Fubarnii

Pronunciation: foo-bar-nee

Fubarnii are small, intelligent, nocturnal creatures that live throughout the known world. Most fubarnii belong to a vast empire that spans the continent under the rule of the Grand Emperor, who resides in the central city of Peygarl. They are a naturally creative and inquisitive race and have made many technological advances, including some quite advanced machinery and some developments in explosives. The fubarnii are a race of small reptile-like creatures with enquiring minds and a strong inclination towards technology. Their society is very hierarchical, both among the fubarnii of the Empire, who live in cities underground, and their cousins the Ferals, who roam the plains of Bakahn and live a nomadic hunter-gatherer life. The fubarnii of the Empire believe in gods who live on Enar, the larger of their two moons. In recent years a civil war has arisen, caused by the arrival of the Belog from beyond the mountains. These great creatures, similar to fubarnii except for their size, were hailed as gods from Enar by some of the fubarnii, while others refused to accept them. The Belog have on the whole welcomed their role as gods, though a few individuals refuse to involve themselves in this pretence. Both the fubarnii and the Belog see the devanu as their enemy. The devanu are predators with keen intelligence as well as speed and strength, and for many years they enslaved the fubarnii, both as a labour force and as food. Eventually the fubarnii overthrew them and have driven them from most of the Empire.