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| - Rumoured to be part Human and part Demon, the Fimir haunt bogs, fens, and desolate moorlands throughout the northern and western Old World. They are most common in coastal areas, but can be found anywhere that is suitably dank and dismal. Their strongholds are typically forbidding, craggy piles of rock, crudely built in the semblance of human castles on jutting headlands and other rocky eminences, and constantly wreathed in thick, writhing mist - in fact, the Fimir frequently refurbish and occupy the ruins of ancient human strongholds, rather than building their own. Fimir communities are usually isolated and self-sufficient, but some legends tell of a Fimir capital, a vast castle of obsidian rising from a craggy island surrounded by treacherous rocks and reefs. The location of this island
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| abstract
| - Rumoured to be part Human and part Demon, the Fimir haunt bogs, fens, and desolate moorlands throughout the northern and western Old World. They are most common in coastal areas, but can be found anywhere that is suitably dank and dismal. Their strongholds are typically forbidding, craggy piles of rock, crudely built in the semblance of human castles on jutting headlands and other rocky eminences, and constantly wreathed in thick, writhing mist - in fact, the Fimir frequently refurbish and occupy the ruins of ancient human strongholds, rather than building their own. Fimir communities are usually isolated and self-sufficient, but some legends tell of a Fimir capital, a vast castle of obsidian rising from a craggy island surrounded by treacherous rocks and reefs. The location of this island is not known, but some accounts claim that it periodically vanishes or sinks beneath the sea, to appear elsewhere along the western seaboard of the Old World. The Fimir are creatures of mist and darkness, and shun bright light. When they travel outside their strongholds in the daylight hours, their mists always move with them, shielding them from the sun and making their numbers almost impossible to assess. Fimir communities consist almost entirely of males, and are divided into four castes. The lowest caste is that of the Shearl, or thralls - a caste of servitors and menials; next is the caste of Fimm, or warriors, to which the bulk of Fimir nobility belongs and from which the race takes its name. Then there are the Dirach, or demonfriends, a small but powerful caste of magicians. Most feared of all, however, are the Meargh, or hags, the witch-queens that rule over Fimir strongholds. The Meargh are the only female Fimir. Fimir frequently mount raids on isolated human farms and villages, in search of food and captives. The Meargh are sterile and so the Fimir abduct Human women, though their offspring are always full-blooded Fimir rather than crossbreeds. The caste of the young Fimir is evident from birth and females are very rare, being born perhaps once a century in any stronghold. When a female is born, it is usually killed, unless the Meargh in charge of the stronghold is old and near death. In these cases, it will be raised by the Meargh as a daughter and successor. Fimir raiding parties generally consist of a dozen or so Fimm and a roughly equal number of Shearl, under the command of a young noble. In coastal areas, they travel in low-hulled, black longships. Occasionally, there may also be one Dirach in a raiding party, to whom the leader will usually defer. Larger units are known in time of war, and a Meargh will take the field with her entire people in defence of a stronghold, along with as many demons as she and her Dirach can summon. The Fimir appear to be on friendly terms with demons generally, and it is rumoured that some of their Human captives are used for trade with their demonic allies. Favourite weapons are great heavy maces and axes, which a Human would need both hands to wield; some Fimir, especially the nobility, go into battle with one of these weapons in either hand. Fimir do not generally use missile weapons, since the fog which is their natural element precludes missile fire. Fimir are generally of low intelligence and invariably use force rather than wit to solve problems. The Dirach, however, do approach Human intelligence, while the Meargh are possessed of a great and terrible cunning, and they rule by fear as much as much as by respect for tradition. Little is known of the religion and deities of the Fimir; it may be that they worship certain of the more powerful Greater Demons to whom they are allied or the unknown being or beings whom those demons serve. Fimir dress in an almost Human fashion, but always leave the legs, arms, and tail bare. The Fimm often wear shirts of chainmail in battle and nobles favour long cloaks fastened at the shoulder by heavy brooches of gold set with gems. Garnet is a particular favourite, being the colour of Human blood. Dirach and Meargh wear long, drab-coloured robes and cloaks. Having a single eye, Fimir lack depth perception and it is though that they use their magical mist to compensate for this, judging opponents' distance by how clearly they can be seen. Most Fimir can live for about 200 years. Dirach live to about twice that age and Meargh are almost immortal - ages in excess of 2,000 years are not uncommon.
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![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)