Beastkin [Furry]

The origins of beastkin in Himeros is admittedly depressing. See, beastkin came from humans—specifically, they were humans genetically transmogrified into anthropomorphic animal forms by elven warlocks from the Church of Thiese. Their logic was something like: The dungeons are getting overcrowded because the humans keep stirring shit, we need a deterrent. What if we just **** them to work for us instead of locking them away? And what if we could somehow alter their forms so they were more capable of the kind of backbreaking, soul-rending labor that would deter them from stirring shit in the future? Well, the boys at the cauldron just came up with this great idea...

But, you know, add more old-timey fantasy language.

To be fair to the Church, they really did only transmogrify their criminals into beastkin. Certainly, there are discussions to be had about what exactly constituted a "criminal" in the eyes of The Church. But that was a modest concern compared to the numerous lesser dukes and lords who wanted slaves of their own, and weren't going to wait for the auction block to get them. They brought in their own warlocks and started raiding their villages for talent. Of course, the Church didn't do shit about it, which served to hasten the Thiessan Exodus. When the eventual war with Novera destroyed the Church's grip over the world, the new Thiessan government ended indentured servitude and began to heavily regulate transmogrification magic. Novera itself was ahead of the curve, outlawing both from the country's inception. (There's actually a fight to walk that back a bit. People do exist who were born human but feel they were meant to be beastkin.)

Though ancestral wounds from the past remain, beastkin have transcended their hellish origins and exist as proud members of their race (and sub-races). Most elves (and many humans) look down on them; their history is perhaps not as ingrained in the popular consciousness as it should be. But many enjoy positions of power in government and industry; in terms of privilege, they're not that far off from humans.