves.

Even though most races have equal rights between men and women, the Kiranu have a different way of doing things. Men in the Kiranu society run the show when it comes to politics. Females are not allowed to have knowledge of the political views in the race. Though in all honesty, most women don't care. Likewise, females are expected to bare young, cook and clean. However, in keeping with their savior Mew, females are allowed to enter into the Coliseum and fight as gladiators. If a female chooses to do this, they must wear the same garments as the males, which is basically just a skirt with some arm bands and anklets. Of course, any female that does this is looked at as a male and forfeits her right to join in the Festival of the Moon.

Most females do not enter the Coliseum because of this. Our recent data concludes that only one female so far has entered into the Coliseum as a girl and has not only fought, but won the junior championships two years in a row. Data on this female was cut short due to a Lycan raid on the Kiranu town of Mau which left many of the race killed and others who disappeared into the black markets, being sold as slaves.


Religion:

Religious views of the Kiranu do not seem to be too prominent. Most Kiranu believe in what they have been taught by the various nations that surround their homes. Only the town of Mau came up with their own religion. These Kiranu worshipped the vampire Vlad Tepes, a war hero from years ago who helped the town once before and saved them from Lycans. He acted as a protector of the town and knowledge of him was passed down by the Kiranu Elder to his children. Unfortunately, Vlad kept coming to the village, and it seems as if his influence finally broke, leading to the Kiranu village being annihilated by the Lycans.

Even so, those who do remember the great Vampire, worship him as a god. They believe that by praying to him, the might gain the strength to smite down their enemies. They also think that if they can defeat all those who stand in their way, that they will be able to take their place among the great vampire to serve him for all eternity. It is the highest honor a Kiranu can think about.

Kiranu Mating:
The Kiranu have a very dominant way of working when it comes to choosing their mate. Males make the first move, normally by coming up behind the female and nipping at the back of their necks to show their dominance over her. However, it is really the female who get's to choose.

The Kiranu hold of Mating Festival each year, where eligible females choose their mates. During the days before this Festival actually begins, males head out to purchase garments for the females that they wish to take as their brides. This is the equivalent to a human male giving a ring to his prospective bride. The female chooses which male she wishes to marry by selecting the garment she likes. All Kiranu garments are unique, so no one will get confused.

When the Festival arrives, Kiranu children play games, escorted by the already married, those who wish to stay single, and the elders of the village. While they play games, the eligible males and females gather under the moon, around a large bonfire. The music begins and the females dance for their new husbands to show their interest in them and to pump the males up for the mating ritual to occur afterwards. After a few songs, the males join the females. Everyone drinks until they can handle no more, and retire to various rooms so they may mate and produce offspring.

As stated before, females who have joined in the Coliseum are unable to partake in this ritual, leaving them barren. Any female who fought in the Coliseum and bares children is immediately banished from their home and listed as dead to the Kiranu race. Others know this because said females are branded on their forearms.

Kiranu Festivals:
Other than the Festival of the Moon, there are numerous other joyous events the Kiranu take part in. Sunbath Day, for instance, is a day when everything shuts down in the Kiranu towns. The people use this day to lay out in the sun and sunbathe. It's a relaxing and rejuvenating day that leaves the Kiranu people refreshed and is one of the holidays that all Kiranu look forward too. This day is held on the longest day of summer.

Mew Appreciation Day is a day where the Kiranu observe their past and give offerings to their savior, Mew. All Kiranu trek to Mew's resting place which lies near Nocturne. Each one brings a gift and places it upon her grave. They sit up all night with torches lit as a symbol that, no matter how dark things look, light will always shine through. When day finally approaches, the Kiranu sing the following song in remembrance of her:

Darkness once bound us
Masters once denied us
We could not see
We were blind to the ways of the world

Oh Joyous Day when she came!
Mew, Savior to us all!
Unselfish, undefeated
She led the way

Fighting with claws crimson red
Our enemies would soon be dead
The battle was fierce
We didn't back down

Oh Joyous Day when she came!
Mew, Savior to us all!
Unselfish, undefeated

She paved the way for our new life.

We salute thee Mew
Never shall we forget the pain you saw
As you stood upon the blood soaked battlefield
You showed us light will never die.