Known and Unknown History
The creation of the
Ursa is tied irrevocably to the being known as Arcturus or Polaris. This
being's magicks were pulled to the Realms of IIo and Lysia after the coming of
the Comet. There, the magicks touched a race of creatures yet unsullied by the
magicks of the universe.
And so the Ursa came
into being. Due to the universal magicks of Arcturus, the Ursa were unaffected
by whatever Realm they lived in and were able to observe and analyze the
magicks of the land. The Ursa were neither of IIo or Lysia, but instead were
creatures of the universe.
On IIo, the Seal of
the Archmagi locked away the magicks of the Ursa left out of the SubRealms.
They died out by the millions, but those left alive were granted the cruelest
of fates: without magick, they began a process of devolution, becoming the
mighty bears of IIo.
The Ursa of Lysia
continued to carve out small communities for themselves as they avoided the
high elves and became friends with the Elysia. When the Sundering occurred, the
Ursa were able to travel to IIo once more, and those Ursa of IIo that had
survived in SubRealms reclaimed their ancient lands.
Since then, the Ursa
have lived as they always have, working to guide the other races as they strive
to live in harmony with the universe.
Beliefs, Legends, and Religion
The Ursa worship the
six aspects of the compass, each personified by great beasts and each a
guardian of the Six Realms of the Multiverse:
Arcturus, Ruler of
the North, Guardian of the Realm of All, Giver of Medicine and Navigation.
Bahamut, Ruler of
Above, Guardian of the Realm of Cosmos, Giver of Mathematics and Music.
Behemoth, Ruler of
the East, Guardian of the Realm of Land, Giver of Construction and the Horus.
Falak, Ruler of
Below, Guardian of the Realm of Fire, Giver of Fire and Metallurgy.
Leviathan, Ruler of
the West, Guardian of the Realm of Water, Giver of Irrigation and Brewing.
Ziz, Ruler of the
South, Guardian of the Realm of Air, Giver of Agriculture and Writing.
Relations, Alliances, and Vendettas
The Ursa are nearly
always found on peaceful terms with all of their neighbors. They regularly
inhabit temples and places where multiple races worship. They are particularly
close to humes that worship the Wanderer, whom they believe to be the companion
of Arcturus.
This is usually how
most humes meet one of the Ursa, and there are many hume phrases about the
Ursa. Saying one has the "heart of an Ursa" is a compliment that
means either a person is particularly loyal and fun or that a person can hold
his liquor. "Sleeps like an Ursa" refers to the hume belief that the
Ursa sleep half of the year (although this is not true, in winter Ursa will
frequently sleep for most of the day). Saying someone is "Ursan" is
akin to saying they are anal, referring to the careful arrangement of objects
to shift the balances of the Six Realms that all Ursa do.
The Ursa rarely, if
ever, attack unless provoked, and so only find themselves in wars against
creatures that have invaded their territory; typically, goblins, and aviadins
and lizardfolk, although occasionally the orcs of Bershidai and ogre tribes.
The Ursa can
typically freely travel in most communities with little effort or trouble, this
extends even into the Alyres, although all Ursa hate elven esolons for their
experiments resulting in the creation of the feral Ursa.
Subraces/Relatives
Feral Ursa
Modern bears
Class Tendencies and Racial Specific Classes
The Ursa have three
sacred professions that only they may take:
Ursan navigators
study the Horus and the weights and measures of the Six Realms.
Ursan oracles are
those navigators that use the Horus to peer into likely futures.
Ursan geomancers are
those navigators that use the Horus and drastically shift and alter the weights
and measures of the Six Realms to drastically alter the world around them.
Many Ursa learn and
dabble with the abilities of all three professions, but those Ursa that follow
one of the three sacred paths their entire lives are rare. Most Ursa prefer
professions such as fisherman or interior decorator.
Notable Creatures