T. The Brinchie

In 1500 B.C., Shaintar became a home to a new species that had not previously walked these lands. The emergence of the brinchie is directly tied to the War of Fire in which Ceynara opened the 7 Cauldrons to allow Demons and Childer to spill forth. Brinchie have had to deal with the stigma (and still do) that they are Childer. Whether or not that is their true origin (and indeed the debate still rages on) no one can be absolutely sure, given that the Brinchie have never kept a written record. Their histories are kept orally and have been handed down the many centuries. These feline humanoids traveled the lands of Shaintar never settling on a region to call their own. They are very much a nomadic race.  It astounding and not all too surprising that it was not until 3023 A.C. that scholars and historians began to delve into the brinchie’s true origins. Many of the Brinchie have lost the traditions of the old ways and knowledge of their oral histories. Even the language of Brin has largely been lost due to adaptation and integration into other cultures. But it is Brin that holds an interesting clue to their true origins.  
After the Betrayal War ushered in a century of peace, Theon Geiseldor sat down to with Marlain Soulfinder, brinchie druid and a member of the Order of the Silver Unicorn, to learn the language of Brin and the oral histories. Geiseldor found that many words in the Brin language cannot be translated adequately or at all in most of the common tongues of Shaintar. Proper intonation is also key for if one falls to enunciate a word correctly then ‘light’ can easily be misinterpreted as ‘evil’. But what was most surprising was that many root words of Brin also shared some key root words with the Faelakar language of old. In 3031 A.C. Geiseldor completed his study on the Brin language and the histories and found that there was one story of origin that was repeated time and time again with many other Brinchie he spoke with in his travels.
                     “We were born of the light in the Eternal Forests. For a great many moons He kept us safe. Our spirits were free to roam where we choose; never bound (most likely word to match what is being conveyed) to the encumbrance of two legs. Evil came to the Eternal Forest and with His fall we were riven from our home. For many a time Darkness took and held us in Norcan Dar. The Nether became our cage (also the most likely word to match what is being conveyed). We paced, we raged, but we could not escape. Then She opened 7 great doors and let forth her terrible children. She did not see. We walked through to return home to the Eternal Forest. But we lost our way and the doors closed to us. We have yet to find a way to return. We wander. Always searching, always seeking.”
                                                                              Tah’Ehtnitac - Brinchie Origin Histories  
						      Theon Geiseldor 

If one examines Geiseldor’s records then the Brinchie are not of Childer as it is widely believed but of a species that once existed in Vianar’s Eternal Forest before the Fall. The Fall somehow enslaved them and the opening of the Cauldrons allowed them to escape. Because their language shares many root words with the Faelakar language of old it may have been one reason why so many brinchie tribes migrated to Landra’Feya in 720 A.C.  After initial tensions arose in the larger Fae community it was Quo-Unias and other respected Fae Elders whom commanded that they are to be welcomed and accepted Now that brinchie oral histories have now been documented, it is possible that Landra’Feya reminded them of their lost home, the Eternal Forest. The Tah’Ehtnitac story also provides  a solid reason as to why the brinchie are and remain a largely nomadic species. A few of the tribes that migrated to Landra’Feya still exist but one can find a vast majority of brinchie throughout Galea and the Freelands.
Following Geiseldor’s lead, scholars have further studied the brinchie culture and have broken them down into roughly two groups that exist in the social order of the species: the warrior and the spiritual. The spiritual brinchie speak of a time dating back to 1000 B.C. when some of their race felt a pull to journey to Og' m Drakar. The few that were in attendance at the Gather By the Eye were said to be touched by the Ascended. It is spoken that contact with the Ascended largely calmed their tempers and chaotic nature. Indeed quite a few remaining scrolls and Faelakar ballads speak of some Brinchie taking up the mantle of the Path that day. The sacred Evergreen Scrolls at Mindoth’s tower speak of early druidic brinchie being present at the taming of the volcano Bloodstone from 1132 to 1135 A.C. 
The warrior brinchie are the ones that exist in greater number throughout Shaintar. It among this group that the greatest integration and acclimation into other cultures has occurred. The warrior brinchie are much more likely to not speak Brin, not remember the old ways & oral histories, and are much more apt to display the restless, aggressive, and spirited behavior that has largely been associated with the species as a whole. But what many have seen as negative behavioral qualities that are wrongly believed to be spawned from a Childer relation, have actually served them well with survival of the species and their impact in aiding the forces of good throughout the times Shaintar has been thrown into Darkness and Flame. Ballads that speak of the Battle of Aralon in 1741 A.C. sing the praise of mighty feline warriors whom with tooth and claw helped defend the armies of Tavrin Ondori against the forces of Kal Warlord, Jolkas ki Grilnas. Indeed, warrior brinchie have been present at almost every battle and mission to push back or hinder the forces of Darkness and Flame. A more recent historical example is  Almorek, the brinchie assassin, who was  instrumental in seeing to the safety of the Dark Hunt Expedition team out of the lands of Shaya’Nor in 3026 A.C.
								
						Jonkeph Skein
								Brinchie Through the Ages