Large sentient felines native to the Aymhelin, Elven warriors ride these beasts into battle and pierce through enemy lines with the force of a storm, using their lightning speed to evade counterblows and change their angles of attack with the swiftness of a gale. None exemplify the primal, wild nature of the Verdelam Elves more than the Leonx Riders.
Each half of a Leonx-Verdelam pair trusts the other with its life, and the bond a Leonx shares with its rider is akin to that of family. In battle, the Leonx and rider coordinate their movements as one, fusing Elven skill with the deadly instincts of one of Mennara’s most fearsome predators.
Many Elves see the nomadic Leonx Riders as little more than feral barbarians who have lost their connection to the teachings of Latariana and the Path of the Stars. Far from unthinking savages, the Free Hunters (as they were called in ancient days) saw their wild nature as a way to better attune themselves with the wild lands around them. In time, they learned to temper their tremendous skill for hunting and combat with a deeper wisdom gained from their animal family. The mightiest killed only to survive, and the pack went to war only in defense of their own. Over time, songs were sung in Caelcira of lost Latari children rescued from the wild by strange, feral Elves, or even whole villages saved by Elven nomads who could speak the tongues of animals. Nevertheless, some of the most prominent leaders of the Latari noble houses wished to exile these “barbarians” from their sacred forest. Still shunned by the rest of Latari society, the Leonx Riders now keep mostly to themselves and their pack, only making contact with outsiders to offer aid.
In the centuries since the first Elf bonded with a Leonx, the Elves known as Free Hunters deepened their connection to the wild. They have embraced their own place in the natural world, believing there is wisdom to be learned from the cycles of the land and the beasts native to Mennara. The Leonx Riders have eschewed permanent settlements for a nomadic lifestyle and the freedom to roam and hunt as they please. While they typically choose to stay in the deepest or wildest parts of the forest, these riders are occasionally spotted near the fringes of larger Latari cities.
References
- Realms of Terrinoth
- Runewars Miniatures Game