What is a maow?
A maow is an intelligent creature other than one of the human races.
A maow is a creature that either:
a) has the ability to weild magic or
b) has the ability to communicate with humans or understand humans, or otherwise show intelligence at or above human capability.
As such, there is often a fine and indistinct line seperating some maow from animals, while others are obviously seperate.
What is their place in the world?
Different nations take different stances on dealing with maow--particularly those that cross the line of animal. Tierra is one of the open-minded of the world, living alongside maow as peacefully as possible. Most nations support legends that the maow are older upon the world than humans are, while a few believe humans to be older. A scattering of others uphold the idea that maow were created by the Ancients. Regardless, in some places maow are more established than humans are, and some have very advanced societies of their own.