Imghaun

Imghaun is the name of The Beastfolk Kingdom's governance and territory. Its formal name is "Imghaun, the City of Devotion". Not much is known about this kingdom to the general public, other than myths and rumors.

Etymology
The kingdom's name comes from the Leysic word for "devotion" or "love" as a noun, im, and the word "curse" as a noun, ghaun. The word "im" is also present in elim, the Leysic word for beastfolk.

Lore
"The Hunter's Catch", a folk tale about why the word "im" is is used in Imghaun and Elim.

A hunter lived with her lover in a forest, in such a forest that was devoid of game except for fowl. The lover was often sick, requiring much food to stay alive. The two women would wake at sunrise, and the lover would begin making bread as the hunter set out to catch their dinner. She would catch turkeys and ducks, geese and quails, and all other types of birds in order to keep herself and her lover fed. All except one--a beautiful dove with blinding white feathers. The hunter had heard tales about deities in animal form, and always steered clear of it, making an oath that she would not anger the powers that be.

One winter, the hunter had picked the forest mostly clean, and she grew more desperate each day as she traveled long distances through the trees to feed her lover. Everyday the white dove would appear, almost tauntingly, and all the while the hunter's lover grew weaker.

One day, in a rage, the hunter speared the shimmering bird. It fell to the snow, bleeding red like any other earthly creature, and she was reassured. The women made a stew, and scents of delicious food wafted through the house. But when the lover took a bite of the stew, she screamed, wisps of smoke curling off her skin. Her legs curled and became leathery, and her arms bent to her body and grew feathers.

And so the lover transformed into a bird, an indistinct one that looked just like the hunter’s usual prey, and flew out of the cottage window. The hunter fasted for days, refusing to hunt for fear her lover would be among those she hunted. She shouted at every bird she saw to fly away, unable to distinguish between them and her lover, and cried with grief into the snow.

The lover grew healthier in her new form, able to catch the fresh wind, and ate many nuts and berries. She refused to move away from the forest, too in love to leave, but knowing all the while that the hunter would one day strike her down.