Greetings! My name is Purrcy Wyndedrake. I am a Prydaen Empath, living in the town of The Crossing. What is a Prydaen, you ask? Well, just look at me. I am about the same height as a Human with short, smooth fur covering my body, that you will probably at first mistake for skin. In my case, my fur is all black, as is my short, thick mane. I have slitted gold eyes with pointed and tufted ears. My tail is quite long and luxurious, don't you think? I certainly do. Yes, you did notice a glint of claws when you looked at my hands. And my long sharp teeth. But how else would I be able to eat the raw meat I call food?When asked by a Human Bard, just what a Prydaen was, a Prydaen elder once said, "Prydaen am I, the proudest and most graceful of all. Unwavering and fearless, I fight for what is mine...which is, of course, everything. My reflexes are by far the best of all the races, and I am certainly the most beautiful. Not brutishly strong, but then, what's strength if you can't hit anything? Magic is within my grasp, though I excel at the fighting arts. I hunt and stalk in the darkness, my footfalls soft and sure. When alone, I am the happiest."
I, of course, being the rebelious type, chose a path different than most Prydaens. I became an Empath. The Empath uses the empathic knowledge of establishing links with people to take their wounds onto themselves, then uses life magic to heal themselves. As an empath, I gave up my ability to fight when I joined the guild. This means that as an empath, I must NEVER harm a living or unliving soul.
Annael Ebeshalek, the Empath Guild-Master has stated it best, "Now, we Empaths are healers above all else. Which means we only get elbow-deep in blood and gore when we're helping someone." Of course, as a Prydaen, the other time I'm elbow-deep in blood and gore is when I'm eating.
Annael has also said, "In many ways, we are better than a normal sawbones. We use magic to transfer the pain and suffering of our vict...er, patients unto us, and then heal ourselves of the damage..." It was to help other Prydaens, and I guess people of other races, that I decided to become an empath. Also, since we Pyrdaens were exiled from our homeland by the Undead, I hope that as an empath, I will be able to release those poor souls from their undead bondage so their souls will be free and they can walk the land once more when the Wheel again turns.
As a Prydaen, I believe in Demrris, the god of all Prydaens. But here in the eastern lands and as an empath, I also follow Hodierna, the goddess of springtime, life, the morning, harvest, crops, and life itself. Empaths, various other healers, farmers, and herbalists all typically seek to gain favor with her. She is the granter of life and therefore, for a resurrection or successful healing to take place she must ultimately be pleased. Hodierna's symbol is the unicorn.
I kinda told you about any Prydaen or any empath, but very little about me, Purrcy. Well, like all Prydaens, I came to the eastern lands with all the Prydaens who are here, when the Undead over-ran and forced us out of our homeland. When we escaped, a Great Barrier was magically erected to keep the Undead from following. Unfortunately, many of our fellow Prydaens went west instead of east and we know nothing of their fate. So here we are, in a land with no Hubs (villages) and no great Prydaen cities. But we will and do adapt very well.
When we left the west, I thought all was lost. For months I wandered around, knowing no one. Seeing no familiar face. True, I befriended a few from other races, and even was able to locate some Prydaens in The Crossing, but I felt so alone. Then one day, while walking down Hodierna Way near the Provincial Bank, I heard the most delightful song. The voice was that of a Prydaen lass. The crowd around her was so thick with appreciative listeners, that I had to push and shove my way to the front. I had no second thoughts about jabbing a few stubborn people with a well placed claw to get them to move out of my way. When I finally reached the front of the crowd, who should I see singing and playing her mandolin, but my childhood sweetheart, Cammeo Castlemane. There she was... glittered tawny fur, long thick amber mane and those beautiful crystal green eyes. My heart leapt for joy. I called her name, rudely interrupting her song. She stopped her singing, looked at me and almost dropped her mandolin. I ran to her and hugged her and kissed her and licked her and.... well, I was the happiest Prydaen in the world. She was quite startled, but just as happy to see me. Most people in the crowd applauded, but one grumpy old dwarf yelled out that he'd made his contribution to the Bard and wanted his money's worth in song. I composed myself, sat next to Cammeo and she finished singing her song, to the crowd's and the dwarf's delight. During the next few days we spent every moment together. Within a week we were engaged to be married. I never want to lose my pretty Cammeo again.
I hear rumors of war. There are always rumors of war. But if there is war, the Prydaens will be there fighting. We lost one homeland already and don't intend to lose another. And, if there is war, this Prydaen will be in the Empath Guild, doing his part to heal the wounded and contribute to the war effort. For, I am one of "The Male Empaths--Elanthia's true warriors."
Well, now you know a bit about me, Purrcy Wyndedrake. There aren't many Prydaens in The Crossing. But more importantly, there are even fewer Prydaen empaths. So, if you happen to be walking in The Crossing and you come across a black Prydaen empath wearing all black, wave and say, "hello". It's probably me.
