Shircal

No one knows who was responsible for activating the Wishing Well underneath the city-state of Seradbur, but everyone knows that whoever it was must have been insane. Most Wishing Well users wish for something useful, like wealth or power, but apparently, all this wisher wanted was the annihilation of logic. The wish was granted, leaving behind a thaumafer area where Seradbur used to be filled with nothing but mind-bending illusions. Although those who live near its borders refer to the Seradbur thaumafer as "Wonderland," they feel no curiosity about it; any traveler who wanders inside never comes back out, that's all they need to know to stay away.

Still, life thrives within the thaumafer against all odds. The activation of the Wishing Well spawned a race as it always does. This time the shircals emerged, a race of feline humanoids who are just as odd and unnerving as the land they came from.

Always Grinning

Shircals are feline humanoids that stand around 5 feet tall on average. They have long, thick fur and bushy tails. Their fur comes in a variety of colors, from natural browns to very unnatural greens and purples, and is often striped. Their eyes are brightly colored and have a small, narrow pupil, giving them a perpetually crazed look.

Telling individual shircals apart is difficult because of the way that their appearances constantly shift. Their fur colors, stripe patterns, and facial features change from hour to hour involuntarily. Sometimes they even sprout extra eyes, ears, or noses for a short period. The only part that always stays the same is the mouth, which is locked into a wide, toothy grin. They are unable to move their mouth and it does not appear to open when they speak, although that has no effect on their voice. Shircals tell each other apart by the number, size, and arrangement of their teeth because no two mouths are exactly alike.

Identity Shifters

Because of their affinity with illusions, shircals are often stereotyped as being charlatans who manipulate people for their own amusement. For most this isn't true, and their seemingly "dishonest" behavior is a misunderstood function of how they socialize. Seradbur is too chaotic to support civilization, so instead of adopting an overarching culture shared between many, shircals form a new miniature culture with every new person they connect with. For each relationship in their life, they will have completely different customs, taboos, codes of honor and rules of decorum.

As a result, their personalities are just as impossible to pin down as their appearance. They might act like a shy bookworm with one friend, then a loud extraverted partier with the next, based on whatever seems appropriate. Everything from their idea of fun to what god they claim to worship can change based on who they're talking to. Outsiders not used to shircals often believe that their behavior is fake and manipulative, but the truth is that they're just trying to be polite.

Despite their behavioral adaptability, shircals will have some consistent personality traits that they aren't willing to compromise for the sake of getting along.