Appearance

The average lion stands about five feet tall at the shoulder and comes in a variety of colors, not particular to which pride they belong to. The most common of colors are brown, gray, black and tan, though other colors can be found. The markings on the lions can also vary, mainly depending on where the the markings are located, as well as the lion's age. Some lions can have incredibly elaborate patterns and marks while some have little to no markings, and still others develop or lose markings as they grow and age.

Male lions are differentiated from the females by both their size and their manes. Males are usually larger in build, with heavier, thicker muscles. They also sport long, flowing manes that become longer and more pronounced as they age, used for both intimidation and attracting potential mates.

Although females are smaller in size, they can be as strong as, if not stronger, than the males.

Abilities

The magical abilities of lions ranges from none at all to complete control over an element and rarely, complete magical mastery. Born of the grasses and earth, almost all lions at least have some sort of abilities in the earth element, whether it be control over earth magic, or simply being in tune with the earth, such as being able to craft their dens with ease or being able to sense approaching creatures, friend, foe, or food. Similarly, most lions will at least have some sort of magical ability, whether it be healing abilities or the ability to create illusions, or anything in between.

Along with magical abilities, all lions have some level of physical strength and fighting skills. Fighting is more common amongst the males, and each male cub is trained by their father as well as the broodmothers and elders to fight and survive. Females, on the other hand, are trained more to hone their skills as hunters and gatherers, but still are trained and possess a level of skill in fighting.

Agrothron: The lions of the Agrothron Pride have a special ability that the Falonde lions do not; when the Agrothron lions split off from the original pride, they found a new god to worship: Norak, the god of death and peace. The Agrothron lions prayed to Norak not for peace, but rather for assistance with the matter of death, and in turn he granted the royals of the new pride a dark form of magic: Necromancy. The Royals learned quickly that this new skill was not to be used lightly, for misuse could lead to the death of the user, and now the pride uses it very rarely, usually only to bring back cubs that were taken too soon.

Falonde: On the other hand, the Falonde lions have an ability that their counterparts do not possess as well. For their devotion, Karnos granted the royals of the Falonde powerful light magic; this magic was to be used for healing even fatal injuries, if the victim could be reached before they passed into the void. Like the necromancy of the Agrothron royals, this magic takes an immense toll on the lion that performs it, especially for large, otherwise unfixable injuries, and thus it is used very cautiously to prevent the death of the user.

History

Woven from the grass of the plains of Prasinos, the first lion was said to have been made by the god, Karnos. Being a kind god, he gave this lion a companion in the form of a lioness. The pair lived together in harmony near the Naibi River system. In the age of the beginning, life was good and food was plenty. The two lions slowly grew a pride, having litter after litter of strong, healthy cubs. However, despite their attempts, time and time again the pair were only able to produce female cubs. Years passed, before eventually, their luck changed as they had a litter of just two male cubs. Both cubs were strong, and had the potential to replace their father when he was too old to take care of the pride. From their first breath, the two cubs would always be battling to prove their worth.

As the two males grew, their father watched them closely, noting their individual strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, he picked the first born cub as his heir, believing the cub would grow to be a better King than his brother. Upon hearing this decision, the younger brother became resentful, and attempted to attack his brother, forcing his father to kick him out of the pride once he reached adolescence. Completely destroyed by this, the younger cub persuaded one of the older females to join him in order to start their own pride. The two left and travelled as far away from the other pride as they could, going to the other end of the continent before they settled. This new pride became known as the Agrothron pride, inhabiting the regions to the west of Azar lake, while the original pride was dubbed the Falonde.

Years passed, and both prides grew and flourished. However, after the original King passed, the older and younger brothers, now Kings of their own prides, grew resentful toward one another. Though they remained far from each other and did not interact, the two prides grew to be rivals, and remain as such even through the generations that have come and gone, to this day.