Arios Runners!

[O'Brien]

From the first era in which Arios was first colonized, the island had been a very pleasant place to live, a land ever generous and friendly to its inhabitants. With all its benefits, though, one stuck out among the rest. One good aspect of Arios proved to be a favorite of Ariosans throughout the eras. With the Black Dome (presumably) eliminating the need for sleep, one living on Arios had 29 candlemarks each brightening in which to enjoy life. Only in Arios could one do rigorous amounts of work - yielding higher pay - and still have free time and energy to be very much dedicated to recreation. Arios remained one of the Empire's best secrets, many scholars agreed, largely in part to the fact that this was not common knowledge in the mainland.

One such Ariosan who had used his time to maintain an active and fun lifestyle was Vysbad Insor, a Lionoid Katta. He had a large, shaggy brown mane matching a dark golden coat otherwise. He was an interesting person by anyone's standards, but "interesting" was probably the only characteristic everyone could agree to him having. Vysbad was secular to a radical degree. In fact, even in a world where religion was so prominent and the gods made themselves quite known, he considered himself an atheist. When asked once by Church officials how he could deny the existence of gods who so often prove themselves, Insor is said to have replied that he believed such appearances to be figments of their viewers' imagination. Though they thoroughly disagreed, the officials could think of no way to properly refute his unorthodox and indeed heretical views.

Religion wasn't the only area where Vysbad was considered by some to be immoral. He was infamous for being a womanizer, generally not even caring about a girl's race, hitting on them all equally. However, it has been mentioned that he was able to live an active and fun lifestyle, and his was not a purely hedonistic one full of promiscuity and atheism. The Lionman was the founder of the Arios Runners, a club dedicated to...well, running.

Generally, running tends to be an activity most people eschewed. They saw it as more a thing of necessity, and could not see the fun in it. Insor considered these people fools, and always loved the feeling of the wind rushing at his dark fur as he blazed a trail through a quiet forest or beach. Arios was the perfect place for him. Actually, due the island's tendency to acommodate athletes excellently, a fair amount of Ariosans joined his club, turning a blind eye to its leader's character.

Though they were encouraged to practice more on their own time, the Arios Runners had regular meetings each Solaria. Vysbad would usually speak for a bit, sometimes giving way to a guest speaker, but most of their time together would be spent running. Whether in the forest, on the beach, or through the town, a run on Arios always seemed exciting and scenic.

If one were to see the group gathered in town one Solaria and wished to join, the group would always welcome them. "Serale! We are the Arios Runners," Vysbad would introduce the club. "We are dedicated to recreational running on Arios. Running is a great physical activity that builds strength and endurance in a body as well as a strong will in the mind. Would you be interested in joining us on our run today?"