The Riardi

“Once, we walk this land as four-legged beasts of dream and nightmare, the ri'perafi. We receive life from Silaanju. With wind in our lungs again and pulse in our hearts, we awaken into more humanoid forms. Be mindful.” -a riardi elder

An Intirrian legend holds that a long time ago, creatures called the ri’perafi were chimeras capable of magic involving dreams and wishes. These quadrupedal chimeras bore scaled hands and hind feet, long, thickly-furred tails ending in an eye-less skull which could lash out to both forage for foliage as well as to inflict a hallucinogenic substance, and whose bodies were covered in incredibly soft white, grey, and/or black fur. Their heads were rather chinchilla-like in structure, yet they bore sharp, feline teeth. Their ears were long and rounded at the tips, and their backs bore sharp, hooked spikes. Heavy-clawed and with a mercurial nature, the ri’perafi lived in peace.

One day, the monsters came for them. Ri’perafi were slain often, and many also were captured as prisoners, with their quality of life given more or less privilege depending on the wishes they granted their captors in return. Concocting good dreams en masse, the ri’perafi pretended to faithfully serve the monsters. Within their dreams, the ri’perafi communicated with one another, orchestrated their escape, and wished for the birth of demons who would consume the monsters who had captured them. The monsters, meanwhile, dreamed of conquering Neeksi and Ahnkanan in Intirri.

Dreamscapes can be nebulous at best, and somewhere along the dreamscape interactions the ri’perafi had with one another, certain critical details became lost in translation. Unfortunately, countless among their number were traumatized from their ordeals. Many ri’perafi had become mad and had forgotten who they were before their sufferings had been inflicted upon them. When the ri’perafi liberated themselves, they brought the traumatized and the mad with them, and began to collectively heal one another.

Despite the work the ri’perafi did to heal, the monsters were enraged at the ri'perafi fleeing them, and much remained to be done to be free and see justice. The monsters declared outright genocide, while the ri’perafi wrought collective wish-making like they never had before: the wish to be reborn so that they could survive and have a healthy way of life. Among those working the collective wish-craft were the souls of deceased ri’perafi in the astral realm, desiring to assist their living brethren.

The god Silaanju responded and granted the ri’perafi the collective wish by tucking their souls into a new Intirrian humanoid form which resembled the ri’perafi and naming them riardi. Reborn, the monsters found that they could not find the ri’perafi. The riardi became fiercely-independent Intirrians who built strongholds in the jungle canopies for themselves. They reclaimed the ri’perafi’s territory and drove mad the monsters who had harmed them by weaving powerful nightmares, inflicting their hallucinogenic substance from their tail-heads’ bites, and were stealthy by both day and night. Though other Intirrians often traveled through the regions the riardi called home, most travelers remained oblivious to the presence of the riardi.

Riardi society stabilized and slowly grew. They relied often upon wishing their needs into existence, tempered by the gods’ gentle supervision from the astral realm. The riardi who had been traumatized found healing, love, peace, clarity of mind, and support. They became healthy again, and the riardi became profoundly grateful to both Silaanju and to one another. Many formed monster-hunting teams and made common and improvised weaponry in order to better-protect one another, though some riardi preferred to use their wish-crafting more pro-actively, and to use their dream and wish magic for vengeance. Common consensus held that both approaches were valid.

Over time, several riardi desired to explore Intirri further than their ancestral lands. Silaanju responded to their wishes by giving these individuals dreams of the northern continent, Kulakyn. There, the riardi who traveled there would become less insular than their southern relatives, and healthy relationships would be forged with other Intirrians. Riardi who had traveled and found the mountainous region came to bear similar fur coloration, matching their environments. Southern riardi came to develop other hues in response to the jungle landscape around them. In both instances, this reflected the manifestation of the riardi’s desire for successful adaptation within the world around them. As they collectively practiced their dream and wish-making magic, they began to explore the realms of possibility, limitation, and boundary. They became a people possessed of generally very specific ethic and moral, in between individual and collectivist in nature.

Riardi's Way of Life can be viewed for further details about their culture.

Riardi live for roughly two-hundred years. They have a deep enjoyment for community, harmony, and gratitude for being alive, and enjoy celebrating these things. They are Intirrians who understand what it is to walk the land mindfully and seek meaningful lives. They are generally very healthy; some conditions still affect them. You can learn about Riardi Health Conditions .

Learn about their Appearance Overview here!