THE ORIGINS OF THE MISHARR
Courtesy KM Zed

In many ways, the Misharr owe their being brought into existence to the First Matriarch of the Ss'tiss, whom they view as their mother. Their choice of father, however, is much less pleasant, and so is kept secret from all other races. As their father the Cat-People name the Dark Enemy himself. It is in the battle against the Dark Enemy's force that the Matriarch first unleashed her immense magical powers. While the direct effect was the defeat of the Dark force, there was a side effect, unnoticed at the time. The felines populating the valleys and mountains of the area were awakened into sentience. The Misharr, as they called themselves, watched the war raging around them, and, not truly understanding the conflict, nor possessing magic, wisely chose not to interfere. Slowly, as they learned more, the Misharr wise ones searched for the awesome power weilded by so many of the other races. As they discovered more, the Misharr became a magic-weilding race, but far too late to assist in the conflict -- the Scourge was over.

As the Misharr slowly emerged, finally believing themselves strong enough to face the other races as almost equal, they were met with surprise and suspicion. At first believing that the Cats were a trick of the Dark Enemy, the other races almost took up arms against the Misharr, and only the intervention of the Ss'tiss, who backed up the tale of the magical battle saved them. Still, at first the Misharr were avoided by all, partly because they reminded the others of the horrible war. Only as the years went by did that unease subside.
Because their origins lie in the energies of Mentalism, all Misharr are forever joined. Through what they named the Great Union, deep in Misharr lands, at the Place of Watching, every Misharr's moment of death can be seen. No Misharr ever dies alone. Through the Union also, should the Misharr home be threatened, every one of the Cat-People will know it. However, for this great gift, a price must be paid. Every 7 years every Misharr must return to the Place of Watching, to renew their claim to a place in the Union.