Race Idea: Creopans

Creopans

The creopans are a rare, secretive, and prideful race of humanoid, mongoose-like creatures. Their name is of Germanic origin for “that which creeps” a fitting name for creatures as stealthy as these. They are so good at remaining furtive, that until recently, they were widely thought of as boogiemen, monsters of legend that went extinct years ago. If it were it not for them revealing themselves recently they may still be thought of as myth.

Most measure anywhere from 5ft to the average height of 65ft but a rare few do grow to a full 80ft. Instead of hunting small, sentient beings, they are better known for hunting creatures larger than themselves, such as giant nagas. They are capable of doing this because of their astonishing strength, agility, cunning, and natural born magic. But their motives for it are quite simple: they love a good challenge. The exceptions to their rules of selective hunting are invertebrate hybrids: dridders, mantoids, slug girls, etc. Eating any other form of small sentient beings is considered an almost unforgivable act in the eyes of a creopan – well, unless absolutely necessary. Mind you; for 2000 years, up until not so long ago, this was all a thing of the past as they had retreated under Felarya’s crust, oddly coinciding with the destruction of Ur-Sagol: it is currently unclear why this is.

Though a species more interested in science than magic, they still possess a number of necessary tricks. These tricks include the predator sense, the ability change in size (much like fairies), the ability to change the size of a severely weakened or unconscious enemy (it makes eating a giant hybrid much easier), and lastly the ability to neutralize most poisons and magic. Most forms of magic, besides elemental magic, tend to “fizz out” when they come too close; this even includes the predator sense of other hybrids – unless they want to be found – and fairy-brand dimensional magic used for “changing size”. In the past, all too many fairies have tried to grow in size in front of a creopan, only to realize that they couldn’t and see the smug, toothy smile on the creopans face before being gobbled up. Understandably these abilities don’t work on others of their own kind. It should also be noted that unlike most other races, creopans cannot learn many other forms of magic beside the afore mentioned prowess. Exactly which ones they can learn is unknown as they don't put much store by it.

As a race, creopans possess: night eyes, elf-like ears, powerful limbs, retractable claws, fury tails of varying lengths, and thin coats of fur on various parts of their body - rarely on their face and closer to their hands and feet. It should be known that when covered in clothing – a commodity insisted upon in much of their culture – they don’t look to different from nekos, humans, or elves. This is a fact that they use to their advantage, as they can easily be passed off as prey to bait in nagas. A predator unfamiliar with them – as most are due to their stealth – can quickly find the tables turned and become the meal. A few creopans of the past even liked to let hybrids feel like they’d won before revealing their true nature.

As for coexistence: before retreating underground, the creopans shared a healthy respect for nagas – even considering them as equals. This meant that they actually hunted each other for sport and didn’t take it personally, as it was considered a great honor for both parties. When it came to fairies however, creopans looked on them as pests and only refrained from eating them if they were friends with nagas. And invertebrate in general are considered snack food, nothing more. All other races are judged as individuals as to whether they were friend, foe, or food.

Creopans are masters in their own styles of martial arts, which are rivaled only by the elves. It should be noted that a creopan only uses his claws during combat in life threatening situations and even then as a last resort. This is mostly because they actually try to be civilized instead of abiding by the law of the jungle and giving into their instincts. This means that if a creopan draws out his claws he’s getting desperate, this is also when he’s at his most dangerous. However; a particularly large predator or one skilled in combat or elemental magic, actually stands a good chance of survival at this point.

It is said that the creopans are one of the oldest races in Felarya and once roamed much of its surface but due to numerous wars with a now supposedly extinct race, their own race in now in decline. There are currently less than 1000 creopans still in existence and unfortunately most of which are male – an odd thing for any race in Felarya. Their elders – a council of ruling creopans – are franticly searching for a way to save their species. Their scientists have recently discovered that if they have children with other races, not only would they take after their creopan parent in appearance, but may also be granted special abilities from their other parent’s race. The problem with this idea is that creopans had many enemies, of both natural and cultural make, while they lived aboveground. As they are running out of options, creopans have been forced to swallow their own pride and make themselves known by sending out 4 emissaries to find mates – one in four separate directions: north, south, east, and west. Though they will not stop hunting hybrids entirely, they have forsworn the hunting of fairies and nagas – well, mostly. They also fear that they might have to start hunting smaller creatures in order to peacefully coexist with other hybrids.
All this being said; most creopan males are unfamiliar with females and this brings up the question. How will this race, one that has been taught to treat females – who are usually clothed – chivalrously, react to the world of Felarya, a world populated mostly by unclothed females? I sense that a lot of awkward moments for those 4 emissaries are to come.


Rumors:

There is a rumor circulating that this race actually has a grand - though sparsely populated - city deep underground called: The Den. This has yet to be proven, though it is likely true since no other form of nest has been located. Even more amazing is that The Den is said to never stay in one place for more than a week, transporting to various underground points in Felarya. It is unclear whether this phenomena can be attributed to magic or technology.

It is said that because they live under the revitalizing soil of Felarya, that creopans have a lifespan almost as lengthy as a dryads’.

They say that The Den may actually be a separate dimension: the one closest to Felarya. And that the only way to get in is through an ever relocating gate.

P.S: This is just a rough draft. I hope you like it, if you do I've got plenty more where this came from. Oh, and if you don't like it please tell me why so I can avoid future miss-steps.

*crosses fingers*

I gotta say, I really like these new creatures, I was alittle confused on whetherthey were taurs or more like nekos at first but I can tell ya put alot of thought into em, you did a great job, wish I could pinpoint the things I really liked but I like all of it.

That's a nice and detailled idea I think, and their backstory is interesting
But I wonder if they aren't a bit too powerful. I mean having size-changing magic, then being somehow anti-magic themselves , very strong and agile, having the predator sense, predator sense jamming... this makes a bit too much in my opinion ^^;

I see what you mean, I'll have to figure out how to tone down their power.

Creopans ~edited~

The creopans are a rare, secretive, and prideful race of humanoid, mongoose-like creatures. Their name is of Germanic origin for “that which creeps” a fitting name for creatures as stealthy as these. They are so good at remaining furtive, that until recently, they were widely thought of as boogiemen, monsters of legend that went extinct years ago. If it were it not for them revealing themselves recently they may still be thought of as myth.

Most measure anywhere from 5ft to the average height of 65ft but a rare few do grow to a full 80ft. Instead of hunting small, sentient beings, they are better known for hunting creatures larger than themselves, such as giant nagas. They are capable of doing this because of their astonishing strength, agility, cunning, and natural born magic. But their motives for it are quite simple: they love a good challenge. The exceptions to their rules of selective hunting are invertebrate hybrids: dridders, mantoids, slug girls, etc. Eating any other form of small sentient beings is considered an almost unforgivable act in the eyes of a creopan – well, unless absolutely necessary. Mind you; for 2000 years, up until not so long ago, this was all a thing of the past as they had retreated under Felarya’s crust, oddly coinciding with the destruction of Ur-Sagol: it is currently unclear why this is, but many speculate it was to save their own hides from the same fate. Warning: do not even imply this in front of a creopan if you want to keep your skin.

Though a species more interested in science than magic, they still possess a number of necessary tricks. These tricks include the predator sense, the ability to change the size of a severely weakened or unconscious enemy (it makes eating a giant hybrid much easier but is very different from the fairy brand), and lastly the ability to neutralize most poisons and the predator sense of other hybrids. It should also be noted that unlike most other races, creopans cannot learn many other forms of magic beside the afore mentioned prowess. Exactly which ones they can learn is unknown as they don't put much store by it.

As a race, creopans possess: night eyes, elf-like ears, powerful limbs, thick claws, furry tails of varying lengths, and thin coats of fur on various parts of their body - rarely on their face and closer to their hands and feet. It should be known that when covered in clothing – a commodity insisted upon in much of their culture – they don’t look to different from nekos, humans, or elves. This is a fact that they use to their advantage, as the smaller ones can easily be passed off as prey to bait in hungry hybrids. A predator unfamiliar with them and expecting an easy meal can quickly find the tables turned and become the meal. A few creopans of the past even liked to let hybrids feel like they’d won before revealing their true nature. Even if it is a small creopan, a large hybrid may wind up with a few minor cuts, bites, and bruises before catching its meal.

As for coexistence: before retreating underground, the creopans shared a healthy respect for nagas – even considering them as equals. This meant that they actually hunted each other for sport and didn’t take it personally, as it was considered a great honor for both parties. When it came to fairies however, creopans looked on them as pests and only refrained from eating them if they were friends with nagas. And invertebrates in general are considered snack food, nothing more. All other races are judged as individuals as to whether they were friend, foe, or food. Well, all except for one race: the harpies. Harpies are the creopans natural predator, and creopans have a nearly petrifying fear of them. Every young creopan has heard stories about the viciousness of harpies and frequently have nightmares about them. Thus you will never find a creopan in an open area for fear that a harpy may be watching, this makes open areas; oceans, plains, mountains, deserts, etc a safe place to get away from a creopan.

Creopans are masters in their own styles of martial arts, which may only be surpassed by the elves. It should be noted that a creopan only uses his claws during combat in life threatening situations and even then as a last resort. This is mostly because they actually try to be civilized instead of abiding by the law of the jungle and giving into their instincts. This means that if a creopan draws out his claws he’s getting desperate, this is also when he’s at his most dangerous. However; a particularly large predator or one skilled in combat or magic, actually stands a good chance of survival at this point.

It is said that the creopans are one of the oldest races in Felarya and once roamed much of its surface but due to numerous wars with a now supposedly extinct race, their own race in now in decline. There are currently less than 1000 creopans still in existence and unfortunately most of which are male – an odd thing for any race in Felarya. Their elders – a council of ruling creopans – are franticly searching for a way to save their species. Their scientists have recently discovered that if they have children with other races, not only would they take after their creopan parent in appearance, but may also be granted special abilities from their other parent’s race. The problem with this idea is that creopans had many enemies, of both natural and cultural make, while they lived aboveground. As they are running out of options, creopans have been forced to swallow their own pride and make themselves known by sending out 4 emissaries to find mates – one in four separate directions: north, south, east, and west. Though they will not stop hunting hybrids entirely, they have forsworn the hunting of fairies and nagas – well, mostly. They also fear that they might have to start hunting smaller creatures in order to peacefully coexist with other hybrids.

All this being said; most creopan males are unfamiliar with females and this brings up the question. How will this race, one that has been taught to treat females – who are usually clothed – chivalrously, react to the world of Felarya, a world populated mostly by unclothed females? I sense that a lot of awkward moments for those 4 emissaries are to come.


Rumors:

There is a rumor circulating that this race actually has a grand - though sparsely populated - city deep underground called: The Den. This has yet to be proven, though it is likely true since no other form of nest has been located. Even more amazing is that The Den is said to never stay in one place for more than a week, transporting to various underground points in Felarya. It is unclear whether this phenomenon can be attributed to magic or technology.

It is said that because they live under the revitalizing soil of Felarya, that creopans have a lifespan almost as lengthy as a dryads’.

They say that The Den may actually be a separate dimension: the one closest to Felarya. And that the only way to get in is through an ever relocating gate.

P.S. I hope you all like version 2.0 a little better, but even if you don't, I've got plenty of other ideas to spare. Feel free to tell me about any mistakes I made or tell me what you think of it in general.