This is the story of a world filled with wonder. And Fur. It is called for lack of a better term, "Furth".

Perhaps it was Earth long ago, but if it was, it was a very different place indeed. It is a world where animals and humans coexist and have similar features: some humans are born 'pure' and have no animal features (this feature is called Range by scholars). Some animals are thus born without any humanoid parts. However the bulk of the sentient population rests somewhere between humanity and animism. The most common forms of life include humans with some feature such as fur or ears, tails or other animal bit (Kin); next are anthropomorphic (Morph) half-human half-animal types, animals which stand upon two legs and speak clearly, have thumbs and the like. Other forms include shapeshifters (Shifter), speaking-animals (Kind), and those who have mixed features of two species or more. The 'pure' form animals and humans occur in only a miniscule portion of the population. When they occur in the Noble classes it often causes an uproar.

Inter-species relationships are not only common but sometimes required. Rarity of animal-species is a problem in some isolated locations, but also physical  Range compatibility problems exist among some of the same species. Half-breeds are uncommon to rare in any case, but exist and are frequently in the 'anthro Range' because of the flexibility of a humanoid form. However shapeshifters exist that go from one anthro form to another, from one Humanoid to a vastly different Animal one, or varying states between fully human and fully animal. The likelyhood of finding someone of your own Range and Species depends upon the rarity of both - and your location. An elephant-Morph in 'asia' will have an easier time finding a partner than a warthog-Kind who has wandered far from her place of birth.

Species that are common to almost every part of the world include dogs, cats, small and medium birds, rodents and lagomorphs (rabbits). To a certain extent, horses and coyotes, raccoons and other 'urban' species are able to live nearly everywhere. There are few 'very smart' reptilian species represented, though lizards and geckos are common enough in the lower classes; avians tend to hold jobs which are either in letter-carrying or administration and cover every species of Earthly bird. There are no recorded fish, insect or arachnid sentients - with the notable Noble exception of what appear to be 'Mer-taurs' half aquatic people. There are a small number of amphibious types such as frogs, toads and newts, but their life cycle makes it difficult for them to intermix and they most often must be near water. There may be whale, dolphin, seal and other sea-mammal types, though if there are they must exist in or near water and have a drastically different way of life. (One which most scholars are unable to research.)

The exotic species may include unicorn, flying horses, multiple-headed creatures, 'taur' creatures (and mix with different species very well), draconic and 'saurian' (extinct species), extinct mammal/avian, the aforementioned phoenix types, and any number of other exotic-seeming creatures. Many of these exotics have some form of 'magic' which they utilize to prove themselves among their peers. However some of them have forgone any Noble titles to wander among people and perform 'miracles' (healing, purifying water and the like). There are no demons nor gods known to have actually manifested themselves on this world, so these miracles and magic powers are very likely simple psionic or genetic abilities taken to an extreme.

Males and females are usually treated equally, though that depends on what part of the world they're in. Where a large difference exists between the genders, for size, strength or mobility, the weaker gender is usually found caring for young and doing home-chores instead of any physically demanding labor. Lifespan varies by Range type: Kind are often shorter lived than their other peers, generally they live around fifty to sixty years. Morphs, Shifters and 'Taur' exotics often live to around eighty, Kin can live nearly one hundred. Some species extend or shorten this by decades - rodents and small birds for instance rarely live more than forty years, while tortise-species and some exotics can live for multiple centuries. Pure-form types live according to their species (including humans living around 90 years). Females of Kin, Morph and Shifter types do not go into heat, but Kind and often Mixed Range do go into estrus according to their species. The young grow at a humanoid rate in any case, usually being toddlers for up to 4 years and achieving maturity only after their first decade and a half.

The social structure of this world is similar in ways to medieval Earth, however there are a multitude of religions and theories about how the people of the world became as they are today. No one religion dominates any given area, though few are rarely found 'everywhere'. It varies from location to location, which sets of gods, goddesses, animals and concepts are worshipped, and in what order, or to how great an effect on the individual life.

Nobility rule in most locations, while a very few have established democracy, theocracy or beaurocracy, and even a few dictatorships. Nobles and noble families tend to be 'exotic' creatures, ones which have never existed on Earth - causing many theorists to wonder how and when our worlds began to differ. Phoenix, dragon, and other such supernatural beasts barely exist outside Noble classes, though other types of creatures have sometimes been found in ruling classes (such as tigers, elephants, lions and even skunks).

The upper classes, typically well educated and land-holding, are a mixture of half-breed Noble types (who have common blood) and 'everyone else'. They run businesses, do trade, participate in parlament where government permits, hold office locally, and hire who they will when they can afford to. They run large farms, control travel lanes, shipyards and the like.

The lower class are formed of people who have not been able to prove themselves able in the upper class, or who were criminals, or sadly in many cases, those 'talking animals' who are unable to hold jobs because they lack thumbs or other ways of communication with normal people. A good number of chickens, ducks, rodents and hoof-type animal species are found in this class. It is not uncommon to have a cart pulled by an intelligent donkey or horse, the menial tasks given to many sound-bodied animal-people are rewarding in and of themselves but the person rarely has a life outside of their work. They are little better than slaves, but there are places in the world where a slave-class also exists below the lower class.

Outlaws are common everywhere, and are made up of almost every species or Range, and for all the same reasons as always. Theft, murder, rape, kidnapping, arson... Many crimes punishable by death can be escaped by becoming a slave in those societies where slavery exists. Minor crimes or young criminals are treated differently in every location - jailing, branding, maiming or simple servitude are all common forms of punishment.

Trade exists through most of the civilized world. Trade routes are prized and most often both patrolled heavily by local governments, and hit hard by highwaymen, pirates and thieves. Bounty hunting is a common profession for those who can tackle the work, and most trade routes have a bounty station nearby. Communication in this world is complicated - there are those who can fly and shapeshift into fliers, many of those are relied upon for letters and courier work. However there are also people who are capable of training their lungs and voices - typically elephants - and literally broadcast news or information across valleys or plains. They have a well-established system of sounds, hard to break codes, and a very difficult entrance exam to their ranks!

The different locales found on this world emulate the continents and cultures found on Earth, however the terrain may be distinctly different. The 'Japanese/ Chinese' culture is not separated, for there are no islands off the eastern coast of that portion of the world (at least not which have become independant) and is known as Zhongou. Daal (Africa) runs along the equator for quite a ways, separated from Aggu (Australia) by an ocean. The 'continent' of Jambu (India) rounds out the Eastern-feel area. There is one American-counterpart continent, Ajawle, covering much different terrain and climate, and inhabited by a culture that looks and feels very pre-Columbian mezzo-american. Yro (Western Europe) is densely populated, highly contested, and is filled with Nobles and Barbarians alike. Northern Europe-seeming Ylbor is frozen much of the time, landlocked save for a small portion in the east and west most of the year. The Aggu area is the only portion of the world with a significant population that has not encountered the rest of the world and is therefore isolated genetically as well. There are inhabitants all the way through the north pole, and avian-species colonies on the south.

Food is typical of Earth's. Herbivore species have tended to become more omnivorous or even insectivorous, while meat-eaters have added some amount of grain and lots of fish to their diets. The concern of some scholars was that cannibalism would occur in densely populated areas, but while there are a few scattered cases of murder-cannibalism around the world here and there, the food-animal situation has never been a real problem. No sentient has ever (that is known) been eaten for dinner! The test - and there is a test almost everywhere that Kind exist - is to wait until a normal animal would be an adult. Generally speaking the life cycle of any person on this world is much much longer than a normal animal. If a child Kind grows at such a rate that it's clear to have devolved to 'pure' animal state, it is never given a name nor is it a 'citizen'. This does have a strong affect on Kind and their reproduction, they are very careful about who they pair up with and how their young are raised. It is considered a stigma to have sired or birthed a 'pure' animal - and this does happen occasionally in other Ranges than Kind. Another test of course, is to demand communication from the animal. A Kind will be able to understand in some way and communiate in whatever form they can that they are sentient. If they cannot perform this task, they are assumed to be a simple animal.

Language is not a barrier, though there are many different dialects there are only four or five actual languages on the world. Essentially it boils down to Carnivore, Herbivore, Exotic, Ancient, and Common. Most carnivores can communicate with one another no matter what part of the world they are from, the same with many hoofstock and avians. Ancient tongue is a mixture of several Human languages that have simply remained among the Kin Range. Common is essentially spoken everywhere, while Exotic is a Noble-only tongue complicated and filled with terms that no commoner needs to worry about. Technical languages also exist, a number of codes (for the distance communication), and written forms of local dialects may vary considerably. Common has the most widely used written component, and is complicated in the same way that some Eastern languages are: there are a lot of different symbols. This is not a phonetic language, it is actually built of individual words. Literacy (as mentioned above) is largely for the upper class, because they have the time to learn the written forms of more words than the commoners who generally read what they talk about in daily activities. They may know a thousand different symbols, but they're often geared only toward their profession.

The history of this world could be considered 'short' - it only goes as far back as the scholars can find references to Kin, Kind, Morphs and Shifters. Before that, they say, the world was a mess and mire, and not worth investigating (which leads other scholars to believe those first ones are merely lazy, but agree on it was a mess!). "As far back" is perhaps two thousand years, possibly 2500 on the outside. There are gaps because for quite some many years, nothing of significance happens. A true timeline may be available, but only to Nobles or their own set of learned people. Some Nobles have expressed telepathy or other informational type magic, and can claim to know the history of a location better than others. But they very rarely share this information.

One thing is known: that around 1700 years ago, "year 322" for the sake of those counting on the 2 thousand chart, a gigantic Range-war erupted in what is considered middle-europe. This war literally separated the Kin from Kind, species from species, brother from brother. It is known to have been started by a Pure Human, intent on destroying his Morphic brother's rule over the country they had inherited from their father. This human portrayed himself as a victim - when he was really rather powerful mentally, and surely had some form of psionics which gave him sway over groups of people. This took away from his brother - a Lion Morph - who was the elder of the pair and meant to rule above his sibling. The human brother took hold of many Kin and got them to rebel, pronounced death sentances on many Kind, and outright banned any Shifter they found. For nearly twenty three years this went on, until at last the Morphic brother regained control and returned the country - and its neighbors - to their original state. However to this day there are areas in 'Europe' that Kind are seen as less than civil, and Shifters are still outlawed more often than not.

In the Eastern area, the notable historical event was the birth of the first Kind Phoenix. She was the only offspring of the emperess at that time (about year 1420) even though the pair had obviously (very obviously) been trying to conceive again for years. Though she was a bird in shape, she was still Noble, and has come to represent a sort of unity that the world rarely sees in Range types. Her own offspring were many and varied, as she was far less problematically infertile than her parents. Many of the upper class in her part of the world share Phoenix blood, it is a sort of earmark of quality to have been descended from the Queen of Kind.

It appears that the entire world became 'civilized' at once, there was no grand colonization of any given territory or continent. This lends more creedence that this world used to harbor a different culture entirely and was somehow changed to be this current one. Trade routes have changed over the centuries, been made or destroyed, ignored or enforced. Cultural exchange is expected, especially in this day of exploration and challenge. The population is growing steadily, though technology is not at a human/modern level (and probably never will be). Consider that the most 'advanced' form of technology on the world is clockworks and some small amount of steam power. Most folks use candles and oil lamps, travel in carts or on simple sailing ships. There are no telephones, self-propelled vehicles, submarines, repeating guns, nor electricity. Some larger and more advanced cities however do have full indoor plumbing and water pressure, great engineering works which often took decades to produce. The aqueducts of Rome are comparable.

Math and science are enjoyable subjects for the Nobles and upper class, however medicine and social sciences seem to be merely keeping up or doing damage control - because of the vast changes from one species and Range to the next. One healer might specialize only in Kind, while another only in their chosen Species. Let's just not go into Shifters! They give everyone headaches! Most scholars tend to write a lot and read each other's works, talk about society and how it's doomed or enjoying whatever prosperity of the moment. There are newspapers in some parts of the world, where literacy is more common than not. The printing press has been widely known for centuries, but rarely used for such common efforts. It's most often used by legal houses to keep records (they made forms so much easier, just sign here. You can use your clawprint.) or to distribute information from one country to the next. Only in a very few nations is it actually illegal for lower class citizens to own or use a printing press (and you don't want to live there. Trust me.). Musical instruments vary and are often used by Kin because their mouths are typically human in shape and they usually have slender fingers without claws.

Housing and tailoring on this world are very different from Earth - because of the size differences between species and Range. However housing is built to last and clothing is made to be flashy - most folks other than Kin don't even consider clothing to be convienent let alone 'necessary'. But they are often required to wear something nice (like a tabard or tunic) to religious ceremonies or cultural events. Even Kind are often fitted with something nice (or something generic, depending on the occasion) by their families for such outings.

Most Commoners live their entire life in the city, nation or locale where they were born. Many upper class folk travel around a bit but since they hold land they tend to remain for family raising at least part of their year. Nobles are a different type of matter: some are actually required to remain in their kingdom - or even in their keep - all their lives. Others buck that system and go traveling far and wide. Since some exotics are of long-lived nature, they can come back fifty odd years later and still be 'Noble' and not forgotten. Shifters tend to move around more than any other Range, because of the inherent mistrust that many nations feel towards them.

Though many people have migrated and mix in large cities, many others remain in their place of orign and have never seen some other relatively 'common' types of Species. Note that there are also 'monsters' which inhabit the world, but are not described in any detail here. They are usually location-specific like the Exotics. The 'continent/countries' represented here are:

Aggu - Equivalent to Australia. Very little is known about this nation/continent, assume that it has similar creatures to Australia. Human Pures are often dark skinned and with aborigine features. Animal species include koala, thylacine, kangaroos, other marsupials, flightless birds, dingoes. Exotics include many 'dreamtime' like creatures such as gigantic dogs made of fire, huge multi-species snakes, and star-visitors. This area includes the island areas such as Tasmania and New Zeland as well as some south-Asian isles. (Include for purposes of Antarctica (not shown): Penguin types, some migratory birds and some sea-mammals.)

Yro - Equivalent to Europe (western). Typical Germanic feel, deeply forrested and with high mountains. Human Pures are usually pale-skinned. Animal species include wolf, boar, stag, lion, hedgehog, badger (northern), fox. Exotics include several 'taur form creatures, dragons, mer-creatures and other typically fantastic creatures. This part of the world also emulates the western part of the Mediteranian area, but not most of the Middle East.

Ylbur - Equivalent to Russia/Eastern Europe. Very cold, with steppe deserts and tundra, evergreen forests. Human Pures are fair skinned and dark haired. Animal species include bear, wolf, tiger, snow leopard, persian leopard, large hoofstock, camel, migratory birds, white-variant animals, mink. Exotics include multi-species creatures, giants, firebirds and other bird-based mixes, tentacled beasts, many-headed snakes, dragons, dwarves and undead. Note that this area of the world 'covers' the Middle East of Earth as well as central and western Asia.

Daal - Compare to Africa, tropical woodland and plains, grassland on southern end, no desert to speak of. Human Pures are dark skinned, with tightly curled hair. Animal species include all the typical hoofstock (zebra, antelope, giraffe, sable, etc), big cats (cheetah, lion, leopard, tiger, serval), badger (honey), apes/primates (tailless and otherwise, lemurs included), elephants, rhino, hippo, large reptiles, and a multitude of birds. Exotics include multi-limbed and multi-species creatures, giant snakes, phoenix. It seems there are fewer truly fantastic Exotics in Africa mostly because the existing real wildlife is so bizarre already.

Zhongou - Compare to China/Asia. High mountains and deep forests, step farming, two large volcano/craters. Human Pures are yellow-skinned, dark haired. Animal species include big cats (tiger, clouded and snow leopard), panda, small hoofstock, takin, many amphibians, pheasants, crane, monkeys and apes (orangutan) and lots of birds. Exotics include phoenix, firebird, dragons, exceptional monkeys, naga-people, huge snakes, roc, kitsune and shapeshifters, kirin, water-creatures (kappa, etc), insect-winged fairies and many more. Note that this area encompases China, Japan, Korea, and many other close-by nations, but not many more island countries.

Jambu - Equivalent to India/South Asia), tropical jungle climate, rich vegetation. Human Pures are dark skinned. Animal species represented include elephant, tiger, lion, snakes (who seem exceptionally intelligent compared to other such species), birds, large reptiles, rhino, monkeys, deer (swamp, barking), forest buffalo, sloth bear, sloth, horse, and many small birds. Exotics include multi-species crosses, large versions of small animals, phoenix, tricky monkeys, skull-faced creatures, and multiple-headed or -limbed creatures. This area covers south-east Asia and many islands.

Ajawle - Compare to the Americas, pre-Columbian. High mountains, all climates including rainforests and scrub deserts. Human Pures are red-skinned and dark-haired. Animal species there include llama, jaguar, small cats, goats, brilliant colored birds, macaw, marmoset and other small monkeys, bison, antelope, fox, wolf, coyote, badger, lynx, cougar, snakes (poisonous and constricting), bear (black, brown, kodiak, polar, small in the south), seal, walrus (very rare), elk, moose, roadrunner, other birds. Exotics include multiple-headed versions of animals, multi-species creatures, melanistic or albinistic versions, and features many Kind type animals in the north (talking dogs, coyote, birds, etc), zombies/undead, and some arachnids and insect creatures not normally found to be sentient. This area covers both the north and south American area as well as some islands such as Jamaica and the Carribean.